Diane and Jordyn

( I found this doll house at good will stores, great find!)

I was able to visit Sarah yesterday, which meant I was able to visit Diane and Jordyn. Diane had just woken up for morning when I was there and was all groggly with her lovely sweet brown eyes and hair all over the place. She smiled and raised her hands for me to hold her. At 2 years and 7months old she is talking a LOT and it seems her vocabulary grows leaps and bounds each week!

I get to see them each week at church and she is a big church girl now, knowing how to be quiet during sermons and worship time. It is such a blessing being able to sit with them.
Jordyn is 6 weeks old now and a whopping 12 lbs! She loves her food! :) She is smiling and tracking people and I'm really looking forward to watching her personality develop.

I read to Diane and we played with family dolls that go in her doll house, but she keeps in her pink backpack. She is sleeping in her big girl bed now and is just across the hall way from Daddy and Mommy.


It is so lovely seening James and Sarah's little family grow. What a joy they are to us! Our bouncy, funny little Sarah, now a beautiful young bride and mother, serving the Lord with her life is a huge joy for us to behold.

Jacoby

Our sweet grandbaby Jacoby 11 days old. ALBINA,is such a great mama!

It Is Decided!

We have been going back and forth with names for this sweet girl. She is very friendly like Henny Penny, but does not like being held. She WILL however run up and greet me as well as stay close by when I'm feeding everybody. I think eventually if I work with her she'll let me hold her. She is a funny looking bird and seems abit of a character. We thought about Gertrude, but have settled on TRUDY..... So, meet Trudy!

Art

Albina sketched this from a photo and then tried to throw it away because it wasn't good enough. It is a sketch of our daughter in law and grand daughter and she caught the photo beautifully. She also had a horse sketch, just as wonderful she didn't think was good enough, and tried to throw it away. I have it framed and on the wall. The gifts that the Lord gives to us, just because He loves to give good gifts to his children, are such a blessing. I hope she keeps doing art work as she finds more time because she has a great talent for it. Artists tend to be perfectionists, which is a good thing or we wouldn't have the great artworks around the world. I remember as a first grader making a bird out of clay and painting it at school. They then fired it to make to all shiny and I took it home to my mother. I remember proudly handing it to her, and and the look on her face was one of .... "maybe she doesn't like it so much".... She saved it and gave it back to me when I was an adult. Then I HAD that look of "really?" This is it? It actually looked like a little kid had squeezed some clay, blopped some paint on it and had it fired. But as a first grader, in my mind, it was a beautiful bird. As we read in Exodus when the tent of worship was made, God put HIS wisdom into the craftsmen and weavers and those who worked with fine metals, just how to make everything beautiful. And it was very beautiful! As I admire the beauty of Artwok and am in awe of the gifts that God has given to mankind, I cannot forget, that our best works are like filthy rags in comparison to HIS perfect Holiness. What we will behold when that GREAT DAY comes, is beyond comprehension. The Lord has been preparing a place for us all this time, according to John 14, and when He comes, it will be ready, and it will be like nothing we could ever imagine!

The Counseling Conference

I attended an ACBC counseling conference in Memphis TN last week with these sweet folks from our church. We ladies stayed in an Air B and B, and our fellow counselor and director stayed in a different place. He picked us up each day and dropped us off at the end of a very long day. We had a blast together and it was such a refreshing conference! Imagine at the end 2,400 people singing the doxology in acapella!

This is me after a day of lovely brain filling information!

We had some time to kill at a museum/aboretum and this was a pumpkin house!

And then it was back to Dallas! (This photo is actually the way there with all those rain clouds from the Hurricane in the Pacific. The way home was smooth and pleasant! While on our trip home a man from our conference sat next to me in the same row. He turned out to be a trainer! It was really nice speaking with him. He was from California.

Overall, the trip was really good. We listened to classes on shame vs guilt, difficult counselee situations, the sufficiency of the word of God in counseling, and so much more. I'm so thankful for those who care for others so very well.

Sweetest Photo

These two have been married for 23 years. Tim and Em... they say the longer you are married the more you resemble each other. They along with Ilse resemble Joy!

Look At This Little Bundle of Sweetness!!!

Keith and Albina had a sweet baby boy this morning! She is doing great and they can't wait to introduce him to big brother Bash!

He looks just like his big brother except he has darker hair. What a blessing from the Lord our children are! Thank you Lord for our sweet grand son! We pray that He will grow to know you and love you and that he will do and accomplish wonderful things in his life. And as Sweet Auntie Em prayed this morning, may he never know a time of not knowing Jesus.

The Psalms and Hymns of Isaac Watts: A book review

We have owned this book for a very long time. It is a beautiful collection of as the title states, songs and hymns of Isaac Watts. We still sing hymns in our churches from Him; many famous hymns. But did you know how many poems he actually wrote! A LOT! It is fun to thumb through this book and find songs that follow a specific meter and the tune will fit the hymn or poem. I hope, if you can get a hold of a copy, you'll enjoy it!

Here is an example of just one:

Number 81

My God, how endless is thy love! Thy gifts are every evening new And Morning Mercies from Above Gently distill like early dew.

Thou spreadest the curtains of the night Great guardian of my sleeping hours They soverign word restores the light and Quickens all my drowsy powers.


I yield my powers to Thy command To Thee I consecrate my days Perpetual blessings from thine Hand Demand Perpetual songs of praise!

Baskets

I have always loved baskets. I have a very special family that I do counseling with at my home on Tuesdays. A couple of weeks ago, the children were walking around the house counting my baskets. They were asking, "Where did you get all these?" "Why do you have them?" etc. I have them because I like them. And nearly ALL of them came from a thrift store or second hand shoppe, a garage sale or some sort of sale! And then there are the two that were gifted to me from a friend. I love how curious children can be. These aren't all of them as photos can be redundant. :) But here are a bunch throughout the house.

A Difficult Decision

20 years ago, we made the very difficult decision along with Erika who was now 8 years old, to have her feet amputated. It is funny how the Lord has a way of preparing you for the unthinkable. We knew Erika had pain and we knew there were many scars and wounds on her feet. We never thought about amputation. Her braces were not in the right direction which meant her legs didn't bend at all. Once they were removed, her legs could bend a little bit! When we went to get Erika all we knew from the orphanage director was "her joint don't work".

After consultation with the orthopedic surgeon, his suggestion was amputation for the best life outcome for her. This was a whole new level of thinking! And I reminded myself that Sarah was an amputee already and I was already familiar with prosthetic legs and surgeries. Isn't it amazing how God doesn't remove our obstacles but walks us right through them? He provided for Erika and Sarah to be together for life, orphans together, amputees together, sisters together!

So, the decision was made and Miss Erika wanted Purple Tennis shoes which went on the gurney right into the operating room! Purple tennis shoes were a symbol of hope! While we didn't know what the outcome would be, it didn't matter, it would be better than the pain she was dealing with all the time and her inability to really walk.

Would she really be amublatory? It was a chance we all agreed to take. And is she! OH YES! She walked down the aisle at her wedding to her favorite song. She learned how to drive with no accommodations, and she walks by faith.

Mike's dad Ed, made this slide show for us and I'm, so thankful he did. What a journey. And YES she walks and it is such a joyful thing in my heart!

This Is What Happens To Chicken Snakes Around Here

And if they haven't eaten chickens, or eggs, we send them to an obliging field.

A Blast From the Past!

This is what you do in Ukraine when you are waiting and you can't communicate very well because she speaks Russian and even though you studied Russian for 6 months before going, you can only remember Spanish! Precious Erika!!! This was 20 years ago! My how we have changed!

Today Reminds Me of Skylark!

Do you remember the old book and movie Skylark from the Sarah Plain and Tall series? It didn't rain for months and due to drought she was sent back to her family with the children to Maine. Her quiet husband showed up after a bit to rejoin his family, and all he said was "Rained". :)

So I will celebrate with this! It Rained!! It IS raining! It will keep on raining! It has been a LONG time! Happy Fall! For Texas, this means water falling from the sky!

Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road?

BECAUSE OF THIS GUY!

To get away from THIS GUY! :)