It is very late, actually, it is a new day, but I wanted to write SOMETHING! It has been soooooo long since I have had a chance to post. I keep hearing of all the awesome posts all of you are doing, but I haven't even had time to look. One of these days! Anyway, I really want to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to HOPE, our 10-year-old daughter (March 25)! HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HOPE! We love you so much and are thankful to have had the privilege of having you for 10 whole years! All of our kids are now in the double digits! Also, a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to HAYLEY, who is 20! It was cool to have a baby on the same day as my best friend, 10 years apart, but still, cool. Have a very merry one, Hayley! You have been a real gift to our family these 18 or so years we have known you. I thank God He gave my girls such a wonderful friend! Tomorrow (well, today) we are having a party for Hope. We have a scavenger hunt planned and a balloon race and a marshmallow race and some other fun (I hope!) games, and of course, the cake and ice cream and candy stuff! I do hope everyone has a fun time. Why do I get so stupidly stressed about these things? Ugh! Praise God from whom all things flow that HE holds it all together and is faithful when I am not! I am so awed by what He does. I know I should not be surprised, but sometimes His merciful gifts take my breath away. Just salvation and forgiveness and mercy and grace are enough, but He adds in friends, family, comforts, answers to prayers, homes, healings, His Word, sufferings that we might become like Him, love, beautiful creation, health, laughter, worship, pets, food, drink, warm clothes, good books, serving opportunities, and much, much more! Wonderful, merciful, Savior, blessed redeemer and Friend, who would have thought that a lamb could, rescue the souls of men? Oh, you rescue the souls of men...love that song. Well, I need to go to bed; I need rest to deal with 7 ten-year-olds. Bless you all, my friends. To God be the glory forever and ever. Amen!

Oh, what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day!

Has the weather been absolutely AWESOME the last two days?! How I wish I could put into words how I LOVE this weather. It makes me feel alive! I want to go camping. I want school to be over (we took a vacation day Friday; days like that don't come along that often in March, and there will be plenty of cool wet ones to stay inside and catch up; I am this way with the first snow, too. Since we hardly ever get snow, I figure they better get out there in play in the one- to two-inches we get the first time; there may not be any more!) Anyway....Tim and I went to the Taylors' lovely home in TYASKIN on the river on Thursday night; the warm weather had started then, come to think of it. The river was sparkling. The wind was starting to blow and it was so neat to hear it outside the open window. Praise God for wonderful, FUN friends. I don't think we had been out since OCTOBER--is that sad or what? Suzanne fixed us a superb meal, fried oysters for those 3, and shrimp kabobs for me! And steak (SOOOO tender) and veggie kabobs for all of us, a tasty salad, delicious cheese and herb biscuits--oh, what a feast, and all by candlelight! My best friend has such a way with decorating--her home looks like one out of those fancy magazines. I am so spoiled when I go there! I am spoiled anyway. God is so good to me!
Yesterday the kids were playing outside and Luke forgot about the cable he had stretched between two trees to practice tightrope walking on (about a foot off the ground); he ran into it, damaged his shin, landed on the wooden stilt lying on the ground with his jaw, and busted his lip with his tooth through it. (We are very thankful no teeth were damaged!) NOT a pretty sight, though! I feel very sorry for him. Gives new meaning to "fat lip." Very painful, but he will get through it!
Today I got up at 5:30 to help serve breakfast at the men's prayer breakfast. When I got home later, Luke and I decided to go to the zoo. We picked up Dean, his friend, enjoyed the beautiful day walking in the very crowded zoo, went to Rita's Italian ice for a treat, and came home (after picking up crickets at Petsmart for the lizards). The otters (my favorite) were out and swimming and playing; it was cool! The kids are all outside now playing various games like "Rover" :>) and "Peek Around the Corner." It warms my heart to see 18-year-olds, 14-year-olds, and 10-year-olds having fun together! I planned my ladies' Bible study, and now am contemplating dinner plans....does anyone else get tired of THINKING of something to cook? Faith, sweet Faith, cooked last night! What a break! What a day! I love this weather! Thank you, Jesus!
Poor Tim. He had to work in OC hanging cabinets last night and all day today. He actually left a few minutes before me this morning! He has been working so much lately. He is a wonderful husband, provider, friend, and father. We are truly a blessed family!
One last blog-thought. I bought this (I thought) cool wooden bread box to hold our bread and rolls which tend to spread all over the counter into a rather unsightly mess. That was probably last summer. No one else seemed to get it. The bread was always ON TOP of it, rather than in it, and if some unfortunate bagels or English muffins happened to be IN it, they were soon forgotten and ignored and turning green. Well, now the bread box has become the medicine chest. One day I opened it up, and inside are all the various vitamins, cold remedies, and ibuprofen bottles all neatly lined up (I admit it, these items also had a way of spreading out all over the counter in an unsightly mess). The breads and rolls sit contentedly on top of the box. Life is so funny. Enjoy it, my friends!

AWESOME and

I really don't have time to post right now--I wish I were a better time manager! But I just wanted to say SOMEthing about the ladies' Bible study on Wednesday nights! What an awesome blessing it is! If only I had the words to describe it. The reason it is so wonderful is that it is SOOOO God and God only. All I do is show up. God is just speaking through His inspired and infallible Word to us; it is amazing and incredible to me how personal a Father He is to us. He uses the same Scripture or message to speak to each one of us in the way WE need it. He timed this whole study so that it would coincide with exactly what every individual needed at that time. What a loving and merciful Savior we serve! Praise His Name forever and ever! He also places each lady he wants each week. How wonderful it is to rest in HIS timing, HIS management. If only I could always have that eternal perspective, that childlike faith in Him. How much brighter the moments and days would be! Thank Him so much for the terrific ladies He brings each week, too, so loving and supportive. May He bless all of you today!