In Which My Son Kills a Snake

Well hello. Earlier I went out front and watered the few plants that still have life in them(not many) and my trees and crape myrtles. As I was walking from tree to tree, I noticed that there are a lot of bare spots in our yard. It is so dry that not only has our grass died but now there are areas that are bare. How sad..

Then this evening my son posts this photo on Facebook:

I called him and asked if they had found it there at the store that I work. Sure enough - it had been in our kitchen. And in the area that I work. I had heard that since it has been so dry that there are alot more snakes in places that they are not usually at. Well it is sure true -because my MIL has owned this store for like 17-18 years and we have NEVER ever had a snake in it before. I was thankful that they had a hoe and shovel there at the store - not too far away so that my son was able to get them and kill the snake. What an exciting evening for sure.

When I first saw the photo I could not see it very good and it really scared me. I mean seriously - I work at a metal table that is about 3 feet deep and has a shelve below - so from the ground to that shelf is about 6 inches or so - and PLENTY of room for a snake to hide. It also scared me cause we had thought that it might be a copperhead at first and I had thought about standing in that area just yesterday working.

Anyway we have looked it up and we believe it is probably a Ratsnake. They are aggressive, but not poisonous. Praise the Lord!! I am thankful for His watch care.

Today we are on day 64 of triple digit temperatures. I have written down the expected highs for the next 7 days - from 4 of the local channels. 3 of the 4 think that we will get at least 2 more during the next week. Of course the rest of the temps are in the mid to upper 90's.

Monday is Labor Day and it is thought to be the end of Summer but I am not holding my breath that the temps will go down that much. We have endured so much this year.

Right now there is a LARGE fire - 4,000 Acres have been burnt so far, 25 home have been destroyed - and many more are being threatened. My heart goes out to all those involved. It is SO dry out there that the fire just sweeps through. Those super dry leaves on the trees don't help the situation at all. It is really a surprise that we have not had more of these.

There are a couple of days during the next 7 days that there is a small chance of rain. Please pray that we get some rain - at least in the area of the fire and surrounding areas. Those fire fighters need some help.

Well I have really tried not to complain too much about this HOT summer. Seriously - complaining does not change anything so why bother. But ever so often I just need to inform those of you - not living in Texas - what it is like living here. I know I enjoy reading other people's blogs that tell about the area in which they live. Texas can be a great place to live but ever so often we get a summer like this and it is not fun. But Praise the Lord - it is almost over! :O)

Supplying Our Needs- part 1

In 1 Peter 5:8 we are warned that the devil is out to get us:

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."

And I believe that because so many of us are so stubborn,that God was sure to include a few examples in the Bible of Satan working in an attempt to tempt us.

Probably one of the most familiar stories is that of Job:

"Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. 7 And the Lord said to Satan, "From where do you come?" So Satan answered the Lord and said, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it." 8 Then the Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?" 9 So Satan answered the Lord and said, "Does Job fear God for nothing? 10 Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!" 12 And the Lord said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person." So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord." Job 1:6-12

And remember that Satan also tempted Jesus 3 times. And if he went after Jesus~ what in world makes us think that we would be safe from his attacks.

This past week-end I came across a passage in the Bible- once in a sermon and once on my friend Susan's blog- Susan's Spot . (You may want to go check out her post - it is about Encouraging One Another.)
Here is the passage:

"And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren." Luke 22:31-32

When reading this passage - don't miss a very important part. Verse 32 says ..."I have prayed for you." This was Jesus telling Peter that he knew that Satan as going after him. And Jesus wanted Peter to know that He had prayed for him. How amazing is that?

What I love about this verse in Luke is that we can personalize it by replacing Peter's name with our own names:

"And the Lord said, "Lisa, Lisa! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you(Lisa), that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren." Luke 22:31-32

Go ahead - try it.

So we may be attacked and tempted by the devil - as a roaring lion, but we have a advocate. We are told in 1 John 2:1 - let's look:

"My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous."

Praise the Lord!

And I believe that this is just ONE of the "needs" spoken of in Philippians 4:19:

"And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

Later we will explore more of those needs. :o)

Sabbath Praise

A BIG thank you to Ann from His Grace to Me for sharing this beautiful song this morning. Trust me it is well worth the time to listen to it! It is on my favorites list. Have a great day! :O)

Still Here, Still Hot

It has been a few days since I have posted anything. Sorry about that. Or weather is still HOT. Yesterday was day 58 of this summer with temps in the triple digits - well that is the official number for DFW. I am thinking we have had more here cause the day that knocked us out of the running for the most continual days - we got to triple digits here. Anyway we keep breaking records whether they be for the highest temps for the day or the highest lows. Here is a look at what is expected.

Anyway I have been trying to stay cool. And spending some much needed time organizing and cleaning things around here.

Tomorrow morning my husband has some pretty important tests to have done as an out patient. The results to these tests will help the Cardiologist know in what direction he needs to do. Please pray that these test go ok. And also please pray that we can figure out what the problem is. I would really appreciate it.

I hope you all have a great day! :o)

All Of Our Needs

A friend of mine has an awesome testimony of how God brought her out of a miry pit. I know she has worked on writing her story and I am hoping that one day it will be published. And if it is - I will probably try to do a give away with the book.

While we were driving to a Women's Retreat several years ago, my friend shared her story with me. She also shared how Psalms was her favorite book of the Bible. And that when she first came to God she really felt comforted by reading the Psalms.

So the last couple of weeks when I was beginning to feel totally overwhelmed with life, I decided that I would begin to read through the book of Psalms.

As I began to read I, too, was comforted by the many reminders that God is my shield, rock, fortress, comfort, refuge, and strength and so much more. Another reason why I love the Psalms is the fact that there is so much honesty in this book. No pretense that everything is wonderful and great. A real relationship with God is shown through the honesty. God knows where we have been, where we are and where we are going. We can share our feelings with Him - it does not change the way that He feels about us. He still loves us so very much.

As I have been reading the Psalms, I have been reminded of our need to learn to totally depend on God for all of our needs. He is willing and waiting. I am so thankful.

"And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19

"God does not dispense strength and encouragement like a druggist fills your prescription. The Lord doesn't promise to give us something to take so we can handle our weary moments. He promises is Himself. That is all. And that is enough. " Charles W. Swindoll - Encourage Me

Sabbath Praise

This is a beautiful song! I especially like the part about laying all your burdens down and come. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did. I heard this song for the very first time last Sabbath on the way to the hospital to spend the day with him. And it was so very encouraging to me. Have a Happy Sabbath! :o)

Healthier Nails...Finally

Several months ago, I was having a lot of problems with my finger nails. My nails have never been great nails. I don't go get manicures and such. I personally do not think that it is a wise thing to do with our money - it is not a good use of the money that my husband makes. Anyway I was having problem with my nails splitting - like the top layers peeling back. And I tried a whole lot of things and nothing worked.

When I went to my well woman appointment, I asked my Dr what I should do about it. She suggested that I take Biotin. So I have been taking one every morning- probably about 80% of the time, some mornings I forget. My Dr said that it would take a while to see a difference.

The last couple of days I have actually noticed how much better my nails are doing. I am so thrilled that they are finally looking nice. Anyway I wanted to share about this just in case any of you are having problems with your nails. And Biotin actually is good for your skin, nails, and hair. I have not noticed such a big difference in my hair but I think that is because I have had to wear it up in a pony tail most of the time since it is SO hot. But I am thankful for the change it has made in my finger nails.

Yes - We are Home Sweet Home!!

I am so sorry. I forgot to post that my husband was able to come home Monday afternoon. There for a while I was afraid they were going to keep him another day or two. Anyway we still don't know what is going on with him. He still has constant pressure on his heart. He says it feels like an elephant is sitting on his chest.

Today he had an apt. with his Dr. and she is going to set up an appointment with another Cardio. The one we were going to was positive that it was not heart. We have had MANY tests done and nothing is showing up. We really need to get to the bottom of what is going on.
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So today is the 51st day of triple digit temps. Last night the low was like 86- which is a record high as a low - made this year and this year we have had 86 as a low 4 times so far. There are many places that are not even making up to 86 as a high.

A positive side of this whole heat wave is the fact that this evening - I went outside with my weed eater and I spent about 8-10 minutes weed eating and was able to get the front yard taken care of. We only had a small area - like a 2X2 that was really green and then a little bits here and there around the yard that needed mowing. We have not mowed in a LONG time. That is great since it has been SO hot. I think we are getting used to it - Well I am cause I just stay inside during the hot times of day as much as possible. I have to take care of the chickens during the hot times of day but it just helps me to appreciate the coolness of the house.
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I have spent a lot of time in the Bible lately - finding promises. Jason staying in the hospital several days - when we don't have the bills paid from his last long stay. Plus we do not have the bill from the last ER visit. So all of this information has really caused me to stress out. But I am choosing to trust God. And what is SO cool is that there are MANY promises in the Bible!! Just open yours and see what promises you can find! :O)

Will Today be the Day?

Well I am hoping that they will release my husband from the hospital today. I had really hoped they would release him yesterday but his blood pressure was still too low. I am thinking from the meds they gave him. We still don't know what is going on. The last of the month he has an upper GI and a colonoscopy scheduled. The Dr. don't think that his problems are heart related - even though he keeps having chest pains. It is all frustrating. But we do have a plan. After the tests at the end of the month - if they come back clear then we will have all of my husbands information transferred to a team of Cardiologist that my MIL used and see if they can figure out what the problem is. Hope we don't go to the poor house trying to figure it all out. He was in the hospital for several days in May I believe and then the ER 2 1/2 weeks ago and now this hospital stay all for the same problem with really no answers. It really is frustrating - especially when the bills are rolling in. I know this is a pipe dream but they should have some kind of way to not charge when a person keeps coming in for the same thing and they can figure out the problem. Oh well. I am trusting God to provide the money needed. So many bills piling up and then this is the worst time of the year cause our electric bill is higher this time of year and will be higher for the next month or two as well. Ok - enough complaining for me. Hope you all have a wonderful day. :O)

What a Beautiful Sight!

What a beautiful sight I woke up to this morning!!! Rain!! A nice, steady rain!!! The first thought that came to my mind was - Showers of blessings!! I really needed this. Yesterday evening - I heard that we got rain - but I was not home to enjoy it.
No - I was at the hospital with my husband. Took him in about 8pm - with severe chest pains. And by about 11:30pm - they decided to keep him. They want to get to the bottom of what is going on. I do too, but we don't even have the bills paid from the time he spent several days in the hospital and then he sent to the ER about 2- 3 weeks ago- have not gotten that bill yet~Praise the Lord! And now another hospital stay. Ever since the President had tried to change the health care laws and such - things have changed in such a negative way. Before we had a set amount of money that we had to pay and it was manageable - now we pay a large deductible and after that we have to pay a percentage of every bill and now instead of getting one bill from hospital - we get bills from hospital, Dr, lab, and anything else they decide to do. Anyway - I am trying to let go of the worry and give God my burdens. And this rain makes it a bit easier. It has been refreshing to my soul.

Oh another good side to the rain is that it got down to 76 degrees! We have not been that low in like a month and a half or more. But of course once this rain moves through here - our temperatures are not doubt going to go through the roof. See what I mean:

A Little Disappointed...

Well I can not remember who it was who recommended this series to me, but today I watched the first two of the series. And I have to say I really like this show. So I have added the next several dvd's onto my queue at Netflix.

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Well guess what? Even though it got to 102 at my house - since it did not get to 100 at DFW - than we did not tie with the record from 1980. We missed it by 1 day. And what is sad is out of the next 7 days it looks like we will have at least 6 of those in the triple digit. Yes - I am disappointed. If I had have been able to enjoy the cooler weather that some enjoy or even some showers that some people north of us got - then maybe I would be more ok with missing out on a least tying the record. I mean seriously it has been a super hot summer. I heard on the news yesterday that normally Texas sees about 18 days in the triple digits and we have like had head enough for 3 - 4 summers so far. Can you tell I am READY for fall? Oh and a lot of the leaves on the trees are already turning brown and falling off. One ray of sunshine - we have NOT had to mow. We have a section of about 2 - 3 feet square area around our sprayers for our aerobic system in the front yard that I have had to weed eat a couple of times - and will need to go again tomorrow. But have not had to mow in like forever. That is very unusual for us as well. But after 40 days of triple digit temps in a row - what do you expect?

Mystery Solved

This past week-end a mystery was solved. Several weeks ago I had went out at dusk to put the chickens up and noticed a hole of sorts had been dug in the flower bed by my birdbath. I thought it was weird because I had just been out there giving the chickens water several hours before and I had went and filled up this birdbath and there had been no hole at that point. I filled in the hole.

About several days later I noticed a hole again. This time I decided to just leave it alone. Apparently something really wanted a hole there.

Then this past week-end I was sitting on my bed putting my shoes on and I looked out the window. I love to watch the bird and the chickens. So anyway as I was looking outside I saw who/what it was that had made the hole!!!
Do you see him? I had to grab my camera and run out to my sun room to the back door to get the photos of him.
It is like the Ritz for him! Water, shade and the bricks that in the shade bring some coolness to him. I was happy to solve the mystery and to get to watch him. So it is a win/win for all of us! :o)

Movie Recommendations/ Please Share Your Favorites

It has been a few days, hasn't it? Well when it is so hot and there only seems to be things going on in my life that if I shared with you all - it would all come across as a lot of complaining. So I decided to follows my Mother's wise advice - If you don't have anything nice to say- don't say anything at all. I really try to be real with this blog. I am turned off by bloggers who act as if life is all roses and sunshine. And maybe it is for them but it is not for me and so I am not drawn to those kinds of blogs.

My husband is having some health issues and having to have all sorts of test done in order to try to get to the bottom of it all. Our pile of medical bills seem to be getting bigger. I don't know about all of you but I know that the President's changes to health care have only hurt our family. Big time...

My husband is trying to sell his motorcycle so we can pay these bills that are piling up. But with the economy being as it is - it has been hard. The weather being in the hundreds for days on end - does not help one bit either.

And speaking of the weather - when you have to be out in it a lot - it sure makes you grumpy. The other day I was getting water for my chicken and there was a group of blue jays in the trees and even they were squabbling.

I won't share the rest of the issues going on but I am sure you got the idea alright.

This past week or so I have taken advantage of having Netflix. I have found a few gems lately that I wanted to share. There is a good amount of humor in them and they are just good clean movies.

If any of you have any ideas of some other great movies. Please be sure and leave a comment and let me know of them. I would love to have some more good movies to watch. :O)

Breaking Records - In Sight

Remember that I told ya'll that if we stayed in the triple digit temps through till next Saturday/Sabbath than we would break the record hot record that 1980 has held for so long. So as you can see - it does not like like we will have any problem breaking that record. There have a whole lot of records that we have broke so far this summer.

And the fact that it is the beginning of August - which is usually the hottest month of the year it would not surprise me if we surpass the other record of 69 days total of triple digit temps for the summer. I hope not but it would not surprise me one bit.

I hope you all stay cool.

Sabbath Praises - part two on this Hot day

O How He Loves You and Me

Friday and BOM

Good Afternoon everyone~ I have a confession to make. I have been staying up way too late at night. Last year when I went to the health seminar, I learned that it was best for your body to get to bed before 10pm if at all possible. Well with it barely getting dark at about 9pm, it has been hard for me to get to bed at a decent time. And since I do not go to bed at a decent time at night, then in the morning when my husband has to leave at 5am and the cats "need" their breakfast - then I am very tired and end up going back to bed. Well I have shared with you all that when I do that it takes me a bit to get back to sleep. So there ends up being a lot of wasted time.

Well last night I stayed up too late again. And after my husband left for work- I went and laid down and a few minutes later I was wide awake and decided to just get on up for the day. And I am so glad I did! I pulled the sheets off of the bed and got them washing in the washing machine. And then I was able to get almost all of my laundry done before I had to leave the house at 9am. I had Block of the Month to go to. I was also able to get a lot of other things done as well. It felt good to be back on the schedule that works so much better for me.



I was able to get to my meeting, get gas, and groceries and be home by noon. And that gave me the rest of the day to get groceries put away and the rest of the jobs that I needed to take care of. And believe me - I am tired. But I am also thankful that I am -because the means that I will get to bed at a decent time tonight. And right now it is only 3:30pm so I have a good amount of time today to finish getting my house cleaned up.

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And just in case you would like to see my newest Block of the Month block - here it is:

Sorry that some of these photos did not come out very clear on the colors.

Next month we will get the last block for this year. And it will be time to sign up for the new year. The colors are going to be blue/yellow/green - floral and/or red,black and white.

Don't Lay Still

Don't lay still...This is great advice for my chickens on a HOT Texas afternoon. When the temperature outside is sitting at 113.

This afternoon about 2 hours I had went out and got some fresh water my chickens and and ran some water through their creek, I got a scare. I had been headed to my bathroom and noticed a chicken laying in one of the holes that they have snuggled out in the dirt. Another chicken went to it and was kind of picking at the one laying still. The one laying down did not move. All I could think was that I had lost a chicken. By the time I got outside -the chicken was moving around and acting normal. I was praising the Lord!!!!

When I had went out to get the chickens fresh water - I had found a bird floating- dead in one of the buckets that I have outside with water in it. I have a couple of them by the fence so that the chickens can get water. The metal watering containers are expensive and I wanted to have a few choices for the chickens and the birds. Poor little birdie. It is so hot. My heart goes out to the wild life.It has been so dry and so hot. I am doing my best to keep water in the bird baths and the containers filled for the birdies and wild life.

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Earlier in the day, I ran some errands and since I was in town I stopped by a couple of my favorite thrift stores and guess what I found??? I found some great deals!!

For only $1.50 - I added this beauty to my collection. Avon and the year 1977 are actually on the bottle. Love it!

And this bell!! For only a Dollar! It has an indention on the bottom of it and there is actually a bell in it and it rings when you move it. It is a great addition!

And another great find for only a dollar! This one I put on the top shelf in my dining room for now.

I was totally thrilled with my finds. Sometimes you find some real treasures some days you don't. Today was a great day!!

Dog Days of Summer

It is just getting hotter and hotter! It is truly the Dog Days of Summer now.
Last year we were so very lucky - we did not hit the hundreds until August. This year - we have had 31 days straight so far as of yesterday. And as you can see - there does not look like there is an end in sight. At this rate we may break the record set in 1980. If I remember correctly the record set for 1980 was 42 days - well by the Tuesday we will be on day 39- so we would have to be in the triple digits till August 13 and by looking at this weather graph - it does not look like it would be a stretch to say that there is a really good chance that we will be blowing that record out of the water. Not really a good thing, but man maybe just maybe one of these days it will cool off. We can only hope. I hope you all are staying cool. :O)

Collections

This week end worked on dusting and rearranging things on these shelves. I don't know for sure if this is going to be the way it stays, but at least for now it is.

Most of my tea sets came from a thrift store or Goodwill. Most at only 2-3.00.

My sister got this cute little set for me. It is really pretty.

My son found this blue and white set and bought it for me. Isn't that sweet? It makes it even more special to me.

I think this is the prettiest set that I have. This photo does not really do it justice. I paid the most for this set - like $5.00. Which was a great deal cause when I looked it up on Ebay - they had a few sets and they were running $10.00 and over.

Well I just thought that since I was cleaning up this area and organizing that I would take photos and organize a folder about them. I hope you have enjoyed them.

PS - I have already changed a couple of things on the bottom shelf to even it out a bit. Wish I had have studied it more before I got the photo - oh well.