The dreaded day has come!!

Ok.  Maybe this is crazy but I hate to see my birthday come each year.  After all I'm not a young chick anymore.  This year I turned...well, you don't want to know how old...lol.  The day arrived on Sunday and now that it's over I have had time to look back at the last year and reminisce. 

We made a lot of changes in our lives this past year.  We built a small place on my hubby's parents property and moved into it in April.  We spent the summer taking care of the garden, our dogs and cats, the horses and getting in the hay.  I did some canning, froze corn, make grape jelly and apple sauce.  We had a very busy summer.  Fall came and I started working at the school where the girls go on M,W,&F.  I'm a volunteer in the second grade class.  So I have had a very busy year.  Thanksgiving came and went and now we are just around the corner from Christmas.  Do I feel older??  Not really but the gray hairs say I am...lol.

This morning the girls and I were talking on the way to school about where we go when we die.  Katie wanted to know if animals turned to dust when they die.  This opened up a big opportunity for me to lecture my two adorable children while we drove to school...lol.  We talked about where we go when we die and what God has planned for those who love Him or don't love Him.  The girls enjoyed our talk and so did I.

As I was thinking about life after death I realize that I am getting closer to that day.  Everyday we all get closer to our time to die.  Some times we think we will live forever and so we don't think about what happens after we die.  I was able to talk to the girls about making sure that their sins are forgiven and that Jesus lives in their hearts.  We don't know when Christ will return, but be assured He will!!  As I get older I want to live my life as close to Him as I can.  More importantly I want to take my family with me!!

So, think about eternity.  Time is short.  Where will you go??  Please make the right decision so that you don't have to worry!!  God is standing on the threshold of Heaven looking over the portals observing our world and soon He is going to look at His Son and say "Go get my Bride!!  It's time!!"  I want to be ready for that day!!! 

Thank You Lord...

Well today I just want to stop and take a moment to thank the Lord for supplying a need that I didn't have to spend money on.  Tricia needed some things and I found them at a thrift store for free.  How's that for supplying a need??  She loved them and I was really happy!!

Christmas is "just around the corner" and I have been reflecting on the reason for this season.  We get so wrapped up in trying to find that perfect gift for our loved one that we forget that it's a season of rejoicing.  We get frustrated when we can't find exactly what we want or have the money to buy it with.  We worry and fret over how much we want to buy until we make Christmas a drudgery. 

This year I'm not going to do that with God's help.  I'm just going to take it day by day and enjoy the true meaning of this season.  I'm going to try to show as much love as I can to every one I meet and for sure say "Merry Christmas" and not "Happy Holiday." 

So while you're out in the hustle and bustle of the season, stop and take time to reflect on the One who came to earth as a tiny babe in the manger to suffer and die for us.  Maybe the busyness of the season can be replaced with reflection upon Him!!  After all, He is the reason for the season!!!

One hectic day!!

What a crazy and aggravating day this has been.  Some mornings are so smooth/easy and then there are mornings like this one...lol.  Our dog Baxter is a little over 1 and still very much a puppy in his actions.  He is pit-mixed and very lively.  Tom clocked him running at 22 mph's one day.  He is a sweet natured dog and the girls just dote on him but this morning he really got my dander up.  Katie was asleep in my bed and I went in to wake her up.  Baxter followed me to my room and immediately jumped on the bed.  I'm not sure what made him do it, but he started dribbling pee all over my bed spread.  I didn't realize what he had done til I started smelling the stench.  GGgggrrrrr!!!!  The only thing I can figure, he had to "go" really bad.  So, I had to strip the bed before heading out the door for work.

Got to work and at lunch time one of the boys from Tricia's class came running to my room yelling, "Mrs. Wheatcraft, Tricia is puking all over the floor!"  I ran to her room and sure enough she had made a beautiful mess for me to clean up. UGH!!!!  So, I proceeded to clean up the mess thinking all the time about poor Mrs. Dinkle at Hobe Sound who had such a time with her in the lunch room.  I got everything cleaned up and the lady in charge said Tricia needed to go home because she could have the stomach virus that's going around.  I told them she didn't have the virus but I took her to grandma's anyway.  She is fine and does not have a stomach virus. She ate her lunch at grandmas just fine and ate supper here.  She hasn't puked anymore.   She just gagged...over her own lunch if you can believe it...lol. 

I guess through all this the Lord is trying to teach me patience...lol.  He uses our day-to-day circumstances to accomplish this.  Trials worketh patience the Bible says.  I definitely had mine today...lol.

My husband has a new horse.  Her name is Tropical Dancer and she is a retired racehorse.  She was "winded" or whatever it's called when she would try to race so she had to stop.  Tom brought her home with no idea the extent of her energy.  We kept her in the barn in a fairly nice stall and worked on the pasture fence so that we could turn her lose in it.  She was used to board fence and our fence was barbwire.  Tom put up bright orange ribbon all the way around the fence so that Tropical could see it and not run into the wire. 

When the time came we let her out and put her in the field.  Tom walked her around a few times and let her see the ribbon and the new fence.  She seemed to be ok so he let her go on her own.  She suddenly took off at a dead run and ran down the back part of the fence going all the way to the ground.  When she finally got up she slowly turned and started to stagger back away from the fence.  Tom called to her and she slowly moved towards him.  She didn't falter in her step but knew that Tom would help her if she came to him.  She was hurt on her face; cut pretty bad, so we had to have her stitched up and of course she had to go back in her stall.  We were so thankful that there was no more damage because she could have lost her eyesight or broken some bones.

All this made us reflect upon our lives and the love of our Savior.  How many times have we "took" off at a dead run into something completely new to us without regard to how much we may be hurt or hurt others.  We thought it was "ok" to forge ahead when in reality God really wanted us to wait a bit and be patient.  It's in these moments that we "get up" and listen for His voice so we can "stagger" back to Him.  He heals our wounds and showers us with His love so that we can start out again.  Sometimes those wounds leave scars for us to look back on why it happened and how we can change the outcome.

I'm so thankful for my loving, heavenly Father who picks me up when I fall...and I fall a lot!!  He never has failed me!!!

WHEW!!!  It has been a very, very, VERY long time since I have been on my blog.  So much has happened over the past 8-10 months that I don't have time to explain.  I will eventually but for now I just wanted to say hello to everyone in blog land and let you know that we are doing great.  Winter is approaching rapidly and we are so excited to see some snow.  The girls are growing everyday and we are busy with school activities as usual.  I am teaching 3 days at our school and Tom is working his little heart out keeping us clothed and fed...lol.  I plan to get back to blogging and will post a more accurate picture of us later.  In the meantime, God is still good and we still have Him as the center of our home!!  I'll be back soon!!!

~Gale~

The Tupperware Lady

All of us have some kind of dishes in our kitchen be it pots, bowls, plates, flatware, etc. We all like to eat on fine china and set the table with our best silver. But what do you do with all those leftovers that need to go in the fridge or all the extra boxes of snacks, cereal, crackers and such that are crowding up your cabinets?? You call The Tupperware Lady!!

I have a good friend in Florida who is a great Tupperware consultant and has held many parties in my home and my friends home's. I learned very quickly that Tupperware had not gone out with the dark ages but was in fact still the most popular plastic around. Slowly I began to collect pieces and some of them I use daily. Others I keep in the cabinet for those special occasions when they are needed.

This week I have made the decision that I want to try to sell Tupperware in my area. I don't know how good I'll be, but I can tell you that I have the greatest teacher in my friend Sue Skirvin and I know she will train me well to be a consultant. I'm looking forward to stepping out on my own and seeing how well I can sell the merchandise. Right now there are not very many consultants in my area, if any. I hope to monopolize the area and quickly.

So if you live in my neck of the woods and are interested in having a party, please feel free to contact me through Facebook or leave a comment on this page. I would love to book a party with you!! I think it's going to be an exciting adventure for me and hopefully a good source of income.

Thanks for stopping by!! God bless!!

~Gale~

Snow, ice and lots of cold!!! Winter is here!!!

Winter has arrived in full force. Finally!!! We have waited all "winter" for the cold and snow to come. The girls received sleds for Christmas and have waited anxiously for that "big" one to come so they can slide down the hill...lol!!! Hopefully before winter is over this will happen!!

We are doing well. Tom is working hard getting his dad's building built. It's pretty big so after work and on the weekends he is over there hammering and building. The girls and I are just hanging out enjoying being together. Tom's dad had a tree log fall on his leg and it was broken in 2 spots. He is healing up well but will be on a walker for a couple more weeks. He is so anxious to get outside to help Tom with his project.

School is half over and Tricia is doing great!!! She loves Truth Christian school. Makes me feel good when she is happy. They are getting ready for a big Valentine's Day party. They are having a valentine box contest. We are hunting ideas for a great valentine box for her to take to the party.

Katie is happy all the time!! She never stops talking unless she is singing or asleep...lol!! She has all kinds of imaginary friends and they have so much fun together...lol!! She is doing her Abeka home school material. She is smart and I have a great feeling she will do well in school.

I have been on a low carb diet and have lost about 24 pounds. I went to the doctor in November and she did an A1C test on me and the results were not good. Instead of going on meds as she suggested I decided to make some radical changes in my life. With God's help I have been able to lose the weight and my sugar has stayed down really well. I'm anxious to go back in February to be checked again. I started walking around our house. We have a circle road that goes completely around us. 5 laps around is a mile and I am up to 10 laps. Because of the nasty weather I have been doing Walk A-Way the Pounds inside. I am very happy with the results so far and I am trusting God for strength to keep on losing pounds. It's hard when you like to eat...lol!!

So, I trust every one's doing well and that God is leading and guiding you every day. Without Him we would be nothing. God bless til next time!!!

~Gale~