ramble
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From Anger to Mercy
because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment. James 2:13
This last week I’ve been angry. Now, anger itself isn’t really an issue. Sometimes things happen and anger is an appropriate response. Over the last year we’ve experienced one of those situations. But when anger shifts into bitterness, there you have a problem. Last week my anger could have easily grown into a fullout, wrap around your heart, squeeze till you die, root of bitterness.
And though the source of my anger deserves punishment, in many ways so do I.
Maybe my sins aren’t as blatant, but they’re still sins. And I’ve been offered forgiveness. So, a new day has begun, and though the hurt and anger remain, I will choose mercy over justice.
Any thoughts?
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Up All Night!
This isn’t the blog post I’d planned for today. You’ll have to wait to hear me ramble on about my take on middle school. The reason…I’m tired.
My youngest daughter has two market lambs. It’s time, maybe past time, to wean them from their mothers. Each spring for the last twelve years or so, we’ve gone through this process. Sometimes the ewes put up a fuss, sometimes the lambs, but usually it’s short lived. They can still see each other through the fence.
But this year we have a real drama queen in the field. Not only did this lamb scream, she did so with a voice that pierced my sleep…all night long.
Seriously, I’ve never heard a sheep who could baa louder than this one.
It’s taken me most of the day to write this post. What can I say, I’m really tired.
And the dog broke free of his chain so I had to pick him up at the Humane Society.
And the steers broke through their fence and took a “field trip” down the property.
And…well, you don’t want to know.
But the sun was out, and God is good, and sleep is coming! AMEN!
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How Pinterest is Threatening My Life
If you haven’t joined the world of Pinterest yet, you’ve probably still seen the snapshots of tasty treats on Facebook. It’s like the devil himself tempting me in one of my most vulnerable spots…my stomach. Seriously, chocolate chip cookies with a warm, melted Rolo inside. I’ll admit, I’ve made them…twice. And they were even better than the picture!
And then there are the pretzel crusted brownies. My daughter and her friend made these bad boys. WOW!
They say obesity is threatening our lives. Pinterest is a cause of obesity. You do the math.
I can hear you all saying, “But what about all the healthy recipes?”
I’ve seen them. But…I’m yet to make any of these. After all, I’m full from the brownies and cookies.
There are some non-calorie perks to Pinterest. I’ve started a board for a few of my manuscripts, and it’s great fun to find things my characters would see or love and pin them to the board. The other day I stumbled upon a chair that would delight Ruth! I think I’ll give it to her. I’m a writer…I can do that.
Pop on over to my Pinterest page and take a look for yourself. Then come back and let me know how you survived.
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New Babies, BBQs and Friends
This post is much like my life…eclectic.
One of my favorite roles in life is that of Auntie. It’s like granny practice. Very early Friday morning, just a few hours after the close of my youngest daughter’s eleventh birthday, my new nephew was born. And he is soooo cute!
Each year we celebrate our youngest daughter’s birthday with a family barbeque. It’s a chance to spend time with friends, enjoy some not-so-good-for-you food and take in some sunshine. We’ve done this since she was quite little, and each year the rain takes a break for the party.
It’s become tradition to serve dirt pudding. Usually, I fill a couple flowerpots (specially reserved for pudding) and stick in a sprig of artificial flowers and a few gummy worms. This year I tried something different. They’re not as cute as the flowerpots, but the little dishes sure make it easier when close to thirty kids come at you wanting chocolate.
Click here for recipeAnother yearly tradition on the Nelson farm…the broken lawnmower. No matter how hard we try to be prepared, we can never anticipate what will bust. The other issue here is our not-so-much drainage. By the time we can drive a mower through the yard, the grass is knee-high. With only two hours until our guests arrival, my husband announced that there would be no revival of the rider that day.
I pulled the OLD push mower from the garage, hoping to at least chop down a patch of grass. I had to start by using zip-ties to hold the handle up. The throttle broke off many years ago, so it only has one speed. That lever you’re suppose to hold next to the handle, that piece that you let go of to stop the engine, it’s long gone. When the handle broke off during my oldest son’s turn at mowing, he had to reach way down and push the mower into a tall clump of grass to make the machine stop.
We borrowed a friend’s push mower. Wow. Did you know those things practically drive themselves?
The yard is still a jungle, but we did get that patch where we placed the BBQ and a few chairs. All those kiddos thought the tall grass was awesome. They played for hours out there.
All in all, it was wonderful!
How did you spend your weekend?
