Sleepover in the Tent and Softball starts May 2011

TENTS, BASEBALL, SOFTBALL, SOCCER, and let the Summer fun begin!!!

 What could be more fun than setting up the tent with Poppy and all the kids for a sleepover?

 Are you sure you dads don't want to join us? 

Little did we know that when we began the fun evening, God would send a rainstorm and in would come all 5 kids and Poppy dragging a wagon full of wet sleeping bags! 

We will take rain anytime!

 Little league baseball practice is held in the front yard... and sometimes we cook hotdogs for all our

little INDIAN HOTDOGGERS!!! What a blast were these guys???!!!

 And... as the baseball begins, so does the softball... yes, antlers will be signed in the ball park often!

 ... and lest we forget... soccer is begun for the first time with our 4 year old!! Go S go!!!

 KG played on a few select teams and filled in on a few more... it was fun to watch her play with the older girls and get a taste of 12 and under while she still played 10 and under.

 I love it that most all of the coaches lead with more than what pitch to throw or what base to steal... They lead with their hearts under an AUTHORITY greater than the rule book! Thank you coaches for being good examples for these young ones under your guidance. 

I thank God for the opportunities that my family gets to have in so many areas of life! I ask You Father to make us ever mindful that every good and perfect gift comes from YOUR hands and may we never assume that it is ours to control. We bow to Your grace for the gifts You give. 

Home is a good place to be! Spring 2011

Day begins bright and shining here in our little valley of country folks and God's blessings!

 Friend just drop by...

 We get to see from high places...

 Boys get to be boys....

 Families get time to do family things...

 sometimes we get to see clearly the visions set before us for each of at this time!

 And as the land is cleared... so sometimes our hearts are simply cleared of the everyday clutter that wants to redirect our thinking and our purpose....

 Lord take us to Your high places... let us see from Your vantage points...

 Let us remember that You've been at this since "before the foundations of the earth"....

 And... as we see the beauty of everything around us.... let us always be aware that it is 

YOU WHO GIVES GOOD GIFTS!!!!

thank You Father that You've planted me right here...

I love it!!!

We are in Full SWING:))) as well as ON our toes:))

We are ready to "load up the bases"... and put our "antlers" up for all to see!

The ball is in play and we're on it!

 Wildcats... in motion and the season begins....

 camping in the backyard AND...

 Baseball/Softball in the front yard ...

 And lest we forget... EE assures me that she will be doing "ballerina" as soon as school is out! 

"and Tahtee, it will be a 'Tangled' ballerina, and you can come to my performance"..

You bet your boots I'll be making that show!

 Our boys are awesome, and this Tahtee is oh so proud of the way our coaches handled them with integrity. These Dads clearly care about the boys... ALL of them and the fact that the way they learn the game will determine how they continue to play the game.
Yeah for good role models who care how the ones in their charge play like the champions they are!

 Whether it is baseball or softball... our weekends are full!!!

 and then... there are the extra teams for which our little pitcher is getting called.

 LORD protect our kids....

Place their little feet into the places where YOU alone direct... Let their moms and dads KNOW where to be and where not to be so that the tuggings of the world are replaced by the assurance of your CALL. You know who/what/where and when... I thank YOU for Your constant guidance and sure touch on the lives of our children and our grandchildren... YOU are a GOOD shepherd and we desire to hear

 YOUR VOICE!

My birthday word from January 2011, Usama Bin Laden, Priests of our Households, and marriages>>!!

FINALLY,,, posting my Birthday word from January 2011.

What do my word, UBL, Long-term marriages, and Priests have in common??

All deal with "load bearing walls"!!!

God knows the strategy of our enemy, and He will direct our path!

Samson was placed between "load bearing walls"!! and God's glory

was revealed... is it any surprise that the enemy would try the same tactic?

First a generic definition... and an apology for a more lengthy than normal posting... feel free to scroll to the next posting should the LORD not direct your reading this one.

 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A load-bearing wall (or bearing wall) is a wall that bears a load resting upon it by conducting its weight to a foundation structure. The materials most often used to construct load-bearing walls in large buildings are concrete, block, or brick.

By contrast, a curtain wall provides no significant structural support beyond what is necessary to bear its own materials or conduct such loads to a load-bearing wall.

History

Load-bearing walls are one of the earliest forms of construction.

The development of the flying buttress in Gothic architecture allowed structures to maintain an open interior space, transferring more weight to the buttresses instead of to central bearing walls. Notre Dame Cathedral, for example, has a load-bearing wall structure with flying buttresses.

The birth of the skyscraper era, the concurrent rise of steel as a more suitable framing system first designed by William Le Baron Jenney, and the limitations of load-bearing construction in large buildings led to a decline in the use of load-bearing walls in large-scale, commercial structures.

Application

Depending on the type of building and the number of stories, load-bearing walls are gauged to the appropriate thickness to carry the weight above them. Without doing so, it is possible that an outer wall could become unstable if the load exceeds the strength of the material used, potentially leading to the collapse of the structure.

OK... so there's the book definition... here's what I hear the LORD saying to my heart.. begun early this year, and being confirmed over and over.

"you who are at this season of your life (over 50 and in marriages that have been tested and  proven over 30 years)... you are to be:

SOLACE

SAFE PLACES and

PILLARS 

in the places I have put you. 

Know your identity as I, the LORD, have told you, and make sure you are fluid in your plans yet standing firm in your position according to the ONE WHO places you.

Understand that it will be the enemy's strategy to take out the "load bearing walls" so that the buildings standing on it's shoulders will also crumble. (his plan would take out households, congregations, families should he be able to shake and remove the pillars).

Understand that our enemy prowls looking for the opportune time or vulnerability unique to each of us so that he can move in and weaken the wall/pillar. Be on guard, more than you is at stake. But be assured... GREATER IS HE THAT IS IN US than he that is of the world!! "

 The above picture is archeology from the temple where Samson stood... it was a true story of a hero who knew he was called, who left his calling, and yet returned to the ONE WHO made him... and became all he was meant to be.... a HERO in our LORD's hands... an example to those of us who come after.

Be blessed my friends as we all walk toward the LIGHT and the place to which we are called... 

I know that I have not made the connection to the first question of this post... I will assume that there is no need because to me, it is pretty clear:)

getting ready for Spring, softball, baseball, and gardens

 My country girl... is God's girl too!

 Need the right shades for all the sunshine coming up.

 As soccer finishes.... the next balls will be softballs and baseballs!!

 But first... my guys build me another garden...

 Poppy cuts the boards, but these two carpenters use the hammer, nails and power screwdrivers.

 Closely supervised.... it is just perfect for my tomatoes, onions and stevia.... also some marigolds:)

 Spring is almost here, and the signs are everywhere!!!

Thank God we are country folks!!! God's country that is:))))

Face Time, Basketball, Fans and Athletes Feb- March

 First time to experience Face Time... KG and friend Mere.... sweet!

 Serious business is this stuff with the Aggie girls basketball... 

very good team for our first City League experience.

 Boys still play Upward... with coach Wibbie and Brian... love this combo!

 incomparable fans... there to watch and to cheer... win or lose... always a winner in our book!

 Family time happens on the court and off!

 One of the best seats in the house!

Thank You Lord for letting us be close enough to make even the weekday events in the lives of our quickly growing grandkids! You are a GOOD FATHER to me and Troy!

Cats, Birds and Sunsets

 He's back... and he shows up every Tues and Thursday for the kid's baseball/softball practices.

spectacular..... one friend says "the spirit of revelation roams your hillside home!" I agree!

 Some folks have stewed chicken... I have a potted one!

 They just make me smile... these little feathered friends of mine!

 He shows up and he really thinks the Guineas are girls... such a sad and lonely bird!

 Sunsets are sometimes just too stunning for words! like tonight!

 Two of my oldest kitties are still around... Puff and PJ.... OLD for barn kitties!

 Love my Lemons Gap life!  Thank You LORD for planting me here!