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Saturday, November 29, 2008

Cherish learns her Alphabet

Cherish is still 2 years old but will be 3 on Dec. 23. ( I know, not a great birth date! She was 5 weeks early) She has been learning her numbers, 1-10, and usually gets them perfect, so now we are working on the alphabet. It is so cute, because several of the 3 in a row letters come out like a word like "teeyouvee!" She loves to sing the end of it! Well, yesterday, she kept saying them on her own all day. So I grabbed the camera and got this really cute clip!! I know it will be one that I'll keep forever! Oh, she asks for a doll house for her gift, that is what we got her!! First, she says spoons, then napkins! She's talking about her party not her gift!!

We did a very brave thing yesterday, the day after Thanksgiving! I have always said that I would NEVER go shopping on "Black Friday!" Well, I did, but in the afternoon! We went to a favorite restaurant first, Japanese Kitchen, then we hit Target, Costco, and Stein Mart! It really was fun, not too busy! Poor Cherish, we pushed her so hard that while in the basket at Target, she laid her head over on my hand and fell asleep. She is very nosey, so that NEVER happens! By the way, if anyone still needs gifts, Stein Mart is having their 75% off and then 25% off of that! We bought Stephen slacks and casual pants for $3 - $4. Jackets for myself for $4 - $5. Just thought you might like to know!!! Anyways, had a great day and came home and enjoyed leftover pie!!

Oh, on the pie note, Stephen's favorite is always the lemon meringue! I make it extra tart and he and Misti always fight over it. I don't bother, I like the pecan best! Well, guess what? I ask Cherish what kind she wants? You guessed it! "Wemon Pweez!" Ha Ha, Daddy and Sissy!!!

Thursday, November 27, 2008

My Thanksgiving Day!!



I did not have to eat all 5 pies!!! My brother and his boys, of whom we have not seen in a year, came!! We were so thrilled! Mark, is the oldest at 14 years old next month, then Joshua, who is almost 12, and Jacob is 9. It was so cute because Cherish brought out her tent right away, all three boys looked at her like, "No Way!" It wasn't very long until all three boys and Cherish were all in the tent! I hardly knew Mark, he went from being an boy to a young man! It didn't take long to see that Mark was still in that body that towered over me! I really knew it was still my boys, when it was time to leave and they all asked if they could raid the pantry for candy! I am putting these pictures on for my relatives and friends that know and love the boys! Please keep them and their daddy in your prayers! They lived her near us and I taught the boys in Sunday School for almost 2 years, so I know they heard the truth! They are very close to this aunt's heart and I would love to see them saved!!

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

I have baked all day, and then baked some more!! A little sad this year, Misti and Adam went to Adam's parents! I am thrilled they went but will miss them! I love the holidays! We may or may not have my brother and his boys here, so it very well may just be my dear husband, Cherish, my mom & sister here with me! I made 5 pies, cookies, and brownies today, along with tons of "real" food! If they do not come, 4 adults have 5 pies! Ha! I'll be HUGE by Sunday!


I have so much to be thankful for!!! God has truly been good to my family! I hope that each of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

May it be filled with lots of love, laughter, and lots of yummy food!

Monday, November 24, 2008

I told you we were going to Disneyland!!


I am working on a slide show of our vacation!!! Several are asking for pictures, so I am putting these on until I get the slide show! We got home Saturday night and had church both services yesterday, it is now Monday morning, I have not unpacked, so we dug through the luggage to get things that we needed yesterday! So we have vacation hangover and a mess!!

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

On Vacation!!!

If anyone is wondering why I haven't posted this week, well, I am on vacation! It is the first time in years that we have actually gotten away and not planned to see family, go to a conference or meeting, or spend time with friends!! It is just my sweet husband, my little Cherish, and me!!!

Several months ago, my dad gave us a week of his time share!! We were going to lose it, so we scheduled about 4 months ago to come to Oceanside, which in near San Diego! The closer it got, we almost cancelled. Just last week, we decided to go ahead and come since it was paid for and waiting for us!

I am so glad we did!! Our 2 room condo is gorgeous! It was just built in January and is owned by Wyndham Resorts! It is complete with full kitchen, 2 baths, Jacuzzi tub, granite and marble!! We think we are something!!

Cherish will be 3 next month and she is able to get into amusement parks for free until her birthday. So we went to Sea World yesterday! What a blast! Although, my legs are REALY SORE!!

This time share talked us into going on an hour tour today trying to sell us their program, which we did not accept, but for coming, they gave us $175 in Amex cards!! So, on Friday, we are going to take Cherish to Disneyland with those cards!! YES!!!! It is the first day of their Christmas season and it will be all decorated for the Holidays! She has not ever been and she will get to see It's A Small World all lit up! Just pray we make it, this old gray mare just ain't what she used to be! LOL

I've been taking lots of pictures and I will post them next week!! Thanks Dad and Cindy for giving us this week for just my little family to have such a wonderful time! (If anyone wonders, Misti is VERY jealous! But happy for us!)

To any and all of our friends down south, I know you will be sad that we didn't call and get together, but for once, we are just keeping it just family! I have to say that it has been wonderful and Cherish is having the time of her life! We all are, actually!!

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Is it all in the right place???

I cannot get away from this thought!! It is 2am here on Saturday morning! I am NEVER awake at this time! We had a busy day, preparing our fellowship hall for the 80th birthday party of our dear friend, Sis. Bonnie Keyes! She is Bro. Rick Keyes' and Bro. Randy Keyes' mother. The Keyes family is putting together a fabulous celebration of which we are so honored to host at our church since Kerman is the town that she raised her two sons in and in our church. In fact there are pictures of the building that the celebration is to be in, which is now our fellowship hall, being built and the Keyes boys are in the pictures as small children!

The celebration is not why I am awake! I helped her granddaughter, Sis. Kim Johnson, with some of the decorating, etc. until 11:00pm. Cherish was exhausted and starving so my husband and I came home, ate a quick burger, and got to bed at 12pm. A call came that Stephen had to go to the hospital!

So this is where we find me now!! Stephen has gone, Cherish is long ago gone to slumber land, and I find myself in a very quiet house! I am spoiled rotten, I want my husband home! I guess that is pretty natural, isn't it!! To the thought that I cannot get away from, it is the thought I that I posted a couple of days ago about standing against the flow!

You know, Sis. Bonnie Keyes, along with her wonderful husband who has gone to be with the Lord, Bro. Isaac Keyes, raised two mighty men of God! We all know that Bro. Randy Keyes is highly respected among our fellowship around the world. We love his family dearly and highly honor them! Anyone who knows us, knows that Bro. Rick and Sis. Pat Keyes, are some of the dearest people to our hearts! God truly knew what he was doing when he put Bro. Rick Keyes and Stephen Hill together and molded their hearts! I have heard the deepest and most tender conversations between those two men. Even though, Papa Keyes, as my Cherish calls him, is old enough to be Stephen's father, those two men are amazing when they share spiritual insights!

Why am I mentioning those two? Because I am trying to see what was different in that home, in this church at that time, in this city..................that not only raised one young manto do a great work for God, but two? I've heard the stories of those boys riding their bike each day after school to the church to pray for hours, but you know, I have put a lot of stories together to see a lifestyle! I heard about them filling their car with people to drive with no air conditioning to church! Dedicated? One of the stories is the fact that EVERY time the Keyes household had fellowship with another dear family of that time, the Johns family, they would not ever leave each other's home without first getting in a circle and having a time of prayer and devotion. How many of us can say that we do that on a regular basis? We keep our prayer time personal, or of course as pastors we pray with our people when in need, but just if we go to our friends for dinner? Hmmmm.....!

One of our teenage girls left a comment on my post about standing against the flow, that this has been on her mind so strong for a few weeks. Yes, Katrina, mine, too! I worry about our girls! I know that there is such a pull from the world to look and act a certain way, but in the end, is it worth it? I have always had a strong bond with young girls, wanting to somehow make their way easier for them. The only way that I can do that is to lead them to God and let Him make the way easier!

I think that the bottom line is, getting back to the basics! Have we brought too much into our lives? We are so busy with programs, getting our music just right, higher education, wardrobes to perfection, the perfect of all possessions, and the list goes on (you see that this is in our churches and in our personal lives!) All of these things are good, they are right in each of their own categories! But when they are our single focus, do we need to re-adjust something? We need to strive to better ourselves, but in doing so, are we leaving out what really matters?

About 12 or 13 years ago, (I'll make this story short) we were evangelizing and our travel trailer, which was our only home at that time, held ALL of our earthly possessions. It vandalized and we literally lost everything we owned. Until that point, I had carefully taken each thing down when we moved our trailer and painstakingly put each china tea cup back in it's precise place after our tedious travel. After we lost it all and God so graciously saw fit to trust us with new things, I no longer cringed every time we went over a horrendous pothole in the freeway in Louisiana!! I figured that it could all be replaced again! That what really mattered at that time was the safety of my husband and little Misti! (she's all we had then!)

Maybe that is where I am finding myself again, looking to the only thing that really matters! My relationship with God first, am I EVERYTHING that I can possibly be for Him? What do I need more of and what do I need to cut out? He is the most important! Second, my relationship with my family, am I fulfilling all of my responsibilities there? What more can I do for my husband, my little Cherish, my Misti & Adam? Then of course, my church family!

What I have just said in this book is, "Have I searched my heart and life? Is everything in it's right perspective?"

If so, I don't think I will find it as hard as it has been in the past to travel against that strong tide!! (Hmmm....travel, wouldn't that be moving in a very certain direction?)

OK, it is now 2:53am and my eyes are barely open!! Goodnight all!!

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Where are my towels???


Last night I was folding laundry and I realized that my two stacks of hand towels were missing! Hmmm, how could that happen? You guessed it! I looked into the living room, where Cherish was playing in her pajamas, and there they were! Alex, our male miniature schnauzer, was trying to sleep on the chair, he was covered up with a towel, and had another under his face with a bowl and spoon from her kitchen! I don't know where they were or what they were eating but it was all set up! Then I looked at Annie, our female, and I said, "Why is there a towel on her back?" Cherish replied, "She's cold, mommy!" It was just really cute! I thought I would share!


Poor Alex, he's 9 years old and set in his ways! He was just putting up with her!

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Standing Against the Flow

Recently, I have been troubled with the lack of dedication that I see on a whole through out the "church!" I look to the large churches and to the small and it is obvious that it is the times that we live in! Life is out of control. The majority of young people under 30 years old vote for "Change!" Well, they sure all seem to be headed the same direction! Straight down stream, no goal in sight except personal gratification! Marriage isn't sacred, no loyalty to family or friends, to loyalty to employment and obviously not even to their own children as we see abortion rates to an all time high. So they say they want "Change," why aren't they standing against the flow? Wouldn't that be change? They are all headed in the same direction! I feel so disheartened about the world that my little Cherish will be growing up in. I know that God is in control and He will take care of her!!

Then I look at Misti, who at the age of 14 was watching the "flow," wondering if that was the way to go since everyone seemed to be headed that way. I could see the "older" group pulling at her and it seemed to be their goal to get her to follow!! Her dad and I went to devoted prayer and fasting and I can still remember the service that she made up her mind that she would stand AGAINST the flow.

Here we are, 7 years later, she is a beautiful Godly woman, dedicated to her God, her church, and her family!! Looking at the "group" that was pulling so hard on her to follow them, not one of them is living for God! Their lives are a mess!

Misti, I am so proud of you for making up your mind, remaining a pure young lady at that time and you are absolutely gorgeous! Mom and Dad cannot be more proud of you!

Cherish, The world is not a nice place, Mommy and Daddy know that God sent you to us at this time for His purpose, which means that He will take care of you! Our prayers will be with you just like they have been with your "sissy!" Baby, stand strong, don't ever go with the flow, be yourself and let God guide you!!

To all of our other "children" in the Lord, "Stand strong, the flow is not getting you anywhere except where everyone else is going! I know that the fight against the flow is hard. I have stood in the current with the heavy flow of water and it is all you can do to stand and when you try to go in the opposite direction it is all you can do to take one careful step at a time! Each step is well planned and calculated. You would never take a haphazard step. But if the goal is worth it, nothing will stop you, no matter how hard the journey!

Stand against the flow!!"

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Trunk or Treat

Of course this isn't Trunk or Treat, but you know I have to add the newest of Cherish!!
We had an awesome outreach this past Friday night, October 31. We haven't ever had anything for that "day" but this year decided to use it as an outreach! We decorated our trunks as biblical or positive themes and we dressed up as biblical characters. Our church is located at the front of a sub-division so we had a lot of children and actually ran out of candy and we had prepared well, we thought!! We got a few cute pictures!!! Oh, yes, we had 6 commitments to visit church and my husband and I picked up to children on Sunday morning that were direct results of that outreach!!! KeJuan and KeJanea were darlings!!!