Friday, April 23, 2010

My New Spot


My new spot for reading and praying...until it gets too hot!

From a distance...


Watching the sheep chill out by Cow Creek
(Behind our house)


Old outhouse behind our house...
(Don't feel sorry for us, we don't have to use it,
we have indoor plumbing!) ha!


Curious cow...is wondering what I'm up to!

Yesterday, as I followed my oldest down to the arena, a nice little spot under some trees, behind our house, caught my eye.  I immediately envisioned twinkly lights hanging from the trees, a fire pit, and seating, maybe a hammock too!  Well, after she rode, I found a table and one little chair.  I hauled them over to the spot under the tree and staked my claim!  I thought it'd be a lovely spot to read and pray in the mornings.  So, this morning, after the girls left for school, I grabbed my bible, a few other books, and my cup of coffee and headed outside.  It was such a beautiful morning.  It was slightly overcast with a gentle breeze.  I loved hearing the birds chirp, the doves call out, and the cows moo.  The coolest thing was the little white butterfly that kept dancing around me!  It was all very relaxing.  I don't know if I've said it before, but I absolutely LOVE nature!  What a creation! 
There were only 2 "hiccups" to this lovely morning: the big caterpillar that was on the table when I got there and I dropped my little turquoise cup as I was walking back to the house!  BTW, I love nature, but I HATE WORMS!  I said a prayer that nothing would fall out of the tree and land on me while I was praying and reading!  Just thinking about it makes me shake!  God answered my prayer and I didn't see another creepy crawly!! 

PRAISE TO THE LORD FROM CREATION

"Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise Him in the heights!
Praise Him , all His angels; Praise Him all His hosts!
Praise Him, sun and moon; praise Him all you stars of light!
Praise Him, you heavens of heavens, and you waters above the heavens!
Let them praise the name of the Lord, for He commanded and they were created.
He also established them forever and ever; He made a decree which shall not pass away.
Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all the depths.
Fire and hail, snow and clouds; stormy wind, fulfilling His word.
Mountains and hills; fruitful trees and all cedars.
Beasts and all cattle; creeping things and flying fowl.
Kings of the earth and all peoples; princes and all judges of the earth.
Both young men and maidens; old men and children.
Let them praise the name of the Lord, for His glory is above the earth and heaven.
And He has exalted the horn of His people, the praise of all His saints -
Of the children of Israel, a people near to Him.
Praise the Lord!
Psalm 148

Wow, He even mentioned creeping things!  I feel a little guilty about holding a life-long grudge against worms. I'm glad I just swooshed the worm off the table instead of smashing it; it might have been praising the Lord!! ;)



Thursday, April 22, 2010


My photo subjects...I'm playing with photos today.
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Feet First

                                                                A few hours old...
            

She had a set of lungs!
    



Leaving hospital


1st b-day



Written on 4-19-10:

Twelve years ago, today, my mom came out to the ranch and brought us hamburgers from the Krazy Chicken. I only ate 1/2 of the hamburger that evening. You would have thought I would've eaten the whole thing since I had packed on 50 extra pounds that year! No, it wasn't from sitting around watching soap operas and eating bon bons, it was the baby growing inside of me! And, no, I wasn't in the Guinness Book of World Records for having a 50 pound baby. She only weighed 8 pounds! I blamed most of the weight on water retention! ;)




I told mom I couldn't finish my burger and she asked if I felt okay. I told her I thought I might be having a few contractions. That's when she had the bright idea to walk down to the House Tank, 1/2 mile from our house. She said she thought it might speed things along. I put on my tennis shoes and off we went! We got half way to the tank and I just couldn't go any farther, so we walked back home. The pains were beginning to come a little closer together and kind of hurt. So, I took a shower while Mark hung curtains in Maddie's new room. I would holler out (from the shower) when I was having another contraction. Everything started happening so fast. Before I knew it, we threw my bag into the car and sped to the hospital. Half way there I had the most excruciating pain and I asked him to go faster! He put the hazards on and nailed it!




After the nurse did the embarrassing exam, she said I was 8 1/2 cm. dilated. They could have wheeled me right into the delivery room. Then she broke the bad news. She said, "Whatever you do, don't push because the baby is breached and we can't get a hold of your doctor!" "Breached, no doctor, don't push, new doctor in town, c-section," all these words coming from the nurses made me cry! I had never had surgery and wasn't wanting it that night.




They never did get a hold of my doctor, they said a new doctor was in town and wanted to know if it be okay if he'd perform the surgery. We agreed, what else could I do! When the new doctor walked in the door, the looks of him didn't ease my nerves any. He looked like a mad scientist (crazy hair) who liked wearing Hawaiian shirts and snake skinned boots!  By the time I was wheeled into the operating room, my nerves had taken over and I was shaking uncontrollably.  I had been watching "Touched By An Angel" pretty regularly, back in '98, and the thought of the death angel walking through the door made me nauseous!  Yeah, you could say I was pretty scared, none the least!  Mark, the warm towels, my prayers, and "Hold On" by Wilson Philips, playing in the background, started easing the nervous convulsions, a bit.  Before I knew it, little Kater Bug was born at 11:57 pm!  Man, did she have a set of lungs on her!  The nurse later told me she had never heard a baby scream that loud!  She was so beautiful!  She weighed 8 pounds 6 oz. 


Wow!  Twelve years have gone by so fast.  She has turned into such an amazing kid!  One of the things I love about her is she is her own person.  There's no question where she stands on an issue.  She's pretty much black or white.  She knows what she likes and doesn't like.  She doesn't do things just because everyone else is doing them.  She has her own convictions and sticks with them!  Thinking back, I guess this sort of attitude started before she was born.  In the womb she was probably thinking, "You know, I betcha everyone always comes out head first, well not me, I don't want to be like everybody else!  I think I'm going to turn around.  I want to come out feet first!" 


She is one of the most creative people I know.  She is an exceptional student.  Learning has always come  easy for her.  You very rarely see her study and if she does it's for maybe 20 minutes.  And, she continues to make all A's.  She's an awesome writer.  She has been Author of the Month countless times and does well in UIL creative writing.  She also won 1st place in the Southwest Texas Junior College writing contest a few years ago.  Her creativity doesn't stop there.  Her computer skills are amazing.  Her power point presentations are always fun to watch.  She's also good with a camera and has done well in 4H photography.  She loves animals and also likes grooming them.  Her little Chihuahua, Chalula, can sometimes be seen in a cute little outfit with painted toenails!  A few years ago, before I had a jewelry show, Kate went online and bought jewelry and clothes for dogs.   A corner of the show was filled with Kate's things.  She helped me work the show one afternoon.  The dog accessories were a hit.  She has an eye for fashion, whether it be in the canine world or our own!  She loves accessorizing herself too.  From scarves, to pearls to headbands...she always looks cute.  But ,she's just not a girly-girl.  She loves to play outside and doesn't mind working hard or getting dirty.  She's also  very good at riding horses.  Her horse that she's riding this year in rodeos is Cupcake.  She always forms a strong bond with her horses.  She also loves sports and is currently playing softball.  She's very powerful and actually made a home run during her last game!!  She's looking forward to junior high sports next year.  She says she's going to play every sport.  She has a good group of friends at school and she's a very loyal friend.  She has had a giving heart since she was very little.  She'll save up her money and buy people gifts.  She likes making people feel special.  Most importantly, she loves God and is a great witness to others.


I couldn't imaging my life without my Kater Bug.  She spices it up - big time!  She has a great sense of humor and is a truly remarkable kid!  Happy Birthday Kater Bug...you amaze me!


"For you formed my inward parts; you covered me in my mother's womb.  I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.  Marvelous are Your works.  And that my soul knows very well.  My frame was not hidden from You.  When I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth, Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed, and in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.  How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!  How great is the sum of them!


BTW, for Kate's b-day she took the day off, and we went shopping together.  We had lunch at Fuddrucker's and shopped 'til we dropped.Two of her friends rode the bus home with her sisters and surprised her.  We ate her b-day cake, which was in the shape of a horseshoe, but I was told it resembled a toilet bowl seat!  I can only imagine what it would have resembled if I would have put chocolate icing on that cake (maybe something that plops in the toilet bowl)! After eating cake and opening presents, we watched a movie and ate at Chili's.  Nothing like partying on a Monday!! She had a good day!

Saturday, April 17, 2010

So Long FB

I guess I'll be blogging more since I canceled my Face Book account. I don't know what came over me the other night. I just felt a strong need to deactivate my page. So, I went with my gut feeling and freed myself from the desire to post statuses, read statuses, look at pictures, etc... FB is neat because you can stay connected to family and friends, but if you're not careful it can become a little addicting. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't on FB 24/7. I just felt deep down I should be doing something more constructive with the little bits of free time I have during my waking hours. It's kind of funny because about a month ago I talked Mark into creating a FB account and now I don't have one. (And no, I'm not going to sneak on his page!)I may reactivate my page someday, but at this point in my life, I need to stay focused and not distracted!

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