Gram's Place

My day today was spent in a yin and yang sort of way. I began my day with a trip to the hospital. To see the beautiful baby girl born to Beefy. What an absolute miracle babies are. Weighing in over 6 lbs., she was a beauty for sure! Both mom and babe are doing well. I stopped by the front desk to talk to a friend I hadn't seen in a while who volunteers there. I left there and had a few minutes to ponder... you know, thinking of when my girls were born, of the beauty of birth, a new life, the incredible beginning of this precious one's lifetime. She was only one and a half hours into this world when I snapped her picture (the old fashioned way, so I don't have one to share yet). I daydreamed about tiny pink booties and onesies... of tiny fingers and tiny toes.... and to think... this precious one is known by the Father already. He knows her plans, her struggles, her weaknesses, her strengths. Back to reality. No time to daydream anymore. I had to dash off. Everyone was busy...

I recently read the passage about the Samaritan woman. You can read it in John chapter 4. I am amazed at how God's love changed this woman. I am sure she could make a list of wrongs done to her and by her. First, discrimination. She was a Samaritan. Second, gender. She was a woman. Female. Third, divorced. Not once. Not twice. Not even three or four. Five marriages gone bad. And now... she is sleeping with someone who is not her husband. Even today, many people would shun her. Her history. Surely, she was not only ashamed, but scorned. I envision her as a little dragged looking, low cut dress. Today, tight jeans, worn shirt, cigarette smell. In Max Lucado's words "not someone you would put in charge of the Bible Study class". And yet, Jesus, ... in all his love, considered her worthy of his love. Worthy of his time. Worthy of his forgiveness. Worthy of his love. There are so many times I don't feel worthy either. I can list my wrongs... and my mistakes. I can give...

Thank you all very much for your suggestions of my first problem... stay tuned for future issues of my household dilemnas... I have plenty of them trust me. I have thought a lot about it and I think I am going to go with a combination of the suggestions. First, I am going to take Chris's suggestion and install a security camera to find "nobody"... you know him I am sure... the person that does all the disasters... THEN, I'm going to apply the (as Pastor Marv says) board of education to their seat of understanding... and AHEM.... also, put a few baskets there to collect the junk (thanks Amy!). However, a new problem exists... snow. I am pretty sure that no amount of planning and organizing can accomodate the large quantities of mittens, hats, boots, and coats that a snowstorm brings. So, here's what Em's been up to lately... The budding artist that she is. Her older sister gave her a few pointers when she was here last so we have lots and lots of these little d...

The title of this blog may be misleading... well, aside from the obvious issues I have.. you know, being me and all... I have some others. We have lived in this house since Thanksgiving. Moved in the week before Thanksgiving to be exact. Then the holidays hit. Well, just this week we have officially been removed from the "holiday bubble" and are beginning to fare a somewhat normal life, whatever that is. I decided that I have some problem areas in this house that I want advice and wisdom from you all about... so I'm going to post them, one by one, and see if you can help me out. K? I was going to start with the simplest one... but the photo is too blurry. *&**%^$#^!!@ camera anyway. So, instead, I'm going to just go for the gusto and share a real issue with you... :) WARNING: The photos you are about to see may be graphic and contain material not suitable for self-respecting organization freaks. They are actual unretouched photos. The first area that drives me to ...

I took a relative to an appointment this week. A psychologist. I got to sit in on the testing. It was interesting. I didn't think they did the whole "I say this and you say the first thing you think of" thing for real. I thought it was just in the movies... So, thought I'd try it today on my blog. I found this Unconscious Mutterings on another blog, and it seems to work... the first part is their word, the second what I think. If you want to play along, do it! :) 1. Incomplete :: Laundry 2. Bobby:: Where is he? 3. Chopstick:: Chinese 4. Trauma:: Garbage Day 5. Hesitate:: Pause 6. Leap:: Air 7. Magnify:: Big 8. Yards:: Fabric 9. Alexander:: Haleigh 10. Fracture:: Abbie Wow... analyzing it could be tricky! :)

I was tagged by Chris for this meme... I love memes! :) And this one is super easy... 1) Grab the book closest to you 2) Open to page 123,go down to the fourth sentence 3) Post the text of the following 3 sentences on your blog 4) Name the author and book title 5) Tag three people to do the same I actually cleaned off my desk, so I had to get UP and find a book close to me. And the closest one is one I purchased for my girls for Christmas. Ever the courteous mom, I want them to continue to learn.... :) It's called How to Be a Lady by Candace Simpson-Giles The page is talking about how a lady should treat email.... "If a lady is sending a copy of her email to a second correspondent, she indicates that she is sending a copy in the same way that she would use "cc:" at the bottom of a letter. She knows email is never completely private since it is read on a computer screen and often in an office environment. To save embarassment to herself and to her corresponde...

Raise your hand if you have ever spent an entire evening making supper and then decided it was just too gross to serve, dumped it all down the garbage disposal, and ordered pizza!

Yesterday at church, Pastor talked about courage. I wrote this verse on the white board at home to remind me all week... "For though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again...." - Proverbs 24:16 Right before church, I shared with a dear friend about my frustration with where I am in my studies.... how I am so ready to just throw in the towel. I don't have long... but it seems so much easier to just stop. Nobody will think ill of me... nobody will be hurt by it... nobody will call me a quitter... and honestly, life would go on. I'm tired. But, I would know. I would know that I didn't finish the race... I didn't do what I knew God was telling me to do, even if I didn't know why. I would know that I fell short of my goals for myself, and His call on me for this season of my life. 9 semesters down.... 1 more left. I will just keep telling myself to rise. up. and. follow. I encourage you to do the same today. Whatever it is that you are facing... what...

I don't think it's any secret that I love to cook. I love to try out new recipes and cuisine. It's fun! I am notorious for being sucked into the trap of the grocery checkout line mini cookbook and magazines... I decided that if I had all the money back from all those magazines, it could be a small fortune. Luckily, I have a pretty daring family as well. They will "just about" try anything. Well, some of them anyway. One or two have tipped their noses up and went with pbj sandwiches when I've cooked something new. This week I'm perfecting my aioli for saturday. You have probably never heard of it. It is a garlic flavored mayonnaise of Provence, normally served with fish, seafood, or vegetables. In my case, it will be served with beef. It's a quite complicated process really.... combining garlic, egg product, lemon juice, salt... put it in a blender.... add olive oil, chill for a couple of days... I decided I'd better do it twice... just to make sure...

I read Chris's blog today on 2007 meditations here. It's inspiring. It deserves a second entry today... Today starts the first day of my final semester of INSTE . I started this in 1997 - supposed to be a five year course, it has officially taken me ten. But, the life lessons I have learned in the last ten years could not be replaced. I see now that there was a work God wanted to do in me... one that required five more years than most other people. :) INSTE has been more to me than a formal training... it has been a tool God used to teach me about Himself. I have learned so much about Him... and as 2006 came to a close, I too was impacted by Pastor's sermon on purpose. Not only for me but for other people. I know - you aren't supposed to think sermons are for "so and so". I have been a Christian for 22 years. Although at times I struggle with my daily and weekly and periodic purpose, I know that "to know God and make Him known" is my lifelong purpos...

I, like Heth, did this meme last year... so thought I too would repeat it. You know, just to see how things differed..... I probably have to look back at my pda to see what I did all year... What did you do in 2006 that you had never done before? went camping...went on a weekend trip with my 17 year old daughter (just us two!), sent my daughter to China for two weeks, experienced a child with a broken arm all summer (first day of vacation none the less), marathon family reunion, and gained a daughter from Germany, built this house, and moved... and Shawn went elk hunting. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Nope and Nope. Did anyone close to you give birth? There are always so many babies born around here.... I love them all. Did anyone close to you die? No. What countries did you visit? Just stayed here.. What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006? more time - same as last year. What dates will remain etched in your mem...