do you know?????

Do you know what these are???? front air vents
Do you know what comes out of them??? nothin' (before)
Do you know what is suppose to come out of them??? air.....cold
Do you know how long the van a/c has been broke??? 5,6, 7 years....can't remember
Do you know its hot in Oklahoma??? like major
Do you know our van broke 2 weeks ago??? yep
Do you know that all things work together for our good? learning it more and more each day
Do you know it got fixed??? yep
Do you know what works now???? them thar front vents!
Do you know that it is cold air?? yep
Do you know who fixed it? John D.
Do you know the air got fixed all because it broke down? yep
Do you know two weeks ago I was frustrated? yep
Do you know I pleaded to Terry to buy "something" even if it cost $1000 that had air?? yep
Do you know that my prayer was answered? yep
Do you know "I don't know whether to laugh or cry?
Do you know why? nope
cuz......I wanna laugh because God seems to have a sense of humor and I wanna cry cuz that van just won't DIE!!!!!
Do you know I just need to be thankful and laugh and let the air blow!!!! thats what ima gonna do!!!

God is great!!! I enjoyed my little shopping outing to "feel" the air this morning!!! Getting dinner going. Doing our Wed. cleaning. As of this moment, I have heard of no eve. plans but that could change.....even before I finish this!!!!

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer!!!

life.......

Life is busy: seems like we scramble everyday to get this done, that done, go here, go there, dinner, laundry, regular chores, guys at work, and the list goes on just for daily stuff.

Life is fun: friends, late nights, baseball games, walking together at Bricktown, swimming, our meals together, coffee, fireworks, ice-cream, volley ball by the ton, diner with friends, shopping at the mall, finding a treasure at thrift stores, a kiss, a hug, texting my children, nurturing the children in the Lord , so much too innumerable to list as well!!!!

Life is unpredictable: plans soon change at our house from a planned evening to hurry, rush so we can get there, lets do this, or a phone call that lets me know whats ahead!!!

Life is unscheduled (now): I use to be one that held to scheduling be it life or death! Now we sleep late, (not the construct. workers) go to bed late, eat late, eat early, do laundry in the evenings, do school after lunch instead of the mornings, have laundry unfolded in chairs for days, mop only once a week, hopefully, clean bathrooms only once a week and I could tell you more but all that is not very cheery is it?

Life is full: I am so thankful for my life, my husband, our children, I am thankful for our country life, our home, our way our life, I am thankful for the interests that the children enjoy, music, goats, hunting, cows, photography, sports, farm life, I am thankful for older children's fellowship and how they still tell me on the phone "i love you!", I am thankful for the younger children and their need for mommy and daddy, their hugs and kisses! and all the little "sayings" of Mercy that she comes up with way beyond her age :)

Life is hard: I so wish I could protect the children from life's trials, hurts, unknowns, unkind people, the enemy who seeks to kill, steal and destroy!

Life is Jesus: I am so thankful that whatever they face in life, Jesus will be their Hope, their Rock, their Deliverer, their Provider, their Healer, their Salvation, their Joy, their Comfort!

Life is sorrowful: I miss Joel, everyday, every minute!!!!

Life is good: I am fully confident in my sorrow that His plan is perfect, right and just, grace is given everyday to my heart, the Scriptures and Promises that I have received in these three years are so profound to my personal hurt and sorrow, I can not imagine going through this without my Jesus!! I still have not been given answers so to speak but I have been given peace, "peace I leave with you."

Life is exciting: I am excited about the children's futures, marriages, grandchildren, their homes and families, endeavors they desire to pursue!

Life is "because of Him!!" : it is of Him, through Him that I even exist and have breath and have the privilege to be the mother of 13 children and a wonderful husband!!!!

Bethany's BD pictures !

since we did not play any games, I had
to do something "fun!!"

she is gonna have to re-tan
with her new flip flops!!!!

I know you all will think ridiculous, but I cooked 17 T-bones and 2 ribeyes for Bethany's BD dinner!!! The main food, steaks, (except 4) corn , beans, potatoes, tomatoes were all home grown!! It is so fulfilling to know that we have had the opportunity out here on our farm to grow our own stuff!! I feel sure Bethany had a great day! She enjoyed the pedicure, Anna was not too sure about it, she had several cuts on her feet from rocks at the lake and it was not feeling too great for her :) Dave and Kate came over and since I decorated with a "lime color," Dave wore his lime jacket!!! We can't party without em'!!!!!! After dinner, played some VB and then we came in, had dessert and I made fresh squeezed limeade!!!! What fun it is to fellowship with family and dear friends!!!

I mentioned a few days ago of the Bedfords and the needs of their almost week old baby boy. Yesterday morning around 9am baby Daniel went to live with Jesus. Pray for this family as they grieve. Baby Daniel is now with his big brother Joshua, born three years ago, who lived 10 days.
The Bedfords have 4 children here with them.

Tonight will be a whirlwind, I feel it coming.......they will get here around 6pm, eat super quick and then head to VB til likely midnight! I think I'll do pizza, its easy!!!

Kate, Bethany and Anna are going on a "girls shopping outing" after lunch today and little Mavie, because Dave said nursing would not go to well on his end! LOL!!!

Have a great weekend!!!!!

Bethany is 21 today!!!!!!!

Bethany is 21 years old today!!!!!!! Our first born daughter!!! What a blessing she has been over these 21 years! There is many wonderful things to say about Bethany. She is beautiful on the inside and out! One thing for sure is 100% "farm girl." She has always loved animals and outdoorsey stuff, climbing trees, following along right beside her big brothers in their adventures! I am so grateful/proud of her in her accomplishments with being the manager of all the goats and how she has learned and gained much knowledge in this field. She is very dedicated! She has worked so hard to get her goat herd where it is today and Lord willing she has visions to continue the climb. I enjoy seeing Bethany with her siblings, she has a great devotion to them and her family! I am so grateful for her heart towards the Lord and her desire to please Him! Another thing about Bethany is she is very simple and is content with little. She is like her dad and not like me in this area, I am more "high maintenance!!!" LOL!!! She is a precious jewel and I pray the Lord will continue to polish her and make her a pillar for His palace and one day she will be a crown to her husband according to His will!!! OH, also she is a"perfect bread maker," she makes our bread most everyday!!!!

Happy Birthday my dear daughter of 21 years!!!!

Her and Anna have gone to get a spa pedicure so they will be ready for her BD dinner (with Dave and Kate coming over) of home grown T-bone steaks, garden roasted potatoes, garden corn on the cob, sauted garden green beans and to top it off with a cheesecake by her lovely sister Anna!!!! and coffee of course!!!! And we'll get some VB in too!!!!!

father's day, birthday pictures !

all the guys and Billy :)

Daniel, Elijah, Micah, Caleb/ alas goofy guys!!!!!

I am catching up on pictures of our Father's Day with my dad and also Terry's BD outing last night and his Father's Day pictures with the children since we were not here. We had a great time out to eat, Dave and Kate went with us and there are no words or maybe two that would describe going out to eat with a crew our size and having Dave and Kate with us........CRAZY FUN!!!!!! The waitress really served us well and kept telling us how she "loved" us and did many special things for us! Its a blessing to be around people that work and find joy on their jobs!! We are getting the house back in order, laundry, and Andrew picked a bunch of beautiful tomatoes! The guys had to hit it hard today with work, they are in two crews, one crew framing a house and another doing a stem/footing. I think as they feel the heat of the day, they willl be longing for the lake and the water! Time to get back to work though!

Bethany's 21st BD is tommorrow, Thursday!!! We will have a BD dinner for her, remember no more BIG parties after 16 :( It will still be fun to celebrate the blessing she is to us and reflect back of these 21 years the Lord has given us with her.....our first daughter!!!

Pray for a family we know, the Bedford's. They have a new born little baby boy and the baby has alot of needs and possibly many are life threatening, heart needs and there are some brain malformations. Info and tests are still being done. God knows them, they do not have a blog, but he will hear your cries and pleadings on their behalf!


Lake pictures on post below!!!!

lotsa lake pictures !!!!!!

Daniel

Daniel

Daniel

Daniel

Daniel

Besh

Anna

Caleb

Caleb

Caleb

Caleb

Elijah

Elijah

Micah

Caleb

Caleb

Caleb

Caleb

Anna

Elijah

Billy
Billy

Billy

We got to my dad's Sat. at 9:30 am and within 30 minutes they were in the water!!!!! Basically the whole time we were there we stayed in the water except to eat and go to church on Sunday!!! We have several red noses and lotsa tan arms and legs!!!!!! We had such a good time!!! So thankful for my dad's and Shirley's hospitality, use of boats, all the good food and the almost 100 can cokes that went down the hatch while we were there......not me.....them!!!!!!!!!! What a wonderful time to just play and enjoy family and be together!!!!

The guys played at my dad's church and received a standing clapping of the congregation and a dear friend from my home church in Pine Bluff came to see us and hear the guys play!!!!

And this is how the trip ended, the "adventure" of being stranded on the interstate!!! We were able to get under some shade of a bridge just behind the van! But soon our knights in two vehicles appeared.....Terry and Dave and delivered us safely home and then we ended the day with a Happy Birthday dinner by eating out for Terry's BD!!!!! So it did have a happy ending.....and as far as the van......phooey on it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!