Potpourri Friday

Spring is supposedly here. Whatever. It is so cold and windy here today I can barely stand to walk from my office to the car. We don't have tumbeling tumbleweeds here - we have flying tumbleweeds that come at you going about 50 mph. It is coooooollllldddd. Way too cold for spring.

I want to thank those who left such kind and supportive comments on this post. Your words were so encouraging to me - I appreciate them all so much. I intend to read them over and over again in the coming months as I continue toward my goal. I have a feeling that during the difficult aspects of this journey, I am going to need your smiles and prayers to keep me going. I am going to be posting in the future of the recent events God has used to fan the flame of this dream. He is just so amazing. So amazing.

Meanwhile, back in my regular life . . . this has been a fun couple of weeks. Fun because last week Michelle and Brad lived with us while they were getting their hardwood floors refinished. What a process that is! And the chemicals they use are way too harsh to live in the house for 72 hours after they are done. But my, the floors are beautiful. And clean. All ready for the little baby that will be joining them in oh, about 10 weeks (be still my heart)! So they moved back in. They left on Saturday, just in time for Jayson and Andrea to move back in with us. They sold their itty bitty house (700 sq. ft.) and purchased a bigger, newer one. I know we are supposed to be in a housing crunch, but they sold their house and bought a new one in ONE WEEK! No kidding. They more than doubled their space which is going to come in very handy when the baby arrives. The baby and all the baby paraphernalia. So we have enjoyed having the kids back home and as of today they are all back in their own homes. Which is just how it should be.

And that has all happened just in time for 4 little people to move in with us for the weekend! You have heard me talk about my "adopted" grandchildren before - the ones that needed grandparents in their lives so we applied for the job - and got it. Well, their mom and dad are going away for the weekend for some much needed rest and time to be with just each other. And celebrate their wedding anniversary. Personally, I think they will be sleeping a lot. Because an 8 year old and a 6 year old and two 3 year olds can make a person pretty worn out. As I'm about to discover on a very personal level. So I have hamburgers and french fries on the menu, lots of little craft kits ready, and lots of Disney videos ready to be watched. And popcorn - boy do we need popcorn with this crew. I bought a 12 pound bag of popcorn - I think that should keep us!

And what did you think about Chickezie going home on American Idol? I was sad for him. I think I am really going to miss watching his mama in the audience every week. And I haven't guessed one of these right yet. Rats. I guess I'm just along for the ride. I guess I'm never going to make it as a record producer. Oh well, I could never wear those gloves like Paula does anyway. Wouldn't even want to try.

So I hope you all have wonderful weekends full of rest and refreshment - get some for me too will you?

Reaching for a Dream

In the heart of every boy and girl, God plants dreams. Dreams of what they can be, dreams of what they can do. Dreams that can come true when we follow His plan for our life. Dreams that can break when we don't. Dreams we recognize and set goals for right away and other dreams that we keep hidden deep inside because, well, because they are too scary to think about. They are just too big.

Sometimes dreams come true with very little effort. Other times we have to fight and work and sweat to make our dreams happen. I don't always understand why this is the way of it. But I do understand that God understands it. His ways are not my ways. His ways are sovereign. I think that sometimes God just loves us so much He delights in our delight. Much like a mama buying her child an ice cream cone "just because", He hands us some of our dreams "just because". And we eagerly take them. We have no problem accepting them. During the times that we have to fight for our dreams to come true, we can become frustrated with God, feeling like He is not on our side, or even worse, that He is against us and our dream. We don't perceive the struggle as part of the fulfillment of the dream. That is just the way of us humans I guess. We like instant gratification. We think all of life should be able to be wrapped up in a thirty minute sitcom experience, complete with a happily ever after ending.

I am at a change-point in my life. I have had wonderful dreams fulfilled in my life. I married a wonderful man and we have served together in ministry for many years. I have raised 4 beautiful, wildly successful daughters who give me pleasure every single day. I have spent every day of the last 28 years of my life helping them make their dreams come true. They are all off to a good start and I couldn't be more proud of them. I would do it all again in a heartbeat. Every moment. Although there were many years when it seemed too far away to ever imagine, our last little chick is getting ready to leave us and the proverbial nest is going to find itself empty. And that leaves me with something I am not familiar with. Something I haven't had in a long, long time.

I have options.

Options people! I hardly know how to behave.

Here's the deal. I have almost always had to work outside the home. And I am currently working at a university that provides an excellent tuition remission program for my daughters. The third daughter is graduating from here in May - she will have a degree in elementary education. My fourth daughter will begin her first semester this fall. That means that in four years I will be able to leave this employment, that I have never really enjoyed been grateful for, and make some new choices. The wonderful thing is that these choices can be made on the basis of what I want, of what is best for me, to make my dreams come true. I am always going to have to help bring in an income in our home. And that doesn't bother me. This is where all the stuff about dreams come in.

Ever since I was in the 4th grade, I have had a dream to be an author. I want to write Christian fiction.

There. I said it. Whew!

I believe with all my heart that the time has come to begin to pursue this God-given dream. He is telling me so. His voice, that has always been a quiet whisper deep inside the private places of my heart regarding the matter of writing, has begun to reverberate to a building crescendo, telling me the time has come to begin chasing this incredible idea. So I am taking steps. Just small steps right now. But steps that are none the less leading me in the direction of fulfilling what I believe is a calling. Writing this post is a step. You have no idea how big it is to me to "voice" my dream. It somehow makes it all more real, more definite. It's more of a commitment to continue.

It also makes it more visible if I fail.

I know that pursuing this dream is going to be a journey unlike any other I have been on. There will be much work and sweat and tears to make this one come true. But I'm up for it.

At least today I am.

American Idol - A Soon to be Grandma's Guide to the Top 10

Tonight the singers had to choose a song from the year they were born. This sounded like fun at first. But I have to say, as the night progressed, it got a teensy bit boring for me. Most of this group is starting to sound like they are stuck in a rut.

Ramiele - sang Alone. She has a really big voice and uses lots of emotion when she sings. She apparently wasn't feeling well - but I couldn't tell by her performance. She did a good job - but the song wasn't familiar to me and the whole thing was not memorable.

Jason C - sang Fragile. And it was. I love Jason and I wouldn't even mind him winning the whole thing. But he has got to try something more daring and less safe. I'm afraid if he doesn't venture out of his comfort zone - he will be venturing into a danger zone.

Seyesha sang If I Were Your Woman. She was very classy. Beautiful performance.

Chikizie sang If Only For One Night. This performance made me think of a night club. And I have never been to a night club so I'm not sure why it made me think of one. This guy has talent - but I think he is still trying to figure out what he does best.

Brooke White sang Every Breath You Take. She is just so sweet. She started out wrong on the piano and she quickly started over. That takes a tremendous amount of self-control to do. She impressed me. I think she shines.

Michael Johns sang We Are The Champions and he did a good job. I think he is a great singer and he may be just the one to stay under the radar and come out on top in the end.

Carly sang Turn Around. I thought she did okay. But like Amanda from before, she seems stuck in a rock-y sounding genre that just might come back to get her.

David A. sang Your'e The Voice. Simon said he sounded like a singer in a theme park production. I must admit, it did have a Disney sound to it. But this young man has such talent. Any my heart just melted with the video of him dancing with his little sister.

Kristy Lee picked God Bless the USA. I was totally surprised at the positive reaction from the judges. I was quite sure they would tear her song choice to pieces. But they loved it. I thought she did okay although she hit some flat notes along the way. She had a great ending. Simon thought it was good enough to pull her through another week.

David Cook sang Billie Jean. I have to say, that although I'm not a fan of his, he did a brilliant job. He changed the song so much it was nearly unrecognizable, yet it worked really well. He seems to be a natural. I think he had the best performance of the evening.

This week I predict the bottom three to be:
Ramiele
Jason C (although it pains me to say it)
Carly (I was shocked last week when she was in the bottom 3, but I won't be this week.)

I predict the one to leave will be:
Ramiele

And I should just say that so far I have not guessed it right a single time. I have been pretty much correct in the bottom three picks but I have always guessed Kristy would be the one to go. Oh, one more thing. I really hated Paula's gloves.

And as soon as BooMama gets her bloggy troubles cleared up you can go there and check out some other American Idol opinions.

Potpourri Friday

One lonely bunny. That's all that is left these days. There used to be a whole litter of these Easter bunny baskets at our house. But one by one they have left with their girl - to houses of their own. I miss them. And the girls too! Sigh. I miss buying little lip glosses, and colorbooks and story books and cross necklaces, and the chocolate bunnies to fill the baskets with. I miss getting up early on Easter and watching the girls dig into their baskets. But there are new grandbabies on the horizon and so there will be new bunnies too. Life does go on. I'm so happy about that!

Oh, I have some winners from my drawing from the Ultimate Blogging Party week. I didn't get to participate as much as I'd hoped too - it was such a busy week for me. But I had three prizes to give away and here they are:

The little stack of fat quarters go to Paula H. She doesn't have a blog. The little Mary Engelbreit photo album goes to Teri. And the stocking ornament pattern goes to Blessed at A Blessed Crazy Life. Isn't that a great name for a blog? So true.
Thanks girls for visiting me during the party. I hope you enjoy your prizes - they will be going out in the mail next week - after Easter. Because I have a ton of things to do before then!

Like attend an Easter sunrise service that my husband is speaking at, attend church, and then feed 35 people at my house afterwards. I know - I'm crazy. I don't really plan these things - they just happen to me! I always tell my husband, I don't run my life - my life runs me. I guess I need to work on that.

I'm still so thrilled that I am attending the She Speaks conference this summer. I go to sleep thinking about it. I wake up thinking about it. I eat my lunch and dinner thinking about it. I know there will be many bloggers there. If you are going, let me know. I would love to meet you in person! That would be the icing on the cake!

Oh, and I hope you like the new look of my blog. I have tried for months to change my header. I never could make it work. I can set blocks on point in quilting, I can hem a pair of jeans so they look professional, I can make a great Italian Cream Cake. But put the letters h-t-m-l in front of me and I freeze. But I kept trying. And I don't really know what I did different - but it worked this time! I hope I can do it again - later.


Happy Resurrection Day!
I wanted to close this post today by focusing on the truth of Easter. The absolute truth. In the busyness of the holiday, I pray you find the time to focus on what it means to you and me. Because without it Christmas would have no meaning at all. It is everything to the Believer.

It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. Luke 23:45

The sun stopped shining. The Son stopped shining. I'm so glad I wasn't there to witness the absolute and complete desolation and depression that must have filled the air. I'm so glad I wasn't there to see a mother broken in grief as she witnessed the beaten, broken, crucified body of her son. I'm so glad I wasn't there to see my Savior bleeding in agony on a crude instrument of torture and death.

"Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?" Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him."
Jesus said to her, "Mary." John 20: 15-16

One simple word was all He said. Her name. Mary. Can you just imagine the look on her face? How I wish I had been there to see that joyful reunion! How I wish I had been there to see the look of confusion change to recognition and finally to understanding and acceptance. The Son was shining again.

The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will regin forever and ever. Revelation 22:3-5

The Son will shine forever. I WILL be there! Will you?

Last Sunday in church we had a "Meaning of the Passover" service. A Christian Jewish man held a Seder for us and explained one by one the Jewish traditions that take place during this meal. I've seen this done before but it always brings me to tears as the traditions become alive with meaning as the identity of the Messiah becomes so obvious and apparent. Only a God could come up with such a perfect plan of redemption.

I pray that the truth of Easter will imprint itself upon your heart this weekend.

I'm Going!

God is so good! I am going to the She Speaks conference the end of June in North Carolina.

Several years ago I attended a Women's Ministry Leadership Conference at Focus on the Family. It changed my life - truly and forever. I always wanted to go back again and had even signed up my entire women's council to go to the next one, when Focus had to make some budget cuts and cancelled the conference. I was so disappointed. Recently, I heard about the She Speaks conference hosted by the Proverbs 31 Ministries. Imagine my total surprise when I discovered the women in charge of this ministry were the same ones that used to be at Focus! I began to pray about it. And through several confirmations to my heart and spirit (miracles really), I have signed up and bought my plane ticket today! Now, most of you know how I am about flying. But I am praying about it already. I'm going to do it. I am going alone. That's a scary thing to do. But I am trusting God that He is going to go with me - He will be there - and He will speak to me. I am going to be so blessed. There are some things about this conference that have to do with fulfilling a dream God planted in my heart. A dream I have had for many, many years. I am sensing the time has come to do something about it. God wants me to begin exploring this dream - to make it a reality in my life. And it will be life-changing. I don't even dare put my dream into words. Yet. But I am ready to start moving on it. I am ready to start trusting Him on a deeper more intimate level than I ever have before. I am ready to do whatever it is I need to do to make this dream come true. Even if it means getting on an airplane. Alone. And even if it means going to a conference with hundreds and hundreds of women. Alone. And even if it means it is time to expose my vulnerable and fragile dream for the world to evaluate. I am not really alone. I have the dream-Giver going with me every step of the way.

American Idol - A Soon to be Grandma's Guide to the Top 11

Another week of Beatle's songs. I think that was stretching it. Just a bit. But oh well. Here is my overview of the evening.


Amanda Overmeyer - Back in the USSR - Oh Amanda, honey. You just have to do something different. Stop with the Janis impersonation. But you know what? It was pretty apparent in her comments, she is not changing anything. She is looking for her opportunity to "sell tickets". I don't think she plans on winning this competition - she is just using it to her advantage. No a bad game plan if you are that set on what you want to do.

Kristy Lee Cook - You've Got to Hide Your Love Away - She did better than last week. But she sounded like she was singing way too low for her voice. I don't know - I don't think she can hang on another week. But - love the hair!

David A. - Long and Winding Road - Okay, for weeks now this kid has been reminding me of somebody. It's just been nagging at me. And I figured it out. Actually my sister-in-law figured it out for me. David A. looks just like my nephew Grayson! Check it out!



Isn't that weird! And they are not too far apart in age either LOL. All Grayson has to do is spike his hair a little bit and he can be David A. for Halloween this year!
David did a great job on his song by the way. Loved it.

Michael Johns - A Day in the Life Simon said it best when he said it was "complicated". It didn't work well IMO.

Brooke White - Here Comes the Sun What a silly little song. I used the word awkward before Simon did - poor girl just didn't know what to do with herself. But really, there was no where for her to go but down after last week.

David Cook - Daytripper Just don't care for this guy's music. It reminds me of Amanda - the same every week. And somebody please - help his hair!

Carly Smithson - BlackbirdBeautiful. This girl has an amazing range. I loved her rich, sultry, deep notes. Simon and Paula acted really weird about this song - I don't know what was going on with them. I thought she did great.

David Castro - Michelle Simon said it best when he said "Your face sold that." He is such a cutie. David - not Simon. He didn't do the best job - but it was okay.

Sayesha - Yesterday Finally! Sayesha did a great job on this song and really showed off her vocal skills. I was getting a little worried for her. But this should keep her on another week anyway.

Chikezie - “I’ve Just Seen A Face” The judges didn't like it - but I did. I thought it was great - and his mama loved it too! I just love his mama!

Ramiele Malubay - “I Should’ve Known Better - Big voice in a little body. I thought Ramiele did good tonight. Not great. But good. Her pants bothered me. They were all bunched up around her thighs. Then I realized - she has such short little legs, her pants were too long and maybe she didn't have time to hem them - LOL.

I predict the Bottom 3 will be:

Amanda
Kristy
Ramiele

I predict Kristy will leave.

And I hope, hope, hope, hope we are done with the Beatles music. Let's get on with it!

Circus Circus and the Crucifixion

I'm running this post again this year - because it is Holy Week and this is one of my sweetest memories.

When my two older girls were five and six, we embarked on a family vacation to Disneyland. The distance we had to drive was far and the route indicated that Las Vegas would be a natural stopping place for the night. Having two little girls with us, we made the decision to stop at Circus Circus hoping that little eyes wouldn't be exposed to too many forms of "adult" entertainment. We pulled into the parking lot when suddenly I heard my five year old, Tara, break into sobs in the back seat. "I don't want to go here, I don't want to go here" she emphatically cried. After several minutes of trying to discover what the problem was, Tara told us that she didn't want to go here because as she said, "This is where they hung Jesus on the cross!" My husband and I looked at each other bewildered as to why in the world she would think this. Finally we were able to calm her down and discover the reason for her alarm. We assured her that Jesus was not hung on the cross here, that had happened long ago in a faraway place.
"Tara, honey, why do you think Jesus was killed here?"
"Because, mommy, you said they gambled for his clothes".

Ah...the innocence of a child.

Ultimate Blog Party

This is a sticky post that will remain at the top of my blog until The Ultimate Blog Party ends on March 14. Scroll down for newer posts!
It's time to party! Welcome to all of you who have never been to the "nest" before! This is just my little place where I write about the things I love the most. Things like my family, my church, my God, my hobbies, my books, and my sweet dog Josey. I joined the blogging world a little over a year ago - my I just never knew! I have had the best time meeting great people, learning new recipes and ideas, sharing prayer requests, and just having fun. Here are some things to know about me:

I love God with my whole heart.

I am married to the best guy in the world - and he happens to be a preacher. That makes me a preachers wife - and it's been a good life. God has blessed us greatly.


I have 4 amazing daughters. And two amazing sons-in-law.

I am going to be a grandmother TWICE this year. I can hardly believe it - my heart is just so full sometimes! I sense that my life is going to change for the better Big Time!

I love to read. I love to sew. I love to quilt. I love to garden. I love my kitchen. In fact I'm not sure who my BFF is - my Bernina or my KitchenAid.

I work outside the home. I don't love it so much.

I love my sweet dog Josey. She is a little Yorkshire Terrier and has the sweetest little personality. And she doesn't think I do anything wrong. Ever.

I'm so glad you stopped by. To celebrate I am going to have 3 give-aways. The first prize is a little Mary Engelbreit photo album. Second, a stack of fun fat-quarters (fabric), and third a pattern for felt Christmas stocking ornaments. Because it is never too early to start making Christmas ornaments!


I will use the random number generator to choose my winners. Three winners. Three prizes. Just leave a comment telling me which prize you would like the most! And you MUST leave an email address or a blog address so I can notify you.
Feel free to browse through my blog and get to know me better - I look forward to visiting you too.

Party on!

American Idol - A Soon to be Grandma's Guide to the Top 12

Well, okay then. Due to the dryness of my brain in regards to finding material to blog about, I am about to enter a realm that is completely out of my comfort zone. But first I have to make a confession. I love American Idol. I was going to say that I watch American Idol with my teenage daughter - you know, being interested in what she is interested in and that kind of thing. But the honest truth is, I love watching talented young people grow and stretch and become better than they were before. I find it fascinating. It is an amazing process. To see these people work so hard to refine their God given gift is encouraging and humbling all at the same time. The brutal, yet constructively honest critiques they face each week would be enough to make me hide my face never to be seen again. But not these folks. They listen to it, think about it, and most often use it to their advantage. I really admire them. Well, most of them.

Now, I realize I am hovering dangerously close to the half century mark and my musical taste and knowledge may be out of touch in regards to the younger set. So my evaluations are for those of us who, well, let's just say we have had more years to listen to music and develop some taste expertise. Kind of a fun twist - don't you think? So here we go - my evaluations of last nights top 12.

It was Beatles night. Let's just say I'm not a big fan of the Beatles. Never was. But never mind that. At least I was able to recognize the songs.

Syesha Mercado - sang 'Got to Get You Into My Life'. This little gal is sweet and has an infectious smile. I don't know if it's just me but I always think she starts a bit off key. I thought so with this song too. She got going with it in the middle - but I don't think she is going to get far if she doesn't step it up a notch.

Chikezie - sang "She's A Woman'. My goodness. This guy is fun. And he has one name. Aren't you practically guaranteed to be a star if you only have one name? I love Chikezie and even more I love his mother. Do you watch her in the audience? This lady is awesome. She can sing and dance and she has RHYTHM with a capital R. She loves her boy. I vote for Chikezie because he has a good mom. He did an awesome job too - he was just pure fun to watch.

Ramiele Malubay - sang 'In My Life'. This girl has the most beautiful lips and I love her lip gloss. She has a lovely voice - but her song just didn't imprint itself into my brain. She needs to expand into something a bit more exciting.

Jason Castro - 'If I Fell'. What a cutie pie. Now it must be said that I am no fan of dredlocks. But this boy, this boy just makes me want to adopt him. I think he just has the sweetest soul. He looks kind and he is not stuck on himself. He is not comfortable with all the attention and that alone makes me love him. And his voice just melts my heart. I would love to see him in the final two. He is the real deal.

Carly Smithson - 'Come Together'. No doubt about it. This girl can sing. She did a great job with her song and wowed the judges and the audience. She has a lovely Irish accent. I like her but she is a bit to "rock-y" for my taste.

David Cook ' 'Eleanor Rigby'. I don't really get his music. But I'm sure it's an age thing. I just don't connect with him or any of the songs he has sung. And I get distracted my his hair. I'm sorry. He just isn't my choice.

Brooke White - 'Let It Be'. This sweet girl is awesome and pure music. I love her voice and her attitude. She is so sweet she can probably cause cavities. She doesn't have to depend on anything but her voice. I think she and Jason Castro are much alike and she is the other one I would like to see in the final two.

David Hernandez -'I Saw Her Standing There'. Hmmm. I find myself trying to remember his performance. I guess that's all I need to say.

Amanda Overmyer 'You Can't Do That'. My problem with Amanda is that all her songs sound exactly the same. I think it's her very distinct voice. She is a very interesting person and she seems to be strong in who she is. But I think one song is enough - then I have heard them all. Sorry Amanda.

Michael John - 'Across the Universe' Not too much impression with Michael. I don't think he is going to go very much further in the contest.

Kristi Lee Cook- 'Eight Days a Week'. Oh. My. Goodness. That was just agonizing to listen too. She tried to put a country spin on this song and it was a mess. I just felt so bad for her. Poor Kristi - that was just a very bad choice. But you have really pretty hair Kristi - really pretty.

David Archuleta - 'We Can Work It Out'. What a sweetie pie. I felt so bad for him when he forgot some words although he covered it up well. He told everyone he was not comfortable with his song choice and then he proved to us he wasn't. But this boy will go far.

Predictions:

I think Kristi Lee Cook is going to be the one to go home this week. There is just nothing that is going to rescue her from that really sad performance.

Favorites: Brooke and Jason.

Head over to BooMama's and read up on some more reviews.

Josey's eyes

This is how dry my brain is - I am going to blog about my sweet dog Josey's eyes. Sorry.

But Becky saw this picture of Josey in a previous post.



And she asked if her eyes are really that green. And I would have to say no - it's her tinted contact lenses that make her eyes look like that.

But I would be totally lying. Which I don't do.

So the truth is this. It seems that Yorkie dogs with silky coats when photographed have green eyes. If they had course hair their eyes would look gold in pictures. This really seems to hold true. I know. The tinted contact lenses make more sense. However, if you ask any Yorkie breeder - that is what they will tell you. And I don't know if it holds true for all dogs or just Yorkies. Josey does have nice silky hair and big brown eyes that only look possessed in pictures. She doesn't really look evil in person. That would be scary.

So there you go. Some totally useless information you can impress your guests with at your next dinner party.

A Dry Spell

Well, it seems that I have taken a bit of a bloggy break - I didn't intend to - but it just happened. To be honest, my brain just doesn't contain anything to blog about at the moment. A dry spell. Yes, that's what it is - a dry spell. So, be patient with me. I'll be back. Oh yes, I'll be back. Hopefully with something good to talk about. Because a brain can't stay dry forever. Right?

Fabulous!

Whew! It's taken me a few days to recover from our awesome Women's Retreat this last weekend. But it was such a wonderful success and as often is the case, I have been on a mountaintop (literally as well as figuratively!) and I am slowly descending back into reality. We had an inspiring speaker, an incredible hotel to stay at, and wonderful fellowship with each other. Two words I keep hearing over and over again to describe the retreat are "restful" and "peaceful". Our speaker has been a spiritual mentor to me for many years. I always hang on her every word. She always inspires me to be a stronger Christian. She talked to us this year about a word called "truthiness". Pronounced truth-I-ness. The definitition of this word is: things that a person claims to know intuitively or "from the gut" without regard to evidence, logic, intellectual examination, or facts. In other words, it is what we "feel" is truth, regardless of fact. She taught us about what a dangerous state of mind this is and how by making up our own truth without checking it against scripture, we are creating a world of chaos. There is only one truth. His name is Jesus. I don't think we can know this enough.

One fun thing I did at retreat this year was open each session by reading a post from different blogs. I chose some serious ones and some funny ones. I have enjoyed blogging so much and I wanted to expose my ladies to the wonderful world of blogging. It went over really well - and many ladies asked to have copies of what I read and wanted to know more about blogging in general. So I hope to see many of the women that I appreciate begin their own blogs soon!

And my sweet ladies gave me such a wonderful gift. They gave me fabric to make a prayer quilt. I will blog more about that in another post - but I can't tell you how thrilled and touched I was. We serve the most awesome people in our church - we are so very blessed. As I like to say, life in the ministry is a life of privilege.