October 2010

I am enjoying life but seldom sit down to blog. I doubt that anyone visits here and I doubt that my future will include much time "recording" thoughts or activities on this computer screen.
The essentials do not change. They aren't new and there are lots of very capable people communicating them to whoever will listen. Blogging is one means of expressing the essentials. I hope people searching through blogs will discover those with information that is more than interesting or entertaining because there are those that share what is vital to life.
Unbelievable, tomorrow is the first day of November. I may have Christmas decorations on the shelves and in the windows in just a couple of weeks. I find it much more enjoyable to get them out of the boxes and arrange them slowly, over a couple of weeks, rather than frantically unwrapping and depositing them on a weekend. I savor the memories of past moments each one stirs as I pull the tissue paper away and spy an object that has been a silent observer of our Christmas celebrations over the past twenty to thirty years. Or perhaps the treasure I found just last January when the 75% Off Sale tempted me and I succumbed. The holiday can be so busy and demanding that our energy is pulled from us against our will as we try to keep up. I don't want Christmas to be like that. I plan to enjoy.
We went to our first costume party last week and I have posted a few pictures. I hope you can tell what I was...
A special treat , my mother's brother, wife and part of the family came for a visit last week also. We visited Friday night and Saturday at our house. We had a great time. Pictures of these days are also posted. When I was growing up, my folks took my sister and me to visit Uncle Leo, Aunt Fran, Linda, Dianna, and Michelle several times a year. These are wonderful memories. There are miles between us now and we don't see each other often. We should change that! I read recently that we are made to live inside, not alongside each other's stories. I think this is surely true for families.
I hope you have a blessed November and December. I hope what I call the essentials are obvious to you. I hope you are warmly acquainted.
Our recent activities are posted at the Picas Web site - just click on that icon.

April 27, 2010

Brian finished the first chicken tractor so they are out of my house!! It was a beautiful day. Tonight we grilled burgers and at in the sunshine with my folks. As soon as that sun fell behind the tall trees, it was cool. Daddy finished shelling the pecans in the afternoon. I took some pictures of the prolific roses.

Chicks Are Growing

16 chicks are growing - in my den, in a large cardboard box. I have to give them a new layer of flooring every 2 hours. I roll it all up and discard every morning. They are really growing. These pictures were taken the first day and they're heavier now. We have a very busy week with Brian either singing or speaking at different functions and then Team Impact will be in Aspermont for a county wide three day "revival." So, may not have them outdoors till the end of the week. They are fine but would probably enjoy being outside.
I hope you are having a wonderful April. God is so good. His grace is continual, His mercies new every morning. How exciting and comforting to be able to wake up every morning, sit down to read His words for us that day. The world is teetering but He is sure. He is pure. He is our Father and He loves us. Praises unto Him.

Husband

Very short post:
I've got the best husband in the world.
Just the way he is....

A Beautiful Day

It was a perfect day for outside work. I made it through several flower beds on the N side of the house but have lots more work. Brian progressed well on a small, moveable chicken house. He looked on-line but came up with his own version. It can house 8 chickens, has 3 nesting boxes, two roosting bars, and a screened in run. We can move it across the yard allowing it to stay on one patch of grass for a day or two and then move it a little further along. I'd been talking about getting chickens. When Daddy heard me, he got excited about it so Brian got busy. I snapped a few pictures of Brian, the yard, my mom as she enjoyed a can of peanuts and my dad as he cracked and shelled pecans at their back door.

Notice the stylish jeans in this one...

Happy Spring

What a beautiful day!
I did, however, have to travel to Abilene and sit for a bit in a dental chair and now my right 1st bicuspid is in a little box in my purse. Why would a tooth just crack in half, right down the middle?? It has been hurting for a year but last week much more intensely. I felt like some meat was hanging between two teeth and tried to use my fingernail to remove it but discovered my tooth was thoroughly cracked. I have had very little dental work, only 2 cavities just last year. After Casey was born, my OBGYN, Dr. Dillard, told me that if he had to judge the most painful delivery he had seen, none would have been more painful than the delivery of Casey. I am not a wimp. But dental work scares me silly. The nurse had said on the phone that should the tooth need to be extracted, he might suggest I go to an oral surgeon who would sedate me. That sounded fine to me. But, he didn't skip a beat and after he poked my tooth and saw it was cracked to the root, he immediately began rubbing on the topical anesthetic. "What are you doing? I garbled. He never removed the tools from my mouth and explained that the tooth had to come out. I was able to convey that I was a little surprised because I understood he might send me to the surgeon. But, he was sure that while I would feel pressure, it wouldn't be painful. After 2 shots and a few minutes, it was out and though it hurts a little now, there was no pain. I will spare you any pictures.
Before we went to Abilene, I decorated the tales at Cornerstone for the ladies' meal. I used small limbs from our ornamental plum tree and small bird nests I purchased at the after Christmas sale. They had been tree ornaments. I am sharing them as a Happy Spring Greeting.

Fresh Commitment

If you have know me very long, you've seen me on a diet. But not in the past few years. I think I did start a diet a couple of years ago but its life was very, very short. Recently, Brian and I both committed to losing weight and exercising. We enjoyed a few days of walking at the park while the weather was nice and then just a couple of days on the treadmill inside before each of us had the sore throat and cough. We've lost only a few pounds each and we can't exercise yet due to congestion but we are excited about getting healthier. I am posting here just to give me more reasons to refrain if tempted with unhealthful food but don't plan to post boring updates until we have reached our goals. It is a beautiful day and a good, sweaty walk would feel so good. I pray we will soon be snot free enough to get out in our tennis shoes and shorts. We each want to lost at least 25 pounds. And, everyone remember to join the rest of the country in turning the hand of the clock forward this weekend.

A Date

Three very good friend couples and Brian and I have been having a Valentine date for around ten years. We have served each other in our homes, which we decorated to enhance a romantic atmosphere. One year, Wayne and Yuve had a cellist perform while we had dinner. More recently we have gone to a restaurant. This year, we had a wonderful meal at the Beehive in Abilene. Prime rib, swordfish, chopped sirloin, shrimp- all delicious. We couldn't find a night available to all of us till March 9th but it was still Valentine-ey. We each have a child 28 years old and they were raised together from the nursery through Texas A&M. They remain close friends as do their parents. We hope for many more such dinners and plan to have another one as soon as we all have an open night just for fun, no special day. Here is a picture of the group.

Valentine Day 2010

It has been a wonderful day to celebrate. Gathering with our church family in Peacock to worship and study God's Word is a blessing every Sunday. The addition of roses, candy, and pretty verses made the day more special. We have been married for nearly thirty seven years and I think I've had a Valentine for Brian every February 14th including one homemade one. I stand in the aisle, reading all the Valentines, trying to find one that expresses what I want Brian to know. I've found a couple that were very nice but never "just right". I try to add words that tell him how much I love and appreciate him but never feel like they are sufficient. I usually bake a heart shaped cake with red hots on top and I worked this afternoon on two Italian cream heart shaped cakes, one for my folks and one for Brian. I also ordered something a little different, M&Ms with our picture on them. (They are too expensive to eat though.)
How blessed we are to have found each other when we were so young and to have learned together what is and what isn't love. I am more thankful than I can express for my husband and the life God gives us.
Here are my roses
.
Here is Brian with the cake.

And here are some of the M&Ms.


Hope you've enjoyed the day of worship and Valentines.

January 25

I hope you can connect to an interesting article regarding Tim Tebow and the Superbowl at this link - The Loft.

January 26

I am a terrible blogger. Very inconsistent.
I have had a very good January. Brian has had no studying for classes and I've had no parties to clean house for. We've been finishing some work on our bathroom that we started in '06! We have a tub that is tall and also sits on a platform. We did have steps in front of the tub but we took them out 4 years ago. It actually made it easier to get into the tub. We also removed the carpet in the room and installed new flooring but we had left the carpet around the edge of the tub, though the tiles have been sitting in a box beside the tub, just waiting for us to return to the project. Brian has nearly finished the tile and I have painted the ceiling and walls after removing wall paper. I will post pictures after it's completed.
Do you remember all those Lab puppies born at my sister's home? Well, this a picture of the only one they kept, Tank. He is not the typical Lab. He does not move unless it is absolutely necessary. A very lazy dog. Today, Kim brought him to my folks' apartment and she wheeled my mom, holding Tank, down to my house.
And here is a picture of the second puzzle. I enjoyed this puzzle because after looking at it so much, I felt like I was a frequent visitor to this store. And it appears to be a happy place to visit. I probably won't have time to work on any more puzzles until next Christmas.
And the last picture is of our Lions Club participating in the Good Fellows Program December 23rd. We boxed food that was donated to help folks out at Christmas time.
These are a few of my activities the last few weeks.
We are blessed. God continues to generously distribute His grace in our lives. Observing the events of our day, we are not bystanders. We aren't in Washington DC, Haiti, or in the cities our children and many friends live. And we certainly wouldn't be recognized by the people who are making the decisions in our country. But we are bringing our praise and petitions to the King. THE King. The only one who is in control. The only one who is good. And He loves us. He hears our prayers. We aren't just observing. We are active in realms we can't even see.
"For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is perfect toward Him." 2 Chron. 16:9 Isn't it amazing to think that the Lord, the all powerful creator of all that exists, is searching, running, looking for someone He can bless! I want to stay clean before Him, to be found pleasing by His eyes. I want to pray for our country, for my children, for my friends, and to feel God's pleasure in answering my prayers because they line up with His Word and His plans. He is so good. We are blessed today. I know this is just rambling. i am just thinking on "paper." Hope His eyes are on you and that He is jumping up and down, calling the Saints over to take a look at this child who is calling out to and depending on Jehova God.

January 7, 2010

I had to be in Lubbock today for a Dr appointment or I wouldn't have left my warm house. Brian went along and we had a nice day. We shopped very little before the brief time with the rheumatologist and then the long drive home. It is less than three hours but it's one of those long Texas drives. I was so glad Brian could go.
It feels like we are on vacation. He has no assignments pressing in on him and we don't have to be at the office every day. We are enjoying these days while we have them. After we ate chile, Brian sat down at the puzzle table. Bree started doing puzzles during the Christmas holidays a few years ago so we opened a new 1000 piece puzzle before she left. I've spent the most time on it but Brian has enjoyed it also. It was easy at first but more difficult after we finished the colorful pieces. When he sat down, I stirred together some cinnamon rolls using rapid rise yeast. We worked while they rose. They smelled sooo good in the oven. After icing them, letting them cool slightly, I ate 2 and a half!! Brian was enthralled in the puzzle and didn't even eat as much as his wife. I am sure he'll make up for it in the morning.
What a pleasurable evening. Relaxing. Cozy. We are very thankful. We read Psalms on the way to Lubbock. Don't you just love the intimacy of the Psalms? An intimate day and evening. That's what I'd say.







RECIPE FOR THE CINNAMON ROLLS:
Heat 2 C of water to 105- 110 degrees. dissolve 2 pkgs of yeast in the water. Add 1 Cup sugar and 2 t salt. Stir. Add 3 cups of flour as you are mixing it all together. Then add 1 egg and 1/4 cup of Crisco and mix. Add 3 more cups of flour as you stir. MY mixer won't do the job here and I stir. It takes up to 1 more cup of flour - just work with it and when you can knead it, it's good. If you used the Rapid Rise yeast, you can shape dinner rolls. To make cinnamon rolls, half it and roll each out flat and long - about 1/2 inch thick. I pour sugar and cinnamon and chunks of butter on it, roll length- wise, slice about 1 inch sections, and let this rise till doubled - nearly an hour I think. Bake at 350 for 12 to 15 minutes.
If you used regular yeast, you can let it rise once, punch it down, and then shape as desired to bake. You can also let it rise once in the frig, take it out and shape it, and then bake. I know people who want it for later and do the frig - but I haven't had good luck that way. Add the kind of icing you prefer. Sometimes I use cream cheese icing but this time it was just the milk/butter/powdered sugar.

The puzzle, called The Kiss, can be ordered on-line here -- Bits and Pieces.