Shelter in a time of storm.

As I was thinking about a title for this post and thought of this one "Shelter in a time of storm", I was reminded that the ultimate shelter is Jesus Christ who is always there to be our shelter in any kind of storm that life brings our way. So blessed to have Him in my life to shelter me and mine. Speaking of "shelters", in out little town there are large storm shelters that are used as gyms during the non-storm times at each of the schools. We have one at the junior high-high school area, one at the middle school-elementary school area and a final one at the elementary school that stands alone. These are all in different areas of town and very easily accessible. So thankful for these. They do get quite full and stuffy but so what.....we are safe.

 We kind of thought we might be heading to the shelter so we prepared ahead of time with folding chairs, a couple of blankets and snacks for the boys. You just never know how long you might be there. All the kids there were well behaved and so were the dogs and there were a lot of them. The cats are required to be in carriers.

 Guess Noah was hoping for the sunshine to come back out. Such an optimist.

Oklahoma!

Prayers are needed for Moore Oklahoma, along with so many other things. Living in Arkansas on the border of Oklahoma, having a daughter who lives in Oklahoma makes me feel very close to them.
I am not good with words in situations like this but my heart grieves for the Moms and Dads, brothers, sisters, grandparents who will never get to hug or kiss their loved ones again. I cry out to God for strength for them. I want to run over there and hug them, hold them, wipe away their tears but I can't but I know a great big God who can and will. Please pray for them now and in the weeks to come.

We're having fun now!

Yes sir, we are having fun now. Just about everything is moved in or out as the case may be, the boys are there all the time now (and I am loving it), baby Isaiah will be here any day now so......after just one week things seem to be settling down. And I have seen a side of Jamie I haven't seen in a while. He is being so patient with Kacee and the boys and working so hard every night after working hard at work during the day. I am so blessed with such good kids, kids-in-law, grandkids and husband. Oh and had a wonderful Mother's Day on top of it all.
On a different note............went to "decoration" Saturday with Karen and of course we had to do some junkin' on the way. We got some really cool junk and found a wonderful place to pick with two very interesting ladies who have been doing this for quite a while. Can't wait to go back there when they bring out more from their numerous barns.

Here they come......

Here they come.....walking down the street.....get the funniest looks from.....everyone they meet. Hey, hey we're the....Browns. Oh wait, that's not how it goes. But whatever, they are coming, tonight in fact. It's moving day and the Browns are moving in with us. I know it's going to be tight but it will also be fun and we will always remember this time together. I am so thankful that my kids want to be with us. Such a blessing.

Land!!!

Some years back, I don't remember when, my Dad had a dream of owning land with all of his kids living on that land with him and Mother. Well, he bought some land, built a house and offered all four of us kids land free of charge. I am the only one that took him up on his offer and we have been here for 36 years. Move forward to today............we have bought some land and two of my kids will be moving there with us. I know Jenny would if she could find a good job here like she has in Tulsa. Maybe someday. The land is not cleared so it will take a while for that to happen but hopefully within a year or so we will be living there.

For now, Jamie and Kacee have sold their house and are moving in with us until they can move out to the land which means we are going to need lots of prayers and patience. Hopefully after a while things will settle down. The last time they moved back in they only had Noah now they have Noah, Jonah and soon Isaiah. Fun times ahead.

Prayers for Boston and Texas

What a week this has been. First the terroristic bombing in Boston and then the horrific explosion in West, Texas. You never know how your life could change in just mere seconds; how you might never have that last chance to tell a loved you how much they mean to you; how you might never have another chance to cry out to Jesus to save you. Right now you do have that opportunity and to prepare for whatever comes in the next few seconds, hours, days, weeks or years. We are bombarded about being prepared with food and water for natural disasters and we should be prepared but we should also think about our souls. We must prepare for the future, for our eternity in that way first and foremost. It is probably one of the simplest things we can ever do and the most important. Just ask. That's right, all you have to do is ask. Ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins and to live in your heart. That's all. You don't have to beg or plead with Him, He is waiting and hoping for you to come to Him.
The picture below shows the corner of the building that houses the best little bakery and it is in West, Texas. You can see the smoke from the explosion of the fertilizer plant. Karen and were there just two weeks ago buying some of their yummy delights. Pray for these people in West, Texas and for Boston.

Treasures redone

After last weekends trip to Warrenton, I got very busy this week trying to get most of it either painted or repurposed in some way. We have a "show" here in Fort Smith tomorrow and it's always so busy the week before getting everything ready and this time was even more so because we had so much new stuff to work on. We bought four old wooden windows without the glass so I made chalkboards out of three of them, painted frames from old pictures, repainted a table, chair and nightstand and only took pictures of a few of the items. I wish I wouldn't wait until the week before a show to get everything finished but that will probably never happen. If you are in Fort Smith Saturday, come see us at the Fort Smith Vintage Flea Market.