Feels great to slow down. :)

Hmmm I was going to try and take a photo of my hair. Got it cut and colored today. My hair seems to blend right in with the tiger curtains. lol The curtains are beach towels. I put a hem in them and used them for curtains. I made the lion pillow about 10 years ago. The scarf on the end table is a towel. I got the comforter for the day bed at Wal Mart a long time ago. This is the room that I had to clean up for company April 21 st. Feels great to have it cleaned up. It is not a very big room so kind of hard to get around in it when the day bed is made out. Now I have to clean up the other extra bedroom. Does anyone do like me... move stuff from one room to the next??? hahaha! I am ready to sit back and take it easy for the next couple of days. All I have to do is load everything in the Blazer. Gary will be helping a friend move tomorrow so I will be home alone. :) It seems like since he has retired people are coming out of the woodwork needing something done... friends, neighbors, and people we know. Yesterday he had to weld a tractor for a neighbor, fix my step-dad's stool, and help an elderly lady with her electric lawn mower. Have not helped the kids that much... but really need to find the time to help them a little too.



Wishing all of you a blessed week... and please be careful if you are taking a trip. :) Will be keeping everyone of you in my prayers. Hugs, Janie

Finished with the flower arrangements! WooHoo!

My Granny use to say... "No rest for the wicked." I must be awful wicked. lol

Well I finished all the flower arrangements today. Gary also made the stakes. I have 7 saddles, 13 flower pots, and 2 hanging baskets. I am so glad that I started early. We will decorate on Saturday. I will be ready to do something fun. :) Maybe we can take the kids to the zoo.

Tomorrow (Thursday) I will get my hair cut. :) Friday I will load up all the flowers so they will be ready for Saturday morning. Sunday we will be in church and maybe we can go to the zoo in the afternoon; if not we can go on Monday. Wichita has a great zoo. They just got Tigers. Tuesday will be Assistant Living again. We really do stay busy.

Please be careful over the holiday if you have to travel. All of you are in my prayers. Wishing all of you a blessed week with lots of blessings. Prayers & Hugs, Janie

Made this for Terry Ann for Mark's mom

Mom's hanging Basket & Granny's hanging plant.

Top one is my Mother's and bottom is Granny's (Mom's mother) Had to sit in vase to keep from blowing away. lol

Photo of my mother's Memorial Day saddle

Well it took me about 1 and 1/2 hours to do my mother's saddle. The only roses the color that I wanted was on a wreath. It was really hard to undo the wire. She loved peach colored flowers. The center is a small plaque. The little boy and girl Precious Moments are window hangings. She had 2 whimsical pictures hanging in her extra bedroom of a little boy and girl. She said they reminded her of Stan and Terry Ann. I thought this was a little similar. I got 7 saddles and 10 flower pots finished in the last 3 days.

Hope this finds everyone well. All are in my prayers.

Love and hugs, Janie

Flowers for Sharon, aunt 1 week younger than me

I bought that little angel vase in the center at a garage sale for .25 cents. I wired it to the frame and put Styrofoam in center. All flowers are from LaBelle flower shop auction. Thank you for viewing. Prayers & hugs, Janie

Flowers for Grandma and Grandpa

Top photo is the front that will go on my Grandma and Grandpa's headstone. Bottom is the back side. Thank you for veiwing. Prayers and hugs, Janie

Photo of Headstone Saddle for my dad

I got 4 saddles for headstones made today. This is a photo of my dad's. Thursday I bought a rubber buffalo and rubber wolf for $1 at a garage sale. I put them in the center of the display. lol May be hard to see. I spent $4 for the metal saddle at Hobby Lobby. The flowers are from the action at LaBelle. Prayers and hugs, Janie

Have to take a break :(

I did not realize how busy May is going to be until this evening!!
Mother's Day
GGrandbabie's birthday
Step-dad's birthday
2 Grandchilden are graduation from Junior High
And then last but not least... Memorial Day and making about 35 decorations for the cemetery.

Wishing all of you a early HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, blessed, happy, and fun month. Will see all of you in June. Sorry but I won't be making any comments..... but that does not mean that you are not in my thoughts and prayers.
Hugs, Janie

Have we been too busy??? LOL

I sometimes wonder about Gary and I. lol Last Tuesday, the 28th we went to the Assistant Living and took my step-dad home. He had stayed with us for 3 days. I was waiting on 2 men instead of just 1. lol Wednesday Gary went to town for something?? When he walked in the door he had a bouquet of red roses that he had gotten at Dillon's for $13. He immediately said ... Well this is late. haha! I said... Oh our anniversary is today. He said... No it was yesterday. haha! We have been married 34 years... is that what marriage is like after 34 years?? hehe!

Well needless to say... I have been on SingSnap. It has become very addictive when you like to sing. I use to tell everyone that I would rather sing as eat. lol Singing has slowed down for me and I have gotten lazy on practicing. Not as good as I use to be with age. :) I recorded 3 songs Thursday night, 3 songs Friday night, and 2 songs tonight. Hmmm They have a community there just like blogger has. lol The Lord only gives me the friends that He wants me to meet. I have met one lady 50 years old and her husband is a minister in Kentucky. The other lady is in her 50's also. One is Sherri and the other one is Sharon. Nice ladies. They have some good singers on there and I am always amazed at how good some of the older people are. haha! I use to think anyone over 35 or 40 years old was ancient!!! haha! Isn't it funny how we all change our point of view when we get older. We even realize that our parent were pretty smart!! hehe!

When the rain quits some I have got to make 25 decorations for the cemetery for Memorial Day. Hmmmm that will be a week long job non-stop. The Lord has been soooo good to me by letting me buy artificial flowers and vines at auctions for hardly nothing. I have 6 BIG plastic tubs full of flowers and vines. I bought about 30 medium sized plastic vases last month for $7.50. They will have to be staked down in the ground so they won't blow over.

This is kind of a long entry so will make another entry about something that happened today. :) All are in my prayers. Hugs, Janie

UP TOO LATE!!

Hmmmm why do I do this to myself?? Been on SingSnap. :( Went into Wichita the last 2 days and have been staying really busy! Here is a song that I recorded on SingSnap. I love the message. "Keep Me In Your Will" So hard to do that. Our life is made up of the choices that we make in life. Wishing all of you a blessed week with LOTS of blessings. Hugs and Prayers, Janie

Lot of things have been going on

We had company last Tuesday. Saturday we went to a church party at a member's home. I ate too much!! My step-dad fell down the bottom step going into the basement. Gary offered to take him to ER but he didn't want to go. Sunday morning he called at 5:30 a.m. and wanted Gary to take him to ER. Gary is really good at helping him. They went to the ER in Wichita and sat for almost 3 hours. There was a lady there so sick that she was laying in the waiting room floor. They left and went to a new hospital in the city where we do assistant living lesson. The X-Ray showed that his ankle wasn't broken .... which is really good. He wanted to stay at his house but we told him that he needed to stay here. I told him that I had taken the sheets off of the bed and put clean ones back on. lol The ER doctor told him to go to his family doctor about water on his knee. Him and Gary left, going by his house, and then going to the doctor at 11:15. He is wanting to stay home but I told him he could stay here until we go to assistant living in the morning. Nothing like home, is there? lol

My step-dad got up early this morning and Lakota was guarding his door. He was able to walk around him and go in the bathroom. He went back to bed. When he got up the 2nd time he had to call Gary because Shawnee was blocking the hall way and would not let him come into the dinning room. She was not being mean... just being stubborn and not moving so he could get through with his walker. lol He normally does not use a walker but is using it now to take weight off of his ankle.

Well, I had best get up and get something done... even if it is not right! lol All of you are in my prayers. Love, hugs, and prayers, Janie

Air Balloon

Thank you Sugar for the beautiful tag I snagged a long time ago. :) Hugs, Janie

Wow! I feel just like a air balloon coming back down to earth. I am in slow gear right now. I did not get as much done today as I wanted... but it felt nice to sit a little. Hope all of you are having a blessed day. Hugs, Janie

Only 1 week ago??

Thank you Sugar for the beautiful tag. :)

It is hard to believe that it has been 8 days since I received a call about my aunt's funeral. It seems as though at least 2 weeks have passed by. Saturday I started cleaning on the house for company Tuesday. Good thing I have company once in a while so I will do some deep cleaning on the house. LOL I got the extra bedroom and the bathroom cleaned very good, used the sweeper, and did some picking up and swiping things down. By that time I said... forget the dust!!! haha!

The air conditioner and heater was in by the time I got back from the funeral Friday. Sunday we went to church twice and I sang "He Touched Me" in the morning service. Late Monday night I went on line to check emails and ended up looking at the news with the guy and Craig's list. WHAM! I got a virus!!! Ugh! I did not have time to deal with it since we had to go to Assistant Living and company the next morning!! Virus ware said it could not clean it up or quarantine it!! Trend said it was a temporary file. I went to the control panel, cleaned my hard drive, went to Internet options and deleted files and add on. I then updated my virus ware and spy ware. I then turned off my computer until yesterday afternoon. Yesterday I did 2 virus checks, windows defender, and spy ware check. Nothing! I took it to Best Buy this afternoon and they could not find the virus. They said I must have deleted the file. It was not a real bad virus .... just something that would make my computer act crazy!!

I sat here and waited on the county inspector from 8 until 12 this morning and he did not show up. I took my computer in, went to Aldi's, met Terry Ann at IHOP, and by the time I got home we met the 2 couples for dinner. Busy week!! lol Through it all I am just glad that the virus is gone... and I have a half way clean house. lol

Hope all of you have had a blessed week. All of you are in my prayers.

God Bless & hugs, Janie

Home

In the last 8 months we have had 6 funerals to attend. Out of the 6, I have sang at 4 of them. Yesterday when I took the CD to the church the lady said.. "This will be the microphone that you will use." I told her that I would not be singing them because I was recorded on the CD. She said... "Oh I was hoping that you would sing live". With Sharon laying in the coffin next to me... I explained that she and I were the only small children in the family until we were 9 years old. We were only one week apart in age. There was no way that I would be able to sing them live. She said she understood.

Things always go wrong. lol I had all the music for the funeral. We HAD to leave at 9:45 to make the 2 and sometimes 2 1/2 hour trip. Terry Ann took Carlie to school at 9:00 and pulled up at my step-dad's house at 9:43. lol We were leaving at 9:45. WooHoo!! Things looked great! We drove 11 miles and were stopped for road construction. We sat there for about 15 minutes. I made the statement that it was making us get there at 12:15 and the funeral was at 1:00. I told Terry Ann and Bill that we were where we were suppose to be at that time. As long as we were able to walk in at 10 till 1. I could always wear the jeans that I had on. lol We pulled into Coffeyville at 12:00. Wow! We made great time. We stopped and got a cup of coffee at the Quick Trip and Terry Ann said that she would like to go through a drive through and get something to eat. I pulled into a KFC and ordered. We sat there for about 15 minutes. Terry Ann said she thought we should just leave. (I have never done that before after ordering. lol) Bill spoke up and said... "It is 12:21 and if that funeral is at 1:00, you might want to get going." I pulled out of line and headed for Gary's mom's house. She passed away in 2004 and her home looks just like it did the day she passed away. I think her kids have finally thought about selling it this year. It is a older little house. It took me 10 minutes to throw on my slacks, change blouse, and change shoes. We got to the church around 10 till 1.

We were going to stop at my mother's grave site and my aunt had told me to stop by the funeral home and pick out a plant. I forgot all of that after the dinner at the church. I was going to go through town a certain way but there was road construction.... it got me side tracked while talking to Terry Ann and Bill. I just headed for home a different route?? No one said anything to me because they thought I was in a hurry to get home. I felt really bad about forgetting... but when I remembered I was standing on Bill's front porch!! lol

Hope all of you have had a blessed week. All of you are in my prayers. Hugs, Janie

Funeral Friday

My aunt passed away at 3:00 a.m. this morning. My Aunt Betty said that she did not suffer. Hospice was there with her. We had a lot of things to do today. I recorded music from 3:30 until 8:00 tonight. It took me a long time to record myself singing the songs. Emotions run high. Finally I got the 3 songs recorded on a cassette. I then had to try and record it to a CD. Hmmmm things always happen. lol Tried recording one CD and it did not record. I changed cords running from the Karaoke to the CD recorder... that was the problem. Finally got it recorded. It sounds better on a CD because of the clicking from stopping and starting. Taking both the cassette and the CD. Always go prepared for something to go wrong. lol The CD might not play in the CD player at the church??

The first song is "In The Garden", 2nd song is "On The Wings Of A Dove", and 3rd song is "Roses Will Bloom Again". The funeral will be at 1:00 on Friday. I will have to make a 2 hour trip there. We are having the furnace and air conditioning put in Thursday and Friday. Gary will stay home. Terry Ann and my step-dad Bill will go with me.

Hope all of you have had a blessed week. All of you are in my prayers. Love, hugs, and prayers, Janie

Prayer Request

I had a message on my voice mail today when we got home from the Assistant Living. I have a aunt that is 1 week younger than I am. She is 65 years old. She is Down Syndrome. Hospice is with her now. He body is shutting down. My Aunt Betty went to see her last week and they talked about death. Sharon smiled and told my aunt that she would get to see Momma and Daddy again when she got to heaven. She has been in an assistant living since my grandmother passed away. She has been very happy with her life at the assistant living. She considered it her home. She will have a lot of people at her funeral. Her and I were more like sisters. My uncle has taken care of her needs for many years. She has had a lot of things to keep her happy. It has been hard on him the last couple of years as he has a heart problem. Please keep all of us in your prayers.

Hope all of you have had a blessed week. All of you are in my prayers. God Bless, Janie

Miss Gracie wondering what is going on!! Fire

I will delete these after a couple of days. We were very lucky! The fire trucks did come out early Saturday morning. Gary was going to go to Promise Keepers that morning but I left a note saying that it would be pretty scary if the fire came on our land. The fire department would have had to open the front gate and Miss Gracie and Harley would get out! For once he listened to me and stayed home. It was real wet Saturday morning. If the huge cedar trees would have caught on fire they would have gone up like a bomb!! There is a big row of cedar trees near my neighbor's house! It would not have been too bad for us; but it could have set 2 neighbor's homes on fire. We have had so many fires in Kansas that they have decided to regulate them... thank goodness. Our neighbor set our field and 2 other neighbor's fields on fire twice. Fire trucks came out and the neighbor could not even be found!! The first time he set fire to our field... and his did not even burn... our dog let us know that it was on fire!! He set it on fire 10 minutes before we were leaving for church. I actually think he was planning on burning us out! He was crazy! Him and his wife got a divorce and they are having to sell the place.

Smoke of fire Saturday

Videos and photos of fire next door

Just a quick entry with some photos. Yesterday evening the neighbor told us they were going to burn their field. I guess the fire department came out this morning before I got up. Their field has many trees and stuff on it. Last week 2 men set fire to field and it killed one man and other is critical in the hospital. To see fire coming toward you is really scary!! All of the horses and Harley was watching the fire. It looks small compared to the real thing. The videos are real short. No talking ... just from my digital camera... not video camera.

This is the beginning: Hmmm videos would not load??


Well I hope this comes out alright... doing it html. HAPPY EASTER. HUGS, JANIE

Something unusual Thursday

Thursday Gary & I got around and went to the Social Security office around one in the afternoon. Gary went to the bathroom and I found a place to sit behind a slim looking guy. As I walked past him we looked each other in the eye and half way smiled. The back of his head was facing me. Since I have cut Gary's hair the thought went through my mind... "he just got a hair cut recently" Just had that look... sure you women know what I am talking about. lol

Gary came around the front of us wearing his black western hat, jeans, and western work shirt (not really dressed fancy). As Gary passed him the guy said... "Are you a real cowboy?" I am snickering softly. Gary was kind of dumb fonded and really didn't know how to answer him. lol I spoke up and told him that Gary was a drugstore cowboy. The guy asked Gary a couple of questions. Then the guy tells us... "I am older than what I look. I am 33 years old. I just got out of prison. I have been in prison since I was 17 years old." That kind of makes you take notice when someone tells you that. lol I am sitting there wondering why he was in prison for 16 years. lol Then he said he was an artist. He said he could look at us and airbrush a picture of us in about 2 1/2 hours. He said that he could also paint animals... anything that he looks at. Hmmmm I am thinking the whole time he is talking to us. I seem to always try to analyze everyone that I meet. hehe

He noticed my turquoise watch and said that he had made turquoise jewelry and leather purses. He said that he donated things that he made to children's benefit and etc... and said... what good is $1000 to someone in prison? I asked if he knew anyone from around Coffeyville, Kansas and he named someone by the name of Collins. I asked about a Bill Collins that Gary knows and the guy said that one of his stepmother's was his daughter. He mentioned the small town where my Grandmother lived. One of the first things that I did was ask him his name. I will remember that name. I was glad that he did not ask our name. He then told us that he had just gotten a hair cut because his hair was in a pony tail and that the top was braided. As I was watching him I took in details of his face... slim, some decays in his front teeth, glasses, checks sunk in, and not good looking. He would have looked a lot better if he weighed 50 pounds more. I told him that our son was going to be 33 and did not look his age either.

Then he said something about someone taking care of his dad... or something to the effect about not worrying. He then said, "I accepted Jesus Christ and I am not the same person as I was when I went in prison." As soon as he said that a young woman came and told him that someone with her was wanting to go to Wal Mart. She had been sitting in the parking lot waiting on him. He smiled and told her he didn't have anything to do and what ever she wanted to do. He shook hands with Gary... and I extended my hand to shake hands with him. As I watched him walk away I could tell that he was really thin. Levis were half way new. Of course all kinds of questions were going through my mind.

I told Gary that neither one of us had on a cross or anything. I have a ring that is praying hands but it is so small that I don't think he saw that. I remember kind of keeping my arms folded while talking to him, just a habit of mine.

I started thinking about when I sang at the prison... that was around 1991 (I think??) so he would have been too young to be in there. Gary said he was more than likely at the jail in Hutchinson since he went in when he was 17. When I sang at the prison there was one young man that stood out... and I am wondering if it was 1991 that I sang there?? Wow! Prison could sure change some one's looks. My family threw a fit when I went into the prison to sing. I would not want to go sing there now. lol Lord had a reason; I just don't know why yet.

Well, wishing all of you a blessed Easter. All of you are in my prayers.
God Bless, Janie

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE

Been busy & this is why. lol

Wow! I finally got this up loaded to You Tube for my son! It was worth it though. I up loaded it to his You Tube page. This is part one of his sermon at Easter. Up date on Shirley: She has gone home and hospice is coming in their home. Thank you so much for your prayers. They are greatly appreciated. All of you have been in my prayers. Hope all of you have a blessed weekend. Love, hugs, and prayers, Janie

Prayers

Thank you Sugar for tag I snagged from your AOL journal.

My son called me tonight right before pulling into his drive way. He had been to the hospital. One of our members, Shirley 86 years old, had surgery last week on her colon. Now all they can do for her is give her pain medication. Her son and grandson also attends our church. Her grandson is wanting to be a minister. Any prayers for this family would be deeply appreciated. All of you are in my prayers. Love & hugs, Janie

Have to teach tomorrow.

Matthew 24:36

"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."

Matthew 13: 30

Let both grow together until the harvest; and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

If you grew up on a farm or with a garden, you learned to despise weeds. Hours in the broiling sun with a hoe in your hands help you sympathize with farmers who will do anything to get rid of the things.

Over the years the attempts to kill them have included some strong pesticides that killed not only the weeds but all good crops. The pesticides even endangered our health.

In truth, some weeds are quite useful, producing nectar for the bees, improving the soil's nutrients, even providing food for salads. In the divine plan of the Father, everything has its purpose.

Other "weeds" will show their true colors at the harvest. Jesus made that point in His parable. Our job isn't to identify those we may consider "the weeds" and judge them as such. Only He will judge who is gathered to heaven and who is tossed into the fire.

Lord, help me stay alert to avoid the "weeds" Satan is planting. Give me the wisdom to accept those "weeds" that suit your purpose.

(Written by:Steve Phillips (television sports director, Sevier Heights Baptist church, Knoxville, TN

Link to next lesson: Life Of Jesus

My son just got his next lesson up on You Tube. The link is below. This loads really fast because James recorded it with a mp3 recorder. If you are on dial-up ... you might just try it. It just has videos like a slide show. All of you are in my prayers. Love, hugs, and prayers, Janie

http://www.youtube.com/user/VideoPreacherMan

Taking a break from journals

Just taking a break from journals for a while, at least 2 weeks and maybe more. Everything is fine. ALL of you will be in my prayers. Love, hugs, and prayers, Janie

Hope even amid dire circumstances.

I have to give the Sunday School lesson this Sunday. I am not very good at teaching. :(

Discover Fresh Hope

Financial hardship is only one of many circumstances that can make people feel hopeless about life. Deteriorating health, broken relationships, or loss of loved ones can have the same effect. How do we cope, or help someone else cope at such times?

If we are honest, we have to acknowledge that we ALL face times when circumstances seem overwhelming, and God seems far away. We wrestle with doubt and despair. To make things worse, we feel guilty for having these negative feelings. During such times, the Psalms offer the comforting message that we are not alone. The psalmists were fellow strugglers who expressed not only praise and thanksgiving, but also sorrow, fear, and despair.

Psalm 42: 1-5
1. As a deer longs for streams of water, so I long for You, God. 2. I thirst for God, living God. When can I come and appear before God? 3. My tears have been my food day and night, while all day long people say to me, "Where is your God"? 4. I remember this as I pour out my heart; how I walked with many, leading the festive procession to the house of God, with joyful and thankful shouts. 5. Why am I so depressed? Why this turmoil within me? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him, my Savior and my God.

We understand that God is not confined to any one location, and we can worship Him anywhere. In ancient Hebrew culture, the temple was the center of worship and represented God's dwelling place. Worshiping there with other believers, the psalmist had felt God's presence most keenly. For some reason the psalmist could not go to the temple. Questioning his own feelings and telling himself to trust God reflect the experience of someone who knows God is in control but feels hopeless nonetheless. It is a conflict between head and heart, knowledge and emotion.

Psalm 42: 1-5 demonstrates that we can share candidly with God our pain and disappointment. He will not be shocked; He already knows our secret thoughts, and He sympathizes with our suffering. The verses also challenge us to seek God above all else. More than we need a solution to our problems we need God Himself. Drawing close to Him, we discover that we are not alone in our despair.

Depend on God's Faithful Love:

Psalm 42: 6-11
6. I am deeply depressed; therefore I remember You from the land of Jordan and the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. 7. Deep calls to deep in the roar of all Your breakers and Your billows have swept over me. 8. The Lord will send His faithful love by day; His song will be with me in the night--- a prayer to the God of my life. 9. I will say to God, my rock, "Why have You forgotten me? Why must I go about in sorrow because of the enemy's oppression?" 10. My adversaries taunt me, as if crushing my bones, while all day long they say to me, "Where is your God?" 11. Why am I so depressed? Why this turmoil within me? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him, my Savior and my God.

Underline the 2 questions in verse 9. Would you say the psalmist's question of God were bold, disrespectful, irreverent, honest, whiny, sincere, angry, legitimate? Does God welcome this kind of praying? Why or why not?

Although he questioned God's apparent absence in verse 9, the psalmist returned in verse 11 to the refrain that runs throughout these two psalms, expressing his "hope in God." Like the psalmist we may need to keep reminding ourselves in difficult times that trouble does not mean God is absent or doesn't care. Sometimes God uses tribulations to discipline us (not just to punish, but also to instruct). In the New Testament, the writer of Hebrews noted that God's discipline is an indication of His love for His children (Hebrew 12: 5-11). God's love is one thing we can count on no matter what we may lose or how our circumstances might change. When others turn against us, we can know that God is always for us. When we seek Him and honor Him, He loves us. When we disobey and disappoint Him, He loves us still.

Psalm 43: 1-5
1. Vindicate me, God, and defend my cause against an ungodly nation; rescue me from the deceitful and unjust man. 2. For You are the God of my refuge. Why have You rejected me? Why must I go about in sorrow because of the enemy's oppression? 3. Send Your light and Your truth; let them lead me. Let them bring me to Your holy mountain, to Your dwelling place. 4. Then I will come to the altar of God, to God, my greatest joy. I will praise You with the lyre, God, my God. 5. Why am I so depressed? Why this turmoil within me? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him, my Savior and my God.

Turning to God for justice when we are treated unfairly demonstrates that we believe God is just and is powerful enough to intervene and set things right. Because life this side of heaven isn't fair, we all become victims of injustice at times. At such times, we can wallow in self-pity and drown in despair. The better alternative, however, is to do what the psalmist did. He boldly petitioned God, the Judge of all the earth, to redress the abuses against him. Looking to our Refuge for deliverance from injustice raises us out of the pit of gloomy introspection and self-pitying depression.

Life doesn't always turn out the way we planned. Illness strikes. Death claims loved ones. Relationships become strained. We suffer losses and setbacks. Shifting circumstances can take us from a place of contentment to a place of despair without warning. How can we make a new start in life when we find ourselves in what seems like a hopeless situation? Consider these truths:

1. We find fresh hope by understanding our soul's desire for God. When we draw close to Him, we move toward hope.
2. We find fresh hope by relying on God's love. Even when we do not sense God's presence or see how He is helping, we can trust in His unchanging love and know that He is working for our good.
3. We find fresh hope by looking to God for guidance. When we are at a loss to know what to do, His light and truth will lead us.

UPDATE ON ACCIDENT

Just got an email from my friend. I told her that her SIL must have had an angel sitting on his shoulder. God is good. Here is her email. Hugs, Janie ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Hi Janie,
Erick is doing well. Jennie called me when he got out of surgery. He had a broken leg and a broken ankle. They put plates and pins in there to hold everything together. The doctor said he will not be able to go back to work for 3 or 4 months. (But at least he will be ok. Very lucky to only have that amount of injuries from a motorcycle accident) When the car pulled out in front of him he tried to go around it...so instead of hitting the car head on, he hit in with the right side of his body (so it was his right leg and ankle that got broken) A couple days ago he had just borrowed some leather chaps,leather jacket, and leather gloves from his friend. So I'm thinking maybe the leather outfit helped too. Anyway, just wanted to let you know that he is doing well. Thanks for the prayers, Terrie

PRAYER REQUEST PLEASE

My friend that lives in Stockton, Kansas just emailed me about her son-in-law. Here is her email. I would appreciate any prayers. All of you are also in my prayers. Love, hugs, and prayers, Janie
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Prayers needed for my son-in-law:

My oldest daughter Jennie in Arizona called me this morning all upset and crying. Her husband Erick got into a motorcyle accident on his way to work. He was going down a highway where the speed limit is 65mph and a car ran a stop sign and pulled out in front of him. (So, he hit the side of a car with his motorcycle while going about 65mph) Someone called Jennie from the accident scene, so she rushed down there. She said there was blood all over the place and Erick's clothes were all ripped up and his motorcycle was all smashed up and in pieces. They had Erick on a stretcher getting ready to take him by helicopter to the hospital. The paramedics told her that so far they knew he had a broken leg, but they did not know yet what other injuries he had because they were still examining him.
Jennie did say that Erick spoke to her at the accident scene (so that's hopeful that at least he was awake and coherent) He was wearing a helmet thank goodness. Anyway, when she called me this morning she was on her way driving to the hospital where the helicopter was taking him. I told her to call me back later to let me know what's going on. Will keep you updated....Terrie

Spic and Span

When I made the entry about cleaning the bathroom walls with a sponge mop... I forgot one of the most important things... what I cleaned it with. lol

I live in a double wide and have hallow doors in the house. They are very hard to clean without streaking. My manufactured home is a 1981 model. I used about 2 gallons of water to 1/2 cup of Spic and Span. It use to be powder but it is now liquid. The only place I could find it was Wal Mart. It is an old time cleaning agent. It has a nice unusual fragrance and not strong. I did not have to rinse either. I like 409 but it kills my lungs. Just thought I would share this. Wishing all of you a wonderful day with lots of blessings. Love, hugs, and prayers, Janie

CRAFT IDEA

I laid my own linoleum several years ago. Yep! Cocked it around the stool and tub so water wouldn't get through the cracks in case of water spill or leak. lol I wanted it done good; so I did it myself. lol

Here is a photo of my bathroom scales. If you will notice it has a top just like my linoleum. All I did was take a piece of paper (1 side of grocery sack), lay it on top of scales and press hard to get a pattern. The creases will show when you do that. I cut out the pattern, laid it on the top of a piece of self stick linoleum, drew pattern with pencil, cut it out, and then stuck it to my bathroom scales. I also measured the bottom of my wicker stand and cut out a piece of linoleum and stuck it to the side of my little shelf.

Another project I did was put ceramic tiles on top of my end tables. I put 2 full size in the front, Lowe's cut the other 2 shorter, and I put the shorter ones in the back. Put the edge of tile along sides, front, and back, and put grout between the spaces. Gary said I could not do it!! Ha! It worked and I love how the top of my end tables look and so easy to clean off with a wet washcloth!

Wishing all of you a lovely day with lots of blessings. All are in my prayers.

Love, hugs, and prayers,

Janie

Miss Gracie (our horse) in the bathroom!!

Well it turned out better that I thought. WooHoo!! I made the side curtains a long time ago! I was scared I would need to make more. I took 2 lace curtain panels and sewed them to a shower curtain ruffle. Here is the real Miss Gracie! lol

This photo looks just like Miss Gracie. She is 3 years old and still unbroken!

Just thought I would show you one of the shower curtains I bought. Hope all of you have a wonderful week with lots of blessings. Love, hugs, and prayers, Janie

SENIOR MOMENT!!! LOL

Have any of you seniors had a senior moment lately? lol I thought I was doing really well since getting on medicare. hehe I proved myself wrong twice this week!!! Yikes!!!!

Monday at 2:30 Gary told me to get around and we would go eat in the little town 14 miles east of us. I asked if he wanted me to invite Bud and Hazel to go with us (they are 92 and 95 years old). He said what ever I wanted to do. I told him that I would tell them we would pick them up around 4:30. Gary said make it around 5:00 so he could put the miniature horses up and feed them. I made the statement to him that was good because it would give me a couple of hours. (Shaking my head at this moment!). I got around thinking I had plenty of time. I got up and walked by the microwave and glanced at the clock and it said 4:30!!! I walked back into the dinning room and looked at the clock that I keep track of time with and it said 2:52 !!!! I asked Gary what time it was. He said 4:30. No wonder I have been so tired!!! Wonder how long that clock has been wrong?? I think it was alright about 3 days ago?? I always just look at that clock when getting ready for bed. I don't know why I don't watch the clock on the computer?? The clock needed batteries!! It is a bird clock. Everytime the hour comes up... a bird sings. My mother bought it for me one year for Christmas.

Sunday I wore a vest that I had never worn. It is a tiger strip (dark blonde and black stripe). I bet it has hung in my closet for 1 1/2 years. I wore it to church Sunday. I got a little warm and took it off through the service. When I got ready to put it back on I saw it still had the price tag hanging in the neck! Good thing it wasn't hanging from the arm pit!!

We went to the Assistant Living yesterday. Gary was in a hurry and wanted to get the oil changed in the truck so we had to leave 30 minutes early. I grabbed 2 cassettes, rewound them, and took off. I took 2 older songs that I was sure I knew. "Old Rugged Cross" and "It Is No Secret". I got ready to sing and I forgot the words to Old Rugged Cross!! It does not matter that Gary has retired and doesn't have any place to go... he is always in a hurry!! By the time I get some place I am exhausted from him rushing me. lol

We had a sweet surprise on our mailbox Monday. The lady that gave us Harley (the burro) had left it for us. She lives 3 houses east of us. She had written a note and taped it.

Well, this is hoping that all of you have a wonderful day. I am upset with the lady that did my eye examine. Why can't a person get things done correctly anymore?? lol All of you are in my prayers. God Bless, Janie

God Provides

Thank you Sugar for this tag. It goes along with my entry very well. :-)

Good morning, Gary has gone to the church to meet with some people about the sign that fell down in front of the church. Friday our son called to tell us that a check for $10,000 arrived in the mail from someone who does not go to our church. With the TV off and Gary gone my mind seems to do more thinking. Sometimes for me.... that can be a dangerous thing. lol

This morning I was thinking about our building that we built in 1997. The first thing that they had to make was the foundation. They were going to pour thousands of dollars worth of concrete that day. The clouds looked really bad and the workers did not know if they should pour the concrete. Concrete has to set-up for 12 hours!! The decision was up to me. :( I prayed about it and then told them to pour the concrete. There wasn't any insurance on that poured concrete. I remember sitting on a bench watching them pour and smooth out the cement. Looking up into the dark clouds wondering if I had done the right thing. All day the clouds looked like it was going to rain! I sat up that night waiting to see if the rain was going to come. It had to set-up until midnight!! Right at midnight heaven opened up and buckets of rain came down. Big rain! The insulation was getting wet! No roof yet, just sides. The next morning the contractor called and real hesitant, and said; "Janie, did you get any rain last night?" Yes we got 1 1/2 inches of rain, I told him. He was 25 miles from me and they got 2 1/2 inches of rain. He asked what time it rained and I told him midnight. Safe within minutes! I had to trust the Lord instead of myself with the choice that I made.

The Lord tells us that we need a good foundation or our house will crumble. The Lord is my foundation in all that I do. I trust Him with my life and everyday living. Do you have a good foundation in your life?

You are all in my prayers. Hope all of you have a blessed day. Love, hugs, and prayers, Janie

UpDate On Heather Cousin's young wife

Want to thank ALL of you for your prayers. God is good. Got this email from my cousin this morning. Heather is only in her 30's. She was in the hospital for heart failure. She has a 6 pound baby (don't know the age).

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Last night around 5:30 they were able to get her off the ventilator, she is breathing on her own. Her first words were water, food and mask (possible oxygen, don’t know what she meant). They removed 3 liters of fluid on Saturday, now she looks more normal. I have not heard any word as of this morning as to how the night went. She is not out of the danger yet, but things are much better. Her condition can be controlled with medication, rest. They say it will be at least a year before she regains much strength, we don’t care as long as there is hope and progress. Thanks each of you for all the prayers, God is good.

Love, hugs, and prayers, Janie

Wallpaper border is up!!

Well... leave it to me! The house looks like 2 tornadoes hit it now... but I cleaned the bathroom walls, washed the towels, artifical flowers, what-nots, mopped, washed the shower curtains, put up a new liner, and even put up the wallpaper border! WooHoo! I had Gary hold the wallpaper border for me when I put the largest piece up. Oh my! He can drive a sane person crazy! Or is it just me?? He likes to tell me how to do something and he is like a bull in a china closet. I was afraid that he was going to rip the wallpaper border by pulling on it so hard. lol He was just suppose to HOLD it. lol Well, needless to say... I put the other piece up by myself. lol I am so use to doing everything by myself. I had told him today that I would like for him to help me. I was going to have him wash the bathroom walls. (I must be kidding. lol) Instead I had him go to Wal Mart and buy a sponge mop and a shower curtain liner. Hmmmm He gave $8 for the sponge mop, but I must say that it really worked well cleaning the bathroom walls. Yep! I cleaned the bathroom walls with a sponge mop. Easiest way to do something like that. It is one of those that you push on and it rings it out. Really neat. I would mop the wall and then take a dry cloth and dry it. Worked really well. The shower curtain... he gave $8 for it too. I usually spend about $4 on a cheap one. lol He got the kind with the metal rings in it. lol He did not want to go buy these things but I told him that one of these days he may have to do it when I am gone! Learn to do something around the house. lol

Here are some photos of my bathroom. I made the design on the first photo. I cut some trim off of the bottom and put on the sides to make it look like a frame. Wow! I had about 6 inches left over when I was finished! I am tired! My walls look like pale yellow?? They are a soft rose beige. Have to get off of here and get ready for bed! Church tomorrow morning. Have to get up at 7:30... which is not long from now. Want to thank all of you for the prayers. Hope all of you have a blessed Sunday. In my prayers, Janie

One project finished! Lot of photos! More to go!

Well, I got one project finished today. It took me about an hour. This is part of the wallpaper border that I bought on eBay. See, I told you I would be pasting up everything with it! lol Here is a photo of the frames that I had in my bathroom. Years ago I painted the plastic frames with a metallic copper (1st photo with color). All I could find to glue in there at that time was some place mats. lol They were rubber like place mats. I cut the design to fit inside the frames; and threw away what was left of them. lol

Well, here are photos of what they look like now with my wallpaper border design. I glued it over the place mat photo that was in there and it gave it a padded look. I will put photos on of my bathroom with the wallpaper border later. First I want to wash my bathroom walls! lol

Right now my house looks cluttered... but sometimes if a person wants to get something done... they have to let everything else go! :(

Hmmmm wonder what else I can put this stuff on?? hehe Hope all of you have a wonderful and blessed weekend. All of you are in my prayers. Love, hugs, and prayers. God Bless, Janie

Prayers Please Thanks Soooo Much

I just got an email from my cousin that her young D-I-L is in Tulsa, Oklahoma hospital in ICU with heart failure. She has a small baby that just weighs over 6 pounds. Would appreciate any prayers. All of you are in my prayers. Love, hugs, and prayers, Janie

New Year

The song playing is "Through It All". I have been a lot of places and seen a lot of faces. Have lived in Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Florida, Texas, Turkey, and Goose Bay Labrador. Have sang at many churches and other places. Have had a lot of sorrow, questions for tomorrow, and didn't quite understand a lot of things. Did not accept Jesus Christ until 32 years old. My Christian walk was not easy in the beginning. Takes time to grow. We are like children when we first come to Christ. If I never had any problems... I'd never know that God could solve them. Trying to solve my own problems and not giving God control of my life. One of the hardest things to do is letting go of a problem and giving it to God. I feel like we all want to be in control of our lives. Knowing that we can not CONTROL others. We can not control what they say or do to us, or others. We can only control ourselves. Being responsible for ourselves. We will stand alone one day and be judged for ourselves... not others. One day ALL will be on bended knee. It is harder to prove the Bible wrong than it is to prove it right. Many have tried and have become a Christian. I have seen too many prayers answered... and miracles to not believe in Jesus Christ. Eternity is a LONG TIME.

I remember my dad crying one day after he had heard me sing in a church. He ran out that church door that day... right in the middle of my song!! Later his girlfriend called and said he needed me. He sat there with a beer in front of him .... telling me that he didn't really need that beer... and he didn't really need anything; but he was not happy. I tried to explain to him what Jesus meant to me, but I was a new Christian. Later that night my uncle went by and my dad accepted Jesus Christ. Five years later my dad died from liver cancer. He had not drank for 5 years. He was so peaceful and said that if Jesus had to suffer then why shouldn't he. The morning he died my uncle told me that he raised up off the bed a little and said.... "Well, Jesus, that is You." Then he closed his eyes and died. Praise God I will see my dad again!! If there is a Heaven and Hell.... Hell is not pretty!! Gnashing of teeth, screaming, crying, and thrown into the lake of fire. I don't want anyone to experience that! So I sound like a hell fire preacher... that is fine with me! May the Lord let you remember these words and lay it upon your heart if you have not accepted Jesus yet. The Bible is like a history book and it is all written.

If anyone has a problem... listen to the song. God will get you through it. I couldn't live without God now... no way! Peace beyond understanding.

Wishing all of you a BLESSED year! All of you who comment on my journal are in my daily prayers. Love, hugs, and prayers, Janie