~A Glorious Friday~

My dear Jef is going to be on television...on "Friday Night Lights" or something like that...not sure of the name of the show, but it's on NBC on Friday nights!!! He's He's an extra playing the opposing coach. Cool, huh? He had to go to Austin to do it, but it was worth it for him...I'm so excited for him. I'm not sure when it airs, but I will post, for sure! It's been long in comin'! He's getting his feet wet, as well as rubbing shoulders with those in the industry...our God is faithful and I'm so grateful to be His daughter, and Jef's wife.

I get so much done when he works late, too! I cleaned out the garage and what a mess that was...it had never been cleaned from when we moved in and I just never seem to get around to doing it and for some reason, I just was motivated to, so now I'm thrilled that it looks so good! I also wanted to surprise my love.

He's not home yet and I can't wait any longer to post another pix, so goodnite till tomorrow.

~Another Warm Day~

Today has been beautiful. The sun shone through the windows, creating shadows on the table. I felt warmed as I sat and read the Word in my rocker early this morning and prepared to watch my friend's two wonderful children along with caring for my own treasures. What kind of character is formed when one home educates three children and cares for a baby, as well! I have so much compassion for all the mothers out there that lay down their lives for their little ones...making history and affecting generations by putting their children's needs before their own. I was honored to help my sister and it was really a gift to love these kids!

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for giving me the privilege of being at home.

Lately, I've caught myself running down the road at a certain time every day trying to catch the sun before it dips below the horizon and capture the beauty of its setting. It never ceases to amaze me that even though it goes down faithfully every single day, it's always different. It's breathtaking to watch the colors spread out in such a way that only our heavenly Father could have done something like that. Once Again Today, I am honored to catch, on film, just a glimpse of His handiwork in my front yard. What beauty do you find where you are? It's there. Are you seeing it? Look closer and ask Him to reveal His beauty to you.

Blessings on your night!

~Life~our life~

Happy Birthday, Hailey Daune Ritenburg!!!

My dearest granddaughter~How I love you and wish I could kiss your face over and over...you are my jewel, my joy, my treasure.

I do hope you have a great third birthday and remember that gramma is praying for you every day and believing God's best for you!

I love you!

Let's try to think of snow if we live in warmer climates!

Well, I've been playing around today and working on making the blog more 'season-friendly'! I'm sure my friends in Buffalo will send me 'real' pix of snow...I do miss it, but just to look at it, not live in it!
We got to 66 today...that was a gift.
We thought the chickens had gotten eaten; well, atleast two of them...one was making a sound we'd never heard in the field where they occasionally, no, daily wander, and when the rooster, who was right outside the door heard her, he went a runnin' and yelling for them and Caleb followed him over the fence to find one. Some of the others had stayed behind. So, they gathered the ones left and discovered that two were missing. The one squacking was Speckled, their favorite...Caleb discovered that it had gotten a thorn in her head near her eye (the prickly pear kind) and so he pulled it out and she stopped shaking! But where the other two went, we don't know...the boys came in and journaled about the sound she had made, about the buzzard flying overhead that they thought had gotten the other two and then about two hours later, Isaac went out to read near their yard and to keep an eye on them when the two showed up, ready to get in their yard and be near their 'hubby'! So, he ran in and once again, they journaled about that, too!!!
Here she is...Speckled!

Bedtime Meal...Christmas Is Coming!

I thought I'd catch my dear husband doing what he so faithfully does every nite...reading the boys the Word before they fall off to sleep. He's going through the Old Testament and the New and now they're on Ezra and Luke 1...it makes my heart feel safe when he does this.

Well, now we head toward the celebration of our Savior's birth. I am planning on being prepared in my heart and working with the boys by being ready to focus on what really matters. This is a challenge because their expectations aren't always in line with ours! But this is our job as parents, right...? Directing our little ones to His stable.

The world's lies scream out to be heard that "presents are what it's all about or 'stuff' and the little baby is just that...leave Him in the manger and move on..."

Not in our home.

Wisdom cries out, too:

"Wisdom is more profitable than silver, and her wages are better than gold.

Wisdom is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.

She offers you long life in her right hand, and riches and honor in her left.

She will guide you down delightful paths; all her ways are satisfying.

Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her; happy are those who hold her tightly."

That's Proverbs 3:14-18

I want to be focused on the path of peace, joy and true celebration. We all have that choice. Set your heart on the path of peace, too.

Good nite.

Give Thanks Today and Every day!

I wish all my loved ones and friends near and far a wonderfully blessed, warm, delicious, and safe Thanksgiving day tomorrow.

I have so much to be thankful for.

Just to name a few...:

The cross that my Saviour hung on for me before I even knew Him.

The gift of eternal Life that began the moment Jesus forgave me of all of my sins and made me a fellow heir with Him.

For Jef, my best friend on the planet. There aren't enough words to describe how thankful I am for you.

The twenty five years of adventure that you promised and have kept~!

Five amazing children that daily bring me joy and the greatest sense of fulfillment as a mother. Thank you, children, for giving me just an inkling into the kind of love that God has for me. I really cannot fathom that kind of love.

Parents, in-laws, too, and siblings that have stood the test of time and stayed together in their marriages, for better or for worse. That is an example to future generations of what commitment is all about. I love you all.

The church, and Ekklesia San Antonio, in particular. We are becoming His bride, without spot, wrinkle or blemish.

I am most grateful and thankful to be a part of His body, following Him with a group of believers that believe.

I am most thankful for my pastor, Todd Cawthon and his treasures, his wife, Josie, and their seven children. You have set the pace by putting your hand to the plow and not looking back.

Josie, you have been the example to me of a godly wife; one who loves, serves, submits, and believes, no matter what.

I am most thankful for the people God has put in my life that love me just the way I am, but don't allow me to stay that way! They challenge me, correct me, love me, forgive me, and stand with me through all the junk that's making me more like Jesus. Thank you.

There is so much more to be thankful for...

My darling granddaughter.

I could never thank Him enough for you, Hailey Daune Ritenburg.

YOU are the delight of my soul.

I am most thankful for the privilege to have lived in the country and enjoyed the quiet, the beauty, the space, and nature all around me.

I would say that this year has been one of the most refining years of my life in a long time and I have begun to truly understand and experience joy.

Only when one goes through trials, sufferings and learns to rejoice, does one really experience joy.

Thank you, Jesus, for teaching me what joy is. It has been my strength and I am stronger than I've ever been. But it is Your strength, not my own. Thank you again and again.

I am also thankful for all past Thanksgivings and all the memories that are forever with me.

Be thankful to Him...

Remember that giving thanks has to be to somebody.

By being thankful, He will take the sour out of our lives and make all things a sweet fragrance~

Finally a Texas Picture for you!

Hello everyone, particularly my mother-in-law...It's been a crazy weekend and today was no easier. I got picked up by a friend to go help a pregnant sister in our church with my other sisters from the body and when I got to the house, I began to feel so ill...so, so ill that I needed to leave and God sent my husband over to say hi cuz he was in the area and so he was able to take me back home!

Well, I am finally able to put a picture in for your birthday, mom. I tried Sat. morning, but we had to go to a marriage conference by 9 a.m. and do two skits: "God sees Everything" and "Good Wife, Bad Wife" and was not able to wait for Blogger to finally load the picture onto the site. (Sometimes it takes almost an hour before it's actually downloaded)

Forgive me.

I hope you had a beautiful day and are enjoying the warm weather~I heard it's going to 55 tomorrow!

To everyone else reading this, you know who you are...Have a great Thanksgiving and celebrate the gift of Life that Jesus died to give us.

Many preparations are in the planning stage right now for those of us hosting the meal.

I believe we're having the gang over on Wed. nite, if all goes well and then we'll be with our church family on Thurs.

All my love.

Happy Birthday, Mom!!! Your age does not matter!

A Texas flower to wish you the happiest birthday and wishing we were there to celebrate with you!

We love you and miss you very much.

We love you very much.

Wordless Wednesday...

Our kids and granddaughter!

This is the first picture of all of them together since Christmas two years ago!

The sun is shining in their eyes...or else you'd think they were all angry at us for making them stand in the sun!

My Girls!!!

How time flies when you're living it.
I've so missed writing and keeping everyone current, but there's been little to no time available to sit down and jot my thoughts, struggles, challenges, etc.

On Sat., Rachael and Hailey left to go back home and Josh moved out the same nite. As you can imagine, I was an emotional mess. I couldn't stop weeping. Then Sunday I lost it again at church on our pastor's wife shoulder for a while. She said she believed that I needed to know that this was the will of the Lord for me and that I needed to rejoice that I'd done my job well. That helped tremendously.
The funny thing is that it's not that I didn't want Josh to move out, because I did. I knew he wanted to be on his own and needed to be. It was that it all happened in one day.

I'm better now and when I woke up Monday morning, I'd began the cycle which explained a lot!

It's been a whirlwind week that is the beginning of something new, but I'm not sure what.

I'm hoping my parents will come for a visit and we can enjoy them a while...we'll see what God has in store for all of us.

Little by little I'll stop back to drop lines here and there.

Thankful Thursday...

What am I thankful for this first day of November?

That in two days our home will be filled with the sound of our granddaughter's laughter, smiles and lots of hugs for everyone.
For sunshine and no clouds in the sky, and for our chickens believing they are our friends...enjoy.