Date Night

Is a date night a priority for you and your husband? It isn't with mine. When did that happen? When did we get to the point where life crashed in and took away the joy and the fun times we used to have together.

Maybe your not at that place right now. But I think and I suspect that there are many that would agree with me if your not careful that is where you will end up.

So girl friends I challenge you to work at finding time for you and your man.

Don't let the kids, or finances, time, or work or even ministry to take away from spending time alone with your man. Maybe your in a rut or just plan tired. And maybe finances enter into the equation.

Maybe your like me and all of the above are your problem.

I need creativity. I need some ideas so if your one that has a date night or afternoon or morning whatever. Or maybe your like and don't have date night but maybe you have a fabulous idea.

Will you write a post about it. Share with those of us that need some encouragement.

And, you don't even have to do it on Friday the official Date Night day. You can post any day.

Just come back here and leave me a comment. And the fun thing about it is I'll choose my favorite suggestion of the week and send you a gift. Just for writing a post. How simple is that.

So help me out here. Write a post and give me some ideas for Date Night

Thankfulness

(updated at 11:38 with links...filing this post in dummies at blogging!)

I found this fun idea over at Denise's . You can visit Karla and join us in being thankful.

Today I am simply thankful for my blogging friends. Old and new. Yesterday Karla's post was about the telephone and she feared that being thankful for it was a bit silly. But I say no. I am so grateful for it and for this wonderful medium of blogging, texting and email. Just imagine what it would have been like many years ago when we waited on snail mail. We would not have felt peace from God through wonderful encouragement from other woman nearly as often. And, we would not have had the chance to make so many friends.

So today I am thankful that God gives me this opportunity to meet many people. And I am thankful they you are all so sweet and kind to pray for me and encourage me.

Why is it sometimes your links work and sometimes they don't? Denise's link is on my sidebar. You can find Karla by visiting Denise. I will work on fixing those links once the grandbaby gets here and settled in to play today.
Oh...can I add one more thing I am thankful for? You guessed it my sweet grandbaby. When I come back I'll add a photo.

WordFilled Wednesday prayer request

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and he will direct your step.
Proverbs 3:5&6

I chose these images this morning and this verse to illustrate the struggles that I am facing.

I have mentioned here before that it is my prayer that the desires of my heart come from God. That those desires are placed there by him. That my heart is not open to distraction from the evil one. That...
...Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.

It is my prayer that the decisions we make personally and for the ministry are plans that God has given us. That he will make our path straight and that he will show us where he wants us to step and where to go.

I included the photo of the sand because I pray that God is carrying us now. That the absence of two sets of footprints illustrates his holding us and carrying us through.

Dear one's I ask you to lift me and my Cowboy up. We have some big decisions to make.

Those decisions include where we will have "our" church membership and where will be able to be discipled, and encouraged.

These decisions include new doors that are opening for the chapel ministry that we do on Sunday at a youth prison facility.

Five years ago I felt God leading us to partner with a larger church in our area to plant a church for youth.

And now five years later it seems the doors are opening. A large church....no Huge church in our area is considering adopting our ministry. The amount of support that could be gained from a partnership is overwhelming and exciting.

The only thing is it is not the church that I feel God leading me. We have visited this church half a dozen times. And each time I walk away with the feeling I don't like it here.

And so there is my personal dilema. As a ministry this is a wonderful opportunity. Personally I question.

And so dear friends I ask you to please pray for me. Please pray for our ministry.

And please if you have words of wisdom or encouragement please, please leave them here.

Many Blessings and Happy WFW and Blessing to all the WFW participants today. Thanks Pennyhttp://pennyraine.com for hosting this week.

Friday Date Night update join us....

Update on Friday Date night. I need your help. Join me come up with some great ideas for date night with your hubby. You can write your post any day. And you can have your date any day or night. Let's face it girls some of us are loooooooooooong over due for a date night.

Like my friend Kim who got to go out the other night see below....

Oh the poor girl was so loooooooong over due. But they had a fabulous time and she even posted photo's you'll have to go to Kim's Date Night and read the rest of the post. And lucky girl that she is because her post was so cute she is getting a prize this week.

Last week because Denise wrote a post and then came over told me she won a great prize. And Hip Chick wrote a cool post too. It was hard to choose my favorite so I chose both of them.

So join us and helps out and write a post and then stop over here and tell me. I might choose yours as my favorite this week and you'll win a prize.

Here's the original post about Friday Date Night.

Here's the link to Denise's post. Here's the link to Hipchick's post.

Oh and before I wanted to tell you how I happened to meet Kim. She doesn't even know this but. It was because of her profile photo. Here's why....

I almost envy her. I wish I could be this cute in a hat! O.K. so you think I am weird. You can see how weird by going to my What's In A Name post. There I explain all about what blogs I visit and why.

Happy Date Night everyone!

Colors of Fall Mosaic Monday

Welcome to Mosaic Monday. I chose a few photo's that showed some Fall colors. I hope you enjoy these.
I use Picasa for my photo's and it wasn't cooperating this morning so took me a long time to get this done. And then when I tried to post. Below is what posted. So I thought it would be fun to leave it. And give each a caption.

This one was from Country Living. It reminded me of the house that my kids grew up in. We had a bunch of steps to the front door. Ours had a brick wall on either side made for great decorating!

This is another Country Living shot. I cropped this one to remove the Halloween part. I liked it because this look could stay through Thanksgiving.

This one I found on Frontporches.com. I cropped it too in order to remove the real Halloween look but I just loved the orange door!

I really don't know where I found this one. Hopefully I didn't steal it from someone's blog. LOL. If I did I give you credit whoever you are.

Thanks for posting it and giving me the idea for Fall theme dinnerparty.

For more fun mosaics visit Dear Little Red House.

Simple Sunday

Wherever your worshipping today whether in a traditional place of worship or a not so traditional place.
I am praying God will meet you where you are.

We will be Praising, worshipping and teaching in a non traditional place.

Not in a chapel.

Not in a specific place designated for worship.

But in the dayroom of a prison facility.

God is there making our Sunday simply His.

Then Sings My Soul Saturday

I accidentally stumbled over this today while searching for song that I intended.
Watching this made my heart sing. There were no lyrics with this one and it is a bit of a departure from what I usually post but I hope you enjoy it and please watch all the way to the end.

I always want to share something that shares how God works and how much he loves you.

If the message doesn't speak to you through the video the end will.



Thanks for visiting me today. There are more inspirational videos at Amy's

Please come by tomorrow for a Simple Sunday post and please come by Monday to see what this video prompted me to share with you.

Blessings always
Sherry

Friday Date Night

Last Friday I introduced the idea of Friday Date Night.

And as I think about that I remember one of the resolutions (for lack of a better word) that I made at the beginning of the year.

This one was to honor God by being a better wife. To be more understanding. To be more patient. To be more sympathetic. To be....

Well I have blown all of the above.

But I know that my Cowboy is as patient with me as our heavenly Father. They are both patient with my whinning, complaining and all those other negative behavior traits I have.

Last week I invited you to help me be a better wife by coming up with ideas for Friday Date night.

So this week write a post about date night and then come over here and leave me a comment. Join me in being the wife God intends you to be.

Thankful Thursday

I am going on a journey with Truth 4 the Journey.
The aim is to list 5 things which you are thankful to God for!

Click here to see what Sonja is thankful for and a list of others who are on the Journey today.


Sharing the Five Things I am Thankful For today . . .

As I was thinking about this list the thing that came to my mind is that I am
Thankful that we were able to raise our kids in a somewhat structured,organized,playful autmosphere. And that I got to spend so much time with my kids especially when they were in Jr. High and High school

I am thankful too that God provided the resources way back for us to get horses. I think. No I know that it was the combination of Christian private school and thier love of horses and that environment that took them through the high school years and kept them in the right direction when it is so easy to end up going down the wrong path.

(I know this because I know I am not that great a parent. So I can't take the credit)

I am thankful that God knows what I need. I am thankful he is patient with my wish, want and dream list. And patient with my spirit of rebellion!

I am thankful that my Cowboy is a patient man and that he usually goes along with most of my wants. Even under duress sometimes as with our dog. He didn't want another dog. But we got one! She is the one in my photo's of yesterday.

BTW before I get to my last thankful item I have some photo's to illustrate each of these things but don't have time now to post them. If I don't get back to it the last item here is a photo and really it just is the best illustration anyway.

Lastly I am thankful for:



Because without Christ I probably would not be able to list the other items.

Dear Lord,
I pray today that my thankful list touches someones heart. And I pray that if there is anyone reading it today that does not know you. That you will reveal yourself.
Amen.

Word Filled Wednesday

....Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.. this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your

mind.

May we seek God's wisdom as we consider what we say and do. What and how we participate in the things of this world.

What's in a name....

I have been thinking about doing this for awhile. Maybe I am weird but have you ever thought about why you visit other blogs? Not when your going by following a meme or a suggestion of another blogger. But what attracts you to go to a new blog.

I have this deal about names. I am attracted to visit blogs because of the names. Sometimes when I am at a friends blog or have gone over following a meme I'll see a name in the comments and I am just drawn to check out the blog.



Here are the words that catch my eye and cause me to visit you . . .



cottage cabin romantic rabbit horse

quilt shabby heart home His

homespun porch



If you look over at my sidebar at the links to the places 'the homes' I visit you'll see many of the words in the names.



I am mostly drawn to blogs that center around the home and decorating and usually when I get there most of the time I am pleased to see that the profiles describe a woman that is interested in names too. Names like these

These are names that I lean on. These are names that I cry out to. These are names that give Hope.

If your blog doesn't speak of Hope or if your profile doesn't mention these names. It is my prayer that when you visit here or stop over and visit some of the blogs that I link to that you will be drawn to God. That you will see God's grace and mercy and that you will see, learn and feel this...

Mosaic Monday My Heart's Desire

Updated at 5:00 pm

For more really cool and pretty mosaic's stop over here and go over to my other blog too I posted there today also.

Photo's of a few of the things that are my hearts desire.
Upper left: My mare which we had to sell. She now lives at the Bob Loomis Reining Horse ranch and has some famous babies
Middles Top: Mission Makeover this is a photo of some of the quilts we made. They are being hung for a fundraiser sale
Middle Right: Chickens I want chickens
Upper Right: greenhouse
Bottom Left: it is my hearts desire to have date nights with my cowboy
Middle: Chicken coop
Left: To be able to decore the house for Christmas

I posted this earlier and didn't have time to explain my reasons for this post. Below is the rest of the story.

I pulled these things together because I have been thinking about this verse.

Psalms 27:4 Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.

I am praying that all these things that I desire are pleasing to him. These are just a few of my dreams.

And as I think about this verse I begin to pray that the things that I wish for and the things that I want are actually things that God has placed on my heart and on my mind. So that all my desires please and glorify him.

Father I open my heart and my mind to you. Please don't allow any unwholesome thought. And please give me the desires of my heart that they are they things you want for me. That my hopes and dreams come from you. Amen

Spritual Sunday

Once upon a time there were three trees.

Each of them had grand plans and wanted to do great things.

Tree #1 wanted to do something mighty to be a treasure maybe a treasure chest.

Tree #2 wanted to be a mighty sailing ship.

Tree #3 wanted to be a mighty structure maybe a famous building.



Each tree became disappointed when they were chopped down and turned into different things.



Tree #1 was sad... he became a manger to feed animals.

Tree #2 was sad he was only merely a small fishing boat.

Tree #3 was the saddest of all he was only a pile of scrap wood.



All three tree's had grand plans for thier future but they were sad because they didn't realize thier own importance.



You see

tree #1 was the most famous manger in history after all because Jesus slept there.

tree#2 wasn't merely a fishing boat he was the boat that Jesus sailed in.

tree #3 became a symbol of Hope and Salvation




Please visit Spirtual Sunday for more Blessings.

Then Sings My Soul

I stumbled onto this song the other day the thing that amazed me was I was looking for worship video's to show at our boys chapel service. This one works.
I hope it speaks to you.



For more illustrations of God's promises in song visit Amy.

test post

This post will be labeled in my infamous bloggins for dummies category. I am determined to make this work.

Soon there will be a button on the sidebar to grab for date night.

Thinking about....

I just love this photo. I can imagine jumping in the truck and going off and having a romantic picnic. Although this looks like these folks just finished an apple harvest.

My thoughts fall along the lines of the romantic mostly because having fun (now don't get more wrong; not talking about 'that kind of fun' ) LOL just any kind of fun.

You know stuff like:
shopping going to a movie
dinner out vacationing ....

You see it has been so long that I/we have done anything like that I can't even think of fun stuff to put on the list. Oh wait one more
Antiquing...
I should have changed this list to things we used to do
We used to do stuff like that. I used to love to go to antique malls or little shops with Cowboy.
I actually used to love to do all those things with friends or with my daughter.

But, life has changed. Circumstances have changed. For me. For us. Because of our financial situation all of those things are out of the ? now. Except maybe for the window shopping part but it takes gas to do that.

I wonder. As I sit and ponder and dream of havin' fun. Are you reading this and having the same thoughts go through your mind?

Or did your thoughts click in on ...we used to do that. We used to go on 'date night' before.

What is your before? What caused you to stop having fun? Are you in the same boat I am thinkin' about and dreamin'.

Well girl stop thinkin' about it...come up with something fun to do and drag that man off the couch....

That is exactly what I did this morning. Well actually he wasn't on the couch we were already going to deliver backpacks for our ministry and the the dog was in the truck with us so I twisted his arm and suggested we take the dog to the park.

It was fun. And almost romantic.

And so it got me to thinking. I need your help. I need your ideas. How do you have fun.
Will you join me in havin' fun. Will you share your ideas with those of us that have gotten in a rut or have allowed circumstances to kill the fun?

Since I am an old fashioned girl that remembers Date night please focus your ideas around how to have a date night with your one and only.

So between now and next Friday will you guys post your ideas and then come back and link your post here next friday. Now I know most of you guys don't post on Friday so I'll put the link up on Thursday night. It only takes a couple of minutes to link. So please come on over and do it. It will be Fun.

And to thank you for joining me and helping me have fun. I am having a drawing. I'll draw a name every Friday. Each week the winner will receive a lovely gift that will get you all ready for your Friday date night with your one and only.

Thanks for helping me have Fun along the Journey to getting back to Date Night.

Thankful Thursday 2nd post

Adding to the earlier post thankful for the toddler I see everyday....btw a list of things to do with a popcorn tin.
1. toddler toy box
2. toddler drum
and
3. toddler chair

My Thankful list today in photo's.....



Two of my grandchildren....

My first little granddaughter Libby that I have not even met yet. They grow so fast she is already 10 months old.

Her brother Charlie who is the image of his dad. A quote from this character..."I was raised in the woods by wolves"

This is a weird photo I know but I am thankful for food. I am thankful that somehow I have food, the internet and electricity, gas in the vehicles. God provides. (and that they counter was so clean for this photo)

I love my house. We have been here a year and a half. And I love it. Unfortunately the outside doesn't look like this now. It looks lived in! LOL.

And lastly in this case the best for last....


Daughters of Kings are Princesses and I am a Princess and I get to wear a crown. Most of the times it is a bit busted and tarnished but my daddy the King doesn't notice.

Thank you daddy for all these things and thank you for letting me be your child even though I don't deserve it.

More thankful posts at Sonya's

Word Filled Wednesday

"For I know the plans I have for you." declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found in you." declares the Lord, "and I will bring you back from captivity..."

May these young men and the children that receive the backpacks filled with food feel God's precense and seek him with all thier hearts.

Please join Amy Deane and her hostess Christy for more wonderful illustrations of God's word.