Just like Jesus

Through me let there be kind words, a warm smile & a caring heart. Through me let there be willingness to listen & a readiness to understand. Through me let there be dependability, steadfastness, trust & loyalty. Through me let there be compassion, forgiveness, mercy & love. Through me let there be every quality I find, O Lord, in Thee.

-Roy Lessin

I've come to realize recently that I've been so consumed with just surviving the past couple of years, trying to emerge from the ashes, that I've forgotten my pursuit to be like Him. I want to be a reflection of Him; His character, grace, compassion & passion for the harvest-- both inside & out. Change me, O God.

Sometimes the character traits or quirks in others that drive us silly or push our buttons - whatever you want to call it, they are often a reflection of something in us that we need to change. This is a lesson learned the past few weeks. What I see as ugly in another, be it brother or other, it's often ugly in me; revealed that I might seek change in myself.

Create in me a clean (new) heart, O God, & renew a right spirit within me. You would not be pleased with sacrifices or I would bring them. If I brought you a burnt offering, you would not accept it. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. Ps 51:10, 16-17

There is a fountain full of grace and it flows from Emmanuel’s veins
It came and it healed me
It came and refreshed me
And it came and washed my sins away
from David & Nicole Binion's live @ straightgate (prerelease)

Trick or Treat Sweeties

Grace & neighbor Emily went trick or treating together. Our very own pumpkin patch. What fun! I don't think Stephanie could beam any brighter as Emily gets her first trick or treat candy.

Texas Time Pics

As promised, Texas Time pics: Blogspot gives me a headache when it comes to posting photos here. So if you are craving more photos, please visit my non-headache giving GraceFulldays Xanga-style. :o)

1st try - no pics at all. Let's try again!
2nd try- no pics.
3rd try - still no go. I'm finished :o(

UPDATE: Now I'm permitted to upload! It's only the next day. Thanks for stopping by Xanga~ this will be old news to some of you. :o) I've added a couple of new ones.

Gracie play with the Mambo doggie

Dallas Zoo children's stream


Big Tex

Up, up & AWAY~~

All things fried

This one's for HOLLY

Deep Fried Texas: the scoop

Howdie folks. Texas sure knows how to put on a fair! We had a BLAST! The children's rides were the most creative I've seen. Picture my fringed Gracie floating in a canoe along a river among the tall grasses & down the rapids. It was a Poncahontas picture if I ever saw one. :o) Can't wait to share my pics with ya'll!

So...the crispy results are in. Deep fried coke gets my vote! Other samplings included deep fried peanut butter & jelly & banana sandwich. TAST-YY! I looked for that praline & cosmopolitan but couldn't find them. Probably a good thing, I'd say. :o)

That's all for now!

Deep Fried Texas

We are off to the fair in just a bit! So "cited" as Gracie would say. She's all decked out in her faux suede fringed vest & skirt with cowboy boots/hat in tow. Here we goooooo!

This is in honor of neighbor Nate:

The State Fair of Texas holds a competition called the Big Tex Choice Awards given to vendors for creative food ideas. Looking at the list it would seem that one person's creative food idea might also show up on some else's Most Unsavory Foods list.

Deep Fried Cosmopolitan----A fried pastry filled with cheesecake and topped with a sweet cherry and tangy cranberry glaze and a lime wedge. Served on a stick.

Donkey Tails---Large all-beef franks, slit on one sice and generously stuffed with sharp cheddar cheese, wrapped in a large flour tortilla and fried til golden brown. Served with mustard chili sauce or Ruth's salsa.

Fernie's Fried Choco-rito---A flour tortilla stuffed with marshmallows, coconut, candy bar pieces, caramel morsels and cinnamon then dipped in pancake batter and deep-fried to a crispy, crunchy outside and sweet, gooey inside. Drizzled with honey and topped with whipped cream.

Fernie's Fried Mac-n-Cheese---Texas-sized bites of macaroni and cheese, covered with a layer of garlic and herb-flavored bread crumbs and deep fried until crispy outside and hot and cheesy inside. Served on a stick with a side of dipping sauces.

Fried Coke---Smooth spheres of Coca-Cola flavored batter that are deep-fried, drizzled with pure Coke fountain syrup, topped with whipped cream, cinnamon sugar and a cherry. Served in souvenir contoured glasses.Fried Praline Perfection (the winner)---Plump coconut and pecan pralines, battered and fried to a rich golden crust. Served warm with powdered sugar.

SOURCE: 2006 State Fair of Texas

Texas Time

I'm here in sunny Texas. Well, now it's sunny after several days of rain. Grace & I enjoyed the Dallas zoo yesterday & a bit a pool time since it was in the 80's. Yes, it is WARM. Yeah! The girl has been playing herself silly with M & M's puppy, Mambo. We're looking forward to the Texas State Fair with the Derby pair in a couple of days.

Just to recap the latest:
Grace & I made our way down to St Louis to celebrate my sister's bday. We delightfully enjoyed that delish cake & equally enjoyed pampering while getting our fingers & toes prettied up. Ok, maybe the cake was a bit more tasty! Later, we went to the St Louis Zoo for the Pumpkin Prowl with a Pumpkin latte on the way home was worth it all. :o) It was really nice to enjoy the weekend with Tracy. She is indeed worth celebrating!

Sunday, we headed out for Texas. Grace did GREAT on her 1st non-baby flight! Of course, the girl has logged more flight miles than some accumulate in their lifetime but this was the first flight she was tall enough to see out the window or kick the seat in front of her. ;o) Actually, there was no kicking. We enjoyed tasty snacks; some American Airline, but mostly mom packed snacks. We doodle bugged, read books & drew some cool pictures. Fun!

We've played lots with the puppy & a bit in the pool, ventured to the zoo, picked up some pink cowboy boots & await the fair excursion with M & M. We'll be back home before you know it so bring on the sunshine!

Happy Birthday, little Sister!

Happy Birthday to my little sister~

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the one who falls and has no one to help him up! Eclessiastes 4:9-10

There's no one else I'd rather be stuck with in that snow bank than you~

Love & hugs to you today, Sis! It's a day to celebrate...there's no doubt about it!

PS: did you say yellow cake with chocolate buttercream frosting??

In Loving Memory~

In loving memory~

Nellie R. O'Neal

April 12, 1939-October 10, 2005

Always in my heart, mom, always~

Death is nothing at all

Death is nothing at all.

I have only slipped away into the next room.

I am I and you are you,

Whatever we were to each other,

that we still are.

Call me by my old familiar name.

Speak to me in the easy way which you always used.

Put no difference in your tone.

Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.

Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together.

Pray, smile, think of me.

Let my name be ever the household word that it always was.

Let it be spoken without effort;

without the trace of a shadow in it.

Life means all that it ever meant.

It is the same as it ever was.

There is unbroken continuity.

Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?

I am waiting for you somewhere very near.

Henry Scott Holland 1847-1918

Canon of St Paul's Cathedral

Thanks to my bestest friend, Renee, for helping me remember even in your own pain & loss.

Turtle Playground

On our way out of St Louis yesterday, we stopped for a bit of fun at Turtle Playground in Forest Park. What a great time! The weather was gorgeous, actually quite hot, so we took advantage of the warm sun on our faces before heading back to chilly Chicago. :o) It was so warm that Grace played in the sprinklers servicing the grassy knoll nearby. What fun! I only had my cell phone- bubble free & nearly healed - with me, thus the not so clear pic of Gracie up top & stock photos below. Oh well, we captured the moment regardless.

Seven concrete turtles from seven to 40 feet long each represent a different species found in Missouri. Among them are a red-eared slider, a soft-shelled turtle, a snapping turtle, a box turtle, a Mississippi map turtle and "stinkpot" turtle.
Two of the adult turtles -- one with its head uplifted and another with its mouth open -- rise out of the ground and are big enough for kids to climb and slide on. Four smaller turtles toddle nearby, and near a serpentine bench, baby turtles are shown breaking out of their shells.











Currently Listening Redeemer: The Best of Nicole C. Mullen By Nicole C. Mullen

Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who mourn~

Laugh with your happy friends when they're happy; share tears when they're down.
Romans 12:15
The Message

We're back this week after a short weekend in St Louis attending a memorial service for my best friend's mom. Renee was determined to memorialize her mom the way she lived; immersed in the humor of everyday life, seeing the best in every situation. With amazing strenth, Renee indeed captured her mom's spirit & zest for life.

We truly celebrate Elaine Stroud; the life she lived, the love she gave & the laughter she shared.