On Eagle's Wings

On Eagle's Wings
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:29-31

Followers

Sunday, January 31, 2016

Show of Hands?

Not here. Still washing dishes by hand and while I may have the cleanest hands, they are so rough, socks, underwear, small washcloths cling to my hands and won't shake off!

But if that is all there is to complain about, no problem! Dirty dishes mean we have food to eat. Dishwater means we have plenty of water for our needs. Sometimes as I run water freely from the faucet, I think about how rough it had to be for people in ages past having to draw water from rivers and streams or springs daily. People today in different parts of the world still do not know the luxury of clean water. I know that we are blessed and I am thankful.

Other things to rejoice about.

Beautiful weather here in our neck of the woods.


Kate and Jack were here last weekend so we went to one of their favorite places.
Going Bonkers. 
Methinks it is aptly named.

We give them each $5 in quarters to play games and earn tickets.
Jack spent every quarter he had on this pick 'em up steal your money game
hoping to win something.
He never gives up.

Surprise, surprise and to Jack's dismay, 
he actually was able to pick one up and win.
PINK!!!!
He came back to the table crying because of the pink pig he won.


I felt so badly for him that I talked (begged) the manager to open up the thing 
and let Jack exchange the toy for something he wanted.
He did! What a nice guy!

It was a very cold weekend, so this was a diversion at home.

Here is Kate with the dollhouse we got for her in
place of the Barbie Dolls.
I'm really glad she likes this better than Barbie.

We found boxes in the garage for them to play with.
Kate fixed this one up to be a TV so she could play weather girl.
She wrote the temperature and forecast on the flaps
of the boxes so she could flip them up or down when giving the weather report.

DO NOT DARE say Jack in the box!

I love Kate's art work.

In the car on their way home after leaving Nonnie and Grandpa's.
I think you might say they had too much fun!

Sheila, Victoria and Ginger
 the very precious ladies I get to sing with each Tuesday morning
at our Ladies of Grace Bible study.

One of our LOG members is married to a cardiologist,
who takes very seriously our diet and eating the good foods God created for us.
Every few weeks, Erin brings her message of nutrition and delicious
samples for us to enjoy.
On this day we sampled beet hummus on cucumbers, Pad Thai salad and 
gluten free chocolate chip cookies, all of which were fabulous.
I came home and made the chocolate chip cookies and I think from
now on that will be my recipe for them.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies from Honeyville Brand Almond Flour

2 ½ c. almond flour
½ t. salt
½ t. baking soda

½ c. coconut oil, melted
½ c. pure maple syrup
1 c. dark chocolate chips

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. 
Stir together wet ingredients then add to the dry ones.
Drop in 1 Tbsp servings onto a parchment paper covered cookie sheet.
Bake @ 350 for 7-10 mins.
Cool on wire rack.

Erin with her brilliant husband!

Trudy soaking up some sunshine.

Are these boys not gorgeous??? 
All around handsome, high achievers and full of sweetness.
Noah received the Student of the Month award this week.

So proud of the family God has blessed me with.


I was just getting into you. 
Still hoping for some snow.

Friday, January 15, 2016

If it ain't one thing ...

The first two weeks of this new year have been quiet ... kinda sorta, that is. Bible studies picked up and our first monthly concert of the year was the Four Freshmen. We've had good times with friends and, in between ...Wellllllll, in between the dishwasher stopped working, had to take the dog to the vet to make sure she's all right, I had to see the doctor, "suffered through" a cold, had to get a new tire on the car, life, etc, etc. It's also been quiet because we haven't had any little visitors of this kind.


Whether Darth Vader, or Iron Man or Flash, or whoever, he always stands ready to fight!

The repairman who came to fix the dishwasher DIDN'T. And so, I have another call in and hopefully, he won't charge for not fixing it the first time. Not only that, but tonight, as I'm cleaning up the kitchen, I reached under the sink for a plastic glove only to discover a whole lotta water down there. It was very wet due to a leak in the pipes which DH wasn't able to fix.   Aaaaauuuugggghhh.Call in for another repairman.

In the meantime, (before discovering the leak) I'm cooking minimally, and hand washing and drying dishes. I can't complain at all because DH loves to eat out, so I  don't have to cook. Cooking and cleaning up is something I really don't mind doing, as long as there aren't too many dishes and pots and pans. DH would do the dishes, however, I'll just say I prefer to do this myself. It's somewhat therapeutic to wash and dry dishes and as I stand at the sink, I have fond??? memories of all the years my sister and I did dishes for our Mom. I washed, my sister dried. Every. Single. Day. With the exception of maybe a bag of burgers on Friday night, or a meal while on vacation, our family did not dine out.

In the summertime, Roberta and I had dishwashing down to a very fine art and could have the table cleared and dishes done in less than ten minutes. (If I am exaggerating, I'm sure she will let me know. Truthfully, I think we did them in much less than ten, but I will be fair in my estimation.) Our haste in finishing this daily duty, was to get back outside where the action was. Summertime stuff ... just hanging out with neighbor kids.

I do recall a few little arguments along the way as we did our work. It would begin with a splash of water as I plopped the dishes into the rinse water. Oh, sorry. Did I splash you? And I think she may have enjoyed giving back a dish or two and letting me know it wasn't quite clean enough. Ahem. I think a good swipe of a dish towel might have gotten that speck of food off without too much elbow grease. Ahhhh, those were the days. I also recall with a smile the times spent in the kitchen with Mom, my sister and my sister-in-love after a big Sunday dinner. The kitchen was tiny and we were always bumping into each other.

On a lighter note, I have been putting off DH about traveling. I prefer to stay home but, as I watch him around the house, I can see it would really be a pick-me-up for him if we were to go somewhere. He would like to do a Viking cruise, but it doesn't seem like a good idea to travel overseas at this time. At least for us. So, we will be going on a cruise not too far from the good old USA, and I think it will be fun.

And the good news about our sweet Trudy is that she is healthy for a dog her age. We have had her 15 1/2 years, and when we rescued her, the vet estimated her age to be about 1-3. She does have quite a case of doggie dementia and, while it can be very frustrating for us to watch, at least she isn't in pain. I am so relieved to know that. 

 She finds herself in places or spaces she didn't really want to be and can't get out.

Taking a rest after constant circling.

It was somewhat painful for me physically last week though. It was raining cats and dogs and time for this little dog to go potty. I knew it would be a struggle, but she was disoriented and went out to the middle of the yard. She circled round and round and round until she fell down. It was cold and wet out there, but I put on my coat and crocs to go out to get her and slipped, flipped and slid down the hill on my back trying to catch her! At least she had someone to towel her down with warm towels and put her in her dry bed.

As for me, I had to wash my muddy clothes and take a bath. I seem to be fine except for the fact that my perfect hair day that day was ruined by the escapade in the rain and mud. Oh, the sacrifices we make for our lovable creatures.




Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Thanks and praise

I praise God that I woke up this morning after sleeping all night in a warm, dry bed in our spacious home. My husband was there next to me, the morning was quiet and dawn was beginning to show itself. As I arise, there is no fear of any enemies in our quiet neighborhood, plenty of food in the kitchen, and the Word was my first taste of the day. I have so many resources at hand to study God's Word, a phone that will play music, I have time with God, preparing for Bible study, plenty of clothes to choose from, and the list goes on.

I am loved, forgiven, redeemed, and have hope for the future because of God's love and grace. He is aware of all that's going on with the world, and all that concerns me and mine. He is working on our behalf.

May I become less and less and He become more and more in me. Praying to know Him more, pressing on to know Him better.

Hosea 6:3, Philippians 3:8, Philippians 1:9. Praying my love will abound more and more, that I will walk in a manner worthy of Him, to build myself up on my most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit and keep myself in God's love, as I wait for Jesus' return. Jude 20-21.