The Ride!

...And then they were gone.

Happy ThanksGiving

I am thankful today for my Saviour, that he lifted me up out of the miry pit of sin as an eight year old little girl, that Wednesday night my grandpa was preaching. I am amazed that He would see in me something worthy of His redemption. I have failed many times and at times I have even doubted but, He never left me in all that time, never, since that day have I been without Him and His mercy and grace. There have been times that I chose to try this walk of life with out his directing me and every time I have realized that it just doesn't work, that I am not my own, my steps are not mine but belong to Him, who is my redeemer.

Over the years of my short life I have seen His hand protecting me, holding me and making me into the vessel that I am today, while not yet perfect, I am still clay, and He is still my potter. He has blessed my life with people who walk in Him who have been down this road before and He has placed them here for me to learn from, He gifted me with children so that I might learn patience I think and with a husband so that I might learn temperance and to be longsuffering. Really though I do believe that every road I have been on has had a purpose in my life for Him .

So on this wonderful day of Thanks, I am thankful for Jesus, as I stated in my previous post. My heart is just overflowing with praise for Him and all that He has done for me. And I am not sorry if I sound redundant because, I am so full of Joy and peace today I had to tell someone(again), what He has done for me. I hope that each and every one of you have a wonderful good Thanksgiving!!

Question???

Okay, I have a question that I would ask all of you to answer, In the spirit of Thanksgiving.

If you could only name 1 and only 1 person, place or thing that you were thankful for what would it be and why? (that 2 questions really but humor me please)

I know that this may seem silly but I was just wondering(having a silly moment I guess;)
My answer to that question would be Jesus Christ, for with out Him there would'nt have been salvation, no way to get redemption, no way to have fellowship with God, no life, no truth, no purpose.
I am so very thankful tonight and every night, but on this eve of Thanksgiving that I know who Jesus is. I hope each and every one of you will have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving Holiday.

Home

Isn't it funny that no matter how long you may have been gone from this place, or how long you might have had your own home, the place where you grew up will always be home. I love the place where I grew up and I have many, many fond memories of me and my siblings here. Like the time I shut my brother in the cattle chute for quite awhile, or how my sister and I would dance in the barn while we were mucking out stalls, or how we would spend hours riding through the fields, or in the barn stripping tobacco listening to my grandpa tell stories of the good old days, man, what a blessed child I was to grow up here. I also have a few memories that I would like to forget, but hey we won't go there. The front porch is the coolest place around, on the hottest day of the year it will still be nice and cool on the front porch, I can remember sitting there and resting after lunch before we would have to head back out to the tobacco patch or the barn to finish whatever chore we were doing. ( all the while we would be looking for a way to get out of the work, my sister Joy always seemed to get a belly ache, Sometimes it worked most times it did not;)

Anywho, I was going through my pics today and found this picture of my old home place, the place where my parents still live and I just had to put it on here. I took this picture about 2 weeks ago for my mom, and her yard looked so pretty, it was completely covered with leaves, not a speck of grass anywhere. Of course it looks like this every fall, and I think it is one of the prettiest places in the county. A most wonderful place to grow up! A place filled with Gods love. Home

P.S. I hope that my children have as many fond memories of their homeplace as I have of mine

Burrrrrrrr!!!

It is sooooo cold here in my little corner of the world. I don't know if I ever told you guys this but I really don't like the cold, As a matter of fact I can't stand the cold. So here's my favorite thing in the whole wide world to do when it gets to cold to go outside, after all the kids are snug and warm in their beds or not, sometimes I let them join me in my little cold weather ritual.

First I go and put on my warmest worn out pair of jogging pants, my favorite t-shirt, and an extra big sweatshirt, and thick socks and then I pick out a book, a really good book it might even be one I have read before, an old favorite, or maybe a new one that I just found at the book store, which ever way it will most definitely be good, after that I go and find my favorite mug, its a blue and gray little pottery mug, I am going to fill it up with wonderful hot chocolate and marshmallows( Ya'll thought I was going to say coffee, but actually I don't like coffee, I really don't, I know its just wrong not to like it but please don't hate me for it), Then I will settle down on the couch or in my recliner with this really thick, soft , blanket, get all snug and warm, and relax and read. Nothing Better!!

To me, there is no better way to spend the winter months. I miss my horses and riding and gardening and just being outside all the time like I am in the warm months, ( and I do still get to ride some and I have to feed every day, so missing my horses ain't all that bad, I just don't get to spend as much time with them as I like, I guess that's what I miss about them) I was rambling again sorry, Anyways as I was saying, I miss all those things but I do enjoy the rest that winter brings.

So how do you enjoy the cold winter weather, Drop me a line and let me know, But for now I am going to get my book, blanket, hot steaming cup of rich chocolate and snuggle up next to my hubby on the couch and read, Its to darn cold to do anything else.

Picture was taken last year about this time by my dh.

Thankful Thursday

I have so much to be grateful for, these are just a few of this weeks most memorable:

1. Long, hot, uninterrupted showers!!!!!! As a mother of 3 young children is isn't often that I get a shower without being interrupted at least 2-3 times and when I do I am so very thankful.

My big sis, and very close friend!! When we were young I would never have imagined a day would come when we would be such good friends but I am ever so grateful for her and our friendship.

Zorro and Bob the Builder, This is not their halloween costumes, they just like to dress up anytime. I am thankful that God saw fit to bless me with 2 very independent and rowdy little boys.(one of which is my nephew)They make me laugh at some point everyday, they also make cry and want to go hide at some point every day, but they always make me smile.

I am so very thankful for the joy I feel in my heart everyday in being a wife and mother. I thank God for His saving grace and leadership in my life. I thank Him for my church family, and for the wonderful Godly friends in my life. Join me in giving thanks to God today for all things gifts Hes given you!

Thankful for Gods Word.

It seems to me these days that there is alot of heartache in peoples lives all around me. I know that it has been that way since the beginning of time and maybe its just because I'm getting older(not really, I'm 30 and holding) anyways, bu tit does seem to me that my family and others around me are really going through the fire right now. So with these thoughts in mind, I have a few verses of scripture that I thought I would share with you all.

Job 14:1 Man that is born of woman is of a few days and full of trouble.
Now I sure am glad that God didn't just leave us with this verse and I am Thankful for its warning. But I am so very thankful for all the places in His word that He tells us of His peace, joy and comfort, that He gives us when we lay down all of our burdens at His feet.
One of my most favorite verses in all the Bible is John 16:33
These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation:but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
I love this verse and take great comfort in the fact the Jesus Christ has overcome this world and all of its troubles.
I heard a great message this past Sunday at church and it was a great blessing to me, and real help too. The title was How to make it through the fire!!!
The scripture was from Daniel 3. I'll try to give you the outline and hope that my notes on it will be a great help to any of you guys. 1: You need to understand what the fire is. The fire does not destroy the child of God it purifies them. Whatever the fire maybe in our lives it is not there to harm us but to make a better child of God of us. We should also understand that no matter what our need may be it is not near as great as the need of a lost person, Ours hearts should be broken more over the need of seeing souls saved, then over our own needs. 2. Who's in charge of the fire? We should always remember that God is in control of this fire and that it might just be that this fire is to get rid of the things that are binding us from being what God wants us to be, (the kind of godly wife, or mother in my case that I should be). Example here was the 3 Hebrew children and that when they were in the fire nothing was burnt away from them except for the rope that held them bound. 3. The purpose of the fire. To exalt the God we serve!! It is the purpose of the fire to bring glory to God. Example: Joesph. His life was on full of many fires, but look at what he did through everyone of them, he gave glory to God and was blessed for it, he was made more pure and Christ like through every one of his trials.
This message was so much more than I could write down, I was to busy listening, but the main point was, Don't fight the fire, let God use it to our purification, so that we will be able to better serve God. I don't know if I am making any sense out of this , I certainly hope that I am.
What this message meant for me was that I am not in this alone that God is in this with me and that if I lean on his understanding and not my own that I will be better for it. Jeremiah 29:11 say this " For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. I believe with all my heart that troubles and trials are not something to bring evil on us but it is for our betterment.
So I guess to sum it all up, these trouble some times don't just happen, they all have a purpose, and We can take great comfort in knowing that Christ has overcome this world and that because of that we can become more like Him through each and every one of our fires. And right now you may not be going through any fires,but someday down the road you most definitely will, my hope is that when that time comes you will remember this simple post and more importantly Gods Holy word and know that no matter what your fire may be, God is still God. And if right now you are going through the flames I hope that you too will take comfort in Gods word.
When I started my blog I had no intentions of focusing on anything painful or negative, such as the things in my last few posts, but I have really felt the need here lately to be an encouragement to those, who like me, may be walking through the fire. Thank You to all of you guys who have been praying for me, I know that prayer changes things and I am so thankful to know that I have such wonderful friends who keep me in their prayers, as I do you.

Please Pray!!!

If you know the power of prayer and I'm sure you all do, than I ask that each one that visits this blog will pray for these following request:
1. The Carter family of Kentucky, A wife and mother of 5 was lost in a car accident yesterday afternoon. 2 of the children were seriously hurt, but they are all suffering from the loss of their mother, and I am sure that Mr. Carter is suffering equally so from the loss of his wife. Please pray that they will each receive comfort from the Lord in this tragic time and that God will give them the Grace to face each day.
2. My sister, My older sis is going through things in her life that she never thought she would have to face. How does one deal with the fact that your spouse is not who he says he is, In all honesty I would say that dealing with this is almost worse than it would be if her spouse had died. Now that may sound ugly but I certainly do not mean it that way, my meaning is that now she is having to fight for her children, fight to keep her home, fight for every thing that was a part of their lives, all because of sin, and what it does to people when they walk away from God. This is not what my sister wanted, she never dreamed that this is the way her life would play out, never thought that this was something that she would one day have to face, she is broken, she is hurting in a way that I can only imagine. But I know that God knows each and everything that is taking place, that only He can mend her broken heart and heal her wounds, I ask that we pray for this , to pray that God will uphold her and strengthen her during this time, That He will give her peace to know that He is still in control.
3 Now this is the hardest request of all,(deep breath) My brother-in-law. It is hard to put flesh aside and pray for the one that hurts us or our loved ones, only in love for my nephews can I ask this. My prayer is that God will move in my b-i-l's heart and show him the error of his ways and draw him back to God. This is my prayer, that he would come back to the Lord. I know that God never leaves us or forsakes us , but we can certainly walk away from Him and allow things of this world to over take our lives and then before we know it we are consumed by sin and all its consequences. I truly believe that my b-i-l had no plans for this to happen but once it did, I guess he felt he couldn't go back, so instead of turning around, he just kept on in what he was doing. He really and truly needs our prayers.
4. This week at our church a young man died quite suddenly of a heart attack. His death was completely unexpected, and his family is in shock, Mark is his name and I can remember times of his testimonies about how much he Loved his Saviour, so I ask that you all remember his family as well. I know that Mark is in that wonderful glory land called heaven and that he is singing praises to the Lamb of God right now but for those that are left here we mourn his leaving, so please pray for this as well.
It seems like so much has come our way this week in the way of tragedy and loss, I think I will be able to look back on this week in the months to come and see that God was holding my hand the entire time, no, really He was carrying me and my family through all of these times.
This post seems a little heavy to me and I am sorry if I have offended anyone with my honesty about things.
When things get tough I do the only thing I know to do and that is to pray, to cry out to God above, knowing that He hears my pleas.
Please join me in pray for these families. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Brandie

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for:

My mom, she is always willing to help even when she has her own work to do, She'll never know exactly how much she is appreciated.

My daughter, who was a very big help to me this morning, she is a very thoughtful girl and I am so thankful that the Lord gave me such a precious gem.

Explorers, and the farm they love to explore. I am very thankful for this place in which we live and raise our children.

I am also thankful for the brief time I had to know a very special lady, whom I called Ms. Maggie, She went home to be with her HeavenlyFather this past Tuesday, she was ninety one years old and was one of the most precious souls on all the earth. She will be missed, but Oh how I bet she is shouting over in the glory land.

What or, Who are you thankful for today? Drop me a line to let me know. Have a wonderful thankful Thursday!

Yea, though I walk through the valley ( my ramblings)

Lately I have been walking around my house as if I'm in a trance, just barely getting done what needs to be done, having school with Abs but not really giving it my all, dealing with E-pie and Tans fusses but just not being involved, you know. I feel like I'm on the outside looking in.

I can honestly say I feel like I'm walking through a valley, low and deep and I can't see the tops of the mountains, all around me. I don't really know what to make of myself lately, these kinds for feelings are new to me, I have always been one who was never really down and out, I have always liked to be up on top, all I know is that right now I'm down.

But I can still feel His presence, asking me to draw nigh unto Him, telling me to rest in His knowing the valley I'm in. I'm just to wound up to sit still, I want to jump and run like a frightened rabbit, to get as far outta here as possible, but could it be that I'm here because this is where He needs me. That this valley is the safest place for me right now. That Hes telling me slow down, to stop and look around at where I am in my walk with Him, my walk with my husband and kids. Could it be that I have been rushing these days that He has blessed me with, that I have failed to take the time to acknowledge Him as often as I should. Could it be that these troubling times in my heart and mind be from Him?

Does God really do that to His children? Does He allow us to walk through troubled times so that we can grow in Him, so that we can know more of Him?

You know that every time during a storm that it lightnings it puts nitrogen back into our soil which in turns helps our grass and veggies to grow, Now I know that nitrogen can be added by us as well, but the point I'm trying to get across is this: Maybe just maybe God is allowing storms in my life today so that He can add much needed nutrition to the soil of my heart, so that I can grow more in Him, so that I can bloom in the places where he puts me. Places like being a mom to three very different, precious children, wife and friend( I think this sometimes gets over looked) to my husband, confidant to my sisters, daughter to my parents, granddaughter to my grandparents, I think you guys get the point. I need to blossom into just exactly the kind of vine, that the Husbandman wants me to be. And in order for me to do that I need to slow down and soak up more of Him.

I don't always understand the reasoning for the things we sometimes have to deal with, but I do always know that there is a reason. Times in life don't just happen, as the wind blows, God didn't just set in this world into orbit and then just turn around and forget it, No, He guides this world on a path that He already has mapped out, of this we can be assured. Its the same way with our lives, He just didn't give us life and then forget us, not at all, He set our feet on a path of righteousness and gave us a lamp to light our way. I may not always be able to see that God is working in my best interest but I know that I have a hope that is out of this world, hope in one who controls this thing called life. I know that when I lay down at night and I feel like I have no control, that I know the one who does, That this valley I'm in right now is one of His choosing and that when I make it out and I'm standing on the mountain I will be able to look back and say that God was with me the whole way, that He was leading me. I was where I needed to be to get the nourishment I must have to grow. I will be able to say that this valley is for me!!

Father, guide me as I walk in this valley, help me to rest in you, give me the grace to face each gully and the strength to get up and keep on going, Help me to seek you in every facet of my day, that I may become a vessel of honor to you.

Thankful Thursdays

Gods hand holding mine as I walk down this road of life that is sometimes filled with sorrow, sometimes full of happiness, but always filled with Grace!!

I am thankful that I don't know what the future holds but I know WHO holds the future!

Gods provisions, and His never ending ability to meet all my needs and more!

Peace, sweet, Sweet Peace. Peace that only God can give, for He is the one who created it.

2 Thess. 3:16 Now the Lord of Peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all.

What are you thankful for today and everyday? Please join me in giving thanks to our Lord today.

Surrounded By His Glory

Yesterday My husband and I took the kids hiking at a place called Savage Gulf, It is actually a state natural area, and one of my husband favorite places. Now being there and seeing it in all Gods Glory I have to say that it is one of mine too.

You see those bluffs, the next few pictures were taken from there.

This picture here was taken looking down as I crossed over onto that big bluff in the pic above, it was more than a little nerve wracking, I thought I was going to cry there for a minute but then I soon forgot my discomfort as I looked upon the wonderful view, that and knowing that I wasn't about to let my kids out do me. Those are just the tops of the trees you see, I can't begin to describe how high this bluff really is. Talk about being between a rock and a hard place.

This is a place on the hike that is called Stone Door, the reason: this is the only way, besides repelling, that you can get to the forest floor. It is about 100+ft to the bottom, in between rock. That doesn't actually get you all the way to the valley floor but it does get you down off the bluffs.

This is taken about 1/4 of the way down, I turned around to look back and it was just to beautiful to describe with words alone.

We finally made it to the bottom! Whew was I thankful, but I was not necessarily looking forward to the hike back up!!



I have so many pictures to share and I can't wait to show them all to you guys, Oh, my header pic was also taken at one of the bluffs.
The fall color was beautiful, I was awe struck at the beauty all around where ever we looked. Gods creation down here is wonderful, I can not even begin to imagine what beauty's we'll behold when we get to heaven!!

The children and I had a great time and was of course ready for a nap when we got home, but these guys didn't wait till we got home, Eli took his nap while still on the trail!!, Abbie and Tanner was asleep before we even left the parking lot. The poor puppy took a nap every time we stopped to take a picture, to say the least he was exhausted.

This little trip was also a great way to take my mind off the election, while I am not particularly happy about the out come, I know that, no matter what , our Almighty God is in control and nothing can take away the victory and peace I have in Him. "...Even so, come, Lord Jesus." Rev.22:20

Saturdays

I remember as a child that Saturdays were awesome! We could sleep late and then get up and watch cartoons all morning long. My mom would be at home and that was her major cleaning day, she would fix something good for breakfast, ya know like chocolate gravy and biscuits, or sausage and biscuits anything but cereal, sometimes we had to eat that but more often than not she would cook for us. My sister and I and sometimes our little brother would always find something to get into. I have other memories to about Saturdays, if it was a rodeo weekend than we would be up and at'em bright and early to get every thing loaded and on the trailer. If not than we would often be asked to help work, stripping tobacco,chopping tobacco, cutting tobacco, hauling hay, working cows, anything my dad or mom wanted us to do,( you noticed I didn't mention any house work, that because as a young'un I despised house work and would do anything I could to run away from it!) I know you must be wondering where I am going with this and well my point is: What happened to Saturday?
Around my house any more we are rushing off in to one thing or another, never just staying at home, but always having something to do. It seems like all week long we rush to get to the weekend only to have the weekend be busier than the week. To be honest I am tired of the never ending rush!!! I am so ready to just sit, be still and do nothing for a change.
So that is exactly what we are doing today. My family and I(all but my husband, he had to work) slept in and than got up, had muffins for breakfast and the kids played while I caught up on my housework, and boy does it feel nice to not have to rush around today. Tonight dh and I are going to eat somewhere special and spend some time together, while the kids play at Nana's. This don't happen often and I surely don't want to rush it. I just want to sit back and enjoy the day that my wonderful Lord has made. Gods been so good to me!!
Well thats my ramblings for today. What are you doing today? Drop me a line and let me know, whatever it is, don't rush, Have fun and enjoy all the good things Gods given you! Have a great weekend.