Urgent Prayer Request

Last night my dad had a stroke. There is also the possibility that he may have had a mild heart attack, but we won't know anything until the doctors do an EEG this morning. He has lung cancer, and 2 weeks ago he had some excruciating pain; the cancer had eaten completely through his lung. Please pray for him as we deal with the latest health issues. He is in ICU and more tests will be done this morning. Last night, though, the CT Scan showed there was NO bleeding on his brain, which is a good sign. His left side was paralyzed last night, but he was alert, knew where he was, and what was going on, but he was very difficult to understand.

I know that God is good, and no matter what the outcome it will be His will and it will be okay. I will update as I get a chance, but it may be later tonight.

Spring forward!

It looks like spring has finally arrived. I'm so glad, I love the warm weather and sunshine, even if the wind is blowing really hard.

It's been a wild week around here. Our senior girls (Viola Lady Longhorns) made it to the semi finals of the state tournament. The first time in over 40 years that the girls' team has gone to state. I'm so proud of them. They lost the semifinal game last night to a team that is expected to win it all, and they only lost by 4 or 6. Austin rode the pep bus to the game the last 2 nights. I really wanted to go watch them, but it just didn't happen.

Wednesday night I didn't feel very well so we didn't make it to Awanas. Chris came in a little later and said he needed help. We had a new calf born and his mamma didn't act like she wanted him, so we had to lock them in a pen together. During all this process our blue heeler (Darrell) was trying to help us and the cow got him down. He limped around, but we thought he was just sore. Yesterday morning (Saturday) he still wasn't acting much better so I took him to the vet. Poor D had a dislocated hip. The knocked him out, put his hip back in place, and taped it so he is immobilized. We have to keep this dog as still as possible for a week!

Last night wasn't great, either. We lost a mamma cow and her calf, and had another mamma who can't get up very well. At lest she's still alive and so is her calf, but it looks like we may have a bottle calf because the cow can't stand up long enough for her calf to nurse. It's not been a great week around here!

At least I did notice the jonquils breaking through the weeds which really lifted my spririts. There's just something about seeing those bright yellow flowers that really helps my mood.

Please pray...

My grandmother called me this afternoon very upset. Today, shortly before noon, their pastor drowned in a boating accident. He and 3 other men from the church had taken advantage of a beautiful day and went fishing on the lake. I don't know exactly what happened, but there was an accident and Brother Russ was taken home to be with Jesus. One of the other men was air lifted to St. John's hospital, one was taken to a local hospital, and one of walked away.

Please pray for the Frist Christian Church in Flippin, AR, for all the church members, and for the Dunham family. Brother Russ Dunham leaves behind his wife, Lesa, and 3 young children. I know this family would be greatful for prayers as they come to grips with the accident and try to make sense of it all.

Spring?

Technically, it may still be winter, but our cows have decided it's spring and time to start having calves. I love this time of year! Last night Chris came in and said he had to have help, we had a 1st calf heifer trying to have her calf and it just wasn't coming, so Casey grabbed her boots and headed to the barn with him. I had to put on jeans because I'd already gotten comfy in the flannel pants, but I followed with camera in hand. I was absolutely no help, but I did get some great pictures. Chris pulled the calf and it wasn't long before the mamma was working him over trying to get him up. He was BIG! We had gotten spoiled, this is the first one he's had to pull in 2 years. We have 6 calves on the ground now, 2 from our bull and 4 that I call "free gifts with purchase". We bought 9 "open" heifers and 4 of them have had calves. Cute little surprises!

Spring, to me, is a time of rebirth and renewal, a new season. Spring always reminds me of the verses in Ecclesiastes 3

A Time for Everything
1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,

3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,

4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,

5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,

7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,

8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

I think, as Christians, we are like those new calves, we have new birth in Christ, He cleans us up, helps us stand on wobbly legs, nourishes us, and helps us grow while He stands beside us. How quickly we grow and how strong we become is totally up to us, and this spring, I'm choosing to grow by reading and studying His word. How about you? We have missed 3 weeks of church because of illness, but tomorrow we will get back into the groove. I love my church, it's a place of encouragement, strength, and comfort. To see my children grow and flourish in Lord just makes my heart soar. God is good, even in the storms, He is good!

Too tired to blog?

Why is it so difficult to get back into the groove after you've been sick? I'm so tired tonight I came in from school, stretched out on the bed (before I changed clothes) and fell asleep! I'm almost tempted to try one of those energy drinks the teenagers seem to be so fond of, but I'd rather not be awake for 3 days, so scratch that idea. Hey, maybe I'll go to bed early tonight, there's a novel idea!

Today I had a run-in with a couple of my 11th grade boys. I know why the day didn't go well; I didn't pray for these kids today before they came in my room. It resulted in him making some very rude comments, me ordering him out of my classroom and to the office, then my having to step outside the door to regain my composure. I was about to unload with both barrels on his little friends who were also making smart remarks. To make it worse, I got a new student today and he had to be there on the day that it all hit the fan. Pray for these boys, they need the Lord in the worst way. They seem to have no respect for women or the girls at school, they are vulgar, rude, and need to be under conviction! (Maybe that's just my wishful thinking, maybe I want to place them under conviction, but I can't even come close to what God can do.)

I'm making myself a note so I won't forget to pray for these kids, even the ones who just drive me nuts! So many of them have circumstances that would be difficult for adults to deal with it's no wonder they have attitude problems.

Lord, help me to hear Your still, small voice, and help me to pray for these kids, use me in for Your glory, and never let me forget that we are ALL made in Your image. Amen

Happy Valentine's Day!

It's been another of "those" weeks, the ones that make you want to sing the old Kris Kristofferson song "Why Me, Lord?" After 15 days without electricity, we finally had power restored, that same afternoon I got sick, really, really sick. I ran a high temp for a couple of days, and couldn't even muster the strength to get out of bed. Chris was sick, Austin was sick, and Logan was just getting over being sick. We were a sad bunch. Today was better, though, I actually ate solid food after 4 or 5 days of liquids. Those liquid diets really work, but I don't recommend them unless you are intent on self-torture, add a fever of 103 and it will take the excess fluid off your body...but I digress. I felt even better when my brother called and said they were coming to Mom's. I love my brother, and I love my sister-in-law, but it was Landon I was wanting to see (sorry Lance & Lindsay, but it was bound to happen when you had that sweet baby).

This afternoon I spent a couple of happy hours just snuggling my baby nephew. I wouldn't give him up, he was mine today. If you had asked me if you could hold him I would have told you no...okay, I might have let you hold him for a couple of minutes...maybe 5, but no longer. I also took some really sweet photos of him. Oh, how I wish I didn't live an hour from them! Logan crawled up on my while I was holding him, patted his little hand, and said, "Mom, I think we need to babysit Baby Landon at our house. We can take him home with us and Lance and Lindsay can take a nap." I think he has listened to us talk about how many times Landon wakes up during the night. LOL You just can't beat the wisdom of a 4-year-old.

So that's it, that's how we spent Valentine's day. Our fancy dinner will be a pizza (if I can talk Chris into going to town and picking one up), and our entertainment will be whatever delights Dish has in store for us tonight; we do have several episodes of NCIS Dvr'd, so that's always an option.

Some cheese with my whine?

When I was a kid I wanted to be Laura Ingalls Wilder, complete with dark brown braids. I read the tales of her life and thought how much fun it would be to live that pioneer family life. I have since changed my mind. With the ice storm and loss of power, (we are on day 7); I have come to the realization that I quite enjoy being a modern woman who is completely reliant on modern transportation, technology, and electricity! Those frontier women were tough! Thankfully, we still have generator power, but we are dealing with some water issues and our generator kicking off at the well pump. I love living in rural Arkansas; I love being out on the farm away from all the traffic; I don’t love not having electricity.
I am trying to be cheerful about all this, but it’s getting increasingly difficult to remain upbeat about putting a 4-year-old who hates the dark to bed every night and listening to him cry. Last night was one of my insomniac nights. Normally on those nights I get up and quietly slip into the living room to read or write; last night I couldn’t do that. To help conserve diesel for the generator, Chris shuts it down at bedtime, which plunges the house into total quiet and darkness. Last night there was nothing I could do but lie there in the dark and think. Chris works so hard and the storm damage cleanup is adding to his list of things to do. He worries about making sure we have what we need, he worries about keeping the house and well on a generator; will it cause damage to the wiring or breakers? He’s tired; he’s cranky, and I’m losing the battle to remain cheerful and positive. For the first time since the ice storm I lay in the bed and cried. What will we do if we go back to school tomorrow? Chris doesn’t want to leave the generator going while no one is home; do I get coolers and unload the refrigerator contents into those? Do we let the house get cold again? What do we do when the kids and I get home before Chris and I don’t know how to start the big generator (and don’t want to learn).

I know I’m whining, and I really am thankful that we have the generators, and I know the crews from the Rural Electric Co-ops are working very hard to restore our power, but I just needed a minute for a pity party.
Okay, I’m better now, time to move on to more important topics. Please pray for my sister-in-law, Lindsay. She’s a new mom (see my post on my sweet new nephew), and she’s had an infection. Even though she’s been on antibiotics, the infection just wasn’t getting much better. Night before last she was very sick and Lance took her to the ER and the doctor admitted her. She has a staph infection and is being given large doses of IV antibiotics. Mom is at their house taking care of Landon for a few days, or until Lindsay can get back on her feet. She thought she may come home today, but the doctor has decided to keep her another night. I wish there was something I could do to help her, but I don’t know what that would be. We really don’t want to leave home and leave the generator running, so what to do, what to do? Pray! Please pray for Lindsay, and Lance, and Landon.

I had no intentions of turning this post into a novella, but it did, and I offer no apologies. Sometimes a girl just has to be a little long winded!

Beauty amid destruction

"Praise You In This Storm" by Casting Crowns is one of my favorite songs, bar none! I find so much comfort in the words and still praising God through the storms of life. This past week, though, I was praising God through a different type of storm, and ice storm. As I lay in bed Tuesday and Wednesday nights listening to large tree limbs breaking and crashing to the ground under the weight of the heavy ice, I kept telling God, I will praise You in this storm, because I trust God will bring us through whatever trials may come our way. We are still on day 6 with no electricity, but God provided wonderful neighbors who had a very large generator, so we are able to have lights and heat. We are in a very rural area, but neighbors have been checking on neighbors (our closest neighbor is 1/4 a mile away) and all are well. I am so thankful for these people.

Mom was with us for several days and I was so happy to have her here, we were talking one day, about not having electricity and how this may have been God's way to prepare us for something in our future, possibly a mission trip? I think God has also helped us realize that we are not in charge of things, He is, and if we remember to give Him praise in ALL things, not just the good times, He will provide.

Please continue to pray for the crews from the electrical companies, especially North Arkansas Electric, as they work 16 hour days to get power restored to all the people who are without electricity. Casey has been working long days, too, and will continue to do so until all outages are restored. She's exhausted, but this has made her realize that we can't take things for granted because they could be gone in an instant. It may be 3-4 weeks before we have electricity restored, but as long as diesel and gas are available, and our generator keeps chugging along, we will be just fine.....no, as long as God is in control we will be fine!

ICED IN!

We are getting slammed by a major ice storm. Right now we are without electricity, but have a generator, so I'm posting while I can, you may not hear from me for several days. We have limbs down all over the yard, and dead (thankfully) power lines across the driveway and county road.

We slid to Mom's to get her because she was without electricity, too, so we're all here together, at least we have tv for a little while! Say a prayer for all the people in our area, we have power poles that have been snapped like matchsticks, and power lines down everywhere you look. The square at Salem looks like a bomb has gone off, no tree is intact. Casey is still at work (North Arkansas Electric) and called to tell me not to expect her home for a couple of days, the Co-op is feeding them and they are taking shifts answering phones. I just pray that this storm ends soon so the electric guys can start repairing and replacing power poles and lines. The power crews just had to give up today because as soon as they got a line fixed the ice formed on it in another place and it broke again. They can't get out to our rural areas until the storm is over. We've been told not to expect power for at least 3 days, but probably more. We have no water, either, but I did draw up enough to get us through.

I have my cell phone, if anyone wants to call, though! LOL As long as we can get to gasoline we will have heat with the generator.

Read the Bible through

Week 4
I didn't post yesterday because I spent most of the day in the bed, but it's better late than never. Here are the readings for this week.

Sunday - Romans 7-8
Monday - Genesis 12-15
Tuesday - Joshua 16-20
Wednesday - Psalm 9-11
Thursday - Job 7-8
Friday - Isaiah 18-22
Saturday - Matthew 8-10

Miracles

I heard someone say once that God isn't in the business of miracles anymore, WRONG! He IS still in the business of miracles, we just have to acknowledge Him and quit trying to explain it away with science. Accept His miracles or He may stop trying to make them happen in your life!

Why did I say that? Because, right now, in Tulsa, OK, in St. Francis Hospital, there is a little 9lb 12oz miracle. Intrigued? I thought so, so go here and read Kelly's blog about her baby girl, Harper.

Look out boys, Mamma's got some clippers!

I'm not having a bad hair day, I'm having a bad hair month! I was all set for a new Christmas 'do, (had the appointment on Christmas Eve), but fate had other plans. I've gotten calls from stylists to let me know they were sick or had an appointment and needed to reschedule me, but Kathy (the best stylist, ever!) called December 21st to let me know she was going to have to reschedule me, but the date was uncertain. No one really knew there was a water line that ran through the ceiling, but they know now. Those first really cold days caused it to freeze, and the warm days that followed....well, you can guess what happened next. I can imagine the shock on their faces when the entire ceiling, lights and all, and gallons and gallons of water came crashing down! Thankfully they reopened Tuesday and I should get this mangy mass of unruliness lopped off next week. Too bad they didn't reopen in time to save my boys' manes. Yes, I decided they needed haircuts, and rather than find someone else to do it, I just bought some clippers. Cheap clippers. I got half of hubby's head clipped and had to recharge them. I really should have taken a picture of that one, he was sporting a mullet to rival Billy Ray for about half an hour. (okay, not that long in the back...but it was getting there) Being the resourceful mom I am, I parked hubby on a bench on the deck in 17 degree weather and proceeded to cut his hair. I have to say, it looks pretty darn good....for an amateur barber. Next on the list was the #2 son, the little one. I can manhandle him enough to get his hair done. I did have more compassion and make him sit outside: I parked him on the bathroom vanity, and started buzzing. He's 4, so hair or not, he's still going to be cute. Hubby has finally caught a little of my photography bug, so he snapped a few while I was working him over.

Week 3, read the Bible through

I just realized I forgot to post this week's readings, so here they are.

Sunday - Romans 5-6
Monday - Genesis 8-11
Tuesday - Joshua 11-15
Wednesday - Psalm 6-8
Thursday - Job 5-6
Friday - Isaiah 12-17
Saturday - Matthew 5-7

Prayers for a baby girl

Please say a prayer for baby Harper. She was born Friday weighing in at 9lbs, 12oz. She has pneumonia and was taken to a NICU. Her family has requested prayers as things are very critical. She was scheduled to be placed on an ECMO (heart/lung bypass) machine, but the last news I had, she was responding to other treatment (prayers at work)and was taken off the list for the ECMO. You can read more about Harper on her mom's blog here or on her grandad's blog here

I believe in the power of prayer, and I believe in miracles.

Week 2 - read the Bible through

I'd planned on posting several times this week, but it's been another busy one. Our semester tests were Monday & Tuesday due to a couple of snow days before Christmas. Wednesday night was Awanas & church, and I had to talk a little while afterward, and Thursday we took Austin to the allergy clinic in Little Rock. I guess it just wore me out! We did find out that he's allergic to dust mites, and pet dander, along with most pollen from the various plants & trees we have in the area. He also has mild asthma, but we're loaded up on asthma meds and will begin allergy shots in a couple of weeks.

Now to the good stuff, the readings for this week:

Sunday - Romans 3-4
Monday - Genesis 4-7
Tuesday - Joshua 6-10
Wednesday - Psalm 3-5
Thursday - Job 3-5
Friday - Isaiah 7-11
Saturday - Matthew 3-4

I got a little ahead this week because I just couldn't stop reading some of the passages. I went all the way through Job 8, and read from Matthew 1-4. When you look at the scriptures with fresh eyes and really try to get a mental picture of the happenings, it makes such a difference. Honestly, it was like reading a great novel to me, I just couldn't put it down! I pray that God will give me a zeal to really dig in to the scriptures and to make it real and personal to me. I pray the same for you.

Read the Bible through

Sunday - Romans 1-2
Monday - Genesis 1-3
Tuesday - Joshua 1-5
Wednesday -Psalm 1-2
Thursday - Job 1-2
Friday - Isaiah 1-6
Saturday - Matthew 1-2


As in most churches across the country, we, as Christians, are being challenged to read the Bible completely through in 2009. So many times I have made this resolution, and so many times I've gotten to the books where you have long lists of "begat a son....and the son begat....and begat...and begat..." until the only word I recall from the passage is begat. Then discouragement sets in and I think, "Maybe I'll skip this book." so I usually do, then I get behind, then something comes up and I don't get to read my Bible like I should. You know the old long list of excuses. This year, however, I am challenging myself to stick to it, to read the Bible completely through in a year. Not only am I challenging myself, but our pastor is challenging the whole church. He has even created a handy checklist and reading plan for our convenience. (talk about being spoon fed...I depend on that spoon.) Each Sunday I will do my best to post my list for the week. I hope you can join me and help hold me accountable to read the Bible through this year. And just in case you can't find the post, it will be the one with the Bible (because you know me, I hate to post without a picture!)

***OH, and one more thing, I challenge you to read your Bible for the true history book it is. Put yourself in the places of the people. Think more deeply about the lives and how they managed from day to day. What are some of the struggles of these people. They were REAL flash and blood and their voices should still be heard. If God thought we should know about them don't you think it's worth putting all your effort into?

New addition

I hadn't seen my sweet, new nephew in 4 days, so I had to have a baby fix this afternoon. Of course, I had my camera. It's so nice to have family on whom I can practice photography. I've never taken newborn shots, but I'll get to take Landon's pictures in a few more days. Logan is proud of him, too. I need to get him a t-shirt that says, "I'm the BIG cousin!" He's 4 1/2 and does not like it when someone calls him the "baby cousin", the first thing he said when he saw Landon was, "Now I'm not the baby!" I love the shot of Logan's hand and Landon's foot.

A new daddy

Today, at 2:45pm my baby brother became a daddy. Landon Ray entered the world weighing in at 7 lbs, 5 oz, and 20 inches. He's beautiful! He made his mommy and daddy a little nervous when he decided to come facing up, but Lindsay did great. She's just gorgeous anyway and didn't look like she had been through 8+ hours of labor and spent almost 2 hours pushing. She was very tired, but a happy new mommy, and as for Lance, I don't think his feet have quite touched the ground since 2:45. Landon has a big bruise on his forehead because of his difficult birth, but he's absolutely perfect!

God is amazing, He showed us another miracle today. How can you not believe in miracles when you look at the face of a newborn baby? God knows and plans every cell of our being long before we are born. Thank you, Lord, for you blessing, a little blessing named Landon.

Gingerbread houses and life lessons

"Plleeeeeese, Mommy, let's make a gingerbread house." That was Logan's request for Christmas decorations. They had made one at school (his teachers must be hiding the Wonder Woman symbol on their chest, because there is NO WAY I would attempt a gingerbread house with 20 4-year-olds "helping"). I kept putting him off with the lame excuses, "Mommy doesn't know how to make gingerbread", "we don't have the right kind of pan", etc....basically anything to keep from saying, "No a chance, no gingerbread house, nada, zip, never!" I cook, but baking is NOT my thing, you actually have to measure and be precise, I prefer the "eyeball it" method, or the "Hmmm, I'll bet this would taste good in there." Fast forward to Christmas Eve, yes, I went to Wal-Mart on Christmas Eve, only because I didn't have everything I needed for Christmas (I think God was trying to teach me patience...I learned, please don't give me another lesson). We had ice the day before, so my original plans were shot down...but I digress. So, we are in the dreaded Wal-Mart, and right there on the shelf was a gingerbread house kit! Logan spied and and turned the baby blues on me, "Pleeeeeeease, Mommy, pleeeease." so I gave in. It was only $5, so I figured it would be worth it if it would keep him quiet for a few minutes. I completely expected it to be a pile of sticky crumbs and candy before it was all said and done, however, it was the best $5 spent of the whole Christmas season.

We carefully got the pieces out of the box (yeah, right, as carefully as a 4 year old can rip open a box), looked at the instructions, then tossed them (goes back to that whole following a recipe & baking thing). I snipped the icing bag, and "glued" the pieces together. Keeping Logan away from the thing while it dried was a challenge, but it stayed up. I decided I would "help" him decorate, and took the icing bag out of his hands. After a few meticulous, careful applications of "glue" and telling him exactly where to stick the candies, he looked up and said, "I want to decorate my house!" Every cell in my brain was completely against the idea, but I handed him the icing bag and started giving directions. He just looked at me like I was insane (imagine that, me, insane, with a 4 year-old hold a giant bag of royal icing?), and started squeezing and sticking. This child can't sit still long enough to make it through an episode of Veggie Tales, but he sat for over and hour, squeezing, glueing, and sticking. There was no candy left, he even took a few mini chocolate chips to add to the top (said it was reindeer poop....such an active imagination). The whole gingerbread house thing turned out to be a great experience. He was so proud of his creation, and I learned to let him do it by himself. I also learned that I am NOT cut out to be a cake decorator because I wanted it to look like the gingerbread houses on Food Network! Better to leave the decorating to the kids.

Anyway, here it is, hope you like it as much as Logan.

Casting Crowns rocks!

Last night a group of us went to Jonesboro to see Casting Crowns. I thought it would just be them, but imagine my joy when I found out it was their Christmas celebration and we also got to see Michael English, Natalie Grant, Avalon, Denver and the Mile High Orchestra, Pure NRG, AND Casting Crowns. It was great! I was being a little Scroogey and wasn't really in the Christmas spirit, but I sure am now! I even let Austin miss the last 2 hours of school so he could go, too. This was his first concert, and what a great one. He was blown away by the whole thing. Did I mention I have their new Crowns Christmas CD in the cd player in my truck. It's great, GO GET ONE FOR YOURSELF!

I'm so tired tonight because it was almost 1am when we got home last night (this morning?) but it's a good kind of tired.

If you get a chance to see Casting Crowns....or Avalon, or Michael English, or Natalie Grant....in concert, GO! You won't regret it and you'll be so blessed you just won't know how to act!