Modem Down

Hey everyone this is Morgan, a blog friend of Rebekah's and she wanted me to let everyone know that she will not be on for probably a couple of weeks because her modem is down...

The Leak Saga Part 3, and A Challenge

The Leak Saga is finally pretty much over. All that's left is the repair! :)

The blowers were removed Thursday morning, and about the same time, we had water! PTL!! :)

The third plumber (don't ask...it's a long story) had to knock a hole in one wall to try to find the leak...

...and another hole in the wall behind the stove, but I don't have a photo of that. He found the pipe with the leak when he made the hole behind the stove. But he still didn't know where this pipe went to. You want to know where that pipe went? Think about refrigerators...how there's a little water pipe behind the fridge so that you can hook up most fridges to run water and make ice cubes? Well, it was actually that pipe, which we don't use anyway! Another praise! So he was able to just cap that pipe off, instead of having to reroute it. If it had been a very necessary line, like the one to a toilet or something, he would have had to jackhammer down into the foundation to find the pipe, then reroute the whole thing...which would have cost our landlord big bucks... But this way, he just capped it off and it's done! Without as much cost to our landlord, either! PTL again!!

Here's something else. Remember in the last post, I mentioned that I thought that maybe this happened to prevent an accident or something? Well, I now see two reasons why the Lord might have had things happen this way. For one, my grandfather is now complaining of a back pain, which may possibly be another kidney stone. I'm thankful that he isn't far away from home, dealing with that.

For the other, I have come down with my semiannual sinus infection. Yep, about twice a year I come down with the whole runny nose, stuffed sinuses, sore throat stuff. Lots of fun. But this is a pretty usual thing for me, and it's running its usual course, so I'm doing OK...I'm just thankful that I'm not in Phoenix with my mom and grandfather dealing with this.

And finally, we knew it would happen sooner or later. I mean, we were working against time with the first plumber and the second semi-plumber (he was really a handyman, not a plumber), and we knew the pipe was going to go within a short amount of time...we just didn't know when. I'm thankful that the pipe didn't bust when Papa was out here, with the water being off, the blowers on, all that stuff. That would've just been harder to deal with, with him here.

All this mentioning of being thankful for things has my mind going on a different track now. My Aunt Moira, whose blog is The Quilted Snail, had a good idea recently. She wrote a post in which she shared a conviction she'd had about being grateful for things. She decided that from then on, she would end all her posts with at least two things for which she was grateful.

Now, I don't know about you, but when I heard that idea, a little light bulb went off in my head. If she was convicted by this other blog to be more grateful, and decided to list her gratitudes with every post, why shouldn't I do that? And...why shouldn't other people do that too? Maybe... Maybe I can start a trend, a challenge!

So, here's my challenge to you. November is the month of Thanksgiving -- or at least it was until folks took the emphasis off gratitude and onto shoving our mouths full of turkey and gossip. How about we, our little bloggie community, decide to take November and make it our own personal Month of Thanksgiving?

I challenge you, everyone who reads this post, to end every post that you make in November with at least two things for which you are grateful. This doesn't have to be real fancy or anything, just a heartfelt giving of thanks to the God who has given us so much. And who knows? maybe you'll like it so much that you'll decide to do it from now on, like my Aunt Moira did!

You can start now if you want, or wait until November starts. Just make sure, if you take me up on the challenge, to really do it, not just do it for a few posts and then stop. This is between you and the Lord, so whatever you're grateful for, stop and thank Him for it!

I'm going to start now. I've already listed several things above for which I'm grateful, but I'm going to add one more.

Lord, thank You for my bloggie friends, who have cheered me up on many an occasion, and have often reassured me that I am not alone in the things that I struggle with. They're also people, Lord, and we all struggle with temptations and such. Thank You for these friends.

The Leak Saga Continues...

First of all, thanks for all your kind comments, hoping that this mess can be cleaned up soon, and commiserating...

We've been doing well... We go over to the neighbors' houses to fill buckets, pots, and pitchers with water so that we can wash our hands, flush toilets, wash dishes...all that good stuff...

It's really pretty interesting, doing things the old fashioned way. I can almost imagine that I'm hauling this pot full of water from the well out back, instead of the neighbor's hose... When I put a pot of water on the stove to heat up so that I can wash dishes, I can almost imagine I am back in the days when there weren't faucets and taps on sinks... As for going to the bathroom...well....let's not discuss that.... ;)

Do you know what these are??

Well, if you've ever had a leak in your house, you know exactly what they are... The blue thing is a blower, and the red thing is a dehumidifyer. We have three of these blowers, two in the living room...





And one in my bathroom. Do you know how hard it is to, you know, take care of business when there's a hurricane wind blowing??! I've started using my parents' bathroom instead, it's quieter!


Casey-dog isn't too bothered by it, but Skeet is terrified. She wouldn't venture out of my bedroom until about 7:00 this morning, poor kitty. The noise and the windstorm must be pretty scary to such a small critter...

As for our trip, we have rescheduled everything again...we're not going until mid-November. You see, my grandfather's sister is going to be in Arizona for Thanksgiving, and we wanted them to be able to see each other again one more time... And, because of time scheduling, that means we get to have Papa with us here for Thanksgiving! I am very excited about that -- I don't know when the last time I was able to share Thanksgiving with my grandfather. So, Lord willing, everything is worked out that way. Maybe that's why the pipes busted now -- so that we could work things out this way.

One last thing.... Did y'all notice the new look? It's a Cutest Blog On the Block background! Now, ordinarily I'm not too big on the CBOTB stuff, but I was tired of the background that I made myself, and I really liked this one, so here it is... Do you like it?

Well, I have other things to do, so I will sign off for now. I hope everybody has a great day!

OK, so cancel that....

We've had a little change of plans here....

Do you know what this is??


If you guessed 'wet carpet', you would be right!

No, nobody had an accident...just the pipes coming from the water heater... Yeah, I know -- ugly, isn't it?!!!!

My mom trying to soak up some of the water with towels (and Skeeter helping)

We've known for quite awhile that we had a problem, but only for the last week or so that we truly had leaks -- you read that right, leaks -- a slab leak and an in-house leak, and an blown regulator. We also knew that these leaks would keep getting bigger and bigger until they blew through the pipes and made a mess (or a tidal wave, depending on how soon we caught it! LOL -- OK it isn't really funny)... What we didn't know is how soon this would happen (nobody knew but God, of course)...and when it happened was probably about 1:30 this afternoon!

The row of towels, trying to soak up the water...

We had run a few loads of laundry this morning, which is probably what was the last straw for the pipes. And while those loads of laundry were running, I had heard a strange, heretofore-unheard noise in the bathroom, a sort of sqealing noise... In hindsight, I can say, "Hmmm....wonder what that was??!!!!"

So apparently, Lord, You didn't want us to go to Arizona tomorrow...

Yeah, it does get better. Tomorrow my mom and I were scheduled to take off for Arizona, to see friends and pick my grandfather up from the airport...but now all that has been neatly and successfully moved to next week. I mean, really neatly and successfully -- no problem switching flights, times with various friends, etc.

So maybe the Lord was saving us from a car accident, or something... I don't claim to know why He does things, but it sure is an interesting "coincedence"...wouldn't you say??

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ARIANA!!!! :)

My precious niece is a year old today!! Woohoo! Yay for Ariana!! :)

If you've been following my blog for awhile, you might recognize most of these photos, but in honor of her first birthday, I'm going to post them again... (sorry the spacing got a little messed up)

Remember this?

She was 8 hours old...and I lost my heart. That's when I became Auntie Bekah :)

So did my mom, who was promptly christened 'CG', for California Grandma. See that smile?!

Ain't she precious?!!!

Since she was born on a Friday, she was three days old on her first Sunday in church.

The happy new daddy and mommy...

This jumper really went well with the quilt that Mom and I made for her.

Piggyback ride!

Such a happy baby...

Chillin' in her duckie bath...she still likes that thing...

This photo really represents her personality at that time...

You just gotta love that face...

Her first Christmas (and her first Christmas dress...the Sunday before Christmas, I was holding her, and, eh, well, she sorta had it coming out both ends, if you know what I mean. It was the first time I ever got to clean up a baby and change the diaper and clothes completely by myself...)

...Train up a child in the way [she] should go...

I just love this photo of her! This was her first actual portrait...

Did I mention that my mom loves being her CG??

This was last 4th of July, right before Ariana's first fireworks...she was sooooo tired but there was so much going on that she couldn't go to sleep...she started crying when the fireworks started going off...but when they were over, she fell sound asleep...

The happy family, just last July...

That was an Auntie B outfit...

...such an Ariana face...

Did you know that leaves are fascinating? They're also tasty...

That was at Grandpa Mike, CG, and Auntie B's house...feel free to come visit anytime, sweetheart... :)

Auntie B loves you...

The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. (Num. 6:24-26)

Happy first birthday, sweetheart.

Samaritan's Purse

I have something sort of on my mind. Sitting here on my desk in front of me is the Christmas Gift Catalog for Samaritan's Purse. Now, I don't know if y'all are familiar with Samaritan's Purse, or with Operation Christmas Child, which is part of Samaritan's Purse... Anyway, I really feel strongly about this charity... I know that money is really pretty tight for a lot of folks these days, what with the economy and stuff, and I'll admit it's pretty tight for us too...but when you think of the folks in other countries for whom money isn't just tight, it's nonexistent...well, sort of makes you count your blessings and then want to give back in return, doesn't it? Now, my mom and I volunteer in the processing center for our area, which is a really neat thing, and I would really encourage you, if you have a processing center near you, to donate your time like that. But even more important is having boxes to process...

Not to mention all these needs besides just boxes. Samaritan's Purse is involved with emergency relief around the world, wherever they're needed...and medical assistance, in the neediest of places...they provide the means for needy children to have life-saving surgery and other medical attention...and they work with HIV/AIDS patients in poor areas... And if you read their catalog, you will see that your gift could feed a hungry baby for a week, give clothing to those in need, provide Bible lessons for children, help stock a fish pond or provide chickens or goats for malnourished families...you can give blankets to the cold, shelter to the homeless, medicine to the critically ill, and an example of God's love to needy people across the world. You get my point?

I have heard of people holding yard sales and bake sales to raise money to give these gifts. I have heard of people being sponsored to run, walk, or bike, so that they can donate the money. People hold bike rallies, or start programs in their church, because they feel that God wants them to do something about this. Maybe you can prayerfully ask if the Lord wants you to do something...

Yes on 8 -- PLEASE WATCH!

I just wanted everyone to see this. Whether or not you're in California, like I am, this is an issue for everyone. And please, all Californians, please vote yes on 8. I know I don't usually go into politics on my blog, but this is **SO** important. Please take a minute to watch this, and then take a stand with the Parkers and with us all. YES ON 8!!!

Make Your Vapor Count

I have an announcement to make. I know none of you are expecting this, and it might be a little shocking to some, but it's something I have to say.

I am a dying woman.

I know -- not quite what you were expecting to hear when you came to read my latest post, is it?? But it's true. My days are numbered. But all my days are in God's hands, and I am content with that.

But are you ready for the next announcement? Here it is:

You're dying too.

Yeah, we're all dying.

The statistics are pretty impressive: 1 out of every 1 persons dies. Pretty low survival rate, I might add...like, 0. There is no surviving life.

But for the Christian, that's wonderful news! Because for us, life does not end at death, it begins.

Like I said, this might be a bit shocking to hear, and might even be offensive to someone. And, in case you were wondering, no, I do not have some life-threatening disease or something (that I know of -- God could change that at any time).

But what I said is true! We are all dying, every one of us. The clock is ticking, folks, and only God knows how much time is left for each one of us. Let me put it a different way:

Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. James 4:14

Yeah. Kind of puts this life in perspective, doesn't it? Think about that some more: life is like a vapor.

You know, a vapor doesn't stick around very long. In fact, most vapors can't even be seen. Try it: breathe. Unless you're sitting in a very cold room, you can't see your breath. That's your life. Breathe again. That's your life. Breathe again. That's your life. Get the point?

Think about what impact your vapor has had. Has your vapor kept even one sinner from the fires of hell? Has it been an example to other vapors living their short vapor-lives for Christ? How has your vapor been effective?

Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever... 1 Peter 1:23-25a

There's something else to think of. How about your grass flower?

What is the purpose of a flower? Maybe to cheer up someone's day. Maybe to make a field look prettier, or to bring a spot of color to your home or an invalid's bedside. But it too withers and dies pretty quickly, doesn't it? How has your grass flower been? Have you cheered someone up, or brought a spot of God's light to someone's life?

We're all dying...it's inevitable. But we were put here for a purpose. Don't you think it's time we figured out what that purpose is -- and work to fulfill it? I pray to God that my vapor, my grass flower, will not have been ineffective...that when I stand before Him someday, I will not have to hang my head in shame and admit that I did not use my vapor for His work...and I pray that you too will strive to make your vapor count.

Beans and Cornbread

I don't know about y'all, but I'm sort of always on the lookout for blog-worthy incidents... And the other night we definitely had a blog-worthy incident. What was it, you ask? It was...beans and cornbread! Let's hear a big AMEN from everybody out there who loves beans and cornbread!!!

'Course, then again, y'all have never tasted my mama's Slowcooked Beans, so you have no idea how good they are...but if you want to try them, here is her recipe:

1 lb dried pinto beans

4 (15 oz) cans chicken broth*

3 T Spice Hunter Mexican Seasoning

3 T ground cumin

3 T garlic powder

1 large onion, quartered

On the night before the day you plan to serve them, clean beans, checking for little rocks and dirt clods. Cover with water, let sit overnight.

Early the next morning, throw out the water, place the beans in a large pan, add two cans of broth, all spices, and the onion, and cover pan. Heat to boiling, reduce heat and simmer for at least 7 hours, stirring occasionally, adding broth when liquid has cooked down and beans feel dry and clumpy when stirred. Make sure beans do not stick to bottom of pan or burn.

The longer cooked, the more the beans will cook down and be a thicker soup-like mix. The onion will also 'dissolve' the longer it cooks. If you like more broth, like a bean soup, add more chicken broth. I try not to add too much water as that dilutes the flavors.

* I use 3 cans low sodium, one can regular chicken broth; and all 4 fat-free or low-fat.

So that's the recipe for my mama's delicious Slowcooked Beans. And we like them with cornbread. The recipe for the cornbread? Very simple

Purchase box of Jiffy Cornbread Mix

Prepare according to package directions.

Bake as muffins.

See, I told you it was simple! I sure do enjoy beans and cornbread...

But my mom puts her cornbread in her beans!

Well, however they're eaten, they sure don't last long in our house! :)

So why don't y'all rustle up some beans and cornbread for yourselves? It sure is good! :D

you know you want to....