Beautiful Lord's Day

This weekend, the sweet older granddaughters organized a wonderful picnic/berry picking for yesterday after church. So after the meeting, each church family headed out to the "Enchanted Forest" on our property with picnic basket and berry bucket in hand. This has been a hard year for berries, since we are just now getting rain and have had months of drought. But the children and some of the parents were determined and diligent and took home enough for a cobbler or berries for ice cream. Sweet Kitty picked for Grandmother and Granddaddy. She figured that it was our property, she would make it easy on us and get the thorn pricks! Thank you, Kitty!

Danny and I enjoying chicken salad sandwiches and ICED TEA!!

The Dischers and Terrie and Amanda get a little shade from the Durango.

The Stricklens find the pines to their liking. Mary Stricklen and Sarah Discher made wonderful homemade chocolate cakes to share with everyone.

Josiah Waldman (red shirt) turned 6 yesterday, so our picnic was a birthday celebration, too! Baby Isaac, in his daddy's arms, is getting so big!

We had the pleasure of the company of Frank Doolin and his boys, but we didn't give him enough notice for him to bring his trademark fried chicken. Nobody starved, though!

Terrie Tanner, Renee Waldman, and Beth Discher discuss things wise Proverbs 31 mothers talk about. What a blessing to have women of God who care and share with one another!

Molly with William and his treasured berries.

Callie and Amanda's take, mid-harvest

The children found two little owls in the woods. Here is one of them (bottom center of picture). I have no idea what kind it is, but the children were excited about it.

Visionary fathers discussing things of God. We are blessed with strong men in our fellowship -- men who lead their families faithfully. (Eddie was in the berry patch, determined to take home sweet berries!)

CJ and Willie found an airplane!

Time to go, but men always find important things to talk about!

The ladies weren't quite finished either!

Little people patiently waiting to take their delicious treasure home! The end of a wonderful Lord's Day!

Joyful Mothers of Children!! (Psalm 113:9)

What a blessing today to spend time with my precious mother, Frances, this Mother's Day. Our family (at least those who still live in the area!) had a wonderful dinner at daughter Molly's house after church -- lasagna, homemade bread, home grown green beans and squash, salad, and lots of yummy desserts!

My mother has always been my role model and shining example of what a mother should be. Most of all, she has blessed me with a constant and consistent picture of godly, biblical womanhood. Through all the joys and sorrows of her life, she has lived out a consecrated walk with the Lord before her children, grandchildren, and now great-grandchildren. Her quiet confidence is always there, and her knowledge of God's Word is brought to bear in every situation. Many daughters have done virtuously, but she excels them all! I arise up and call her blessed. I love you, Mother. Happy Mother's Day!

Sweet daughter Beth and her family spent hours loading photographs for me onto 28 CD's!! What a wonderful, personalized Mother's Day gift! Beth is the joyful mother of 7 children -- number 8 is still in the oven, planning to make his/her arrival on July 11. What a blessing!

Sweet daughter Molly can always be counted on for something meaningful and green! Here, she and her family presented me with a wonderfully fragrant gardenia bush. It has several blooms already opened and is waiting for the rest of the gift -- Molly's expert help in placing and planting the bush at our house. Molly is the joyful mother of 6 children.

Sweet daughter Katie (Arkansas) and sweet daughter-in-law Ashley (Missouri) called to wish me the best of the day, wishing they could be here in person. They got together on the Missouri property for a cookout, with chef Jason doing the honors. Katie is the joyful mother of 8 children, and Ashley is the mother of Savannah, who is expecting a baby brother or sister in December!

What a blessing to have a family that honors mothers! The Bible says, "There is a generation that . . . doth not bless their mothers" (Prov. 30:11) When children are not taught to honor their parents, they will not honor God, and the end result will be the decay of the culture in less than a generation! What a good thing our traditions are, when they are based on the principles in God's Word. May God bless all the mothers who are striving to raise up the next generation in the fear and admonition of the Lord. Thank you, Lord, for my mother, and for the wonderful mothers my daughters have become.

Make Them Known, Declare Them . . .

"Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:
Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.
We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.
For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children:
That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children:
That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments"
Psalm 78:1-7

It was our privilege recently to have the 7 oldest granddaughters stay over for the night after a family get-together. As the evening came to a close, it was time for Granddaddy to break the Bread of Life to us, as he does with me most every night. He shared with me and the girls from Deuteronomy, pointing out portions that might need explanation. The girls asked insightful questions and offered sound discussion with biblical reasoning. We were impressed.

Do you notice the generations in the above portion of Psalm 78?

1) "Our fathers" (could go back for many generations)

2) "We" (counting that as my generation)

3) "Our children" (my children)

4) "The generation to come (my grandchildren)

5) "Their children" (my unborn great-grandchildren)

At least 5 generations are listed here, with instructions to never neglect the passing on of the faithfulness of God. Not only is His Word to be diligently sown into their hearts and everyday practice, but the stories of His workings in our lives and the lives of our fathers are to continue to be passed down. Why???

verse 7: That they might

1) set their hope in God

2) not forget His works

3) keep His commandments

What more could we ask for, for our precious descendants, than to have hope in the Lord for the coming hard days by not forgetting His works which we have related to them faithfully, so that they will keep His commandments and reap all the benefits of obedience? His ways never fail.

What a blessing it was to hear their strong faith and ability to "give an answer"! How blessed to know that the 5th generation will be in the hands of good, godly mothers! What a privilege we have been given to participate in their lives -- it is as it should be. Thank you, Lord, for your perfect plan for families. May you send them strong men of God and give them many children for your Kingdom!

Another Road Trip -- Part 2

(Mary, the picture-posting queen, assures me that sometimes the pictures go where you don't want them to go, and there is no way to make them go back, so the first picture will just have to stay where it is!)

When we drove back into the property on this trip, we found forsythia in bloom! How spring-y! When my children were little and we lived in Indiana, we would tire of the endless winter about mid-March. We went out and cut forsythia branches and bring them inside. We put them in water to force the early blooms so we could have a touch of spring. Beautiful!

Also, see the brick wall in the bottom left corner of the above picture? It is a retaining wall along the patio in back of the house. In this picture, you can see a few of the hundreds of tulips that had come up along the wall. Hopefully, they did not freeze and die! They will be beautiful also. What a miracle spring is! We tend to forget its magnitude here in Florida, but it surely sends out a message of hope every year!

"For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;" Song of Solomon 2:11-12

Ashley looks relieved to be in Missouri -- finally! She drove the Tahoe and followed Jason driving the U-Haul rental truck.

Jason and Ashley came in about 10:30 at night. Everyone pitched in and started unloading the truck. This was one of those "hit the ground running" trips for them. They had encountered several obstacles along the way, but God's amazing grace was sufficient!

Katie made a special effort this trip to meet up with us every day or so and let one or two children spend the night with us. What a blessing to spend time with them one on one, talking and listening! Here is Joey with Granddaddy in the RV.

Although they enjoyed being with Florida family, these boys were glad to get home! After all, they are men of God with work to do. And besides, there's no cooking like Mama's cooking, right?

One evening, we went to Katie's for supper in the new kitchen cabin. Here little Sam and Savannah get to know each other better. The storage boxes make the perfect size tables for little people!

Andrew and Katie in the cheery new yellow kitchen!

Above, Rachel and her big brother RG, and below, Katie and Samuel. The Millers met us in Flippin Arkansas (yes, that's the real name of the town . . . don't ask me . . .) for supper at a quaint little restaurant named Sodie's, in the train depot. Pleasant times after a hard day's work.

Rachel was our sweet little companion at the home show. Jason and Danny manned this vendor booth for the new business, Wood Re New, a restoring service for log homes, decks, fences, etc. Jason will handle the business in a five county MO/AR area. I think it will do well.

Here are Ashley, Benny, Savannah, Joey, and Grandmother at a nice cafe/grill we found during the Mountain Home Arkansas spring home show. They served their own delicious grassfed beef, so we came back several times.

Well, this does seem to be a time of transition for the Frodge clan. The Millers have been in Arkansas for a year now. The Jason Frodges are now in Missouri, about an hour from the Millers. The Dischers have their little house up for sale, in preparation for a move, as soon as possible, to Missouri, also. (Check our their house blog! http://floridacountryhouse.blogspot.com/ ) The Dan Frodges have been back and forth (!), and the Stricklens are firmly rooted in Florida. What is next, Lord? Thank You for your faithfulness, through quiet times and unsettled times. You have a plan, and we gladly place our family in Your providential hands.

Oh, No!! Not Another Road Trip!!?? Part 1

Well, yes, another road trip!  Cousins Matthew and Peter turned 16 in the last few months, and it has been our privilege to take (well, for Granddaddy to take) grandsons who turn 16 on a canoe trip with cousins and friends.  So Matthew and Daniel flew down for the occasion, which happened to coincide with Uncle Jason and Aunt Ashley's move to Missouri.  Jason and Danny have bought a business in the Gainesville, Missouri, area, which Jason will manage and work (and I do mean work -- it's a wood treatment business, and there are lots of log homes, decks, etc., in the Bull Shoals area of Missouri/Arkansas.)  So this was an ideal time to hit the road and take Matthew and Daniel home to Arkansas!  Here we go!

What a privilege to have Matthew to talk to for two whole days!  Matthew isn't much of a chatter, which is a good thing, but he thinks deeply and comes up with great observations and theological conclusions.  Since they moved to Arkansas, we have missed hearing his thoughts as he grows into manhood. 

One of Daniel's "quieter" moments in the RV.  Daniel, too, surprises us with the depth of his contemplations.  He and Matthew both have a dry wit and love to come up with "zingers".  What a blessing to spend time with them!

Our other traveling companion -- Ashley's good doggie, Spencer.  We had intended to meet them as they came up from Ft. Lauderdale, but they were delayed behind us, so we ended up with a canine companion all the way to Missouri.  Spencer has been living with us the last year or so, but he has been an "outdoor" dog -- both Danny's and my preference.  So the boys washed and washed him so he would be tolerable in the RV.  I must say, he was a good doggie all the way.  He never misbehaved and was always considerate.  He is loving his new farm home in Missouri.  Bye-bye, Spencer.  We will miss you!

Boys love buffets -- at least these boys do!  We ate most meals in the RV, but we had to have one good buffet along the way!

Finally there!  It is much greener than February.  The sun shone most of the time, but when we left on

April 6, it was downright C-O-L-D!!  It was supposed to freeze that night -- hope the hundreds of tulips and daffodils made it! 

R.G. came up after work to help unload Jason's moving truck, but since they had been delayed, he ate supper with us and went back home to Arkansas.  We didn't get to spend a lot of time with him, but we were so blessed by the man of God he is becoming. 

Every evening, I was blessed to watch and listen as Granddaddy broke the Bread of Life and young men asked questions and added insights.  I could not help but think of the strong faithful arrows going into a time I won't see.  Thank you, Lord, for these precious times, and the little glimpse into the future that they give us.

Part 2:  Moving In

Double Blessings

Our church ladies' Bible study class has recently finished studying the Book of Ruth and is now into the Book of Esther.  We wanted to compare and contrast the sovereign workings of the Lord in the lives of the two women for whom books of the Bible are named.  What a beautiful study this has been!  And what wonderful nuggets of truth the Lord is showing us as to how the lives of these women can inform our lives in the 21st century.

Although a book is not named for her, there is another woman in this study who has been a blessing to me.  That is Naomi, the mother-in-law of Ruth.  She is a wise woman who pours her life into that of her daughter-in-law, in order to see God fulfill His plan in the next generations.  The one thing that is most impressive to me about Ruth and Naomi is the depth of their relationship and their commitment to one another.  It is truly instructive to us -- to me -- as a mother-in-law.

Of course, my thoughts have turned to my own children-in-law.  When our children were born, what precious blessings!  We thought we could never love anyone as much as we do our children.  As they grew and the Lord brought them all together with their spouses, we found that we had received double blessings!  Each in-law that was added to our family became truly that -- family.  And our love for each one has grown in depth the place where we can both say we love them like our own children.

Now, as the parents of our 22 grandchildren, each child-in-law  has become even more precious.  Living in ever-deepening relationship with them, we can see their unique qualities, quirks, and characteristics coming out in the grandchildren, along with those of our children.  Each grandchild increasingly develops a distinct personality, a combination of both parents.  And that's what makes them so loveable!

Yes, children-in-law are truly a double blessing.  Thank you, Lord, for Eddie, Chris, Robert, and Ashley.  We could not imagine life without them!  We love y'all!

Eddie, with his beloved bride, our oldest, Beth.  He is a quiet Canadian, but he brings so much to our family.  His creativity is unique -- he is an accomplished artist, but too humble to let anyone know it.  His firm steadfastness of purpose has been passed on to his children, and we believe that will stand them in good stead in the difficult days ahead.  We love you, Eddie!

Chris, Molly's husband, with his grandfather.  Chris' heritage goes back many generations in Florida.  He is the designated story-teller when we get together.  Everyone loves to hear Uncle Chris get going on a story.  And generous -- he is always, always ready to help someone in need, especially if it means getting under a vehicle!  He is an artist at mechanics, and is a student of the Word.  We love you, Chris!

Robert, Katie's husband.  Here he is teasing his niece, Emma Jane.  Uncle Robert always wants to plan some fun stuff for the children -- giving them nicknames, playing dominoes.  He is quite a musician, but he doesn't like anyone to know it.  He has a sacrificial spirit for his family (as do all the daddies) staying away from home for weeks sometime to put bread on the table.  We miss him.  We love you, Robert!

Ashley, Jason's bride.  Ashley probably thought we were nutty when she first met us -- you know, big families, homeschooling, bread-baking, frugal living.  Now, she's just one of us!  She has been a very sophisticated lady but she knows how to handle a 4-wheeler in the woods!  Next, she'll be bringing home the venison out in Missouri!  She is a talented singer and public speaker and is a blessing to our family.  We love, you, Ashley!

My Kind of Day!

Yesterday (Thursday) was my birthday. At this age, some people want to forget birthdays, but hey, I believe each year is a gift from God, and I wanna celebrate! But not in the way most people do. When the girls asked what I wanted for my birthday, I told them, "Just bring dinner and your families, and give me the gift of time!!" There is nothing I love more than having my family spend the evening with me and their daddy, so that is just what they did!

The day started out pleasantly, with my precious mother and my dear friend, Molly's mother-in-law, Susan, both sending me sweet ecards, with perfect pictures, perfect music, and perfect thoughts of love and friendship. Then the phone calls from my son Jason and daughter Katie, who could not be here. What a joy to just spend time talking with my adult children and knowing that they want to talk and share their hearts!

About mid-day, my sweet husband brought me beautiful flowers and blessed my forehead with a kiss -- this is something he does regularly, and I carry it with me all day!

What a wonderful man to spend my birthday with!

Then sweet little Markie and Rosie came over to help Grandmother straighten up the kitchen before the evening's festivities. What a blessing to listen to them singing earnestly and enthusiastically while they work! It passes so fast -- Mamas, enjoy it while you are able!

They wouldn't accept any pay to help for Grandmother's birthday, but they were willing to enjoy a Dove bar for a treat and a few minutes to read, read, read!

Sweet Gracie made me what has to be my very favorite cake for a birthday cake -- a lemon angel-food cake with homemade lemon curd! It was soooo delicious! Granddaddy and I often muse about the blessed young men who are waiting to be revealed who will be the beneficiaries of these girls' culinary talents! What a blessing our family has in these accomplished bakers!

She decorated it with beautifully fragrant lemon blossoms, which, conveniently, grow right here!

Little Emma Jane (who still thinks it was her birthday) and Margaret Anne watch Grandmother ham it up.

Hey, everyone needs to blow out a birthday candle, even if it is imaginary, right? Homemade lemon curd awaits on the left.



Liberty Dollies came to the party, too, as they usually do. They spent a lot of time enjoy reading fellowship.



We ended the evening watching "Fireproof" together. What a blessing to be able to enjoy a good, God-honoring movie together -- we laughed, we cried, we held our breath and rejoiced when all turned out well. And so the evening capped off just the kind of day I love when it is my opportunity to choose. Thank you, Lord, for my precious family, and thank you, family, for a wonderful birthday! (And thank you, Kitty, for helping me edit this boondoggle!)