Neglect- (v) to leave undone or unattended to

How can a young man keep his way pure?
By living according to your word.
I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.
I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.
Praise be to you, O LORD;
teach me your decrees.
With my lips I recount
all the laws that come from your mouth.
I rejoice in following your statutes
as one rejoices in great riches.
I meditate on your precepts
and consider your ways.
I delight in your decrees;
I will not neglect your word.

Psalm 119:9-16

Lord, forgive me, I continue to neglect your word too often in my daily walk...I do not want it to be this way. I pray that You would give me the desire, the passion, the hunger for your Word...that I would rejoice, meditate and delight in it. Thank you for your Holy Spirit, Lord, that draws my attention to my sin and gives me the desire to be renewed. Thank you for mercies made new each day.

A thankful heart....

282. The funny things that kids say
286. Newborn babies
289. Pictures drawn for me by my children
290. Pictures drawn for my by my patients
296. Friends from medical school
312. A husband who is so helpful in the kitchen!
329. Turtleneck sweaters
345. A removable high-chair-tray liner
360. Comfy pajamas
361. Brock making sure we remembered to give Papaw his meds
364. Hot soup and grilled cheese
372. Scriptures place throughout our house
402. Sunrises on our morning drive
408. Sweet voices saying "Mom,...."
422. Progress on the drywall in my new bathroom!!
424. The sound of Micah waking up after a long nap

You shower us with blessing upon blessing, Lord. I am thankful. In the "big things" and in the "small things", I see that you give all these gifts from your loving hand. Thank you.

Don't ask!!!

Seriously...don't ask!!

Let's just say....the last couple of days, I think that I could almost hear my snooze button saying "Hey girl, where you been?? Glad to see you are back!!"

Well, Mr. Snooze, don't get used to it. I am not giving up....just a minor set-back!!

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
1 Corinthians 10:12-14

Happy Thanksgiving!

Our hearts are full of thanks today. We are a blessed family, living amongst blessed friends, in a blessed nation. We take time today to give thanks to God for all His many blessings, but may our hearts be filled with this type of gratitude everyday! From "Our House" to yours....HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song.

For the LORD is the great God,
the great King above all gods.

Psalm 95:1-3

From the mouth of a babe...

This morning our family read Psalm 8 together and I had to smile a great BIG smile as we read the first part of verse 2:

From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise...
Psalm 8:2a

For a month or two, Micah has been folding his hands together when we say "let's pray." But, just a couple of weeks ago he did something that made my heart leap...he put his hands together, bowed his head and mumbled "Jesus" (actually, it sounded more like "Shee-sus")! Of course we got excited about one of his first words being the Lord's name!

Then, last week I had this amazing image as I read Philippians 2:

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2: 9-11

As I read those verses, I had this awesome image of Micah praying... a baby in his highchair lowering his sweet little curly-haired-head, muttering the name of Jesus...and I just imagined this "swishing-thumping" sound as all of heaven's angels fell onto their knees.

I have no idea if something like that really happens when Micah says "Shee-sus"....but I do know that the Bible says that one day EVERY knee will bow at the sound of His precious name.

Sometimes I think I forget that...I forget the magnitude of it and I take for granted the power He gives me to pray in His almighty name. What a blessing that God gave me these verses--and a baby saying "Shee-sus"--to remind me!!

Joy Unspeakable!

Last night, while we were fast alseep, Tim and Ali (my brother and sister-in-law) were united forever with their daughter Faith! God is so good...and we continue to marvel at His ways...ways that are beyond our understanding.





We are blessed to welcome this sweet little girl into the family!

You have got to try this recipe!!

I don't post many recipes...but you HAVE to know about this one! I stumbled on it last week, today I tired it for a pitch-in...it was a HUGE hit...lots and lots of requests for the recipe. It was so very easy and seems too simple to be so yummy....you just have to try it to believe it.

SLOW COOKER CREAMED CORN

1 1/2 packages (16 oz) frozen corn
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup butter or marg
1/2 cup milk
1-2 Tbls sugar
salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat cream cheese, butter, milk, sugar in saucepan until melted.
2. Place frozed corn in slow cooker.
3. Pour melted mixture over corn.
4. Slow cook on high for 1 hour, then low for 3 hours.

That's it!!
I doubled the recipe and it was "gobbled up" quick!
Just in time for Thanksgiving...give it try and let me know what you think!

What a great reminder!

In her post yesterday, Ann (from Holy Experience) included these lyrics from Casting Crown's "Who Am I?"

Who am I?
That the eyes that see my sin
Would look on me with love
And watch me rise again
Who am I?
That the voice that calms the sea,
Would call out through the rain,
And calm the storm in me.

Not because of who I am.
But because of what You've done.
Not because of what I've done.
But because of who You are.

from "Who Am I" by Casting Crowns

What a great reminder to me...that these gifts I have been listing over the past week are ALL about God's goodness...about who He is, and how He loves me...not because of anything I have done, or anything I could ever do...but ONLY because He is an awesome, giving, loving, wonderful, gracious God!!!

Extreme "Our House" Makeover!!!

Yippeeee!!! "Our House" got redecorated! Were you surprised?

A big thank you to Susie at Blurbird Blogs for the design and for being patient with me as a asked question after question! Thanks, Susie!!

Now I know how to do blockquotes, too! This is my first try...and it worked! How fun is this??

Enough of this fun, though...My REAL house needs an extreme makeover...Chad's family is coming here for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow, and there is still MUCH cooking and cleaning to do!

Have a great trip, Tim and Ali!!

Tomorrow morning my brother, Tim, and his wife Ali (visit Family Footprints) are headed to China to bring home their daughter, Faith.

We can't wait to hear all the details and see the pictures!

We will be praying for you!!!!

"But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. For surely , O LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield." Psalm 5:11-12.

Lord, we pray your protection and shield over this family as they journey to bring sweet little Faith home. Watch over Tim, Ali and Faith during travel. Keep Tyler and Zack safe as well, and give them your peace to know that they will be reunited very soon as a family of 5!!

p.s. How cute is this pic?? So sweet of Faith to wave at her Aunt Michelle! You can just see it in her eyes, can't you...."Hi Aunt Michelle!!!!"

AND!!

271. Newly purchased airline tickets to visit Stacy in January!!!!!

Oh happy day!

and....and.....and......and......and.....

101. sunsets
117. starry nights
119. seeing "I AM" spelled out in the clouds after Brock pointed it out to me!
143. Rich Mullins...his music and his life
145. Christian rock concerts
156. a toasty warm corn stove on cold, cloudy days
157. slippers
171. my corner windows in the kitchen (thank you Lord, and thank you MOM!)
179. Micah sleeping in his crib after so many nights of praying by his empty crib
181. Hawaiian pizza
185. Dean's crab dip
200. Taste buds!!!
207. The sacrifice of veterans throughout the years/wars
224. Heather Radu
228. We're out of PGN! (still a great thing to be thankful for!!!)
242. living out in the country where, on a windy day, God rakes my whole yard!
251. beds that were made by kids who did not need to be told to make them
256. "Show Me Your Glory" runs
265. watching videos from my childhood
...and the list continues to grow.

"Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song. Psalm 95:2

Happy Birthday, Dad!!!

Dad,

I am guessing that you have never been on our blog?? Maybe mom has read you a thing or two from it....and maybe she has shown you some pictures (if not...we need to change that!) And I am guessing that mom is reading this to you right now...so...give her a minute to get her kleenex first. You see, it has become a bit of a tradition on our blog to honor people on their birthday be doing a "birthday list"...pointing out some things that we love about the "birthday boy/girl".

So, keeping with recent tradition, here is your "birthday list" ( I decided I better limit it to ten, because that is what we did for mom...you know what I mean??) of things we love about you!!

1. Your amazing work ethic
2. The way you tell a story
3. How (when the boat broke down) time after time, you would drive to Raccoon Lake, run the boat to Tom's Marina, and get it back ASAP so we did not miss out on any lake time!
4. The way you coached basketball (with such passion and excitement!)
5. The way your players respect you so highly to this day....you are very loved!
6. Your sense of humor
7. The way you always demanded that Mike, Tim and I respect authority figures (teachers, coaches, referees, etc.)
8. How you would baby sit for Brock...and how you broke your ankle when you jumped out the window and off the roof to rescue him from the locked door!!!!
9. Your love of Bluegrass music
10. And, last but certainly not least.....one of the things we love most about you dad, is how you keep hanging in there with your Parkinson's.....we know it is very tough, but you just keep plugging away...and for all the times we have not said it, we are so PROUD of you for that.

And speaking of PROUD...let me just close by adding that one of the things I am most proud of in my life (more than any award, honor or degree I have earned) is being able to say that I am "HOWARD LEEDY'S DAUGHTER"!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday, Dad! We love you very much!

Not much to you....but it's "progress" to me!!

I realize that it is not an "earth-shattering, life-saving, mountain-moving, cancer-curing" type of accomplishment....but for me, it feels like a somewhat big deal...

...it is progress in an area of weakness in my life
...IT IS 8 DAYS WITHOUT EVEN TOUCHING MY SNOOZE BUTTON!
...and hopefully, it is progress toward my ultimate goal of CONSISTENT EARLY MORNING QUIET TIME with my Saviour.

More than a list

Heavenly Father,

I am thankful. You have blessed me and my family, in ways that I take for granted every day. I pray that this process...this 1000 gifts...will be more than just a list. I pray that it will be a process of seeing new things, of growing in gratitude, of praising you more often...I pray that it will be a time of growth for me, and a time of drawing nearer to you. 1000 is big number...its a lot of things to think of and a lot of things to write...but help me to see more clearly that in You, the 1000 gifts are just the tip of the iceberg. Thank you, Lord.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving...

Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 100:4-5

I was inspired and challenged by Ann at Holy Experience. She has asked others to join her in an excercise of gratitude... of praising God for His goodness...of listing 1000 things for which I am thankful. So, in this season of Thanksgiving, I have decided to join in. I will be keeping a list of things...big things, small things, extraordinary things, everyday things...things that I just want to thank the Lord for.

Now, don't worry. I will not post the whole list here. But I certainly will share some items, and let you know how the journey of 1000 gifts is coming along!!

I pray that as I do this...as I look around my life for things to thank God for...I pray that as I do this, my heart will fill with gratitude...and that I will begin to be more in the habit of constantly thanking God for things that I too often pass by without notice.

Open my eyes, Lord.

This is not a political BLOG.....but......

Have you voted yet??

We are planning to later today...when we can take the kids with us. Maybe I will post later about how that went...but, if you haven't already, we would like to encourage to go vote today (AND VOTE CONSERVATIVE!! oooops. this is not a political blog.)

Happy Birthday, MOM!! Part 2...

YoooooHooooooooo!!!! It's your birthday card...right here on my blog! How fun is that??? Recently I have started doing "birthday lists"....so here is yours. I thought about posting 67 things that we love about you (hmmmm...where did I come up with that number??) but decided to do a top ten list of things that we are SOOOO thankful for when we think of you!

1. The way you love our children...not just in word, but in action!
2. The way you are always willing and WANTING to help our family.
3. The way you take care of dad!!!!!!!!
4. Food runs to town.
5. The way you put the needs of others in front of your own.
6. How strict you were when I was growing up
7. The example you set for our children
8. The way you care for Grandma Leedy!
9. How you have accepted Chad, and love him (even if you do take his side....ALWAYS!)
10. Spring Break (need we say more????) =)

This list is trully just the tip of the iceberg, Mom. You bless our lives in ways that you probably do not even realize. We are so thankful for you...and love you very much!!

Happy Birthday, Gummie!!!!

Happy Birthday, MOM!!

Happy Birthday, Mom!!!

I will follow with a full "birthday post" later. But I wanted you wish you a happy day TODAY!!

Have you tried these????

A few weeks ago I stumbled onto these in the grocery store...and oh my do I regret it! I have consumed several bags since! They are so yummy! I initially bought them to go on my salads. But lately, I have just been eating them like candy! Look for them in your local grocery....and let me know what you think!!!

Have a great weekend!

OH.....by the way....not setting my alarm clock worked great...now I am TWO DAYS without using my snooze button!

Slaying My Snooze Button

It is the most over-used item in my house...it is amazing it still works...it is my SNOOZE BUTTON.

Somedays I just hit it once or twice. Some days (you know those days when I want to get up early, but don't HAVE to) I have been known to hit that stinking button for an hour and a half...seriously!! I have't always been this way. I think it was the combination of parenthood and medical residency that did it to me. Anyway, I am ready for a change!

Last night I was hanging out over at "GirlTalk" (have you been there yet?) and was reading in the archives about their morning devotions and I became convicted that if I am EVER going to have a consistent morning quiet time, I am going to have to do something about that snooze button! So....that is what I am setting out to do. Slay my snooze button!! I thought about shopping for an alarm clock without a snooze button...but I really want victory through SELF-CONTROL and DISCIPLINE.

So, I started this morning. When my alarm went off..I got out of bed (novel approach, don't you think??) NO SNOOZING! VICTORY day #1!!

Oh man...tomorrow is Saturday! Well.......I guess if I don't set my alarm at all, then I won't need my snooze button to sleep in, right?? =)

A Life To Remember

Philip R. Baker
June 10, 1936 - October 30, 2006

The dates are significant...
but the really important stuff happened in the dash...
and Phil lived a very full dash!!
We will miss you...but we can look forward to seeing you on that glorious day to come!!