"Rememberable" Day:)

Greetings from the Johnson's Memorial Day Getaway - actually an out-of-town baseball tournament necessitating a hotel room with pool and breakfast:)

The East Texas Rangers (coached by a tremendously handsome & talented fun-guy) won both their games yesterday. With comfortable consistency, they won two more today and ultimately took the First Place trophy.

However, a rain delay pushed the games back a few hours resulting in the 8pm Championship game actually being hashed out closer to midnight with the full moon high and bright.

Next came the celebratory trip to IHOP where we filled the banquet room and stunk it right on up. Muddy, sweaty players and fans with & without their shoes laughed, sang along with the 80's muzak, morphed self photos with iPhone apps, yawned, and drank coffee as we waited for our early morning food.

By 2:30 AM we were headed back to the hotel.

Now it's after 3. I'm mildly regretting that second cup of tasty coffee.

The boys are snoring in one double bed. The coach is soaking in even more baseball thanks to ESPN...might there be a saturation point? Three trooper-girls are snuggled into the expanded sleeper sofa while one tiny trooper-of-all-troopers rests in her warm & quiet pack'n'play.

My last words to the darlings as we drove into the hotel parking lot?

"WOE to the daughter or son - Verily, I say WOE to the one who arises before dawn...which - with the aid of room darkening drapes - shall be defined as 9:30 am!"

We'll see.

Thank You, God, for a great day. Thank You for answered prayers. Thank You for my family. Thank You for housekeepers, swimming pools, plentiful white linens, and ice machines. Thank You for some days of rest.

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY Tuesday, May 11, 2010...

Outside my window...dark winds howl as a full day draws to a close.

I am remembering...all the ways that God is good.

I am thankful for...honest friends.

I am creating...a bit of a plan for the rest of May.

I am going...to play the piano for "The Summit"s choir rehearsal tomorrow night. I am really enjoying my summer gig.

I am reading...May magazines so I can pass them along...still.

I am hoping...to be an encouragement to those who cross my path...and to find that envelope of cash I lost last week. (Please, Lord:)

On my mind...all the MOPS moms. We had our last meeting for the year today. I never realized what a tender spot I have in my heart for each of them.

From the learning rooms...Boys are rockin. Girls are in limbo. Mari Alice still thinks her "school" should arrive by mail any day.

Noticing that...it is super late. I have no business being up.

Pondering these words..."Thou art never at any time nearer to God than when under tribulation, which He permits for the purification and beautifying of thy soul." -Miguel de Molinos

From the kitchen...pesto paninis, a crock pot of chili, olive garden salad, and jalapeno cream cheese dip sit poised in the refrigerator for consumption sometime during the next 48 hours. No kitchen duty 'til Friday:)

Around the house...a couple loads of laundry need to be put away, the boys stayed up watching Ranger highlights, the girls have been asleep for a while, and my darling, handsome husband is loading the dishwasher. Ahhhh.

One of my favorite things...Large Sonic ice water with lemon. 25 cents.

From my picture journal...
My man mashing the ball. We have a batting cage in our back yard, now...haven't you heard??


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Regifted Mother's Day

(I wrote this last year but wanted to post it in Mom's honor again.)

Mother's Day Top Ten

Here are tonight's top ten reasons why Mom & I are undeniably mother & daughter:

10. Our cute, chubby toes
9. We love our spot in the Soprano section
8. We have identical hands...the better for keyboarding and cooking
7. We love a graph paper, 'Monk' and 'Mississippi Yummy'...all in the same setting if at all possible
6. Our big, brown eyes
5. We willfully postpone household cleaning....but feel ashamed until we get it done.
4. We can paint our fingernails then grab our keys and drive across town....sipping a glass of ice water: pinkies up.
3. We wiggle when we walk fast...but we can walk pretty darn fast, so deal with it!
2. We can instantly produce a color-coded chart involving any set of facts on the planet.

and the #1 reason we are undeniably mother & daughter...
1. We both have beautiful Moms and gorgeous daughters!




Thank You, God, for my Mom. Thank You for loving me and teaching me through her. Thank You for hearing her prayers for me and the boys over all these years. Thank You for Your protection and peace. Thank You for the devotion and commitment that she and Dad modeled for us. Thank You for drawing us closer to You so that we might know & love You more. Bless Gramma Iona and my girls. May we find purpose in shining Your light until You come to take us home.

Friday Fave AND Flashback Foto...what then?

Late 70's. Young Musicians of MBBC, Irving, directed by Carolyn Badry.
Pensive, if not mournful solo by CDJ:)

I love to sing. (Not so much in front of people...but it's a decent price to pay)

I sing a lot. (Not so much in front of people...but hey, ain't that mighty fine!)

I sing when I do dishes. I sing when I make lists. I sing when I give baths. I sing when I drive...ooh, that is some good, loud, stuff right there!

However, for the past few weeks, my singing voice has been silenced. Once I regained my speaking voice week before last, sadly, I still could not sing. At first, I was so grateful to be able to communicate above a whisper, that I patiently awaited my song's return. Instinct and habit would attempt a melody, only to result in a thin, scratchy rasp.

Yesterday, the mail arrived and I sang through a few lines of the furniture sale ad. Did I mention I sing when I open mail? By the second jazzy phrase of "five piece dinette made of solid oak" I joyfully realized my voice was back. It didn't sound great, but it was ringing on sustained pitches without cutting out.

With thanksgiving and celebration in my heart, and lively Italian arias in my mind, I immediately transitioned into "My voice is back! My voice is back!" To which, the kids sarcastically muttered, "wonderful...that is just great."

I believe they have rather enjoyed my inability to raise my voice or bark commands. Surely they have missed my music! Perhaps not so much:)

James 3:9-10 "With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be."

Lord Jesus, thank You for my "quiet time". Thank You for continuing to heal my throat. You know how I've longed to be able to worship You in song. Help me have a comparable yearning to speak blessings to those around me...a consuming desire to build others up. Help me be a faithful steward...not just of talents, but of relationships with those whom You love.

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY Tuesday, May 4, 2010...

Outside my window...early birds enjoy their proverbial bounty while sunshine boldly streams across the glistening lawn.

I am remembering...God made today. He has a plan and a purpose for me. (hold on while I jot that on a post-it to stick to my forehead:)

I am thankful for...fresh starts.

I am creating...a color scheme for the master bathroom. The buttery yellow wall color turned out to be more butter than yellow, so I'm rethinking the pallet before I choose towels.

I am going...to watch baseball later today. (Statistically, this sentence is true more days than not.)

I am reading...May magazines so I can pass them along.

I am hoping...to keep a gentle, quiet spirit today with the kids. (Last time I wrote this, I lost my voice for several days. hilarious.)

On my mind...all the ways I seem to be failing at motherhood. If I could find victory in that gentle spirit deal, there might be fewer items of concern:) Homeschooling can be such a great buffer for worldliness unless the "School Marm" is a trend setter for argumentative bitterness & lazy complaint. Lord, help me today.

From the learning rooms...Landen is loving his new normal. Luke starts his dvd's this week. The girls are chomping to begin but I must restore order to the master suite before I can give them the attention they need.

Noticing that...Mari Alice is sleeping uncharacteristically late. "The better to blog by!"

Pondering these words..."They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised." Romans 1:25

From the kitchen...beans & rice in the crock pot for tonight, sandwiches in bags in the fridge for lunch, oatmeal for "breakeefast". I wish not to linger in the kitchen today, can you tell?

Around the house...clothing that represents every tedious phase of the laundry process and dust. lots of dust.

One of my favorite things...avocados with onion, tomato, garlic & lime. Not mashed like guacamole...diced & chunky...man, oh man.

From my picture journal...Breakfast at HornCreek 2009
James has apparently recovered from the late night spades event more easily than Philip.

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Friday Flashback Foto

April 2009.

The "big girls" are repainting the bin for the new baby soon to arrive.

I remember this day well:)

Thank You, God for Spring...when we are surrounded by all things renewed!

They That Wait

"We will never NOT be carried by the strong, loving hands of the universe-making God. He WILL carry us through!"

Louie Giglio said this as he wrapped up a talk on the "How Great is our God" tour.

Psalm 33 "...By the word of the Lord, the heavens were made...the plans of the Lord stand firm forever...may Your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you."

As you pray today, please remember my sweet and sassy cousin, Leslie. She has a radiation treatment today at 4:45. I firmly believe she and I would be dear friends even if we weren't related. I dig that chick!

As always, you can follow God's goodness in Leslie's life at

www.porchswingnews.blogspot.com
Enjoy today!

cdj

Law Abiding Citizen

With a carload of players and spectators, I hurried toward the ballpark, yet, again. I made good time along the interstate, but as I exited onto the smaller highway, our pace slowed to a miserable crawl. The car in front of me crept along at what seemed 15 mph.

Just as I huffed my impatience aloud, I glanced at my speedometer: 55 mph.

I was absolutely exasperated with the person in front of me because they were driving at precisely the speed limit. How disheartening to have to rein in my disgruntlement because they were in fact doing nothing wrong. They simply were not driving fast enough to leave me room to break the law.

As I tried to edge up to her bumper to urge her onward, she remained steadfast: confident in her constraint. Her unwillingness to budge almost sent me into a phase two meltdown. I had procrastinated and spent too much time on the computer, and now SHE was making me late. Her determination to live by the rules exposed my true condition. I wondered if it occurred to her to move over to the shoulder for just a moment so that I could go about my illegal way. Of course not. She had a right to be on the road and she intended to enjoy it.

As we drove along, something in my heart changed. (We had PLENTY of time to facilitate such a change:) I began to embrace the fact that I was to blame for my tardiness. I began to regret reading that last email and waiting so long to load the car. This woman had done nothing to bring me harm. I was only annoyed by the standard she was setting for those of us who came along behind her.

I became remorseful for the inconvenience our late arrival would cause the coaches and teammates. As cars whizzed by in the opposite direction, I also understood the wisdom of posted speed limits in terms of safety and traffic control. The other driver didn’t glare or point fingers. She just continued quietly and consistently on her way.

Perhaps this is a good example for those righteous saints who might feel pressure to change their ways by hasty rule haters breathing down your neck with impatient disdain on their breath. When prodded by those who prefer unrighteousness, do you give in, give up, give grief, or allow your actions to give way to extended righteousness? Expanded by your continued faithfulness and the conversion of others.

“The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right,giving joy to the heart. The commands of the lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. By them Your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward." Psalm 19:7-11

"And this is my prayer; that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ – to the glory and praise of God.” Philippians 1:9-11

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY Sunday, April 18, 2010...

Outside my window...cool breezes sneak through dark trees.

I am remembering...my sweet daddy and his jolly laugh.

I am thankful for...freedom in Christ.

I am creating...a little talk for MOPS' "Friendship & Faith".

I am going...to start playing the piano for a local church.

I am reading...the Bible. Can't seem to get enough.

I am hoping...to keep a gentle, quiet spirit tomorrow with the kids.

On my mind...all that God can do...all He has done...all He will do.

From the learning rooms...placing curriculum orders this week.

Noticing that...it's taking SEVERAL minutes for the NyQuil to kick in.

Pondering these words..."Come be washed in the soul cleansing blood of the Lamb."

From the kitchen...crustless quiche, monkey bread, and cantaloupe.

Around the house...rooms are either trashed or really neat...nowhere in between.

One of my favorite things...tight acapella harmony. boy howdy!

From my picture journal...JW & the girls on the top bleacher. 4/11/10



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Word for the Wise

Yesterday my aunt was at the post office when she met a charming little 3-year-old girl. Waiting in line together, they chatted about life, happiness, and the cuteness of her little sister in the stroller. The toddler informed my aunt that - in addition to the precious one in her charge - she had four older brothers at home.

"Oh!" exclaimed my aunt.
This drew the attention of the girls' mother.

My experience would offer that she was most likely cringing at what would certainly follow the "Oh" she had heard so many times before.
"Wow, are you crazy? yuk-yuk-yuk?"
"Do you know what causes this?"

I swear I want to make a t-shirt that says:
"I won't ask about your sex life if you won't ask about mine. K, Pumpkin?"

Refreshingly, my aunt continued with happiness in her heart, "Wow! It must be so great to have lots of brothers and sisters! I have a niece who has 6 kids and a nephew who has 7 with one more on the way! We went to Colorado a few months ago and had SO much fun..."

The little girl grinned in agreement. Her mother sighed with a smile of feeling accepted and honored.

"A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger...
A man finds joy in giving an apt reply - how good is a timely word!"
Proverbs 15:1 & 23

Dear Father, Thank You for Aunt Jeannie and her enthusiastic encouragement. Forigve me for speaking harshly toward others. Give me a heart of forgiveness when I encounter folks who spatter on much like myself. Help me grow to be friendly and encouraging.


Elizabeth & the "Great" Aunt, HornCreek 2009


PLUS ALSO:
If you'd like to "follow" my blog, there is a new little spot I cleared out for you down at the bottom of the page. Enjoy!