I didn't become an avid reader until my mid twenties. I first got started on Danielle Steele novels. They always seemed to have a happy ending. But, I furthered my interests and here's what we've got:
1. One Book That Changed My Life: I don't know if it changed my life so much as it changed the way I think. They are fictional books, but it's one mans way of seeing spiritual warfare. That author is Frank Peretti and his books "This Present Darkness" and "Piercing the Darkness". They give you a visual of how this (invisible to us) spiritual battle is going on around us. I had to really take my time and read these books, that are not speed reading material.
2. One Book That You Have Read More Than Once: I read a Purpose Filled Life by Rick Warren twice. Both times it was a church wide Bible study. It is a good book though. The Black Opal, I don't remember the authors name. Again, Fictional reading and this was a romance, but not the smut filled, clean romance novel set in late 1800's or early 1900's, I dont really remember,(you'd think I would remember given I read it twice) but it started in America and then later moved to Australia.
3. One Book That You Would Want With You On A Deserted Island: I think I would need a "how to" book. Especially if I was alone and not deserted with my husband. I would need a book entitled "HOW TO MAKE A FIRE, BUILD A SHELTER, FIND FOOD, BUILD A BOAT TO GET OFF THIS ISLAND"
4. One Book That Made You Laugh: Most Childrens stories. I was a Preschool Teacher for awhile and a lot of the childrens books will even make adults laugh.
5. One Book That Made You Cry: The Diary of Anne Frank
6. One Book That You Wish Had Been Written: I like Annie's Answer with God's Phone Number. That was good, but you've already got it sister. It's Jeremiah 33:3 Look it up and tell me I'm not right. How about a parents manual. You get an instruction book with everything except for your kids. I know there are a lot of books out there about raising kids, but each child is so different. I have 3 sons and it's been different with each of them. They each needed something different from us.
7. One Book That You Wish Had Not Been Written: I don't like books directed at children that send them messages that it is okay to not believe in God, or that two mommies or two daddies is normal. I'm not a fan of anything Michael Moore either.
8. One Book You Are Currently Reading: Beth Moore: Get Out Of That Pit Frank Peretti: Monster. Sorry, reading more than one book at a time
9. One Book That you've been meaning to Read: That last book in the Left Behind Series. I devoured the first books, but got behind and just haven't picked it up yet. Maybe this will be the year.
10. Now tag 5 people...well, I've recently started this blog and don't know many people who do this so... I'll have to skip this part. Feel free to leave books on the comment page for anyone who might read this.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Thursday, December 27, 2007
The Best Present Ever....
Christmas was a joy with our family this year. My dad, a long distance truck driver was able to be home. My grandmother from Indiana flew down to Texas for her first visit, and I went out to San Angelo & brought Brian Jr. home for the holiday. That was a trip in itself. If you read the last blog you know it was a turn around trip. We got to San Angelo around 8pm and left again around 9pm. We made it to my mom's south of Livingston around 5am. Oh were we ever tired. We slept about 4 hours, got up again, so that Brian could visit with his Great-Grandma. We stayed until 1, then went home where we thought we were going to get some more sleep. WRONG! Jeremy wanted me to take him to the bank and to the mall. He said Josh was bringing his check and would be there about 3:30. It was then 2:30 and I didn't think one hour would be enough so I waited for Josh to show up. He didn't get there till 5:30.:( I took Jeremy over to the bank and mall, then had to get ready for my husbands work Christmas Party. It was at 7:30. Needless to say, I was more of a zombie than anything else. I ate some, but didn't socialize like I normally would have. I fell into bed, FINALLY, around 10pm. The rest of the weekend was active, but not too bad. I had to work for half day on Christmas Eve. I had been trying to find a puppy for Joseph for Christmas. Since he had lost his lab two weeks ago. I ran into a friend at the mall and she new someone that had one little puppy left. So after work on Christmas Eve, I went and picked him up. Then we had to sneak little puppy in the car all the way to Grandma's house hoping he would make a sound and if he did, Joseph wouldn't hear it. He was a good Christmas Present and stayed quiet the entire trip to Grandma's. We snuck him into Grandma's room where he stayed until the next morning. It was hard staying out of that room too!! He's so cute you can't help but play with him. After all presents were opened, I told Joseph I forgot one of his presents in the bedroom and I didn't wrap it. He was wearing a Santa hat so I asked to borrow it to hide the present in it. I came out with puppy in hat. Joseph looked and instantly had tears in his eyes. (and so did mom and gram and great gram) He didn't hardly put him down the rest of the day. He named him Buddy. Here is a picture of Buddy as we came home from Gram's house. He is a mix of Chihuahua, Beagle and weenie dog.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
And so it begins....
Last night (Wednesday 12/19) My mom and I drove to Hobby Airport to pick up my Grandmother. She was flying in from Indiana. It was her first flight. They left the Louisville airport on time, then went to Birmingham where they were delayed about 40 minutes. Then on in to Houston. This is also her first trip to Texas. After she arrived we made our way through baggage and on the way home. (my house) When we got there, there were several hugs and hellos to be had. Nanny had not seen my boys in awhile. They have grown a lot since then. We ate some pizza, showed her around my house and then off she and my mom went to mom's house. They didn't get home till eleven or so. And now it's my turn to be the traveller. I'm leaving this afternoon to go get Brian from San Angelo. He told me that since he's not the driver, he can leave after classes today. Anyone who is driving their own vehicle, has to wait until 6am Friday. So, 7 hours out there to get him and turn around and drive 7 hours right back. I'm tired just thinking of it, but I'm pretty excited to see him and to have him home for Christmas. And so the journey begins....I'll try to post again before Christmas, but if not Merry Christmas to all who reads this. Here is one of my favorite Christmas cartoons. Enjoy
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
It's Christmas!!!
Here it is, December 18th !!! 6 more days till Christmas!!! I remember being really excited as a child and not being to go to sleep. The excitement is a little different now. Instead of waiting for "Santa" and what I would get in the morning...Now I'm excited about my son coming home, my Grandmother coming down from Indiana, and what I'm giving to the ones I love. To see their faces when they open the gifts. I'm also excited about having a "daughter" for this Christmas. (Brian & Ashlynn are getting engaged!!!) I had so much fun shopping for a girl! I hope she likes what I got for her. I've been trying to pay attention when we've gone shopping. Making mental notes of what she says she likes, wants or needs.
On a sad note, Joseph lost his dog this past Saturday(15th). We were out at my parents house, in the country. All the dogs have the run of the property. Her house is down a dirt road. There are only 7 houses on this long road. Someone drove past and hit Gracie. They didn't even stop to let us know. My dad saw her lying down and the other dogs around her. He told Joseph and they went out to see if it was Gracie, and it was. She was scratched up quite a bit, and she couldn't walk. I didn't think there was anything we could do for her, but Joseph was quite upset and begged us to take her to the vet to check her out. My husband, dad and Joseph went to the vet. They took x-rays and determined that her back legs were both out of the sockets. There was a possible surgery, but no guarantees it would work. Then, if it did work, it would be months of rehab afterwards. The vet recommended that the best for all would be to put her down. Joseph went back in the room with Grace, loved on her for awhile and said his goodbyes to her. It was precious and awful all at the same time. Joseph didn't want to leave her there, so my dad said we'd bring her home to bury her on the property, so he would know where she was. He has asked if he could get another dog. So we've been looking for a small, female puppy. We may have found one. A man here said he had a chihuahua mix at his deer lease, and if one was a female he'd bring it down on Friday. I will take her to my mom's house and she will keep her till Christmas. I really hope he would like a small dog. Gracie was a yellow lab mix. We just really don't want another large dog in the house.
As for now until Christmas....like all of you, I'm going to be really busy. I've got to finish house cleaning, Grandma comes in on Wednesday evening:) Mom and I will be getting her at the airport. Then on Thursday afternoon, Ashlynn and I leave to get Brian Jr. and bring him home. We will get home on Friday afternoon. Saturday I've got baking to do, Sunday we have church and a Christmas party in the evening. Christmas Eve, I'll work half a day and then head to mom and dad's house. Busy Busy...but fun and so looking forward to it.
I wish all of you a Merry Christmas!!! Enjoy the day and the family and Remember that if not for Jesus it would just be a day on the calendar!
On a sad note, Joseph lost his dog this past Saturday(15th). We were out at my parents house, in the country. All the dogs have the run of the property. Her house is down a dirt road. There are only 7 houses on this long road. Someone drove past and hit Gracie. They didn't even stop to let us know. My dad saw her lying down and the other dogs around her. He told Joseph and they went out to see if it was Gracie, and it was. She was scratched up quite a bit, and she couldn't walk. I didn't think there was anything we could do for her, but Joseph was quite upset and begged us to take her to the vet to check her out. My husband, dad and Joseph went to the vet. They took x-rays and determined that her back legs were both out of the sockets. There was a possible surgery, but no guarantees it would work. Then, if it did work, it would be months of rehab afterwards. The vet recommended that the best for all would be to put her down. Joseph went back in the room with Grace, loved on her for awhile and said his goodbyes to her. It was precious and awful all at the same time. Joseph didn't want to leave her there, so my dad said we'd bring her home to bury her on the property, so he would know where she was. He has asked if he could get another dog. So we've been looking for a small, female puppy. We may have found one. A man here said he had a chihuahua mix at his deer lease, and if one was a female he'd bring it down on Friday. I will take her to my mom's house and she will keep her till Christmas. I really hope he would like a small dog. Gracie was a yellow lab mix. We just really don't want another large dog in the house.
As for now until Christmas....like all of you, I'm going to be really busy. I've got to finish house cleaning, Grandma comes in on Wednesday evening:) Mom and I will be getting her at the airport. Then on Thursday afternoon, Ashlynn and I leave to get Brian Jr. and bring him home. We will get home on Friday afternoon. Saturday I've got baking to do, Sunday we have church and a Christmas party in the evening. Christmas Eve, I'll work half a day and then head to mom and dad's house. Busy Busy...but fun and so looking forward to it.
I wish all of you a Merry Christmas!!! Enjoy the day and the family and Remember that if not for Jesus it would just be a day on the calendar!
Friday, December 7, 2007
Battles
"To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best day and night to make you like everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight and never stop fighting."-e e cummingsUS poet (1894 - 1962)
I got this quote from another blog. After recently completing the Daniel Study it seems quite accurate. Here we (christians) are living in "Babylon" and trying not to be of the world. But it's literally surrounding us and bombarding us daily with all its temptations. So what indulgences are off limits? Daniel chose not to eat at the kings banquet table. It was not only the food that was off limits to him, but the idea of eating off the kings table was to accept him and his ways. We don't have food that if off limits to us, but we can eat too much of a good thing. And often do. And it is too easy to just go get what you're wanting. And all the commercials and advertisers play to the sense that "you deserve it". And it's not just food, but stuff. You can never have enough. And if you can't afford something, then it's perfectly acceptable to charge it and pay it off later. But then you fall into debt. The more you do this, the more debt you acquire and the things don't satisfy for long. The bible says this Proverbs 22: 7b ...And the borrower is servant to the lender. As Christmas is approaching, a lot of people go into some major credit card debt to be able to "afford" Christmas. I have fallen into this pit before, but now, we have no credit cards. We set up a budget for Christmas and that's it. Banks have Christmas club accounts that you can start and be able to pay cash for your presents. Then you're not paying interest to someone else for your purchases. There are more trappings that we can fall into other than food and debt...and you know what trappings might be snaring you. I would just like you to keep this in mind...
It's a battle thats never over, a battle we will always fight, and a battle we will lose if we take our eyes off Jesus for one second.
I got this quote from another blog. After recently completing the Daniel Study it seems quite accurate. Here we (christians) are living in "Babylon" and trying not to be of the world. But it's literally surrounding us and bombarding us daily with all its temptations. So what indulgences are off limits? Daniel chose not to eat at the kings banquet table. It was not only the food that was off limits to him, but the idea of eating off the kings table was to accept him and his ways. We don't have food that if off limits to us, but we can eat too much of a good thing. And often do. And it is too easy to just go get what you're wanting. And all the commercials and advertisers play to the sense that "you deserve it". And it's not just food, but stuff. You can never have enough. And if you can't afford something, then it's perfectly acceptable to charge it and pay it off later. But then you fall into debt. The more you do this, the more debt you acquire and the things don't satisfy for long. The bible says this Proverbs 22: 7b ...And the borrower is servant to the lender. As Christmas is approaching, a lot of people go into some major credit card debt to be able to "afford" Christmas. I have fallen into this pit before, but now, we have no credit cards. We set up a budget for Christmas and that's it. Banks have Christmas club accounts that you can start and be able to pay cash for your presents. Then you're not paying interest to someone else for your purchases. There are more trappings that we can fall into other than food and debt...and you know what trappings might be snaring you. I would just like you to keep this in mind...
It's a battle thats never over, a battle we will always fight, and a battle we will lose if we take our eyes off Jesus for one second.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Our Soldiers
Just wanted to let everyone know, that may not know, you can help our troops with morale by sending them letters, cards, and care packages. There are many sites, but the one I chose was http://www.anysoldier.com/ . You can select up to two soldiers per day to receive their address and a lists of needs (most are small) and how many soldiers are in his command. I selected two names. One has 4 men under him and the other has 8. You can choose which branch of the military to send to and select men or women. Mostly they need letters from "home". While on the anysoldier website, I started looking at some of the other soldiers. One of them (and probably more) has his own blog to keep us updated as to some of the things they are able to do. It's very inspiring and humbling. His blog address is http://shazdoc.blogspot.com/ I highly recommend you checking this out. It's amazing! Also, there has been an email going out and most of you probably have gotten it. It is the address to Walter Reed Army Medical Center. To send those recovering a card. I have participated twice now with this. Once with my office, then again with my family. The address is: A Recovering American Soldier
C/O Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Ave NW
Washington, DC 20307-5001
Since my son is now in service, and most every male relative I have has served or is serving in the military, I know how important it is to these service men and women to know that they are supported, cared for and remembered. Just a thought for today... Think about what you would want if you were the one in their shoes. God Bless You Karen
C/O Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Ave NW
Washington, DC 20307-5001
Since my son is now in service, and most every male relative I have has served or is serving in the military, I know how important it is to these service men and women to know that they are supported, cared for and remembered. Just a thought for today... Think about what you would want if you were the one in their shoes. God Bless You Karen
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Catch up
Wow! I couldn't hardly believe that it's been almost a month since I posted something. We have been busy. After Brian's graduation we got ready for Thanksgiving. We drove to Lawton, OK. It's about 7 hours from here. It was such a wonderful weekend. They made some good food. John deep fried two turkeys.
I have two brothers. One older, one younger. I have not been close to either of them for some time. Brian and I moved to Texas 10 1/2 years ago from the Chicago area. My younger brother, Bob, still lives there with his family. John moved back to the Chicago area at the same time we moved away. The distance seemed to affect the relationships. The phone calls became less frequent, however unintentional it may have been. John, then rejoined the Army. He is now stationed at Ft Sill in OK. The time spent with my brother John and his wife Lori was good. John married Lori after we moved to Texas, so we've never had a really good chance to know each other. Lori and I went shopping the day after Thanksgiving and had a wonderful time. We did a lot of talking and shopping and just had a fun girl day. I got most of my Christmas shopping done that day. It was such a blessing for me to spend that time with her. The day we left, it started to snow. It was fun to see it again, just glad I don't have to live in it any more. We stopped for the night at my Mom's house in Shepherd, TX. (just south of Livingston) As soon as we got there, I brushed my hair, put on some make-up and went with her to a Christmas ornament exchange with the ladies of her church. That was fun. Some of those ladies are just too much!! We drew numbers and then picked a gift or stole someone else's gift. There were about 30 ladies there. It went on for some time, but oh what fun it was! We spent the night with my parents and on Sunday helped my Mom deck her halls. We put up the tree and decorated it. Since I had helped her, she said she would come to my house and help me with my tree. She came down on Wednesday and we got my tree up and decorated. I think this will be a new tradition with us. It was fun decorating our trees together. We ended the evening with some Mexican food for dinner.
In other news... My oldest son, Brian has proposed to his girlfriend Ashlynn. They plan to be married on May 24, 2008. I am happy for them. They make a good pair. I have from now until then to wrap my brain around the idea of being a "mother-in-law". You never hear good things about a "mother-in-law". I hope to change this with Ashlynn. We have a good friendship so far.
We have joined a new small group at our church. Small group is another name for Bible Study. We do weekly at home bible studies in place of most Sunday school classes. We have gotten into one that really seems to fit us. In previous groups, my husband is usually only one of a couple of men that attend. And he really needed one with more men. Each member of the group has something we can relate with. One mom is starting to home school her boys...been there. Another couple is having real trouble with their son...OH have I been there!! Another has a sibling that will be having a valve replacement on their heart... My niece Ashley has gone through this several times. And yet one more couple has a teenager that has moved in with them and relating with her and her parent...again we've had some teenage boys stay with us when they were having troubles with their parents... Is God all over this or what?!! It has been a blessing to us to get to know these families and to be apart of everything that is going on..good and bad..and to see God work in all situations.
God Bless You
Karen
I have two brothers. One older, one younger. I have not been close to either of them for some time. Brian and I moved to Texas 10 1/2 years ago from the Chicago area. My younger brother, Bob, still lives there with his family. John moved back to the Chicago area at the same time we moved away. The distance seemed to affect the relationships. The phone calls became less frequent, however unintentional it may have been. John, then rejoined the Army. He is now stationed at Ft Sill in OK. The time spent with my brother John and his wife Lori was good. John married Lori after we moved to Texas, so we've never had a really good chance to know each other. Lori and I went shopping the day after Thanksgiving and had a wonderful time. We did a lot of talking and shopping and just had a fun girl day. I got most of my Christmas shopping done that day. It was such a blessing for me to spend that time with her. The day we left, it started to snow. It was fun to see it again, just glad I don't have to live in it any more. We stopped for the night at my Mom's house in Shepherd, TX. (just south of Livingston) As soon as we got there, I brushed my hair, put on some make-up and went with her to a Christmas ornament exchange with the ladies of her church. That was fun. Some of those ladies are just too much!! We drew numbers and then picked a gift or stole someone else's gift. There were about 30 ladies there. It went on for some time, but oh what fun it was! We spent the night with my parents and on Sunday helped my Mom deck her halls. We put up the tree and decorated it. Since I had helped her, she said she would come to my house and help me with my tree. She came down on Wednesday and we got my tree up and decorated. I think this will be a new tradition with us. It was fun decorating our trees together. We ended the evening with some Mexican food for dinner.
In other news... My oldest son, Brian has proposed to his girlfriend Ashlynn. They plan to be married on May 24, 2008. I am happy for them. They make a good pair. I have from now until then to wrap my brain around the idea of being a "mother-in-law". You never hear good things about a "mother-in-law". I hope to change this with Ashlynn. We have a good friendship so far.
We have joined a new small group at our church. Small group is another name for Bible Study. We do weekly at home bible studies in place of most Sunday school classes. We have gotten into one that really seems to fit us. In previous groups, my husband is usually only one of a couple of men that attend. And he really needed one with more men. Each member of the group has something we can relate with. One mom is starting to home school her boys...been there. Another couple is having real trouble with their son...OH have I been there!! Another has a sibling that will be having a valve replacement on their heart... My niece Ashley has gone through this several times. And yet one more couple has a teenager that has moved in with them and relating with her and her parent...again we've had some teenage boys stay with us when they were having troubles with their parents... Is God all over this or what?!! It has been a blessing to us to get to know these families and to be apart of everything that is going on..good and bad..and to see God work in all situations.
God Bless You
Karen
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