"...Thou Hast Made Me Glad..."

Thank you to anyone who prayed for my friend's mother and baby brother - he is here, and everything appears to be fine! PRAISE THE LORD! Trissy and I were at the church working on VBS decorations, and Mom called and told me the postcard had come. Praise God! My friend and her little sisters (not to mention her parents) have been wanting a little brother for a long time, but some medical quirk (I don't know the name of it) caused her mother not to be able to have sons for some reason. I've been praying about it for several years, and in 2007, it looked like the Lord was going to allow it to happen, but they lost him. So when my friend wrote and told me in October (best birthday present!) that she was going to have another brother or sister, I knew (you know, as sure as human 'sure' can be) that it would be a boy, and that the Lord would keep him safe, and I've been praying so hard for the past seven months. Yesterday, when I hadn't heard yet, I was beginning to get so afraid, so I went out into our little orchard and sat down in the grass, and just poured out my heart before the Lord. Finally, a peace came, I just let the Lord have it, and the thought came to me, "Maybe I'll get word in the mail today." Well, I didn't, but I'd given it to Him, and though I was still sad, it was just kindof like, "Well, okay."

Then I got the postcard today.

It was as if the Lord took just long enough for me to let it go. Isn't He good?

This is the main verse that has been repeating itself through my mind throughout the afternoon:

"For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands."

Ps. 92:4

There have been others as well, all praising God for His wonderful works to the children of men! Oh He is Good! Praise His Name! My words fail, trying to express the thankfulness of my heart, but I know He understands my gratitude, and I wanted to share this little story in the hopes of encouraging someone who may read it.

SOLI DEO GLORIA!

What's Been Happening...

Hello! Just thought I'd try to fill you in a little on what's happening with me! :)

Well, last Thursday morning, my four-member family left on a two-day-one-night camping trip - something we haven't done in AGES! We had an extremely enjoyable time, sitting and reading, swimming, hiking, playing UNO, and just visiting, knowing there was nothing 'pressing' that was demanding our time, and nowhere we had to go. We took our new tent (we've only slept in it twice before, and both of those times were in our backyard, which doesn't count ;) ), and Dad made hamburgers and hotdogs on the little grill provided at the camp site (yea, I know, we cheated) and we roasted marshmallows over a campfire. All in all, we really enjoyed the two days.

Next week (beginning Monday) is Vacation Bible School at church, and Trissy and I have been over there every day this week (except today) helping Lindy and her mom decorate Oliver's classroom. Yes, Oliver is one of the teachers - he's got the kindergarten age group. He's had to work most of the week though, and couldn't work on the room himself, so he was really grateful for the help. We've had alot of fun, but we're about ready for it to be finished! We are really praying for the Lord to get glory out of this VBS. We've been praying for the kids that will attend, and even for adults that might be affected as well.

I made tacos for lunch today, and they turned out pretty good, even if I do say so myself ;). I'm not much of a cook, so that's always 'iffy' - how the meal will turn out, that is. :)

I'm supposed to start a summer class Monday. It's online though, so that is a REAL blessing! I won't have to drive to the college that way, and I might still have a chance at some of the summer trips going on around here. There is a camp in June (I might have mentioned it before) run by some people who go way back with my folks. They used to be missionaries together, and now some of the kids are great friends with Trissy and me. I am so praying I can go to that camp! The Bible teaching is so good, and it's a great challenge - plus I get to see friends (family, almost) who I only get to fellowship with once or twice a year.
Speaking of these friends-who-are-almost-like-family, one of these friends' mother is expecting a baby any day now. Her parents have been wanting more children for years now (she has two sisters), and they've lost about five. This one was supposed to come Tuesday, and she promised to send me a postcard as soon as he got here. I should have gotten it by now, and I'm getting afraid something went wrong. Please pray for this!

Well, I've got to run - So long for now! :)

Catch Up...

Ok, yeah, I know I haven't posted in a LONG time, but you have to understand that I can't spend all my time on the computer ;)! Anyway, with finals in school, and finishing that up, then trying to get at least somewhat caught up on my 'other' life, I just have not had the opportunity to blog for several weeks, as I'm sure you've noticed (my visitor counter tells me you have been faithfully visiting - I'm sorry I haven't had anything fresh for you in so long!). I don't think I've even looked at another blog in about four weeks or so, except for just a short, unsatisfactory glance. So I appologize for the lack of comments on the blogs I usually follow regularly - I hope to do some back-reading, to try to catch up on what's been going on with y'all during my month-long 'blog silence'.







So, what's been going on with me lately? Well, (in a nutshell) of course besides finishing up school, I've been doing alot of picking-up-clutter, vacuuming, yard/garden work, feeding animals, doing dishes, and just in general trying to catch up on all my chores that have been, out of necessity, sadly neglected and/or left on Trissy's and Mom's shoulders while I scrambled with finals and end-of-semester assignments. I've also had the privalege of starting a book (for pleasure, this time - not a textbook!), spending evenings with Dad, Mom, Trissy, and my grandparents instead of studying, being outside, putting in a couple of extra days at work (saving for a camera), being available when my family needed an extra hand with something, planning a baby quilt for a friend, getting in bed before 2:00 AM, and other little pleasures of ordinary, every-day existance that, I regret to say, I took slightly for granted before I aquired a second life and identity called, 'college student'.







So that's it in a nutshell. I'll try to begin posting again in more detail as I get the chance.







I never filled y'all in on the chicks we were supposed to have hatch. Well, out of the dozen-and-a-half, only seven broke the shell. Of those, five actually hatched. And one of those is crippled. But he/it has certainly taught me lessons on patience, perseverance, compassion, responsibility, and determination. It flaps it's wings and kicks with one leg and scoots on it's stomach instead of walking, but it is slowly learning how to get around. The other four are big enough that they are already out in the chicken pen with the big chickens, but this little guy is still up here at the house in a cardboard box, and I feed and water it every couple of hours or so. Since it has such little control over it's fine-motor mobility, I have to hold it so it can reach into the little cup of feed or water, and it pecks and drinks that way. Alot of people would/do think it's an awful lot of trouble to go to for just one crippled chick. Why not just go ahead and put it out of it's misery, and save myself alot of time and trouble as well? But here's the thing: It seems like a principle - I/we prayed that it would live, when it first hatched and it seemed like there was no way it could survive. And the Lord caused it to live and even thrive, except for it's crippledness. Also, I feel like the Lord is using it to teach me lessons in character like the list I mentioned above. He doesn't just throw us away when we're hurting does He? And a parent (at least, a Godly one) doesn't give up, when they have a hurt or handicapped child! Of course not! So, as I try to help it along, I'm praying the Lord will teach me lessons in the situation, and I'm still holding out hope that eventually the chick will become independent and I will be rewarded for all my efforts.



Well, that is all the time I have for tonight. Lord willing, I will be able to update y'all on some of the other things that have been happening to me ;) , hopfully soon, but if not, please bear with me and rest assured, I do plan to come back! :)



May the Lord work mightily in your lives! 'Til we meet again -



SOLI DEO GLORIA!



-Kyrie<><

Last day - thank the Lord!

Today is officially my last day of college for this year - thank the Lord!

I've only got a minute (I'm working frantically on my last assignments), but I wanted to post about this - it gave me a smile :)

Well, I'm up to my nose in the middle of my last assignment that has to be turned in in just a little while, working as hard as I can and, frankly, quite stressed! All of a sudden my phone rings, I answered it, and it's Mom.

She just called to say "I love you" :)

So I answered "Hello", and she just says, "Hello - I love you." And she had this cute little smile in her voice.
"How's it going?" she asked.
(I don't know exactly what I answered, but something along the lines of 'Working hard, but it's coming along good.')
So she says, 'Ok, well, bye!'

Anyway, it was just cute and sweet, and made the work I still had to do a little easier!

Will try to post later after things have calmed down just a little... Maybe in a couple of days. Hope things are going well for you!

SOLI DEO GLORIA!

A 'Real' Saturday

Well, today was something of a 'real' Saturday here. Used to (mainly before I started college), on Saturdays the four of us would either work on little projects we had going, read, do things together, work outside, or other sorts of 'just-for-fun' type enterprises. We haven't gotten to do that in a while, but today, we did! Dad's been working hard getting our little garden in, and today the rest of us got out there and finished it up. So except for some Sunflowers, butternut squash, and a couple of sweet potato plants we're experimenting with (two Mom bought sprouted, and we saved the slices with the sprouts, put them in water, and when they are about 9 ins. tall, we want to plant them and see how they do!), our garden is in!

We've got yellow squash, tomatoes, bell peppers, corn, potatoes, beets, radishes, turnip greens, spinach, asparagus, green beans, pumpkins, okra, and seems like something else too, but I'm not remembering it at the moment. We only have a row or two of each though, so it sounds like more than it really is :). We just wanted a little of the stuff we really like, and we also wanted to try some new things this year.

Here's how it looks now that everything's planted. The little building in the back is our chicken coop.

This is a little potato we found as we were digging to plant something else! I guess he got skipped last year when we dug them - Mom says we can eat it anyway ;)



Well, I'm going to run for now. It's been a long, fun day :) !

Seven Days In A Dress Challenge

This week Jenna was hosting a "Seven Days In A Dress (or Skirt)" challenge, and I decided to join in. I usually wear dresses or skirts, simply because it's hard to find jeans anymore that aren't either too low or too tight - unacceptable. So I decided I'd join in, and maybe encourage someone along the way, who thinks that skirts can't be worn without looking sloppy or terribly weird. Now, I'll admit right off that I haven't got the greatest sense of fashion, but anyway... ;D

Seems hard to believe the week's over already! I don't have alot of time to spend on the computer just 'for fun', so I decided to just post the whole week at once instead of trying to get on each day.

Ok, here are the week's outfits:

Resurection Sunday. I'd sort of hoped to have a new outfit, if not store-bought, then home-made. Mom was working on a top to go with a skirt I'd made last year, but with everything else going on, it didn't happen, and that's OK.

Deep sky-blue eyelet top: Belk's. About $8 I think. Mom bought it for me to wear to a wedding we went to a couple of years ago.

Cream eyelet skirt: I made it as part of my graduation outfit. Dad and Mom paid for the fabric from Wal*Mart for $4.

Cream sequine sandals: Shoe Station. Also for graduation, but Mom bought them for me, and I think she paid about $12 or $15.

I wore my hair just down plain.




Mint blue snap-up shirt: 50 cents at a yard sale. Love yard sales!

Straight denim skirt: $4 I think, from the consignment shop in town. Mom got it for me, and I wear this skirt All. The. Time!

Sequine Yellow-Box flip-flops: A gift from my grandmother.

Hair: Ponytail.

In all honesty, I only wore this outfit the last part of the day. I had some work I was doing that I had to have some grubbier clothes on for earlier.

Mint blue and slate blue plaid snap-up Western-style shirt: About $1 I think, from Dirt Cheap. Great place for people with lots of patience and an eye for a bargain!

Tiered denim drawstring skirt: Gift from a friend. This is my only tiered skirt, but I absolutely love it. If I had my way, whenever I wore a skirt, it would be this style! This one was from Wal*Mart, but I have a pattern that a friend gave me that I want to try out this Summer. Mom is using it to make one for Trissy right now though :) !

Navy Old-Navy flip-flops: Gift from Mom. She got them at the end of the season for $2, and they are so practical - I wear them all the time in the summer 'cause (in case you haven't noticed yet) I LOVE denim, so they always go with what I'm wearing. :)

Hair: Ponytail.





Tan short-sleeved knit top: Borrowed from Trissy ;) I love that we wear the same size in so many things! You can't really see it in the picture.

Brown tunic-style top with gold beading and embroidery: No more than 60 cents at the consignment store in town. I really like this style of top! Brown really is not my color (I love it but it doesn't look good on me), but I wear it anyway ;) The top actually is a little big - I need to take in the sides some when I get time.

Monday's denim skirt.

Shoes: Shoes? On a day like this?! You've got to be kidding me!
I have on my Old-Navy flip-flops in the picture 'cause it was cold and dewy in the morning, but I went barefoot the rest of the day!

Hair: Ponytail. I love ponytails!





Bright turquoise sleeveless top: Belk's between $3 and $5. Can't really see it. Sorry about all these poor-quality pictures. I'm borrowing a camera, and it doesn't always produce what I hoped for.

Monday's top.

And Monday's skirt. Told you I wear it all the time ;) !

Shoes: What Trissy calls my "Susan Shoes" :) She says they look like some Susan wears on "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe". Anyway, Mom got them for me ages and ages ago, and I recently 'rediscovered' them. They're real leather, so they've stayed nice, and I wear them to school in the winter. It was colder Thursday so I wore them.

Hair: Ponytail. Again. Yes, I wear ponytails all the time. I wear my hair down on Sundays usually, but I'm not a hair-do person, and I wear ponytails because they're fast, simple, and if they come undone, they can be fixed back without a lot of fuss. I love braids too, but my hair is not long enough right now to make a decent braid. When it was long, I wore a braid all the time. *Sigh* Hope it doesn't take too long for it to grow out again!

Ok, this outfit really looked better than it does in the picture. But I didn't have much time, and just took it fast, and it had to do. So, sorry.

Black T-shirt: Michael's at the end of the season for less than $1.

Green beaded/embroidered cotton jumper: from Dad and Mom, for my birthday several years ago. I know it's from Wal*Mart, but I don't know what it cost.

Black leather closed-in shoes and black knee-socks. Ok, I know, strange, but my feet were cold, and at least they matched the shirt. :)

The shoes are some of my "old faithfuls" that I've had for years, but they're leather, and even though they're so old, they still work for just around the house. They came from either Target or K-Mart.

Hair: Ponytail.

Plaid button-up shirt: 50 cents at a cousin's yard sale.

Full denim skirt: Gift for my birthday a couple of years ago.

Funny navy-and-lavender-sandal-Crocs-that-are-very-comfortable-once-you-learn-to-walk-in-them-so-they-don't-tip-you-over-and-pour-you-out: Brand new hand-me-downs from a cousin who they didn't fit. Yay! The heels are built up just a little, so they 'tip' if you're not careful :) .

I decided to braid my hair today, even though it didn't make more than about 9 inches, simply because I knew you were all tired of reading Hair: Ponytail! LOL

Ok, well, that was the week in skirts. Let me know what you think
I'm going to run 'cause I've still got quite a bit of homework due Monday, and I don't work on school on Sundays, so I need to get busy!

Keep Looking Up!

Large and Small: Chickens!

Hello all! Just a quick post on: Chickens!

My instructor at the college (the one I've asked you to pray for) knows we have chickens, and like farm life and all that. She knew another girl at the college who had a couple of roosters she was needing to get rid of, and Mrs. H (my instructor) asked me if we wanted one. Dad and Mom said we could take one, even though we've got a rooster, but we have plenty of space since our chicken population has been declining over the past couple of years, and besides, the rooster we have has pretty much NO dominating spirit whatsoever, even over the hens! So anyway, here is our new little rooster! :



See the feathers on his legs? He's a Silky and Mrs. H said feathers on the legs, and a sort of silky down instead of feathers are trademarks of Silkies. Uncle David and his family were down visiting when I brought him home, and the two cousins helped us name him: Brainerd. Because, according to them, his comb looks like a brain, and his "brain" makes him look like a nerd, and also Brainerd was the name of a missionary, so that's always good!
I know, crazy huh? But Trissy and I agreed it was kind of cute; and the logic worked, if you're not too picky, so Brainerd he became! :)

Mrs. H has also been wanting to loan me her incubator for quite some time so that we could hatch some chicks. So finally several weeks ago, she told me she had a neighbor who was "needing to get rid of some eggs", and said we could have them to hatch if we wanted them. So she brought about a dozen and a half to school, and her incubator, and they're supposed to hatch Tuesday!



Ok, well, I'm going to go for now. Told you this wouldn't be very long, but anyway... I'll try to post pictures of the chicks when they hatch. So long for now!