Random

Haven't written in awhile. Haven't had much to say...

Pictures that say it all...

Amelia...after 4 shots.  Poor sweetheart.  How does one even imagine what she's thinking?
No one has ever hurt her..."why are they hurting me?"
She looks heartbroken and my heart breaks every time I see this.  I think it's the face in the hand.

Millie and Amelia...at Amelia's first birthday.  Millie's first birthday is next
Saturday!  Future best friends?

No picture, but yesterday I asked the Lord to show me who He wanted me to minister
to.  In a couple of hours, my phone rang...a teary voice...can you come?   I hurried.
Listened...hugged...loved...shared scripture that comforts and encourages me.  Thank You, Lord. 
I was blessed.

My sweet brother calls our Father, "The Great Choreographer". We have been trying to
pay more attention to all the ways our Father works in our life every day. 
Circumstancial?  Nope.
Accidental?  Not likely. 
God is always moving and working and orchestrating people and events.
Why?...to change me...to bring glory to Himself.

Random?  Are you kidding me?

Blessings to you!

Priceless

I know we've all seen the commercials listing things purchased and then the final thing, such as time with your child...priceless.

The ages of our grandchildren range from 17 years down to 11 months.  It seems like it's been so long since the older ones were tiny.  Lately, I've gotten to spend some time with some of the younger grandchildren, doing the things I once did with the older ones: playing, singing, laughing...

Last night, I got to lie down with Jackson (almost 3yr. old), supposedly for him to go to sleep - a habit we've gotten into.

Granny: "Do you like chocolate gravy?" 
Jackson: "I DO like chocolate gravy!"  (and we had it this morning)

He loves the little projector that puts a picture on the ceiling while it plays through several songs.  The picture is an ocean scene: a whale, a crab, a turtle and a jellyfish... 
Jackson:  "Where is the jellyfish?" 
Granny: "In the jelly jar"
(He had to go check it out.)

Jackson: "Where is my wheelbarrow?" 
Granny: "In the living room"
Jackson: "I want it."
Granny: "It has to stay there so I can put a treat in it."
Jackson: "You are going to put a treat in my wheelbarrow?"
Granny: "Yes."
Jackson: "OK"
(he loved his package of gum!)

One of the songs it plays is "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star".  He has it in a book and knows it by heart.  Last night, I began to sing when it came on and suddenly, Jackson is lying close beside me singing in a sweet, high little voice - right on key.  (Where's the video camera when you need it?)  I will treasure these memories long after he has outgrown lying down with Granny to go to sleep.

Priceless.

Red Door blog give-away

Wonderful decorating ideas...and a give-away that ends tonight!

http://reddoorhome.blogspot.com/search/label/Giveaways

Women need women

There are ministries, studies, even a mentoring program with woman to woman in the title.  And it's true! Women need women.  As much as we might love our husbands...there are things men just do not understand. To my daughters and my friends - who let me cry...have a pity party occasionally...pour out my heart...not be perfect.  I need you in my life.  The Lord knew that and placed you close at hand.  Thank you!

Growing Older...

Yes, it's true...I'm growing older.  Another birthday has come and gone.  There are definitely advantages to growing older:

• The obvious one - I'm still here!
• I think I'm a little wiser
• People call me "Sweetie" and "Honey"
• The importance of birthdays seems less

This year was a little different.  Jay and I both have our birthdays in September, and we have usually been able to go see our children.  Not this year. Birthdays fell in the middle of the week.  This year, I caught a stomach "bug" and spent most of the day in bed.

My children called and that is always wonderful.  My friends sent sweet and beautiful cards.  Facebook added a new dimension with birthday wishes from friends and family - far and wide - some very unexpected.  Friends dropped by and brought gifts - so thoughtful and made me feel very special.

I received these at work...

Aren't they gorgeous?  The roses smelled
heavenly. The the sunflowers' color is so
vivid it almost "hurts" to look at them.






I also received a first....

A cake!  Came by FedEx...thank you Jill!
We haven't tasted it yet, but it looks scrumptious, and the box it is in - delightful!






This next gift expresses perfectly my last point in how birthdays change with age.

                                                                                                                                                                      

Yes, it's Diet Dr. Pepper.  After asking and asking, "what do you want for your birthday?" and hearing,

"Nothing"...this is what my sweet husband brought to me, as I lay in bed sick.  Diet Dr. Pepper is my

major vice, so much so, that I switched to Diet Dr. Thunder (Wal-Mart's brand) because I felt guilty.

LOL!  I couldn't stop smiling when I saw this box.  Clever man.

From my brother, Kevin.  Oh how I love him and

the new relationship we have in Jesus Christ!

 Thank you, Family and Friends - for enriching my life!

Finding Joy in My Kitchen

One of the blogs in my favorites is entitled "Finding Joy in My Kitchen"...well, this past weekend that's exactly what happened to me...

I found Joy in my kitchen - my daughter, Joy!










Last Saturday was the day of a brunch that for months and months I've been thinking on, and planning, picking gifts up for, planning, thinking ...get the picture?  I so wanted to make the ladies of First Baptist feel special and blessed and challenged! The theme changed, the format changed, but one thing remained the same, I wanted Joy to come to demonstrate and to speak.

Here's the sign-up table in our church foyer...

We finally settled on "A Woman's Armor" and used an apron to represent that armor. My daughter-in-love, Sara, helped me set up this display (she's so talented!).



Joy is a very busy young wife and mother.  But after a hard day of work, she loaded up and drove 3 hours to my house and we began cooking and laughing and cooking and laughing.  (There is always much laughter when any Weavers get together.)  It was a late night due to the goofy mix-ups we made and an early morning on Saturday, to get everything ready and in place before the ladies arrived.  She even made Spiced Pecans that we bagged up as favors for each special lady who would come.

Joy has never done this type of thing before, but I just knew she "had it in her" and I knew she would pray and seek what God would have her to say.  Although nervous - she was exactly the right person and God knew that.

40 ladies came!  I was so busy and scattered, my camera stayed in my purse until it was over and I remembered it, but Shantele was gracious enough to share these photos she took with her phone.

Our menu was:

                       Bacon and Spinach Quiche

                       Blueberry Scones

                       Fruit K-bobs

                       Sunshine Punch, Coffee and Tea

God was so good to help me find door prizes, which I think the ladies loved.  We gave away aprons,  candles, coasters (made by Sara), and the 3 dishes Joy prepared in demonstration time - fun, fun! 

First, Joy demonstrated 4 easy recipes for everyone, whether you cook or not and spoke about using our

homes to minister and reach out to others.  After brunch, she spoke about our armor as women:

                

                A meek and quiet spirit and what that really means...

                            A servant's heart

                                       Holiness

Even amid power outages (no A/C, no sound system) - everyone was patient and gracious and God was there. We were so blessed!

Thanks so much to everyone who helped me - thank you FB Ladies for embracing the idea and coming and Thank you, Joy!  Most of all, Thank You, Lord - for every good gift You give us and for meeting with us whenever we gather in Your name!

Labor Day 2010 ... in the books

Labor Day 2010 has come and gone.  It was different for us, or it seemed different.  We didn't go anywhere or do anything.  We certainly didn't labor.  Very quiet.  Working on music, choir, Living Bethlehem, and the
Ladies Brunch coming up.

I decided to caramelize some onions and peppers, intending to add beef in some way - either meatballs or patties...and saw some chicken I'd thawed.  So, we had chicken fajitas.  Yummy. 

And for dessert...

Baked Apple Dessert






I don't remember the real name.  It's from a Diabetic Living magazine that Joy brought to me.
It was delicious...and healthy!  Of course, anyone who knows me knows...I had piecrust,
so I used it rather than making the biscuit crust in the recipe (next time I'll made the crust)...
and I don't own a custard cup, so I used the smallest jelly jar I have in the middle.

It's an amazing thing.  You can't tell in this picture, but you bake it with the custard cup (or jar)
in the center and the crust on top.  After it cools, you invert it...and all the sauce will be in the
cup.  I know!  I didn't believe it either...but it happens!  Amazing.  I'm sure my sons can tell
me why this happens, but I choose to believe in miracles.