Smile Piggy!

Look what Cale and I saw on the side of the road when we were going down the Natchez Trace a few weeks ago. We pulled over (stayed in the vehicle) and took this wild hogs picture. He just stood there and posed. We drove off and he continued to eat.

Here We Go Again!

Yep, we are moving for the second time in four months!!! This is not me! I am a settled person. I love roots... All my life, I've had family and friends that moved around seemed like every time the wind blew and I would think, Why? Why would you move so often? One friend said that she and her husband hoped to build their dream home in a few years, and 'Settled Me' stood there thinking, 'I've been in your house, it's beautiful, you've brought your babies home there, what else could you dream of?' Moving is not wrong...I'm just not a fan of moving! It's really not the change that I dislike, I AM JUST A SETTLED PERSON! So, why move? Some people move due to jobs, family, downsizing, bigger house, better neighborhood, etc. Some folks choose to move in the name of adventure, and some people like me only move when it's necessary to move. There are good things about moving. When Scot and I were engaged to be married, every time he'd come home from New Orleans, I'd send a box or two home with him. I just liked sending part of me with him. Had it not killed me, I would have sent an arm here, a leg there... Not really! That was a good move! Moving back to Mississippi from Louisiana was a good move; tiring, but good! Moving from an old small trailer to our brand spanking new house in Golden was a wonderful move! And there is where my life's theme song "I Shall Not Be Moved" originated! I was going to live there until God moved me to Heaven! And then, several years later, God called Scot to preach. We didn't have to move even after that for several years. Even though my heart was broke, moving to Tremont in a parsonage was a good move, because I knew it was God's perfect will for us, so there was an excitement and a need to move. We kept our house for two years after we moved to Tremont, but it took up so much time to keep our three acres of land mowed and every time I'd visit the house, I'd see something else there that seemed to be going down. Three years ago, we sold our house, the house my daddy and my husband so lovingly built with their own hands, the house that I moved Noelle into as a toddler, and the house that I brought Cale home to when he was two days old. We sold our house so we could use our time better to serve our church family and to give us more time as a family. Do I regret it? I can honestly say that I don't, although if I dwell on it, I would be sad. Our last move was a very hard move. We needed to get out of the church parsonage, we had no home to move to, had lost an income, didn't even know where to look for a house, need I go on? But you know what? God just cuddled us up in His everlasting, ever loving arms and comforted us and laid us on people's hearts, and we just kept on doing what we knew to do and left the things we didn't know to do up to Him, and I am a testimony of God's grace and mercy today. I am a testimony to the fact that when you don't know what to do, just do nothing and God Will do what needs to be done. I am a testimony of God using what seems to be a bad circumstance for our good, just because we honor Him and love Him. We ended up renting a house on the same road I grew up on, which has been a blessing to me. The house is great, but small. In 24 years of marriage, one has lots of STUFF! Long story short...A family that I grew up in church with decided to sell their house to move closer to their children. This family is a very Settled, meticulous, caring family. They have taken extra good care of their home. The lady said that they had struggled with the decision of selling their home for the past three years, but the time never seemed right until this past spring. WELL, THERE WENT GOD AGAIN...LOOKING OUT FOR US!!! We didn't need that house three years ago, we need that house now! This family loved their house, had brought their babies home to this house, but, they love their children more than the material structure of the home and through God leading them, are now selling their home to us. So, as of this afternoon, Scot and I will sign the papers for our new house. By the way, the location is terrific, a little over a mile from my parents, it has a long trail on the land, which will be great for Cale to run on or to ride the 4 wheeler, or for Me to escape and have quiet time every now and then. Noelle is estatic to have a closet again! For over three months now, she hasn't had a closet. She did buy what we've called a closet on wheels, but it's just not the same. Her room also has a built in bookshelf, which she is thrilled about as well. It has a full basement and an office!!! If you know me well, you know that a library has always been on my wish list!!! I'm just happy to have all our STUFF in the same location. For the past few years, it's been scattered and stored. God is just soooo generous and good to us, and I am thankful. I am most thankful for the three other people that I will share the house with than for the actual house itself. I learned five years ago when we moved to the parsonage; It's not the house we live in, it's the people in the house! Now, this post must end. I have places to go and people to see, I have furniture and boxes to move, cabinets to fill, and memories to make!

Joshua 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods, which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

I will not have Internet service for a few days, but hopefully within a week to ten days, I will be back here. During that time, September 9th, I will celebrate one year at Life By George! Although there won't be any new posts for a while, you are welcome to reread some older post or maybe browse some of the first posts from a year ago. HAPPY FIRST BLOGGING ANNIVERSARY TO ME!

Pray for us at Life By George. Thanks for letting me share my special little part of the world with ya!

50 Random Things

~50 THINGS~

50 Totally Random Things about Liesa George

This was a Facebook Tag, thought I'd share it on Life By George.

1. I am Liesa (i before e exept after c!)
2. I was born the first time March 1 in Red Bay, AL.
3. I was born again April 26, 79 at New Bethel Baptist Church in Belmont.
4. I have brown eyes and hair.
5. I did not go to Kindergarten.
6. I loved all my teachers at school.
7. I enjoyed playing with Barbies, Baby dolls, & Paper dolls.
8. My mother read to me and/or colored with me every day when I was little.
9. I loved to smell my daddy when he got home from work. (saw dust)
10. I graduated from high school in 1983.
11. I layed out and swam alot each summer.
12. I am a licensed Cosmetologist.
13. I met Scot the end of May, 84.
14. We married June 22, 85. "To Me" is our song.
15. We lived in Kenner, LA when we first married. (Scot was an underwater welder-diver)
16. I loved our wedding...just perfect!
17. I do NOT want to do the renewing vow thing!
18. I was not nervous on my wedding day.
19. God blessed our home with Noelle JoBeth Nov. 88.
20. God blessed our home again with Cale Scot Dec. 92.
21. I loved being pregnant!
22. I loved rocking and singing to my babies.
23. I lost alot of weight when Noelle was a baby because I'd forget to eat.
24. I would rock and sing to Cale in my Indian voice...he loved it!
25. I LOVE BEING A MOTHER!
26. I LOVE BEING A PASTOR'S WIFE!
27. I LOVE HOMESCHOOLING MY CHILDREN!
28. I LOVE MY FAMILY AT FREEDOM BAPTIST CHURCH.
29. I LOVE PEOPLE!!!
30. I miss my grandparents.
31. I collect houses, churches, Christmas ornaments, pretty pottery and dishes.
32. Pink is my favorite color.
33. Pink roses, red roses, white roses, and daisies are my fave. flowers.
34. I have zero self confidence.
35. I have 100% confidence in God.
36. It's a joy to serve God and others. JOY = JESUS, OTHERS, YOU
37. I have written several songs. (God gave them to me, I just held the pen)
38. I have been singing since I was 2 years old.
39. I play the piano by ear. (very limited in choice of keys though)
40. My hobbies include reading, photography, writing, blogging...
41. I am a HUGE LAKER FAN!
42. I love watching MLB.
43. I love ice-cream!
44. I enjoy eating out.
45. The Sound Of Music is my all time fave. movie.
46. Disney World was the best vacation I've ever had.
47. I take my coffee black and my tea unsweet..with no pink stuff!
49. I desire to be faithful to God all the days of my life.
50. Liesa George is Queen of Blessed! God's been good in my life!

Mixed Emotions

Today is a sad day to me due to the fact we are moving from the community we so lovingly nicknamed 'Mayberry' and due to the other fact that we won't have Internet for a while. Bell south told me it's not available, to check back with them in 90 days! I 'bout died! So, I got busy contacting people with other means of Internet and maybe one of their ideas will work out for us VERY SOON!!! Check back at Life By George often to see if I'm back. I have never had the pleasure to meet most of you, but YOU are such an important and special part of my days. I look forward to visiting with you each morning as I enjoy my morning coffee. Please know what a blessing you are to me. O.K., now I'm sounding like I'm not coming back! Ha.

The other news I wish to share with you is this: March 15th was the last day my husband was pastor at Bethany. Sunday night, May 24, Freedom Baptist Church in Amory voted Scot in as their new pastor. It's exciting, yet scary. I've posted about when you don't know what to do, don't do anything, and I assure you God works in those kinds of situations. Waiting on God did two things for us; put us in HIS perfect will and kept us from going ahead of HIM, which always leads to trouble. Please pray for us as we serve Christ and the people at Freedom.

This week, one journey in Life By George comes to a close, but a new journey begins. As long as the Lord is walking by my side, and occasionally He has to carry me, then, all is well. We are excited about our new place to worship and serve.

We were already in the process of renting a house in Belmont, so we are still moving there as I type! We will look for something bigger and more permanent later. Life By George has been moving at a rapid speed. Most days, I'm quite dizzy! I've just grabbed hold and tried to hang on!

One suggestion: be extra kind to your pastor and his family. I had no idea of the heavy loads they carry each and every day until God called Scot to preach. I had always tried to be very respectful of the man of God and his family, and was pretty thoughtful, but if I'd known then what I know now by living it, I would have done so much more to be helpful and encouraging. And I definitely would have prayed for them more.

Well, so long for a few days or weeks. Hope your days are full of God's goodness, joy, and peace.

Keep bloggin'! I'll catch up with all of your news and encouraging words when I return.

Happy Day!

Liesa

Ladies Conference/Luncheon

Tomorrow is the day!!! "What day?" you ask? I was invited a couple of months ago to speak at a ladies luncheon. I felt like the day would never arrive; it just seemed so far into the future, and lo and behold, Lord willing, tomorrow, April 18, that day will be upon me. I've spoken at several ladies events and to be honest, I just eat it up....I love it!!! AFTER IT'S OVER! ha. As for this week, I am just beside myself with anxiety over it. I trust God, I just don't trust me sometimes. I'm not speaking to a bunch of ladies about a new kitchen gadget or how to's to decorate or something, I'm speaking to them about the most important subject known to man: THE GOD OF THE UNIVERSE! I take that as a great responsibility. The theme for tomorrow is "Our Identity In Christ". The verse the morning is centered around is Galatians 2:20, I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

I desire your prayers. I desire for Christ to be seen and felt in hearts and lives. I desire to be a vessel of honor and a sweet smelling savior to my Lord.

Should any of you local gals like to attend this luncheon, you would be very welcome. By Faith Baptist Church is located in Pontotoc, MS and the conference begins at 9 AM. Mary Beasley will also be speaking. There is no charge. Lunch will be served after the conference. For more information, contact me at my email address, slnc4g@nexband.com. I would be thrilled to see you there! Most importantly, PRAY for me. Pray God gives me exactly what I stand in need of for tomorrow. Thanks.

I Learned Something New!

This is such an unusual post for me. Who would have thought I would blog about tin foil and saran wrap? I haven't even put any thought in to this, but this morning as I was having my coffee, I made my usual round in the bloggin' neighborhood and Walking on Sunshine shared with us something she just learned, so therefore I don't feel so bad that I didn't know this after 24 years of buying tin foil and saran wrap. Here's the scoop: on each end of the tin foil/saran wrap box, there is a tab to push in to keep the roll from falling out when you try to pull some foil or wrap out! Has that happened to you before? I can't count the times the entire roll fell out and then, I'd try to re roll it, and it was just a mess! Very irritating. This may be an odd post, but I know I sure was grateful that Lois shared this tip with me! If you already knew this; don't tell me, just let me bask in this moment! ha. Go over to Walking on Sunshine and visit with Lois. She has a terrific blog! http://wifeofthecolonel.blogspot.com/

Good Hair Day....

The same beautician has cut and colored my hair for seven or eight years now. Carrie Ann Taylor Vincent at Safari's is 'The Wonder Woman of Hair" to me. Not once have I come home crying or upset. Cry over my hair? Yes, been there, done that! Vain? Probably! If I like my hair, I feel much better about life in general. I know, it's probably a down-fall, but I have always loved and enjoyed 'good hair days'. Does that mean my hair Always looks good? Of course not! But, if I just know there's hope when I attempt to fix it, then I'm good! Carrie Ann is my magician; she always does such a good job. I even love just hanging out at Safari's. Last week when I was there, I got a color and cut. Noelle came there after she got off work to get her high lights touched up, so while she was putting the color on Noelle, I sat under the dryer and ate my supper. Carrie Ann's mother was delivering Carrie Ann and Julie's supper, and they were nice enough to ask if I wanted something too, so I got a baked potato and unsweet tea. To top it all off, while I was in there, one of my school friends came in, so I enjoyed catching up on her life, and then, before I left, the lady that helped me develop my writing skills, my high school English teacher, Mrs. Joan Wright came in. So, not only did I get a 'do', I had a wonderful visit with friends from my home town!

Gotta love it!

Ta-Dah!!! Here she is...Carrie Ann!

Noelle, looking like some sort of antenna tower! ha.

After! Quite lovely my dear!

Before: kind of flat! (and gray)

After: brown & fluffy!

Julie also works at Safari's. (I worked at school when she was in kindergarten) Whew, sakes alive! Can I be that old?! Pictured with Julie is my high school English-Literature teacher, Mrs. Joan Wright. She was a wonderful teacher. I loved how she inspired us to write and also to read. I also appreciate the kindness and time she always showed toward her students.

I'm In Love!

Oh My Goodness~Have I found a winner!!! When I was making my grocery list Mon. afternoon, Noelle asked me to write WW coffee ice cream bars on my list. We've never bought them before, but Noelle has hopped on my coffee wagon, and she had seen these and thought they would be good. Well, indeed, she was right! Notice this word on the box...GIANT. They are not kidding. They could have easily made two normal bars out of each giant bar, although, I am not complaining! I almost didn't buy them due to the price. They were a little over five dollars a box, but Noelle hardly ever asks for anything in particular at the store, so I thought this would be a special treat. If you don't like coffee flavors, they also had chocolate. Each scrumptious bar only has 1 WW point, which is insanely good! Noelle, thanks for asking me to add these to my list, what a GIANT idea!

My First Tea Cup Experience

My first experience of drinking 'hot tea' out of a 'tea cup' occurred the other day. Last Tue., when Scot and I went to Tupelo, I looked at a couple of places for a tea cup, but didn't find one. I have zillions of mugs, but there's just something delicate and pretty about having a cup of tea.

A cup of tea should be 'a moment'. Or at least it sounds like it should! So, I climbed up and got this tea cup down from among my other pretty dishes sitting on top of my cabinets. I honestly never planned to use this cup. The number one reason was I didn't like hot tea. The number two reason was a dear couple from the first church we pastored gave it to me over 10 years ago. (for no special reason, isn't that sweet?) I have treasured this cup and saucer through the years and was 'protecting' it by not using it. I really wanted to experience drinking my new found love for Snowberry tea in a pretty cup, so I washed the dust off of it, poured my tea, and I felt like I was in a fancy tea room sipping tea with the best of them! I will be very careful with my cup and saucer, but I do plan to use it and have my special moment of tea time sipping from it. I know it's all in my mind but the tea really did taste better out of this tea cup than it did in my coffee mugs! Tea anyone?

Supper by Candlelight

My title sounds so nice, romantic even, doesn't it? We had supper by candlelight due to a power outage. My menu for the night included deer tenderloin/gravy which I had cooking in the crock pot, mashed potatoes, corn, and biscuits. The smell of the tenderloin and gravy cooking were making my mouth water this afternoon around 3:30. I had the potatoes laid out on the bar already, waiting to cook them closer to time for supper. That was my plan! The power flickered a few times this afternoon, but didn't go completely off that time. The next time it flickered, our lights were out for over 3 hours. So, Scot lit one of the eyes on my gas/electric stove and I cooked supper. We enjoyed our supper of grilled cheese sandwiches, pickles, and chips while smelling the meat that would have been done had the power stayed on! Oh well, I now have part of our meal prepared for tomorrow night. Claire (Deacon Harold's daughter) called. Their power was out also. I led her to believe that our power wasn't out. I told her to tell her daddy that if he'd be nicer to his pastors wife, he wouldn't have to live in the dark so much. She relayed the message; I heard him laughing in the background. He probably prefers the dark over being nice to me! Ha. I finally fessed up and told the truth. (after I'd had my fun) Ole Harold will celebrate his 50th birthday this weekend, and boy, am I ready for that! I'll be 50 one of these days, so I know that we reap what we sow, but by the time I'm 50, he'll be so old, he'll forget about what I do to him anyway. Yea, I have a mean streak! (if you've not read about Harold and all the fun we've had with him, you can find the stories here on past posts!) He's a hoot!



This is the card I bought for him. He never gets on the computer, so it's safe for me to share.

Coffee Fix

Cale and I enjoyed a late lunch today at Cracker Barrel. I was not going to buy anything in the store, but this plate SCREAMED my name and I brought it home. I love coffee and I collect plates, so I was very pleased with my find.

Tea Time (only) By George!

Last week, I posted about buying some 'Snowberry' tea that was marked down 90%. I also posted that I'm not a big fan of hot tea, but surprisingly, I actually like this. Black coffee is still my favorite, but this tea is not too bad. I have always wanted to like hot tea. I have several pretty tea pots and cups, but I just never found a flavor I liked until now. I'm glad I bought 3 boxes of it! So, why the picture? You just have to be in my crazy mind! ha. Remember that I get my kicks out of little things! I just found it amusing that I was drinking gourmet tea out of a John Deere mug; a little country-city mixture going on there; some might even consider it Red-Neck! ha.

Refreshed, but tired!

Today was a rare day for me, like really major rare! We did school in reverse today. Usually Cale works on the subjects that he does independently first thing each day, giving me time to get some chores done, and then, after lunch, I help him with Math, English, Science, & sometimes History. Today, we started with Science, English, and Math, and I left here at 12:20. My first stop was to get my new glasses. Whoaaa, I will definitely have to get used to them. These are my first bifocals. I'm having to figure out where to look according to what I'm looking at. But, I like them thus far. Then, I headed to Tupelo. I decided to eat somewhere different today. I really don't like eating alone, but I wanted to eat some place that I like more than my family does, since I was alone, so I chose Olive Garden. I ordered chicken scampi, salad, and bread sticks. I especially like their salads. I took my time and savored each and every bite. After I ate, I went to Life Way Christian Book Store. Remember, I was alone. (that's why the day was so rare) I spent almost 2 hours in there! What a treat! Tomorrow is my Daddy's birthday, so I was shopping for him. I got him 4 books and I bought myself the tea that was on sale for 90% off. Then, it was off to the mall. I bought birthday cards and 2 Yankee candles ($1.oo ea.) in Hallmark, a belt for Daddy in JC Penney, and I drank an IBC root beer in Barnes and Noble while I was looking at Cross Stitch magazines and a Calligraphy kit. The root beer is all I purchased in there. A lady that I was on the same aisle with and I struck up a conversation. Come to find out, she's a librarian, a mother, a Christian, etc. We had a very nice conversation. We even knew some of the same people. Anyway, that was neat! I stayed about an hour in Barnes and Noble, headed to Wally World for groceries, and pulled in my drive way at 9 p.m. I enjoyed my day, but I will admit, I felt really out of place and I missed my family very much. Today was nice, but I think I will keep days like today very rare! I will post more about my Daddy's birthday tomorrow. The first few songs playing are dedicated to him.

Me with my new glasses.

I treated myself to tea (gourmet tea at that) and Yankee candles. Who cares that the candles are Christmas scented! I paid $1.00 each for the Bayberry candles and $.70 for each box of tea. I'm not a big hot tea drinker, so I don't like to spend alot of money on it, but I thought I might like this kind, it has berry flavors in it. (Snowberry blend)

I Give You To God

Swearing in of the 44th President of the United States of America

Before the inauguration.
President elect Obama, Laura Bush, President Bush, & Michelle Obama

President Bush speaking with Malia and Sasha

Shall we dance?

Vice President Joe Biden with wife Jill

Yesterday was a somber and quiet day in my home. There's usually alot of yack and laughter going on, but not yesterday. The television is a no-no on school days, but yesterday was the exception. It wouldn't have mattered if we were swearing in Porky Pig (no comparisons intended), we would have been glued to the t.v. watching each and every detail. This was a "history" day! When I say 'history', I'm not just speaking of the first African-American President, I'm speaking, this is it for the 44th inauguration, no matter who is was. I mean America is over 200 years old, and this is only the 44th leader we've had, and really, there hasn't been 44 leaders due to some of them serving more than one term in office. In my lifetime of almost 44 years, I've seen Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush, and now Obama sworn in. President Ford didn't even have an inauguration day due to the circumstances of that time. President Johnson was president when I was born. So, as I said, yesterday was a very historical day. I thought yesterdays inauguration was very well planned out and organized, two things I appreciate with any event. I was impressed with several things of the day. Alot of things are just for show due to all the media, etc., but at the same time, this is what I saw: I saw President and Mrs. Bush being very cordial, helpful, and encouraging to the Obama's; I thought it very nice and thoughtful of Mrs. Obama to have a gift for Mrs. Bush, I loved the clothes the Obama's chose for the day-very tasteful- but not over the top, Sasha and Malia Obama were very well behaved-that's always a plus, I loved it when the reporter told that the Obama children would still be required to make their own beds in their new home, he also said that President Obama doesn't drink coffee, but also continued to say that he doesn't drink alcohol either, so that made me happy, (the alcohol, not the coffee part!) My Country Tis of Thee sung by Aretha Franklin was a winner to me (as I do have some "soul" in me!), ....it was just a pleasant kind of day to me. The hoopla is history today and the real work is begun. This is the day that if we've not started to pray already, we need to begin. We need to pray for our leader, President Obama. I am very candid in that I did not vote for this man, I did not support this man in any way, not because of color, age, experience, etc., but simply because of his stand on certain issues. Those issues include homosexuality and abortion. I do not type anything this morning on my blog that I would not respectfully, yet firmly express to my president face to face. I stand upon God's Word and I shall not be moved. BUT, Barack Obama is now MY president and I choose to support him with my prayers and well wishes respectfully and sincerely. I too once was blind, but now I see, and the same God that saved me by his marvelous grace can convict our nations leaders hearts and show them the truth of His Word. With that said, I do enjoy seeing the Obama family on t.v. and I enjoy reading about them. They seem very sincere, they seem very fun, thoughtful, and caring. I love the vigor, charm, friendliness, and zeal about them. No one can accuse them of being "stiff". President Obama's job and my job are two different things: His is to lead our great nation, mine is to pray for him and to hold him up to God. I don't wish for this man to fail in any way. Should he fail, we all fail! His success is our success. I encourage each of you, no matter how you feel about him personally, pray diligently for President and Mrs. Obama and their children, and for the other leaders of our nation right down to the mayor and council people of our towns. God is still faithful, true, long-suffering, kind, and all-powerful. I may never be known to Presidents and Kings here below, but the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords knows my name, He knows my heart, He knows my thoughts; How special I am to Him! , so therefore I feel quite comfortable casting all my cares upon Him and trusting Him with my hearts desires and all my fears. I am thankful to be an American, and it's just by the grace of God that I am, but I'm even more thankful to be a child of the King and to know that I'm bought by the blood of my Saviour Jesus. I'll close with these verses that have been such a comfort to me through the years. I Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Thank You President and Mrs. Bush

Farewell

I will miss you.

May God Bless You & Yours.

Just In Case You Forgot

It's already mid January. This month is passing by quickly. The roller coaster I've been riding had been going down a steep hill since mid summer; fast, hurry, and busy are words that come to mind. This week had been a tad slower, not boring by no means; but wouldn't you know it, I have a crick in my neck! I got up Tue. morning with it and can't seem to get it to go away. The plans I had for a slower week (should I ever see one again) didn't go as I had hoped. I've kept laundry and cooking going, kept the house straightened, and Cale and I haven't missed a beat of school this week, but all else went down the drain so to speak. Even my morning coffee has not been as enjoyable. Do you realize everything really is connected? That old song, the arm bones connected to the shoulder bone, etc. is right! I pick up my coffee mug and my neck hurts, I hold a book in my hand, my neck hurts, I blog, my neck hurts, ... Not looking for sympathy, just stating facts here. Today has been much better, thank the Lord, so maybe by tomorrow, I'll be back to my chipper self. I ran across something in the home school closet that I once read at a ladies meeting. Since I've been a bit blah this week, it helped my feelings to read this. Maybe your day will be brighter by reading it too....

Just In Case You Forgot

If God had a refrigerator, your picture

would be on it.

If God had a wallet, your photo would be in it.

He sends you flowers every spring

and a sunrise every morning.

When you want to talk, He'll listen.

He could live anywhere in the universe

and yet He chose your heart.

And that Christmas gift He sent you in Bethlehem?

Fact is, friend, He's crazy about you!

~Author unknown

Is There Anything Too Hard For God?

The answer to this is a great big, gigantic, definite NO!!!
Yesterday, when we got home from New Albany, we began working around here to have things prepared for the afternoon. The Monk Family, Wilson Family, and Brandon Jones were all coming over around 2:30. The men went hunting and we gals stayed here and gabbed, laughed, and giggled, and acted plum silly!!! Who needs liquor? Just get a bunch of ladies together who have had very little sleep, and most of them are a bit on the nutty side anyway... and honey, you got a show! Here is what this post is about..... Before anyone arrived yesterday, I was in the kitchen cooking the meat for the taco's. In the midst of this, I noticed that the diamond in my engagement ring had fallen out! I was devastated, I went into a frenzy! Scot was trying to comfort me. He was telling me how it was just a thing, and we could get another one, and I knew if need be, he'd use his Christmas money, my Christmas money and even the kids Christmas money(well, maybe not!) to get me a new ring, but I didn't want a new ring, I wanted the very stone that he had made payments on over 20 years ago. I wanted this tiny stone that no one else would probably even notice or want! I wanted the very stone that had been on my finger during good times and bad times the past twenty something years. I was crying, and when I cry, I don't just whimper around, I cry hard! Noelle even suggested we call our friends and cancel the supper. Another problem occurred to me; what if the stone had fallen into the taco mixture? Should I tell everyone to be careful chewing in case? No, they won't enjoy the meal, but what if someone breaks a tooth or swallows my diamond? What to do! I finally got myself together and the Monks arrived. I quickly confessed that Yes, my eyes are swollen, I've been crying, I have lost MY stone out of my engagement ring! Lisa immediately wanted to call out a search party with flash lights to find it, but I told her that I was keeping my eyes open for it, but I had been from this to that since we got home, and there was no tellin's where the stone was. So, the guys went hunting, and we ladies stayed here. After an hour or so visiting in the living room, we decided we were getting hungry. The hunters told us before they left that it would be ok for us to eat without them, so we headed to the kitchen to finish preparing the meal. Lisa was standing close to the window and sink and she commented that she was chilly. I had forgotten about opening a crack in the window earlier when I was cooking, so I reached up to put the window down, and there was my stone lying on the window sill! I shouted and started jumping up and down! "I found my diamond!!!! Oh, thank the Lord, I found my diamond!" All the girls came running in there rejoicing with me. Earlier when we were in the living room, I had said a silent prayer asking God if it could be His will to help me find my stone, and He did! ...Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. Luke 15:9b

Happy Last Day of 2008!

Last night, I went to bed and read a few pages in the book I'm soooo enjoying, Walking with the Women of the Bible, by Elizabeth George. This book is set up more like a devotional. You can just read a page a day and get something out of it, but I can't just read one page a day, I Need More! I highly recommend this book to you. Even if you don't read alot or have time to read alot, this book will help you, and will give you lots to think about, and like I said, you can read one page a day and get some good soul nutrition. It has helped me to examine my own life, my own heart. I know I'm not a Mrs. Noah or a Rebekah, but I can learn from these women. E. George points out things in their life that I've never thought about. So far, Miriam and Jochebed (Moses sister and mother) have been the most surprising to me. I guess I've just never thought much about these women. You know, it's sort of like reading about the crucifixion, we read through it quickly and we don't let the agony and pain sink in. This book has challenged me to be a better woman, a more Godly woman, a more willing and joyful servant to God and to others.
So, last night I wrote down the ABC's in a notebook and started listing words beside each letter that I want to work on in 2009. You will think some of them are sort of silly and childish even, but you have to be in my brain to realize the significance of all these words to me. My kids would jokingly say, "and you don't even want to go There!"

Here goes:
A- agenda, attentive to God, awaken earlier
B- Bible, blog, be still, believe
C- care, calm, cross-stitch, chipper, contentment
D- doer of the Word, daughter, disciplined
E- exercise, encourage, eat less
F- faith, faithful, family, friend, friends, fellowship, forgiving
G- grow, godliness, goodness, gentleness, gladness, giving, glorify God
H- helper, hope, humbleness, honest
I- increase in knowledge and strength
J- judge not, joy
K- kindness, kneel
L- learn, laugh, love, listen
M- make most of..., mother
N- nice, no to world
O- organization
P- parents, prayer, play , peaceful
Q- quiet spirit
R- read, rest, relax, remember
S- schedule, school, sleep, smile, sing, study, stand
T- trust, try, tell, thoughtful, think
U- uplift, use time wisely, understanding
V- vitamins
W- wife, weight, witness, walk, work out, water, wait on the Lord
X- X-amine myself
Y- yield, youthful, yes to God
Z- zealous

Will I succeed at all of these? I won't write what I thought because it would give me room to fail, and I want to strive each day to be better. I'm saved! I'll still be saved if I don't work on any of these, but because of my salvation and the great price it cost my Saviour, I do want to work and live to the best of my ability. Bro. Green, my pastor at New Bethel used to come up with a saying at the first of each new year. In honor of him, here is mine for 2009. (that rhymed too!)
Let my light shine in 2009!

NEW BOOKS!

The Hollands gave me a gift card from Life Way Christian Book Store for Christmas. Yesterday, after looking at almost every single book in the store twice (or so it seemed to Cale), I decided on these two books. If you've read much of my blog at all, you know I love-love-love to read books by Elizabeth George. Among my favorite books written by Elizabeth George are Beautiful In God's Eyes, Life Management for Busy Women, Loving God With All Your Mind, Small Changes for a Better Life, A Woman's High Calling, A Woman's Walk With God, & A Woman After God's Own Heart. The book I got yesterday is Walking with the Women of the Bible. It is a devotional Journey Through God's Word studying about the women in the Bible like Mrs. Noah, Sarah, Esther, Rebekah, Mary, Rahab, Eve, Lydia, Deborah, my favorite Ruth, and many others. I hope to learn from these women and apply the things I learn to my life. The other book I chose was Lynn Austin's Until We Reach Home. It's a story about three sisters from Sweden traveling to America in search of a safe haven. So, one book to learn and be inspired by, and another book to just entertain me. Thank you Robert, Chrissy, & Kanah for the gift!

Let It Snow?

It's snowin' in Copiah County Mississippi.

What a lovely pic.

I like snow, it's very pretty, and when I was a little girl, I would stare out the window and pray for snow. And then I grew up, and reality hit. We are not equipped for snow in Mississippi! I get very antsy during winter storms due to my daddy and my husband being on the road going to work. Scot drives a propane gas truck, so if someone needs gas, guess who has to get out in the weather, whatever it may be. Power outages is not a rare thing here either, especially where we live now. We have lots and lots of trees that are apt to land on a power line. So, Let it snow? That's not really up to me, is it? So, I'll just take what we get. If it snows, I'll play in it and awe as I look at it; and if we don't get snow, I will not be gazing out my window praying for it. If the power goes off, I will find a flashlight and a book!

Have a winter wonderland kind of day, inside or out!