Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Just More News

Hi, Everyone! It has been so hectic around here that I wasn't able to post anything for several days. Mom's 80th birthday party went so well, we were able to surprise her and for that we were glad. There were many friends and relatives in attendance at the cake and ice cream party on Sunday at the church. I saw cousins I haven't seen for 20 years. It was alot of fun but made for a very long day for us. We were literally at church from 8:30 a.m. until about 5:30 p.m. with only a short break of about a half hour after services to run home and pick up party supplies!

Emma missed her nap that day and was a little cranky before the party. She quickly got over it and was all smiles as she played with other little cousins. We had out of town company that came to attend. They attended church with us in the morning and stayed all night on Sunday. It was great visiting with them. We cooked supper Sunday evening after we got home and had a relaxed time around the dining room table. They left on Monday morning to head back home to Alabama and we did a bunch of laundry and touched up the house just in time for a visit from a minister friend of ours from Texas that was in the area. He had been holding special meetings, most of which we attended in the evenings last week. He came over for a late lunch yesterday and visited with us all afternoon. Very nice to see him again and catch up on news as well as share good fellowship about the Christian life. It is so important for Christians to encourage each other. Proverbs says, "As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend." Proverbs 27:17 He was a sharpening to us!

Today we decided to take a little bit of personal time this morning and early afternoon. We went shopping for clothing. We both have been trying to upgrade our "failing" wardrobes. Our clothes are just showing signs of aging and it was time for new things! I found very little, while Clint was finding lots of bargains. I bought some really nice dress material, though, at bargain prices. I did finish the lace shell on Saturday and was able to get it blocked and wearable for Sunday. I got lots of compliments on it and I am sure it will be a standard item in my summer and fall wardrobe from now on. I hope to post a picture (maybe tomorrow.) I wore it with an outfit I made years ago from a Civil War era costume pattern. The costume patterns can be adapted to look like more modern clothing with just a little creativity. This one worked well for that.

Got home this afternoon to find that peaches are in and I needed to pick them up. Rhiannon took me over to get them. I got a bushel and a half. Probably won't be enough. We have only one jar left on the shelf from last year. At the end of the week the corn will be ready to freeze as well. Can you say "busy?" I should pick blackberries as well.

Weeded a bit in the English garden tonight and noticed, much to my delight, that the fragrant honeysuckle is re-blooming! Some cosmos are out now as well and I wish I had more! Not much else in new except more weeds! It's pretty well out of control, but I intend to keep plugging away at the cleanup effort. I pulled most of the green beans out of the rows tonight, dug some potatoes and pulled quite a few onions. Mom cleaned all the onions and potatoes while I picked the few beans off the plants. Mom cleaned and sorted them. We have a good meal's worth of beans from plants that were all but done. I got out a big ham to cook with the potatoes and beans. Yum, yum.

The really big news is that we found out we are having a new granddaughter in the family at the end of the year! That will be just great for Emma to have a little sister. Now starts the name search! Rhiannon and I have been doing a little more family history sleuthing, visiting cemeteries, checking online, and reading old diaries in an attempt to make some connections that are missing in the family history. It's so interesting to read some of the names. We have some real unusual ones here and there. I could suggest a few for the baby.....

If I could encourage you all with something today, it would be thoughts toward diligence. With all the busyness around here and work that's piling up with the canning and all, I've determined to be diligent. As we have learned in our 17 years of pastoring, diligence is a virtue that needs to be developed. It is strongly related to consistencyand discipline. I figure if I'm diligent and consistent, working at a smart pace, I'll eventually get everything done that needs doing around here. Right now it looks overwhelming, but diligence will go a long way toward chipping away at projects that loom large! Proverbs 10:4 declares, "He who has a slack hand becomes poor, But the hand of the diligent makes rich." I want to be a diligent person. Diligent and consistent living of Bible principles produces great reward. We have often seen that folks struggling with life issues could have so many of their heartaches solved with consistenly living the instructions of the word; day after day putting into practice the Lord's principles and commands. It is encouraging when you make an effort at diligence because something is then accomplished every day, making your task or problem or whatever look smaller with each new day. Blessings, LORI

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