When you find yourself, innocently and possibly victimized, in the middle of a storm or next to a storm, don't run away in fear! Stand firm in your belief that God is in control and He will protect you! Look at the beauty of His love that is there! My pictures of yesterday's weather told me to let go of fear and appreciate the mighty beauty of life.

The sun came out from behind the storm and shone brightly on our day! The SON, our risen Saviour, shone brightly through our souls and we celebrated Easter first with our church family, then with our precious family in Cottonwood. I am posting pictures of Grace in curls, my son Jonathan with Josiah, my daughter-in-love  Tara and little Autumn. I hope the pictures appear on here! They wouldn't go on Facebook for some odd reason! I can see that I'd better be wearing my glasses when I take pictures! The old eyes are blurry!

About twenty years ago a little 10 year old girl came to my door asking if she could walk my dog. I didn't think she should walk my dog, but I chatted with her and she just didn't seem to be in any hurry to get home. It was the right after school time. Another time she came to my door and just wanted to visit. I asked if her mom knew where she was and she said no, that it didn't matter cuz her mom was at work. Her big brother was at home and she did not like her brother; he did bad things to her. I let her help me make cookies, then she went home. Another time, after an 8" snow fell, here she came to my door again, seeming to be distressed. She wanted me to come with her to her house, which I did. We trudged through the snow to her house and she took me inside to "meet" her parents. They were definately uneasy. My little friend did NOT want me to leave! Another day, she told me more and I realized what was going on with these people who were really her adopted parents. I prayed with my little friend and I was shivering and got emotional when I prayed for her; I sensed a presence of evil. My heart broke for this girl and I hated to have to say good bye! Back then I didn't know if I should report anything to the police. Time went by and I saw her once more because she wanted me to know she was okay. Some people walk in a direction  where they go through slop and stickers; lots of suffering. Some of that is because they are taken there by someone else's force. Some of it is by their own choice. Today, Hubby and I were running errands and he declared he was hungry but was willing to take me wherever I wanted to go! I suggested a little sandwich shop we hadn't gone to in ages and ages. While sitting there, I heard a girl at the next table giggle at a baby at another table and said "she's so cute!". I turned to the girl to agree and HER face LIT Up and she smiled and asked, "Do you remember me? I'm L----"!!! I thought I'd pass out. and I am crying as I type this now. There was that dear little girl, all grown up. WE threw our arms around each other and cried and just hugged. Amazing. SO very amazing. We briefly got caught up and made a lunch date. She said she had goose bumps from seeing me again and said that's how I used to make her feel. I was like a life line to her and now I know how much that meant to her. We hugged again, said our goodbyes and off she went, happily almost skipping away in her flip flops. My dear little friend is 31 years old now. Wow!

...to the Grandwonders' house we go! It was so fun to be able to just drive over, have a little play time, hugs and kisses and laughter and then come home in time to pick up our teens from school. What a glorious blessing!

I LOVE this store! Unfortunately, one of my pictures is way too fuzzy! But at least you can see all the color here! Josiah and Grace had a great time dipping candles with P.Pa!

This is a happy, snappy little flower that came as a seed in a packet of wildflower seeds. I have no idea what it is, but I love it! I am experimenting with my camera with the hope that I will take better up-close pictures! I will be posting alot of this type of picture and you all are welcome to critique. I can see that this one is a bit fuzzy. I think I'll have to break down and wear my glasses so that I can see better when I am looking through the lens! Hugs to everybody!

Vegetable cooking spray  

3 cups sifted unbleached flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 cup softened butter

11/2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 small orange yogurt

3/4 cup milk3 egg whites2 tsps. grated orange zest

FOR CREAM CHEESE (ORANGE) FROSTING:

1/2 cup butter (room temp)

2 tsps. shortening

8 oz. room temp. cream cheese

3 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup orange juice

OVEN, 350 Bake 35 - 40 minutes

PANS: 2 SIX inch pans, sprayed with veg. spray and bottom lined with parchment paper. IF you DON'T have 6 inch pans (we don't), double the recipe and you'll fill 2 9" pans and one 8" pan. Invite your friends and family over for cake!

In a medium bowl, sift together flour and bak. powder; set aside. With mixer, cream together butter and sugar att medium speed until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and yogurt, beating well. Alternately add flour mixture and milk to butter mixture, starting and ending with flour,  beating well. In a separate bowl, using grease free utensils,, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold into batter gently with orange zest. Pour batter into pans.  Bake til toothpick comes out clean (about 35 minutes). Cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:

In a larger mixing bowl, add butter, shortening, cream cheese (I'm dying right now), powdered sugar and orange juice. Mix until well blended.Adjust consistency with powdered sugar or juice. Frost cake, unless you'd rather just eat this right out of the bowl and serve naked cake. My cake has a dusting of dark chocolate and green sprinkly stuff. Coulda done without the green sprinkly, though!                                                                                                                    

Dear Self,

That which is in your heart will be revealed in your speech and actions and dreams. By the love of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit, your anger and fear and doubt can and will be bound up and thrown away! Let the Light of Jesus be more than the twinkle in your eye! Let the Love of God be the warmth in your hugs! Let the strength of the Holy Spirit be the smile on your face and more! Let God's unending love and understanding and grace give you amazing purpose and determination to help others know about Him. Life is so short; let Him live it through you!             The picture is me at age 4. My cousin is being shy next to my Mom !.

Our little Grandwonders were here! So were their Mommy and Daddy. We had a great time! In spite of the gold juniper dust blowing around, wreaking havoc with my sinus system, I enjoyed every moment with these people who are as bright as the sun in my life! Grace enjoyed reading my little book,  Golden Days; my glasses looked cute, barely perching on her nose! Grace and Josiah loved the tire swing! It was so much more fun for them now that Josiah is big enough to give his sister a big push. They laughed and laughed! Baby Autumn is a little golden girl who seems to be have this "I'm studying" look on her face. She suprised me by allowing me to interact with her while Mommy and Daddy were out on a date. Normally, she'd only go to "P.Pa" (my Hubby). Now, thank the Lord), she's finally warming up to me!  Our son was laid off from his job about a month ago and was informed on Thursday that he would be hired by a new company, starting his new job on MOnday!!! Because of the location, our son, daughter -in-love and the little ones will live only 45 minutes away, instead of 11/2 - 2 hours!!! We are all so excited about this change! We also feel blessed about how the Lord provided for them. He was and is our hope in all things!

My dear teens want to go with some of their Youth Group and Leaders to L.A.'s Skid Row for Spring Break this week. Only 3 things would keep them from going: my fear,  money, and their bronchitis.  Well, the Lord took away my fear, He provided the money and they are healing nicely! So, things seemed hunky dory until my very bad dream. I have suffered with horrible dreams through the years. Basically, they're about losing my kids. But I haven't had any  in quite a while until last night. I know it's because the enemy wants to throw me into a big tizzy. He won't win, of course, but dreams like this are just sickening to me. Anyway, the kids all had a car wash because they wanted to raise money so that they can go and buy some special things for the skid row kids. People came through the car wash just to hand money over; they didn't even want their car washed! Only one person seemed to be extremely persnikkety about the wash job on his car, but he still gave a donation. What a blessing this experience was for the kids, especially since the money isn't for them. This afternoon they are in a training meeting and they will leave in a few days. Please pray for their safety and that their hearts will be awakened to the fact that they can be missionaries in a world that is only a days ride away! My boy is the red head. The 3 kids are Meghan, J.T. and Brooke. PrAy for all the kids and their walk with Christ! Our fearless leader, Jesse, is the big guy with Crocs on his feet. Lisa(bending over) has worked with the inner city L.A. kids for 7 years and definately knows the people and the area. I am SO glad she's going with our kids and is pretty much in charge of this trip. She is awesome! So, now you have something else to pray about! It's a wonder any of us gets any sleep! But talking and listening to the Lord is really what living is about.

Oh, I could write a huge book on this girl, but today, I'll just talk about a little bit. Two weeks ago, she had laryngitis. Then came bronchitis. In between sicknesses and, actually during the sicknesses, she still tried to carry on her normal life as best as possible. This past Tuesday, however, she landed on the couch and pretty much stayed there. For comfort, she had her Bear, and her Puppy, who is real. I was able to get her to the doctor and when she was called to go back to the little room, she wanted me to go with her. She needed her mommy. This is a sweet deal for me, because normally she's pretty strong and self- reliant. With medical issues, she gets scared. As she has been growing up and pushing me away, I cherish the moments when she needs me for comfort and strength. I am more than willing to be there for her because time is running out and I am an affectionate person. I need to hug her and do that as often as she'll allow. She'll be seventeen soon and wow. just wow.

Today I discovered the lemon in my refrigerator. Long forgotten, it grew a coat of dusty blue. The lemon would taste horrible, and the mold on it is dangerous. However, I am fascinated by the shade of blue and how the lemon looks. In all its ugly danger, I actually see beauty in it. This is sometimes how I look at life and the various situations I find myself in. The lemon of no job? There is beauty in spending time doing things I couldn't do before. The lemon of my husband's job hunt frustration? There is beauty in persistant prayer, and the result of God's will in supplying a part time job! The lemon of our grown son's job layoff? Again, the beauty of persistant prayer and trust. The lemon of sickness? The lemon of injury? The lemon of death? The lemon of a safety scare for our daughter? The lemons are all over the place! Some people might feel like they're surrounded by sick, moldy lemons! Life can be exhausting and we might want to scream out ugliness to the Lord. If we just hold on to Him, we might see the beauty in His will. "The Sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught." Isaiah 50:4 I love, love, love that verse! There is promise! There is beauty! There is HOPE!

My Spring enemy is the Juniper tree. There are loads of them around here, full of pollen on the verge of bursting in release. In my allergic misery, I have to go looking and focusing on the beauty. Of course, I find some! In the middle of tough times in life, I am focusing on the beauty of the Lord and His love. And, of course, I am finding it all over the place. God's love is everywhere. Seek and you shall find, ask and it shall be given. Knock and the door will be opened. Nothing is impossible for God! I am so thankful for His love that is so beyond my biggest imagination! Sometimes it's easy to slip into the "Oh, I give up!" frame of mind. But to do so would mean I am giving in to the enemy, who would be so delighted in a vicious way, to destroy me. Then, in that moment, our Sovereign God brings something or somebody along to guide me back to the knowing and believing that there is hope in Him. As the Juniper dust blows away in the wind, the flowers bloom at my feet. This is life.

Girls, I have noticed in the past couple of weeks in my little world that so many women are not happy with their husbands. I mean, they are SO not happy with these guys. What's wrong? It saddens a place in my heart when I am in a group setting and the woman makes a negative remark (kind of on the sly but obvious to anyone paying attention) about her husband in front of him. Then he comes back with a sort of good natured jab stab. Then I see it happen again with another couple in the same group, same night. Then "it" shows up again later at another gathering, then at Ladies' Bible study. "IT" is the under current of discontent in the marriage. My biggest concern is the source of the unhappiness. I certainly don't need to know any details and I am not wanting to push my way into peoples' business. I do care so very much about marriage and pray that my women friends are doing everything they can to protect their relationship with their hubby. Tonight, while my hubby and I were out for an Artwalk, I was shocked to see 2 couples with each other, but, in fact, not married to the ones they were enjoying their time with. My heart felt befuddled. This along with the other couples verbally tearing each other down with sighing and eye rolling is something that makes me think of this pretty blue lake. On the outside, everyone looks great, well put together. But you sure can't swim there!

I have been asked through a popular questionnaire many times, "If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?" My answer is the same:  Anywhere but here. "Here" usually meaning this little shabby house in this little shabby house neighborhood. Sometimes, "here" even means this little podunk town, 2 hours' drive from all of my family. When I slip into the Anywhere But Here doldrums, it's because I have gotten to the end of my rope from the frustration of having to deal with life without hope of fixing things. When I am focused on the No Hope and or No Way Out, it's a pathetic little place. God, however, gives me a window to crawl through and I see the beauty that is in my surroundings. The other day, there was an adorable little ladybug on the inside of the front window. I carefully scooped her up and placed her on my Rosemary plant on the front step. I'm sure she was thrilled with that transition.  Out back, I have flowers blooming and a couple of bushes blooming. Blue jays, Robins and finches are all over the place. I am thankful for the beauty in nature. Thankful for the beauty in my Grandwonders' faces. And now, I could go on and on...  Hold on for dear life to what is good.

That was my girl's question after she returned home from spending the night at a friend's house. It was windy and very cold out, but I didn't want to be a fuddy duddy. So, we grabbed the dog and the camera and went to a nearby lake. I had to go to the bathroom really bad; there's something about that "lake effect", let me tell ya! But I managed to contract a few muscles for awhile longer and we had the best time out there!

The little heart picture is a belated Valentine to my Xanga friends! The other picture is of me (in the black vest with overly bleached hair), my sisters are on the ends, and our sister-like friend Jan is in the red Phillies shirt. I just love her and the fact that she smells the same as she did when she was sixteen and lived with us! Same perfume!!! I am so thankful we had our visit, and sad that she had to go back home. Oh well.

Well, we're thawing out already! It was mostly fun while it lasted! There is a possibility we could get more this Saturday, which makes me nervous because we might be popping into Phoenix to see a long time family friend who is in from Philadelphia! I really want to see her, but our travels during bad weather have been nerve wracking because of fog and wind. The road down and back is windy and scary during bad weather. I just hope and pray that the Lord will give us a break this time and scoot the storm over a bit. Well, I've gotta run and get my Bible study homework done. I don't like the feeling of being unprepared! Plus, I might learn something new by doing the homework. Bye, friends!

Snow can be a glorious thing, especially when everybody feels like he or she needs a snow day; a chance to be lazy and snuggle into the couch with the favored blanket, book and hot drink. We anticipate sleeping in late in the morning, with nobody rushing to get off to school! Hubby and I are retired (for now) and don't have to go off to a "job". School is not a favorite place for our teens, so this weather certainly provides a way out! Right now I look out the window and see a pale blue everywhere, except for the trunks and branches of the elm trees. Soon, it'll be black out there and time to fix a comfy dinner. Then the couch will be my landing place for the evening.