Hungry Birds

 Snow Snow Snowing briskly.. Birds are at the feeder just eating and drinking at the bird bath... So happy to see so many birds. I think I can count almost 20 cardinals , if they would just sit still I could get them all counted.. They are so pretty against the snow...  
This is how we need to be  reading God's word.. Hungry and thirsting...to read what he has in store for us each day..

This week-=end I am going to Wyoming, Iowa for a Women's Retreat that Holly my friend and I have organized.. It's going to be so exciting.. We have nose whistles which I had never seen and they are so cool...We have a young lady named Hope who is going to be our music leader and we have many praise music songs to sing...(7)..all new to us... Our theme this year is Come to the Light... We have a guest speaker coming ~ Nancy Griffith..she is amazing and well give us a message straight from  God..   I'm going to teach the girls how to make candles so they can have light to take home with them to remember we are filled with the Holy Spirit.. If you don't read your bibles daily and pray and have a conversation with God daily,,your Holy Spirit light is going to go off and turn into ashes... then to re -light it is so easy ~ just get back into the word and speaking to God again... God is waiting for us...  
      Sometimes we get attacked with Satan having people to try and discourage us.  But this morning I read my devotion and it says :  As long as you're in this world you'll have problems.. Nobody gets a free pass.  But don't worry, the Lord's got everything under control.. Just learn to be realistic.. You will always have to deal with unpleasant situations, stubborn problems and difficult people. But your attitude (not theirs) is what determines whether or not you enjoy life..  And I doooo enjoy my life~!~!
Have a great day~!  God Bless you All...ta ta for now from Iowa:)

Mr. Pheasant is hungry~!

This morning I woke up early ~ 6-ish.. It's snowing so softly this morning, just coming down in swirls.. I went outside right away to clear the snow away from the ground where the birds feed to keep their feet warm as they are eating.. Notice sometimes they have one leg up?  They are trying to keep the other foot warm..  I put out the black sunflower seed and had several cobs of corn that I shucked off the cob so it would be easier for them to get to..Yes, I spoil my birds..   I came back into the house and got my coffee.. I watched right outside my window for the birds to come..  This beauty of a bird, Mr. Pheasant came right up to the feeder and stayed for quite awhile..  He is pretty fat so he has been eating well this winter.   There were actually 30 of them but this is the only one that was brave enough to come to the feeder.. The others ran madly into the field and into the pasture.. They were so funny to watch with their necks stretched out and pale maling across the yard and into the field that will take them to the pasture..  
         Yesterday the weatherman was predicting for this area to get 5 to 8 inches of snow.. I think so far we have gotten 4 inches..  It's still snowing and it looks lovely.  At least the wind isn't blowing 90 miles an hour and it's really peaceful looking out there.. The school is having a 2 hour delay today.. I'm enjoying my morning with my coffee and reading all my favorite blogs and being in my PJ's before I go into the school to volunteer with the 2nd graders.. I'll get to see Ben in Kindergarden and have lunch with him today.. He is such a joy~!   
       Think I'll make some chilli and put it into the crock pot to cook slowly.. That will taste good on this winter day.. for our supper~!  
       This morning in my devotion it was talking about how God's presence will give you rest.. Unless we spend time in God's presence we will always have an underlying sense of insecurity.  There are certain people we draw security from just by being around them: their presence and approach to life make us feel better. Likewise , when you need to be lifted and strengthened you must spend time with God.  Being in His presence is like being in a room filled with perfume; you take the fragrance of it with you when you leave.  God can give you rest in the midst of trouble, and peace in the midst of conflict.  That includes a difficult workplace, or a home that's in constant turmoil.  God's presence can help you to show love in the face of  mistreatment, and patience in times of stress.  It can help you to bring positive change without a lot of words, and end up feeling good about the way you handled things. So spend time  in God's presence today..
Have a tiggeriffic day~!  Ta ta for now from Iowa:)

Mia is all dressed up in her dress~!

 Mia is the most cutest toy poodle.. She barks a lot and when Mia's owner, Holly puts a dress on her she quits barking and is so relaxed. We were in Holly's music room and playing the piano and a friend of ours was playing the guitar.. Mia climbed into the guitar case and was taking a little nap..  She is such a cute and funny dog~!  
Ben really likes this dog and Mia always climbs into his lap and just loves on him as Ben loves on Mia.. 

Today the weather man is promising our area of Iowa 5 to 8 inches of snow.  Well, I'm ready.. Made a big pot of soup .
Put hot water into my stainless steel pitcher so in case the electric goes off I can have a cup of hot tea... I went outside and filled all the bird feeders and put water in the bird bath.. The birds right now are gulping down the food and drinking lots of water.. They are getting ready for the big storm.. just like me. 
I love snow , especially when it's going to be 5 inches or more.. I like to walk down the path of our pasture while it's snowing.. Everything is so quiet and the snow just covers everything.  I'll wait until it's almost dark to do this , then I can see the rabbits running and birds settling down in the trees. We have 30 pheasants and maybe I'll get a peek at them. at least I can hear the male pheasants making loud noises that they make..to warn  his group of girls that follow him,  that they need to go for cover.. Human's are coming.  Nature is so fun to watch ~!
      Went to the Christian Book Store yesterday and got a Louie Giglio DVD called Symphony "I Lift My Hands"... I watched it this morning and was so glad I did.. What a way to start a morning, listening to Louie and getting a gift from God.. What a wonderful inspiring video.. This video was on the bargain table for $5.. I'm so glad I picked it up.. my favorite Louie Giglio DVD is called " How Great Is Our God".. If you haven't seen this one ~ please get a copy and get ready to see where we fit in God's amazing Planet.. It's spectactular~!  
While I was there I got another book mark for Ben.. He asked me to get one like the one we got when we bought his bible last month.. It's a picture of Jesus.. He wants to tape it to his desk at school so he can have Jesus with him everyday..at school. We read about John the Baptist baptising Jesus.. He now wants to be baptised just like Jesus.. How precious is that.. God is good..
His Mom and I have been reading Ben the Bible and Ben just loves it and is not happy with reading one chapter at a time.. He wants to be read 3 or 4 chapters a night..So glad we are doing this as Ben is gaining faith in God rapidly.. We pray a lot and he is so precious when he is praying.. The other day he told God he was sorry his son died.. I thought that was so sweet..  
      The TV is showing closing on the bottom of the screen and I suppose later there will be postings of school closings for tomorrow.   I'm ready to sit and watch the snow come down..look out my window and watch the birds come to the feeders.. The cardinals are so bright red next to the snow..
Have a tiggeriffic day~!  ta ta for now from Iowa:)

       

Ben having fun with Grandpa Dee Dee

Dave came over to Ben's house and Ben decided it would be fun to try and wrestle Grandpa Dee Dee.. He was trying to knock him over... Such fun these boys had laughing. I had fun watching Dave trying to stay upright.. Ben ~age 6 weighing in at 50 pounds is quite a load on one's shoulders and his determination to try and get Dave to fall over was tenacious.  It ended well and Dave always carries a miniature candy bar in his left pocket and they both sat and had a treat... 
       Yesterday, I picked up Ben from his after school sitter, Donna.. HE was so excited.. He had a good day at school plus he was so  excited to see me.. He had been with his other grandma , JoGram for 6 days and he was happy to be with me and his mom now.. Last night we sat down with the reading books the school is having him read and I am always surprised to listen to him read so fast.. I should record it someday.. In Kindergarten
these children are required to know so much at a early age.. They are doing what I did in 1st grade..  He has Math mastered so no after school practice with him.. He is so much fun to be with..Wish I could of been this close with my other grandchildren..  
       WOW~! it's a brrrry windy cold day outside with the promise of a snow storm this afternoon.. The wildbirds are devouring the bird feeders..I only have 3 quail now, which is so sad.. I used to have 17.. These 3 quail are at the platform feeder just eating away and trying to master the wind blowing on them so strong.. at least I have one male out of the 3 and maybe this Spring I'll see their off spring eating at my feeder.. Hope so..
      Going to Springville School here in a little bit to help with the 2nd graders.. Mrs. Wittenburg said not to come until after 10.. They are doing testing all week .. She encouraged them to get plenty of rest each night and eat a good breakfast..  I'm going to take some orange cuties to them , I have them all peeled and ready to hand them out.. They all love cuties..
       Have a great Tuesday~!  ta ta for now from Iowa:)

Breakfast at the barn in Stone City, Iowa

This morning I went to the Stone City at what we call the Barn.. This gal and her husband own this 3 story barn and this is what it looked like at Christmas.. I should of taken pictures today because it was all decorated like Spring.. So beautiful..
Once a month she has a brunch at the barn and we bring egg casseroles, muffins ect. Deb makes her famous pecan rolls.. It's just a feast.. Afterwards a gal named Nancy gives a message and then we all set around and visit.. There were close to 50 women this morning from all over the area.. I have gone so many times now that I recognize these woman and it's really nice to talk with them .   This morning Nancy's talk was titled :
                                " God's Timetable."
When God makes you wait for something longer than you want to, He's teaching you patience.  Your emotions are like a wild horse ~ they need to be reined in.  "Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God's will.  Then you will receive all that he has promised" (Heb 10:36) Your impatience will just make you and everybody around you miserable, but it won't rush God.. He works according to His own plan and timetable.."In due season we shall reap" (Gal 6:9) 
"Due season" is God's season, not yours.. You're in a hurry. He isn't.  He takes time to do things right. You may not know what He's doing but He does.  And that'll have to be good enough for you.. God's timing seems to be His own business. He's never late, but He usually isn't early either. He takes every opportunity to develop in you the fruit of patience. But other fruits are being developed in you as well.. There are several things that must arrive at the finish line at the same time in order for you to win the race.  Developed potential, without character, doesn't glorify God.  If you were to become a a huge success and yet be arrogant and harsh with people, that wouldn't be pleasing to the Lord.. So when you get ahead of yourself in one area, He gently but firmly blocks your progress in that area until the others catch up.. You don't appreciate any of this while it's happening but later on you realize what a mess you'd have made if things had been done on your timetable instead of God's...
     Nancy's message was right on the mark and something to seriously work towards.. I love going each month and it's such a treat to listen to what Nancy has to say.. God's Promises are true and there for us... He touches our lives everyday..
     It was a great day ~!  It was a sunny day and very nice.. This evening it's 21 and a little chilly outside.. But it was great to see the sun out today... I went to town today to buy ink for my printer... I got home and tried to install it into the printer, only to find I had bought the wrong number.. Rats~!  Now I have to take it back and get the right one... I had it written down on a piece of paper and put it in a safe place in my purse.. Could I find that piece of paper today.. NO~!  Lesson learned.. Take cartridges out of printer and take with you...Can't make a mistake doing that... 
         Have a great rest of the day ~!  ta ta for now from Iowa:)

Nice Sunny Day In Iowa~! Happy Valentine's Day~!

Today was a sunny cold day here in Iowa. Happy Valentine's Day...
Was at school today and had lunch with Ben.. afterwards I went outside with him and he was playing on the slide.. He had me take lots of pictures but I won't bore you with them all... He loves to play outside and he loves the thrill of the slide.. 

After lunch Ben went back to his Kindergarden class and I went to the 2nd grade classroom where I volunteer twice a week.  It was party day and you sure could tell it throughout the school.  Lots of sugar being digested and lots of squirrley kids.. It was a fun day~!  
      I was kept busy with putting up their pictures in the hallway that they had drawn of Abraham Lincoln and stories they had written about him...Some of these kids did a really great job of drawing Abe..  
    No school tomorrow as teachers have a inservice day... The kids were excited about that...I told Mrs. Wittenburg if she had anything for me to help her with tomorrow to call me.  There is always lots to do in her classroom and I really enjoy helping her.  
     This afternoon it snowed..about an inch.. It was so beautiful watching it come down.. Almost all of our past snow had melted and it was nice to see new snow.. Yes, I love snow.. One thing nice about Spring snow is that it gives your grass a free nitrogen treatment.. It doesn't last long because the temperatures always gets in the 40's the next day and it melts. 
We are over the hump of winter...Spring is on the way.. I can tell because some of the birds are starting to sing their mating songs..no more squawking like they do all winter.  Won't be long and we will have the warm sun on our faces and we can take off all the winter coats, hats , mittens and boots  and trade them in for a light jacket.. Oh , that sounds so good..
         Ben is spending the week=end with his Dad and tonight he is with his other Grandmother.. JoGram... She is going to take him bowling tomorrow.. He loves to bowl.. She is on a league on Friday's and afterwards she lets him bowl.. What fun for Ben~!
          Hope you all had a great Valentine's Day~!  Have a tiggeriffic week-end... ta ta for now from Iowa:)

Roots and Wings......

For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother.. Genesis 2;24.
  Roots and Wings.....
        You'll know you've succeeded as a parent when your children are able to leave you and go out and build a successful life on their own.. You will never cut them off, but there comes a time when you must 'cut the apron strings' and let them stand on their own two feet. Remember, the children you are raising right now belonged to God before they belonged to you.. "The earth is the Lord's...and all who live it it"  Ps. 24:11.  You are a teacher, not an owner, and your opportunity to teach them is amazingly brief. Your children were born to "leave," not stay. You can't control their ticking biological clock. Your job is to prepare them for leaving. For the next few days let's talk about giving your child roots and wings.. "Roots".  Before fruit develops, roots must thrive.. And healthy roots require healthy soil with the right elements for feeding and protecting plants.. Roots also depend on attachment to the soil.  There are two kinds of families.. The first offers "insecure attachment".  Their parent -child connection is ambiguous, ambivalent, indifferent or even neglectful, making kids feel emotionally unprotected, uncertain they're wanted and loved, though they desperately need both these things.. These children lack confidence, self-worth, emotional strength, and the courage to take risks.. The second offers "secure attachment"  Their parent -child connection is expressed and consistently reinforced.. Even during necessary absences their children feel safe and securely attached.. Such kids become spiritually, socially and emotionally capable, with the self-worth and courae required to face the challenges life puts in their path.
     This was in my daily devotion this morning.. I really believe that our children are a gift from God.. we just have them on loan...   Have a tiggeriffic Day~! ta ta for now from Iowa:)

IT's so cold here in Iowa~!

IT's been so cold here in Iowa with lots of snow.. Which we need lots of, to replenish our wells.. We are having a severe drought here in Iowa.. I don't mind the cold it's that time of year..but I will be thankful for above 0 temperatures..  

IT's been along time since I have put anything on my blog..
Emily my sweet Grandaughter called me over Christmas break and wanted to come to my house for a whole week. I was so excited.. She wanted to do some artsy things.  I just had the best thing to do with her and told her to get ready.. I have been viewing , YesandAmen.blogspot.com website and had signed up for a class called Wild Adventure..  When Emily got here we went to Michaels to get supplies.. When we got back to my house we got busy watching one of the classes and then getting busy with what we had learned.. We had so much fun for the week..
We went to a movie with Ben and his Mom called Monster Inc. in 3-D..  It was a good movie and fun to watch in 3D..
We had a great week and it was hard to take her back home.. Emily is now 12.. her birthday is Jan. 5th.. I always tell her "Your birthday is Jan. one hand and mine is Feb. one hand".  get it Jan. 5th and Feb. 5th... We love our birthdays~! 

Here I am reading a book to Ben.. He just loves to be read too.. We are reading a book named 100 Bible Stories.. He is just loving it~!   

Ben really enjoys putting puzzles together.  He is with his Dad this week-end.. He will be back on Monday and we can play again together...

Today I made some soup..I bought Bear Creek Dry Soup Mix. One was potato and the other one was brocolli cheddar cheese.. I opened up both bags and took out 1 1/2 cups from each bag and put it into a crock pot with 8 cups of water..Stirred it altogether.  I put the setting on high and let it come to a boil. Stirring occasionally. We had it for supper with salad and some baked apples.. It was so good...Tasted good on a cold winter day.  Didn't know this soup was so good...Dave liked it...that is what is most important.

Have a great week-end...ta ta for now from Iowa:)