Well, its been a while since any work has happened on our new addition, but today some stuff is happening!!! The guys are putting up the drywall and some osb on the ceiling in prep for the wood ceiling maybe soon! A big mess but worth it!!! I guess I'll help tape and bed it and then texture it soon. I will not do any painting yet, not sure of colors. It is going to be a western/rustic room, so I am going to use blacks, browns, dark reds. A little bit at a time even though its slow progress. Good helpers but not big budget! The Lord is is good just to allow us to have the extra space. We are enjoying it!
I was sitting on my bed reading my Bible this morning, Mercy upon the pillow all snuggled down in my bed, fuzzy hair every which way, a squirm and eyes still closed, she rose up a bit and said, "i love you so much mommy," with eyes still closed she plopped back on the pillow and went back to sleep. Her first words of the whole day! What were your first words, first thoughts of the day? Just as a little child, do we come to the One that we know will take care of us for the day, do we even take time to speak words to Him in the mornings, what were your first words to Him this morning? I don't think I have had a child that expresses her endearments so much as Mercy, she constantly tells me she loves me, she wants to get so close to me and squeeze me. How much I can learn from her, help me to learn even from a child, Lord! How much more the Lord desires to do this to His own children. Do you hear Him telling you how much he loves you, how close he wants to be to you? I love the truth of scripture that speaks of the covenant that Christ has made with us. It will never be broken, it is forever filled and overflowing with mercies, grace, blessings, and so much that we will ever need as we journey this earth, that is all ours if we are in Christ. I am so thankful that everything of Christ never changes!
Wow, it is sooooo windy here! The sun is bright though! Bethany went to help out some friends at their goat farm with a linear appraisal. That is when you pay a judge to come out and access your goats privately. Anna went to take pictures for the folks web site and Andrew went just because. At least on a windy day, it will not be a bad hair day for goats to get pictures made! :)
The guys are sooo busy right now, and how thankful we are for that! Jobs are lined up and waiting. Still about 6-7 weeks away until the big school job. Terry has another possible young man from Mississippi to come and help. Looks like our house will be full for the summer weekends with a bunch of guys!!!! :) I love boys anyway so a few more will be great for me!
Church is at our house this Sunday. Starting to get things prepared and cleaned up for that. It is alot of work. I like to get all the yard done and trimmed up and all the outside cleaned and straightened. I guess thats why others do not offer to have it at their house. Things sometimes do get broke and used and I certainly need continued grace to be hospitable but really after its all said and done, there is joy that the Lord has provided so we can host many people.
Since there is not many of us here. only a 1/2 doz. children and myself, and the "lunch girls" are gone, and because I do not want to fix lunch and because we are bored, we are going out to get some lunch!
Can you Oklahomans believe it????? The Thunders won!!!!! Caleb said it was a crazy, wild game inside and outside!! I think that was a well worth $30 he spent on a ticket! Hope they can keep it up in LA and "whip em!"
After church we went out to the land, grilled some burgers and we ate in Dave and Kates house! Its all dried in, windows are in, inside is framed! They have just owned the land a month and the house is about 1/2 done! Good job, Dave! Elijah had to "play " a bit on the back hoe and dig Dave's septic hole for the tank. He likes BIG machines! Laying in hammocks and popping "coke" tops out on the land is quite the life they think. We had a great time. Some of them stayed out at the land until dark, Terry and I came back home with the little people! They would probably be so sad that I always refer them to "little" people. Guess its good they don't read this yet! The dozer that the lady is letting them use for free is being delivered this afternoon, so I might not see "C and D" for a long time! Oh, yesterday while we were at the land, Mercy had to go to the "potty" but there is no pottys's except woods. She had never done this before but cooperated willingly. I took and she did it! SO, awhile ago she came running in all excited and exclaimed "mommy, mommy, I went to potty outside, and after I wuz done I just pulled them up all by myself!!!!!" I guess she was so fascinated with the fact she did not have to take the time to come inside while playing that she can "do" this now!!! I quickly enocuraged her since we are at home and we have a bathroom here that she needs to come inside and go!!! She was ok with it, but a bit discouraged that she could not continue her "outdoorsey pit stops!"
Bethany and Micah are heading towards Tulsa to pick up Anna from her adventures with her friends, I will be so glad to have her back.....laundry is her job and whewww, its been tough doing it, especially since our dryer is outside, hauling clothes in and out!
A few weeks ago, I was not feeling the greatest. I decided to get back on some of the natural things I take and be consistent with taking them, being on the treadmill everyday, and also I have been sugar and caffeine free for 8 days now. I don't miss the sugar but I am missing the coffee like crazy. I have lost 7 more pounds in these 8 days, so I guess its good I quit the sugar anyway. Three more pounds and I will be at beginning of marriage weight. Anyway, I feel so much better, like I have been cleaned out. The day following that I did not have coffee, I felt sooo terrible and tired, draggy. But the next day I felt better, I guess coming off the caffeine was getting my body leveled back out. I can't say I will never drink coffee again, I love it, but a break is good and I would rather feel better than have coffee. I am thankful to the Lord because I have been asking Him to help my body feel better.
I read a verse this morning... this do in remembrance of me, I Cor. 11:24. Even though this verse is specifically speaking of Christ, it touched my heart as it makes me think of Joel too.
Joel, it seems everything I do is in remembrance of you. when we go to rodeo's and I see all your brothers lined up on the fence watching and I count them and there is only 8, when I get in our van and it seats 15, but there is only 14 in it now, your seat is vacant. when I go out side and Mercy is swinging to the sky on the very swing set you enjoyed. when I make pizza, a favorite meal. every morning when I ask God for grace to believe that His plan is perfect. when I hold Siah's little rough hands, I remember you There is not a day, a moment that I do not remember YOU! Love you still!
Kate took a few pictures while we were at the land last night, when she sends them over, I'll put a few up!
Friday 23rd- grocery shopping, arrive home 3 pm, unload, and prepare dinner, leave the house with the whole crew for rodeo in town. Get home 11pm.
Saturday 24th- 13 of the 14 Morris crew members head for Tulsa to play BB/VB with a dear family and fellowship. The 14th member hangs in town (Elijah) for the 89 Parade which he has the opportunity to drive a firetruck in. Leave Tulsa at 5pm and head back home asap, because one crew member wants to go the the Oklahoma Thunder/Laker BB game! No one else wanted to pay out the ear to go! Caleb did get a ticket for $30. At the door folks were selling them for $200! As soon as we arrive home, Caleb heads to the game. Daniel, Micah, Andrew, Josh head to the land to check deer cameras. Prepare dinner! Crew members from land arrive, eat pie, pick up a sister crew member and head to the rodeo, again! One sister crew member stayed in Tulsa with a girly friend! Small crew members here with "captian and co-captain!"
I wonder where the "waitress is who needs to clean the kitchen up??"
So ready for a nice cozy bed.........
Sunday 25th- church and glad its not at our house, no preparation :) hopefully rest after church for the next "flights!!"
Give me an "S', give me a "H", give me a "I", give me a "F", give me a "T", give me another "S"!!!! What ya got??????? "SHIFTS!!!! Thats right, it shifts, the van shifts!!!! Who do we appreciate?????? John D.!!!!!!!! I am trying to do a cheer, can you tell???? So funny, last night Mercy was soooo excited to get the van back she asked several people to take her out in it just to sit! This morning Anna, Mercy and I went on a little shopping trip. Went to a few of the resale stores, did not find anything. We stopped by Academy Sports store and Anna found several shirts and me too, but Mercy noticed across the isle that this store had "little" bikes!! She wanted to go check them out and rode one around. She was really being so sweet in asking and I told her she would have to tell dad about it. She was in the dressing room with me and she wanted to call her daddy and tell him how much it costs and ask if he could buy it for her. Now if your a dad and you get a phone call from a sweet little girl and she gives you the info, what would you do??????? He could not resist so she got a new bike, her first bike actually! She rode it through the store as we finished up and went to pay. I think the 30 minute drive home was sooooo long for her, she could hardly wait to get home and show all the "little kids" the bike!!! That was funny because she is the little kid! What a blessing it is to be able to give good gifts to our children and how much more our Heavenly Father delights in giving to us!
OK, who likes to iron???? What mother likes it???? I can't stand it!!! What young daughter gets thrills from doing it????? Ours can't stand to iron either! We rarely iron clothes because our church clothes we try to take off when we arrive at home so we can wear them many times. But occasionally we get a pile of clothes that scream at you and you have to do it, or at least the one shirt that you need to wear. Well, I think this is very funny/interesting! Remember the family I mentioned at Christmas and how he was a chef and brought trays and trays of things to eat to our party. Well, Jeremy works at this place that hosts, weddings, proms, parties in a very fancy setting. Its an old children's home that has been remodeled and its beautiful on the outside anyway. That family pic on the side with the white pillars was taken there. I would not be surprised if one of our children has their wedding there. OK, on with the story......this place needed some folks to iron the chair covers and linens and table cloths for them.......soooooo guess who is going to do it....heheheheh!!!!......the daughters of this house that can't stand to iron!!! They will do it as needed, like today they will iron and go back and catch up and then they might not need any more for a bit until the lady calls and then they will go iron again. They get paid by each item they iron, so if you ironed 100 pieces you could possibly make a $100 in day. Some of the pieces they will get more than a $1 for. So I could not help think of how the Lord allows us to benefit from things that we might have opportunity to do but not necessarily something that we LOVE. Anna said she would do "anything" for extra money. Thats not really true but she was really seeking "how" to make some extra cash, because we do not have it to pass out !!! LOL! We'll see how it all goes, main thing is that it does not consume their time and how they are still needed here and its good that it is soooo close to our home, just in town.
Just been thinking of how the Lord allows us along life's road to meet people and we never know at the time the "why" of meeting them. 17 years ago we met a widow lady in town and we sought to help her with things around her house, she loved the children, I mean loved them!! She died about 10 years ago, I think. A sweet lady! No more connections with the family, it seemed for a season we were put there to help her. Right by our house is a small family cemetery and I remember this widow lady when she visited us one time said it was her families. When Joel died we could not stand burring him in town. Terry had the idea to contact this family and remember we only knew them through the widow and had no contact with them in say 10 years or more. The family gave us a plot for Joel's body. I can't help but think of another man that Terry and the guys met and was suppose to work on re-modeling his house. He had cancer at the time and soon deteriorated and he died 5-6 months ago. The son in law of this man that goes to our church enjoys Caleb and Daniel and he inquired of this mans wife if the boys might could use his back hoe. It seemed like it was not going to work out with all the lawyer stuff with a death, but just recently it looks like its a possibility of them using it on their land. They have sooo much dozer work and to rent one would be so expensive. If the Lord works it out and they get to use it it is another testimony of the Lord's work of Providence of who we meet. Yes, we walk forward in this life but I think our heads and eyes always need to be looking back to what He does and how faithful He is, even with dozers and cemeteries. Who have you met lately????
Well, when Anna gets back I will have her take a picture of Mercy on her new wheels!!!!!
We have great news......the van is fixed and ready to go!!!! Terry plans to pick it up tonight after work! Thanks so much to the John D. family for skill and talent to re-build the transmission and we thank whoever blessed us anonymously a few weeks ago at church with the money to repair it. You see, it would have been still sitting there as a yard ornament if it were not for God's great provision, our family operates on a debt free bases, always have and it was not an option for us to just go out and buy another van, new or used! And its just in time for grocery day this week!! I will be smiling and lovin that big honkin' white thing!!!!! And Elijah will be sooooo glad I am not driving his truck on all my errands, he shared willing but you know a guy likes to take care of his truck!
Well, it looks like the Lord is unfolding the biggest job that Shekinah Springs Construction has ever done. Remember the school job I mentioned awhile back? It was a school of 50,000 square feet and to be built in Build Block. Plans are underway and Terry and our crew will hopefully be beginning their phase mid June. Of course all the foundation work has to be done first. Alot of planning and prep is underway for Terry as he seeks to orchestrate adding 4 more workers to the already crew of our 4 guys. Terry has made contact with a young man from N. Carolina and he will be flying in and working on this job and he has also talked with a local friend that will hopefully be able to work as well. The job will possibly last 3-4 months. So this young man (from N.Carolina) will work with the guys and be on board with our family for these months. Terry is looking into renting a house as opposed to staying in a hotel which would kill the budget. So that means I need to help with getting things together for them, such as linens, few kitchen items, and some basic house things they will need. They will travel back and forth according to schedules and needs. It will be an interesting summer it looks like!!!
Today, we are cleaning house, doing some school. Clouds and sun are around. I am ready for full blown summer! I had the heat on yesterday!!! LOL!!
Well, guess thats all there is to report from the home front!!
If any body in our vicinity needs family, senior, new baby pictures you can contact Anna at lovemycows@live.com
to those that are members of that unselfish organization in uniform who hold devotion to duty above personnel risk, who count on sincerity of service above personal comfort and convenience, who strive unceasingly to find better ways of protecting the lives, homes and property of their fellow citizens from the ravages of fire and other disasters......
Here's are some things you would get to see if you came to our farm. Everyday I wake up, I love the smells, the sounds, the colors, the animals, the garden, its home until I get to my real home.....I love country but I will love heaven more!
lotsa cows......pretty ones!
a fella that looks like he has eyeliner on.....
pretty friendly.....
looks like a post card to me......
looks like a "the end" caption, I win that one!!!! .....
you would see a girl with wild hair that LOVES to swing.......
and you would see all the strawberry blooms....where berries will soon be, Lord willin' so us humans can eat and eat and eat em'
I am about to tell how old I am......when I was in school, my English teacher taught us to recognize a prepositions by asking a question, "if it is where a mouse can run." Like in, out, around, up, down. I was not a studious student at all, I was a lost girl, seeking fun and pleasuresof this world but somehow I do remember what a preposition is. I was reading in the book of I Peter this morning and it has to be one of my favorite books. It speaks of suffering, how to endure, faith and what is ahead. I think Peter understood suffering, he was used of the Lord to record for us, me, of how too endure a "trial of our faith." I saw three prepositions that encouraged my heart, "by, from, to." .......hath begotton us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you. (I Peter 1:3-4) Reading God's word is like going on a treasure hunt to me, I so enjoy finding "little" pieces of truth/gold to meditate upon. These three words did just that this morning. As I thought of "by," I thought of how we sometimes have to pass by suffering having it enter into our lives for a season, like how the cross is associated with the resurrection. With the word "from death" I thought of how in a sense we get to run from death, our earthly tabernacles will die, but we will live forever with the Lord! And the other wonderful preposition "to," gives hope of what is ahead, where we are going to. To the inheritance....heaven! The scriptures say that by every word we live, it speaks of jots and tittles, so even these three little words speak truth to my heart.
Its super cloudy today. Guys are working but if the rain starts, they will have to head home. If the rain holds off, I guess I am going to be the hamburger cook-er-ator tomorrow at Dave and Kate's roof raising. Most of them will head over in the morning and then the rest of us will go over towards lunch and get the grill going for hungry fellas.
Most of the crew will hit the inside volley-ball courts tonight, Terry and I will hang here and sip coffee and watch the littles.
Surprisingly Terry and I do have brief moments of talking privately! One was yesterday as I was getting some sun in a chair and he was in the garden and he pulled up a chair and we had a talk. This particular talk was just fine. I'll have to admit sometimes the "talks" are not exactly what I want to talk about. Sometimes husbands gently give encouragement and reproof as they are suppose to do. Sometimes I respond with "do we have to talk about this?" Or I might say "I don't want to talk bout this." After its all said and done I appreciate Terry and his responsibility to lead me. So now to the funny part of this story! We have a slight problem, well I don't see it as a problem but maybe a "little girl that likes to sleep with us!" In our 23 years of marriage we have never had a child sleep in our bed except for a sickness. Anyway last night as I said before, she likes to "talk" before she goes to sleep. Terry and I were trying to convince her to sleep in her bed. She is all the time proclaiming she is a "big girl." She says she is bigger than these two little girls that attend our family church! And she is in age by a year and a little more older. So Terry and I go on to tell her that these girls that are "littler" than she is sleep in THEIR OWN beds!!! She got silent real quick and then with a bold, flat statement said, "I don't wanna talk bout that!!!!" We both were shocked with laughter that she said this and Terry got a real kick out it because he has heard that SAME statement before but not only from a 4 year old but from a 47 year old.....his wife!!! I told him, "see, its just a woman thing!" Now I guess back to the "extra bed girl," I do not necessarily need a solution, she is likely our last and I am going to enjoy every touch, every squeeze, and every "i love you to the moon" that she says as we snuggle together!!! Oh, she also asked "why we had a queen size bed?" Terry said because we are "man and wife!" She says "OOOOOO!"
The guys are in two crews today, lotsa work going on! We are grateful! The van is hopefully going to be ready early next week! With a re-built engine last year and now a transmission, we should be good to go for years.....hopefully!! What else can be replaced??????????? Kate had to help be a "doggie transport" for our little inside Yorkie and Malteese (Bethany's dogs) to go to the groomer today...thanks Kate!
YOU should see our strawberrie plants!! If the Lord is willing and every bloom produces a strawberry we are literally going to have hundreds and hundreds of berries!!! Very exciting! Terry's diligence will be rewarded this year as he has worked, weeded, composed, and cared for them. They are in a raised bed with tons of rich compost from barns, stalls and compost piles! The potatoes are all up and the rows look full of plants, the corn, green beans are all up. We are eating spinach regularly, asparagus never makes it to the table, broccoli is coming so we are blessed with produce for our family and Lord willing to take to Farmer's Market starting June 1st!
Someone asked how our addition was coming? We have not proceeded with any more work besides having the space as of now, which we are loving the space!! The next step when the Lord provides we will put the drywall up and do the wood ceiling. After that we would like to put the boxes to the cabinets up along the one wall that will hold the sink and then we can take out the remaining kitchen wall and we would still use the stove and cook top that exists now. Eventually we will get doors and such for the cabinets. We are hoping Caleb and Daniel will be able to build the cabinets with the purchase of a few tools and a few trips to Tulsa for some friends to help.
A big day Saturday if the rain holds off, Dave is having a "roof raising" at his new house. Hope to get the trusses on, the roof framed and metal on it as well, walls framed up inside too!
Need to go walk on the tradmill.....anybody working on good food and good exercise? Its a blessing to see the scales tip....but to the small numbers! We can do all things through Christ, even loose weight! Get a plan and go for it! Mine is "meat and green stuff." Hardly any or no sweets!
Take care!
Hey, if you have not ordered one of the guys CD's, do it now at the top right, just click! We have a new shipment arriving hopefully Friday or Monday!
Whewwwww! What a busy and wonderful weekend of work, play, fellowship and blessings! The guys are helping Dave and Kate with their housebuilding. The slab is laid and now the walls are almost up with the Insulated Concrete Blocks. Micah has been over helping today as the guys are at their regular job sites. Dave served us pizza, 8 of them and not much left!!!! Saturday we, many of us hung around here and got things ready for our church service. I got some helpers and we got busy with the flower beds and did alot of outside work. I had the big planters on the porch, went to the nursery and picked out flowers to fill them and also got some beautiful hanging baskets for only $13.50 each! I also was able to get the bathroom finished except for the baseboards. I am so glad that project is near finished. I do not know what will be my next BIG project, maybe the boys room. It looks like it has bullet holes all over the walls.
So tonight, this might actually be a first night we are not going anywhere, maybe some volley-ball!! I have a brisket ready, baked potatoes in the oven, and Mercy and I went out and picked our garden salad! She was helping cut with Anna's knife and she said, "if I cut myself with this, I am toast." So much of a big girl in a little tiny body!!!
Oh, one thing we will do tonight is plant tomatoes. Got those in town today when we took the little inside doggies to get their shots so they can go to the groomer for their summer shave! Hosanna bought her some flower seeds and she is excited about planting them at her playhouse!
Sunday was a huge day of folks here at our house. 77 people were here!!! It went well! We also had a baby shower for a dear family. I made the diaper cake, my first one and it was fairly easy, you just need two people to work the rubber bands putting it together!
Better go, the guys are on their way and this computer will not be available until later!!!!!
Josiah: "I don't think this thing will ever run again!! Mercy: "no problem, we'll just give it to Dave for his birthday!
Erin, e-mail me at 13blessings@sbcglobal.net and give me your address and we will get you cheery wind chimes in the mail!
There were soooooo many funny ones, thank you all for participating!!! I enjoy doing things for you all, its not much, but a little that says a great BIG thank you for keeping up with our family!!!! We are blessed to have you on our journey of life!
Heading to Dave and Kate's, just down the road a bit. I am sooooo glad the guys, (Caleb and Daniel's) land is so close to home and they probably will be too when they do get married, so they can eat with us...LOL!!!!!
Last night Terry and I went on mini-date with Dave and Kate!!! Anna kept Lilian here with most of our little people as well! We went to Lowe's. I had to get black paint for the bathroom cabinets. Dave and Kate had to get a few house building supplies. There is a joke amongst Dave and Kate that if you go on the plumbing isle, marriage stuff begins to happen, like smooching and all that stuff!! When we got back in the vehicle, I told them, Terry did not need the plumbing isle!!!! LOL!!! He's a certified plumber!!!! It was a fun, brief little outing. Our family LOVES being with them,we are so blessed to have them in our lives!
Yep, I am almost done with the bathroom project. Walls a brown tone, ceiling an orange-red and the cabinets black! I love the look of it, western looking. I will still need to add some things to the walls and such but in time. I ended up scraping the popcorn off the ceiling and I really like the look of the flat ceiling. I need to do that to every room, but oh, what a mess it was!!! One project down, a million to go it seems!! I have so much I want to do outside and I even have strong men that I do not have to pay but as the Lord provides extra we'll get to those projects I guess!
Tomorrow the guys are helping Dave pour his slab for his new house and then in the evening he is buying pizza.....sounds great!!
We got a big rain the other evening, it was great for the garden. The potatoes are up, there are so many blooms on the strawberry plants and if I would quit snitching the asparagus, we might have enough for a meal!! It is unbelievably tender! Once again, Mercy has her big talk in the bed and she says, "I'm tellin' you the truth, He (Jesus) pours it out!!" (speaking of the rain) She is something else!!
Hope you are all pressing on in the Word. It is my very breath in the mornings as I so desire to hear from Him. Even after 3 years of missing Joel, my heart needs to be reminded of HIS plan and that it was and is for His glory. I read a verse in Hebrews 9:15, And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. Its hardly thinkable that we have to experience such trials as a child dying but we did and now I look to the blessed hope of promises and truths to keep me afloat! I was encouraged by the phrase, "by means of death, for the redemption." Of course Jesus had to go though this, death and it was for OUR redemption. We too go through "deaths" not just of children, but trials in this life. Many times it is by the means of death and for redemption that the Lord's plans are carried out. The redemption can be of learning and growing in grace, faith can be grown, others lives can be changed and many positive things can come forth. I am so thankful that as I read the scriptures God has not forgotten about how I still need to "know" that Joel's life was important and purposed and with verses like this it keeps me looking forward to that great day of seeing him again and gives me energy to live "today" for the family I have here!
What is the Lord teaching you??
Mercy wants me to read a book, so better go.......
