Titus 2 Tuesday

Thank you Lord for my friend Diane Farmer, who is my featured Titus 2 woman. 

Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good.  Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.  Titus 2:3 - 4 

Thank you Shanda at A Teachable Heart, there you will find other testimonies of Titus 2 women, reaching out into the lives of others, so that no one will malign the Word of God.

My mind is flooded with all the things to tell you about Diane, I'm having a hard time getting them organized, I'll start with the beginning.  I first met her through the Walk to Emmaus community.  She is a musician and there was just something about her, I love to listen to her sing and more than that, I love watching her worship God in music.  She is one of those ladies that decided to pick up the guitar and teach herself how to play after the age of 40, maybe even closer to the age of 45.  She is married to Matt, and the mother of Ashley and Kristen.  We have always enjoyed talking about our Kristen's.  

She and Matt minister to the youth in their community, they are the youth directors in their church and they are always looking for ways to encourage and lift them up.  Ready to listen and always on their knees.  She and Matt also pull a trailer that houses a clean bathroom and washer/dryer to disaster areas.     

She was a big part of my sanity when I had the opportunity to be God 's clay vessel through the role of lay director for a walk in November of '08.  She had been in that position two years prior and lead by the Holy Spirit, she would pick up the phone at just the right time to check on me.  

She has shared her home, her food, her testimony, her wisdom, and her calm encouragement with me and she would share what ever you needed with you, as well.  

She had a dream about me one night, she said she couldn't remember the dream exactly, she thought it had something to do with me and my kids, but the next day she said, "every time I would think of that dream, I would wonder why did I dream about Jerri Ann and I would pray for you."  We hadn't talked since the walk in November.  Turns out it was the same day that I was giving my testimony at a women's ministry dinner at my home church in May.  How about that!  She is my sister in Christ and even though we don't talk often, we still have that tie.  The fact that the Holy Spirit would bring me to her heart during her sleep and she would be on her knees for me the next day brings me a sense of peace and love directly from the Father's heart through the heart of one of His daughters for me.  Amen.  

If you do not know this love that God has for you, I urge you to turn your face towards Him, and ask Jesus into your heart.  He came for sinners, not for judgement, to give us grace, peace, salvation, hope, mercy.  No matter what you have experienced in this life, Jesus loves you so much that he spread His arms wide open and laid on the cross for you.  

She is one of those women whose is an amazing wife, mother, daughter, and friend. And she is a beloved child of the King.  

I am afraid I have not done her justice with this writing, but I promise, if you met her you would love her too.

     

Passionate Blogging Queen of Awe-Summm

I have always wanted to be queen.  Thanks Dawn for passing on the crown.

and now I am one,  ahem,  for the day.  Chuckle, who am I kidding I've been one for-ev-e-rr! (quick what movie was that from?)(Thanks PW).  Just ask the husband.

  

So here's the set up:

1. List seven 7 things that make you  Awe-Summm and then pass the award on to 7 seven bloggers you love (if you want to).

2. Make sure to tag the recipients and let them know that they have won!

3. ALso link back to the Queen, that's me, that tagged you.

I guess that's it.  So now on with the Awe-Summm-ness.  I've never thought of myself that way, so this is totally tongue-in-cheek;

1.  I survived my teens.  That's Awe-Summm, more yet my Mom survived my teens!

2. My children survived me being their mother. Better yet, they love me!

3. My friends are my sisters in Christ, now that's Awe-Summm!

4. My step-children love me, or at least like me.  Now this is reeaalllly Awe-Summm!

5.  My man has stayed married to me, even though I am from another planet than he.  Awe-Summm.

6. God gave me grandchildren, they are a crown to the aged.  It's hard to think of me as "aged" but I guess that's what I am, cause I got me some children's children. Awe-Summm.

And 7th. Christ, He healed the blind so that I could see, He gave me ears to hear and He changed my heart so that I could love.  THAT'S Awe-Summ-ness-est!

Seven 7 blogs to nominate:

1. I'm going to return the favor and send this one to Gail  from Down Under, she is a sister in Christ and a faithful follower of Christ.  She gave her testimony at her church not long ago and that is something that is awesome.

2. Jill,  at a Pocket Full of Posies, I have just began reading her blog, she is a creative person and she inspires me to keep trying and just let the creativity flowing.  Which is hard to find, Awe-Summm.

3. Janera at My Garden Hat  She's been on a blog break but I think she will be back in a few weeks, so here's one more thing to work with.

Sorry, I think that's it, 

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My Passionate friend from Down Under has given me an award.  Thank you Gail.  She is passionate about her Savior Jesus Christ.  I love that about her.  

1.  I am Passionate about Jesus.  His Names, His Word, His life, His Spirit, His Father.  When I was new in my faith I found a poster with all His names on it.  I didn't know at that time that Jesus had other names.  I loved the first name listed, Prince of Peace.  I have learned that we may get older but there is still that little girl or boy in all of us.  And this little girl never stopped wanting her Prince to rescue her and carry her off on a white horse, white picket fence, white house on the hill.  Only I was no princess.  I turned my eyes to Jesus, his love, complete and perfect, changed my heart to see the ones standing before me in a love I had never known.  Now I have my Prince of Peace and my knight in shining armor.  

2.  I am passionate about our kids.  We are a blended family I had two girls and a boy and he had two boys and a girl.  That's right, we're the Brady Bunch.  I am passionate about these kids.  I celebrate their lives with them and watch in amazement as they have stepped out into the world as adults.  Whew, you thought raising teenagers was scary, try letting go and watching your little birds fly.  Some were more ready than others but fly they have.    And then they came back with little ones of their own.  "There are but two things we should give our children; one is roots the other wings."  author unknown

3.  I AM passionate about the grandchildren.  We have been blessed with 6 and we have two on the way.  They are a "crown to my age" Proverbs 17:6, they are so precious.  I stand in amazement at how God created us.  I will never as long as I live forget the first time I saw Sarah really show that she was excited to see her Nanoo.  And the time that Tyler and I had our first conversation.  He was not talking yet, probably around 6-9 mths old and we made sounds back and forth.  It was a conversation and those who were standing around watching knew it too.  And Caleb,  what a beautiful little boy, he is a lover.  Then came Sydney, whew you want to see some blue eyes, this little girl has them.   Then there is Nicholas.  A couple of weeks ago when his family came to stay with us, I was amazed at how the bigger kids didn't faze him at all.  He was right there with them, running in the backyard whatever they were doing.  And ooh, baby Anah Grace, she just smells sweet.  We made a ton of eye contact the other day when she was here and I got her to smiling.  And she has those sweet baby cheeks.  Danya's kids have the best cheeks. And smart.  That was just a sentence in on it's own, they all are!  

Sarah is almost 7 and Tyler is 6 and Caleb is almost 5, Syndey is almost 2 and Nicholas is 16 months, Anah is two months and Hadley is due in August and baby eight is due in December.  It can get pretty exciting around here.

4.  I am passionate about taking pictures.  I won't call it photography because I don't know enough about the whys and the hows to know what the heck I just did, but the pictures still come out good.  I am in the process of learning about the whys and hows.  Photography is my one of my missed callings.  I started a photography class back in my early twenties but then I met a guy and turned in another direction, I got great kids as a result of that diversion, which is way better and great subjects for photography but, I never finished that class.  Now my mind doesn't retain the information I read as well.  I think I've got it, but then I get away from the book and realized I don't have it.  Bummer.  But that's okay, I'll get it.

5.  I am passionate about Christ.  I said that already but Christ deserve another mention.  I am passionate about sharing my testimony with others.  I have walked quite a journey in this world and it tore me up.  By telling others how broken I was and how Christ gently took my hand and walked me out of that pit, then they too will know that they can trust their lives to Him.  I have shared this testimony almost a dozen times, and it is the desire of my heart that God will continue to open doors for me to tell our story again.  I am most passionate about Christ.

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Now for the business of awarding:

1. Put the logo on you blog.

2. Write 5 things you are passionate about apart from blogging, cause we all know this thing can consume you.

3. Tag 5 other people. 

The 5 Bloggers that I want to pass this on to is:

1.  Dawn at The Daughter of The King of Kings.

2.  Bethany at Happy As Can Be.  

3.  Charla (SHar-la) at Cowgirl A Heart.

4.  Jill at A Pocket Full of Posies.

5.  Belinda at Eddins Four.

As you know, "it's not love until you give it away," .  

Wild Olive Tee's - I'm Gonna Give It Away!

You know how it is when you find a great buy!  You have to tell all your friends.  

Have I got news for you, I found some great t-shirts.  I was visiting at MckMamma's to see what they had been up to lately, (everything seems to be good) and she mentioned that she had one on in an interview.  

Just one look and I knew

 

 

it was a zinger.  

These are sooo cuute as my granddaughter would say.  Seriously, their cool, your gonna like 'um.

So go check these gals out at Wild Olive - Get Your Verse On. 

They are doing a benefit for "Until Journey's End" where you can buy three or more tee's in one order and get free shipping.  Great Graduations gifts.  (I'm just sayin)

Also, I am announcing my own giveaway.  Lets see, how should I set up at the parameters?  I'm thinking, leave me a message (that's one), follow me, (that's two), and tell someone about us here at Salt Creek Ranch and link back to this post and the winner will get one of these t-shirt's, your choice (that's three)  OH yea, if you do all three of these you get three entries, isn't that how it works?

I bought me some the other day, they are gonna be so cute.

God's blessing.  

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In honor of my son, Jeremy, who is back on U.S. soil from active duty in Iraq for two weeks,

I will announce the winner Friday, June 12th and let him announce the name.

Yea, JW.

Party Central - I Can Do This!

I signed up, volunteered, to decorate for a dinner party.  At first glance, it sounds easy, exciting, fun, did I mention easy  already?  Yea well, that misnomer deserve another mention.  Okay, not easy.  The biggest challenge has been to figure out the center piece.  You know CENTER of attention.  The anchor piece, the One thing everybody sees.   Well, not necessarily the only thing, because we are going to do a shabby chic garden theme to whole room, so there will be lots to see.  But still, pressure. 

What was I thinking?

So, I figure, if you don't how to do something go to the experts who do.  Thank you internet and book stores and the talented, schooled designers that go behind them.  

Enter, Ron Morgan, I found this book 

at Barnes and Noble.  Beautifully photographed, I might add.  I love beautiful photographs, can you tell?  The husband says, "We are all the same, if I like everybody else will too", hah, maybe a little general and not exactly what he said, but . . .  you know the drill, it's my blog.  

Anyway, I found this inspiration piece,

so, I need to make this

 

look like that

with these

Easy.  hmm!

The Cowboy Way

I made my way down to the pens this morning and I am so glad that I did,

they were working cows.

Let me introduce you to the cast of characters, 

this is Brazos, he's is a young 'un and cute too.

This is Larry Don, an old'un.  Enough said.

Oh, what those lines in his face tell.  

Sweet eyes.

His.

And his.

Not hers,

she looked a little scared to me.

Brazos and his Dad, Ty.

His mom, Niclyn.  She's takes great records. 

My guys, Jason and RS

The girls.

One last parting shot. 

That's all folks.

Wordless Wednesday

A Golden Heart

awwww, so sweet, my second award.

And so pretty.

I say second because when I first started blogging Petticoats and Spurs sent me one, only then I didn't know how to put it on my blog, so technically, this is a second.

But woohoo!  

Thank you Belinda at Eddins Four.

This is being hosted by Daveda at Grace Talk With Daveda and the links there are amazing, you gotta go check it out!

Okay, so now I am to give it away.  

Kelly at Amazing Salvation

Amanda at Life Abundantly

Sarah at The Cleft of the Rock

Back at ya, Sherry at Petticoats and Spurs

Danya at It's All Goode

What can I say about this group of women?   I think we all, here in blogland, understand what an amazing tool this is.  We are meeting friends and sisters in Christ that we would never have the chance, or at least unlikely (cause nothing's impossible with God), to meet.  Nice run on sentence there.  The women listed here I have never met except for Danya and she is my daughter "D" who some of you heard from on our American Idol post, (yea way to go Kris) however I think D's still mad that Matt Giraurd didn't win.  Anyway, post something baby, okay a little personal business there.  

Back to the ladies, you guys inspire me, lift me up and encourage me, pray for me, edify me and teach me.  All from women I have never met.  

Saying I love you girls, doesn't seem enough, but I do.  

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I almost forgot, the rules;  

you gotta give it away, George should be playing here.

Selected five more beautiful women or a man too, why not I ask.  Anyway, don't forget to use the picture above and go check these out, they really are beautiful people.