December 20, 2016

I know everyone is saying this . . . but how can today be December 20th??  I mean, seriously.  Where has 2016 gone?? 

My year started out pretty great.  I got to see my beautiful daughter in February and April, and then in May she came back to stay with us for 5 months while our son-in-law was deployed overseas.  We were thrilled to get to have her back home for awhile.

Our son and daughter-in-law bought a "fixer upper" house in the spring, and then another one!!  They flipped one, sold the house they had been living in, and then moved to the third house. We are so excited for them.

We had our great big amazing family reunion in June.  We had over 100 relatives at our house for a hog roast.  It was wonderful.  I love family, and this reunion was just spectacular.

In July I celebrated my birthday, and just as summer was in full swing my beautiful mother was diagnosed with colon cancer.  Our world stopped, and it hasn't been the same since.  And I'm just being brutally honest.

Sadly, the news just kept getting worse.  Following a successful surgery to remove the part of her colon where the tumor was we discovered that the cancer had spread to my mom's liver and that the 7 tumors there were inoperable.  

Mom is currently taking chemotherapy in an attempt to shrink the tumors to the point they can operate.  We head back to MD Anderson the end of January for another CT scan that will tell us whether or not surgery is an option.

Chemotherapy is just no fun.  While my mom, thankfully, hasn't been as sick as some people who take chemo, she is in a constant state of just not feeling good.  She is tired most of the time.  She has no energy.  While she doesn't throw up, she is nauseous most of the time.  My mom weighs 97 pounds and she has no weight to lose, so trying to get her to eat is our focus.

A couple of weeks ago we spent the night in the emergency room because her blood pressure was 209/98.  Last week we found out she had a blood clot in each leg, so she's been on blood thinners to try to dissolve the clots.  Thankfully her blood "thickness" is back to normal so I don't have to continue giving her daily shots in the stomach.  Praise the Lord!

Sometimes between chemo treatments she has to get shots to boost her white count so they can continue the chemo.  Those shots cause a lot of pain in her bones.  She goes back to the doctor tomorrow for blood work to determine if the shots will be necessary this time.  She takes her 6th chemo one week from today.  She has 6 more to go.

We took our beautiful daughter back to California in October just before her husband got back from deployment. Sadly they won't be home for Christmas.  They are saving money for a down payment on a house when they move back here for good next fall, and airline tickets are crazy expensive at Christmas time.  So we Facetime, and we text, and we tell ourselves that this is the last Christmas that they won't be here.

It has been a tough year for me.  My mom's diagnosis has been overwhelming.  It is the first thing I think of in the morning, and the last thing I think of before I go to bed.  My mom is in pretty good spirits some days, and then other days it is very hard to stay positive just being honest.  It seems as if it is one thing after another.  We just can't seem to get much good news.

I said all that to say that while this year has been the hardest of my life, I am still trusting Jesus.  Yes, there are times (many times) I have asked "why."  I pray for my mom constantly.   I pray for God to heal her.  I pray for the side effects of the chemo to be minimal.  I pray for God to encourage her.  And sometimes it seems that my prayers are not answered and I don't understand.  And that is hard.

But I will not lose faith.  No matter what, I will trust in the Lord.  

I pray for you and your families at this time of year.  I know there are many people who are in much worse situations.  And some people are on the mountaintop and all is right in their worlds.  No matter where this December 20th finds you, I ask for God to meet your every need.  And to send you His peace when His plans are different from your prayers. 

Please remember that Christmas is about one thing, and that is the birth of Jesus, our Savior.  He sits at the right hand of God at this very moment, interceding for us.  I know I say this a lot, and even though there are many things I do not understand I can still say with confidence that He never fails.

I would sure appreciate your prayers for my mom, Donna.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

This Christian Has Already Voted!!!

I ask that each of you please take just a moment to go visit my friend Dayle's blog, A Collection of Days, and read her thoughts on today's election.

You can find her latest post by

clicking HERE.

She expresses my feelings in a much better way than I ever could.  I agree with her 100%!!

I am sharing this post with her permission.

God bless America!!!!

Happy November!!

I can't believe it's already November 7th.  I mean, what happened to September and October?? 

The weather here in Missouri has been strangely warm for fall.  This past week it has cooled down a little, but it is still unseasonably warm.  Last week I mowed my yard in shorts and a t-shirt.  Who does that in November in Missouri??

We made it back from California (IT WAS A LONG DRIVE OUT THERE AND A SHORT FLIGHT HOME).  Stopped at the Grand Canyon which, I have to say, is one of the most absolutely breathtaking things I have ever seen.  If you've not been there, you need to put it on your "bucket list."  It is spectacular.  Thank you all for the prayers, everything went very smoothly while we were out there.  Got Alex all settled into her apartment.  Please pray for our son-in-law's safe return from his overseas deployment.

My mom had a very rough second chemo treatment two weeks ago today.  Lots of nausea, lots of tiredness, lots of just plain old not feeling good.  This morning she went back for her third round of chemo and her white count was too low so they wouldn't give her the treatment today.  She goes back on Wednesday for more blood work.  Hopefully the blood count will have improved.  If not, then they will start giving her injections to jump start her body making white blood cells.  The plan is to only have to put the chemo off for one week, which would put her back for a treatment one week from today.  I ask for your prayers for her, that the blood count will return to normal and they can resume the chemotherapy.  And for her NOT to get any kind of illness. 

We continue to pray daily for God to move in my mother's body and kill that cancer.  We curse it at the root and command it to die in Jesus name.  We believe Jesus is the Healer.

Please pray for our country.  Tomorrow is the election and, if you're like me, you're ready for it to be over.  I encourage EVERYONE TO VOTE.  But my hope isn't in Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, although I will be voting for one of them.  My hope is in Jesus Christ.  "If my people, who are called by My name, will HUMBLE THEMSELVES and PRAY and TURN FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS, THEN will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land."  Wake up America.

Away We Go Again!!!

Tomorrow we are heading back to California with our beautiful daughter!!  These past five months have flown by and it's time for us to get her settled out in California again as her husband is due to return from deployment in just a few weeks.  To say having her home these last five months has been a huge blessing is an understatement.

We're going to stop and see the Grand Canyon on our way out there.  We've never seen the Grand Canyon and may never be that close again, so we're going to take a brief detour and check it out.  So I'll be checking off that bucket list item and standing in awe of God's beautiful creation.  And for those of you from the 1970s era, we'll be "Standing On the Corner in Winslow, Arizona!"  Another bucket list item!!!  

Thank you to all the mighty prayer warriors out there lifting my mom before the Lord.  She came through her first chemo treatment with flying colors.  Her side effects have been minimal and manageable and we are praising God for that.  She has another treatment this Monday, and they are adding in another chemo drug that is to cut off the blood supply to the tumors in her liver.  We are standing on the Word that says the same power that conquered the grave lives in us.  We have access to that same power through prayer and we are rebuking the enemy and cancer off of my mom in the name of Jesus.  My Bible tells me the enemy has no authority over the children of God.  I know none of us will live forever on this earth, but I will pray for healing until God either heals my mom or calls her home.  THE SAME POWER THAT CONQUERED THE GRAVE LIVES IN US AND WE SPEAK HEALING IN THE NAME OF JESUS!!!

Please pray for safe travels for us (my husband and I and our daughter) as we make the loooooooonnnnngggg drive across county to California.  Pray that all goes smoothly in getting the apartment, moving their things, and setting up utilities, internet, etc.  Pray that God continues to watch over our son-in-law and brings him (and all of our military men and women) home safely.  Pray that God will bless our time together out there, and give my husband and I a safe flight home next Wednesday.  This will only be the second time my husband and I have flown on an airplane without our kids.  The last time was in October of 1989!  

Keep thanking God for the healing He is performing in my mom's body.  I appreciate so much your agreeing with us in prayer.  We are keeping our eyes fixed on Him and trusting Him.  God is good no matter what.

I'm reading the book  Crazy Love by Francis Chan for the second time.  If you haven't read it, I urge you to get a copy.  It is a short book, and a fast read.  What a reminder that Jesus desires that we fall completely in love with Him.  He gave His life for us.  When I think of it . . .well, it's indescribable.

One last prayer request . . . pray for our country and our leaders!!

I'll have pictures from our trip next week! 

One Thing Needful

I visited my friend Camille's blog, Flowers In His Garden, and was absolutely blown away by her post.  As I told her, this message should be preached from every pulpit in America.  

Too often today's preachers (some, not all) want to talk about the blessings of God.  If you aren't rich, then you don't trust God.  If you aren't healed, then you don't trust God.  If you didn't get a good parking spot, then you don't trust God enough.  HOGWASH!!!

God is good, and He is merciful and He blesses His children.  But not always in the ways we would want or would expect.  In the Bible those who served Him went through horrible trials.  Look at Stephen.  Look at Paul.  Look at Peter.  

Bottom line is this, heaven is real, but SO IS HELL.  Preachers have gotten away from preaching on hell, and I do not believe that is a good thing.

Please take a couple of minutes and read Camille's post.  I think it will touch your heart as it touched mine.  Blessings my friends!!

FLOWERS IN HIS GARDEN

RESULTS

I'm going to be completely honest and tell you that I have put off writing this post.

I wish I could tell you that we got to Houston and everything went wonderfully.

I wish I could tell you that mom's CT scan was completely normal and showed that the cancer had not spread.

I wish I could tell you that the Lord had healed her and we are rejoicing.

My mom has seven tumors in her liver.

They are inoperable at this time.

We have an appointment on Monday to meet with an oncologist to begin chemotherapy treatments locally as soon as possible.  Our prayer is that the chemotherapy can shrink the tumors to the point she can have surgery in about four months (we go back to Houston the end of January).  Either they will operate and remove all seven, or they won't operate at all.  It's all or nothing when it comes to removing cancerous tumors in the liver.

If the chemotherapy does not shrink the tumors enough to operate then, as the doctor put it, 

we begin "buying time."

My friends, I believe that Jesus is the Healer, and I believe He can heal my mom.

But I will be honest with you and admit that sometimes my faith feels very weak.

Sometimes I take my eyes off of the Healer and I focus on the diagnosis.

Sometimes I feel very hopeless.

Sometimes I carry this burden instead of laying it at His feet.

I need your prayers for my mom and dad (Donna and Robert).

Our family needs prayer as we walk through this trial.

We need a touch from the Master's hands.

Thank you all for praying.

I promise to get back to posting about much lighter things soon, but right now my heart is pretty heavy.  I humbly ask for your prayers. 

May the Lord bless you all. 

Houston, Here We Come

Well, we had a few days of nice cool weather here in Missouri, but it's hot and humid again now.  A little rain this morning, which we don't need, but we will take it.  The Lord sends the rain so we won't complain!!

Next week my mom and dad and I are heading to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.  We are meeting with an oncologist and they are drawing blood and doing a CT scan.  We'll head back home, and then follow up with the doctor by telephone on Monday, September 26th.  He will let us know what treatment he feels is appropriate, and we will have treatments done locally.  Thank God for the opportunity to consult at this amazing location in Houston, and yet be able to take treatments about an hour away from home.  

Please pray for safe travels there and back, for good reports from the blood work and CT scans, and for the Lord to give this doctor supernatural wisdom to know exactly what to do.  I do not believe that seeking earthly treatment for this disease reflects a lack of faith in God.  WE ARE STILL PRAYING AND BELIEVING FOR HEALING IN JESUS NAME!!  I pray for safety every time I get in my car . . . BUT I STILL FASTEN MY SEAT BELT!!!  I pray for God to care for my body, but I believe it's my responsibility to eat right, and exercise and take the best care of myself I can.

Please keep praying for healing, and against fear and worry.  Those two things are not of God and we want no part of them.  It is human to worry about something like this.  It is a serious disease.  But we have a God who is mighty and well able to handle this.  We are trusting Him.

Blessings to each and every one of you that have prayed for my mom.  You are appreciated more than you know.  Please keep praying and remember to thank Him for His blessings!! 

I Am A Woman of God!!

Ready for Cooler Weather!!!!!

I hate to say it, but I am really over hot summertime.  Now I'm not ready for WINTER yet.  Brrrrrrr!!!  But I am ready for the cooler weather that fall brings.

We've had a few really BEAUTIFUL DAYS with lower temperatures and a little bit less humidity.  Missouri is a very HUMID state!!!  But then the temperatures go right back up.  It's going to be in the 90s today and tomorrow again.  Then we have some rain headed our way Thursday and Friday, but the temperature will only be in the 70s.  I think I can handle that!!!

We did get my mom's biopsy results back from the lymph nodes.  The test was positive for cancer, so we are now in the process of figuring out treatment.  As I have said before, this is not a path we would ever have chosen, but we are trusting that our God will go before us and prepare the way.  Continued prayers for complete healing are very much appreciated!!  God is good!!!

I'm also getting ready to embark on some redecorating projects at my house.  We've lived here nearly 19 years, and it's time for some fresh paint and fresh decor!  So stay tuned for some ideas and I'll be wanting your input!!!

Our beautiful daughter has just under two more months of staying with us before she heads back to Southern California.  I have enjoyed having her home more than I can express.  She is such a great, great daughter.  I am so blessed.  The days have gone by so quickly, and I know the next two months will fly by as well.

You all, I'm so thankful that I belong to Jesus.  I don't know how I would weather the storms of life without Him.  He is so faithful.

Hope you all have a wonderful, wonderful day! 

Ready to Move On!!!

Tomorrow is the first day of September.  September means fall, and fall is my absolute, hands down, favorite time of year!!  I love it!!!  I love the cooler temperatures.  I love the crispness in the air.  I love football games and pumpkins and hot chocolate and bonfires.  

And I must say I'm ready to leave August behind.  August has been hard on my family with my mom's diagnosis and surgery.  I really am ready to MOVE ON!!!

My mom's surgery was a week ago tomorrow, and she did FANTASTIC!!!  There were no surprises.  The surgeon didn't see anything that concerned her, meaning she saw no evidence of tumors in my mom's abdomen.  My mom did SO GREAT that she was released from the hospital on SATURDAY!!!  Just two days past surgery!!!!!  We are in awe of the mighty God we serve.  My mom is 78 years old, and had a portion of her colon removed and was released from the hospital 48 hours post surgery!!!  She is sore, of course, but she is feeling better and better every day.

The surgeon removed the lymph nodes next to the colon, and we should have biopsy results by the end of this week.  If the results are negative (which is our prayer!!) then mom will have CT scans of her abdomen every three months for a year or two, then every six months for a year or two, then every year.  If nothing changes, she won't have to have any chemotherapy or radiation.  If the biopsy is positive, then treatment will be required and we are taking her to MD Anderson in Houston, Texas.

Last Thursday before surgery I prayed with mom and my dad and my sister.  I asked for healing and I asked for peace.  And I can tell you that God delivered on both!!!  We truly are believing that Jesus has healed her.  And if He uses surgery and treatment for healing, we still praise Him.  This is a serious disease, and we aren't naive, but we serve an awesome God and we know that HE IS WELL ABLE to handle this.

We are thankful to have the surgery behind us and we are READY TO MOVE ON!!!!  

So come on September and come on Fall!!!

Please join us in thanking God for His healing power, for His perfect peace, and for His unfailing love for us all!!!  We ask that He who has begun a good work in my mom will complete it for His glory!!  Please agree with us in prayer.

Now, go buy yourself a pumpkin . . . and a hot chocolate :)!!

If There Are Words . . .

Please, take FIVE MINUTES and watch this video.  

If you don't know Jesus, this describes Him perfectly.

If you do know Jesus, then HOLD ONTO YOUR HAT because this is going to put a fire in your soul!!!  

God is real.  Jesus is real.  The Holy Spirit is real.

They are the trinity.  God in three persons.

They love us.  God sent Jesus to die for us.  He sent the Holy Spirit to comfort us.

The Bible is full of God's promises for those who serve Him.

This video is a reminder of WHO HE IS!!!!

Please, take five minutes and WATCH THIS VIDEO!!!!

Mid-August Already???

If you're like me you woke up this morning thinking, HOW CAN IT BE AUGUST 15TH???

Our local school starts on Thursday.  (Ready for some football!!!)

We've had a much needed cool down (and 2.6" of rain this past Friday)!!!

Saturday was absolutely GORGEOUS!!!  I mean, I sat outside and read for a couple of HOURS.  And believe me when I say the words "sat outside and read" are not words people in Missouri say in the month of August.  August is hot and dry in Missouri.  HOT and DRY.  But it was neither this past weekend.  We've had a very warm, wet summer.  I've mowed our yard every week.  Typically in Missouri by the end of July the yard is brown and there are just a few weeds to take down.  Not this year.  I mowed last Thursday, and frankly should mow again tonight.  Our yard is long and shaggy!!!

See how green it is??

We've also been busy canning this month.  So far this year we've canned 70 pints of our homemade salsa!!!  MMMMM  MMMMMM GOOD!!!

And I'm still praying for my sweet mama!!!

We got the results of the CT scan, and mom has a small spot on the lymph nodes next to where the small bowel dumps into the colon, and she has a small spot on her liver.  We met with a surgeon in St. Louis at Barnes Jewish Hospital last week, and mom is scheduled for surgery on Thursday, August 25th.  We KNOW that God sent us to this surgeon and we are very anxious to get the surgery behind us.  The doctor is very positive, and SO ARE WE!!! I do have a PRAISE to share with you.  We got the results of the biopsy of the large polyp that they removed during mom's colonoscopy last month.  NO CANCER!!!!  So we are excited about that!!!!  

Great news!!!!  THANK YOU JESUS!!!!!

So, these are our SPECIFIC PRAYER REQUESTS for the next couple of weeks:

#1 Mom needs to eat and try to gain some weight.  Mom has always been very thin, and she is pretty frail.  We need her to have a great appetite and eat LOTS and try to put on a couple of pounds!

#2 Mom needs to walk and build up some strength.  My mom is a putterer, she is up cleaning the kitchen or folding laundry, but she never gets out and walks or gets her heart rate up.  The doctor wants her to walk at least 30 minutes a day, every day, to get some strength built up.  The stronger she is pre-surgery, the faster she will heal post-surgery.

#3 We want the lymph nodes to show NO CANCER.  If the lymph nodes show no cancer, then they will just watch the spot on the liver.  They don't want to biopsy it, and said they would just do CT scans every 3 months and if it doesn't grow then they won't do anything.  THAT IS OUR PRAYER!!!!

#4 A completely routine surgery with no complications!!!  No infection, no surprises, just a nice normal surgery to remove the tumor in her colon.

#5 PEACE.  We know that God has allowed this trial to come into our lives.  And we trust Him.  God is God.  He never promised our lives would be problem free.  He promised He would never leave us or forsake us.  We want to be witnesses for Him in every situation.  And if that situation is a hospital, then we want the light of Jesus to shine from us.  We want others to see JESUS IN US!  The enemy thinks he has overtaken us.  My friends he will NOT WIN.  He was defeated over 2,000 years ago.  He has no authority.  None.  I SAID NONE.  

We are praying for healing in Jesus name and we are believing for healing!!!!!!  Instant miracle?  Awesome.  Surgery?  Perfect.  Treatment?  You bet.  We know that God is greater than every situation in our lives, and what the enemy means for harm, God will use for GOOD!!!  I know He has a plan.

Thank you thank you thank you for your prayers.  Please keep the prayers coming.  We are keeping our eyes on Jesus!!!  We are rebuking the enemy and praising God even in the midst of this storm.

A friend sent this to me and it is so true!!

And so I say to the devil what David said to Goliath all those years ago:

“You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord
of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.  This day the  Lord will deliver
you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.    Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord  does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.”

 

I Samuel 17:44-47

I know that I know that I know that God is in control.  I do not know exactly what tomorrow looks like, or the day after that.  But I know the One Who does, and I trust Him.  I trust Him with my salvation, and I trust Him with my mother's healing.  

I ask that you join me in agreeing for complete healing in Jesus name for my mom.   I believe Jesus is Who He says He is.  I believe He saves, and I believe He heals.  

I am asking Him to heal my mother.  And I ask for you to pray that way as well.  The prayer of the righteous availeth MUCH!!!!

God is good, ALL THE TIME!!!!!

An Update

It was my prayer that this post would be announcing a completely normal colonoscopy.

In spite of our prayers for this "cup" to pass over us, God has chosen that we will walk through the fiery trial of colon cancer.  That was my mom's diagnosis following her colonoscopy

this past Friday.

Are we disappointed?  Yes.

Are we afraid?  Yes. (Just being honest.)

Are we hopeless?  NO!!

HOPE HAS A NAME AND THAT NAME IS JESUS CHRIST!!!

So here is where we are.  My mom has a CT scan of her abdomen Tuesday morning (August 2nd) at 8:30 a.m. to see if the cancer has spread past the outer wall of her colon.  WE ARE PRAYING MIGHTILY THAT THE CANCER IS CONTAINED IN HER COLON.  She will have to have surgery to remove a part of her large intestine, where the tumor is located, but if the cancer is contained she probably will not have to have any chemo or radiation.  THAT IS OUR PRAYER!!!!!

We also need God to open doors to the surgeon that He wants us to use.  We are looking into several options, as we want the BEST care possible for her.  So we would appreciate your prayers for wisdom and guidance and open doors.

Again, I thank each of you for praying.  We are fixing our eyes on Jesus and are DETERMINED that what the enemy meant for harm, GOD IS GOING TO USE FOR HIS GLORY!!!!!

Bless you all, and please agree with me and my family in prayer for my mom, Donna.

SPECIFIC PRAYER

If you missed my last blog post about my mom, please look HERE to get the background.

My mom's colonoscopy is Friday, July 29th

at 11:45 a.m.

We are praying that the colonoscopy is completely routine and shows absolutely no abnormalities.

We are praying that God will be with every doctor, every nurse, every anesthesiologist, every person that will come into contact with my mom and that God will give them divine wisdom and ability before, during and after the procedure.

We are praying against worry and fear, as they are not of God, and we are praying for the Holy Spirit to comfort my mom, and our family, and send us peace that passes all understanding.

We are praying that everyone in the hospital sees the love of Jesus in our family.

I ask that you would agree with me and my family between now and Friday for healing for my mother in Jesus name.

She is feeling much better since the transfusion.  Thank you to all who have prayed.  Please keep the prayers coming!  God bless each one of you!

My Mother Needs Prayer

I know my posts have been few and far between lately and for that I am sorry.  Life is going by at 1,000 miles per hour, and making time to sit down and share a blog post just hasn't been happening.  But today I stop.  I stop and I post because I need your prayers.

I won't bother you with the long story and all of the details.  They aren't particularly important. 

What is important is the request . . . I am asking you to pray for my mother.  She needs a touch from the Great Physician.

This picture of my mom, was taken a couple of years ago while we were on vacation.

 

My mother is in the hospital.  She's been there since yesterday as her hemoglobin is extremely low.  

The bottom line is this . . . either her body isn't making blood for some reason, or she is losing blood somewhere in her body.  

This morning she had a scope of her esophagus and stomach and I'm pleased to proclaim that it was COMPLETELY NORMAL.  Thank you Jesus!!!!  Yesterday she received an infusion of iron, and this afternoon she is receiving two units of blood.  We are expecting that she will get to go home later this afternoon.

Next week she will have a colonoscopy.  

WE ARE PRAYING FOR COMPLETE HEALING IN JESUS NAME.  WE ARE PRAYING THAT THE RESULTS OF THAT COLONOSCOPY ARE COMPLETELY NORMAL.

WE ARE BELIEVING THAT GOD IS GOD, AND THAT HE IS STILL ON THE THRONE AND THAT HE STILL HEALS.

WE ARE PRAYING FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT TO COMFORT MY MOTHER AND GIVE HER PERFECT PEACE DURING THIS STORM.

I cannot thank you enough for your prayers.  Please pray as if this was your mother, or your sister, or you friend.  Pray as the Holy Spirit leads you.  Pray when the Holy Spirit leads you.  Pray in the name of Jesus.

If you want to pray for her by name . . . 

my mother's name is Donna.

She is a Spirit-Filled Christian.

She is a licensed minister.

She is a prayer warrior.

James 5:14-15 says this:

^" Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.  And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven."

  

Please pray with faith and pray expecting that we will receive the healing we are asking for.

Jesus never fails.

Thank you all for praying.

Autumn

I know, I know.  It's only July.

But the heat and the humidity in Missouri are exhausting.

I'm ready for FALL!!!!!

Hurricane

I'd sure appreciate prayers for my son-in-law, a Marine deployed in Japan, and for several folks from our church who are in Taiwan serving on a missions trip at an orphanage.

SEE THIS 

The hurricane is bearing down on them and mandatory evacuations are ordered.  Please pray that God will protect them all.

Thanks for the prayers! 

Best $3.00 I've Ever Spent

I've been using THIS eyeliner for about two years now.  I really love the product, but the brush, eh.  It's OK, but I never could get a nice smooth, THIN line.  But, it's the brush that came with the eyeliner so I just kept on using it.

BOY WAS I MISSING THE BOAT!!!!

A couple of weeks ago my beautiful niece introduced me to THIS:


 

This is the e.l.f. angled eyeliner brush.  It has completely changed my morning makeup routine.  No more big black line around my eyes!!!  It is so easy to use, and so easy to just get a thin application of eyeliner on my eyelids!!! 

I know there are more expensive brands of brushes out there, but for $3.00 at Wal-Mart you can pick up one of these!!  

Seriously, if you're just using the brush that came with your eyeliner, and it's WAY TOO BIG, head over to Wal-Mart and GET ONE OF THESE BRUSHES!!  The "Cleopatra" look (heavy black eyeliner) is out . . . THIN IS IN!!!!

It might not change your life . . . but it will definitely change your eyes!!!

**Not a paid advertisement . . . Wal-Mart and e.l.f. have never heard of me. . . just telling you about a product I love**

King of the World

I heard this song on the radio a couple of days ago and it absolutely blew me away.

I have been SO GUILTY of putting Jesus in a box.  Of trying to think I am strong.  Of trying to take situations out of His hands.  

When did I forget that HE has always been the king of the world??

I am so humbled by the message of this song.  So ashamed that I am so unworthy of His love and His grace and His mercy.  So in awe that He loves me in spite of my many, many failures.

So thankful that He is the king of the world. 

My Life In Pictures

Is it just me, or can you not BE-LIEVE that it is June 1st???  I mean, where did springtime go??  For that matter where did wintertime go??  My mom always told me the older I got the faster time would go . . . . and I believe she was right!

So I'm gonna give you a quick review of the last couple of weeks of my life . . . . in pictures.

Ready, set, GO!!!!

On Sunday, May 15th, my dad and I flew out of St. Louis, to Los Angeles, California.  My daughter was waiting for us at the airport and we got in her car for the 1,800 mile drive back to Missouri!  Driving through California, Arizona, and Nevada is pretty much a whole lotta NUTHING.

We drove through Las Vegas Sunday afternoon, and spent about an hour or so visiting with several family members who live out there.  It was awesome to get to see them, but the drive ahead of us was long, so we had to keep the visit short.  

 But man was it HOT!!!!  Yes, that says 95 degrees!!!!

By Sunday evening we were driving through western Utah and it was gorgeous!!!  And much colder.  I didn't take a picture of the car thermometer, but it was in the upper 40s with snow on the mountain peaks!

We spent the night in Grand Junction, Colorado, and by the time we got through Vail Monday morning we were in a BLIZZARD.  I'm not kidding . . . . it snowed about as hard as I have ever seen it snow.  We were going maybe 30 miles per hour for miles and miles and miles.   Finally got out of the snow in Denver, but it rained on us the entire way back to Missouri.  We got home Monday night/Tuesday morning about 12:45 a.m.  1,800 miles . . . but I'm so happy to have my daughter back home with us.  Prayers for our son-in-law are appreciated as he is deployed in Okinawa, Japan.

This past weekend we visited four cemeteries, putting out flowers on graves.  This is a tradition that my dad and I have done together for more years than I can remember. 

My great-grand parents, Ed and Myrtle Graham.

Our garden is looking great.  Actually this picture is from a couple of weeks ago.  Our tomatoes and potatoes are both starting to bloom.  We've had some much needed rain and warm temperatures, which really helps out the garden. 

And our yard!!  This time of year we are mowing every single week, and sometimes we have to mow a day or two early.  We live out in the country so it's not like we have to mow when our neighbor does . . . but it gets pretty straggly looking with all the rain we've had!!

Hope you enjoyed the pictures and the little "glimpse" of our lives these last couple of weeks!  Blessings to each and every one of you!!  I love my blogging buddies!!!!!