Another one of my thoughts. :)

Even the smallest, less important moments are special. Treasure every moment.

It's kinda like how God hears even the smallest, simplest prayer... and He treasures every word we say to Him. :)

Thoughtfully,

The best dinner... EVER!

Tonight I made dinner. It is a new recipe that I have been wanting to try. I highly recommend making it. As soon as you can. ASAP.
Monday Night Dinner: Pasta with Bacon and Mushrooms is amazing. But for me it wasn't "Monday Night Dinner" it was Saturday night dinner. YUM!

Wanting a second helping,

Encouraging.

Oh, this has been an interesting week. Well, more like an interesting two days. But ya know what?! God is in control! No matter how odd things get; He has a plan.
I have been keeping in mind still:
Proverbs 15:1
A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.


and...


James 1:19
So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;

Those scriptures are great to keep in mind even if a situation is simply odd. As I've said before, it is something I have to work on...daily!
I guess the point of this post is this: Don't ever think a situation is too bad or too odd. God is God yesterday, today, and forever. He can handle anything. The Bible says to cast our cares upon the Lord. That means everything. Ya know how people say "take care" when parting ways, or hanging up the phone. My question is: Why would I want to "take care" when all my cares go to God?! Just another "something" to think about! :)

I re-discovered a song a few days ago. It's the second one on my playlist on this blog. It is so wonderful! The first song on this playlist is also a favorite, though newly discovered!
Listen to the lyrics to the second song... they are so encouraging. I keep replaying it. Over. And over. lol.

Last night, feeling rather bored with my background screen picture, I decided to do something with one of my photos. Here is what I did:

I, as you can see, wrote out some of the lyrics to the two songs I just mentioned. I gave it enough room so that all the other stuff on the screen wouldn't block the words. It's great! My mom and sister are currently thinking about what they would want on a background for their computers.

No doubt that I will be changing the photo or what is written (or both) for it soon. haha.

Well, I am off to sleep. I am very, very tired. The tooth picks holding my eyes open aren't holding very well. :)

**Disclaimer: I do not mean literal tooth picks...it is a figure of speech! Thought I'd make sure you knew that.**

Ready and waiting,

Oh the Joy of Winter.

It's still raining. Since yesterday evening...all through the night...and through today. The water level is super high. And we're supposedly in a drought... or we were. HA!
But I'm not going to complain. Much. Rain is good. We like to drink water. Take showers. Wash dishes. All of that jazz. That's what I keep reminding myself.
It still doesn't change the fact that I want sunshine and warm weather.
All in good time...

Off to go read,

My Awesome Experience.

I am lying here in bed yawning, and blinking my heavy eye lids, yet I am going to post this. lol.

My awesome experience today isn't really major. For me, though, it is exciting.
This morning my mom and I headed to the mall. (excuse me while I gag). I needed some new jeans for work. SO! The shopping began. It took forever. The mall was overly hot, crowded, and I wanted to make this trip as fast as possible. It took us forever. We finally found two pairs of great jeans that actually didn't have that holes and tatters in them! Shocker! Don't worry...that's not the awesome experience... not even close.
After the mall we went to the grocery store and then home. I actually drove everywhere today. It was fun!
I got to the barn at three o'clock. I got to ride my favorite horse, Sassy! Did chores while Mrs. Jill took out another ride. (Just wait, my awesome experience is still coming!)
Around five-thirty I had my lesson. Mrs. Jill told me to ride RASCAL! He is a four year old horse that is AMAZING! He has been at the barn since summer and I have been wanting to ride him since then! I got him ready: brushed, saddled, bridled, and gave lots of love. Oh yeah, and put on my darn helmet that I have to wear for two more months. (Here is the awesome experience).
I got on him.
I fell in love.
Right then and there.
He was great. His walk was smooth. He covered ground so fast without even trying. I was smiling from ear to ear. Then Mrs. Jill had me get him into an extended walk. I think my smile grew. I was flying around the ring! At a walk no less! Then we trotted. It was the worst trot. Ever. Bouncy and rough. But surprisingly awesome! I don't think I have ever enjoyed a ring lesson as much as I did today. Rascal's trot got so big that I thought we were cantering for a minute. A gray cloud loomed overhead. We gave it no heed since the weather people said that it wasn't supposed to rain until tomorrow. I felt a raindrop while trotting around. The another. Then it started to pour rain. I laughed. I was so happy. The sky was beautiful even with the clouds. There was a bright pink glow that covered the sky/clouds for a bit. Needless to say, my lesson ended only after twenty minutes because of rain.
So, long story short, my awesome experience was to be able to ride this cutie pie:

Wemember Wathcal? I like to think he hath a lithp.

Going to sleep now,

Busy.

My life is about to get very busy. I just got a job, and I am doing college classes online. That said, I will probably not be able to post on here as much... but I'm not sure.
I will tell you about my awesome experience I had today after I do dishes... or after I am in my room for the night... or whenever I can. lol.

Much love,

Glow.

Last night after I got home from the barn, I sat out on my back porch to read. I looked up after about ten minutes and found a beautiful piece of art across the sky. I ran inside to get my camera and then went into the front yard where I have a better view.
The sky is God's canvas. He paints each sunrise and sunset.
If the sunrises and sunsets are this beautiful on earth, can you imagine what they are like in Heaven?

Something I have to work on...daily.

Ephesians 4:26 (New King James Version)
26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath

Do you know how hard that can be sometimes?
I do.
Does your family sometimes get on your nerves and you just get so frustrated?
Affirmative.
Have you ever had an argument with a sibling, a friend, or even your parents and have gotten so angry that you just don't wanna talk to them.
Yep!
For me, if I am angry at you I do not wanna talk to you, see you, or be anywhere near you, until I calm down. My sister and I had an argument not too long ago and it was right before bed time. She told me "do not let the sun go down on your wrath."
I wanted to throttle her. lol.
I went to bed angry.
That was not so good.
She likes to talk things out. I like to calm down alone...
It was interesting to say in the least.
I have a hard time about not letting the sun go down on my anger sometimes.
It is something we should all work harder on in our lives.

Taking it one step at a time,

What Love is.

God is love.
He gave it to us.
We can say that we love objects, but that is not what love is for...
Love is for people and living things.
You can say you love your car, or your computer, but that's not love.
Think about how God loves us... How deep, how high, how wide and great is His love for us?
He died for us. He rose again for us. He sent his Holy Spirit to stay with us. He took our sins away. That is true love.
I have been trying not to say stuff like: "I love that movie" or "I love that car" or "I love that shirt."
And after not saying "I love..." about all of those inanimate objects; saying I love you to other people feels amazingly stronger. The strength of love is powerful. I had to pause a moment after I first felt that moment of "wow" about it. Imagine: Not saying love about everything you enjoy, and then going to someone who is special then telling then you love them. It makes the word "love" seem so much more special to say.
I thought I would share that discovery with you. Perhaps you will discover the same thing....


Feeling content,

Starbucks-ing Happiness.

I have been spoiled by the best tasting coffee ever! Okay, so I haven't tasted every single coffee, but I'd like to think that I have. And I am not really spoiled by it. And Starbucks won the taste testing. By a million miles. Hazelnut Latte....YUM!
Today I met with my sister at the shopping center we like. We had a great time with our "adopted" grandma and her daughter. Talked about God and all He is doing. We laughed, and talked more. They are wonderful!
Starbucks is our meeting place. :) It is now a weekly thing. Isn't that great?!
Starbucks-ing happiness.
Today has just been great all the way around. **Contented sigh**
Eventually I will find something better to post about. For now, however, this is what I got for ya!

Missing my Hazelnut ice-coffee,

I discovered something.

I really...and I mean really... like flowers. Ya know - the ones you plant in the ground and watch them grow. Wild flowers are awesome.
I discovered this something when I was reading this: http://thepioneerwoman.com/homeandgarden/2010/02/what-will-always-be-in-my-garden/
The flowers are so beautiful. I am going to try to convince my mom that we need to try to plant some awesome flowers in our hard, red-clay mud. We can do it! I am determined. Stubborn. Southern. Stubborn. Did I mention stubborn? haha.
Just thought I'd let ya know.
Oh, just so you don't misunderstand: I have always liked flowers. I simply discovered how much I did.

Ready for Spring,

One Word...

In one word I am going to describe the following:

• My mood: Indescribable
• Today: Dull
• Last night: Short
• My plans for today: Minimal
• God: AWESOME!
• Winter's welcome: Gone
• The books I read: Wonderful
• My sister: Sweet
• My Parents: Great
• My pets: Adorable
• Bored?: Sorta

Smiling,

Randomness Wednesday!

I have a lot on my mind. Random stuff and regular stuff.

Stuff like: Its windy and a bit too cold for my liking today.
I don't like the smell of cleaner. It makes me sneeze if it's too strong.
My hands are finally getting smooth again after the normal winter dry spell they go through.
I should put some socks on...
Friday is going to be great! I hope... I have another meeting with the same photography place I had met with last time. And then I am meeting Bee, my "adopted" grandma, and her daughter again at Starbucks. I love all three of them!
I really like coffee. It is special when I get to drink it because I don't usually get it that often. But now I do...
Our snow was almost totally gone the day after we got it. All five inches melted so fast. We only have a couple of small patches of it by the front of our house now.
Josh McBride. He is character in a book I'm reading. I am wanting to read right now... so I should make this quick...
Juliana Brady. Another character in the same book. She is Josh's soon-to-be-fiance!
Stuff like that.
**pausing while I totally rock out to Hillsong United.** **not really** **but sorta** **I'll stop now** **sorry**

Happy Randomness Wednesday from me to you,

Quick Review.

This week has been busy, busy, busy.
Yesterday I went to work with my sister. She had a meeting afterwards so I sat waiting for an hour and a half. I did have a book with me, but I still got bored. LOL.
We then went to Starbucks and had coffee with our "adopted" grandma and her daughter. They are so great!
We were there for a while. When Bee and I left there we stopped off at a place for me to ask if they were hiring. Nothing.
Came home. Did our usual stuff. Watched American Idol. Went to bed.
Now I have to go clean. Mom and I are dusting, vacuuming, sweeping, mopping, scrubbing, and tap-dancing on the ceiling.
Wait. Forget the last one. Just forget I ever said that. :)

Thoroughly happy,

Legit Snow.

Okay! So, I finally got the blogger to load my photo's! About time right?! I thought so!

About ten minutes after the snow started. It was piling up fast.

About the same amount of time...

A closer look at the chair about five minutes later.

A got darker. This was about twenty minutes after the snow started.

Isn't it purty?!

Ahh! Bokeh is awesome!


This was around eight-thirty. Four hours exactly since the snow started. We were already at four inches!

If you look closely you can see a biker peddling down the street. The photo turned out pretty cool, I thought.

My favorite lamp-post. This shot kinda makes you feel like you are at the lamp-post in Narnia. Awesome!

Sorry it took so long to post these pics. Blogger and I were about to have issues... LOL.

Love,

Later.

**I still can't get the pictures to load - I'll have to try again tomorrow... sorry again**
I have been trying to upload photos of the snow but for some reason blogger hasn't let me load any of them. It's irritating. I'll try again later.
I was going to load them last night but fell asleep. haha. So, have no worries, I will get them loaded as soon as I can!

Surprise!

Today at four thirty I was in the kitchen. And suddenly there was a heavy snow fall. It didn't start with flurry's. No. It went from no snow to a thick snow fall. My first thought was: "Dang it! I don't want snow! I want warm, spring time weather!"
But then after it kept falling (not lessening one bit) I decided I was okay with it. It is the first real snow fall we have had in a while. Usually we get ice and sleet with it so it gets hard... BLAH. But now we have a moist, light, fluffy, shiny, beautiful snow.
And now, after just over four hours of a steady snow fall, we are at just under four inches of snow. Yes, I measured it.
And as soon as my camera finishes uploading pics I will play with them and then post some!

Surrounded by a blanket of white,

Oh what a GREAT day!

Ri came!
The end.
Just kidding.
We had a GREAT time!
Our moms let Bee drive Kay, Ri, and me to Starbucks! We each got a coffee. Riah and I got the same. A Hazelnut Latte. Yum. We talked the whole time.
I don't know what Bee and Kay got. I do know they didn't get the same thing. And they talked the whole time. Hey, when you know each other your whole entire life it is easy to talk constantly together... :)
Then something sad happened... **sniff sniff** They had to go home. I don't like to think about it. **sniff sniff**
Time flies when you are having fun. **sniff sniff**
I don't wanna talk about them leaving anymore. **sniff sniff**
But it was a wonderful day. It was the first time Ri and I got to hang out since just after the New Year. Way too long, in my book, for best friends to not see each other.... BUT we did go four years without seeing each other so I guess a little over a month isn't as bad...
I'll stop now.

Randomness Wednesday - Ri

Hey, its Ri here.  Lys asked me to post today, said she couldnt think of anything to blog about.

Things on my mind:
1. Photography
2. Irritation
3. Beenie's Birthday
4. Tomorrow.

Guess I have some explaining to do now.

1 & 2. I just tried to take some pictures.  It didn't go over well, which explains the irritation.  My camera is a little worse for wear.  I barely got any pictures taken.  Half of them blurred or were over/under exposed.  Then the camera died.  Its been running through batteries like water.  So I'm pretty much frustrated over my lack of talent in the photography area, plus the camera.
3. Beenie turned 11 today.  Yay!  We are going to be playing games and watching movies tonight.  Whichever games and movies she choses.  Bree is making a cake, decorated like a giant smiley face, per Beenie's request and we are having Lasagna for supper.  Yum!
4. I am going down to visit with Lys and Bee tomorrow.  We are both (Lys and I) very excited since we haven't seen each other since shortly after the new year.  We don't know exactly what we're going to do, but we're going to do something!

-Ri

Mud.

With all of the rain and then the snow/ice we've had lately this is what the ground looks like at the barn:

Slippery. Slimy. Totally gross.

This is my favorite horse. Well... her leg. Her whole body was muddy like that. It took a while to brush her!

Deets (left) is a new horse at the barn. Ben (right) is checking him out.

Deets never stays still.

RC was chewing hay. It was cute!

Billy Goat. Yes, his name is Billy. He is fat, happy, annoying, and very adorable!


Thought this was cool. This rooster just flew and landed on the ledge.

It is raining again today! So dreary.

Much love,

Thoughts.

Proverbs 15
1 A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.

I have had to keep reminding myself of this scripture lately. There has been so much going on. It's one of those times that you wish would hurry up and go away so everything can be back to normal...and better! :)
So in my Bible reading I always ask God to show me what He wants me to read. Last night I opened my Bible and it was on James chapter one. As I read, this is what I saw:

James 1:19-20
19 So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

Pretty cool right?! I thought so.
We should all listen better. Be it listening to God better, or simply listening to our parents, siblings, or friends. Because a small conversation can be turned into an argument by simply not hearing, or speaking too swiftly.
Just something to think about.

Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

Danger.

It is very dangerous for my sister and me to be in a store, with any kind of food in it, when we are hungry.
Here's why:

1. There's food...yummy looking food.
2. With all that yummy looking food around it is kind of hard not to drool over everything.
3. You feel like you'll never get anything to eat at the rate the shopping trip is taking, therefore you want to dig into the nearest box of doughnuts and have a field day with it.
4. When we're that hungry it is best to get food in our stomachs within the next twenty minutes... but that's if you don't want to risk the danger.
5. And finally, because we keep telling our mom how good everything looks... how we want a supreme pizza (minus the meat)... and that gets...uh...interesting. ahha

That happened today. We were so hungry. All we wanted was a good pizza.

Now content after eating dinner and cherry, chocolate cupcakes that I just made,

Dreams...

A dream is a wish your heart makes.
A dream starts when you least expect it.
A dream is a gift; a gift from God.
It buds from deep in your heart.
It is a desire for one or more things.
To go someplace,
To do something…
To dream… oh to dream…
Maybe one day… perhaps very soon… those dreams you have been waiting for will come true.
-by me

It is not meant to rhyme. It is just something I wrote down five minutes ago. I liked it so I thought I'd share it.

Dreaming daily,

A Book That Is A Must!

I have read this book five times. I am currently working on the sixth time. It is seriously that good!
Deeanne Gist is my favorite author...well one of. I have many. :)
"The Measure of a Lady" is one of the books that got me going on my three-book-a-week reading life. My reading pace had slowed down to a screeching halt around Fall and up till now. It is still slow, but, hey, I am reading something!
Lemme just say that my mom was super happy to have one of her daughters enjoy books as much as she does. :) It is so awesome how a story can bring a smile to my face. They can be so inspiring. The characters become real people to me. They are friends!
Okay, I'll stop going on and on now. Here is the description for the book:

Rachel van Buren arrives in Gold Rush San Francisco with two wishes: to protect her younger siblings and to return east as soon as possible. Both goals prove more difficult than she could imagine as her brother and sister are lured by the city's dangerous freedom and a missionary-turned-gambler stakes a claim on her heart. Rachel won't give up without a fight though, and soon all will learn an eloquent but humorous lesson about what truly makes a lady.

Speak Politely. Even when you're the only respectable woman around, protesting the decadence of a city lost to gold fever.
Dress Modestly. Wear your sunbonnet at all times. Ensure nobody sees your work boots muddied by the San Francisco streets.
Remain Devoted to Family. Protect your siblings from the lures of the city, even against their wishes.
Stand Above Reproach. Most difficult when a wonderful man turns out to be a saloon owner.
Rise Above Temptation. No, not even just a little kiss . . .
When these rules become increasingly difficult to uphold,can Rachel Van Buren remain a beacon of virtue in a city of vice?

Going to go eat dinner now,

My night.

I just had piano lesson number two! It was fun! I have a lot to work on this week, but I'm excited!
Now I am watching some TV while waiting for my family to come down stairs.
Oh, you might be wondering why I deleted the photos of Bee... I don't wanna leave her pictures up online.
This is my Randomness Wednesday.
Keepin' it short and sweet,

Happy. Laughing. Enjoying every minute!

I am sure you all remember this priceless moment: **PICTRES WILL BE REMOVED BY THE END OF TODAY: FEB. 3, 2010.**

Yes, it is a great moment. One that I will definitely share with everyone I know. Forever.

I am sure you also remember the joy I expressed when I first showed you this photo.

Wouldn't it be great if I could catch such a moment again?!

Oh wait! I DID!! That's right!

And not just once more... but TWICE more.

Aren't I just so blessed to be able to capture Bee in the one moment of complete surprise?!

I think so.

But why am I going on so? I should be showing you the next two photos!

Here they are:

**DELETED**

OH! Don't fall Bee! She slid pretty far, but didn't fall! She has some good balance!

**DELETED**

I asked her to sit on this little fallen tree. This tree has some great memories for us. We used to play house in the woods. We would each set up "houses"....play dolls...pretend like little girls do...
That tree was right above this hole. We would pretend like there were earthquakes and that tree would hold us up...until it fell. It was fun. :)
So now it acted as a seat for Bee. I thought it would be cool to take a picture of her almost sitting in the snow!
It snapped after a moment. Her priceless surprised expression was captured for the third time.
I laughed so hard I had tears filling my eyes. I don't think I will ever get used to that awesome expression of hers.
Thanks, Bee, for being so expressive. And for being my experimental photography subject. I greatly appreciate it.
I hope ya'll enjoyed that great fun!

Bee's hoodie: $20
My camera: $- (hehe)
Wet(ish) shoes: $30
Bee's surprised expression: Priceless!

This Love.

You won't relent until You have it all.

My heart is Yours.

Come be the fire inside of me.

Come be the flame upon my heart.

Come be the fire inside of me, until You and I are one.

All consuming Fire, You're our hearts desire.

Living Flame of Love come baptize us, come baptize us.

There is Love that's as strong as death, Jealousy demanding as the grave.

And many waters cannot quench this Love. Waters cannot quench this LOVE!

My heart is Yours!

These are lyrics from different songs. I heard them from a conference I have been watching. God has been speaking to me in so many ways...through music...scripture...by talking to me...by a picture... it is so great! He is my hearts desire. He is the living flame of Love. Many waters can't ever quench this love. There is no possible way for me to describe to you the way I love Him.

There is so much that He is doing in my life right now. He is awakening new dreams in my heart. Sometimes the old dreams seem so dim compared to the new ones. I am so excited to see what God is going to do with it. I know He has a plan. It is all in His time.

You know, it sometimes feels like things are out of your reach, but they are closer than you think. With God ALL THINGS are possible!

Matthew 19:26 (NKJV)
26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

When I post lyrics from songs on here, it's not just to "post lyrics." I do it because those certain lyrics are encouraging to me, or they are just too anointed not to share. But there is no such thing as TOO anointed. :)

Be blessed!

Excited about God,