I AM THANKFUL

Little furniture for the little ones coming soon.

I have been absent from 'blogging' for quite some time because.........well, like everyone else, I've been B U S Y!!!

There's so much to tell but I'll have to wait until I have more time to fill you in on the details. So, for now I'll give you a quick rundown of why I'm thankful! After all, with THANKSGIVING tomorrow, there are so many reasons for all of us to be thankful. Here are a few of mine:

I'm thankful for the wonderful baby shower given for my daughter and daughter in law by my precious friends Valerie, Kristen and Melody! It was incredible! (Details soon!)

I'm thankful for my two little grandchildren being formed in their mommies tummys by my Heavenly Father! (It won't be long now!!!!!!)

I'm thankful for my husband who goes to work every day without complaining. He's been such a good provider for our 37 years of marriage.

I'm thankful that I still have my mother at almost 87 years of age.

I'm thankful for my brother and his family with whom we will celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow.

I'm thankful for my church which I've had the privilege to attend for over 35 years (and with the same pastor!)

I'm thankful for the friends God has provided for me. What a blessing each and every one is.

I'm thankful for good health.

I'm thankful that I live in America!!!!! A country where we have the freedom to attend the church of our choice and worship our God.

I'm thankful for my saviour, my Heavenly Father.....Jesus, son of God, Holy Spirit! Without HIM I would be nothing!

I am THANKFUL!

I am THANKFUL for so much and I never want to take any of it for granted. I know that everything I have comes from God. Everything! When I drive around and see the beauty of this world HE has provided for me to enjoy I want to always let HIM know how much I appreciate HIM.

As we celebrate THANKSGIVING tomorrow let us not forget to be THANKFUL! Take time to look around. See HIM in your celebration! Take time to stop for a moment and say THANK YOU FATHER!

Psalm 100

GOD IS GOOD!!!!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

Love, Judy

HE thinks about us!

When I looked out my front door yesterday evening and saw this sight I thought about how blessed I am. HE thinks about us when HE gives us the seasons! HE thinks about us when HE gives us all the beauty to enjoy!

Look around and see what beauty HE created for us. Then say thanks to HIM for all that HE does!

'For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart, And I will be found of you, saith the LORD...'

Jeremiah 29: 11,12,13,14

I thank God that HE can be found! We don't have to look far to see HIM.

God bless you today!

Look Up!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eDpmZD04J4

Listen to this song as you view these pictures that I took over the last couple of days.

Keep looking up because you never know what you'll see. But for now.......enjoy this beautiful world He created for us.

We shall behold HIM............one of these days! :)

God bless you!

A Card and a Song from a Melody

THE CARD: Pray for me

I'm on a diet!

This card was given to me about 20 (really!) years ago from a friend. I hope she remembers it but I understand if she doesn't. After all, it was a long time ago.

So the story goes; I was complaining about needing to lose weight. I think at that time I probably needed to lose 20 lbs.........(gee, to be so lucky today!) sigh! The next day at work my friend brought this card to me. She'd seen it the night before at our local card shop and said she thought of me when she saw it.

I've never mailed it to anyone and have kept it in with other cards all these years! Every time I see this card I think of her and smile.

Today, I'm 'mailing' it out to all of you and asking for your prayers. I desperately need to lose weight! It's become unreal how much I've gained and I'm tired of it!

PRAY FOR ME............I don't want to call it a diet but I do want to call it LOSING FAT!!! :)

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THE SONG

The precious friend who gave me the card has the voice of an angel and can sing! At one time, she was in a trio with women who sang at area churches and special functions. These women are no longer singing together but while they were, they recorded several tapes. I am fortunate to have these tapes to frequently listen to and enjoy.

Most of you have probably been like me and had songs which you considered, 'my song!' You know, songs which you could relate to when you were happy, or sad, or whatever. Now, I have to laugh when I think of some that I've 'thought' were 'MY SONG'. Case in point:

"Lonely, I'm Mr. L-nley"...............well first of all, I'm not a MR. and as the song goes, I' m NOT a soldier. Guess this one could not possibly be, my song!

"See the Funny Lit_tle Clown"..........no one knows he's (she's) crying on the inside, 'cause he (she) keeps laughing on the inside!


Yes, that was MY SONG for sure during a really hard time....probably one of the darkest times in my life when my sister in law and her 16 year old daughter were both fighting cancer!

Sad does not begin to describe how I felt!!! I would go to her house, one and one half hours away from my home, and literally feel as though I had stepped into a war zone! It was a war; they were both on chemo, both were very, very sick and fighting for their lives!

I was crying on the inside and really having a hard time laughing on the outside!!!!

But one day I was listening to that song.....I mean really listening to that song and I heard the second verse (duh, I think I knew the song by heart but.....?)which says something to the effect, 'this funny little clown, you never see him (her) around without HIS GIRL BESIDE HIM!!!!!!! HEY, that's NOT 'my song'!!!!!!!!!!!! That has nothing to do with ME!!! No girl beside him???????????

Well, chalk that off as NOT being 'my song!'

But I want to tell you what became 'my song' at that very sad time in my life!

In one of the many one and one half hour long trips I made back and forth to my sister in law's house, I started listening to one of the tapes my friend and her group had made. I can't begin to tell you what peace came over me when I heard, really heard, the words of one particular song

This is, was and always will be 'my song'!

"THERE IS PEACE IN THE MIDST OF THE STORM"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ka9alAR4jU8

This is not my friends' version of the song but excellent just the same. Listen to the words; HE IS OUR ANCHOR, OUR ROCK to build our faith upon!

HE IS OUR PEACE!!

Let HIM be 'your song.'

God bless you Melody!

Details good and bad

Just a quick update about the family on Extreme Makeover.

First of all what a deserving family to receive a new home and all the wonderful gifts given to them. Here's a mother, Ginger, who has three children who are ill. The two girls, confined to wheel chairs, had to be carried up and down the stairs. That two story house definitely was not built to accommodate wheel chairs.

The son, Christian, has croans disease and has become quite ill since the taping of the show. If you saw the program you saw a precious young man who loved his sisters and was deeply concerned for their well being.

There is so much more to their story but I don't feel at liberty to discuss details of their lives. I will say, God has blessed them with a wonderful community who has done so much for this family in numerous fund raisers.

A footnote to this story; the teacher who was a big part in their being selected by Extreme Makeover, Home Edition, met her husband through one of the fundraisers. She married him last Friday night and had the two girls in her wedding. How awesome!

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Now another family.


I couldn't finish the above story for several days because I received news of someone I knew who committed suicide. My heart has been terribly troubled.

This may not appear to be a story that should go along with the above deserving family but in a way, I think it will. Both families continue to need God's touch in their lives.

The family I now speak of had a deep dark secret which they kept to themselves. The man who committed suicide was in prison and rightly so. He chose to follow evil in it's utmost form! To protect their identity, I'll not give names or ages.




Before going to prison he was raising his two daughters alone, following the death of their mother. For the last eight years we thought their lives were going so well; skiing trips, lovely home, vacations , swimming pool. They were living the 'American dream', so we thought.


Because of one wonderful teacher who saw something 'not quite right' the secret was revealed. Both girls confessed to being molested by this man, their father, for the last eight years of their lives! EIGHT YEARS OF HELL! The details of what they endured and his addiction to Internet 'garbage' (I refuse to say the 'p' word) was inconceivable.

I cringe every time I think of what they went through. AND NO ONE KNEW!!! That's the danger of the evil which lurks around us.

So, this man is gone. He chose suicide! But what about these two girls and the damage which has been done to their bodies? What about their lives and the suffering they've endured? No, they're not in wheel chairs like the two girls from the other family, but these two girls have been 'confined' in a completely different way. Their confinement was the ugliness of sin......not their own but someone who should have had their best interest at heart.

I ask you to pray for both families. Pray for God's healing touch. Pray for God's mercy and grace. Pray that HE will turn all their 'dark' days into sunny, blue sky kind of days. Pray for laughter to fill their lives. Pray for God to send people in their lives who will share HIS GOOD NEWS! Pray, pray, pray!

God bless you today.

...(He will give us ) beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garmet of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord that he might be glorified. Isaiah 61:3

Extreme Makeover

This is rather short notice but I'd like everyone to watch, "Extreme Makeover" tonight.

A friend of mine's niece, Ginger, and family will be the featured family receiving a new home. Their last name is Akers.

It's been fun listening to my friend revealing the details of how they were chosen, where they went while their home was being renovated, etc...

But more than anything, how truly blessed this family is to have the outpouring of love from their community. What a wonderful family to receive all that has come from being chosen.

You will be touched by their story.

Should you miss the the show tonight, you can go on YOU Tube, type in Extreme Makeover and their last name.

God bless you today. :)

Happy Birthday to.....

David with

our 'grandDOGS' Precious and Duke.

Yesterday was my honey's birthday. Not a big celebration as he was feeling 'under the weather' with sinus problems.......but then., just about EVERYONE in our area is having the same 'ragweed' attack!

We went out for a mighty fine steak dinner! Yummoooo! So good. Then we killed time before dropping in on a really FUN celebration.

A friend of mine had a party for her grandsons' lst birthdays, born two weeks apart in different parts of the US, I might add. (*note to self: DON'T EVEN WHINE ABOUT YOUR TWO GRANDCHILDREN BEING BORN 6 WEEKS APART!) :)

Back to the boys' lst birthdays. So, my friend wanted people to 'meet' the little guys and eat at a wonderful deli here in town. Since we'd opted to eat earlier (you know.....STEAK) we dropped by for a quick second to run these cute little ponies in for the boys.

Aren't they just the cutest!!!!!! Now I know it will be impossible for them to take these ponies back on the airplane to their homes but.......hey, they can stay at granny's house. :)




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And now for my honey;

Here are a few pictures taken of him doing what 'future poppies' do best.........

The Pottery Barn bassinet from from mammie and poppie.

Yeah for reading instructions!

The 'handsome' crib which the other grandparents purchased, as well as the dresser, hutch and other pieces. Bless those wonderful people!

The stroller from mammie and poppie.

I thank God that father and son have such a great relationship and look forward to doing little projects together. These 'projects' were especially FUN!

A poppie with speed!

We had a great time at our son and daughter in laws' house preparing stuff for our little grandson. Of course it was a shopping fest; one of many I look forward to. Here's what my daughter in law and I 'put together.'

What a little gentleman he will be in this outfit!

mammie does NOT know how to turn this right side up..... :(

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, David.

What a difference one year has made. Last year at this time you were recovering from open heart surgery. How great is our God!!!!


I love you!

Judywho