Tuesday, June 28, 2016

To Save The Unborn I Must Do My Part

Hello Y'all - The Supreme Court decision is devastating news. My heart breaks -
there are none so blind as those who will not see. I wrote a poem last summer that
reflects how I feel. I hope you don't mind if I share it again today.




My heart is so full I have so much to say
it is gorgeous outside, the start of a beautiful new day.
This morning I woke with a pain in my heart
knowing my mission, just not sure where to start!



 God has opened my eyes and has touched my heart.
To save the unborn I must do my part.

What should I do, what do I say?
I ask the Lord as I pray and pray.
He fills my head with words to say
so I write and I write each and every day.

I cry out to Him to show me the way,
How do I make a difference today?
I just don't understand why it's so hard to see,
the horrible death that abortion brings.
What must I do, what must I say?
So I write and I write each and every day.

I send letters to the paper, I write posts for my blog.
I put pictures on face book, and pray for new laws.
I weep for the babies, their innocent lives lost.

What am I missing, am I not doing enough?
Please God help me, please show me the way.
How can I make a difference today?

Then my heart begins to ache
I know I must speak up!
I know God is telling me, don't you dare give up!
Keep going, keep writing, don't you see?
What you do makes a difference, you are listening to me!

It matters to God! It matters to Him!
I will write and I will post and I will write again.
I won't give up, I will be their voice!
I will fight for the unborn, because they are babies, not a choice!

                       Precious little babies in your mother's womb,
                 you are not a choice. You are a blessing, a gift from God.
                 I will speak up for you, and I will fight for your life. I will
                     write letters and posts and pray. I will speak up for
        you each and every day!


 


 

Thursday, June 23, 2016

A Bouquet of Wild Flowers, A Covey of Quail, Two Roadrunners and A Jack Rabbit

Good Morning Out There! I worked in my home office all day long on Tuesday. I was
trying to get caught up. I was cranky from being inside all day. I needed to get up and
move around. Jim came home about 5:00 p.m. and was headed out south of town to
where our son was working. He asked if I would like to go with him. I knew I needed
a break even though I still had a lot to do. I grabbed some waters and off we went. I
was tired so I leaned the seat back and closed my eyes for about 15 minutes. Jim hit a
bump in the road and my eyes popped back open. We rode along for about 15 more
minutes and then we were there. We traveled down a bumpy ranch road with trees and
brush all around. Our son was clearing cedar for the land owner and we brought the
smaller trailer to pick up some of the extra implements. We checked on our son and
visited for just a little while. I waited in the truck while Jim loaded up the grubber. I
saw a covey of quail dart across the road. I smiled as I watched them scurry beneath the
brush. Another movement caught my eye and I looked up and saw a roadrunner running
by. He ran down the road for awhile and then turned and dashed into the brush. I could
almost hear him say "Beep-Beep" like the one in that old cartoon. Jim opened the door
to the truck. I turned to tell him what all he had missed but before I could speak he
handed me a bouquet of wild flowers. My heart grew and my smile did too. I thanked
him and told him that I would put them in a vase when we got home. I also told him
about the quail and the roadrunner. We were driving down the ranch road once more
when another covey of quail shot right across that road. Then we saw a Jack Rabbit with
huge ears quickly hop by. We made it to the main road and then I shouted out, "Look, it's
another roadrunner, it must be a sign!" Jim told me that the sign was that I needed to get
out of the house more. I laughed and told him he was probably right!
I did need a break that day. I really enjoyed seeing all the wildlife and driving down that
bumpy road. When we got home I helped Jim feed all the animals and I gathered the
chicken eggs. We watered the plants and when we came inside I put my bouquet of wild-
flowers in a vase and filled it full of water. I placed the vase on our dresser by a picture
of Mother Mary so that she could enjoy the flowers too!
I have to get back to my book work now. I hope you have a wonderful day. Spend some
time outdoors and be blessed!
                                                                                         Bye for now, Sharla







Tuesday, June 21, 2016

EVERY DAY IS A BLESSING!

Hello Out There! One whole week has passed since I wrote my last post! Since last
Tuesday evening the following events have taken place -
On Wednesday morning I went and bought supplies for the sack lunches. My cart was
piled high with lunch meat, chips, crackers, applesauce and cases of Gatorade. A nice
young man helped me unload everything from my cart into my truck. I drove to the
church and Janice and I unloaded and put everything away while Rosa was busy making
sandwiches. The day before  (3) cases of water was dropped off by a very kind man who
has faithfully donated (3) cases of water every week since November! Since last week
was so hot we decided to give everyone a bottle of water and a bottle of Gatorade with
their lunches. I think we had enough Gatorade to be able to do that through the rest of
the week. Then I drove home so that I could get started on all the book work I was
behind on. I decided to trim back my fern before it got too hot. (I told y'all in my last
post how the fern was starting to block my view of my statue of Mother Mary). I cut
back the fern, spritzed my plants, topped off the bird bath and came back inside. I sat
down at my desk to get busy. Jim walked in the door not five minutes later and said that
he was going to run an errand and wanted me to go with him. I reminded him that I was
behind on the books and that he had encouraged me to get busy. He said that we would
only be gone about 30 minutes. I stopped what I was doing and went with him - 3 hours
later - I sat down at my desk again. It wasn't long before we had to leave and drive to
a little town about 30 miles north to watch our youngest grandson play T-ball. The kids
are so cute and we enjoyed the game even though it was a steaming 100 degrees!
We drove home and ate a light snack. The bookwork would have to wait until the next
day. A little book work here and a little of whatever there - the days came and went!
Father's Day was on Sunday and last night we celebrated grandchild #8s 3rd birthday!
She has her daddy's big smile and is always so happy to see us! We have a kiddie pool
for the little ones and a metal stock tank for the big ones to splash around in. The menu
consisted of pizza, breadsticks, cupcakes with pink icing and Hello Kitty rings on top!
Pink cups full of lemonade were passed all around. The older kids sat on the trampoline
and ate their pizza while the rest of us sat on the back porch. It was close to 9:00 p.m.
when we loaded everyone and everything up. Jim and I stood on the front porch
and waved until they all drove off. A wonderful evening full of life, fun and love!
I have worked on the books today. I decided to take a quick break and visit with y'all
but now I have to get back to work!
I hope you all have a wonderful day! Live life with a song in your heart and remember
that God loves YOU so very much!
                                                                     Bye for now, Sharla



Tuesday, June 14, 2016

SUNSHINE, SACK LUNCHES AND CORPORAL WORKS OF MERCY!

Hello Out There! It is a little after 7:00 p.m. and 93 degrees! I was outside filling up my
bird bath and spritzing my plants! I decided it was still too hot and came inside. Jim is
still out there, he was busy feeding all the animals and re-filling all the water containers.
I take care of keeping our dog's and cat's water bowls full and Jim takes care of the sheep
and chickens. One of my ferns is growing really large and is starting to hide my statue
of Mother Mary. That fern will be cut back tomorrow, early in the morning!
My morning glories and passion vines are spreading all over the place. All the plants
look so pretty. We have been blessed with so much rain the past month and the grass,
weeds, trees and flowers love it!
I helped at the Sack Lunch Ministry today. They already had all the lunches ready when I
got there so I started coloring! I grabbed a bunch of sacks and wrote messages on them
and drew flowers. I keep it simple. I write things like - You are Special! God Loves You!
Jesus Loves You! God is Good! After I had been there for a while my daughter dropped
off two of my granddaughters to help. They love to visit with everyone and help out. They
sat down and began coloring too! The oldest one draws really well. She wrote her own
messages - Be Merciful! Be kind to one another! Be thankful! Take care of each other!
Sometimes I learn as much from them as they learn from me. There was plenty of help
so we decided to go to the Noon Mass, also known as the worker's Mass. It starts at
12:10 p.m. and only lasts about 30 minutes. After Mass we went to pick up chicken feed
and then I took the girls home.
Tomorrow I have to work on filing, writing out invoices, paying bills and organizing my
home office. I get busy doing other things and helping out and before you know it - Jim
is asking if he needs to hire a secretary?! I always laugh and tell him that I will get it done!
I do have to get up early and go buy supplies for the Sack Lunches, deliver them and
THEN I will get started on my bookwork!
I hope you all have a great week! I will write another post soon! I am going to close with
the Corporal Works of Mercy:
To feed the hungry
To give drink to the thirsty
To clothe the naked
To welcome the stranger
To heal the sick
To visit the imprisoned
To bury the dead
 At the Sack Lunch Ministry we feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty and welcome
the stranger 5 days a week! During the winter months we hand out gloves and warm
jackets, sweaters and coats. Some people donated shoes, socks and boots! Warm caps,
hats and some brand new sleeping bags were donated too! I heard that someone dropped
off some back packs for us to hand out tomorrow! I love being part of this much needed
ministry! I think I will buy some Gatorade to hand out with the water because the next
couple of days are going to be really hot! I was thinking about what my granddaughter
wrote - Take care of each other! Yes, Gatorades will be needed this week!
                                                             Blessings to you and yours!
                                                               Bye for now, Sharla
One more thing - For some reason the time on my blog posts is always two hours behind
the time it really is. I guess my blog is on Pacific time instead of Central time, oh well - I
don't know how to fix it so I just thought I would let you know!



Tuesday, June 7, 2016

WALKING AND PRAYING - SPENDING SOME QUIET TIME WITH GOD!

Hello Out There! The sun is shining and the flowers are blooming and the birds
are flying everywhere! Yesterday Jim and I watched a little humming bird
getting pollen from some flowers in one of our hanging baskets. Their wings flutter
so fast as they move from flower bud to flower bud. We have a large window right
in front of our kitchen table and a small window right above the kitchen sink. Both
of these windows face our front yard. We love watching the birds and the squirrels!
These windows are on the west side of our home and we are able to look out and see
all of the beautiful sunsets. The colors of the sky have been so many different hues of
pink, orange, and blue the last week or so. The clouds have also been neat to watch,
so many varying shapes and colors. This morning I went for a walk on a road that
is close to the lake, about two miles long and has a natural incline. Many people
walk, run, and bike on this very popular road. I saw lizards darting across the road,
colorful butterflies and all kinds of birds as I walked. It was about 76 degrees outside
and not windy at all. I walked and prayed and enjoyed being outside on such a beautiful
morning. I felt so at peace when I got back to my truck. I ran some errands, took lunch
to my husband, and took care of some invoices for our family business.
I don't have anything major to tell y'all about, or any crazy stories to share.
I just wanted to check in and say hi. I hope you all have a really great day.
Take time to watch the sun set and the birds fly.
Take a few minutes and just be with God, you will be so glad you did! Peace be
with you and your family!


The eyes of the Lord are upon those who love him; He is their mighty shield
and strong support. A shelter from the heat, a shade from the noonday sun,
a guard against stumbling, a help against falling.  
He buoys up the spirits, brings a sparkle to the eyes, 
gives health and life and blessing.   
               Sirach 34:16, 17


O Lord, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer.
My God, my rock of refuge, my shield, the horn of my salvation,
my stronghold!
                    Psalm 18:3
                                                                                           Bye for now, Sharla

Thursday, June 2, 2016

COOKIES, BEER BREAD, AND 33 YEARS OF MARRIAGE - IT'S ALL GOOD!

Hello Out There! I haven't posted in almost a week! How are y'all doing? It has been
raining on and off all week. Right now it is overcast and a little cool outside,
70 degrees to be exact. For this time of year, 70 degrees is awesome! The only thing
negative about this kind of weather is it makes me want to bake! I saw some chocolate
chips in the pantry and so I decided to check and see what other ingredients I have on
hand. I have everything I need to make a big batch of chocolate chip oatmeal cookies
with pecans! Doesn't that sound great? I also have the ingredients to make beer bread.
I haven't made beer bread since the Christmas season because I sure don't need
to eat it, but it sounds really good today! AND it is so easy to make! I will share the
recipe will y'all! Easy peasy and only 4 ingredients!
3 1/2 cups self rising flour
1/2 cup sugar
stir together
add 1 can (12 oz.) of room temperature beer (I use Lone Star because that is what Jim
drinks and so I have it on hand).
Stir until well blended, batter will be kind of lumpy.
Spoon into a greased (I use the Crisco spray stuff) loaf / bread pan. My loaf pans
are glass but the aluminum / metal pans work just as well.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 50 minutes. This bread smells so good when
it is baking!
Melt 1/2 stick of butter (the recipe calls for 1 stick, but 1/2 is a little less fattening!)
Melt the butter and pour it all over the top of the bread and then put the
bread back into the oven for another 10  minutes.
Wait as long as you can and then slice and enjoy! Add more butter if you want, but
it really doesn't need it. This bread is great with soups, stews, a big pot of red beans
and as toast! I haven't tried it as garlic bread but I bet that is would be great that way
too! There is also a really good biscuit recipe on the back of the self-rising flour.
This reminds me of another baking tip to pass along. If you want to make Buttermilk
biscuits and don't have or keep buttermilk on hand this tip will work.
Use 1 teaspoon of vinegar for each 1/3 cup of milk. If your recipe calls for 1 cup of
buttermilk, add (3) teaspoons or (1) tablespoon of vinegar to your milk and let it sit for
at least 5 minutes. I usually add the vinegar to the milk first thing and then by the time
I get to that step it has already been plenty of time for the milk to sour.
I really had not planned on writing about recipes or cooking tips today but sometimes
that is what happens! I have something serious I want to talk about but I think I will
post it on another page. I want this page to be about happy things! No downers after
this fun yummy recipe swap!
On Saturday, Jim and I will be married for 33 years! I can't believe it! The years have
flown by. I thank God everyday for blessing me with such a wonderful husband. One
of my favorite scriptures from the bible is from Genesis, when Adam sees Eve for the
first time -
Genesis 2:21-24
So the Lord God cast a deep sleep on the man, and while he was
asleep, he took out one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh.
The Lord God then built up into a woman the rib that he had taken from the man.
When he brought her to the man, the man said:
"This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh;
This one shall be called 'woman,' for out of 'her man' this one has been taken."
That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and
the two of them become one body.


Another one of my favorite scriptures that I think is so important for a happy
marriage and a loving family is this one -
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Love is patient; love is kind. Love is not jealous, it does not put on airs,
it is not snobbish. Love is never rude, it is not self-seeking,
it is not prone to anger; neither does it brood over injuries.
Love does not rejoice in what is wrong but rejoices with the truth.
There is no limit to love's forbearance, to its trust, its hope, its power to endure.


I hope you all have a wonderful day. If you try the beer bread recipe let me know
if you like it. I hope the vinegar substitution helps also! God bless you all!
                                                               Bye for now, Sharla