JOY COMPLETED...

The last time I spoke with Niki

she talked about getting her joy back.

The cancer had been vicious

and was taking it's toll on her.

She stood in the church bookstore telling

MIL and myself how she had become

determined in getting her joy back.

She was deliberate.

She was intentional.

She was choosing.

Yesterday, her joy was completed when she entered into the presence of the Lord.

You will show me the path of life;
In your presence is fullness of joy;
At your right hand are pleasures forevermore
Psalm 16:11

A princess with her King.

Whom I have no doubt heard these words....

Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord. Matthew 25:21

And while my heart aches and hurts, my joy is found in Christ Jesus as well, for it is what He came to do.

To console those who mourn in Zion,to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord that He may be glorified. Isaiah 61:3

May You alone be glorified in this Christ Jesus.

My friend, our friend, would have wanted nothing more.

Jesus alone.

SCRAPPING THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL

I spent yesterday trying to recover from a mad dash trip to Hot Springs, Arkansas, for my cousin's wedding. I would recount the events, but it would make you feel bad. Because if anything could go wrong it went wrong with us. Hotel room assigned - already occupied. Toilet in new room - broke. Hot water - MIA. On the positive side the wedding was stunning.
Sunday morning marked the second week that the MCs and I attended Sunday School. HH and I had tried once before but then there was this "episode" at the church (you know... people leaving) so we had not been back. The MCs were resistant, as they are every Sunday, but I just ignored them. When I picked up MC 1 he could not wait to tell me about his class. MC 2 chewed me out for picking him too early. Seems they were not quite done with a particular praise and worship song that he LOVES. Does not matter that it was his second time through praise and worship.
My friend Keri hopped on a big ole jet plane with her men children and hubs yesterday. My heart did ache a little when I saw the picture.
The tadpoles are deceased. Seems MC 2 thought they could sit in the strainer on the counter while we were gone to town. MC 1 will have to find something else to save.
Maybe I will be profound later today....maybe tomorrow.
Or maybe the tank has run dry.

C-YA!

I can not seem to pull together anything that resembles an organized post. The ramblings going on upstairs above this pretty little face are wearing me out. I mean do people really want to read more about MC 2 and how he has now decided he wants to live with either one or both sets of his grandparents for the rest of the summer and how we all K-N-O-W that ain't happening.
Or that my humanitarian MC 1 now has two tadpoles in a flower vase to occupy his bleeding heart since the Lucky's have passed on to ...dirt.
I will be back Monday with an organized post full of shocking and profound brilliance.
Maybe.
I will try to be back Monday?
Til then ...
C-YA!

THE LUCKYS (NOT SO MUCH)

I know MC 2 gets a lot of face time. Today it is MC 1's turn. A few weeks ago MC 1 declared that he was no longer eating beef. Chicken, deer, fish all fine, but no more beef. The problem is his grandparents raise cattle. HH is a huge beef fan. We are all fans of the beef. His reasoning was he did not like the thought of the cows dying. It lasted about 2 days but it did give us a peek into his sensitive heart.

We have catalpa trees all over our yard. If you are a fisherman in the South you know the worms that develop on these trees make great bait. HH decided last week to do a collection. Now, and this will be more than you need to know but important for the story, to preserve said worms, you must blanch them and freeze them. Translation (for those of you like me who were clueless)...you must dump them in almost boiling water and stick 'em in the cooler. As HH prepared for the process he asked MC 1 to help him. It went smoothly until HH started putting the worms into the water.

MC 1 freaked.

Tears.

Yelling.

He attempted to cover the bucket so HH could get no more.

He cried for an hour that night.

Locked himself in the bathroom.

Drama at its highest.

In the end he saved 4.

He named them Lucky, Lucky, Lucky and Lucky (the Luckys for short).

HH fixed up a mason jar for him.

They went outside and collected leaves.

Everyday MC 1 has switched out the old leaves for new ones and tended to the Luckys the best he can.

Sadly, we are now down to Lucky and his other brother Lucky.

(Actually, I think we are down to just Lucky but MC 1 did not want to believe me).

So while I have a no-fear, no holes barred MC 2, I also have a highly emotional, extremely sensitive MC 1.

Just think, we have not even come close to throwing hormones into the mix;)

REASON # 4,567,893 WHY....

before I tell you, remember this?

Okay....

reason # 4,567,893 why

MC 2 can not be left unattended...

I am cleaning off the soap

trying to hide the evidence

Bless his heart he did try to clean up.

Yes I had the paint lid hammered shut.

I thought he was outside.

HH had no clue where he was.

HH: You better pray he comes to know Jesus because if he doesn't it is going to be bad.

We covet your prayers:)

I CONCUR....

with Rampage Jackson's wife

on NOT letting him name

their one and only daughter

RAMPAGE'A.

You are welcome.

SILENCE WITHOUT THE LAMBS

The men children departed from us this past Sunday. MC 1 went to spend the week with JG and go to vacation bible school. MC 2 went to Laudie's and Grandpa's. Sunday night HH kept walking around saying,

Just think, this will be what it is like when we retire.

Yes dear (sob sob) it will.

HH loves his boys but he is looking forward to it being just he and I again. Can anyone else relate? I am thinking,

10 years...they will be gone in 10 years...

It seems too soon.
Monday HH kept calling to see what "it" was like. "It" being the silence of no kids. I have to say it was nice. Weird at first. Honestly I was a little nervous about it. I was afraid with no men children to distract this brain of mine it would run back into anxiety- ville and do some laps around worry town. By the grace of God it did not. Monday I mowed the yard and prepared PW's jalapeno/bacon thingys. Tuesday was really quiet. I spent the day inside, a tad bit unmotivated. By Wednesday I had gotten the hang of being productive. Of course then I had to get MC 2 at lunch, so it was a short lived victory.
Our plans for nice quiet evenings together never came to fruition, so HH and I will just have to relish in the uninterrupted sleep we got.
It is now but a fond memory now that MC 2 has returned.
He did return bearing gifts though.
A waffle "cooker".
Seems child has been deprived of waffles for way too long.
Of course they will pale in comparison to Audie's (aka Laudie).
Much like my pancakes, eggs, gravy.....
That is what happens when you let your firstborn major in Ag in high school instead of Home Ec. But honey I can drive a tractor and haul hay with the best of them:)
Have a great day!
Ya'll come back now ya' here!
Love
Ellie Mae