fishin' with paps!!!!!

Paps got here safely...
no stopping now......
gone fishin'
with the
best fisherman
I know!!!!!

a reunion one day.......

Now we have "cheerleaders" for baseball season!!!! Hosie and Mercy got all geared up in their suits yesterday so I just had to get a picture!!!!!!

I am going to have to learn to type faster if I am going to "keep" up with my life and be able to tell you so it will not be "old news!!" Between the guys very busy schedules with work, like today they are working out of town, three will stay the night with friends near job site, they will work Friday and head on home Friday evening, but Terry will work today and head home tonight so the goat crew can travel to Missouri tomorrow, and they will not be back until Sunday afternoon. Meanwhile my dad is on his way here today. Then like I said all the sport stuff happening each week, volleyball once or twice a week, baseball practice on Tuesday, Bethany having milk customers come once a week, the girls ironing twice a week, and now another possible opportunity with a family that the guys are building a barn for, the mother is inquiring of the girls if they would like to babysit their two children here at our house on Fridays occasionally. I have not even said what I have to do this morning before my dad gets here, and that is taking Micah and Andrew to get some boots in OKC. After my dad has his little visit here with us, Danielle is coming next week and then Terry is considering in the next week and half bringing one of the fellows on out from Mississippi that is scheduled to work the big school job on out because they are soooo busy and he can learn the ropes, so we will have him on board with our family, which I hope he can handle us........(can he Sarah????? thats his sister:) Wow......its fun and never dull for sure!!!! And then Farmers Market starts first Sat. in June! I must always lay it all at this verse.....Be still and know that I am God!!!!

Continuing reading in Genesis this morning and so moved in my heart with the story of Joseph. Such a sad story, like mine/ours but I read the ending and somehow it brings anticipation to my sad story. The reunion after Joseph told his family who he was, "And he fell upon his brother, Benjamin"s neck and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck. Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with them." Gen. 45:14-15. Looking forward to that day of embracing again, a reunion!!!!!

The Lord continues to "help" my heart as I hear back from you all and especially ones that share of how God is using Joel's story to further God's kingdom as the West family shared. Most everyday I seek to ask the Lord to allow Joel's story to go forth and be a flame for Him and another opportunity through the showing of Joel's Journey DVD will be aired on the home school channel, its a free online network that is available worldwide. I think they have schedules if you check and would like to see it and will show it periodically. This encourages my heart that Joel's little life still speaks! Thank you for any and all of your kind words, your words of hope that you too are finding through this blog, its for Him, through Him and in Him that I can even have my being and tell of his great truths that He speaks through His Word!!!

Better go, Andrew says ITS TIME TO GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

what is your well full of ????

June 2006 was a busy summer for Joel! Feeding baby goats, Mexican birthday party for Bethany, working in the garden with his daddy and the corn that he is shucking, he helped plant the very seeds! I often look back at pictures as to what we were doing when Joel was here! Our life it seems was so carefree. A verse comes to mind in the midst of my changed/ changing life. "God is the same yesterday, today and forever!" He is my same Jesus in the "yesterday" when Joel was here in the summer of 06, He is my same Jesus of "today" in the summer of 2010 when I miss him and He will be my same Jesus in the days to come and in the "forever" of eternity when I see Joel again! I am thankful the HE does not change even when I do and my circumstances do!

Well, my dad is coming! He called yesterday and said he would show up on the scene this Thursday! Shirley, his wife is visiting her sister in S. Carolina and he thought why not hit the road to Oklahoma! So we are gearing up for a fun visit form their "Paps." Of course some of them will be heading to the goat show on Friday morning, so he'll see everyone on Thursday and then it will be a partial crew here to entertain him after that! No doubt, he'll be the one entertaining us!

Still reading in Genesis. It is so fascinating, the people, their lives of faith and also to see their complete humanness/sin natures like me! I am captured by how they journeyed from place to place and when they stayed for any length of time, they would dig a well. It was their source of "life." You have to have water. When I think of a well, I envision water coming from a constant on going source. We have a pond that has a spring in it, so it will always have water in it. Isn't it amazing to think of how God provided one of our water sources through the water table so far below the surface. It's there and available to us. I read this verse this morning and how true it can become! For all the wells which his father's servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them and filled them with earth. Gen. 26:15 I was thinking how we have the Well of living water, the Holy Spirit flowing through us as Christians, but how often I, get my well "plugged up/filled up" with earth! How often I quench the Spirit, stop the flow of living water so to speak because of "earthly" sinful ways, habits, bad attitudes, not responding correctly or lovingly, saying things I wish I had not said and of course the list is endless of how I let "self" plug or fill up my well instead of walking in the Spirit or letting Christ "flow" through me. I am filled up with "earth instead of Jesus!! Its a need I have and a desire longed for to be filled with HIM instead of me.......help Lord! How bout you???? I hope your not filled with the earth but with Him. A lot of application there as we meditate upon that truth!

The girls are ironing today! The guys are pouring concrete today! The middle size guys are making clay pots to sell at the Farmers Market that will be starting up 1st Saturday in June! Hard to believe!! The little girls are pretending something! I think I might go take a nap on the trampoline getting sun at the same time! :)

Terry dug up some red potatoes last night to take a peek and sure enough they are a good size and ready to eat! Will have to cook a big pot up for my dad! Strawberries are still coming. I finally put some in the freezer, suprisingly I think some were getting tired of eating them. We are going to have a few blueberries so that will be fun.

Tonight......baseball practice for 7 of them. Boys, Boys, Boys = sports, sports, sports!!!!! We now own more equipment. Football, snow skiing, wake boards, ice skates, baseball, basketball, archery, guns. I think I am ready for some body to learn to fly so they can take me to a beach for my kind of "sport".........fun in the sun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have a great Tuesday!!

my red wall !!!!!!

Thought you might like to see the progress so far of the new space area. The red wall in the little sitting area and the wood ceiling.(you can click on the pic to see larger) We got the fan in there too and the can lights are all working. Do you see the red french doors? I love them!!!!! The rest of the walls have texture on them and after the guys finish the rest of the ceiling and I get the stain and varnish on them, then I will proceed to paint the rest of the walls a light brownish/taupe color. Still alot to do but each finished thing is so exciting!! It does feel more like a room now with the walls textured instead of the build block walls. I can not wait to begin the cabinet progress and finish taking the remaining kitchen wall out, but that could be late summer or fall depending on resources! As I mentioned in the last post we are so grateful for the 3 year anniversary of being self employed. The Lord has blessed with jobs and this adding on to our home likely would not have happened if Terry were still at Sara Lee. The guys completed a house going up with walls in Build Block and doing the pour of concrete in 43 hours, that is amazing work. They did have two other crew members to reach this goal. The faster they can get the jobs done the more they make and can move on to the next job!

We had a busy weekend. Elijah had 16 hours of fire training over the weekend and received two certificates! Congratulations Elijah!!!!!!! Church was at our house, so the usual getting ready for that was a task of mowing and cleaning but it all came together! Not having air conditioning in our house was a challenge for the group but we made it! I guess my "cold spells" of all winter are spilling over to the hot temps we are having and while I feel very comfortable in the house everyone else is sweating and dripping!! We are just too spoiled, people all over the world are living without air! Oh, I did not really plan it but Hosie, Siah and Mercy all had on "sherbet" colors for Sunday! They looked delicious!!!!!! (and I had sherbet toenail polish on:)

Hope to get some school in this week as last week I was into all the texture, painting, and staining. Big weekend coming up, the goat show in Missouri!!!!! Our first out of state show! Also the following week Bethany's friend Danielle will be with us for a bit!! Can't wait for that! I love the month of June, the hot and summer feel of it. Remember last year in June when we had the Beach Party for Bethany's BD? That was soooo fun and such a real summer fun memory. Pictures are on the side under Beach Party if want a re-cap.

Loads of laundry to do, figure out something for dinner for hungry guys and might see bout gettin' some sun!!!!

a monster !!!

I did not believe in monsters, but I do now, because there is one here on our property!!!! A MONSTER TRUCK!!!!! I guess big six foot guys need big trucks! Daniel now owns a Ford 250 that is sooooooo high I literally can not get in it without hanging on to a strap. Yesterday Daniel, Caleb, Micah, Anna and Andrew traveled to Missouri to pickup this pickup! Another one of Mercy's prayers "checked" off the list. Caleb's truck still being prayed for. I am ready for the "wife" prayers to get answered!!!!! LOL!!!!!! In God's time!!! Can you see how tall the truck is in the picture? Mercy and the tire are bout the same height. Being a woman, can't quite figure out why a guy wants such a big truck, I always think practically, like grocery shopping, I would need a forklift to get the stuff in it. I guess Daniel will have to take his wife grocery shopping!!!! :) Well, we are grateful for answered to prayers once again and pray this truck will be of service for many years for Daniel and all his needs with the land.

We have approached an anniversary! This month it has been three years of being self employed, owning our own construction business! Three years of God's faithfulness and provision! This was a vision that was prayed for, for many years prior to Terry leaving Sara Lee. God worked through the events of managerial changes to fulfill Terry's desire and work with his sons. During this season of three years there was really one specific time of "no work." It was Dec./Jan of 08. Some of it was hindered with weather. Other than that it has been steady work.
Three years of seeing God's faithfulness! To be honest I was a bit leary of this adventure but knowing my husbands faith and confidence in God, I was able to rest in this new beginning for our family. And when you think of so many details of ages with our sons, it all was so timely and with abilities they now had as young men it was certainly an opportunity for them to put to use the scripture that speaks of the glory of young men is their strength! So we rejoice and praise the Lord for His goodness to our family!

Going to get out in the great hot sun today and bask!!! Girls are going to iron. Guys are pouring a big concrete job today and little people have new baseball equip so they are on the field/pasture!!!!!!

Have a great weekend!!!!!

up, up and away.........

I am soooooo scared of heights, so this was a major feat for me to get up on scaffolding!!! Its tooo high!!! Today I am finishing the texturing on the gables. Some parts of the wall will hold cabinets so no texture where they will go. Later this afternoon I will put the clear varnish on the wood ceiling in the little area off to the side. At first I started putting the stain on with a rag but tried a brush and it went a little better but wow, it took sooo long and I had to have someone push me over to the next spot as I sat on the edge of the scaffolding. I was covered in stain and of course it only comes off with mineral spirits, so I got a wiff of being "covered" with the spirit!!!! :)

The girls are off to do their ironing today. Their little stash is adding up. I think they have big plans for their fortunate being made....LOL!!!!!

I read a scripture yesterday and once again it brings a soothing to the wound/broken heart of missing Joel. I am so thankful the Lord continues to carry me along through the scriptures and that He has not left me to "bleed" with sorrow" alone. I am sorrowing but I am rejoicing in His living Word!!!!! I enjoy reading in the book of Genesis as it tells of people like me that suffered, journeyed, holding fast to the "promises" that God spoke to them. God told Abraham that he would indeed inherit land, all that he could see towards the South, North, East and West.(13:14) He also told him he would bring forth an heir from his own bowels being 99 years old, and that his seed would be as the sands of the sea, innumerable. Abraham ask God a question. Sounds like me, us doesn't it? 15:8, "And he said, Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?" A question of "how" could all this possibly be? I can't help but think that Abraham had a sort of anticipation of what lieth ahead yet there was to be some events or circumstances that were to take place in his life first but the end and as he journeyed would be the fulfillment of the promises. The first thing that happened after this question was God told him to make a sacrifice. (v.9) Then on over in verse 13, it says that Abraham would be a stranger in a land that was not his land and he would have to serve, and then affliction would also come forth. God is a mighty God of plans and wonders that far past our finding out but it si comforting to know that even Abraham had "trials." Yes, he was going to receive promises as he journeyed and plodded through this earth that is not our "land," but the first thing he was going to face was a sacrifice, death, then he was going to have to endure persecution, laboring and toiling and serving and no acknowledgment of a job well done, and then on top of all that affliction in greater measures. We might not have trials in this respected order but if Abraham had trials, we will have trials!

I am so ready for sunshine, but I guess its not coming today.......

Guess better get back to work.......texturing!

big veggies!!!!

We not only have a BIG garden but our BIG garden is growing BIG stuff!!!! Look at that radish Siah has pulled!!! Hosanna planted her own carrot patch, she mulched it, and has been faithful to weed and it all by herself and look at the harvest, God gave the increase from all her labors! What an avenue to teach children about the scriptures, with a garden! Its the biggest carrot that we have ever grew in this clay soil, so we were all excited for her! Good job, Hosie!!!!!!!!!

Wow, Mondays are something around here. Catching up and doing laundry, hit a little bit of school but also I am in the middle of texturing the walls of the new space. Its going really well, I am very happy with the way the wall looks. Next will be to prime it and then get the paint on it. We have some of the wood ceiling done, there is just so much its going to take a while, I don't want to make them work too much because they have been at work all day :) So the new space area is a big mess right now. When you re-model I guess it can not be helped! I off to get more drywall compound as soon as I get this typed up and some stain for the ceiling.

I guess VB is on for tonight at the gym. Grocery week again, church fellowship on the weekend and the following weekend a goat show out of state, in Missouri! Bethany needs two more wins with her Nubian buck and he will become a "permanent champion."



Have a great Monday.........

yall are gonna be mad, MORE BERRIES!!!!!

I can hardly believe this, went and picked MORE BERRIES!!!!!
this afternoon Thank the Lord for a wonderful harvest!!!! (and Terry)


another post below!

old things ........

"Old things" can have a wide range of meanings and thoughts! I like certain old things. I use to have many old things in our house and one time my dad was being funny and said he had all that old junk when he grew up and he was not interested in it anymore! Old can mean wise in years, old can make you think of the "old days," of which I think of often when Joel was here, I long for them but its the "now" and time is getting me closer to him. With the old days I think of our family when the older children were 10-14 and we all were at home and in the evenings we were here at home instead of Monday night volley-ball, every Tuesday baseball and then on Friday volley-ball again and then you put going to the land in between all that and its like we are hardly ever all together anymore, but its really ok, I just need high-speed brain cells and a body activated to "fast!!!" LOL!!!!!! "Old" can bring touching memories of friendships, family and ties that are forever etched in our hearts and minds. But at this momment in time as I think of "old" I want to be done with the "old" man, sin. To put off the old man and be clothed with the new. Sins of my old ways, sins of old thoughts of a life long ago, I want to get rid of the old, but somehow it just creeps back and it burdens me, it causes division in my heart to who I belong to, that I am Christs and through Him I am a new person and the "old" me is done with. To appropriate this is sooooo hard. You know how it is, we get up and say in our hearts, I am gonna be different, but soon its back to the "old ways." May the Lord give each of us grace to walk in newness of life for His glory!!!!! Seems like Anna does some of her best work when she is bored and I don't tell her to take pictures. I enjoy pictures of "people" The details that we often miss, the close up pictures of smiles, wrinkles, knobby hands, fresh skin of babies, huge eyes of children. But I really enjoy pictures of "things." Anna inspired my thoughts with "old things" as I truly need to throw off the old nature of selfishness and think of others. Enjoy the details of the old pictures around our farm.

Went to get my hair trimmed up, feels good!! Mercy went with me and sat so sweet!

Tonight we are suppose to work on the wood ceiling. Terry (mostly) and I did the second round of tape and bed and now its down to the real texture and then some paint. Gotta decide on my colors.

Lawn mowing outside, cloudy and Wednesday chores, getting ready for some friends over for Friday and volley-ball, hoping it does not rain us out on the VB.

Tomorrow and exciting day for us girls, Bethany is going to try on bridesmaid dresses for Danielle's wedding at Davids Bridal in OKC.

somebody is engaged !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Somebody very special in our lives is engaged!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is such a joy to know that God in His providence brings a man and woman and joins them together as "ONE" in a covenant before Him in marriage for LIFE.....til death do they part! It is equally joyous when you have been involved in their lives! So I pronounce to you that our dear friend and like daughter to us, Danielle is engaged to her sweetheart for life, Aaron!!! Aaron asked her to marry him on Mother's Day, so fitting if you know her journey.And what a journey Danielle has been on, so young, yet experienced things many young ladies do not taste until farther down the road. I don't know if you remember or not but her mother died of cancer Jan. 3, 2007 and Joel died Jan. 23, 2007. A young girl suffering through a great loss as our family but a bit different. The road of sorrow was in a sense a binding road for us as I remember she and Bethany visited on the phone and I too having conversations with Danielle of grieving and of life itself, of divorced parents, struggling with where to live and more. Danielle has come to our home many times and even spent much of the summers with us. I have come to know her and love her as one of my own, our whole family has. We are so excited for her!!! I am so excited for her in the sense I see a beautiful story of redemption. I remember Danielle saying on occasion as we talked of "guys" and thinking "who" it would be one day and she always seemed to think she did not deserve a guy that was a top notch type fella! As I look at Danielle's life and see how God has taken a young lady with a broken heart, of wondering if any dreams would come true, of what her future held and her thinking she was just stuck in life without direction, I heartily share with you that with God ALL things are possible. Danielle has stuck with it, I think she would say she wanted to give up yet she sought the Lord, waited, trusted, cried out with tears and yearnings and He has redeemed and blessed her with a godly young man!!!!! One summer she was here and all of us girls one day were talking again of guys and I encouraged her and my daughters to make a list of what they wanted in a husband. To be very detailed and don't be afraid to make your requests known unto the Lord. Be specific and hold your list in prayer before the Lord and WAIT!!!! I think Danielle's words would be "GOD fulfilled it over and above what I wrote down!" Another exciting thought to this story is how God directs our steps and puts us in places "where" we might meet our life husbands or wife. She has been in the home of a family with other children and it has been through this season of life that she and Aaron have got to know each other, so you see if we let Him direct our steps and write our "love stories" its so wonderful and beautiful, a story that can be told testifying of our great God!!!

Well, the date is in August! Plans are underway, details and the beauty of wedding planning!

Danielle, your dreams have come true! May our Great Jehovah fulfill your every hearts desire in and through your marriage as you and Aaron join together in marriage and become a living picture to the world.......... of Christ and His Bride, the church.

Our family is looking forward to June when Danielle hopefully gets to come to our house and we have one more "fling" of fun, memories to make, friendships deepened and also a bit of craziness as only can happen with the Morris crew.........and hope to have no skirt issues :) LOL!!!!!!!!!!

So congratulations to Danielle and Aaron!!!!!!

P.S.
hope I can do this soon with my own children
make a post like this one !!!!!!!

this morning!!!!

Look what I picked
just this morning!!!!
more berries!!!!
yummy!!!!