MY THREE - Pay if Forward

Here are the three that have joined up to Pay if Forward with me: Sunny of Sunny's Place - Leigh Ann , aka Momma Roar, of Living to Learn and Learning to Live - and Kathy of A Field Lily.

THANK YOU and I'll be in touch!

PAY IT BACK

"You don't pay love back; you pay it forward."

The expression "pay it forward" is used to describe the concept of asking that a good turn be repaid by having it done to others instead.

I am taking part in a Pay it Forwards with Pea at Pea's Corner

So, I need a total of 3 people to say they will join as well. I have never participated before but am excited to be doing so this year. I look forward to the wonderful feeling it will give to Pay It Forward!!

Here's how it works

If you want to join in the fun, just leave a comment saying you'd like to be included. The first three people to do so will receive a gift from me sometime during the next year. In turn, they will post a Pay It Forward post on their blog and send a gift to three people who agree to participate. You never know when the gift will arrive in the mail. It could be next week or next June. It truly is a lot of fun trying to find out what people like so you can send an appropriate Pay It Forward gift. It can be bought or handmade and doesn't need to be expensive at all.

Please join me!!!

FATHER'S DAY

Another holiday finds this family, as always, celebrating by eating!!

Suzette & Dave hosted us with a 7 pm cook out of hamburgers which Dave cooked on the grill. Suzette and Dave provided all the "fixings", 2 kinds of chips, Salsas & a sour cream chip dip. Suzette's delicious baked beans & potato salad. We provided deviled eggs and fresh garden lettuce (plus we brought 4 big bags of various type lettuces from Mickey's garden for everyone to take a large bag full home.) Jacque brought sliced cantaloupe and watermelon and Suzette also made a delicious pound cake with icing. Pops of several kinds and tea to drink.

Marc is showing Mickey & Jacque pictures, on his phone, from his & the kids 9 day vacation, which they had just returned from. They went to Texarkana (2 days) to visit the kids maternal great-grandmother and then Dallas area where they visited Marc's childhood friend, Dave and his family, and did Six Flags and The Iron Stone lodge. They had a fun and relaxing time. Aric part of the fun.

Dave is on the phone in the mud room talking to Benny who had left for Wednesday for a 6 week vacation trip to Alaska to pan and mind for gold. He had done the same 2 years ago. Aric wanted to fix his Dad's hamburger and had just handed the plate to him. In the background Deann, Aric & Mickey.


Everyone loading up their plates. In front Dave, Marc, Aric & Suzette, behind Jacque & Oksana.

Mickey opening one of his 3 very touching cards extolling the wonderful father he had been......and is!!! Oksana watching on.

After Mickey had opened his cards and gifts he spoke to the kids. He told them how much he loved them, how honored he was to be their Father and how proud he was of each one of them. Then he asked for forgiveness for being a little too strict when they were growing up and sometimes now finishing something he had started. He was weeping when he was through and so were all of us. It was a very touching moment in time and one I'm sure the kids, and grandkids, will always remember.

Mickey showing the T-shirt from Jacque which reads: "God is my Victory Lane - Get in gear with Christ". She also gave him Mountain Forest shave gel. Suzette and Dave got him Mountain Frost cologne and Davidoff Cool Water frozen fragrance. Marc & the kids gave him a gift certificate to Low*es.

The group family picture.

Oksana, Mickey, Aric & Jacque

Susan

Marc, Suzette & Dave

Missing: first born son, David, in California, granddaughter, Jessica, having to work as usual and Benny in Alaska.

David celebrated his birthday on June 22nd, the day after Father's Day.

Happy 45th DAVID!!!!

Mickey & I are blessed to have a wonderful, caring, close, loving family.

We cherish each and every one of them.

After eating and gift opening Dave gave Oksana a ride on his fairly new Harley. Aric wanted no part of riding a motorcycles!

Two of my blog friends, Kathy of A Field Lily, and Kristie who has a private blog, recently showed their neat, clean, orderly linen closets. Isn't it wonderful how blogs can even motivate us!!!! Well, their blogs did and I decided I had to try and get my food stash collection points in some better order.

I do not have a real pantry so I have resorted to storing my items in 4 different places in our house!!! Not the best, but the only solution.

Here are my 4 locations - before and after.



This was the bottom of the closet in our office. I know, it's a mess.

Here is this closet now. Yeah, all food stuff gone. It's still a mess and that is Mickey's meal worms he raises to feed his blue birds in the blue topped tub. One location completely gone and only 3 left. Double Yeah!!!

Two views of the one large shelf in a large linen closet we have. The trouble here had been that a large part of this shelf was taken up with two large covered cake carriers. You can only see the round one in front, but there is another square one behind that. These are wonderful items to have when you need them, but they take up a LOT of room and are not used that often.

Here is a partial view of the linen shelf. The cake carriers have been moved to the garage storage area. The canned vegetables on the right go for 2 more rows that you cannot see in this photo.

This is a shelf in a bookcase in our guest room that I use for canned tomato's of various kinds and 4 canned meats.

The area to the right was not changed at all. On the area to the left I moved some of the items back so I could add the large can of enchiladia sauce and the large jar of chunky salsa which had been stuck in with the other vegtables.

This is the bottom of my linen closet where I store paper goods and coffee and sugar.

Here is the re-arranged linen closet where I have added the two tall containers of instand oatmeal & whole oats.

So even though I still have "stuff" stored here and there, it is neater and the places have been reduced from 4 to 3. Thanks Kathy & Kristie!!!

A FIRST HAND REPORT FROM ONE WHO KNOWS

I am blessed, and choose, to read many blogs. One of the most insightful blogs I read is Shalom from Jerusalem, written by my good friend, Marallyn. I "found" Marallyn's blog soon after I began blogging and it was such a delight to me. Then somehow I "lost" her and then several months ago I "re-found" her and I was so delighted. I immediately re-contacted her and re-connected and have been reading everything she posts.

With my concern for what is going on not only in our own country, but in the world in general, and Israel in particular I feel so blessed to have Marallyn's blog to give me a truthful, first hand report through the eyes and ears of this lovely Jewish lady. All of her posts recently have been so insightful to me. I hope after you read her post below you will go to her site for yourselves.

I know I can, and did, post Marallyn's link here on this post......but I also know that many times when presented with links we don't always take the time and effort, or have the desire to check it out. For this reason I contacted Marallyn a few days ago and asked her for permission to copy her June 15th blog here at Penless Writer word for precious word. She graciously gave me permission to do so.


"THE TRUTH...THE WHOLE TRUTH...AND...

Last night...at a little after eight o'clock, everyone I knew was sitting in front of their televisions waiting to hear our Prime Minister deliver his long-awaited speech.


I cancelled students. I grabbed a bottle of water and my chicken salad and made myself comfortable.


From every window of my house, all that could be heard was Bibi talking. None of my neighbours had any other channel on...just Bibi.


Before we go any further, I should state that I am a card carrying member of the Likud party. I get to vote in their internal elections as well as in the national elections. I have voted for Bibi more than once. And once I did not vote for him.


From the moment he began to speak until his final word I was breathless. Finally! Somebody said it out loud. How many people would be alive today if somebody had said it when our leaders at the time ran to embrace Oslo?


So many things he said amazed me. But here is one that made me listen even closer:

"In order to bring an end to the conflict, we must give an honest and forthright answer to the question: What is the root of the conflict? In his speech to the first Zionist Conference in Basel, the founder of theZionist movement, Theodore Herzl, said about the Jewish national home "This idea is so big that we must speak of it only in the simplest terms." Today, I will speak about the immense challenge of peace in the simplest words possible."

How simple.


How elequant. How absolutely correct! And then he went on to say it. He said it out loud....

"Even as we look toward the horizon, we must be firmly connected to reality, to the truth. And the simple truth is that the root of the conflict was, and remains, the refusal to recognize the right of the Jewish people to a state of their own, in their historic homeland."


Bingo!!!


I always said, I can love you like mad...buy you expensive gifts...give you anything you want...put your needs above my own....


I can do all that. But I can't make you love me! Either you do...or you don't.


And all my fine gestures and all my wonderful, expensive gifts won't make you love me if you don't. And, when did any of us think, for just one second, that our neighbours love us? Who was it that said, 'Arafat never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity."?


When is the world going to wake up and realize that we are a splinter in their backside...we are the speck of dust on their pristine carpet...that THEY DO NOT WANT PEACE.


Simple, no?


Thank you Mr. Prime Minister! For the first time in a very long time, I think I can sleep at night knowing that someone is honestly and truely at the helm of our very little ship that is floating in a very big and dangerous sea.


And then, this morning just as I was feeling safe, I read something else. I read an article stating that Obama was happy with Bibi's speech. That's good.


BUT THEN...get this my friends...the article from Haaretz newspaper went on to say:
"At the time of the speech, Haaretz learned, Obama was playing golf."

He what?!!!?


Well...I guess that shows us! I mean exercise is important. And as President of the United States, Mr. Obama must not get enough exercise. And, the speech was around eight at night making it around noon...one o'clock his time. Is mid afternoon a good time to go out in the sun and play golf? I guess it must be. And, if it is good enough for POTUS, then, hell, maybe the rest of the world should have made other plans instead of listening to our Prime Minister.


Hell, it's only Israel. Who cares?


So, if no one cares, then why are we on the front page of everyone's agenda?


He was out playing golf!!!


Here is anther fishbone that remains stuck in my throat. When Bibi and Sarah Netanyahu were in the States a few weeks ago, Mrs. Obama didn't meet with our Prime Minister's wife. She had tickets to a concert...or the theatre, I think it was the theatre. She did ask her husband what to do and Mr. President told her not to change her plans...to go to the theatre.


Mr. Obama, Sir. If it was Mrs. First Lady from Canada...or Germany...or Russia...or Great Britain...or the European Union...or Palestine (is there a first lady...or any lady?)...would you have told your wife the same thing? OF COURSE NOT!!! That would have been an insult. And you wouldn't want to insult any of THEM.


What is POTUS telling Israel?


And what message is he sending out to the world about how he feels about Israel? If golf is more important and going to the theatre is more important to Mr. and Mrs. President of the United States of America...then what is the little anti-Semitic guy going to think...or the Arabs...or the EU?


Me? I take it as a great insult! A slap in the face!


The whole world was waiting for Bibi's speech. He spoke his heart out. He gave the world enough time. He picked an hour that was convenient to everyone.


I guess he didn't know what a lover of golf Obama is. I mean Jackie Mason said it so well. "Me? If I get a splinter in my finger, I run around and take myself into Sinai Hospital and see a doctor. You? If you fall into an open manhole and die...what do I care?"


You think I'll get into a lot of trouble if I say, "Shame on you Mr. President."? Maybe I better not. But as President Carter...also not a great lover of Israel once said..."I have sinned in my heart."


And we are supposed to be great friends. I guess with friends like these, Israel dosen't need any...you fill in the rest.


Have a great day...stay safe...and thanks for dropping in.

posted by marallyn ben moshe"

I MUST

My head, and also my heart, is just being bombarded with so much lately. This is probably going to be a very disjointed post, but I just have to try and get some of my thoughts organized and down.

In my personal life things could not be better: I love my Lord & Savior, Jesus - my wonderful husband, Mickey - my four wonderful, and totally different from each other kids- my 2 beautiful and talented granddaughters - my 1 and only sweet & gentle grandson - my home - my church - my pastor - my 2 bible study groups of woman hungry for God's heart and purposes - my deep and probing very small Sunday School class. I just plain love my personal life and all it entails and encompasses, every aspect of it.

I am blessed beyond words: My Lord & Savior meets all my needs - I feel the Lord leading and guiding me on a daily basis - both my husband and I are in wonderful health for our 71 & 76 years of age, and wear and tear - I do not want for one single thing.

AND YET.......I look at: Our nation spiraling into massive debt - our nation so fiercely divided and with such hate & animosity on every side - the world about to explode on nearly every front - such apathy among the people about the direction our nation and our world are taking - such apathy and "business as usual" among most of the "Church" - The Body of Christ so divided and it breaks my heart.

I want to just stand on my roof top and shout.......Can't you all see what is happening? - Do you not have eyes to see and ears to hear what is going on?

"But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." Matthew 24:37

The Lord is coming back soon. "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." I Corinthians 15:52

I know many of you will say, just as it does in II Peter 3:4 "Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation."

In Ezekiel 3:18-21 the Word warns us to speak to 4 different type of people:

vs 18 - the wicked and if we don't warn them their blood will be on our hands

vs 19 - the wicked who will die in his ways but we have delivered our soul by warning him

vs 20 the righteous man who we fail to warn and his blood will be required of us

& vs 21 - the righteous who heeds the warning and our soul is delivered for warning him.

These are very sobering words to me!!! I am not held responsible for the "results", that's the person and God's part, BUT I am held responsible to tell and to warn. That is what I have done in this post.

We must do all we can to save our nation and return it to "One nation under God, indivisible..." and to look up and know that our redemption drawth neigh.

A Family Visit - Part II

Continuing with our family visit to Tennessee.

The first night we were there we had the privilege of celebrating Billy's 44th birthday. We had a lovely dinner at a Steakhouse and there were 14 of us present. What a great way to get to visit with almost everyone at one time and one place.

Brother Jerry, Birthday Nephew Billy, Billy's younger son, age 13, Jake.

Billy's younger brother, Joe, with his younger daughter.

Billy's older brother, Wayne, with Joe's oldest daughter, Lindsey. Wayne, Billy & Joe are the 3 son's of Mickey's only sister, Jane, who is deceased, and bother-in-law, Ronnie.

Billy's wife, Diane, and older son age 15, Will, had just returned from a 17 day trip to France the last night we were there. From left to right are Diane's father, Diane, Ronnie, Will & Jake. We were so glad we were able to see Diane & Will before leaving and get to see all the pictures from France of their wonderful, exciting trip. This picture was taken in the sunroom of Billy & Diane's home.

One of the highlights of the trip was getting to visit Billy & Diane's 100 acre farm with this wonderful cabin.

Jerry unlocking the door while Ronnie & I look on. Mickey taking the picture, of course.

This cabin was the original house on this farm. Billy had it dismantled, the log boards numbered and then re-assembled with additions and improvements added.

The living room fireplace.

The upstairs bedroom with fireplace.

You can see they have kept it as authentic as possible, and also having all the modern conveniences of water, heating and cooling, electricity, etc.

Jerry and Diane's Longab*erger baskets.

An old couple (Mickey & I) rocking on the front porch of this quaint lovely cabin.

Billy invited us to spend as many days here at the cabin on the farm as we wanted but we declined on this trip. But took a rain check!!!!

On our way home we stopped and spent a day and night with Helen, our sister-in-law. Helen was married to Doug, the brother just older than Mickey, We had hoped to pick Helen up on Sunday and take her with us to Nashville but she was in Florida. Fortunately she got back in time that we could see her and spend a wee bit of time together. Helen has always had the greatest sense of humor and a joy to be around.

We had planned to spend a couple of days in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, and at a cabin with our neighbors Wayne & Jimmie on the way home but............. On our way home we hit a terrible thunderstorm and tornado warnings. We actually spent over an hour sitting in the parking lot of a truck stop at Russelville, Arkansas as the storm blew over us. It was quite fierce and we were just so thankful we did not get caught on the road in that storm. Another prime example of God taking care of us!!!! We had stopped to eat a bite of lunch when they made the announcement over the loud speakers of the impending storm. After this experience and the fact it was raining all around the area we made the decision to come straight on home.

This trip made me so aware of how truly blessed Mickey & I are. Out of the 4 sons & 1 daughter that made up Mickey's siblings we are the only one's who are still together and have not lost a mate. As most of you know, we are working on our 51st year of marriage. We not only still have each other, which is so wonderful, but we are both healthy, very happy and enjoying life. We have this wonderful extended family on Mickey's side, plus the ones in Virginia and of course our own wonderful 4 children, and 3 grandchildren. Plus our Lord and Savior.....who could ask for more?