My friend, Ruth!

A few weeks ago as, we went to the wedding in WI we stopped for a visit in St Louis with some dear friends.  Carl met Wally and Ruth in 1978 when he moved to St Louis right out of college.  I met them a year later when we got married.  Ruth and I became fast friends.  We shared a love for Jesus and a laughing outlook on life.  After a wonderful, laughing, good visit at their home, we went out for supper.    After supper, we took a few pictures then it was time for us to leave.



That visit did my heart so much good.  What a blessing to have friends that you can just pick right back up with no matter how long between visits.

I am so thankful for forever friends!
You need to call up one today or write them a letter or send them a facebook message.  Let one of your forever friends know what they mean to you!

Wedding fun captured in photos

 Carl, Kaitlin and I recently drove to Wisconsin for a family wedding.  We are blest with lots of wonderful family.

Carl snapped this picture of Violet, she is our great niece, as she came down the aisle.  She saw that Uncle Carl had a camera on her and she stopped and gave him a pose.





The beautiful bride, Rachel and groom, Robert.

The grooms family

 Here is the groom, Robert, with his new bride, Rachel, and his brothers, Charlie, Alex and William and sister, Barbara.

Kaitlin and Violet always have fun together.

 Robert is singing Tied To The Whipping Post.

 Lots of dancing was done at the reception.  The disco ball added to the fun.  Lots of dancing was done by Kaitlin, Meredith, Thomas, Alan, Sarah, William, Alicia and lots of the other guests.

love the tie of the man's head

Violet and Ezra were dancing fools!  We loved watching them.

how low can you go?

Alan, Kaitlin and Alex are the 85's.  They were all born that year.

lots of cousins.  I have no idea what William is doing?

 One of the many things I love about family gatherings is the visiting.  I am blest with wonderful relationships with my nieces.  We laugh, share book titles, talk about life and then laugh some more.  Here I am with Alicia. What a blessing she is to me!!

Missions Conference 2013

 Our missions conference was the first weekend of this month.  It is a highlight of the year for me.  I love seeing old friends, making new friends, being with my church family, being encouraged by missionary stories, hearing great messages, singing songs about missions, seeing the flags from the many countries that we support or have supported missionaries in- being marched in, and my list goes on and on.

I am so thankful to be in a church with a great missions emphasis.

 We ate lots of salad one night!

 Roger Dye told us what was going on with his ministry.  Our church supported his Mama and Dad for many years.  They are off the field now.

 The wonderful kitchen crew!

 Our good friend Jeff, looked just like our main speaker, Mark.  Don't you think so?

 Our Saturday morning brunch was well attended and the sharing was fantastic!

 Carl and I met Hans and Gretchen 34 years ago in St Louis.  I am thankful that our paths have crossed many time over the years.  They have blessed many in our church.

We need to remember our missionaries all through the year.  Their work is hard.  Please take time to pray for them today!

17 years ago

March 10, 1996.  Where were you?  I was at the SEC men's basketball tourney in New Orleans.  Mississippi State won that year.  I got a call from my brother, John, about two in the morning telling me that our precious mama had died.

I can still remember the enveloping grief but I don't feel it today.  I can remember having to think about every step I took, wondering how could the sun be shining because I was so sad.

Today I am thankful for all the time I had with my mama.  I am thankful for all the things she taught me.

My mother lived most of her life 'out of the box'.  I got a pack of mulitcolored pens for Christmas.  Everyday I write with a different colored pen- I write my grocery list, my to-do list, letters to folks, etc.  This seems like something my mother would have done.

The above picture was inspired by Kaitlin, who lives most of her life 'out side the box'.  I wanted to share a picture of my mama with you.  Kaitlin approved the above as a picture of her.  These are a few of the books that she dearly loved that now live at my house.

Kiss your mamas today.  Call them and tell them you love them.

Random Recommendations

Here are a few things that I have found that I have really enjoyed.  First is a cookie scoop.  They come in three sizes: small , medium, and large.  All your cookies end up about the same size.  You can also use them for cupcakes, then you get all the same amount in the cups.  Two places you can get these are Williams/Sonoma and Pampered Chef.

Here are my new cooling racks from Pamper Chef.  They are so study and they are stackable.

I found a fun way to learn my scripture verses for this year.  Scripture Typer is a app that I have on my IPhone and IPad.  I love it.  I am trying to memorize Romans 8 this year.  There are three stages to memorizing.  The first is below.  The verse is in front of you.  You must type the first letter of every word.  If you get it correct it is black, wrong- you get RED.

The second stage is every other word is is missing.  Below is the final stage.  There is nothing there. You type the first letter of the word and it appears in black, wrong and you the RED again.  It encourages you to get 90% correct before you move on.

  

I love this app.  It makes learning so easy.  It reminds you to review and encourages you to learn more. 

Plans

I know you all are wondering how we are celebrating our Alamo Remembrance Days.  First, we are not riding on any black horses!  We do not want anyone to associate us with Santa Ana, no way!  Second, lots of Tex/Mex.  I don't know any food that is particular to Texas but Tex/Mex.  Third, Kaitlin plans to wear her cowboy hat all day on March 6.  I am thinking about sporting a coon-skin cap in honor of Davy Crockett.

Have you made your plans yet?  

Boxes, Kaitlin and The Alamo

About a year ago when Kaitlin was at work a lady came in looking for a money tree for her niece's high school graduation.  She wanted to have it out at a party so folks could put money on it.  Kaitlin knew that her store didn't have money trees so she told the customer that and what stores she could check for one, but then Kaitlin showed the lady some picture frames that her store had with tiny little clothes pins around the frame.  Kaitlin's suggestion was to put pictures of her niece in the frames and then folks could clip money in the clothes pins.  The customer loved the idea and went home with several.  Kaitlin was unaware that her boss had observed the entire conversation.  Kaitlin's boss approached Kaitlin and complimented her for her outside-of-the-box thinking.  Later that day, Kaitlin shared that story with me and she asked me if I thought that she thought outside-of-the-box?  I told Kaitlin that most days she didn't know where her box was! We both laughed!

I came across the above happy box in my pretty things closet.  I think if Kaitlin has a box it looks something like the box above!

Kaitlin loves to celebrate.  She celebrates some rather unusual days.  I think after her birthday and Christmas and Thanksgiving, Ground Hog Day is her favorite holiday.  This year, our friend, Sandy ordered Kaitlin a stuffed groundhog from Panxsutawney, PA.  Kaitlin was overjoyed!

This year Kaitlin plans to 'Remember the Alamo'.  She is not sure what her remembering will look like yet but I am sure it will be interesting!  Below is the song that she she often sings.  It is a great song and you learn lots of history about the Alamo painlessly.  Tomorrow, February 23, is the anniversary of the day the siege began but the official Remembering Day is March 6, the day the siege ended.




In the southern part of Texas, in the town of San Antone,
There's a fortress all in ruin that the weeds have overgrown.
You may look in vain for crosses and you'll never see a one,
But sometime between the setting and the rising of the sun,
You can hear a ghostly bugle as the men go marching by;
You can hear them as they answer to that roll call in the sky:
Colonel Travis, Davy Crockett and a hundred eighty more;
Captain Dickenson, Jim Bowie, present and accounted for.

Back in 1836, Houston said to Travis:
"Get some volunteers and go fortify the Alamo."
Well, the men came from Texas and from old Tennessee,
And they joined up with Travis just to fight for the right to be free.

Indian scouts with squirrel guns, men with muzzle loaders,
Stood together heel and toe to defend the Alamo.
"You may never see your loved ones," Travis told them that day.
"Those that want to can leave now, those who'll fight to the death, let 'em stay."

In the sand he drew a line with his army sabre,
Out of a hundred eighty five, not a soldier crossed the line.
With his banners a-dancin' in the dawn's golden light,
Santa Anna came prancin' on a horse that was black as the night.

He sent an officer to tell Travis to surrender.
Travis answered with a shell and a rousin' rebel yell.
Santa Anna turned scarlet: "Play Degüello," he roared.
"I will show them no quarter, everyone will be put to the sword."

One hundred and eighty five holdin' back five thousand.
Five days, six days, eight days, ten; Travis held and held again.
Then he sent for replacements for his wounded and lame,
But the troops that were comin' never came, never came, never came.

Twice he charged, then blew recall. On the fatal third time,
Santa Anna breached the wall and he killed them one and all.
Now the bugles are silent and there's rust on each sword,
And the small band of soldiers lie asleep in the arms of The Lord.

In the southern part of Texas, near the town of San Antone,
Like a statue on his Pinto rides a cowboy all alone.
And he sees the cattle grazin' where a century before,
Santa Anna's guns were blazin' and the cannons used to roar.
And his eyes turn sort of misty, and his heart begins to glow,
And he takes his hat off slowly to the men of Alamo.
To the thirteen days of glory at the seige of Alamo.


Do you celebrate any unusual holidays? I'll post at the end of her Remembering the Alamo so that you will know how to get ready for next year when you join our celebration!

What does your box look like???