Wednesday, September 24, 2008

The Virtuous Woman

This past Sunday morning we studied about a Virtuous Woman during Sunday School. I have been reading the passages suggested to go along with this theme and last nights was so good. It was about Esther. WOW!! What a lady!! I am always impressed when I read about her. Some of the points that I got from the passage I read last night are really good. I thought maybe I would share some of them with you.

1. Esther was just a simple yet beautiful girl who had lost both father and mother. She was being raised by her Uncle Mordecai. They were Jews who loved the God of Israel more than themselves. APPLICATION: May I always love the Lord more than anything. May I always put Him first in my heart and life as Esther did.

2. Esther was kindhearted and loved above all of the maidens. She also found favour in the site of the King. APPLICATION: May I always find favour in the site of my Savior. May I always hear Him say "Well done" to me. May my attitude and actions show kindness and love to all I come in contact with.

3. Just because Esther became Queen she did not turn her back on her people or the God she loved and served. APPLICATION: Help me Lord to remember that no matter how important I may become in the worlds eyes, to never lose sight of my heavenly goal or the heritage that I am so blessed with. To always remain true to YOU!!

4. Esther stood for what she believed in and did now cower down when she was needed the most. APPLICATION: Lord help me to stand strong for what I believe in and to not cower before Satan. Help me to not be afraid to be the witness I should be and to stand up for what I know is right even if it's a risk to me.

5. Esther came into the presence of the King not really sure if she would be accepted. She came because she knew that her people were counting on her to make a difference. APPLICATION: Help me to come into the presence of Jesus unafraid with an open heart ready to be accepted. Ready to go out and make a difference in the world around me. To bring others to YOU in prayer. UNAFRAID!! READY TO RECEIVE!!

I don't know about you ladies, but I believe that Esther was a Virtuous Woman whose heart belonged to God. Above all of the riches that she was now a part of, she did not leave God behind but kept her heart in tune with HIM!!

God help me to be this kind of woman!!

Monday, September 22, 2008

God still answers prayer!!

Saturday was a day for running. I hate to shop, but we had to go and get some shopping done despite my feelings of dread and doom. We were going to find Tricia a new pair of church shoes and hopefully a pair of sandals that would fit Katie's fat foot...lol. When we left the house that morning, it was just me and Katie. Tricia had ridden in the truck with daddy and they were to meet us for breakfast. As most of you Moms know, sometimes it is hard to pray on a Saturday morning. Every one's home and like them you want to sleep in a little yourself. So I hadn't had time for prayer before leaving so I prayed while driving down the street. I told the Lord that my girls both needed some shoes and could He help us to find a bargain today. We had an unexpected dentist bill this payday and things were a little tight. I knew that to purchase an expensive pair of shoes was out of the question. We headed for Rack Room Shoes and found nothing. We decided to try Payless Shoes and we were able to find a pair of sandals for Katie. They were only $7.00 regularly $14.99. We found the same pair in a size 13 for Tricia but she just didn't have any growing room. So we weren't able to get her a pair of shoes. That store did not have a big selection either.

Later that evening after being disappointed about Tricia's shoes, I received a phone call from a friend who happened to clean out her daughters shoes. She had two pair of shoes that she wanted to give me. I was so excited because she mentioned that they were almost brand new and Tricia could wear them to church. I never dreamed they would be this nice.
These are Tricia's old shoes. She loved these so much because they "click-clacked" when she walked. She wore them almost every church day. We told her she would have to stop wearing them because her feet were almost out on the ground. Not to mention we couldn't find another pair like them. She was really disappointed.

These are the shoes that our friend gave us. Look at the heels. They are "click-clack" heels...lol. Tricia wore them around the house dancing and clicking through the living room. She likes them a lot.

These are the sandals we found for Katie at Payless Shoes. They fit really well and what a bargain.

So, I'm here to tell you that God still answers our prayers. And sometimes our wants. We really found a "bargain" thanks to Jesus.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Grandparents Chapel and lunch

On September 12th my mom was privileged to attend the annual Grandparents Day Chapel and to eat lunch with Tricia. Tricia was in 9th heaven...heeheehee. She had a blast. My mom said that she had a wonderful time also. The lunch was good and I took Tricia's favorite to her from McD's. I did get a couple of pictures to show you. We only wish that Grandma and Grandpa Wheatcraft could have been here for this special day. We miss you and love you Grandma and Grandpa Wheatcraft. I get my turn on the 25th to enjoy lunch with Tricia. I'm looking forward to it.




Getting Tricia to smile and look at the camera is almost impossible. Her big smile says it all.
Grandma was looking very nice as usual. They had chicken sandwiches with fruit, salad and cookies. She is a diabetic and didn't need the cookies but she had her treat anyways.

They sure had a lot of fun. I am so glad that Tricia had one of her Grandma's with her.



I was never privileged to have a grandparent with me for special occasions. My grandma on Mom's side passed away when I was a young girl and we hardly saw my step-dad's mom. So I am really thankful that Tricia has one of her Grandparents living this close. Grandparents hold such a special place in our hearts.

Thanks Grandma for going to Chapel and lunch with Tricia. We love you!!!

Monday, September 15, 2008

A lazy cat and a dancing little girl

Katie loves our cat Mitsi. She plays with her until she gets scratched then she cries everytime Mitsi comes near her. I don't let Mitsi in a lot. She is strictly an outside cat but when the weather is really warm outside I will let her in to cool off. I guess she's spoiled. She was a hard cat to like until we had her fixed and now she's a big baby. Click on the link below to see a short video of Katie and Mitsi...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yz93mbPDfSA

Saturday, September 13, 2008

A girls gotta do what a girls gotta do...er, ok!!

It's not every day that a girl gets to sleep in a tent - even an indoor one. Tricia decided that tonight was the night for a "bed tent." She gathered up some blankets and built a tent around the bottom bunk and then conned Daddy into sleeping with her in her tent. They were having a blast getting it all ready. Katie was in her bed but couldn't sleep for the noise of the other two and soon she joined them in the tent too. That is until Mommy discovered that we had a dirty diaper in the tent, then it was off to clean up the poopy diaper. After that Katie went back into her own bed and the lights went out. I don't think they will get to sleep any time soon. Here's Tricia's first attempt at the tent. She couldn't get the sides to stay up very well. Daddy soon had her in tip-top shape. He fixed the tent for her and off to bed they went.Katie didn't seem to be having fun. She kept crawling out and running to Mommy.

If you click on the picture and look at it larger, the blue blanket was handmade for us for our wedding. The lady who made it is now in very bad health and probably won't be around for long. I think the quilt is lovely and I plan to keep it for as long as it will hold up.

Just my luck to have a Saturday evening all to my self. It's so quiet....

We can never forget!!

My friend Valerie had this video documentation honoring 9/11 and I wanted to post it to mine as we have different friends on our blog list. My heart was broken all over again as I watched the terrible tragedy that happened on that day. I pray we never forget!!

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Please don't break your neck!!

My mom thought it would be fun to buy rollerskates for Tricia. We helped out with the pads and helmet. From time to time Tricia will get them out and practice around the house. She has only been outside with them a couple of times. Here is a video I did of her in the hallway of our house. Her helper is not really sure she wants to stay very close to Tricia. Wonder why???.....

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Ike, Noah and a stubborn little girl

Saying a great big "Thank You" to Jesus that Hanna is going to miss us. Now we are fervently praying that Ike will slow down and down size. He is headed straight for us and boy I'm NOT ready for him!! I think that the worse thing about these storms is that you stand the chance of loosing your electricity and that can be so tedious because of the freezer and fridge. Not to mention that the weather is still really warm and with no A/C the heat can be so depressing. Then there is the chance of loosing your belongings. I guess that is important too. Never the less, we are surely hoping that Ike turns or gets smaller before hitting us.

The college has been in school revival this week. I was there last night but didn't attempt it tonight. The girls were so tired by the time we got home last night and they were fussy so I thought I would wait and go tomorrow night. The speaker for this year is Randy Hines. He is doing a wonderful job. I watched the service via Internet tonight and he talked about Noah who didn't question God about the job he was to do but obeyed each command without murmuring or complaining. WOW!! Did this ever hit home!! When have we obeyed the explicit command of our Lord without complaining?? I fall so short of what I should be...but thank God, He doesn't throw me out for it. Noah didn't care what the world thought about the job he was doing. He just kept following Gods commands and his household was saved. I want to be that kind of person. No matter what the world may think, whether my friends agree with me or not, or if everyone is against me...I want to obey the Lord and walk in the light of His Love.

This week has been a little unsettling for us. We hardly slept on Monday night worrying about the results of the situation from last Friday night. Tom called the Sargent who is in charge of the case and he told Tom that he wouldn't be getting to Tom's paperwork until the weekend. We'll see what happens next. Also this week Tricia has had a couple of bad days at school. We are really struggling with her stubborn will. We keep trying to tell her that Jesus wants her to be good and to love Him. She isn't doing anything bad, she just is struggling with someone elses authority besides Mom and Dads. Her teacher and I talked today and we are going to work together to get this issue resolved. She is learning so much...I'm amazed at the phonics songs she already knows and she is learning to write in cursive. At first I thought that was the craziest thing but now that I've seen her writing, it isn't so crazy after all. The letters are actually easier to write because of the flow of the letters versus having to lift the pencil for letters in print. I was amazed at how quickly she is catching on. Her teacher says she will be reading by spring. I am so excited for Tricia and for the whole new world this will open up for her.

Tom has been home now for a few weeks. I miss the bigger paycheck but I am so glad he is not gone all week. Katie is growing faster than I like. She can say anything she wants too. I went to McDonald's yesterday morning and bought the deluxe big breakfast and we shared it. Katie's favorite food is pancakes. That's why we bought the big breakfast. There are three pancakes in it along with eggs, bacon or sausage, a biscuit and hash brown. I can give Katie some of everything and she eats like a little piggy. She calls them "canpakes." I laugh every time she says it. These days will soon be gone and I'm trying to squeeze every drop of enjoyment I can from her. One thing is for sure, they grow up fast. I'm already feeling the "empty nest" syndrome!! :):)

It's getting late and I still haven't had my bag of popcorn so I must go. I'm feeling a little bit sleepy now..."zzzzzzzzzzz." I should get to bed. Take care and God bless.

Gale

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Love being a Blonde!! :):)

My sister thought that since I am a blonde that I would enjoy these little ditty's. She was right!! I hope you can get a good laugh too.

Blonde Cookbook

Monday
It's fun to cook for Dan. Today I made angel food cake. The recipe said beat 12 eggs separately The neighbors were nice enough to loan me some extra bowls.

Tuesday
Dan wanted fruit salad for supper.. The recipe said serve without dressing. So I didn't dress. What a surprise when Dan brought a friend for supper!

Wednesday
A good day for rice. The recipe said wash thoroughly before steaming the rice. It seemed kind of silly but I took a bath anyway. I can't say it improved the rice any.

Thursday
Today Dan asked for salad again and I tried a new recipe. It said prepare ingredients; lay on a bed of lettuce one hour before serving. Dan asked me why I was rolling around in the garden...

Friday
I found an easy recipe for cookies. It said put the ingredients in a bowl and beat it. There must have been something wrong with this recipe. When I got back, everything was the same as when I left.

Saturday
Dan did the shopping today and brought home a chicken. He asked me to dress it for Sunday. I don't have any clothes that fit it, and for some reason Dan keeps counting to ten.

Sunday
Dan's kids came to dinner. I wanted to serve roast but all I had was hamburger. Suddenly I had a flash of genius.. I put the hamburger in the oven and set the controls for roast. It still came out hamburger, much to my disappointment.

GOOD NIGHT DEAR DIARY.

This has been a very exciting week! I am eager for tomorrow to come so I can try out a new recipe on Dan. If I can talk him into buying a bigger oven, I would like to surprise him with a chocolate moose.

Just another blonde moment...

A blonde goes into a coffee shop and notices there's a 'peel and win' sticker on her coffee cup. So she peels it off and starts screaming, 'I've won a motor home! I've won a motor home!' The waitress says, 'That's impossible. The biggest prize is a free Lunch.?' But the blonde keeps on screaming, 'I've won a motor home! I've won a motor home!' Finally, the manager comes over and says, 'Ma'am, I'm sorry, but you're mistaken. You couldn't have possibly won a motor home because we didn't have that as a prize. The blonde says, 'No, it's not a mistake. I've won a motor home!' And she hands the ticket to the manager and HE reads...
(YOU'RE GOING TO LOVE THIS !!!!!! . I PROMISE!)
'W I N A B A G E L'

I trust each of you have a "blonde" day today. See ya!!


Monday, September 1, 2008

A quick update

First of all I want to say thank you to all of you who have assured us of your prayers. We are so feeling the love of our friends and the power of prayer. God is so good and I can't begin to thank Him enough!!

Saturday evening a lady from Children's Services showed up at our door. She was only about 25 yrs. old and very sweet. She came in and said that she needed to see the house and make sure that the girls had all of their needs covered. She went through the house and then asked to see the food supply. I showed her the cabinet in the kitchen and then opened the refrigerator. It was really comical the look that came over her face. Tom said her eyes got really big and she asked us if we always kept the fridge this full or had we just gone shopping. We told her that the fridge stayed full like this all of the time. I would have thought she would have realized this when she looked at us...lol. We like to eat and we like to eat good food. Everyone can tell!! :):) I had gone to the store on Friday afternoon before this whole mess started but I didn't tell her that. It's just a routine thing I do every week on Thursday or Friday.

She finally sat down with Tom and talked with him. She filled out her report and then talked to me and Patricia. When she got ready to leave we asked her where she thought this would go now. She very firmly assured us that she highly doubted that it would go anywhere. She said we would never see her again and after her report was turned in it would probably be placed in file 13. She was really impressed with our home and the care that our children receive. She could see instantly that there was nothing but love in our home.

So one hurdle has been crossed successfully. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS!!

I will keep you updated as to what the State Attorney's office has to say. In the mean time, I'm going to enjoy my Labor day and thank the Lord for my children.

See ya.

~Gale~