Grandma Lilly

"Most blessed of women is Jael [Lilly], the wife of Heber the Kenite [Leonard the farmer]; most blessed is she of women in the tent." Judges 5:24
This is Grandma Lilly. She has been a constant in my life as long as I can remember. Born in 1920, she has seen her share of hard work on the farm, as well as in the school cafeteria. And always manages to keep her opinion to herself (why didn't I inherit that trait?).

She and my late-grandfather raised 5 children. Those 5 produced 22 grandchildren. Those 22 have multiplied to 30+ great-grandchildren (and still counting). One of the great-grandchildren even has her name. (Did I mention they also temporarily raised four of Grandpa's cousins?)

Taken during our trip back to KS in October, this photo shows her holding the most-recent great-grandchild, Leila Mae (my brother's daughter).

Grandma, thank you for being such a strong, constant, get-it-done example for me.

100th Post Give-Away!!

"And Pharaoh said to Jacob, 'How many years have you lived?' So Jacob said to Pharaoh, 'The years of my sojourning are one hundred and thirty.'" Genesis 47:8-9

Paula's paraphrase:

And her blogging friends said to Paula, "How many days have you been blogging?" So Paula said to her blogging friends, "The days of my blogging are way more than one hundred!"

True. I think my first post was December 31, 2006. It just took awhile to get to my 100th post because I don't blog every day and I've taken off more than a few days in a row.

However, my 100th post has arrived and (following blogging tradition) I am hosting a give-away!! Just leave me a comment and I'll toss your name in the hat!

Usually the hostess will display the items for the give-away; however, I don't have them yet. Tomorrow I leave for vacation back home (KS), and while I'm away I'll find little goodies to pass along to you!!

Thank you for visiting me today. Don't forget to leave me a comment and I'll see you in a week!!

(PS - If you live near Wichita KS, Topeka KS, or St Joe MO, let me know! I may be right around the corner!)

Count Your Blessings Monday

Thank you, Marci, for giving us an opportunity every Monday to not only count our blessings, but to share them with others. This is a way that we can encourage one another. Make a post on your blog telling us about your blessing. Please put a link back to Marci's post and add the URL of your blog post on Marci's Mr. Linky. Many of our blessings we will have pictures of and we can share those as well. Many times we forget that it is a blessing to be able to breath, to get out of bed, to hold a baby... Share your blessings with us.

This week I jumped the gun. I posted this yesterday. If no one had commented yet, I was going to change the post date and start over. However, I had comments!! (That's one blessing in itself.) Please check here for my blessing this week.

I am blessed

"I am my beloved's, and his desire is for me." Song of Solomon 7:10

Since going back to work, Eric has taken over most of the cooking. He gets home earlier, enjoys cooking, and (as you'll see) is more creative with leftovers*. The other day I came home to a four-course meal prepared by my husband.

First course...

Pepper Jack cheese cubes*, olives*, crackers*, glass of wine
(Notice the lit candle?)

Second course...

Salad with mixed greens, strawberries, goat cheese, pecans/walnuts* & macadamia nuts* drizzled with a raspberry oil & vinegar dressing

Third course...

BBQ riblets*, chicken gnocchi*, fried okra, & bread stick*

Fourth course...
S'more Pie
Oreo cookie crust with layers of marshmallow, chocolate syrup, & chocolate chunks then broiled in the oven to burn the top
(everyone burns their marshmallows, right?)

Is there such a thing as being too blessed? Hmmm...nope - don't think so!!

PS - The S'more Pie came straight from the pages of Bon Appetit magazine.

PPS - We have no clue (nor do we care) about the calories, fat grams, preservatives, etc, etc, etc.

Happy Birthday Eric!!

"And the streets of the city will be filled with boys and girls playing in the streets." Zechariah 8:5

Happy birthday, my love.

This verse fits Eric perfectly. As a child, he and his brother organized the best games I've ever heard of. They would get their friends together for bicycle fighter pilots, the adventures of Lewis & Clark along the creek in Mulvane KS, or war with all the little soldiers and rubber bands as ammunition. Mind you, this was not ordinary war. There were definite rules and no one could move their soldiers until it was their turn!!

Thanks Mom & Dad for providing a strong, stable environment for my future husband.

This photo was taken several years ago while on vacation at Biltmore Estate in NC.

A little rest and relaxation

"Return to your rest, O my soul, for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you." Psalm 116:7
Eric and I are taking a little break this weekend and won't be returning until Monday. We've rented at room at Lake Quinault Lodge on the Olympic Peninsula. Hope you all enjoy your weekend.

(Photo courtesy of Microsoft Clipart.)

Show & Tell Friday

Yea!! Another Show and Tell. If you haven't been to Kelli's blog, please check it out. She has graciously invited us to take part in her Show and Tell each Friday.

"Put me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death, jealousy is as severe as Sheol; its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the Lord. Many waters cannot quench love, nor will rivers overflow it; if a man were to give all the riches of his house for love, it would be utterly despised." Song of Solomon 8:6-7

Fist of all, thank you for the kinds birthday wishes. Blogging has turned out to be much more beneficial than I thought. I have met the nicest people - you!!

Second, normally I would not be carrying on so about my birthday. However, I wanted to share the card from Eric. It has his personality written all over it - quiet, unassuming, polite, respectful, playful.

It's perfect; I absolutely love it!! Thank you, honey. And, no. I don't mind one little bit. ;o)

Count Your Blessings Monday

It's Monday and time to post another blessing. Marci started this weekly tradition and I'm loving it!

Check out her website to see who else is counting their blessings.




My blessing today is my incredible, very capable husband Eric. He's level-headed, street-smart, not afraid of hard work or learning new skills, self-disciplined, self-reliant, can read between the lines, knows how to work with people, puts butterflies in my stomach, and is my absolute best friend. My husband is perfect for me!!

When I started praying for a husband, my prayer was bold and quite descriptive as far as character was concerned. However, if God did bring me this kind of husband, was I the kind of wife to compliment such a man? How arrogant of me to pray for my dreams to come true if I wasn't willing to change. Well, God heard that side of my prayer and did some mighty work on me, as well. When God brought Eric into my life, there was no question that this was the man God had planned for me. And there was no question that I was the woman God had planned for Eric. We knew within the first three hours. Neither one was playing games. He had his list (actually written). I had mine (mental). As we talked that first time, we were checking off pertinent items.

In the end, he proposed on the second date and I accepted. We were married five months later and continually see the fingerprints of God on every part of our lives. We will always be newlyweds!!

Count Your Blessings Monday

Another day to point out my blessings.

Marci started this and I think it's a great idea!






My blessing today is my son. This photo was taken in November 2003. At that time Adam was 16 yrs and just a few inches taller than my 5'6". Now he's 6'5" - maybe even a little taller! When we moved last year, he stayed in KS. And he's still there! I miss him, but I know he is in God's care.

He has seen hard times, experienced heartache, made poor decisions, and turned in the wrong direction for comfort. Haven't we all?

I believe God has designed a ministry for each of us according to our talents and life experiences. Who can effectively minister to those in trial? Only those who have lived through that trial. God continues to preserve & protect my son. Through his experiences, Adam is being prepped to minister to "the lowest of these". I'm OK with that. I've always been OK with that.

My prayer is that God would continue to send ministers to Adam that can walk with him step-by-step, that Adam would recognize the hand of God preparing him for future ministry, and that Adam would empty his soul of himself and allow to God to fill him beyond measure - conquering all doubt. My tears are of joy in hopes of the fruit yet to come. One day Adam will allow God to do mighty things through him.

A day with Dad

"I thank my God in all my remembrance of you." Philippians 1:3

Recently, Eric and I were fortunate enough to enjoy a day with my father. He's never been to the NW, so decided to make it a road trip. That was perfect since he's a huge fan of nature - he could see the sights and get lots of pictures. The trip out was a four-day trek which means the trip back was also a four-day trek. Having ten days vacation, that left 1 1/2 days with us. But that was perfectly fine. I'd rather have 1 1/2 days than none at all. Besides, he'll be back. Right, Dad? Below are a few snapshots of our time together.

First things first.
They thought it wise to make sure the tractor was working properly.

Removing a tree stump seemed to be the best test of the day.

Whew! That was hard work. Better take a breather.

Day two.
We started our ventures at Snoqualmie Falls with breakfast at the lodge. Then we trekked from the top of the falls to the bottom. Views are spectacular from either viewpoint.

Off to the piers of Seattle and Pike Place Market.

You can't go to Pike Place Market without stopping at the world famous Pike Place Fish Co.
And you can't stop here without buying.

Because watching them throw (and catch) the fish is the most fun ever! If you are even remotely close to the market, you must visit. Hearing these guys chant back and forth is quite amazing - loads of fun. Even if you don't buy, they'll throw so you can get a picture.

Fresh flowers from the market.

We watched her put the arrangement together right in front of us.

Only $15, too! What a bargain.

They found a nice home on the table on our deck.

A view of the port, as we drove home.

And the
Space
Needle,
of course.

We did
not visit
the Needle,
but who
comes to
Seattle
and does
not get a
picture,
at least?

Dad, thanks for a great visit. Love you.

Revealing one mystery

"He reveals mysteries from the darkness, and brings the deep darkness into light." Job 12:22

Thanks to all my blogger friends, I have come to the conclusion that revealing my true identity is not such a bad thing. However, as you can tell, I'm taking baby steps (ha, ha).

This is one of my favorite baby pictures. At the time, we lived in a small town (200 max), but a train came through every day. In fact, it ran right by our house and I remember waving at the man in the caboose! He would always wave back, too. You can see the grain elevator in the background.

My family has asked me to post pictures of Hubby and myself. This is my first small step. Eventually, I would like to add photos of the two of us (and maybe even our names); however, the whole blog thing is still a bit overwhelming to me. It's such a world-wide thing - you know?

Another reason I decided to change the photo on my profile is because, in reality, this blog is not ours, but mine. I'm the one to post; I'm the one the check comments; I'm the one to do everything. And that's perfectly fine; I love doing it. I've just decided to make it a bit more personal to my taste. Hubby really doesn't care what photo I show.

Hope you enjoy the new photo as you'll being seeing it every time I leave a comment on your blog from now on! Any encouragement you can offer as far as posting personal family photos would be helpful. Thanks!