I just had to add this . . .!

Beth sent me this picture of Markie and Baby Emma riding along by wind power! Sometimes, the wagon almost got airborne, and the children had a great time sailing along!

A Wonderful Trip and a Wonderful Mother's Day

Danny and I finally got on the Amtrak and made our way down to Ft. Lauderdale to visit Jason and his family Thursday through Saturday. They met us at the station, and, after lots of huggies, we went straight to the Bucca di Beppo (sp???) Italian Restaurant. I had never been there before, or even heard of it, and it was soooo good! I am not an Italian cuisine fan, but this was wonderful! Of course, the thing that made it so special was the sweet fellowship with our precious family! We miss them so much -- little Savannah used to come into the house every morning for a sweet kiss, and then help her granddaddy collect the "eggies" every night. We were so excited that she warmed up to us right away.

Friday, Granddaddy and I got some Savannah-time while her daddy was at work and her mama got a rare couple of hours to do some needed shopping alone. When Jason got home, we all went to Dania Beach pier, and watched the ocean for a while. It was so refreshing -- Danny loves to walk on the beach, and the breeze was perfect. Then Friday night, Ashley fixed us a wonderful roast beef dinner, with mashed potatoes, green beans, and salad, and of course, chocolate cake for dessert! Oh my! It was delicious!
Savannah and Grandmama "posing" -- when she was a baby, Savannah loved to pose when her daddy said "pose". She isn't quite the camera hog these days.
On the way to the train station Saturday, we stopped at a huge western store (yes, in S. Florida! It was, after all, Davie, which has a huge rodeo every year, believe it or not!) Granddaddy found these flashy cowgirl boots on sale for $5 for Savannah that light up when you click the heels together. She had to put them right on and wear them to the station.
Here are Jason and Savannah waiting with us for our train. It was a fairly pleasant ride home, and Molly and some of her children were waiting to bring us home. Ah, my own little beddie-bye! Thank you, Jason and Ashley, for a wonderful time together. We hope it won't be long before someone goes either north or south on that old Amtrak!

Then today, after a good time in the Lord's house, we went to Molly's house for Mother's Day dinner. Eddie smoked chicken in his smoker, and everyone else pitched in for a yummy cookout. It was unusually windy today (as you can see from little Willie's hair and the palm trees in the background), so it was fairly pleasant outside.

Here are the mothers who were honored, in Molly's kitchen cutting up: My precious mother, Molly, Susan (Chris' mother), me, and Beth.
After dinner, we ladies set up the croquet game on the Stricklen's nice new lawn and had a good time in the wind (Kitty is about to fly away!)
Kitty exhibited dead-eye aim, while poor Grandmother struggled to clobber the ball and get it lined up with the wicket!
Molly and Beth were pretty good at it, too.
Little Emma Jane decided she wanted to play, too!

The refreshing time in the fresh air was invigorating! The other children made a "kite", as in parasailing, had the wind pulling the wagon with real force and speed! Hopefully, one of the girls will send me a picture of it that I can post -- it was strange to see the wagon scurrying across the yard under wind power. What a great science practicum for the children! But the sweet fellowship with precious family was the most wonderful part of the last few days. No deep spiritual profundity in this post -- just simple gratitude to the faithful Heavenly Father for the sweetness of these days.

Cowgirls to the Rescue! (and cowboys, of course!)

Cowgirl Markie sees that all the bad cows are safely back in the pasture, contentedly munching hay.
Gracie helps secure the gates and make sure the rovers do not get out again!
Granddaddy and the wranglers on his cowpony, the Polaris Ranger. Spencer (the golden retriever) wouldn't miss the excitement for anything!
Heading back after a job well done, followed by Grandmother, bringing up the rear in her cowpony, the faithful Dodge Durango!

We are getting ready to board the Amtrak for Ft. Lauderdale in just a couple of hours, looking forward to spending a day or two with Jason and his family. So trip preparations are in full swing. BUT . . .

There is always a hitch! The pastures are so lacking since we have had little rain this year. So this morning, Danny put up a temporary electric fence across part of the yard, where the grass is thick and juicy. He let all the cows into the yard and went upstairs to do some work. Then the electrician, working on the addition, says, "hey, Mrs. Frodge, cows are running around the end of the house!"

Off we go. I run get the Cowgirls (Discher sisters -- Pete is on the property working with his daddy, so he is here already), and off we go in the 4-wheeler and Durango, our cow ponies. The children know just what to do, herding and cutting them off, and it doesn't take too long to get them back in. Some fruit pickers in the next grove over tell us where the littlest calves are (proving to Pete, who was with me, that Grandmother is right when she says our Spanish classes will come in handy in Florida!)

All is well, and trip prep continues, althought somewhat speeded up! I couldn't help thinking about our relationship with our Heavenly Father as I was maneuvering around this morning. All those people placing strategic road blocks, some even unknown to the cows; rows of trees blocking the way; vehicles set at the end of rows; anticipating their every move. How the Lord must chuckle at us sometimes in our attempts to thwart His sovereignty and providential hand! Thank you, Lord, that You don't let your little self-willed calves have their own way! And thank You for another "clearly seen" lesson! Now off to squeeze little Savannah!

Looking at Land.. .

The Pollocks just got home from their marathon trip out to help the Millers get settled in Arkansas (read their adventures here: http://www.tenswampdogies.blogspot.com/ ) and they called to let us know they had some exciting information for us. We met them at Bob Evans for supper, and they proceeded to tell us and show us a 207 acre farm in southern Missouri. It has real potential and is priced very reasonably, so Danny is thinking of flying out to look at it next week. Hmmm, maybe the Lord's timing is about to be revealed! Oh, Lord, I am so conflicted! My heart is hesitant to call anywhere but the "Southland" my home, but it wouldn't be the first time! God may have something very different in mind -- Danny has spoken about spending time in both places, should a good opportunity arise. We will see! Excitement is just around the next corner . . . .!!

Excited Grandparents

Danny and I a scheduled to go down to Ft. Lauderdale on the train Thursday and see this little princess. Savannah has been gone from right next door for over a month, and it has been a little toooo quiet around here! We won't be able to take any of her favorites, the chickies, with us, but we can hardly wait for those sweet little arms to give us a big hug!

"Heart"

Wonderful, wild blackberries from our "Enchanted Forest", picked by Mary and Gracie. Oh, how juicy and good they were! We will have to make another trek out to get enough for pie or fillo! I hear they are "heart-healthy" (that expression always makes me cringe grammatically -- foods are not healthy! They are healthFUL!!) so maybe that's what my "heart" needs today! Thank you, Lord, for free, wonderful berries!

"Heart" . . . not much today. Not even to write out the word "heart". But I determined to come here and communicate (after all, we are instructed to forget not -- Hebrews 13:16), and wait on the Lord to work "heart" into it! I know, and you know, what it's all about. Nothing has consoled my "heart" since the Millers left. The hole in my "heart" is not mending at all. When your "heart" is full of your family, there is something horribly missing when someone is missing!

Well, isn't that a little self-centered?! Yes, it is, and I know it. God is having to bring my focus back around to Himself and His goodness. What a precious family I have here -- just around the corner and down the road! What wonderful weather we are having (maybe a little rain, Lord??) What sweet friends and fellowship we are blessed with! And what a sovereign, gracious, grace-filled, and grace-bestowing heavenly Father we have. His grace -- His divine enabling -- is all-sufficient. Behaving as if it isn't is truly an insult to His grace. Thank you, Lord, for Your long-suffering with this pitiful child of Yours! God is so good.

Callie's Essay . . .

Sweet granddaughter Callie has a gift for putting her deepest concerns down on paper. The principles of the Word have been instilled in her heart since she was a baby, and she takes them very seriously, which is part of her preciousness. She has a real concern that Christian families live according to the patterns and precepts of the Bible, and this translates into her everyday life. What a blessing it is for her grandparents to watch as she moves right into young womanhood in her father's house, learning to serve him as unto the Lord, help her mother run the home, develop the skills and character she will need to keep her own home and serve her own husband one day (probably way too soon!).

This year, Callie wrote a heart-felt essay for the state convention and then delivered it as an oratory. There were many women working in "ministry" outside their homes who were in the competition room, and I was watching to see if some would be skeptical or scornful of the counter-cultural thoughts she was presenting. Several, however, mentioned to me what a refreshing blessing her presentation was! Thank the Lord, some hearts are open and ready to see a return to the Biblical family! This is what Callie wrote and presented. God bless you, little Callie Sue!

" SATAN’S ATTACK ON THE TRADITIONAL FAMILY

God created the earthly family as a beautiful picture of the heavenly family. God’s plan was to use the family to show the world His character. Romans 1:20 tells us, “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even the eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:” God created the father of the family to represent God the Heavenly Father, the mother to represent the Holy Spirit, and the children to represent Jesus Christ the Son. As early as the Garden of Eden, Satan has sought to destroy the family. Today, as never before, the traditional God-ordained family is being attacked on all sides.

The strong, Christian father is everything his family needs him to be. God designed him for the task. He protects his family and provides for them just as God the Father protects and provides for His own. He is the spiritual head of the family. Genesis 18:19 says, “For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment…”. Today, the enemy is using egalitarianism to undermine the authority of the father. The two-income household is playing its part in destroying the family by making the wife’s money earned “hers” and the husband’s money earned “his”. Throughout the culture -- television, movies and in the media the father is made to look foolish and weak. All of this together makes the father complacent about leading his family and makes him feel he is an unnecessary member. This should not be so.

The virtuous, Christian mother is a beautiful picture of the Holy Spirit. She is a comforter and nurturer to her family. The true value of a godly mother is severely under- rated. A mother raising her children, serving her husband, and tending to the home is a priceless gift to any family. The Bible confirms this in Proverbs 31:10 where it states, “Who can find a virtuous women? For her price is far above rubies.” As we saw in the Garden of Eden, Eve was deceived by the serpent; so today, the working woman is still deceived by believing the lie of feminism that says “You can have it all – A career and a family”. Mothers working outside the home have the “double curse”. The curse of the woman is pain in child-bearing, and the man’s curse is working by the sweat of his brow. The working woman experiences both. The working woman is also allowing others the delight of raising her own children. With the hectic schedule the working woman keeps, she cannot minister to her family as the Holy Spirit ministers to the Christian. This is clearly not God’s plan for the woman’s role in the family.

Psalms 127:3 tells us, “Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.” Yes, children are a blessing from the Lord! They represent Jesus Christ, God’s Son. Children should be obedient and submissive to their parents just as Jesus obeyed and submitted to the will of the Heavenly Father. Through the public school system, television and worldly music, the enemy is causing children to distrust and disrespect their parents. Children begin to hold those values and attitudes instead of the values of their parents. These children begin to doubt their parents’ morals and worldview.
That breaks the chain of multi generational faithfulness by encouraging a premature independent spirit in children who still need to be under the guidance of their parents. Proverbs 1:8 says, “My son, hear the instruction of thy father and forsake not the law of thy mother:”

Christians must be sure to fulfill God’s plan for the family. The unbeliever is watching the Christian family every day in order to see God’s character displayed. God has given us the Sword of the Spirit to fight against the attacks from the enemy. And remember I John 4:4, '…greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.' "