Laura Story - Blessings

This touches my heart every time I hear it!

Love family times

Since my husband, Jim,  was sick Easter, we did not have our traditonal family dinner. So Wed. night we gathered for dinner. Jim brought me a beautiful yellow lily right before everyone arrived and it looked so pretty setting on the buffet. I had fun decorating the table.  I found these cute little marshmallow animals at Wal-Mart and took the Happy Easter sign from the chocolate covered marshmallows Stacy gave me.

My daughter, Stacy, brought banana pudding.  My daughter, Shawna, brought spinach strawberry salad.  I prepared ham, potato casserole, deviled eggs, broccoli, and rolls. We had a fun time visiting and laughing after dinner. Later, I loved sitting and watching our little granddaughter pretend with the dolls and doll house. Before they left her daddy played the guitar as she danced and sang!  How I wish I had taken a picture!

Easter is over but we should celebrate Jesus everyday!

Giving thanks

http://www.heartlight.org

My husband had been sick since Wednesday. Yesterday morning he was still sick so instead of attending church I stayed home with him.  It was the first time in each of our lives that we missed going to church on Easter.  It felt very odd and we missed worshipping with our church family. 

Jim began to feel better in the afternoon.

Today is feeling good!

This morning I am giving thanks ... 

 First to the Lord who healed him!!  Then we thank the many who offered prayers on behalf of him. We are thankful for the Internet where we could join in with another church service yesterday morning. We are so thankful for the messages and calls from friends and family.  We thank our daughters and their husbands for helping us with with various things.

 I am very thankful that tomorrow night the table will be set, the food prepared and we will have our family Easter dinner that we could not have yesterday.

In the midst of sickness we both felt loved and cared about!

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;

his love endures forever.

1 Chronicles 16:34

Birthdays

Our granddaughter, Ashlynn Kate, is 4 today!  Her birthday party will be next week but because Aunt Stephanie is in Honduras she had some gifts mailed to my house and Ashlynn was able to open them while Aunt Stephanie watched via skype!  I just had to buy her a Hello Kitty balloon for today.  That will be the theme of her birthday party.  We had a fun morning before Mommy and Daddy took her to the park to ride her new bike!  After they went to lunch she was allowed to choose a birthday cupcake for tonight.

Hello Kitty stickers and coloring book!

Play Doh Fun Factory and Play Doh!!!

Hello Kitty Umbella!!  Come on rain!

HAPPY 4TH BIRTHDAY SWEET ASHLYNN KATE!
YOU BRING SUCH HAPPINESS TO OUR LIVES!

 

In MEMORY...

Today would be my wonderful Father-in-law's 93rd birthday!

I found this old picture of him doing his favorite thing which was playing the guitar. 

He loved playing and singing with friends and family. 

Pictured with him is Jim with our daughter Stacy and Mike, a family friend.



Easter treat

My daughter Stacy surprised us with a treat this morning. She made us some of her yummy chocolate and white chocolate dipped marshmallows.  Notice how they are shaped like an egg. :)  She made chocolate dipped ones for her dad and white chocolate dipped ones for me.  She even brought some for Colette, the 6 yr. old we babysit.  She gave them to us in little bags but I just had to put mine on a plate for a picture.  Well, I did that after I ate one.  It went well with my vanilla latte this morning!

Have you had a surprise lately that blessed you and made you feel loved?

Love Nest

Our sweet daughter and son-in-law gave us this to

celebrate...

WE MADE OUR LAST PAYMENT

 ON OUR HOUSE!

I love the little sign and heart.

The birds perched on the nest are so cute!

I am so thankful for the Lord's provision

that enabled us to pay off our house!

Kenya

Jim returned home last week from a mission trip in Kenya. 

The emphasis was medical, feeding and teaching the local pastors.

Jim brought some glasses with him with the plan

to give them to someone in need. 

 These two pastors traveled a long distance hoping

 that they would be able to get glasses. 

How exciting for Jim and a blessing for them

 that they were given these glasses.

While the medical clinics were going on our pastor was

teaching and encouraging the pastors from the surrounding areas.

~~~~~~~~~~

  I am thankful for the opportunity that this team had to go and

 serve these precious people in the Name of Jesus! 

Even if we can't go, we have a part, and that is to pray!!

Excited to be SIX

She has been so excited for weeks because today she turned SIX!!!  Yes, Colette, whom I have watched since she was 4 months old, is 6 years old today.  Her mom invited me and her Mimi to go to the American Girl doll store and restaurant on Saturday. We had so much fun celebrating her birthday with lunch and dessert. Afterwards we went shopping and watched her choose some new clothes for her doll, Lia. 

So sweet...the doll has a seat too.

Fun appetizers before the meal. She chose cheese fondue. 

The candle in her brownie was a surprise

(I love the look on her face)

 and everyone sang Happy Birthday to her.

Yummy pink lemonade!

Finished shopping!

One last picture before going home!

Lia looks so cute in her new dress and sunglasses!!

 TODAY

I had a balloon and a gift waiting for her after school.

Chocolate pudding with whipping cream and sprinkles!

(her request!)

Birthdays are fun!

Next week we will be celebrating our

 granddaughter's 4th birthday! 

I can hardly wait!

Lost but found...

I have a pretty bracelet that is very meaningful to me.  It isn't a bracelet that could be easily replaced.  Each charm was lovingly picked out for me by a family member or a friend.  Each charm has meaning to me and when I wear it I remember who gave me which charm, what the charm represents, and feel loved. One day I went to put it on and could not find it. I knew the time frame of when I last saw it. I did not want my family to know that I had been careless with this precious bracelet. I prayed asking God to show me where it was. I began looking in all the places I might have put it.  When it was not in these places I began to think maybe it was lost for good.  This week while Jim was in Kenya I decided to start going through drawers and any place I could think that it might be. All week I looked for the bracelet, always praying as I was looking, asking God to show me where it was.In the process I cleaned out desk drawers and even a cabinet.  I looked in pockets of coats and pants. There was no where else I could think to look.  It was gone and I felt so sad.  
I had been walking for exercise but had not walked since winter, except for short little walks with our dog.  I decided now was the time to get back into walking.  I got my shoes from my closet and sat down on the steps to put them on. I put the first one on and when I started to put my second one on I could not put my foot in. Wondering what was wrong I put my hand in and there was ... my bracelet along with a necklace and a pair of earrings.(we live in a two story house and I often put things together to carry it all upstairs!)

I was so excited and began to shout out loudly, "Thank you Jesus!  I found my bracelet!" I was so happy.  I immediately called a friend that I had asked to pray that I would find it. I wanted her to rejoice with me! I found my bracelet!

Today as I was thinking about how thankful to the Lord I was
 to have found this precious bracelet, I thought of a couple parables from the Bible.

 Luke 15:3-10 

 Then Jesus told them this parable:  “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?  And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders  and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’  I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

“Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?  And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’  In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

The Bible tells us God pursues that one that is lost and when a sinner repents, great rejoicing takes place in heaven. Wow! Just as I didn't give up looking for my bracelet He does not give up on us. Think about it...God loves us individually!!! When we repent of our sins, we receive forgiveness and God rejoices!!! I like that. 

You are precious to God!

Sweet moments....



with a friend and her children at a park...

with two of my favorite dogs...

being given a bouqet of flowers from my yard...

celebrating family birthdays...

receiving a craft that made me smile...

“Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes of which all men have some.” — Charles Dickens