Stay Tuned..

.....and it begins

Well What Do You Know...

It is time to dust off this blog.

This summer has been very busy, not to mention HOT, HOT, HOT!

Regardless of the heat, RonLinda have been busy.

It seems that we as a couple, now have a new reality. Life can change so quickly. One day we are going merrily on our way, and then BUMP! life changes. Oh, we are still moving forward, still living, still enjoying life, just adjusting to changes. Without getting "preachy" Ephesians 2:10 speaks about us being God's own handiwork, recreated in Christ Jesus. that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live.] I can only speak for myself, in that sometimes I forget Who is really in charge of my life, and it isn't me.

For me personally, part of my college career has come to an end. Meaning that I have completed what the Lord instructed me to do, and that was to "finish the Math". I accomplished that by taking and passing, in some cases, taking a class several times, three levels of developmental math and then this summer, College Algebra. It is amazing, exciting, breathtaking and very satisfying for me. To think that what was a giant impossible challenge to me has become past history! . I am very thankful to the Lord for strengthening me and for having confidence in me to do this. As my brothers and sisters will testify to, Math has never been a strength in our family. But it is indeed true that ALL things are possible to the Lord and to those who believe. He just needs us to trust Him and take a step, make a move, have confidence and believe that His Word never changes, and that He will never leave us or forsake us. Having said all that, I am not finished with my education. Perhaps the hard part is over.

The BUMP, and perhaps the new reality, occurred July 29, when Ron was laid off of work. We are by no means "Spring Chickens", nor are we really ready for retirement. It is interesting and disturbing how people our age are viewed. Being 60 is pretty cool, we are now eligible for Social Security, AARP, Viagra, and Senior Living Homes. All I can say to that is BOLOGNA! This Baby Boomer isn't finished yet! In fact, I am just getting started. So don't be planning my funeral or retirement. Please refer to Ephesians 2:10, and Psalm 103: 1-5. Pay close attention to verse 5 which states "Who satisfies your mouth [your necessity and desire at your personal age and situation] with good so that your youth, renewed, is like the eagle's [strong, overcoming, soaring]! Yea God! This other thinking is worldly, carnal thinking and has no place in my life. Jesus paid the price for me (and you) so that we might have life and that abundantly.

Having said all that:

I have applied for my Social Security, which isn't a large amount, but still is my money. Ron will look for a job after we return from our trip in Ohio. He is also thinking of applying for his Social Security. I'll let you know.

Finally:

Howie was scheduled for surgery today to remove a tumor that has been growing on his eye. We kept putting off taking him to the vet, due to money availability, but today he was scheduled to have the surgery. The surgery has been postponed due to the result of blood work. It seems that Howie was bit by a lyme tick which passed on Anaplasmosis and Ehrlichiosis, which are in his blood. His red cell count is a bit low. The vet gave us two options. First was to proceed with the operation, which at Howie's age(12 yrs.) could be risky or second-to postpone surgery and put Howie on a antibiotic called Doxycycline for two weeks. After that he will be tested again, and surgery scheduled. I told Ron we need to have a separate account just to take care of the dogs.

Alright, I think I have come to a stopping place. Big hug and kiss to you.

The Terrible Sad Day

This is a true story.

It was a terrible, sad day. It didn't start out that way. The weather was rainy, cloudy, gloomy which can be sad all by itself. We have a wood burning stove in our living room and I, thinking how wonderful a fire would be, started a fire. I left the room and my hubby called me. "Linda!" "There's a bird in the stove!" Oh gosh, that's terrible. Hubby opened the stove door and out flew a little bird with wisps of smoke curling off of it.

The story gets worse. We have a wall of mirror tiles in the living room and of course the frantic lil bird flies right into the mirrors. The only way to get the bird out of the house is to turn off all the lights and close the curtains. Birds fly to the light. Well that worked sort of.

The story gets worse. The little birdie sees a way out-our patio door and flies right into it, which knocked it down to the floor.

Sadly the story gets worse. We had a cat at that time, which was tracking that little bird. As soon as that bird fell on the floor that cat pounched on that birdie and grabbed it firmly in it's mouth.

Yep the story gets worse- now my husband is beating on the cat and trying to pull the bird out of the cat's mouth. Which of course, isn't working.

After a huge struggle with the cat, hubby opens the patio door and out runs the cat with the bird still in it's mouth.

Like I said at the beginning-it was a terrible sad day.

Next time remind me to tell you about the wild goose we found in our front yard- dead.

After School Pickup-the Hoppty

Lorren just posted something on facebook that reminded me of something which happened when she and Tobie and maybe Mona were in high school. I was working at a daycare in Killeen and the Director had borrowed my little blue truck and hadn't returned it. It was time to go to the high school and pick up the girls so she let me use the big school van. You know, the one with the big children painted on the sides and Happy Child/Little Angels written in really big letters on the sides. I think it was a 15 passenger van. The girls were not aware of my mode of transportation.

Anyways, just picture the looks and reactions of my girls when I drove around the corner and parked in front of the high school to pick them up in front of everyone. Ha! so funny. They called that van the Hoopty.

Hee hee... mom's revenge?

So You Want To Be A Star?

A long time ago when I was six years old my cousin Jayme and I were on the Red Brown and AnnaLee show which was broadcast live in El Paso. Red Brown was a cowboy and AnnaLee was his wife. She wore a cowgirl's outfit with a big skirt with fringe and boots. The set was the backside of a covered wagon. The center of the canvas was open and each child would step up and through the opening and down onto the stage. There was a live audience full of kids and their parents. There was bright lights and cameras and alot of people.

I remember Mom and Grandma Jones helping us practice a song just in case Red Brown asked if we wanted to perform something. We practiced "Jesus loves me".

So now my cousin Jaymie and I are standing in line behind the covered wagon waiting our turn for stardom. Red Brown would ask each child their name and how old they were. I was so nervous I kept asking Jaymie "How old am I?". She would say "Six, you are six years old."

The rest is a blur-I don't remember if we sang or not.

I loved Red Brown and AnnaLee. I wish I could find a picture of them.

Angel Food Cake Recipe

Frances Jones Angel Food Cake

Heat oven to 350

1 1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar

1 cup sifted flour- cake or regular flour

1 1/2 cup egg whites (11-12 large)

1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup granulated sugar

!. In one bowl sift together powdered sugar and flour; repeat sifting twice more.

2. In a large mixer bowl beat the egg whites, cream of tartar, vanilla, and salt at medium speed until soft peaks form.

3. Gradually add the granulated sugar about 2 tbls at a time. Sprinkle the sugar gently on top of the egg mixture. This way the sugar won't weigh down the whipped eggs. Continue beating until stiff peaks form.

4. Sift about 1/4 of the flour mixture over the egg whites, folding in lightly by hand. Repeat, folding in remaining flour mixture by fourths.

5. Turn into an ungreased 10 in pan. Bake 60 mins or until done.

6. To cool turn cake pan upside down and let cool.

7. After cake is cool to touch, turn the pan over and with a sharp knife carefully loosen the sides of the cake. Cover with a serving plate and flip it over.

8. Ice with icing of your choice.

This cake requires a cake pan with the tube in the middle.

Angel Food Cakes

Sister Kathie has shared a recipe for Angel Food cake that our Grandmother Jones used to make. Kathie said that once a month Grandma Jones would make 12 of these Angel Food cakes from scratch for her Ladies monthly meeting. TWELVE! Can you image? By hand-no electric appliances-a wood burning stove. I'm guessing a wood burning stove.

The recipe calls for twelve egg whites. That's 144 egg whites for 12 cakes. Can you imagine? Not to mention the powdered sugar and flour being sifted together three times each. Those ladies sure loved Grandma's Angel Food Cake. I wonder where she got the powdered sugar from?

I have made five of these yummy cakes. I had been fretting about what would I do with 12 yolks when the Holy Spirit told me buy the egg whites in a carton. Problem solved. I wonder what Grandma Jones would think of this new fangled invention called egg whites in a carton.

Where is my GPS?

Hi I'm back... took a lil break. Actually son Branden was on the computer. We are sharing right now, since his laptop crashed.

I was telling you about our visit to Mom and Kathie's house. I want you to know that there is no short cut to where Kathie lives or back to my house. It does not exist. The only way to get there or back home is just to drive or fly.

After we left Kathie's house we should have just returned to highway 281 but no not Linda. Linda wanted something to eat. So her sweet hubby turned left on Purgatory road to head to Burger King. Which took us out of the way to highway 281. The only smart thing to do was to get on I35. Remember that we are in a ancient van and even at a fast speed cars and trucks were passing us like we were standing still. Ron wanted to avoid the Austin traffic so we took the Johnson City exit. What we didn't realize, well maybe Ron did but I didn't, was that Johnson City was a hour's drive-and THEN getting on 281 to head up and over to Copperas Cove. It was sooo hot. Flames, flames shooting from the side of my head. A line from the movie Clue. That hamburger cost us extra time and I promise that from now on ... well.. I can't promise I won't be hungry.

The moral of the story is... any decision that is made always has consequences-good or bad. Make sure that you know exactly what you want to do before getting on a busy road full of cars and you can't find a way to turn around, finding yourself stuck headed in a direction which you didn't really want to go. Actually when the first opportunity comes to turn around-TAKE IT. Don't keep driving. That's just silly.

Amen.

Having it our way....?

After our visit with Mom, I wanted to stop and get something to eat before getting back on the highway to Copperas Cove. Well we stopped at Burger King. I'm sure you know which one we are speaking of. It is right on the corner of I35.

Oh boy! When we found our table by the window-there was no one around us. Then a father with four boys came in and sat by us. Busy boys, very busy. Shortly after that his pregnant wife walked in, along with thier little daughter and grandmother. Then it was really busy. Then on the other side of us(still sitting at the table by the window) another family was sitting. This family wasn't so large but still very active. The prize in the son's kid's meal was a little table hockey set, which of course the son wanted his dad to play with him. That meant the empty table next to us became a hockey game. Round disks were flying everywhere. I looked at Ron- we were both chewing as fast as we could.

I realized something while sitting there. Ron and I are empty nesters! We just aren't used to all the ruckus and energy that young families have, especially those with boys. God bless all the young families and their grandparents.

Now What?

It sure has been quiet here on this blog. Look at all this dust! What in the world? I guess I had better get my thinking cap on and do some blogging. Since my last entry, we have a new grandson! Emmanuel Manuel Hernandez- Lil'Los for short. I have spent the summer taking care of him and his sis Tiera. Tiera has also spent two weeks the end of July in Mexico with her cousins who are now moved to Gunnison, Colorado where today it is rainy and 47 degrees. I will be starting school August 31, yes once again. And will also be turning 60 years old on the same day. WHEE!! I'm exicited.

This past weekend Ron and I took a new mattress set down to Mom. Ron has a 1977 van, which didn't qualify for the Cash forClunkers program. We drove down in it, without AC. Goodness sake what were we thinking? Going down was good but coming back was terrible. The inside temp must have been around 90-95 degrees. But the good Lord blessed us and helped us to return home safely. Mom looks great. It was really great to visit with her, I wish I could have spent more time with her, but we had to return home by 5:00, so it was a really brief visit. We gave her a ceramic rooster for her Birthday! He's a beauty.

Well this is a start. I promise to post more often so that all three of my readers will not be bored. Love to all.

Spring

Wow my 26th blog entry!! We should celebrate. Hmm... how bout a give away? I'm sure my three subscribers would really be excited about that. But what would I give? Any suggestions?

Dr. Appt.

Yesterday I went to the doctor with Tobie for her ultrasound. What a treat. I got to see our little grandson. Soooo cute. He was blowing bubbles and blinking his eyes. I could see hair on the back of his little head. I don't think he liked the technician poking him so much, Tobie said he was kicking back. He kept hiding his face so we didn't get a really good look but what a sweetie. I wish I had pictures to post. Tobie feels that she only has a few more weeks. She has a appt. next week. I'll let you know more.

True Love....

Aw Love is in the air!

Ron and I celebrated our 38th wedding anniversary

Feburary 12, 2009.

The picture on the left was taken some years ago ( Ron has hair).

Thank you Tobie for the cute card.

And thank you Lorren for the journal page.

Can you tell who is who?

~**~**~**~**~Garden Time~**~**~**~**~

I can feel Spring! She is on her way- she makes my nose twitch. I breathe easier and feel better. And for some reason my heart and hands yearns to dig in the earth.

This year I want to put in a veggie garden. Oh Joy! I have started a compost pile out back behind the shed. Ron has helped me and we have been working on it all winter.

I did have one small issue.... my hubby was having a big problem getting excited about the digging part. Finally I found a solution to the digging. It's called Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew. You can google his website and learn all about it. The garden/s are set up in wooden frames 3'x3' or 4'x4' so on. These can be set right on the ground and filled with a mixture of compost, coarse vermiculite and peat moss. On top is placed a grid work dividing the area into square foot areas.

This method solved several of my dilemmas:

1. No digging involved.
2. We can grow what we need instead of ending up having a ton of ripe veggies all at the same time.
3.Only a small area is use and these plots can be scattered around the yard, flat on the ground or elevated on a table or saw horses.
4. Watering can be by drip hose or by using plastic water bottles filled with water and with small pin holes on one side. These are laid hole side down and will slowly water the plants.

Other things I am looking into are worm farms (helps with composting) and raising a few chickens for eggs. Whee!!

I Want To Move It, Move It...

Aw yes in the words of those cute 'lil creatures in the movies Madagascar that's what happened on Saturday at Tiera's Birthday party.

A total of eleven children were in attendance. Imagine eleven bundles of pent up energy expecting lots of action, candy and CAKE CAKE CAKE! Oh and some ice cream. The adults put on brave faces and quietly prayed that the party would go by quickly. The games were fun... my favorite was the mummy game where you use every roll of toilet paper in the house to wrap up a child and then let them shred it up and use it as confetti. (We had 4 teams) WHEE!!

This Saturday was very busy because not only did Tiera have a birthday party but there was also a hostess tea for her to go to right after the party. She is going to be a hostess at the church's Princess Tea in March.

Well she didn't make it to the tea so Nanny went for her. When I returned, I was expecting to see everyone gone. The party was scheduled to be from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. I was shocked to find guests still rocking out! Their parents hadn't come to get them.

On Friday night Tiera had two friends spend the night and those two friends had not been picked up by their parents. 5 o'clock rolls by, 6 o'clock passes... where are those parents? Also one of Tobie's friends and her two daughters was still there. Carlos and Tobie kept calling the girls parents - no answer. Finally they get a phone call - COLLECT- from the county jail in Belton. It seems one mom ran into some trouble. She is the babysitter of the other little girl who spent the night with Tiera.

Now what? Tobie is exhausted, her friend is still here, Carlos is not looking very happy, the girls are still in the groove, Nanny is in prayer mode. We were thinking we might have to call the police, another COLLECT phone call from Belton- contacts are made, and everyone goes home around seven o'clock. Thank You Jesus!

Aww the wonderful sound of silence.

Next party there will be rules about drop off parents and sleep overs. Know what I mean?

I Had A Dream

This is what I saw in my dream-

The story behind this is that this is my mother's family silver plated coffee set. The base of the coffee pot had broken off. One night I saw in a dream what it would look like as a lamp. There were a few challenges in making things fit, but I think the end product is really nice. A big hug and thanks to my sweet hubby for all his help.

What Do You Do?

What do you do-
When you have one shoe
Or one glove
Or one sock
What do you do?

What do you say-
When someone is sad
Or someone is glad
Or someone is mad
What do you say?

What do you think when the day is done
When the night is dark
And there is no sun.
What do you do when you’re all alone.
What do you think?

Do the thoughts I think matter?
What happens when my mind is all a’chatter-
Clamoring and churning, gnawing on something
Someone said or didn’t say.
Something they did or didn’t do
That hurt my feelings-
That just wasn’t right.
What do I do?

Do I hold on tight
To that thing that offends-
That pricks me
And sticks whenever I bend.
Hold it close,
Nurse it,
Pet it,
Feed it.

Do I rehearse in my mind
Again and again
What was said or done
Or wasn’t said.
What do I do?



How do I make amends
Or do I get revenge
Make them pay!
Punish them!

How dare they say
What they say or
Do what they do.
Don’t they know
It hurts
It stabs.
This thing,
This word,
This deed?
How dare they say?

How do I find peace
I am worn out-
My insides are fragile,
Exhausted,
Tired.
So what do I do?

Where do I go to find
shelter from the storm,
To find peace from my thoughts,
To find rest for my soul.
Where do I go?

Who can I trust-
With my life,
My dreams,
My heart?
I once thought I knew-
What was important
What really mattered
Which ladder to climb
Which course to run
Who to befriend and
Who to shun.

But now-
I don’t know
What do I do?
How will I know?
When I have arrived,
When I have found what it is inside
I have been chasing-
How will I know?

What will it look like?
Do I have it now or
Is it something vague,
Mysterious, shadowy
Like something some else has.
Is the grass really greener on the other side?

I thought it was at one time something I wanted-
Something that looked good on someone else,
Something they had,
They wore,
They drove,
They lived in,
Graduated from-
Something I just couldn’t quite chase down.

Oh I tried- really I did.
I ran as hard as I could,
Studied as hard as I could,
Worked as hard as I could
But
For some reason I just never quite found that thing,
That something that I thought or was told I
Should have
Or should be
Or should do.

And now what?
What do I do?

I have spent a long time-24/7
Seeking, knocking, searching and
If I am really honest-
Not doing anything-
Wasting time-
Fretting away time.
Now what do I do?

When am I happy?
When do I find peace?
When is enough well - enough?

I’m glad you asked
Because now I see
It’s not, it has never been
All about me-
About what I want
Or think or do.
It’s not about a sock,
A glove,
Or even a shoe.

How can I say this?
Express what it means-
What touches my heart
And makes it sing?
What eases my mind
And brings rest to my soul.
How can I show just who I am,
Why I am here?

If I opened my heart-what would come out?
Light,
Dark,
Sweet,
Sour,
Loud,
Soft,
Tender,
Hard
Maybe all of that-
the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

If I opened my mouth,
Would you think I’m witty?
Would you think I’m smart?
Do you think I’m pretty?
After all that’s what’s important, wouldn’t you agree?
That’s what counts or so I have been told.

And so I sit here pondering and wondering.
What would you do if you knew just who I am and why I’m here?
What would you do?

The Mod Squad

Aw yes, it's time for a walk down memory lane.

Hey! which one of you can guess who these cuties are?

TisTheSeason...

Tis the season to be jolly.... well at least that's what the song suggests. Jiggle bells, my nerves are frayed, I gotta have that dish! I'm being sarcastic of course but the mood at the stores has been pretty intense. Especially since all the news reports that everyone is broke and destitute. We all know that isn't entirely true. Yes for some it is, but alot of us are really being blessed.

Actually I'm sort of glad things have come apart at the seams. I don't wish hard times on anyone, but we all go through them. The good news is that Jesus said He would never leave or forsake us and that yes, we would surely have tribulation but to rejoice because He has overcome the darkness. So my suggestion is get closer to the Lord and stay close. Now is the time to really pay attention to the Lord and what He has to say and obey!

Another point I need to make is... be kind one to another. Love thy neighbor. I have alot of neighbors especially when I go out to WalMart or HEB. I have noticed some people would rather look away from me and avoid eye contact while there are others who respond with a smile. I like to watch people, what they do, how they walk and act when they think no one is looking.

I was in WalMart waiting for my husband and I was observing the people. I would look at their faces and wonder-"Lord does he/she know You?" Some I knew for sure did but others it was obvious something wasn't right.

And we are just a dot in this world sort of like the story of Horton Hears A Who. How in the world are we going to reach the whole world, every person with the Good News?

Christmas 2008

I love Christmas. I sometimes struggle with it, but I love it. My struggle this year was not having the where-with-all to buy Christmas gifts for the family, which bugged me a great deal. After all that is what Christmas is all about, right? How else will our kids know just how much they are loved by their parents? I mean surely a Barbie has to exude love for sure.

Well this year the best gift of all of having all of our kiddos home with us. A few gifts were handed out. Handmade, home made gifts. Things that didn't move or have sound, weren't digital but were a hundred times better.

How bout a giant pinata in shape of a star? Filled with candy. That was Tiera's gift from her cousins. No batteries needed just a length of rope, a step ladder, something long to whack it with, a blindfold and uncle Aaron standing on the stepladder providing the swing action. Poppy and Lorren on hand recording it all on video while the girls and Nanny provided the whacking, even Mona displayed her ninja/nacho libre skillz. It was a sight to behold. In the cheering section was Tobie and Carlos and "LilLos" providing the cheering action. We laughed.... alot. Which is really good for the soul.

Or how bout the beautiful gifts Tiera picked out for each and every one of her family members. She really has great taste.

Or the amazing handmade journal Lorren made for me. Each page hand painted and included old cards from the past. Can't forget the awesome gift cards. They are always a blessing. Thank you Tobie and Carlos. We loved using our Cracker Barrel gift card.

Food played a huge part in our celebrating starting with a Christmas Eve get together at Tobie and Carlos' house. We started this tradition several years ago and it has become very special to all of us. We made three kinds of chicken wings, potato salad, tomato/corn salad, fruit salad, spinach dip and chips.

For Christmas day we had ham, green beans casserole, sweet potatoes/ marshmallow topping and Galore salad. Lorren later made chili. Yum Yum Yum. Mandy stopped by that evening, Mona and the girls made S'mores, which was a event. Later Mona pulled out a board game and the rest of the evening was spent comparing Apples to Apples. Well most of us, Ron, Tobie and I watched TV in Ben's room.

I even recieved phone calls from my brothers whom I haven't heard from in years and one of them stop by the house with his wife and visited for awhile.

On Sunday Ron and I drove down to where my mom lives and spent some time with her.
This was a really nice Christmas. Thank you Jesus.

In the wise words of Timy Tim... "God bless us all" or something like that.