Fun in the Sun

What a great thing it is to be able to enjoy grandchildren. Yesterday we worked down at Amy’s- helping out with some home repairs and general upkeep and as a reward…they let us bring 3 kids home! We told them that they could go out fishing this morning when they got up but we probably wouldn’t be up early! I guess we should have set the parameters a little tighter! They got up at 4 a.m….and had all kinds of adventures…seeing the raccoon- hearing the deer- everything but fish! They came back up at I don’t know when and played Monopoly until 6 when it got light! We rolled out about 9- got the boat in the lake and had lots of fun fishing with the three. On the way out to the fishing hole one of the girls lost her FAVORITE fishing hat…so we turned the boat around only to see it sinking! Not being able to maneuver the boat close enough to the hat in time to save it, Tori said- “Can I jump in and swim for a it?” When the answer “yes” came…plop, plop, plop…all three kids were over the side of the boat in the water! It was such a sight. Later Tori spied a lure stuck on a log…so again…plop-splash!! Into the water to retrieve the lure…those 2 things were the only things that were caught all day but we had a great time!

Sunday...day of rest

And it was...church then dinner and afternooon with children and grandchildren. What more could one ask for??? I'd like to ask anyone reading this to please click on the link on the sidebar for Noah Stephen and Please pray for him and his family. His parents were Leaders for a trip for Teen Mania a few years back. Please pray!

BANK ACCOUNT

Bank Account
Okay. what does this have to do with a bank account…well, let me explain. Yesterday was one of those days. It started out SO great. We were sitting down by the lake having our morning smoothie and coffee and doing our Bible study. A sound pretty romantic and spiritual doesn’t it? Well, it was! God is good. Anyway, Dave said," Does our camera have a zoom on it?" I told him, no, that my $70 digital camera that I bought almost 5 years a go had no “extra” features.” (One of those great DOOR BUSTERS at Staples the Day after Thanksgiving!) We discussed buying a new one but the way our bank account looks right now…I suggested that we wait until the Day After Thanksgiving Sale when they ALWAYS have a good deal on cameras- and anyway we’d be in Florida with really nothing to do…and maybe have some more cash then…so we agreed. Yes, we’d wait to buy a new camera. Then Dave said, “You really ought to take a picture of this scene and add it to your blog.”
I said, “Okay, why don’t you run up and get the camera.” (What happened to the help meet here? Oh well!) So he went up and got it BUT on the way out the door..DROPPED and broke the camera! He promises that it was not purposeful! . In the mean-time- Sam called and said we could bring our car down for a needed repair… so we decided we’d be close to some shopping so could shop for a camera- just can’t have a blog with no camera! Amy and her family are in need of our water bottle and crock so I filled up several gallon jugs, our Igloo, the water bottle and another 5 gal. jug- and put them in the trunk When we got there he said, “Was that igloo full of water????” YES! “Well, not anymore!”. So…we emptied out the trunk and left it to Dry out- transferred the water containers to the truck and took off for Amy’s. We then had lunch-(also a story there at Cracker Barrel as we WAITED ½ hour for 2 salads- watched the tables on each side of us be cleared, seated, order, got their food- almost done- still no salads..) That turned out okay as they brought us BIG salads and cornbread- ALL for a the price of a $2.00 kids meal-(you can get two salads and a drink for that price as a SR.- there are SOME advantages!) then we shopped for the camera and found what we felt was a good enough deal…
(By the way...this is taken with the OLD camera after I taped the battery compartment back together..we REALLY don't NEED a new one!) then went and picked up the car. It was THEN I discovered that my Cutting Mat that we had picked up the night before at Lisa’s had been left in the back seat in the direct sunlight. I have been SO careful and protective of it since I bought it when teaching about 12 years a go! It was then that I lost all that I had been doing in Bible studies and did NOT deposit well into my bank account! God is teaching me that STUFF is still too important! Today I got this story about the bank account and thought you would enjoy it. It really spoke to me.
THE BANK ACCOUNT
A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably coifed and shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. His wife of 70 years recently
passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready.
As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window.
"I love it," he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.
"Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait."
"That doesn't have anything to do with it," he replied.
"Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged ... it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. "It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do.
Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away. Just for this time in my life.
Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in. So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories! Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank. I am still depositing." Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.

Before and After

Okay...here's what is going on. On Tuesday, while Lisa and I were out getting our hair cut...Dave was home redoing the flower beds around the house. It is a job we started last March but decided to stop until the sprinkler system was in since it would go into some of the beds. So..now when it is 103! Dave is working again in the yard. Here is the before and after...the side on the right is the after in case you can't tell! It really looks good.

Now for the hair. Here is the before- last weekend- Yikes! Then the after

And this last picture I'm posting to change my comment picture. It was how I had my hair last JAn. after I had HATED the haircut 2 weeks earlier- I'm thinking of going back to this. What do you think?

What does a weekend with 15 grandkids look like?

This weekend started last Thursday when Sam and Lisa and boys came up so Sam could help Dave finish the cover on the lakeside patio. Lisa, the boys and I spent the time in the lakeside "pool" trying to beat our 13 + days of 100 + heat! Sam and Dave had to haul lattice up on top and staple it down to provide us with some shade down by the lake. We finished off the night with a game of "500" and I don't remember who won.
I had a rather sleepless night as I was up reading my Karen Kingsbury novel! So when the doorbell rang at 7 a.m. I stumbled out of bed and greeted the 8 Smith kids for the day! We began with breakfast. breakfast They brought a box of Cream of Wheat-I was set to make enough for 8- Caitlin informed me that they make enough for 16! Then at supper time- I got out the 2 boxes of Mac and Cheese but Caitlin said, "Oh Grammy, we always make 4 or 5!" Good thing I had spares on hand.
The day was spent with 5 hours down at the lake swimming, boating and searching for treasures in the lake. JM won that one with his prized net...only to lose it later while swimming with Ana BUT Ana saved the day and found it again so they now have joint ownership!



Saturday the whole Smith clan was back along with Jay and Cole Hasz- giving relief to their parents with the new baby! More swimming, games, food and fun! At one point in the day Ana and JM were playing Fisher Price (that is getting out the house, school, farm, and hospital and all the furnishings). Ana was in charge of the school and JM the house. Ana came in to appeal to her mom becasue JM had all the desks from the school in his house! Amy told Ana that she thought that JM should give her the desks since she had the school. JM adamently exclaimed, "But MOM! My kids are homeschooled! What will they do for desks????!!"

We finished off that day with a story then Amy picked them all up about 8. I fell into bed exhausted but happy! Cole and Jay spent the night and went to church with us on Sunday. Jay talked GrandDad into a Stop Thief game.
Tonight we brought Jay and Cole home and had pizza with David and Beth. We then met Jon and Jordan at Dairy Queen to experience her first ice cream cone! (Sorry- blogspot won't let me put on any more pictures!) Then Jon and Dave went to Lowes to get Jon a grill-dropped me off at the Coffee Shop to blog- then we'll go over to Sam and Lisa's and play some 500.
THAT is what a weekend looks like here in East TExas!

Nicholas Walker Hasz

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Nicholas Walker Hasz
8 lbs. 7 oz.
born to: David and Beth Hasz

Children are a GIFT from the Lord;
They are a reward from him.
Children born to a young man
Are like sharp arrows in a warrior’s hands.
How happy is the man whose quiver is full of them!
Psalm 127: 4,5

How happy David and Beth are to welcome Nicholas Walker Hasz into the world this afternoon. We are praising the Lord for a healthy baby and mom!

Beth will be in the hospital 48 hours. Ashley and Jonathan started back to school last Thursday and their intern babysitter- Beth, is taking over with Cole and the house.
Teen Mania welcomes the new August class of Interns on Wednesday which puts David back into full swing! Nicholas arrived just in time!

This makes 15 grandchildren for us and we are SO blessed. Thank you Father God. Your goodness is overwhelming. This child, like the others, is truly a gift to us.

May you live to enjoy your grandchildren...

"May you live to enjoy your grandchildren, And may Israel have quietness and peace.Psalm 128:6"
This past week we were so blessed to have MOST of our grandchildren come and visit us. We DID see ALL of our children and their spouses this week. God is so good to allow us to live close to them all for this season and we are enjoying it SO much.

We are praying for the peace of Jerusalem and watching as God fulfills the prophecies of Ezekiel and Daniel in bringing about the last days. Are you ready? Read ALL ABOUT it in the WORD!

So Give Your Parents JOY...Prov. 23:24

Proverbs 23: 24 The father of godly children has cause for joy. What a pleasure it is to have wise children. So give you parents joy! May she who gave you birth be happy!" Proverbs 23: 24”
Last night the LORD, (and we give HIM all the glory and honor), allowed us to be so blessed to attend the Honor Academy, Gala, which is celebrating the completion of one year ( or two years for some )for the interns in the Teen Mania Honor Academy. (Here is David confering with Ron Luce, the head of Teen Mania, during the program. ) The mission statement of the Honor Academy is, “Our heart beat is…To provide a young generation to passionately pursue Jesus Christ and to take His life-giving message to the ends of the earth! God has gifted David to be the leader/teacher of this group of young people and to lead this part of Teen Mania. There were about 500 graduates in the 2 groups this year. We couldn’t have been more blessed than to sit there and watch David MC the night and speak of the goodness of God and what HE has done in the lives of these youth. TO GOD BE THE GLORY!
The other added blessing is that our ENTIRE family- all 8 children and their 14 offspring- well, not ALL as Beth, Jay and Cole were at home as Beth is just days away from delivering their fourth child! All of Amy's family were there and so well behaved! What a blessing...as were ALL the children! Sam and Lisa were there with their boys, and Kelly and Jon and Jordan were seated at the end of the Hasz table!
Anyway- it is such a blessing to have all our children involved in ministry here at Teen Mania and to be seated together at one LONG table! On the way home last night Dave and I were recounting our blessings and thanking God for honoring His promise that if we would train up our children in the way they should go...when they were old they would not depart from Him! We were remembering the days when David was just a little boy- 3 years old- and he was STANDING in the BACK SEAT (years before children had to be in carseats...how did they ever survive!) and as he stood singing the cords on his neck stood out as he bellowed at the top of his voice- Oh, how I love Jesus!" Just one of those memory pictures that continues to bless us and we have seen the hand of God on his life as he has yielded himself to the Lord. Yes…"she who gave birth was indeed happy!" Prov. 23:24

Because the Gracious hand of God was upon me

Yesterday I told you about the things that the Hasz men were able to accomplish for Lisa and I through their phone conversations. This morning as I was reading in Nehemiah, the Lord spoke to me and showed me that it was not their wisdom and cleverness that reaped the blessings we were given but…as Nehemiah had asked the king for letters for safe travel and provisions to be given him to go back to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall- this is what the Bible says:
Nehemiah 2:8 “and because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests.” Therefore, I want to give credit where credit is due for our cushions and so forth that WalMart is going to give us. Thank you GOD that your gracious hand was upon us!


I was asking the Lord again this morning what my purpose is for this time and He reminded me again that I am the helpmeet for Dave. So I went out to the garage and found him sawing lumber for the “cover” over the lakeside patio. I spent the rest of the morning holding the umbrella over him as he worked and getting him tools and drinks and doing whatever he asked of me. What a joy to be where I am supposed to be.

This is why I am the HELPER -helpmeet!

This is why God created me to be the HELPMEET! After reading on Lisa’s blog about Sam and his conversation with their internet provider-after Lisa got the total run around with them…see her blog! I wrote this in her comments:
I think Sam must be his father's son or Maybe Dave is Sam's father.. Anyway, we had a similar problem yesterday with a patio set that we bought at WalMart on clearance from WalMart to use down by the lake. It was marked down from $325 to $175 so we thought that was a good deal. They had one sitting out on the sidewalk in front of WalMart and the guy who was assembling the matching loveseat set said there were lots more in boxes inside. We paid for it THEN found out there were no more in boxes- there was just one in a dismantled box but were told that the manager said that one was SOLD- (to himself I'm sure). Anyway- we bought the one on the sidewalk- all assembled- and loaded it on to our already loaded down truck. We also bought the matching loveseat set in a LARGE box. We got it all home and after unloading it found that there was a hole in one of the cushions- the covers for table and chairs were missing and there were several glides missing from the chairs. I called WalMart and talked to them and they said all we could do is bring it back and have our money refunded. Groan. This morning DAVE called the Customer Service number on the sticker on the table-(also a WalMart rep. but not at the local store.) After talking with MY HUSBAND, H e is going to: Send us a new cushion, send out the covers and send out the glides. How does Dave do that???? This is why I am the Helper and not the one in charge! I need to remember my role and let HIM do the talking!

Reveille

It’s late and I’m tired…but just wanted to share this really sweet moment from camp…Haley played her trumpet to help us rise each morning with Reveilee and put us to bed with Taps each night. It was so sweet!
( I just waited 10 min. for this picture...and NO picture!...maybe tomorrow!)

I also spent about 1/2 hour on the internet just trying to find out how to spell Reveille!!!

Reveille (Service Call) - Signals the troops to waken for the morning roll call. This call is also used to accompany the daily raising of the National Colors and/or United States Flag. Soldiers who are outdoors and hear this call should face the flag (or face the music if the flag is not in sight) and Present Arms (salute) whether in or out of uniform.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

After taking the challenge of the "Experts"-who we had spanked last Friday night at "500"- Lisa and I again went to the table and in 3 out of 5 games came out the champions. It will be short lived so we'll enjoy it while we can! Tonight may be a different story. Sam and Lisa came up so Sam could help Dave with the building project down at the lake- putting a cover over the "patio" by the "lakeside". I say "lakeside"- because the water is so low that the sea wall is sticking 4 feet out of the ground. Our bay is too shallow to bring the boat in and we are praying for rain in this drought stricken land of East Texas- not just for the lake but primarily for the farmers. Sam and Dave will work on it tomorrow as Sam is taking a much needed day off. He worked long hours all weekend moving 1000's of kids to and from Dallas for Teen Mania via bus. He is in charge of all the scheduling of transportation so was at work at all hours of the day and night. What a great son to help us on his day off!
The sign says "Loser" in case you can't read it!

For Mom's ...all of you!

I'm thinking of my mom today. She went home to be with the Lord just a few months
ago after 95 years of grace. I sent her this poem every day on MOther's Day from the time that Amy was born until she died. (about40 times!) When I was teaching 7th grade Girls' Bible at Faith Christian and we did a Mother/Daughter tea I always had a group of girls act this out. Please take time to go to this website today and be blessed.
http://wandascountryhome.com/motherswalk/index.html

A Day of REST

Here they are...the Blue and Red Teams...the kids that dominated our lives last week and brought us so much joy. We held our First, Lord Willing, Annual Grandkids Camp. It was lots of work but oh rewarding. The LORD gave us the grace, wisdom and training to do this type thing...also the property to be able to hold it here...and we give HIM all the glory. Today is the day of REST and after spending yesterday cleaning up...we will take that day and REST!