Saturday, January 28, 2006

Ways to Say I Love You

No, I'm not going to tell you--I want you to tell me!!

What's the most romantic thing your spouse every did for you--or you did for your spouse to show them how much you love them? Please keep it clean--this is a "G" rated Blog!

I'm also hoping for inexpensive. We're going to gone over Valentine's Day, but we're taking our 5th wheel, so I hope to be able to surprise him.

I love to hear your ideas!!

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Dusting off my Life

More in the continuing saga of the cabinet I am refinishing.....

I haven't done anything on my old cabinet since before Christmas. That is, until a couple of days ago. I decided it was time to get back at it. When I got out to the shop, there were the various pieces, laying around the shop just as I'd left them. Well.....almost.

Some of the drawers were on the worktable. I had worked on another project for Christmas on the same table. With the router. Now the drawers were full of wood shavings. *sigh*

The main portion of the top of the cabinet was sitting on another work area. As were several other things--cluttered to the point of having to be cleaned before proceeding with any new work on the cabinet. Another *sigh*

Still other pieces were laying around on the floor--had I put a coat of stain on them yet or not? Still another *sigh*

And DUST! Talk about DUST! DUST on everything!! You know, that fine dust that is the by-product of anything you do in the shop. DUST! DUST! DUST! BIG **SIGH**

So....finally the drawers have been emptied of the router shavings, the work areas have been de-cluttered, the stained pieces have been separated from the unstained pieces, and everything has been DUSTED.

It took quite awhile to accomplish all of that work...so now the work of refinishing can begin again.

And then I started thinking....how much my life in Christ is like that. When I get busy doing other "projects" and I just leave my praying and my Bible reading and my fellowshiping "lay around", it all becomes cluttered and coated with DUST. When I'm not doing those spiritual growth giving things, and when I'm not allowing myself to be used for my intended purpose in Christ, I become covered with DUST. And that means I have to backtrack and clean things up before I'm moving forward again.

Father, help me to keep my life dust-free, that I might be more available for your purposes. I want to be used in your Kingdom, I want to glorify your Holy & Righteous Name, I want to love you more. In Jesus name, Amen

May God grant you His richest blessings,
And may you have all kinds of Peace in believing.

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Lullaby

One of my very favorite Blogers, Jayleigh on Jayleigh's Grand Adventure, posted a wonderful lullaby. Emerson and I have been playing a CD everynight since Christmas that my sister gave to me. It is the "Appalachian Journey" CD, with Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, Mark O'Connor, and features James Taylor and Allison Krauss. We love the whole CD, but our favorite song--even Emerson's is "Slumber My Darling" (written by Stephen C. Foster).

Here are the words (the music is fantastic--Allison Krauss sings it):

Slumber my darling, thy mother is near
Guarding thy dreams from all terror and fear
Sunlight has past and the twilight has gone,
Slumber my darling, the night's coming on.
Sweet visions attend thy sleep
Fondest, dearest to me,
While others their revels keep,
I will watch over thee.
Slumber my darling, the birds are at rest,
Wandering dews by the flowers are caressed.
Slumber my darling, I'l warp thee up warm,
And pray that the angels will shield thee from harm.

Slumber my darling till morn's blushing ray
Brings to the world the glad tidings of day.
Fill the dark void with thy dreamy delight--
Slumber, thy mother will guard thee tonight.
Thy pillow shall sacred be
From all outward alarms,
Thou, thou art the world to me
In thine innocent charms.
Slumber my darling, the birds are at rest.
Wandering dews by the flowers are caressed,
Slumber my darling, I'll wrap thee up warm,
And pray that the angels will shield thee from harm.

Monday, January 23, 2006

Olympic Blogging

Well, enough of the serious posts for right now, and on to a little humor. I have been drafted into the Olympic Blog competition! Lazy Daisy has chosen ME (can you believe it) for a one on one interview!! I'm SO excited!!!!!!!!!!!!! (no that key ISN'T stuck)

Since I am of German/German heritage, I have been asked to compete for Germany. So I'll be giving my answers in German. Oh. Wait. I don't speak (or write) German. Ahem....I'll be answering in English since that's what language most people use to communicate.

Ok, so here's her questions and my answers:

Do you have a particular training schedule to get ready for the Blog Olympics?
My training is done late at night in secret while my husband is working under cover (sleeping....shhhhh). If he really knew what I was up to........

What is your blog speciality?
My specialty is women's ice blogging. It's a cold, cold world out there.

Do you have any particular ritual you do before competing? Well, first there is the checking of the status of the under cover worker. Is he asleep either in his chair or in bed?
Then the uncovering of the keyboard (this sometimes takes HOURS).
Oh, and my Lucky Dog, Tidbit, must also be asleep beside me.

Do you have any particular tricks with a high degree of difficulty that you are planning to preform.
For years I've been working on the Double Camel Back 3 Toed Loop! I'm hoping that I alone can successfully complete this difficult jump. It has never before been done in cyber competition. Lazy Daisy, I'd tell you how I do it, but then I'd have to kill you!! So for now, I'll just have to keep that information to myself.

Are you considered a long shot or a sure bet to win, place, or show?
Looking at the Day 1 standings, and the statistics I've seen reported for Day 2 competition, I'm looking at a looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong shot to win, place, show, or even be recognized. So this interview really means a lot to me!!!!!!!

For these and more interesting topics please stay tuned to this blog, and Lazy Daisy's blog, and the ORIGINAL OFFICIAL OLYMPIC BLOG, Trying To Catch Up.

THANK YOU LAZY DAISY!!!

Sunday, January 22, 2006

Top Ten Prayer Concerns

These are the prayers that are currently burning in my heart:

1. Father God, Please, please hold Neal & Jayme in the palm of your hand. Help them to find your comfort and your peace. Raise them up out of the ash heap--heal their spirits. Prepare for Neal a job that will utilize his many talents and will provide for the physical needs of his family. Help me to be supportive in every way that I can. My heart breaks for them, Father. Help them to feel the reality of your presence in their lives. Let their spiritual integrity shine as a beacon in spite of those who would seek to destroy it. Put a hedge around them. Do not let the evil one triumph over them. Let them continually turn their face to you--and let them see there, the love that you have for them. Let Christian brothers and sisters come to them and be Jesus to them--to love them, feed their spirits, and bind up their wounds. Please, Father, please.
2. Lord, let me open my ears and my heart to your voice.
3. Holy Spirit, help me to recognize your nudgings and your stirrings deep with me.
4. Loving Father, help me to be more loving to those who know you, and those who don't.
5. God, help me to be a shining light for you in this dark world.
6. Help me to defeat Satan in every area of my life.
7. Help me to be a better wife--to be more loving in my actions, in my words, and in my attitude.
8. Help me to come to a clearer understanding of the work of the cross every day.
9. Father, equip my grandchildren with the tools they need to be faithfull to you all their lives.
10. Raise up faithful men and women to become the spouses of my grandchildren.

I love you God. I want to be totally yours. None of me--all of you.

In Jesus Name, Amen

Top Ten Predictions for 2006

Wish I could claim the following as my own--but I can't. But I thought it was so good, I had to share it. This was in our bulletin this morning--no authorship was given:

1. The Bible will still have the answers.
2. Prayer will still work
3. The Holy Spirit will still move.
4. God will still inhabit the praises of His people.
5. There will still be God-anointed preaching.
6. There will still be singing of praise.
7. God will still pour out blessings upon His people.
8. There will still be room at the Cross
9. Jesus will still love you.
10. Jesus will still save the lost.
And Remember...God is still on the Throne!