Neat things about blogging

One of the neatest things about blogging for me is being able to see how many people are interested in what is going on way out here in Kansas. I get quite a few visitors from California, which is really cool. I grew up there and alot of family is there. So hi everyone!!! There are also quite a few visits from other countries!! I am so glad you stop by! Also other bloggers visit now and again. There are some fantastic ladies out there with some wonderful blogs, thanks ladies for stopping by. I hope everyone has a fantastic day.
Hugs
Amy

Grace

As you might have noticed by my songs, I am big on grace lately. I am so thankful for Gods grace. I sometimes took it for granted I think. I have been a christian for ever really and was saved many years ago. I thought okay I am doing what I should .......... Well lately after going to this new church, I realized how many things I have missed and or messed up. I have just been astounded by all of my mistakes and I still am. I am thinking what if God had been impatient or just got fed up with me. Thinking okay she has had enough time, how dense can one person be?? LOL!!!! I know that looking back at it I would have gotten impatient with my mistakes. I would not have been so kind to myself. Frankly I really get mad at myself sometimes. Thank you Heavenly Father for you grace. I do not deserve it. I guess that's why it is called grace.

Humbly thankful
Hugs
Amy

I am so behind

Hello

I have meant to post for a few weeks now. We have been so busy. We have had many changes in the past few months. As I mentioned we have begun going to a new church and I have been astounded by what I am learning. So many things that no one has ever said to me before. It is all so simple and is like WOW for me, I feel this way every week right now. It feels like I have known nothing. In ladies group, church and the conversations with the Pastor, I have learned so much about the way God made me and who I am and SO MUCH about God word that I feel like I have never been in church before. I kinda feel bad a bit, as I have been in church my entire life. I was saved many years ago, and have gone no where. Praise God I am in the process now.

I have also started a job. This is the first full time job ever. I have never worked much out of the house. 17 years of being home with my kiddos. We are going through some major transition here. The littlest kiddos are not happy campers. Frankly they are pretty mad at me. But it has come to the point where it has become necessary for me to work. We are still homeschooling which this year will go through most of the summer probably as we have had some tough days recently.

The new job is going well. I am working at a nursing home, in a homemaker/hospitality
sort of position. I will be serving dinner to residents, sweeping dinning rooms after dinner, visiting with residents, reading mail to them, reading to them, doing activities, answering doors in the evenings taking visitors where they need to be. And a number of other things. So far it is going well. I am enjoying the residents and the people I work with. It is a wonderful Christ centered place. The atmosphere is unlike many retirement homes I have visited.

This month promises to be busy. We have mothers day next weekend. We will not be "going" to tea this year, but will be having a tea party at my sisters house. We plan to have it outside and each bring tea foods, etc. It should be lovely. Also we are hoping that by having it at my sisters house, my other sister and my nieces will come. They are not big on the tea room idea.

Then we have my Elijah's 7Th birthday near the end of the month. He wants to go to the zoo, the park, the movies, out to dinner, a picnic, LOL. We need to kinda pin down exactly what we are doing. I am thinking not everything will happen. Then we have fathers day and so more birthdays and 4Th of July. We are just a busy family with all the get togethers etc.

Well gotta run
Hugs
Amy

Happy Easter

Hope everyone has a Fantastic Easter today.... I MAY have something to post tomorrow, but we will have to see. I still need a couple more to join in on the Pay It Forward. Please join in it should be lots of fun!!
Hugs
Amy

Giveaway over on Country Pleasures

There is a giveaway over on Country Pleasures blog, just click on the title of this post, and you will be taken there. Please stop by and enter and if you mention my name I will get another entry, so feel free to mention it, LOL. ; ) Also be sure to stay awhile and visit over there she has such a lovely blog.
Hugs
Amy

A smile for your day

I found this wonderful video over on A Sparrows Home, link on the left in favorites, or just click on the title of this post. I just could not help but smile. I thought other might need a smile as well today. Please be sure to scroll to the bottom of my page and stop the player down there first. You will enjoy this to the very end.



That would have been so fun to have seen in person. Anyone want to go to the train station with me??

Hugs
Amy

Pay It Forward

I have an opportunity to participate in Pay It Forward thanks to Madrekarin at One Perfect Little Miricale(a link is in my favorites or just click on the title of this post). If you also want to join in, but haven't had the opportunity to yet or you want to enjoy the fun once again, then this invitation is for you!

Here's how Pay It Forward works:

I've signed up with Madrekarin and committed to send the next 3 people who sign up here with me on my blog a handmade item and goodie package within 365 days.
By accepting my invitation, YOU agree to Pay it Forward to the next 3 people who sign up with you (on your blog) and send them something within 365 days. An easy amount of time in which to get it done! ; )

Want to join the fun and Pay It Forward? I'd love to have you sign up with me!!
Please leave a contact email so I can confirm the details with you. Let's keep the PIF going strong!

Okay, everyone, who wants to play?

A Sunset

Hello I have been so bad about posting. I have had alot going on around here. I am still not quite ready to post about it. I am sure I will eventually. I have had some good things happen and some not good things happen lately. I am trusting God to take care of the not so good things. He made everything. The world, the rain, the feet of snow we had over the weekend, the sun rise and yes even the sunset. He is always and forever faithful. He is working on us and for us before we even know there is a problem. We had to drive in to Hutchinson, Ks today for some doctor appointments. As we were driving home this evening two of my boys and my daughter and I were so blessed to see such a lovely sunset. We stopped and took the first 5 pictures and then we headed farther toward home and then decided we wanted to watch the rest. So I turned back of the highway and we pulled over and watched the lovely sun set. What a blessing to have had the freedom and time to just sit and enjoy the art that God placed here for us. I hope you can enjoy the pictures as much as we enjoyed taking them.
Hugs
Amy

SNOW and small update

Things here are obviously cold and wet. I am so wanting spring to finally get here. I am waiting on many things right now. And am looking at a whole twist to my life. God has already blessed me in some of what is to come. Just need to hold on and keep trusting and have that faith that God has a plan and he wants only good for us.
Hugs
Amy

Been working on a gift

I have been working on a gift this evening for one of Wade from Staynlis' daughters. She had a birthday yesterday. So besides the other hair things and lip gloss and goodies she isgetting thought I would make her a little book.

Have a delightful Sunday
Hugs
Amy

With out God it is just talent, I got the illustration before the lesson

So I had women's group last night. We were bringing in goodies for snacking on, plus it was someone birthday. So I decided I am making lemon squares. I have the best recipe for them. And since I kinda pride, gasp, yes pride myself on my baking and cooking, I am actually trying to look at this a bit different today and I will explain, just bear with me.

So I have made a wonderful looking batch of these bars they smell great and the crumbs tasted good. I need to leave in 20 min. So I am trying to get them out of the pan. I used my pan that has a removable bottom, so that I won't mess any of the bars up taking them out of the pan, I can just pop out the bottom and cut them and then have perfect squares. So I am pushing it out when suddenly it just flies out flips over and SPLAT on the floor it goes. I screamed, I fled, I wept.

I have been so struggling the last few weeks and this was the first time I would have been bringing any of my cooking to this church. And for someone who is a perfectionist by nature, a pleaser by nature, and one who very used to compliments on her cooking and may be a wee bit proud of that, I broke. I have never had something like this happen to me. I ran to my room and just wept. My husband came in and rubbed my back and said he was sorry, and then said well you still have the wraps, and while yes the turkey, bacon, ranch wraps that I make are always a hit, they ARE NOT LEMON BARS. I was so frustrated. I said no the only thing I am good at is this, this is my thing and now it is ruined. I then told him no I don't want to take the wraps, yes pity party, I am not taking anything.

My husband said everyone will love the wraps take them. I sat here in misery a few more minutes. Got up washed my face, I had no time for makeup now, great no make up and a red blotchy nose and face and eyes. SIGH........ I got going grabbed a plate from the china cabinet, cause NO I CAN NOT SERVE OUT OF A STORAGE CONTAINER. Then headed out the door with the wraps, my bible, a journal, and alot of self pity..... As I drove I listened to K-Love and decided to be my usual cheerful self. Decided I would just throw it out there and say Hey you almost got some of my yummy lemon bars, but as they fell on the floor and even though we mopped today with 6 kids and the dogs....... well you probably don't want them now, HAHAHHAHAHHHAHAHA.

So I did everyone laughed and I served the wraps which everyone loved and complimented me on, which I do appreciate made me feel a bit better, remember, pleaser here. But that is not the point of this.

We were studying more then this but the quick point to last nights lesson is how without God our talents are just talents not gifts. And how if we are just using them and not letting God use them through us that they will often fail. My jaw still hurts from hitting the table, LOL. So I sat there with a small little smile of chagrin on my face thinking, Okay God, yes I was using my talents to try to do something not letting you use me. I get it, I guess I needed that lesson. I so often try to do things, because, I can do them, I need to remember to wait on God to use me.

Rats I hate when I get some pruning done. Like I mentioned before in my previous post, I am looking at myself as a plant, perhaps a showy red loud rose bush. That's kinda my speed I love red, I do admit to being thorny sometimes, and yeah I can be a bit showy and loud, but really though it is not in an obnoxious way, I would hope my friends would tell me, and as people seem to like to see me coming, I think I am good. Anyway, last night I had some pruning done, pruning is good. It promotes growth, makes the plant healthier.

But still the human person in me wishes I could have learned this with a stupid batch of cookies...... Oh well, God knows I probably would not have learned it that way.

Hugs
Amy

I have been repotted!!!

Okay so you all know that I have been struggling. Well we have been going to a new church as I mentioned before. I have been so blessed there has not been one time that I have been there that if the Pastor had only been speaking to me, that it would have been totally relevant and pertinent. This in itself is awesome. He has me reading a couplf of his books and I have already underlined alot in the first chapter that were like "DING' lightbulb moments.

So anyway I am now going to the ladies group on Wednesdays. I have been so blessed by the this group already. I really struggled with our last church when suddenly after everything I have given to this church, they all turned on me. I have been going through alot, over the past few years. Suddenly it seems almost as a collective group they all started pecking me to death like chickens do to a chicken that is already struggling.

This hurt as I tend to be a pleaser and so I tried to do so much for this church, I painted, cleaned, cooked, set up, tore down, organized meals, organized meals for the sick,voluntered for everything, organized community sevice workers, answered phones, worked in the nursery, provided breakfast for the whole church on Sudays, baked cakes for the special occasions, made phone calls for events, etc. Yeah I try to be a pleaser. Anyway, I stopped going to the ladies group when I was picked at during an occasion where I was asked to lead the group for the night. I have been alone there.

I have come to accept that a change was most definatley needed. Lets take plants for example, some of us, me, just hate change so much that we are willing to take the few sprinkles of water were harldy ever given and just keep on hanging in there, not thriving, not growing, just being there. Well every now and again, you have to prune you plants and repot them to give them more space for their roots to spread and their branches to grow. So even though I had been feeling for a long time that I was dying in this little squashed pot of a church, we did not make the change.

Praise God that he made it so uncomfortable that WE HAVE BEEN OFFICALLY REPOTTED LOL. I can feel my roots streatching out already. This new group is gowing through lessons that are allowing growth and thought. PRAISE GOD

Well at least I wasn't trying to save a spot at the gas station

So if you recale my Feb 19th post about the inccident at the school program, then you will appreciate the title and the following story, if you have not read it scroll down and you get it, LOL

Man trying to save spot for wife gets run over

LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. – Authorities said a man intentionally ran over another man who was trying to save a parking spot at a gas station on Monday. The Lee County Sheriff's Office reported that the victim was standing in a spot to reserve it for his wife at the Murphy USA gas station.

The man saving the spot told deputies that he held up his hands when another man pulled up to the line, but the man drove forward and hit him in the knees.

When the victim yelled at the man to stop, authorities said the suspect pulled forward and hit the man again, causing bruising and swelling. Other witnesses backed up the victim's story.

The suspect was arrested and charged with misdemeanor battery.

A lovely place to visit

I was touched today by a post from another gal on her blog. It was a blessing on this winter time of life that I am traveling through. Her blog is called Prarie Prologue. The link is down a bit in my favorites on the right hand side. Please go visit and check out her wonderful thoughts.

Hugs
Amy

These things

Okay you can probably guess what this first picture is. My two youngest begged for rainbow Slinky's. Now I do not usually but them things just because they asked, but their big brother got one on Saturday and boy have they been envious. Well yesterday we were at the dollar store and they had bog rainbow Slinky's for 1 dollar. So okay I thought you can get a slinky. The smiles were well worth the 2 dollars. And now do you know what I have been doing for the last now 24 hours, I figure I have untangled them approximately 3,240 times, LOL. They are having lots of fun with them, making them walk down the stairs, making smiles with them, making rainbow hair with them, making necklaces, bracelets, you get the general idea. So I spend part of my day untangling them. It is so worth the priceless smiles of joy when Mom fixes the toy yet again.

So what's this you ask.

Okay now do you remember from my Saturday post what I wanted to shop for??? Well after an hour and 15 billion different bras. I finally found one that makes me and parts of me happy, LOL ; ) Gosh darn it who makes these things. There are those lovely creations of lace and pink satin that look nice on the hanger and then you put it on and you ponder WHO on earth made this thing???? I mean your "parts" are headed east and west, not just say north, LOL... HAHAHAHAHAH Then there are the peach colored ones who again look good on the hanger and then you put it on and it looks like either a bra from way back when pointy was good or remember Madonna in the 90's???? Okay so you know what I am taking about. Then there was the lovely brown one that had both the aforementioned problems. I will not bore you with all of the details, but, after trying on that many, I had a lovely rubbed area on my back, OUCH!!!! Now what you might ask does the above picture have to do with all this??? Come now there must be another not very tall yet well curved gal who knows what these are..................................... No, well this is what I have to do to every single last bra that enters my home. The lovely under wire/torture devices, must come out. They dig into my ribs and even worse right up into my underarm. I am only 5'1" so my shorter stature makes these hideous things just evil in my book.

LOL now that some of you may have gotten much more info then you wanted, I AM HAPPY. I am thankful for my small things. And a new bra with only 1 hour of trying them on and only having to go to 1 store well that makes me happy.

Hugs
Amy