Leaning On Others For A Little While!

Good morning out there - It has been so long since I have written a post. I have a lot
to share but my stories will have to wait another couple of days. We are okay - but Jim
and I were in a wreck this past Saturday evening while we were traveling back home
from a trip to Houston. We were going through a small town west of Austin and another
vehicle turned right in front of us as we were going through a green light. Thanks be to
God, we all walked away from the accident. I couldn't understand why my legs hurt
so bad and why they were bruised up - the bottom airbag deployed and hit my shins
and my left calf muscle. I am okay - but I have to elevate my left leg on a regular
basis because of the swelling - looks awful but it will heal - no broken bones!
Everyone has been so helpful - we are blessed with an amazing family and friends!
I am carless for awhile but that is quite all right!
I didn't get to attend the 40 Days for Life Closing Celebration on Sunday. It went very
well and we are thankful for all those who were able to attend. I was talking to Connie
on the phone and we were going over what needed to be done. Jim was driving me to
the emergency room just to be on the safe side and I was crying because I wasn't going
to be able to be at the closing. I know that sounds silly but I was emotional and just
wanted to be with everyone. They sent pictures and looking at all the faithful people
made me smile.
It looked like such a wonderful closing celebration; music, a procession to the Grotto
with roses, the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary prayed in English and Spanish,
fellowship, and a special blessing from our Bishop Mike Sis. And my awesome 40
Days Teammates; Candi, Connie, Dorothy, and Stephanie knew just what to do!
I guess I'm going to have to get a laptop so that I can write from my recliner! Just kidding!
I'll be vrooming back and forth before you know it! I'm closing with a prayer that I've
written before - please pray for all the families who have lost their loved ones over
the last two weeks of tragedies.

I pray that your day is full of blessings.

If you are sick, I pray that you will get well.
If you have lost a loved one, I pray that you will be comforted.

 If you are anxious,
I pray that a feeling of peace will wash over you.

 If you are lonely, I pray that someone
will reach out to you.

 I pray that you will know that even though I may not know you,
I really do care.

If you are struggling financially,

 I pray that God will send you what  you need.

 If you are struggling with addiction,

 I pray that God will give you strength
and courage to give up whatever is holding you hostage.

 If you are in a crisis pregnancy,
I pray that you will be directed to the path of life,

 and guided to all the help that is available for you and your baby.

 If you are a caregiver, I pray that you will get the rest you need,

 and know that it is ok to take time for yourself.
Dear God, I lift all the intentions I've listed above to you.

 I pray for anyone and everyone who might be suffering

or going through any of the things I've written  about.

 Please God, show us how to take care of each other,

to love one another

 and help us to be discerning in all that we do.

Thank you for today.

Please guide us and help us to live the way you want us to.

 Please keep us safe and help us to look to You,

 and not the world for direction and answers.

 In Jesus Holy Name I pray, Amen.

Blessings and Peace to you and yours!

Bye for now, Sharla

Hello Out There!

Hello out there! It is raining, it is pouring and I have a pot of stew simmering on the stove!
Please pray for all of the people who are in flood areas and those who have lost so much!
Just a quick post tonight - wanted to check in and say hello and that I hope you are all
doing well wherever you are near or far!
I shared this on Facebook yesterday or maybe it was the day before and I realized that
I needed to share it with y'all - I hope my crazy stories make you smile and/or laugh!
You probably read these and think, wow, Jim has a lot of patience!


Early Friday morning Jim and I were praying at the Grotto. When we were leaving I stopped
by the two-sided frame that holds these banners. I said, "Hey, we (meaning Jim) should flip
this thing around since we are about half way through!" Jim looked at me and said,
"Hey, do you know how far I drove those stakes into the ground to hold this up?
The people in China can feel them coming through!" I laughed and said,
"Well, maybe we (meaning Jim) can bring some kind of tool to help pull them out of the
ground." He just looked at me and shook his head!
It has been raining all week and I think that the frame will have to stay put! The pictures
of the banners are below: Jim fabricated the frame so it is HD (heavy duty)!
Have a great day and remember to pray for the babies and families everywhere!

This Post is Full of Love - Something Our World Needs Alot More Of

Good morning and hello out there! I've missed writing my stories and visiting with
y'all! I hope you are all doing well. There is so much going on in the world right now.
The news is full of sad, scary, heartbreaking, and violent stories. I try to keep my
stories uplifting because we all need to hear about good  and positive things too.
I will begin with some Happy Fall Y'all pictures!

I know that I've shared this one before but.....Snoopy and Woodstock playing in the
leaves is definitely a fun, fall for all, y'all!


I looked at the stat section of my blog right before I started writing this post. It is very
humbling for me to see the colors light up on the map and list the countries where
people live who read my stories. It never ceases to amaze me when I see that people
who don't even know me take the time to read my stories. Once again, as I do each time
I see this, I placed my hand over the map on my computer screen and as tears ran down
my face I prayed -
Dear God, please give me the words that I need to say to touch their hearts in what
ever way is needed today. And then I prayed the words I've prayed so many times
before:

"Lead me, Lord, lead me, Lord,

by the light of truth to seek and to find the narrow way.

Be my way; be my truth; be my life, my Lord

and lead me, Lord, today."

The above verse is the Refrain from the hymn "Lead Me, Lord" and is my constant prayer.

I am going to list the countries that lit up in my stat section for this week - please know

how much it means to me that you read my stories - wherever you are, near or far, you

and your families are in my prayers and in my hearts. My dreams are full of people I have

never seen, different races, and children - oh the children who reach out to me. Last night

I dreamed I was with a family and one of the little girls reached out and touched my cheek.

I don't know these people but I am so blessed by these dreams.

To the people in Armenia, France, Germany, India, Kazakhstan, Macedonia, Poland,

Russia, United Kingdom, and the United States - God bless you all and thank you, thank

you for making me want to keep writing during those time I wonder if it my stories make

a difference at all. I think I will begin listing the countries of my readers each week - I

am always thankful and amazed.

I want to share the following scripture with all of you:

That is why I kneel before the Father from whom every family

in heaven and on earth takes its name; and I pray that He will

bestow on you gifts in keeping with the riches of His glory.

May He strengthen you inwardly

through the working of His Spirit.

May Christ dwell in your hearts through faith, and may

charity be the root and foundation of your life.

Thus you will be able to grasp fully, with all the holy ones,

the breadth and length and height and depth of

Christ's love, and experience this love which surpasses

all knowledge, so that you may attain to the fullness of God himself.

To Him whose power now at work in us can do immeasurably more

than we ask or imagine -

to Him be glory in the church and in

 Christ Jesus through all generations, world without end. Amen.

Ephesians 3:14-21

(Saint Joseph Edition of the New American Bible)

Yesterday was a busy day at the Ynostrosa home. It had rained hard all during the night

and we were thankful that we didn't have any of the rain water flow into our home. We

did receive several alerts on my phone about a Tornado Warning - we were still asleep

and I told Jim what was going on - I said a prayer and dozed back off, Jim did too.

When we woke up - I immediately began mixing up banana nut muffins for the youth

bake sale at our parish (Fall Craft Fair). Jim made the coffee and we headed out the door

as soon as the muffins were cool enough to wrap up. We parked in front of the church and

as soon as we got out of the Explorer (I still want to say truck) we saw our daughter,

son-in-law, and their three girls. The oldest one is in the youth group and she was helping

out. We all went inside and quickly (because Jim was with me) looked at all the neat

items at the booths. We purchased some goodies and went on our way. We stopped at

the bridge on Irving Street and watched the water from the Concho River as it flowed

over the flood gate. We visited with some other people who were taking pictures and

watching the water also (this kind of thing doesn't happen very often in San Angelo).

We are always praying for rain because it is usually so dry. We left there and headed in

a different direction to pick up some metal that Jim needed for a job, and then we were

going home. We had bought a couple of cinnamon rolls at the Craft Fair and that was

going to be our breakfast. As we turned the corner, I saw a man who comes to get a

sack lunch. I told Jim and he found a place he could turn around. I remembered that

I had an unopened bottle of water and I grabbed it, smoothed out a paper napkin, and

Jim handed me the cinnamon rolls - the man was very thankful. Jim took me out to eat

breakfast and then we went to pick up the metal he needed and then we came home.

He went outside to work and I decided to bake a couple of loaves of beer bread.

The craft fair was going to be open to the parishioners after each Mass so I wanted to

contribute some more baked goods for the youth. Beer bread is really simple to make

and it smells wonderful while it is baking. Our daughter and her family came over

right before the bread came out of the oven. Their oldest daughter, grandchild #3, said,

"Nana, it smells like Christmas." That comment really warmed my heart. I pulled the

bread out of the oven and it was still hot when another granddaughter, grandchild #7,

told me that she needed to eat some of that bread because it smelled so good. Yes,

it does have a can of beer in each loaf of bread, but the alcohol evaporates while it is

cooking. I decided that I would donate one loaf of bread and we would snack on the

second loaf. While it was still too hot to cut - I cut it anyway - butter and jelly and

exclamations of "this is hot, this tastes good" filled my cozy little kitchen. And then,

our son and daughter-in-law and their children arrived (five more of our grandchildren).

More bread was sliced and slathered with butter and jam. The kids were eating the candy

and chips that Pa/Jim had bought for them the day before. He bought brown paper bags

and wrote each of their names on a bag and then filled them with chips, candy,

Ritz Cheese and Crackers, and mini Moon Pies. The grandkids loved it.

The adults were in the kitchen laughing and eating warm bread and talking about

"Confession" of all things - Saint Padre Pio had been the subject and so confession

came up. Lots of laughing, all of us crowded in my cozy little kitchen, and my heart

just grew and grew.

                                                         Blessings to you and yours!

                                                                    Bye for now, Sharla

Praying for the Unborn and Feeding the Hungry - God is Good!

Hello out there! The rest of this month and next month is going to be busy. An
awesome kind of busy, but probably a little crazy too! Yesterday was the first day
of the fall, 40 Days for Life Campaign. Prayers, and banners, and visiting with
amazing people, and swatting mosquitoes, oh my! When I drive up and see
people praying in front of the grotto I feel like my heart will burst! Their prayerful,
faithful witness is a huge blessing! Y'all pray for the unborn from wherever you are!
All of our prayers make a difference!
Here is the link to find out more information about 40 Days for Life:


http://www.40daysforlife.com


Our prayer vigil is at St. Mary's Catholic Church by the beautiful and peaceful Grotto.
The vigil times are from 7 a.m. - 7 p.m.  Monday - Sunday (9/26/18 - 11/4/18)!

 Love them both, the mother and the child.

The St. Francis Sack Lunch Ministry is a blessing to so many! We are handing out

between 70 and 80 lunches a day. Multiply that times five days a week! Yep -

between 350 and 400 lunches a week! We are so very thankful for all of our hard-

working and devoted volunteers and for those who drop off supplies and donate

money to this  ministry. Water angels, bread angels, fruit angels, etc.

We are a totally self sufficient ministry (by the people for the people)!

God is in charge and we depend on the generosity of His people to keep this ministry

going! By the end of the week our pantry looks bare! I dropped by the sack lunch

ministry to leave the month of October and November calendars for the volunteers.

Janice took me to the pantry and we discussed what was needed to finish out the

week. Our diminishing supplies weighed heavy on my heart as  I dashed over to

St. Mary's to help my husband put up another banner and then I dashed off to the

hardware store to get some mosquito spray. As I was driving back to St. Mary's I

sent up a prayer that went something like this -

God, we know that this is your ministry and we are doing the best we can,

but......we need some food! I can't think right now because I have too much on my mind

so I need you to take care of this. Your will be done. Love you, Amen!

I arrived at St. Mary's and sprayed for mosquitoes and took a picture of our banner

and shared it on Facebook with a message to come and pray! I called Jim and told him

that I had to run by Trudo's Religious Store to leave some of the 40 Days for Life

Pray to End Abortion buttons and then I would be home. I planned on just running in

and dropping off the buttons and running right back out (that never happens). My

very dear friend was in Trudo's. She and her husband help with the sack lunch a lot!

We visited for a while and I told her about our pantry and how we needed fruit and

peanut butter crackers for tomorrow and guess what? She told me that I should have

called her in the first place and that she would pick those items up and drop them

off early tomorrow morning! I hugged her, said my goodbyes and walked out the

door. She came out right behind  me and I walked over to her and told her how she

was an answer to my prayers. God is good - He is an awesome God -All the time!

Once again, He has made sure that we have what we need to feed His people.

I hope y'all have an amazingly blessed afternoon!

                                                                          Bye for now, Sharla

Not Quite Fall - So I Decided to Move it Along!

Hello out there! I love this time of year! It feels like fall weather!
I couldn't wait any longer! The fall and Halloween decorations are out and about
at the Ynostrosa Hacienda!
Busy week but I wanted to say....(probably a little early ….)

Happy Fall, Y'all!

For all of y'all

Scatter some leaves and

give thanks to God!

Bye for now, Sharla

Just Sing, Sing a Song!

Good morning out there! We have been blessed with rain! Thank you, Jesus!
Re-sharing part of a post I wrote back in January (tweaked a little bit) - my heart
feels the same way today - but going to Adoration this morning helped so much!

I know my mission - it is heavy on my heart:

Please pray that God will guide me and direct me

on this journey I have chosen, the journey He has

placed on my heart. I wouldn't be being honest

if I didn't say that sometimes I get discouraged and

need a push - Jim always has my back and knows

when I've reached that point - he helps me get back on track

and I am so thankful for that!

Our journeys aren't always easy and the roads aren't always

straight. Sometimes the obstacles in front of us seem more

than we can bear - but if you let God lead you and really

trust and rely on Him - the journey will be amazing all the way

to the end.

May God bless you all every hour of every day!

Near or far, wherever you are -

 I pray that the path you take is full of sunshine and roses,

 little rain puddles and the songs of birds.

 I pray that your days are full of children's laughter and great big hugs.

 But most of all.............I pray that your day is full of love!

I am fixing to walk out the door with a song in my heart -

Sing, sing a song, sing out loud, sing out strong -

Don't worry if its not good enough for anyone else but you..

just sing, sing a song!

Blessings to all of you!

Bye for now, Sharla

Did You Know? Wow! That is Incredible! What a Miracle!

Good morning out there! I wrote a post four years ago - on September 10, 2014 -
The title was:

Babies are Babies No Matter How Small!

Please God Help Us Save Them All!

I am going to re-share this information that is so important!

Did you know?

Day 1: Fertilization
The sperm joins with the egg to form one cell. This single cell contains the complex genetic
makeup for every detail of a new human being. The child's sex, hair and eye color, height
skin tone, etc. After fertilization, nothing new is added but oxygen, nutrition, and time.
1st Month (1-4 Weeks)

Did you know that a developing baby's heart begins to beat at just 18 days? Isn't that
amazing.  Muscles are forming, and arms, legs eyes, and ears have begun to show.
2nd Month (5-8 Weeks)
By six weeks the jaw forms, including teeth and taste buds. The baby begins to swallow
amniotic  fluid, and some have been observed hiccupping.
The kidneys begin to function. Fingers and toes are developing.
At seven weeks a baby's chest and abdomen are fully formed.
3rd Month (9-12 Weeks)
The baby now has fingerprints, turns his or her head, and opens and closes their mouth.
The sex of the baby can already be determined.
4th Month (13-16 Weeks)
This little baby is growing, and will be between 8-10 inches in length, and weighs about
one-half pound by the end of the fourth month.
His or her little ears can hear their momma's heartbeat, and external noises.
5th Month (17-20 Weeks)
This little one is growing bigger, and moving a lot. Some babies have been seen sucking
their thumb during a sonogram at the fifth month.
6th Month (21-24 Weeks)
A baby's oil and sweat glands are functioning, this little one is growing rapidly and his or
her lungs are becoming more developed.
7th Month (25-28 Weeks)

This little baby boy or girl now recognizes his or her mother's voice. They exercise by stretching and kicking as they grow even bigger. They can use their senses of hearing, touch, and taste. They can even open their eyes and look around. If the baby is a boy, a son, this is when his testicles descend from the abdomen into the scrotum. What a miracle a new life is.
8th Month (29-32 Weeks)
Now the baby's skin will thicken, with a layer of fat stored underneath. This helps with insulation and provides nourishment. He or she will swallow a gallon of amniotic fluid per day. The mom will be able to feel an elbow or heel, sometimes a little rear end, as her son or daughter kicks and  moves in this cramped area. (I remember that my daughter had the hiccups a lot, it was such a funny and neat feeling. I know my son was doing flips in my stomach!)
9th Month (33-36 Weeks)
He or she will gain one half pound per week, and they are getting ready for birth. The bones in his or her head are soft and flexible to more easily mold and go through the birth canal. Did you know that ninety percent of our development happens in the womb?

 Babies are babies no matter how small!

 Please God help us save them all!
                                                            Bye for now, Sharla