Come Lord Jesus

Old Houses

I just love old houses! This fascination has grown in the last few years since I started watching HGTV’s “If Walls Could Talk”. Many of the charming old homes on the show have a story to tell and many secrets are discovered.

My favorite house is the Victorian style. In our town’s historic district there are many of these beautifully restored old homes. In fact, one home I know quite well from visiting there frequently in my teens/early twenties. The 6,000 square foot house now has different owners but I can still picture the beautiful winding staircase in the front hall, ballroom-size rooms and crystal chandeliers. It was built in 1892 by mining broker, W.H. Tuttle. I’d love to know more about this house and the history behind it.

Someday when we buy a house, I’ve thought about looking for an older one with lots of character and history. Something appeals to me about restoring a former beauty back to its splendor. Though it would be a lot of work, it would be so worth it in the end.

Until that day comes I will keep dreaming!

What's in My Bible?

I recently read an article titled "What's in your Bible" by H.B. London. He talked about his Bible that has been his "friend" for a very long time. Although he has numerous other Bibles, this one is tattered and underlined and full of notes. He goes on to tell about the "add-ons" such as poems, news clippings and even picture and how each one holds an important memory to him.

Reading this article made me think of my own "favorite" Bible. As I flip through it I see the scriptures I've underlined and dated. Some even have my daughter's name beside them. I'm taken back to a time when God’s Word was a great comfort to me during a very tumultuous time.

I pull a church bulletin from the front of the Bible and think of the church we attended in St. Louis. On the back of the bulletin is a list of everyone who attended the service that particular day....17 people. We were small but our pastors had a heart for God and for the community. And many lives were touched through South Pointe Church.

A testimony I wrote in 2001 is stuck between the pages of Hosea. It reminds me of God’s faithfulness when we sold our house in Tennessee in just six short weeks. We knew it was God's Will to relocate and He came through for us in such a miraculous way. That was a really time of faith building for my husband and me.

I even have notes from the Sunday p.m. service on 6-21-98! (Obviously I don’t clean out my Bible very often!) A few thoughts that really stood out…..
“God sees our potential and not our past.”
“God’s greatest desire is a relationship with us.”

One last thought……a favorite scripture written on an index card:

“We are pressed on every side by troubles, but not crushed and broken. We are perplexed because we don’t know why things happen as they do, but we don’t give up and quit. We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going.” II Corinthians 4:8-9 (The Living Bible)

That's just one Bible. I may pull out another one and write about it sometime.

Thanks for the idea, HB!

Organization

We've now lived in our RV for two years. Wow, how time flies! And after two years we definitely need to do some reorganizing and purging.

When we sold our home in 2007 we only had three weeks to move. Needless to say, it was a quick and less than organized process. I really didn't know how long we would live in the RV and what we would need. So of course we started out with too much stuff and two years later is getting out of control!

I have some vacation days planned for early September and I'm already formulating a organizing plan. Two cabinets in particular can be completely cleaned out and the CDs and other stuff can be pared down to half (or less). These cabinets can then be used for an extra food/supplies overflow area.

The last time I opened the cabinet under the bathroom sink a barrage of items fell out on my feet. Definitely time to redo that storage area. For some reason the bathroom is a little harder for me though. It's easy to give away unwanted/never used items. But most of this stuff can't go to the Goodwill and besides I may need it at some point, right? A few years ago I found a bottle of Calamine lotion with an expiration date of 1983! It definitely went in the trash. I probably should have an expiration date purging party.

One wise RVing couple (my parents!) told me to get in the mindset of removing one or two items everytime I buy something new.

That wonderful advice should become my mantra.

Weight Loss Challenge

We started a weight loss challenge at work in June and I am down 10 lbs. That doesn't seem like a lot but I can sure tell the difference in my energy level and my clothes fit much better! :) It was a struggle to get started but I am happy with the progress so far.

I've never loved to exercise but challenged myself to "just do it" this year. Now I actually don't mind it. And an added benefit are the good books I've read while working out on the Cross trainer and the tread mill!

Shedding the pounds and inches have been wonderful but my main goal is to become healthier. Heart disease, diabetes and osteoporasis run in my family and through exercise and a low fat diet I am decreasing my chances of getting them.

The challenge ends on August 31st. I will probably not reach my goal by then but that's okay. Next, I need to learn how to maintain! :)

My Favorite Summer Place

This has been my favorite place this summer. There's nothing like relaxing and swinging. I've eaten lunch here, taken a nap, read a good book and just analyzed my life. As you can see, Little Bit enjoys it too!

Two Hands

Family Tree

I've always been fascinated with my family's history. Who were they? Where did they live? What did they look like? What was life like for them?

A few weeks ago I talked to two aunts during a family reunion and they shared some family history with me. One mentioned doing research about our family on Ancestry.com and that really peaked my interest!

We already have good family history information thanks to my grandpa that did a lot of inquiries through letters and visits back in the 1970s and 1980s. With the advancement of the internet, I want to "fill in" some of the gaps.

First I searched our local library website for books about geneaology. I found a CD set "Family Tree Maker" and checked it out. I also signed up for a free 14 day trial with Ancestory.com that works along with Family Tree Maker.

This has really be fun! I've been able to verify most of the information from my grandpa. With Ancestry.com I can search birth, marriage, death cerificates, military records, census records and more. It's hard to explain how I feel when I see family members names on these records. Somehow I feel more "connected" with them and sometimes even a little emotional.

I'm still working on my dad's grandmother's family. She had a pretty common name and the research is a little more involved. I've found that getting as much information as possible from family members is very helpful.

The other side of my dad's family is pretty complete. Family Tree Maker has a "book" feature and I'd like to print all the info out in a nice book form for him. He loves this kind of stuff and would be thrilled!

Last night I started on my mom's family. Wow, they have a huge family! Both her parents have atleast 9 or more siblings. But I'm looking forward to the challenge.
I was up until 1 am this morning researching and marveling at the information available.

I think I've just discovered my favorite new hobby!