Loving You 4 Ever

We  love and will love 4 ever all our grandkids, but it is Oliver's turn  to be on this blog. He is a happy little boy and has made a perfect model for photos lately. Here he is at the Science Museum in his home town. It is one of their favorite locations and is handy, so they go there fairly often.  The second layout, also from the Science Museum features Oliver and Caleb in the Sound Booths. I love how the pictures were taken in a way that they look like double exposures with the reflections in the glass that separated the boys in their booths.

This coming weekend will be a very busy one in this household, especially here at my computer.  It is National Digital Scrapbooking Day. There will be activities with lots of groups all over the web on that day. I wish I could participate in all the challenges, but I must think rationally. The more 'games' I play , the less I will accomplish, and I have many, many pictures of recent snapshoots that I want to put into layouts.  I also have many from the past that I really want to make into books. There just isn't enough time in my days.

May the Lord bless you and keep you.

Dance Class

I don't know how much these girls practice. I haven't seen them dance, but they sure are cute.
Our granddaughter, Ashley is with her friend, Hannah on the  right end as you see them there.

I  don't know how to tie this piece in with the picture, so I'll just have to jump to another subject. It is a broad jump, so hang on...

I was so impressed by Max Lucado's UpWords today, that I'm copying the whole thing for you. Of course, it isn't long. He says a lot in few words.  Here it is:

No Deception

A woman stands before judge and jury, one hand on the Bible, the other in the air, and makes a pledge: to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.  She's a witness. Her job is to tell the truth.

The Christian, too, is a witness.  We, too, make a pledge to tell the truth.  The bench may be absent, the judge seen, but the Bible in present, the watching world the jury, and we're the primary witnesses- subpoenaed by no less than Jesus himself in Acrs 1:8. "You will be my witnesses, in all of Judea, in Samaria, and in every part of the world."

The witness in court eventually steps down from the witness chair,  but the witness for Christ never does.  The claims of Christ are always on trial, and we remain under oath!

A shorter version: Always tell the truth.

Comfy @ the Farm

I thrills me to see this little grandson of ours enjoying the farm and all that goes on there so much.

He seems to be a natural for farm life. It is a life of hard work, but it is a wonderful place to be if it protects you from this world, as crazy as it has become...especially in the last 7 years.

But as hard as one might try to escape the ramifications of the present administration's actions, there is really no where to go. These liberals are managing to take away freedom like we could have ever imagined. Everything will soon be regulated by the government...everything.

I wish he had been born many years ago, when our country was a true republic and freedom was a right instead of all the things people want to say are their rights now.

I pray he will be able to keep that smile in the years to come. May God bless him and protect him. I pray that prayer for all our grandchildren.

Shaq

There is sooooo much that could be said about Shaquille O'neal. He certainly has name recognition.
Everybody knows Shaq.

Since sports is not one of my interests, I couldn't do him justice. I did google him though and am very impressed.

One thing bothers me a bit. He claims he is Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, everything...because he is a people person.

I contend that a people person should be a Christian. The main things our God has asked us to do is to love God with all our hearts and love our fellow man as we love ourselves. That is the perfect definition of a people person.  I know he doesn't want to offend anyone. but there may come a time when he decides he doesn't want to offend God. I pray at that time he will call on our father in heaven and commit himself to a life of service to our king.

Oh, and I might say something about my layout as well.  Our son, Tim, sells cars in Florida. On the day these pictures were taken, he had sold Shaq a very special car...a very fast one...a Hellcat, for his son.

A people person he is, well both of them are. He entertained the whole troop at the car dealership and posed for pictures.

I never really knew how short Tim is until I saw him by Shaquille O'Neal. lol

You Have a Brain

The story of these layouts is written on the first one. It was a successful trip for Greg and Aussie to Kansas for the Lawrence Spring Rubik's Cube competition. Aussie did well and made many new friends. We are very proud of him for putting his brain to use.

Which leads me to tell you about the book I've been reading by Dr Ben Carson, called, You Have a Brain.  

I've been very impressed by Dr Carson, since I saw the movie, Gifted Hands.  I then read, One Nation. That led me to the  present book. I suppose when I finish this one, I'll read another one of his books. He is a fascinating man, who was raised in a poor household supported by his single mother.

I would recommend these books to all. They are very inspiring. In You Have a Brain Dr Carson contends that we all have very powerful, yet individual brains. I am hoping to give a copy of it to Aussie soon and would hope that all my grandchildren would some day read it.

They are Watching

It seems that I have a new admirer. At least he likes to climb the pole to the dinner bell outside my window. He seems to be peering in at me. Actually, the window is one way. I can see him, but he sees only himself, so he isn't watching me at all.

And speaking of watching. Who is watching you? Are you being a good example? Or might you cause someone to stumble?  

I read my morning newsletter by Max Lucado today.  I'm paraphrasing the first part of what he had to say. If someone is seeking a better way of life, will they find it in you? Will they see your joy, or might they see boredom?  

The next part, I've copied for you here:

"As long as I’m getting personal—parents, what are your children learning from your worship? Do they see the same excitement as when you go to a baseball game? Do they see you hungry to see the face of your Father? Or do they see you content to leave the way you came? They’re watching. Believe me…they are watching! May I urge you to be just like Jesus…and prepare your heart for worship. "   Max Lucado

God bless you all.

Do You Want to Be Liked?

Do you want to be liked by other people? Here’s the big secret: Like them. That’s it. If you like people, guess what? They’re going to like you. If you don’t like people, they’re not going to like you. To be likeable you just have to like people. You have to genuinely enjoy them. You have to choose to be interested in others and think less about yourself. Rick Warren

See the smile on Brittanie's face? She is a good example of a likable  person.  And I can see it emerging in Ava as well.  

John and Caleb at Gateway Natural Area

Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God.” Imagine considering every moment as a potential time of communion with God. Try being silent with God.

I can't think of a better place to do that than here beside the still water.

I've Got the Music in Me

I'm getting more pictures of Oliver right now than anyone else.  I'm surely not complaining. It is fun to see what the little ones are doing.

I love this one song from years ago, one whose lyrics are wholesome. It's one I wouldn't mind him singing.

Today, in my inbox was a weekly email from Lifeway Christian Stores, called nourish weekly morsel.  I read so much dreadful news each day, that I welcome a happy story. Think you might like it as well, so I'm copying it here for you.

Watch & Learn

I walked into First Baptist College Station that night during my senior year of college with low expectations. I'd grown up in church and had been really involved in my church youth group once upon a time. I knew all the "right" Christian answers, but I'd fallen so far away from all that that I felt like I was too far gone. God couldn't possibly want me now.
We sat toward the back of the sanctuary, and I remember two things as vividly as if they happened yesterday. The first was that the minute the worship leader began to sing, I began to cry. Like ugly cry. The second thing was that a young guy named Gregg Matte walked onstage and began to talk about how we are called to be children of God and to shine like stars in the universe. (That happens to be in Philippians 2, by the way.) But more than that, he talked about grace and mercy and how God loves more than we could ever imagine. I don't know that it was the first time I'd really heard about God's grace and love, but it was without a doubt the first time I really grabbed hold of it and decided not to let go. It was the beginning of something real for me.
Over the next few months I became friends with a bunch of people who were actively involved with the church's college group. They were unlike any group of people I'd ever known. They talked openly about their faith and made decisions based on what they felt God was calling them to do. I loved spending time with them because, without even realizing it, they were challenging me to be the person God intended me to be and to quit settling for less. They showed me that being a Christian didn't mean I had to spend all my time in prayer meetings and playing miniature golf like I'd done in high school youth group, which was very important to me, because you want to die of boredom? Go play a round of miniature golf.
By watching these people live their lives, I learned what it means to seek God's will for your life. I'd heard people talk about it, but I'd never seen it in action. Especially not with people my age.
It was also during this time that I picked up Max Lucado's book No Wonder They Call Him the Saviorand began to read it. His account of the Prodigal Son rocked everything I'd convinced myself to be true about how God felt about me. I had never before understood how much God loved me, how much he wanted me, and how his grace completely covered every mistake I had made. There's a line in that book that sticks with me even to this day about how God looks at us and says, "Whatever you have done, whatever you have become, it doesn't matter. Please come home."
So I came home.
And God, in return, lavished me with a scandalous amount of grace as he not only filled my life with wonderful new friends who encouraged me and loved me but also brought my best friend, Gulley, right along with me as she began to develop a real relationship with God too. We fumbled our way through this journey together as we encouraged each other, prayed for each other, and found ourselves standing on solid ground for the first time in a long a time. Maybe the first time ever.

Hiking with the 'Girls'

April 3 I posted a layout of Maggie and me titled, Take a Hike. The pictures were taken on March 16 of this year. I finally finished the two layouts that go with the first one.  At that rate, one would figure that I will never be able to finish another book...but I'm well on the way now.  86 of the 100 layouts needed have been completed. So, it shouldn't be long now.

I certainly do not expect victory when I'm trying to get my dog to do something she does not want to do.  Actually, most of the time I win, but not always. 

I do not mean to make a practice of this, but I really like this short piece on Victory by James Chilton.

I wish everyone could read it.

Victory Knows Three Words

By James Chilton on Apr 13, 2015 12:00 am
 

“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, 

because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is 

in the world” (I John 4:4, NIV).

Jesus won!  And He lives in us!  I Corinthians 15:47-58 clearly says 

we have been given the victory in Christ.

Victory knows three words:

Challenge.  We will be hit by the enemy.  The evil one challenges 

us because he wants us to forget that we have authority in Christ.  

In Christ we accept this challenge because we know the outcome.

Choice.  We will have to make a choice when challenged.  The 

devil will always try to convince us that we don’t have options.  A 

believer must make the choice of a victor.

Change.  When we make the choice of a victor, we will experience 

change.  We feel more confident because we are allowing Christ to 

be in control.

Embracing these three concepts will remind us that Someone is living 

inside us right now, and He’s greater than anything the evil one can 

throw in our path.

Thanks, Jim!

Ashley and Hannah

Our granddaughter Ashley and her friend Hannah enjoy each others' company on opening night of one of their plays.

Brandy Murray of Scrapgirls.com gave out a freebie a couple of days ago. I just happened to have these pictures of the girls that I thought might go well with it. I didn't have any idea how well, until I opened them both in Photoshop Elements and noticed I could not have done better to match the colors or mood in the first picture at the top.

The freebie was 12x12, but I do 8x10 size, so I added another aqua print, which is also a Scrapgirls product from the collection called ChicInstinct by Angie Briggs.

I love both Angie and Brandy. After spending some time with them several years ago in Utah, when I went 2 different years to what I call the Scrapgirls Convention., I've tried to keep up with them on social media.  It is a pleasure to use their excellent products.

If you like this, check them out here

Oliver Has a Friend

These pictures are so cute. Of course here I am hundreds of miles away, but I just have to read into these expressions. The little girl can't be much older than Oliver, yet it seems her mothering instinct has kicked in as they interact.  Quite cute.

If we could all return to the innocence of  our childhoods, life would be easier.

I have posted James Chilton's encouragement letters before and today I find it so interesting that I'm doing that again.  

We Can't Envy What's Destroying Our Culture By James Chilton on Apr 17, 2015 12:00 am   “And do this, understanding the present times.  The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed” (Romans 13:11, NIV). These are crazy times.  Americans are the envy of the world, and yet we are #1 in abortion, divorce, unwed mothers, murder, rape, and violent crimes!  America has the best of everything plus callousness, coarseness, and cynicism.  It takes wisdom to understand “the present times.” And just when we need the church to step up to help some 3,500 – 4,000 churches close their doors every year in America.  Membership has been declining.  It is obvious the church in America is not understanding something about the times.  The clan of Issachar (I Chronicles 12:23-32) would look at the terrain and say it’s time to get back to basic values.  Behavior is what we do, and values is why we do it.  David’s army was successful because the goal was to honor the Lord and others, not self.  Discipline was chosen over indulgence, commitment over choice, obligation over entitlement, and saving over spending.  Paul is right on:  “The hour has come” for us to wake up from our slumber.  “Salvation” or deliverance is nearer than we can imagine.  Proper posturing begins by desiring what is wholesome and stop envying what is destroying our culture.  It's a great day to ask our Father for the divine appetite for goodness.      I love You!

100% Sweet

As often in the case these days, I'm running late. So this will be short and very sweet. As a matter of fact, it is 100% sweet.

I pray your day will go well. Stick close to God and He will be there for you.

SNAG Golf

I had not heard of SNAG golf before, but have been very impressed with it's effectiveness in teaching golf, especially to young people. At just five, Caleb can experience the real feel of golf.

Oliver seems to be content  caddying.

Spoiled Dog

You might guess that this dog is spoiled and your guess would be right. She regards our kind sized bed as hers. At least she lets us sleep with her.

By the way, she is not allowed on the sheets; however, one day Ron forgot to pull up the comforter when he got up. She found out quickly and took advantage of it. She wasn't there long though before I woke up as well and shooed her out of there.

Maggie wears her new bedhead fashion hairdo.  It looks much like mine on some days. She needs a haircut, but it is hard to justify spending more on her hair than on my own. But then, since I don't spend much on my own, I shouldn't feel badly about doing it for her. It is actually for our benefit anyway, since she really doesn't care.

A Big Deal

This  Retro American Doll play set is understandably a Big Deal, in more than one way. First of all, Ashley's mom had been trying to find a good price on this set because Ashley really wanted it. That is  why it was a big deal for Ashley, because she wanted it so badly.  It was a Big Deal to her mom because, she actually found a deal on it. I need to hear her tell the story again.  She got a fantastic  price. I believe they had the wrong price on it or something like that. Because of that, Chelle did not wait until Ashley wasn't with her, she just swept that  box up and paid f or it in front of Ashley.

I call that a victory. But there is a greater victory. James Chilton wrote about that today:


Victory Knows Three Words
By James Chilton on Apr 13, 2015 12:00 am
 

“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, 

because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is 

in the world” (I John 4:4, NIV).

Jesus won!  And He lives in us!  I Corinthians 15:47-58 clearly says 

we have been given the victory in Christ.

Victory knows three words:

Challenge.  We will be hit by the enemy.  The evil one challenges 

us because he wants us to forget that we have authority in Christ.  

In Christ we accept this challenge because we know the outcome.

Choice.  We will have to make a choice when challenged.  The 

devil will always try to convince us that we don’t have options.  A 

believer must make the choice of a victor.

Change.  When we make the choice of a victor, we will experience 

change.  We feel more confident because we are allowing Christ to 

be in control.

Embracing these three concepts will remind us that Someone is living 

inside us right now, and He’s greater than anything the evil one can 

throw in our path.

Great Granddaughter Ava

It's been an extra busy weekend and I have nothing  brilliant  (lol) or even interesting to say.

So just take a look at our great granddaughter and know I had a good time making this layout.

Learn to Love

These children get together frequently and play well with each other. This day, they hiked up the mountain side at Well Gulch.

Being like Jesus means loving. Young children are generally very loving creatures.  

 Often we fail our children and let them become very self centered and that often causes them to  treat others badly. A wise parent teach their children to love others. If they don't learn, those children can become at the very least unlikeable. Many of them grow into unloving and unlikeable adults and even worse, problems to society.

Love is very important.

In his series, Daily Hope, Rick Warren taught me something. I don’t think I’d ever heard that our pursuit on earth is to learn to love. We emphasize that we should learn ‘to be like Jesus'. And I’ve always just thought, we should do good and not evil. But this gets to the root of it, love.  Some people are very unloveable. Because it isn't easy to love them, we need to learn to love them.

 Jesus loves them, so can you and I with a little effort.

I've copied Rick Warren's piece here for you. 

Learn to Love Your Co-Workers

“Do everything with love.” (1 Corinthians 16:14 NLT, second edition)

One of the most important keys to receiving God’s favor on your work is this: You must care about the people you work with. Even when they are irritable, even when they don’t like you, even when they make fun of you, even when they put you down for being a Christian, you must still be a friend to them.

Why is this so important for success? Because the number one lesson in life, the number one reason God put you on this earth, is to learn how to love. God is love, and he wants you to be like him.

It’s easy to love people you like — the people you find it easy to get along with. So if God’s going to teach you real love, realize that he’s going to put you around unlovely people.

The Bible says, “Do everything with love” (1 Corinthians 16:14 NLT, second edition). “Do everything” — that means in the office, in the car, on a sales trip — whatever. The good news is this really is not hard. It’s easy to underestimate the power of a kind word, a friendly smile, a pat on the back, a genuine compliment, a word of encouragement, and a listening ear. 

I have seen so many people’s lives changed when somebody takes time to pay attention to them. There is not a person on this planet who isn’t starving for attention. But a caring person is hard to find. The Apostle Paul said, “I have no one else like Timothy, who genuinely cares about your welfare” (Philippians 2:20).

People need affirmation, attention, and affection. Learn to care about the people you work with and show them God’s love.

“Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love” (Ephesians 4:2 TLB).

You can find more on his website.

Together Time

The triplets don't spend much time together anymore, since they have varied interests and LOTS of activities.  So it is refreshing to see them just enjoying each other's company. 

It is a rough world in which to grow up. Thank our living God that there are some good role models out there amid all the terrible ones.

Sadie Robertson has come up with a sight called Live Original, which is perfect encouragement for young girls. You can find it here:

Complain to Google

I've been wondering why they have recently made it so easy to complain to Google.  That is, until last night when I had a reason to complain.  I did. The problem was not fixed and I got no response at all.

I'm wondering if that is a normality, that it takes much longer; or if other complaints have piled up and are taking precedence.

If you hadn't noticed, my post yesterday was cut, so that the last 6 words in the first sentence were omitted. Each line of the text is shortened. The layouts were cut as well.

I'm not sure what to do to rectify it.  I will try once more to see what happens tonight.

Since it is working fine tonight, I'll add the other layout that was chopped last night:

Now, I will attempt to add the text  from last night.  In my email today I received this newsletter from Max Lucado. I am posting it with these pictures, since he is talking about his little girl.

Just the Way You Are

Don't confuse God's love with the love of people. That kind of love often increases with performances and decreases with mistakes.  When my daughter was a toddler, she loved going to the park and playing in the sandbox. And often I'd give her an ice cream treat. One day as I turned to do that, I saw her mouth was full of sand. Where I intended to put a delicacy, she had put dirt. Did I love her with dirt in her month? Absolutely. Was I going to allow her to keep the dirt in the mouth? No way, I loved her right where she was, but I refused to leave her there.

God does the same for us.  "Spit the dirt out, honey, "our Father urges. I've got something better for you." Jesus wants to give us a heart like his. Can you imagine a better offer?

Just the Way You Are

I really enjoyed doing these two layouts today. Ava has a good Mommy and Daddy.   In my email today I received this newsletter from Max Lucado.   I think it goes well  with these pictures , since he is talking about his daughter when she was little. So I'm posting it here between the two layouts. Just the Way You Are

Don’t confuse God’s love with the love of people. That kind of love often increases with performances and decreases with mistakes. When my daughter was a toddler, she loved going to the park and playing in the sandbox. And often I’d give her an ice-cream treat. One day as I turned to do that, I saw her mouth was full of sand. Where I intended to put a delicacy, she had put dirt. Did I love her with dirt in her mouth? Absolutely. Was I going to allow her to keep the dirt in her mouth? No way. I loved her right where she was, but I refused to leave her there. God does the same for us. “Spit the dirt out, honey,” our Father urges. I’ve got something better for you.” Jesus wants to give us a heart like his. Can you imagine a better offer?

Could She Be Cuter?

Yes, I'm prejudiced, not against anyone for anything. But I prefer this little girl baby over other ones. She is tops as far as I'm concerned.

 Even though she lives close by, we don't get to see her, but I love all these good pictures.

May God protect her and guide her through life.

Circular Halo

I'm trying to get all my snow pictures done before spring is over...well I'd like to get them done by Tuesday at least.   I don't have many more.

I actually have enough pictures now to publish another book. They are piling up very quickly. I just wish I could finish them quicker and still enjoy the process. 

I have lessons to complete waiting patiently for me while I play catch up. 

We had a wonderfully blessed day today even though we did not get to spend it with any of our family.

We asked a family at church to eat with us at a local restaurant. I was thinking that we would have to wait forever to get a table. 

As we were on the way, there was a circular halo around the sun. We didn't get pictures, but  a friend took these:

I took that as a good omen.  When we arrived, we parked right by the building. We went in and only about 4 people, not parties, were ahead of us. We expected to be waiting quite a while because there were 12 of us. We were able to sit down to wait. It wasn't more than ten minutes when they called our name. Evidently a group of 10 ahead of us had put in their names and then left. We got their spot. It was amazing. We even got to sit at one long table. Not only that, but we were served quickly and our food came out hot and delicious. We didn't spend any more time than we would have normally with a small group.  What makes it really over the top, the other family paid for our dinners.

A Snowball Man

The triplets are so busy, it is rare to see them do something fun together, but this was a big chance...a snow day. A snow day in Tennessee is not exactly like one in Ohio.  However on this day in February, they actually had a little snow...enough to make a snowball man.

We are looking forward to Easter  tomorrow, where Easter eggs hopefully are hidden without a snow covering.

I already have some Easter Egg Hunt pictures for layouts, so, hopefully you will see one tomorrow night.

Happy Easter.

Hiking

It's really a stretch to call a walk around a local park trail a hike, but I like to think of it as hiking. This is the first time I've had Maggie out in the park...any park and I enjoyed seeing her greet everyone we met. Most were keeping their heart beats up and racing by, but they had big smiles for her.

I've spent way too much time today attempting to put text on a selection without it being upside down. I  KNOW there has to be a way, but it is escaping me. I've read everything I can find online and watched videos to no avail. I guess I'll have to find a 5 year old or a Photoshop Elements 13 Book for Dummies. I wonder if one has been written yet. I'll check online tomorrow if I don't figure it out.

I just realized I have enough pictures to make another 100 page book. I really need to speed up the process, but I thoroughly enjoy the creativity part. There is no rushing that.

This is good Friday, the anniversary of the day our Savior died on the cross for our sins, yours and mine. Looking forward to Sunday, when we can celebrate his resurrection from the grave.

Arcades for Kids

When I saw these pictures of Aussie and Ashley, it was the first I'd known about Dave and Buster's. It seems to be a wide spread chain, a combination  restaurant arcade and bar. It looks like it could be  a lot of fun, during the day. I'm not sure I would like it with people drinking though. I imagine it could get quite loud and unruly. 

I thought of Chuck e Cheese, another such arcade. It is for children. My kids used to go there, especially John who took advantage of the offer of free tickets for good report cards. I've taken the triplets there are well. 

I was thinking about what a great experience it was for the children. But from the back of my mind, I remembered hearing earlier this week about a brawl at a Chuck e Cheese. I googled it, and sure enough it was TERRIBLE. A mob of Customers there for a child's birthday party beat up the staff with others cheering them on.

 Chuck e Cheese Brawl

And yes, I found out most do serve alcohol now. I don't know if they always did or not, but whatever the case, the world is getting worse and worse. People are more and more self centered and unloving. Drunks can be exceedingly dangerous.

 I know it would mean much less income for the arcades if they were to discontinue the bar, but I think it might be a smart step to take to protect the children from such unleashed violence.

Tot Friends

Oliver and Hunter are little guys...learning to play together. It is really cute to see them.

I had fun with this layout using an out of bounds method of extending arms and hands out  of the frame boundaries.

Boundaries are important in life and borders are important to countries. I pray that we will get people in office who will shore up our borders as a protection for us. We welcome new citizens, but not those who are willing to break laws. Those who will break the law to get here, will break other laws as well.