Thankful Heart

I'm Thankful to the LORD:

1. Because He hears me when I cry out to Him. He listens and doesn't condemn.

2. He reminded me how much He loves me. I am very special to Him.

3. He reminded me today that He especially wanted to bless me by bringing me to live in St. Marys. He did that for
me.

4. He reminded me that I don't have to perform duties for Him. He wants my heart.

5. Only what He thinks about me is important. I can't be worrying about what others think about me.

6. He is interested in my physical well being. I go to Curves and I love it. I'm making so many new friends and getting in
in shape and healthier.

7. Today I enjoyed having lunch with a dear friend. Thank you LORD for her and our friendship.

8. I drive the car that He gave me a year and half ago. I was able to drive it to see Alysa in the fall and then in January
to see Lenn. He is so good to make it possible for me to see my precious children.

9. He has a plan for my life and I shouldn't be concerned about the plans others have for me. I need to only listen to Him
and do His will.

10. He died for me and holds me safe in his arms.

11. His mercies are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness to me.

Flower Arrangement

I've been wanting a flower arrangement for my buffet for quite a while. I just haven't seen anything that just smacked me in the face and said "this is what I've been looking for". I knew it needed to be a low arrangement. When I was at Shirley's (my sister) we were at Michael's Craft Store and I saw a low wooded basket and knew that was what I needed. Then we found some greenery at Hobby Lobby. I still needed the flowers to go in it. I stopped at Hobby Lobby in Jackson, Tenn. on the way home and they had their flowers 1/2 off. I found the flowers that I wanted. Below is a picture of my flower arrangement. I love how it turned out.

Rain, Thawing and Flooding in St. Marys

We always look forward to the snow going after several months of winter. This weekend it was sunny and warmer (around 32).

Tuesday it rained all day, heavily. This melted a lot of snow, causing a lot of extra water in the Thames River here in St. Marys. By Wednesday morning we had very heavy fog. The fog was due to the cold ground and the warmer air and rain. Schools were closed because of the fog. We also cancelled our Senior's Meeting in Exeter. The fog was bad all day and into the evening.


Thursday morning I went to Curves for my workout. Just behind the back of the building is the River. The River is very high and I couldn't get over the waves of the River. It even had some whitecaps.

The Ball Field next to the River also is flooded.

Our Waterfall usually is between 6-8 feet deep and in this picture it probably is a foot or less.

One good thing it did. It got rid of quite a bit of our snow in the front yard. Thankfully we haven't had a problem with our basement flooding. We are almost two miles from the river. It is wonderful to be free from snow for a few days. I know that it will come again, but I'll take a few days in the middle of winter without piles of snow.

Traveling South

The Lord has many ways of encouraging us. He always knows just what we need. January 19, 2009 I headed down to Dallas to visit Lenn, Sarah and the boys. Being so far away from them is a hard thing. The LORD worked this out for me and I thank Him for it.

When I drive down it makes it possible for me to visit some of my family on the way. My first day was a long day of driving and it ended with me arriving at my cousin's (Bobbie) house. It is always a joy to be with her, even for just one day. We sat the next morning and watched the inauguration of President Obama. Shortly after that I left to go to Memphis. My sister, Patsy, lives there and I spent Tuesday night with her. We even had time for a trip to Dillard's Department Store and found a couple of good bargains. Yes, she had diet coke for me.

Wednesday morning I left early and spent the day driving to Dallas. The further south I got the warmer it became. It wasn't hard to leave St. Marys because of the mounds of snow that were every where and the expectation that I would hopefully go where there was no snow.


It is so fun to be with Lenn and Sarah. The boys are full of energy and something is happening at all times. Andrew, Matthew and Robbie are so different, from their personalities to their physical activities. Andrew is active physically(very), but he loves to have books read to him, loves music, very interested in numbers, remembers how old a person is, etc. , enjoys watching videos, and is starting to want to play board games. Matthew is the artist of the family. He loves coloring, painting, building projects, finding treasures outside, plus playing outside. Robbie is still developing his personality. He doesn't say many words, but understands everything you say to him. One thing he loves to do is have someone read to him. He brings you lots of books. It also is the only time I could get him to sit on my lap. He certainly holds his own with his two brothers. He drop kicks any ball, has great hand eye co-ordination with a little golf club, bat, etc. All three boys love to laugh and it is a great joy to be with them.

I'm always impressed with Sarah and how she handles taking care of a husband, three boys, cooking, housekeeping and church related things. Lenn is very blessed to have her for a wife and the mother of their children. She is committed to the LORD in all areas of her life. She has a heart for others and makes many sacrifices because of it.

One of the greatest blessings the Lord can give you is to have children. Lenn has blessed my life in so many ways. I love it that he loves the LORD with all his heart. He also loves his wife and boys and works hard to provide for them. It was so fun to see him playing with the boys, and how excited they always are when he gets home. He and Sarah work hard at training the boys as they grow. Lenn has a calming affect on me when I am with him. Another thing I love is to stand next to him in church and sing praises to our LORD with him. Quite often I learn from him through his out look on life and the Christian walk.


All of this to say, being in Dallas has lifted my spirits, made me feel loved. I always feel energized when I come home. Thank you, LORD.

U.S. Thanksgiving 2008

I have spent several hours working on this blog. Several things have kept me from posting it. I've had to change things, then lost things, then couldn't figure out how to get the draft to work and add to it. So, if the sentences are out of order or if the pictures don't come up good, etc. please forgive me. I guess I'm still a work in progress where this computer is concerned.

Thanksgiving was a special time for us. Jack, Alysa, Maddie and Jackson came for the weekend. The first thing we did Friday morning was to go to the library. Alysa and Jackson stayed with the his age group while Maddie and I went upstairs for the older group. Afterwards Maddie and Jackson wanted to check out some books to take home.

Jackson found some Thomas the Train books and immediately sat down to look at them. He was so into reading them.

Maddie also found some books. She has learned to read and it is exciting to see her interest in learning new words and finding out what the stories are about.

Alysa is always a good sport and helped both of them find just the right books.

Jackson had hardly gotten in the door when he sat down and started reading his books. He was so cute sitting there that I couldn't resist taking his picture.

Jack loves to sit down and play the piano. He has composed several songs and loves to play them.


We have a new indoor pool here in St. Marys very close to our house. Jack, Maddie and Jackson enjoying swimming in it. It took Jackson a while to venture down into deeper water, but he finally did. (I have a picture with Jack, Maddie and Jackson at the swimming pool that I have tried to upload, but can't. So, I'll have to just leave it out.)



Sledding is also a fun thing to do in the winter. There is a good size hill close to our house that Maddie and Jackson enjoyed. The hardest part is walking back up the hill pulling the sled.


Maddie is so sweet with her missing front tooth.

Son Jack sat and helped Father Jack learn some things on powerpoint.

One of the most fun traditions we have is for Jack to go to Value Village (in London) and hunt for bargains. He then will have a "mashion show" for us. When Maddie was small she couldn't say fashion, so we have a "mashion show".

It was a wonderful weekend and we do thank the Lord for His rich blessings.

Going to an Auction

Tonight I went to an auction that a friend was doing. His name is Bob Heywood and he has been doing this for years. His wife, Martha, helps him by doing the paperwork as Bob auctions each item. He has two other men that hold up the items that are for sale while he takes the bids. The auction was held at the community center in Exeter, Ontario.

Bob has been living in this community all of his life. Besides doing auctions, he is a real estate broker. Sometimes when people want to down size to smaller living quarters, they will want to get rid of most of their household items. Bob will have an auction for them. Probably most of the people that were at the auction tonight were 50 and over. There will also be antique dealers that come. They find good deals among all of the "stuff". People that are there to buy will bring empty boxes for their purchases (also they bring newspaper to wrap up the breakables that they buy). Bob has a fun personality and often brings in humor as he sales the items. Having a snack bar where people can get coffee, diet cokes, etc. helps in keeping things relaxed and friendly.


This winter Jack and I went to Israel and Bob and Martha went with us. They are a special couple and they give of themselves to all those around them. They are very involved in Exeter Bible Chapel. Martha helps in so many ways, teaching Sunday School, helping with the finances and computer related things, does nursery and kitchen duty, plus a host of other things. Bob leads singing on Sundays, preaches, leads Bible studies, plays the piano and accordion, takes many funerals in the community. The Lord has blessed us with this special friendship with Bob and Martha.

New Snow

This past Saturday morning we got up to 18 inches of fresh snow. We had already had 10-12 inches the previous few days. Monday it started warming up and some of the snow has melted. Even if this all goes, we still have 5 more months of snow. Once it is here, we just adjust and get on with life.
Here is our BBQ covered with snow.

Anyone for lunch?