August blankets

Three more small baby blankets. The will be going to the NICU babies.

They are all made with Homespun.

These three are done with the V stitch. It's a quick stitch and makes a nice blanket.

Sunday song

Here I am to worship



Chris Tomlin

Light of the world
You stepped down into darkness.
Opened my eyes, let me see.
Beauty that made this heart adore You
Hope of a life spent with You

Here I am to worship,
Here I am to bow down,
Here I am to say that You're my God
You're altogether lovely
Altogether worthy,
Altogether wonderful to me

King of all days
oh, so highly exalted
Glorious in heaven above
Humbly You came
To the earth You created
All for love's sake became poor

Here I am to worship,
Here I am to bow down,
Here I am to say that You're my God
You're altogether lovely
Altogether worthy,
Altogether wonderful to me

I'll never know how much it cost
To see my sin upon that cross
I'll never know how much it cost
To see my sin upon that cross
I'll never know how much it cost
To see my sin upon that cross
I'll never know how much it cost

Here I am to worship,
Here I am to bow down,
Here I am to say that You're my God
You're altogether lovely
Altogether worthy,
Altogether wonderful to me


Here I am to worship,
Here I am to bow down,
Here I am to say that You're my God
You're altogether lovely
Altogether worthy,
Altogether wonderful to me

I'll never know how much it cost
to see my sins upon that cross--

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Luke 4:8
And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”

Revelation 15:4
Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, For Your judgments have been manifested.”

On this day..........

What a day today.

Seems as though McCain has chosen Sarah Palin as his VP.

I am not thrilled with the choice but I am sure the more I learn about her and hear from her I will be on board with the choice.

* McCain turns 72 today

* the Communist Soviet Union was no more on this day in 1991

* 1944 American troops marched down the Champs Elysees in Paris as the French capital continued to celebrate its liberation from the Nazis

* 1886 Chop Suey was invented in NYC

* John the Baptist was beheaded

* 1958--Air Force Academy opens in Colorado

* 2005- Hurricane Katrina Slams into Mississippi

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1 Peter 5:6


Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time

Thankful Thursday

Another summer Thursday, there won't be many more.

Today I am Thankful for:
* my family
* tomatoes!!
* my car
* answered prayers
* my little guy
* pre-school!!
* new shoes for my boy
* friends I have never met!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thessalonians 5:17

Pray without ceasing.

James 1:12
Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him..

Eighty-eight years ago today.

On this date, August 26, 1920, the 19th ammendment was ratified.

I made a post a while ago about woman's suffrage.

Here
is the post.


Nineteenth Amendment (Amendment XIX) to the United States Constitution prohibits each of the states and the federal government from denying any citizen the right to vote because of that citizen's sex.


"The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.

Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation"

History

The Nineteenth Amendment was specifically intended to extend suffrage to women. It was proposed on June 4, 1919 and ratified on August 18, 1920.

The Nineteenth Amendment was the culmination of the work of many activists in favor of women's suffrage. One such group called the Silent Sentinels protested in front of the White House for 18 months starting in 1917 to raise awareness of the issue.

On January 9, 1918, President Woodrow Wilson announced his support of the amendment. The next day, the House of Representatives narrowly passed the amendment but the Senate refused to even debate it until October. When the Senate voted on the amendment in October, it failed by three votes.[1]

In response, the National Woman's Party urged citizens to vote against anti-suffrage senators up for election in the fall of 1918. After the 1918 election, most members of Congress were pro-suffrage. On May 21, 1919, the House of Representatives passed the amendment by a vote of 304 to 89, and 2 weeks later on June 4, the Senate finally followed, where the amendment passed by a vote of 56 to 25.[2]

It was ratified on August 18, 1920, upon its ratification by Tennessee, the thirty-sixth state to do so. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby certified the ratification on August 26, 1920.

On February 27, 1922, a challenge to the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment was rebuffed by the Supreme Court of the United States in Leser v. Garnett.

100 things

This is a list of 100 things about me.

I got the idea from another blog.

1 I love to read
2 I have brown hair
3 and brown eyes
4 my feet are big
5 I have two children
6 one of each gender
7 they are almost 20 years apart in age
8 I love to crochet
9 and needlepoint
10 I am 5 feet 8 inches tall
11 I have been to Israel
12 and swimming in the Dead Sea
13 I love to sing
14 can't carry a tune
15 or read a note of music
16 I used to have chickens
17 I miss fresh eggs
18 I became a born again Christian in 1996
19 I have been pregnant 6 times
20 in every decade since the 1970's
21 I have 4 brothers
22 I am the youngest of 5
23 and the only girl
24 I was in the Army
25 I am an introvert
26 and very loyal
27 I am older than my husband
28 I like cats
29 but I only have dogs now
30 I am always on time or early
31 I am organized
32 Would love to learn how to play guitar
33 Love birdwatching
34 especially hummingbirds
35 I don't like liver
36 I don't drink
37 or smoke
38 I sent a card into Post Secret
39 and it was published
40 I had my daughter on my birthday
41 she was 6 weeks early
42 my son was born on my grandpa's birthday
43 I don't like to speak in public
44 I am an organ donor
45 I crashed a friends car before I got my license
46 zoo animals make me sad all caged up
47 I went to an Eric Clapton concert all by myself
48 I attended the first ever concert at the Metrodome in Mpls. It was Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and The Grateful Dead. We had front row seats
49 I am right handed
50 I love crossword puzzles
51 I like Dr. Pepper
52 I am not a shopper and never have been
53 I am a modest dresser
54 and never wear sleeveless
55 I met my husband in a bar
56 we were taking dance lessons there
57 I can keep a secret forever
58 I miss my dad
59 and my aunt
60 and my very special grandma
61 I was the only niece to my aunt
62 I miss my dog Otis
63 I have three animals buried in my yard
64 two dogs
65 and a cat
66 I have always wanted a bay window
67 I am getting one with a bench
68 I almost got a tatoo when I was 19
69 I left home at 17
70 I dropped out of high school in my senior year
71 I got my GED a few months later
72 and a high school diploma when I was 30 through night school
73 I had an appendectomy when I was 30
74 I like to cook
75 and clean
76 I need to lose 30 pounds
77 I have tried several illegal drugs and didn't care for any of them
78 I have two Japanese sister in laws
79 and a black sister in law
80 and a blond sister in law
81 My one brother is a Muslim
82 I don't like beach type vacations
83 I burn instead of tanning
84 I have two holes in one ear and one in another
85 a friend did the second hole and it hurt
86 I never wear earrings
87 I am old fashioned
88 I can dance well with my husband
89 I enjoy dancing
90 I am very practical
91 I love tacos
92 and pizza
93 I talk to my mom everyday
94 I love being married
95 I need a will
96 I am a good listener
97 I like sunflower seeds
98 I do like to shop for shoes
99 and yarn
100 I like being a stay at home mom

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Matthew 5:39
39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.

Romans 8:26-27
26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

The State Fair.........

We went to the great Minnesota get together today!

We usually go once each year, but some years we didn't go at all.

Our son is old enough now to enjoy the many activities and animals and food there now.

Our daughter also joined us so that was fun too. Little guy loves big sister and they even went down the big slide together.

I used to go down the big slide with daughter when she was little. They had a blast and we have video of it all.

We also went an saw the animals. This year we saw cows, pigs, piglets, chickens, ducks ducklings, rabbits, turkeys and baby turkeys. Oh yes, the sheep too. One year a sheep bleated very loudly at my son and it scared him.

The little guy didn't care for cheese curds!!!! We thought for sure he would like them this year but nope.

Then he walked by a place that had hamburgers and hot dogs and sat down and ordered a hot dog. Daughter and I continued on and the husband stayed with little guy and ate.

We all met up just a little later and continued on.

We all had a good time and are tired!!

August blankets

These are five blankets I whipped up.

They are made from my scrap Homespun and are baby blankets.

They will be donated to a hospital for babies in NICU.

I have no idea why they are sideways and I can't fix it!

Sunday song

It is well with my soul

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.


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


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


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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Psalm 146:1
“Praise the Lord, O my soul.”

Psalm 46:1-3
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be
removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and
be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.


Psalm 103: 1-6

Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and
forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life
from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with
good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's. The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment for
all that are oppressed.

Philippians 4:4-7


Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at
hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be
made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and
minds through Christ Jesus.


John 14:27

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be
troubled, neither let it be afraid.


History of the Hymn

Horatio Gates Spafford
1828-1888
Born: October 20, 1828, North Troy, New York.
Died: October 16, 1888, Jerusalem, Israel, of malaria.


This hymn was written by a Chicago lawyer, Horatio G. Spafford. You might think to write a worship song titled,
'It is well with my soul', you would indeed have to be a rich, successful Chicago lawyer. But the words,
"When sorrows like sea billows roll ... It is well with my soul”, 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.

Horatio G. Spafford and his wife, Anna, were pretty well-known in 1860’s Chicago. And this was not just because
of Horatio's legal career and business endeavors. The Spaffords were also prominent supporters and close
friends of D.L. Moody, the famous preacher. In 1870, however, things started to go wrong. 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. And, not only did they need the rest -- DL Moody needed the help. He was
traveling around Britain on one of his great evangelistic campaigns. Horatio and Anna planned to join Moody in
late 1873. And so, 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. Then she heard a voice speak to her,
"You were spared for a purpose." And she immediately recalled the words of a friend, "It's easy to be grateful
and good when you have so much, but take care that you are not a fair-weather friend to God."

Upon hearing the terrible news, Horatio Spafford boarded the next ship out of New York to join his bereaved
wife. Bertha Spafford (the fifth daughter of Horatio and Anna born later) explained that during her father's
voyage, the captain of the ship had 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." Horatio
then returned to his cabin and penned the lyrics of his great hymn.

The words which Spafford wrote that day come from 2 Kings 4:26. They echo the response of the Shunammite
woman to the sudden death of her only child. Though we are told "her soul is vexed within her", she still
maintains that 'It is well." And Spafford's song reveals a man whose trust in the Lord is as unwavering as hers
was.

It would be very difficult for any of us to predict how we would react under circumstances similar to those
experienced by the Spaffords. But we do know that the God who sustained them would also be with us.

No matter what circumstances overtake us may we be able to say with Horatio Spafford...

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast 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 hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul!

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

Garmin

This is Garmin. Garmin is a GPS for driving directions.

I am pretty good with directions and I don't really need Garmin around here.

My husband bought Garmin last year and we have used it a handful of times.

My Mom and I took a quick trip to her hometown.

I have driven this road to her hometown hundreds of times, but my husband had me bring Garmin with.

We both got a laugh from Garmin when we veered off the directed path.

To both of us it sounded like Garmin was exasperated that we went off path.

It would say in the robotic, exasperated voice "recalculating" to give us a new direction.

We looked at the house she was born in and a house where she lived with her family.

The owner of her home was gracious enough to let my mom and me into the house to look around.

My mom told the owner how the house looked when mom lived there. The owner was interested in hearing how the house used to be.

It was a good, quick trip and my mom is glad to have gone and that I brought her.

It brought back a lot of memories for both of us. Some sad and most of them good fun, family memories.

We will likely never go back to this town since we have no family left there.

Another red scarf

Another red scarf finished.

I am taking a break from scarves for a little bit but I think I have 3 or 4 left to make.

This one is made with Red Heart, Cherry red. It is 6 inches wide by 78 inches long.

It's a long one!!!

Thankful Thursday

Another Thursday is here. Summer is almost over. It's gone by so quickly too.

That makes me sad.

Today I am thankful for:

* my family
* flowers
* a yard full of hummingbirds
* Yarn
* being healthy
* my faith

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Psalm 19:14

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.

Elderberries

We have two Elderberry plants on our property and they are ripe.

They look very similar to Blueberries but they are more red and they are tart.

I knew we had berries around but I didn't know they were Elderberries until now.

I plan on making an elderberry pie when I get home.

Flowers...........

This is a picture of fuscia.

Each mother's day I get at least two hanging baskets with Fuscia in them.

The hummingbirds love them.

We also have Honeysuckle vines, petunias and many many other flowers and shrubs and vines.

They are all for attracting hummingbirds and butterflies, and bees. And it works.

We have a ton of hummingbirds around.

But what is best about them all, is the SMELL!!!!

When I walk out my front door I can smell all the flowers and it is a beautiful aroma to walk into!!

Road Trip...........

My mom and I are going on a short road trip later this week.

Mom wants to travel to her hometown to see the house she was born in and where she lived, and I volunteered to drive her.

It's a relatively short drive with an overnight stay.

We are also going to drive by my grandma's old house. I haven't been there since 1999.

Just me and mom. This is the first time I have left my boy overnight.

I think it will be a bittersweet visit. Probably the last time I ever go to this city.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
John 15:16
Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.


Romans 14:11
11 For it is written:
“ As I live, says the LORD,
Every knee shall bow to Me,
And every tongue shall confess to God.”

August Blankets..........

This is what I have done for blankets this month. Seems I have been busy with scarves mostly.

These are five small baby blankets. The average size is 16 inches wide by 19 inches long.

Some are smaller, some bigger.

They are all made with Homespun yarn.

They will be donated to a hospital for babies in NICU.

The darker color you see on the pink blanket and the one next to it is a deep, dark purple, thought it looks black in the photo.

Sunday song

Pink Memorial blanket

This is another memorial blanket for a special friend.

It's made with Homespun baby in Carnation. I call it pink!!

It is 15 inches by 17 and a half inches.

Made in a simple shell stitch.

Grandma.........

Today marks the 100th birthday of my sweet grandma.

She passed away in 2005, about six months before her 97th birthday.

Grandma was a special person in my life. We were always very close.

In 2004 we brought my son to see her. We have several pictures of them together.

I miss grandma and think of her often.

Thankful for my memories.

Thankful Thursday

Another Thursday here. I have enjoyed this week. It's been a quiet week.

My daughter came over one day and it was a nice visit. My little guy just adores big sister. It's good to see them together.

This week I am thankful for:

* my husband, he has been home for a week and he is so good with our son.
* my little guy, he hurt his leg this week and it's a little tender for him.
* for my little guy giving spontaneous hugs and kisses. I know it won't last forever.
* my garden and starting to get some yummy veggies
* God's grace and mercy, because I need it each day
* friends I have never met!!
* my mom and how well she is doing.
* my daughter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Matthew 7:21
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.


Proverbs 28:27
He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.

John 10:27
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me

Lincoln Logs

This is what our house looks like.

Just kidding--sort of.

My little guy and daddy made this yesterday.

They had fun making it then the little guy had fun destroying it!!

Another Memorial blanket.

I made this memorial blanket for a woman who will give birth to her baby that won't survive. There are genetic issues with the baby.

This blanket is made with Homespun baby, mint green and white.

It is 19x19.

Tagged

It’s a random tag, and here are the rules!
1. Link to the person who ‘tagged’ you!
2. Post the rules on your blog!
3. List 6 random facts about yourself!
4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post!
5. Let each person know they have been tagged by commenting on their blog!
6. Let the tagger know the entry is posted on your blog!

Candice tagged me for this one. Here

Six random facts about me:
1. I joined the Army when I was 19
2. I had my daughter on my birthday
3. I have been pregnant six times and have two children
4. I love history
5. I love to crochet
6. I am an organ donor

I will tag:
1. Bethany
2. Mary
3. Viv
4. Angela
5. Melanie
6. Jodi

Carrots!!

These are carrots from our garden!!

I steamed them last night for dinner and they were delicious.

We just planted two small rows of them and the rabbits or something ate most of the tops off, so they are kind of small.

Next year will be better I think.

The accidental gardener.....

This is my compost pile. That I have been neglecting.

I usually have my husband throw the food into the compost pile and I haven't been back there in a while.

The other day my husband informed me that we have tomatoes growing in the compost pile!!

Imagine that!

They are roma tomatoes and must be from the tomatoes we threw in there last year.

I didn't believe him at first til I went back there and looked.

Sure enough we have compost tomatoes!! They are small and I don't know if they wil even get grown enough before a frost comes, but we'll see!

Sunday song

This is an old Hymn but it's a good one.

How Great Thou Art

O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,
And then proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!"

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

words & music by Carl G. Boberg and R.J. Hughes

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
John 10:7, 27
7 Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.

27My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

T-Ball...........

This summer my son also played t-ball since he loves baseball. He has two more years of T ball until he can play baseball.

Today was his last t ball game of this year.

I wasn't sure how well this would work out but it was so fun!!

We signed him up through YMCA and they have mostly volunteer coaches.

There is not a coach for every team either but there is someone from the Y staff at every field to help facilitate the games.

For his first game his coach couldn't make it so the YMCA coach was there and the other team didn't have a coach.

So a bunch of us parents hit the field and coached these little 4-5 year olds.

It was actually a lot of fun! I think next year I am going to be a real coach!

And it's been fun to see the improvement in how the team plays.

Swim lessons

This is the public pool where I live.

My boy loves to go to the pool.

This year he took swim lessons and loved it.

Next year I am going to sign him up for the next two levels of lessons.

He really learned a lot this session. He learned to put his head under water and he could swim for 5 ft alone, how to get in and out of pool, safety stuff etc.

It was fun to watch his progress through the two weeks.

It's mine........all mine!!

This is my Honda Pilot. And I own it outright.

We paid it off last week. Almost a year early too!!

My husband and I are following Dave Ramsey's get out of debt book.

It's called "The Total Money Makeover"

We are getting out of debt and it's a great feeling.

We bought this pilot a week after my son was born.

Before the Pilot I drove a Jetta, that I absolutely loved.

My husband didn't really fit into the car and the car seat didn't fit very well either so when I was 8 months pregnant we went car shopping.

I know I will have this car for a long, long time. It only has 34,000 miles on it so far!!

It's a good feeling to have no car payments now--or ever again!!

Thankful Thursday

Ah, the dog days of summer.

Steamy, hot, humid days.

Time to enjoy this weather before winter is here again.

Today I am thankful for:

* Fresh homegrown tomatoes!!! Finally.
* My son telling me to close my eyes because he has a surprise for me.
* finding fantastic deals on school supplies!!
* being a stay at home mom
* God's grace and mercy
* precious memories
* friends from the past
* being able to learn new things
* learning from past mistakes

I know that often it seems like I repeat what I am thankful some weeks for but these lists do come from my heart each week.

Some weeks I have to really thing and some weeks it all just comes to me quickly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2 Samuel 22:47
47 "The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock!
Exalted be God, the Rock, my Savior!

Red scarves

These two make six scarves that I have made. I think I will make four more then send them.

The one on the left is made with Red Heart and it is called Ranch Red. It measures seven inches wide by 74 inches long.

The scarf on the right is made with Homespun and it's called Candied Apple. It measures 6 inches wide by 67 inches long.

RIP Alex Solzhenitsyn

Alexandr Solzhenitsyn: 1918-2008

Writer bore witness to communist tyranny



Nobel laureate Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the reclusive icon of the Russian intelligentsia and chronicler of communist repression, died Sunday. He was 89.

His son, Stephan Solzhenitsyn, told the Associated Press that his father died of heart failure in Moscow.

The soulful writer and spiritual father of Russia's nationalist patriotic movement lived to be reunited with his beloved homeland after two decades of exile - only to be as distressed by communism's damage to the Russian character as he was by his earlier forced estrangement from the land and people he loved.

Mr. Solzhenitsyn returned from his Vermont refuge to a dramatically changed Russia in 1994 but deemed it a moral ruin after a months long odyssey to become re-acquainted with the country that had denounced him as a traitor, stripped him of citizenship and expelled him in 1974.

Hailed as Russia's greatest living writer, the author of more than two dozen books - in addition to commentaries, poems, plays and film scripts - won back his citizenship and the respect of his fellow Russians after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Although his books were best-sellers in the West, only "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" was published first in his homeland.

Other major works include a memoir, "The Oak and the Calf," and "August 1914," the first volume of a monumental history of 20th century Russia.
Attacked Lenin

With his masterwork, "The Gulag Archipelago," he gave a name to the brutal network of labor camps that spread across the Soviet Union during dictator Josef Stalin's frenzied industrialization drive. Tens of millions of men, women and children died in the effort.

Mr. Solzhenitsyn saw the Soviet Union as cruel and suffocating "under the malevolent and unyielding nature of communism." He even attacked the revered god of the Soviet Union - its founder, V.I. Lenin.

He denounced the East-West detente of the 1970s as a sham and called the 1975 Helsinki Accord - the charter of the Conference of Security and Cooperation in Europe - the West's capitulation to Soviet enslavement of Eastern Europe.

Never hesitant to criticize his adopted country during 20 years in exile, he viewed the United States and the West in general as flaccid, morally weak, cravenly materialistic and suffering from "the spiritual impotence that comes from living a life of ease."

Alexander Isayevich Solzhenitsyn was born Dec. 11, 1918, in Kislovodsk, a fashionable health resort in southern Russia. A descendant of well-to-do Russian peasants, he was born six months after his father, Isaaki, died in a hunting accident.

Since he was 9, he had written stories, poems and plays. He attended secondary school in the industrial city of Rostov, where his mother was a typist.

Mr. Solzhenitsyn graduated from the city's university with a degree in mathematics and physics in 1941, the year Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union. The same year, he married fellow student Natalia Reshtovskaya.
Criticized Stalin

At the outbreak of World War II, Mr. Solzhenitsyn volunteered for the military but was turned down because of a minor congenital ailment. When the Soviet Union desperately needed manpower to stem German advances, he was drafted. He was appointed commander of a battery in 1942 and fought on the front lines until virtually the end of the war.

Three months before the end of the war in 1945, Mr. Solzhenitsyn was arrested for remarks he made in letters to a friend that censors turned over to the secret police. Mr. Solzhenitsyn had been critical about "the mustachioed one" - Stalin - and spoke, half-seriously, of founding a party that would return the Soviet Union to the true path of Marxism-Leninism from which it had strayed under Stalin.

Sent to Moscow's notorious Lubyanka prison, Mr. Solzhenitsyn was convicted by a three-member tribunal for anti-Soviet behavior and sentenced to eight years in prison.

He completed his sentence in a Kazakhstan labor camp that was noted for its harsh conditions. After being stricken with cancer in 1952, he underwent surgery in the camp hospital and was deemed cured, an experience that led to his novel "Cancer Ward," published in the West in 1968.

Upon completing his sentence on Feb. 9, 1953, he was condemned to exile "in perpetuity." He was sent to the desolate village of Kok Terek in Kazakhstan. There, he was again stricken with cancer but won permission to be treated 1,000 miles away in Tashkent. He was released from the hospital in 1954.

Shortly before Mr. Solzhenitsyn's release from prison, he divorced Reshtovskaya.

In 1956, Mr. Solzhenitsyn was informed that his sentence had been annulled. He soon began teaching in Ryazan, southeast of Moscow.

During the early 1960s, the Soviet Union was experiencing a short-lived period of liberalization under Stalin's successor, Nikita Khrushchev. Mr. Solzhenitsyn began to reveal his secret life as a writer.

In 1961, Mr. Solzhenitsyn used a pseudonym upon submitting "A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich," based on his experiences in the labor camps to the literary magazine Novy Mir, which published it the next year.

Mr. Solzhenitsyn had remarried Reshtovskaya in the 1950s, only to divorce her again in 1973. By then he had fallen in love with Natalia Svetlova, with whom he had had three sons.
Harassment from authorities

In the meantime, Mr. Solzhenitsyn suffered increased harassment from the regime that blocked his efforts to have his other works published. Frustrated, he had some of them smuggled to the United States and other parts of the West - "The Gulag Archipelago" was slipped out on microfilm and published in Paris in December 1973.

In 1970, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature "for the ethical force with which he has pursued the indispensable traditions of Russian Literature." Fearing he would not be allowed to return to his homeland if he went to Sweden to receive the prize, Mr. Solzhenitsyn did not accept it in Stockholm until 1974 - after his expulsion from the Soviet Union.

Mr. Solzhenitsyn was arrested Feb. 12, 1974, for treason and deported "for the systematic execution of actions incompatible with Soviet citizenship and harmful to the U.S.S.R." Placed aboard an Aeroflot airliner with seven KGB agents, Mr. Solzhenitsyn arrived in Frankfurt, West Germany.

A month later, as Soviet authorities had promised, Mr. Solzhenitsyn's wife, mother-in-law and three children joined him.

In 1976, he settled in Vermont - whose scenery he liked for its similarity to the Russian heartland - and bought a house on 50 acres near Cavendish.

"I think - I am sure - that I will return to Russia and still have a chance to live there," he said in 1980. Yet the collapse of communism and his return to Russia brought him little solace.

After Russians gave him a euphoric welcome in 1994, Mr. Solzhenitsyn embarked on a two-month, nearly 6,000-mile sojourn across Russia to reacquaint himself with his homeland and assess the depths of communism's damage to his nation.

"I came with a very sad, dark idea of the country," he told a town meeting in Yaroslavl as he neared the conclusion of his journey in Moscow, 150 miles away. "It has been confirmed."

Despairing of his fellow Russians' abuse of alcohol and immunity from patriotic feelings, Mr. Solzhenitsyn bought a country estate outside the Russian capital.

He is survived by his wife and three sons.

Friendship day

Yesterday was friendship day.

Call an old friend today!!


" Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather is one of those things that give value to survival. "
- C. S. Lewis

Never been unloved revisited

I had never heard this song until a week or so before I posted about it.

For some reason it has really struck a chord with me and within me.

I have been everything mentioned in the song--except unloved!

I know that God has been with me throughout my whole life--I just didn't always realize that fact.

God IS love.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Romans 5:1-8

1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.
5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.


Romans 8:1-5
1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
3For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man,
4in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.

Sunday song

Days of Elijah


These are the days of Elijah
Declaring the Word of the Lord

And these are the days of your servant Moses
Righteousness being restored

And though these are days of great trials
Of famine and darkness and sword

Still we are the voice in the desert crying
Prepare ye the way of the Lord!

Behold He comes! Riding on the clouds!
Shining like the sun! At the trumpet call
Lift your voice! It's the year of Jubilee!
And out of Zion's hill salvation comes!

And these are the days of Ezekiel
The dry bones becoming as flesh

And these are the days of your servant David
Rebuilding a temple of praise

And these are the days of the harvest
The fields are as white in the world

And we are the labourers in your vineyard
Declaring the word of the Lord!

Behold He comes! Riding on the clouds!
Shining like the sun! At the trumpet call
Lift your voice! It's the year of Jubilee!
And out of Zion's hill salvation comes!

There's no God like Jehovah!



Behold He comes! Riding on the clouds!
Shining like the sun! At the trumpet call
Lift your voice! It's the year of Jubilee!
And out of Zion's hill salvation comes!

Behold He comes! Riding on the clouds!
Shining like the sun! At the trumpet call
Lift your voice! It's the year of Jubilee!
And out of Zion's hill salvation comes!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Revelation 14:14-20
Reaping the Earth's harvest

14 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle.
15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, “Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.”
16 So He who sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.
17 Then another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.
18 And another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire, and he cried with a loud cry to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, “Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe.”
19 So the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
20 And the winepress was trampled outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horses’ bridles, for one thousand six hundred furlongs.

Ezekiel 37:1-10
The Valley of Dry Bones
1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones.
2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry.
3 He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?"
I said, "O Sovereign LORD, you alone know."
4 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!
5 This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life.
6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.' "
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone.
8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.
9 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.' "
10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.

Lonely people

Another favorite song.

Last year an aquaintace of mine gave me tickets to see America.

This was always a favorite group when I was young and it was fun going to see them live.

Lonely People by America

This is for all the lonely people
Thinking that life has passed them by
Dont give up until you drink from the silver cup
And ride that highway in the sky

This is for all the single people
Thinking that love has left them dry
Dont give up until you drink from the silver cup
You never know until you try

Well, I'm on my way
Yes, I'm back to stay
Well, I'm on my way back home

This is for all the lonely people
Thinking that life has passed them by
Dont give up until you drink from the silver cup
And never take you down or never give you up
You never know until you try

August 1

I can hardly believe it is August 1!!

The boy has swim lessons for another week, which I was not aware of.

The tomatoes are still not ready and I am very ready for the tomatoes to be ripe.

My mom is home and doing well, I will be seeing her tomorrow.

My daughter is doing well with her new job and apartment.

The husband has had a lot of time off lately. I am thankful for that since I have been sick the last two days--though I am better today.

It's been very hot and humid here this summer.

This is the first anniversary of the 35W bridge collapse--it is very sad.

I am trying to get better about using coupons.

I miss some of my old online friends lately. Mostly the comaraderie I think is what I am missing.

People really need to take care of facebook requests one way or another. It's annoying to be in limbo--just check yay or nay people.

Thinking about taking some classes when the boy starts kindergarten next year.

Need to work on moms needlepoint chair covers.

Not liking getting older at all.

Finally got my list of 100 things about me done.

Starting Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University soon with husband. We are working on getting out of debt and it's going very well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1 John 2:6
6 Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.

Philippians 1:21
21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Proverbs 12
1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but he who hates correction is foolish.

Deuteronomy 7:26
26 Do not bring a detestable thing into your house or you, like it, will be set apart for destruction. Utterly abhor and detest it, for it is set apart for destruction