Good morning, Lord! 06/30/2010
Wow, my friends, this is my kind of morning!!! The windows were up last night and it actually got a little chilly as we slept the night away! Since I've become "Miss Hot Flash" the cool night air was terrific and this morning it's more of the same. Sun is shining brightly, humidity is low, low, low and the birds are happily singing as we all rejoice in a break from the heat. Yes, friends, I'm a northeasterner. My southern roots are still grounded within me, but not the body temperature. It is absolutely gorgeous here and I'm so thankful God has allowed me to live another day to praise Him. A couple of quick updates. The galley for the book is read (finished around midnight!) and Gary is talking with the publisher this morning to get the final manuscript submitted for printing! It's so exciting. The galley actually gives the author a good idea of what the pages within the books are going to look like....it's amazing. Second, we are extending the date for the deposit for the women's retreat in October. Since we had spaces available, we are continuing the date until August 15th. Lots of gals didn't know their fall schedule with kids, so hopefully this will cushion the time element for those trying to make arrangements. As always, if you need to contact me, please do so. My email address is tsbtm@comcast.net God bless! Add Comment Exploring the Strip District... 06/29/2010
It's been an eye opener now that Gary is retired. If you know much about me, you know that I'm a southern girl. I didn't care for the fact that my husband's work brought us to Pittsburgh, but I thought it would be a two-year stint. That was back in 1981 and I'm still here! Although I fought it for a very long time, God won out and our mailing address is still the in the Pittsburgh area. God does have a sense of humor. Having a great morning conversation.... 06/28/2010
This morning I was able to spend time in prayer with no distractions. It has been so uplifting to read scripture and pray to my Lord and Savior with no time constraints. I imagined He was sitting in a chair across from me and I just poured out a lot of "stuff" that has gotten tangled up my spiritual life. Sort of like the devotional I wrote about a traffic cone that got stuck underneath one of my dear friend's car....remember, Jan?? I think many times we have "stuff" in our lives that need to be confessed and covered by the blood of the Lamb. Then as God removes that "cone" we need to go forward and not look back. I hope each one of you enjoyed a relaxing weekend. It was rather hot and humid here in Pittsburgh, but a few storms moved through and in a day or so the weather is predicted to cool down. I know there are locations in the south that are in desperate need of rain. Our daughter, Kimberly, was in St. Louis this past weekend and her return flight was delayed due to storms. Such an array of weather patterns as hurricane season begins. I pray for safety over all of you and especially those who are being affected by the oil situation. May God have mercy on us and protect us with His mighty hands. God bless, friends! A family gathering... 06/27/2010
Today for lunch Gary and I had a few of our nieces and nephews over for his famous Italian sauce and meatballs. I added eggplant parmesan, a nice tossed salad and our nephew Jeremy brought over some delicious Italian bread. Then we ended our meal with hot fudge cake and vanilla ice cream.....delicious. Nicholas joined us as did our "great" niece Anna Jane. This was our first time seeing Miss Anna Jane in the flesh and she is one cutie! It was so great having over these wonderful "kids" who are now adults, married and getting married and sitting around the dinner table sharing their lives. God has been good to us and blessed us with numerous members of our families and we enjoy each and every one of them. I hope each one of you enjoyed a wonderful weekend. God bless! Another gorgeous morning in Pittsburgh! 06/26/2010
Don't you just love summer? I do....Gary and I sat outside with our coffee this morning watching our bird feeder as the array of colors paraded to the black oil sunflower seeds and enjoyed breakfast. Beside this seed feeder is the liquid supplement for hummingbirds and we have two of the most delightful hummingbirds that frequent their choice food. (I guess you know you're getting older when watching bird feeders gives you delight!) It's community day for our township here in Peters. The park where all the festivities takes place is within walking distance of our home. On days like today when the sun is shining brightly, the community day event concludes with fireworks. Although storms are being predicted for later this afternoon due to the rising humidity, we are hoping for that firework display. We'll walk over with the neighbors to watch and "aahhhh" as the numerous colors disperse into the night sky displaying various designs. I often wish the community had that same display and celebrate on the 4th of July for our country's birthday, but community day is our "big" event here in the south suburbs of Peters Township. Sort of reminds me of the numerous individuals who gather in stadiums for sporting events, but when it comes to attending a church service the number decreases signficantly. It's a beautiful day, friends....relax, refresh and give thanks and praise to Jesus for allowing you to enjoy it! God bless! Wow, what a morning! 06/25/2010
Finally the humidity has moved out of our area....for now. Gary opened windows last night and I actually pulled up the sheet and snuggled with the cool air coming through this morning. The birds are chirping and the cars are buzzing by the house (which got the eyelids opening a little sooner), but it's good to listen to the outside sounds again. I don't know about you, but I love having my windows open. There's just something "cool" about listening to what's going on in the neighborhood early in the morning. I am praying that your day and your weekend will be enjoyable and restful. As chores mount with lawncare duties, if you have a porch, big or small, take a few moments with a cup of coffee or tea to breathe in this time of year. Hopefully, you are experiencing a break this weekend from the heat and humidity. God bless! A new venture....marketing 06/24/2010
Well, friends, there is a lot to be learned when you are in the process of having a book published. One of the concepts being introduced presently is the world of marketing. Yep, marketing your product is a needed tool to get your book out in the world. I compare it to that mama bird when it's time to get those little ones out of the nest and into the world of flying. I've created, with the aid of the Holy Spirit, this manuscript of devotionals, written and re-written some of them and edited each one until I felt the message was correctly scripted. Now I've lovingly handed these writings into the world of publishing and marketing....scary. Only God knows what will happen from this point, but I am so humbled that I have been given this opportunity. To be able to share the words I hear as I read scripture and go about my daily living is an incredible gift. I pray as this little book is made available that a soul will be drawn closer to the Lord or perhaps one will come to know my Lord and Savior. I pray each of you will have an awesome day filled with wonder and blessings from above. God bless! On to the next project.... 06/23/2010
Well, friends, nineteen jars of strawberry freezer jam is ready for the newly defrosted freezer! Gary was a sweetheart yesterday and defrosted my little freezer. He aided with the task of preparing the berries and now we are finished for another couple of years. Of course, I found a good deal on blueberries and I think I will try for the first time blueberry freezer jam! Don't you just love summer and all the delicious vegies and fruits??? Now it's time for exercise, so we'll head out for a nice bike ride to be followed by the task of cleaning the basement. There is so much "stuff" down there....Kimberly's wedding remains.....Nicholas' belongings that didn't make it to his apartment.....my preschool teaching materials....empty jars that we thought we'd need at some point in life....boxes from Gary's office upon his retirement.....you name it, we have it. But this is the year of the purge, so purging begins today. Hope everyone is enjoying the start of summer, especially all my teacher friends! God bless! Strawberry jammin' 06/22/2010
So the chore for the day....making strawberry jam. Of course, I missed the big strawberry festivals last weekend, but Gary and I are hoping to find enough berries to make our jam. I love to make this frozen jam even though I don't eat a lot of it. I think the older I get, the more I like to cook and experiment in the kitchen. Guess it's because I get to take my time and not be running out the door to soccer games....it's another stage of this wonderful life God has given me! To all my friends heading out for vacation, have a wonderfully relaxing time. Take a book, settle back next to the shoreline and read....better yet, spend some time with the Lord. Just read a verse of scripture and then think about what you've just read. Ask God to reveal a nugget of knowledge you've never thought about before although the scripture might be very familiar. But most of all, refresh and refuel.....God bless! Home again, home again, jiggity, jig! 06/21/2010
The above little saying is something my grandma used to say as we drove into our driveways when I was a little girl. I guess some of those sayings just stick! It's good to be back in my home surrounded by my "stuff". It's been a busy year of travel and I always love coming back home. Unfortunately, my parents did not make the trip. My mother would have climbed into the car in a heartbeat, but my dad suddenly had a tooth to start hurting this morning. We'll leave it at that. I guess when you're older..... Another blessing I discovered this weekend in Virginia; my niece, Emily, has the opportunity to possibly attend a great camp called Victory Junction. It's a camp for kids 6-16 years old that have serious medical conditions. Emily has been dealing with a bladder/kidney situation for several years. Being only 13 years old, this has been extremely tough on her and her family. Please pray that the doors open wide for her to attend. But friends if you google Victory Junction the video will have you in tears. Everything is paid for with donations and the cost is approximately $2,500 per child! Doctors are on hand and all medical treatments they need or receive regularly are administered while attending their camp. NASCAR has undertaken helping fund this camp as it was a dream of Adam Petty, of the famous Petty race car driving family, who died as a result of a car accident. Adam's parents, Kyle and Patti are extremely involved and hope the camp in Randleton, NC is only the first in a series of camps to be built in other locations in the States. God is so good!! Gary and I will be making all the final edits for the book and sending in the manuscript attachment tonight....it's a big project, so I'd appreciate your prayers. I appreciate each and every one of you that are reading my website and would love to hear from you. If you have prayer requests I'd love to pray for your concerns and loved ones by name. It's a privilege to pray with you and for you! God bless! |
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