I have been pre-occupied with some things in my life lately so blogging has been on the back burner. Thought I would share with you another one of my treasures. This is a cigar purse that was made by my Mentor from church. She has made several and I have coveted every one of them! For my birthday she gave me this one. I used it for a while but then I became afraid of messing it up...so I keep it on one of my end tables in my living room now. I really love the purse but I love the one who gave it to me much more! We really developed a wonderful relationship. I do not get to see her now as often as I would like. My schedule has prevented it but we get to talk from time to time and I am thankful for that. Even though the box was a holder for something I detest....its transformation into a purse is now a witness to me of a godly woman who was willing to give up time with her family to become my spiritual mentor. It is also a reminder of how God can take a persons messed up life no matter how ugly and hopeless and turn it into something beautiful and of worth!

Happy Father's Day Daddy! A small collage of pictures of my Daddy from the past. When I was a little girl I always thought my Daddy had the biggest hands and fingers. Him & I have discussed this before and he says HIS Daddy had big hands! I do remember my Gramps having big hands..I guess it runs in the family! My Daddy is a jack-of all-trades. He can fix anything. It's funny when I think about it because my husband has the same talent...humm?! My Daddy loves animals..I think I got that from him. He loves bluberry muffins..so do I. Daddy loves the river...I can not go to the river with out thinking about all the times he took my brother and me there. Too much fun! It was on a camping trip to the river that I learned about eating Hash blacks! Yumm!! Many memeories! I love you Daddy!!

WILL THE REAL PEEPING TOM PLEASE STAND UP!!! Yesterday the first tropical storm came through and gave us some much needed rain. In between rain bands all the animals were out trying to get a bite to eat. I was folding clothes in my bedroom when I first noticed my cat looking in the window at me. HER name is Vanilla. When I looked up again, there was my pet Tom Turkey watching me also. I got a little tickled at my watchers. I knew they were hungry so I went out & gave them all a good mess of grub. We may not know it or feel it but our heavenly Father is always watching us! During a fast, I wanted to eat something so bad. I thought, if God just wasn't watching me for just a minute I could eat....And then it hit me! Do I really ever want my Father to NOT watch me?! I realized in the moment it would take for me swallow a morsel of food Satan could destroy me. HA! Fat chance! My DADDY looks over me, watches me ALL the time!! Oh Praise HIM!!!

My paternal grandmother was "journaling" before they coined the term for it. She has written several different books, poems and has always kept a journal. When my husband and I visited her in 2003 I begged her to let me read her journal for the year when she finished it. To my surprise she mailed it to me as gift! Along with her completed journal, she also sent me a blank journal for me to begin my record of life for 2004. To get me started she wrote on the first page of my journal in her on hand.."Journal of Tina & Danny, January 1, 2004". So that is the date I began journaling! I have read her journal so many times. Sometimes I use it as part of my daily devotions. That may sound a bit odd but it wouldn't if you knew my Grammy. She is a very godly woman. Her writings are full of prayers, praises, things God has shown her over the years, and of course her daily activities. My Gram lives in Maine so my visits with her have been too few due to the long distance between us. Her journal is so precious to me. I can read a daily entry from her log and it is almost as if I am in her presence. I can see and hear her in my minds eye so plainly. What a blessing God has given me by way of a godly grandmother and her journal!

Duties of a wife: the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things- that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed. Titus 2:3-5. Now that is a mouthful and sometimes easier said than done. BUT... it aint up for debate! John MaCarthur, I think, says it best... "This is based on God's will, not on a husbands worthiness.". That is a lot to swallow! Just do what is right. Hey I'm talking to myself! These 3 verses are hard. Will you think about this for a spell? Write this scripture down & carry it around with you for a little while. See what God says to you about this....... This quilt was given to me as a wedding gift by my childhood neighbor. She was like a second mother to me. I love my Mama Duke.

Blogger just wouldn't let me load this picture to my last post!

Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto his wife and they shall be one flesh. Genesis 2:24. Statistics say the average marriage lasts 7 years. I believe God's Word is true but I dont see a thing in His Word about marriage lasting only seven years! God created marriage and HE instituted it way back there "In the beginning". Marriage is in the spot light in America, even more so it is in the center of a bullseye waiting to be hit. I value marriage with all my being and there are some things I would like to shout from the roof tops about it. I just might step on some toes....God created the relationship between one man and one woman. Except for your relationship with God, the relationship between husband and wife comes FIRST. Not the relationship with your children, not the church, job, or anything else. Did I get your big toe?! Oh I wish I could gather married women up and pour this into their souls like a refreshing drink! Our husbands come first...why because God said so. Oh dear woman I want to talk to you about your marriage. Will you let me tell you some things?

This is the meanest rooster known to man!! I visited a young lady's blog yesterday that was raising some chicks. It got me to thinking about my rooster. I bought him as a chick in February and he is just about full grown. I remember the first time I heard him crow and I have to say, a fine crower he is...but mean!! I have never had anything as mean as him. I think you can see it in his eyes too. So did Jesus use the rooster to remind Peter of his failures because He knew how mean the rooster was? Just a thought but I dont think there is any truth in it. I have had many roosters before and all of them have been mild mannered. This rooster of mine has tried to attack me while I was still on my golf cart. He poofs up and runs side ways at me! He doesnt seem to be as mean to my husband. HUMMMM? Well the rooster is not all bad. I have to say he is very protective of his women (hens) and is not afraid of anything. Maybe he will do after all.We will see!

My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up! Psalm 5:3. When I am not working, I spend my mornings on the porch. Who could not praise him when beholding a site as this! Oh yes HE is so good!!