'Nuff Said

No more words would add to the cuteness!  :D

Home Again, Home Again!

After being gone a week, it is soooooo good to be back home where my very own bed awaits me!  Even though the bed in the hotel was comfortable, there's nothing like your own bed!  We left WV at 8:30 and the snow was coming down pretty heavily!  The temperature was 32 degrees, but nothing was sticking on the road.  The overpass right by the church and hotel was snow covered, however!  We got home at midnight, so it was not a bad trip.  This morning, while packing up the car, it started with the snow flurries.  Checkout time was 11 but since we didn't have any where to go, the lady at the hotel told us we could stay til 3:30.  Since she left at 4:30 that would give her plenty of time to clean our room, she said!  That was very nice!  I am recommending this hotel, Dawson Inn, as they accommodated us with our every need and was very clean and have wifi internet connections.  Since we were staying for a week, I called earlier to see if there was a fridge and microwave in the room.  They said no, but that they could put one in there for us.  We also took our toaster.  So, we were able to eat sandwiches for lunch and could heat up some breakfast sandwiches.

Here are a few pictures from the day and then it is bed time for me!

This was taken when we left the hotel this afternoon to go to the pastor's house to stay til time to leave for dinner.

 Look how white the hills look in the distance from the snow falling.

.It had gotten cold and the snow was coming down very heavy and started collecting on the cars and in the grass some by the time church was over.  By the time we got to NC, the snow had turned into rain!

Dear Friends Continued.....

Here is a short synopsis of the past 28 years.

We became friends with Essie and Leon McGraw and their family when Tim was the assistant to pastor Rex Hensley at Addyston Baptist Church back in 1983.  We had moved to Cleves, OH in June before Elisabeth was born in September.  Even though Essie had 5 children of her own, she immediately "adopted" our children, too!  The kids LOVED sitting with Essie up in the balcony where her husband, Leon, ran the audio visual equipment to record the sermons.  I wonder if the candy they received from her had anything to do with their wanting to sit with her?  I'm sure it did, but they all loved her besides that!  Essie is one of those people that everyone loves!  I am so glad to have had the opportunity to serve the Lord with her and her family from 1983 - 1988.  In 1988 Tim accepted the pastorate at Grace in Milan, Indiana and we were there for 5 years before returning to ABC as members in 1993.  While we were in Milan, Essie and her family left ABC and we lost track of them.  Then in 1997 we moved to WV to serve the Lord at Buffalo Baptist Church.  In 2008 when Tim resigned from BBC, we began the search of where the Lord would have us serve next.  During the next 3 months we traveled as Tim preached in different churches who were looking for a pastor.  One of those churches was Morris Fork Baptist Church near Dawson, WV.  While there, Sister Glenna Daniels invited us to her house for lunch.  During our conversations we discovered she was Essie's sister.  WOW!  What a small world we live in!  In 2010 the pastor of ABC, David Pitman, a long-time mentor and friend of Tim's, invited Tim back to ABC to preach at the annual homecoming service in September.  After being gone for 13 years, it was so nice to see those faithful members who were still there from our time at ABC.  It was especially refreshing to see Essie and her children and their families.  Essie and Leon had come back to ABC a few years prior. 

It is amazing to think about the wonderful people God has brought into our lives over the years.  These verses say it best:  "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;"  Philippians :3-4

Here's a picture of Essie and I from our visit with her yesterday.

Dear Friends.........

No, that title is NOT a salutation for a letter.............today Tim and I are going to visit a DEAR FRIEND from way back in the 80's when Tim was the assistant to Bro. Hensley at Addyston Baptist Church in Addyston, OH.....She and her husband's lives originated right here in WV.  Her dearly beloved has gone home to be with his LORD and she "comes home" quite frequently.  Tim is preaching revival at her sister's church.  I told her sister I was hoping she might be around while we were here, but her sister said she had just left.  Well, the next time we saw her sister, she had discovered that she was still here and had invited us to come and see her.  So, today we are going to do that.  I'm going to keep you guessing for now.  I'll post a picture later on to reveal who this DEAR FRIEND is! 

We were supposed to have rain from today on, but they have changed the forecast and it is to be near 70 today!  We shall see!

Have a blessed day!

Frog Hat and Other Things

Well, it has been awhile since I posted anything here, but Tim's mom sent me something that really speaks volumes to us as Christians regarding being witnesses.  So, I will post that after I give you a brief update as to what has been going on lately.

We had a wonderful time while Tim's mom was here.  Jennifer, Tim's sister, brought her down and stayed a couple of days, too.  We had a great time! 

They arrived Tuesday evening, Oct. 12th.  I had cooked roast, potatoes and carrots in the crockpot for dinner.  The weather was cold and rainy all day as they traveled and was not looking good for much of the week.

Wednesday, with the weather being bad, we did not want to do any outside activities, so we hit the thrift stores in the morning and Jennifer treated us to lunch.  After lunch Tim took Jennifer and I to the shooting range while his mom stayed at the house and rested.  The only thing I'll say at this point is that Jennifer and I out-shot Tim!  :D

Thursday, Jennifer headed for home around 8 a.m.  At around 10, we went to the Farmer's Market about 20 miles away from us.  We really didn't expect to find anything.  But there was some fruit (pumpkins and apples) and peppers, etc.  Tim's mom found some good deals on flowers.  There was a nice garden store there, too, that we enjoyed.

Friday, we didn't do much but Liz came down with the kids to spend the weekend while "Gram" was there.  She didn't arrive til around 6, so we waited on her to eat.  I fixed spaghetti, which is always pretty safe to fix for kids!

Saturday, Mega Thrift was having a $0.99 sale on kids clothes.  So, the 3 women and the kids went to Mega Thrift while Tim hit the thrifts by himself......you know.......in and out............not what we were going to be doing!!  :D 

Sunday, after church we went to Pizza Hut to get their $10 pizza deal on any kind of pizza you wanted!  Jake, Sharon Russell's grandson, LOVED Abigail!  He talked with her at church and hung out by her at Pizza Hut til his food came.  He only left because grandma insisted!  It was so cute!  After pictures at home, Liz packed up the kids and headed back home.

Monday, we just hung out around the house and Jeanne packed up her belongings for the trip home on Tuesday.

Tuesday, we left the house around 7:15, ate lunch on the road and arrived at her house at around 4.  Tim worked on her computer and we left around 5 and headed to Liz's house to spend the night before we headed back to NC on Wednesday.

Wednesday, left WV at around 8.  The house sure was empty now!  I worked on laundry and the computer the rest of the day.  I had lots of digi work to get caught up on because we were leaving again on Saturday back to WV for Tim to preach revival beginning Sunday thru the following Friday.

Saturday, we left the house a few minutes after 3 p.m. and arrived at the hotel at around 7.  Sunday was the first day of Revival.  No one was there but the members for the morning services.  Dinner was served at the church.  The afternoon services began at 3:30. Several visitors had come. 

Monday, today, the pastor and his wife took us up on the mountains to see the wind turbines.  HUGE and fascinating is all I can say!  You've got to see them to believe them! Noisy, you ask?  NO!  We spent about 3 house traveling along the ridges to see the MANY wind turbines that were up there.  Then we went to the pastor's house for lunch.  Then I drove back to the hotel and Tim went with the pastor to shoot their guns behind the church.  For dinner, the pastor and wife picked us up to take us to dinner at one of the members' house.  The revival services began at 7 and there were LOTS of visitors from area churches.  It was a good service.
 
Tomorrow, the pastor and his wife will pick us up and take us to a flea market.  Later on, I'll try to post pictures from Gram's visit and our trip here. 

OK, here's the story I promised I'd share with you.  ENJOY!

FROG HAT

 

My 9-year-old's last-second request surprised his doctor and taught me a valuable lesson about sharing the gospel....Tina Blessitt

 

Last fall my 9-year-old son, Austin, had his tonsils removed. Before the surgery, Austin 's anesthesiologist came to start an IV. He was wearing a cool surgical cap covered in colorful frogs. Austin loved that "frog hat." The doctor explained that he had two choices. He could either try to start the IV, or he could wait until Austin was up in the operating room. In the OR the doctor would give Austin some "goofy" gas, and start the IV when he was more relaxed.

 

"So, Austin ," he asked, "which do you want?"

 

Austin replied, "I'll take the gas."

 

But when the doctor started to leave, Austin called, "Hey, wait."

 

The doctor turned. Yeah, buddy, what do you need?"

 

"Do you go to church?"

 

"No," the doctor admitted. "I know I probably should, but I don't."

 

Austin then asked, "Well, are you saved?"

 

Chuckling nervously, the doctor said, "Nope. But after talking to you, maybe it's something I should consider."

 

Pleased with his response, Austin answered, "Well, you should, 'cause Jesus is great!"

 

"I'm sure He is, little guy," the doctor said, and quickly made his exit.

 

After that a nurse took me to the waiting room. Someone would come and get me when Austin 's surgery was done.

 

After about 45 minutes, the anesthesiologist came into the waiting room. He told me the surgery went well and then said, "Mrs. Blessitt, I don't usually come down and talk to the parents after a surgery, but I just had to tell you what your son did."

 

Oh boy, I thought. What did that little rascal do now?

 

The doctor explained that he'd just put the mask on Austin when my son signaled that he needed to say something.

 

When the doctor removed the mask, Austin blurted, "Wait a minute, we have to pray!"

 

The doctor told him to go ahead, and Austin prayed, "Dear Lord, please let all the doctors and nurses have a good day. And Jesus, please let the doctor with the frog hat get saved and start going to church. Amen."

 

The doctor admitted this touched him. "I was so sure he would pray that his surgery went well," he explained. "He didn't even mention his surgery. He prayed for me! Mrs Blessitt, I had to come down and let you know what a great little guy you have."

 

A few minutes later a nurse came to take me to post-op. She had a big smile on her face as we walked to the elevator. "Mrs. Blessitt, I couldn't wait to tell you something exciting that your son did."

 

With a smile, I told her that the doctor already mentioned Austin 's prayer.

 

But there's something you don't know," she said. "Some of the other nurses and I have been witnessing to and praying for that doctor for a  long time.  After your son's surgery, he tracked a few of us down to tell us about Austin 's prayer. He said, 'Well girls, you got me. If that little boy could pray for me when he was about to have surgery, then I think maybe I need his Jesus too."

 

She then recounted how they joined the doctor as he prayed to receive Christ right there in the hospital.

 

Wow! Austin had played a small part in something wonderful. But then, so did the nurses who prayed and witnessed.

 

I thought about John's words in his Gospel, "One sows and the other reaps" (John 4:37 ).

 

Austin 's experience taught me that, although we never know which role we may be called to play, in the end it doesn't matter. What's important is that we remain faithful in sharing the gospel.

 

Tina Blessitt, a freelance writer, lives with her husband and four children in Kentucky ...

 

"Don't tell God how big your troubles are--tell your trouble HOW BIG YOUR GOD IS

More Layouts with Fall Fun

Here's a couple more pages I did using my new kit, Fall Fun.

 Liz brought the kids down while Tim's mom was here.  Perfect time to get some pictures of the 4 generations.  I'll give you a run down of her visit as soon as I get a chance!

Gritts Farm - Fall Fun and Babcock

I wanted to test my newest kit out, so, once again I stole some of Liz's pictures from FB.  I made these Layouts using my new Fall Fun kit.  It's got some fall elements to it and also some untraditional (non-traditional, maybe??) colors, but I like it!

Fall Fun - Apple Picking

I know it has been quite awhile since I posted anything, but I'm working on a new kit for the store and wanted to try it out so I created this page for Jessica.  What do you think?  I like the colors!  I'm just sayin'...................:D