Keith and Tammy

Groom, Keith and his mother.





















My handsome groom.





















My nephew Eli. That tux! :)

















Mr. and Mrs. Keith Walworth





















You may kiss the bride!

Keith's life and this marriage is a testimony to God's grace and goodness! He wouldn't mind me telling you that less than three years ago he was in a very bad physical, emotional and spiritual state. With the help of his family and God's miraculous and saving work he is a new man.

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!


PRAISE THE LORD!

The Wedding Day

Lauren and Jillianne. I kept the girls busy while the ladies were in the room getting ready. We were being very silly.























Keith's daughter Brooke and Lauren. Aren't their dresses beautiful. They were little princesses that day.

I took Lauren to the bridal shop three months ago to try on the dress. She loved the three-way mirrors and standing tall on the platform. She looked over to the glass display case and said to me: "Mama, do little girls get to wear tiara's?"
Tammy gave all five flower girls a tiara at the rehearsal dinner. Lauren was beyond excited.



















Big girl Cousins!! From the left: Dani, cousin Ashley, Hannah and cousin Abby.






















Beautiful, lovely Dorothy. This is Dave's grandmother. She is 92 years old.





















Last but certainly not least. My boy James! Oh, it was fun to have him all dressed up. No "Under Armour" on this day. :) I take that back, there probably was "Under Armour" under that cool tux.

Bride and Groom tomorrow. Good way to get three posts, eh?

Wedding Rehearsal

Here are a few shots of the the kids during the rehearsal on Friday evening.

For those that don't know...Dave's brother, Keith, got married on Saturday. Dave was the best man, James was a groomsman and Lauren was a flower girl.

I'll post more in the next few days and I promise I will include a few of the bride and groom. But first things first!!! Cute kids. :)






















Lauren Paige, a flower girl. I couldn't resist this dress. Is it cute or WHAT!?



















The other little flowers girls.



















Lauren and her cousin Brooke, Keith's daughter.























Cousin Emma and LP.





















Sarah and cousin Andrew. They are best buddies!

Bloggy Break

I need a break.

Things are busy here.

Maybe when I come back I'll take this in to consideration. HT: Amy.

Ta Ta For Now

Janet

Faith

Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus
Mark 10:46-52

46 And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" 48 And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" 49 And Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." And they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take heart. Get up; he is calling you." 50 And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 51 And Jesus said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?" And the blind man said to him, "Rabbi, let me recover my sight." 52 And Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well." And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.


J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels:

Let us strive and pray that we may have like precious faith. We, too are not allowed to see Jesus with our bodily eyes. But we have the report of His power, and grace and willingness to save, in the Gospel. We have exceeding great promises from His own lips, written down for our encouragement. Let us trust those promises implicitly and commit our soul to Christ unhesitatingly. Let us not be afraid to repose all our confidence on His own gracious words and to believe that what He had engaged to do for sinners. He will surely preform. What is the beginning of all saving faith but a soul's venture on Christ? What is the life of saving faith, when once begun, but a continual leaning on an unseen Saviour's word? What is the first step of a Christian but a crying, like Bartimaeus, "Jesus have mercy on me?" What is the daily course of a Christain but keeping up the same spirit of faith? "Though now we see Him not, yet believing, we rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. (1 Peter 1:8)

**********

Oh, to have the faith of Bartimaeus.

Do you call out to Jesus in confidence, trusting He will hear our pleas and act according to his will?

Do you believe that although you do not see Jesus, He is alive and he is 'real'.

Do you believe the Holy Scriptures that tell of his power and willingness to save?

The scripture passage and J.C. Ryle quote came directly from my church bulletin from yesterday's service. I was blessed and challenged and encouraged. The scripture reading brought me to tears. Where is my faith? Is it in people or things or is it in the only One who is worthy of my faith and praise? Jesus. That's it. It really is that simple.

Thank You and Poems

Thank you for commenting yesterday! I'm so excited to send you the book. It will be on its way soon....

**********

For a gal who just doesn't DO poems, I wrote two yesterday.

Please, please know that this is not an area of strength. I would much rather do Algebra. Yesterday, however, was unique. Sarah had an assignment due and I had a chance to win a big ole prize. (I didn't win)

The first one I helped Sarah write:

My Old Dog Mack
Sarah Walworth (9)

My old dog Mack
How he loved to eat!
He chowed down every day on gobs of meat
He ate hot dogs and carrots and lollipops too
Mack ate so much it made him blue
His teeth were so yellow
His mind very mellow
He sat down and said "boo hoo"

It was fun helping Sarah write this. It brought back fond memories of dear Mack (who died in November). She was a little concerned that not all of it was completely true. ;-)


**********

Mrs. Rocks In My Dryer was holding a contest yesterday. She asked for a 'Haiku about your Mom'. Here's mine:

Mom died much too soon
Nancy stepped in to fill void
Huge sacrifice, love


So there you have it. Two mediocre poems in one day from a gal who just doesn't do poems.

Maybe I'm just feeling the need to be vulnerable on my blog.

Good news! I know a few of my readers who can write a MEAN Haiku!!

So, write me a Haiku today. And have fun!

My Favorite Little Book

From Bitesize Theology, Chapter 3:

How can we know anything about God? We must go to the place where God has chosen to reveal himself to us. We must go to the Bible. In the Bible we discover the attributes of God. An attribute is anything God has chosen to tell us about himself. We need to know these things for two reasons. Firstly, if God has been so gracious to show us something about himself, then we need to receive all he gives; and secondly, because the study of God is the highest and greatest subject that can occupy the mind of a Christian.

**********

Whoa! Is God the highest and greatest subject that occupies your mind?

Mark 12:30 - And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength'. This is the first commandment

Are you going to the Bible to discover the Truth?

2 Timothy 3:16 - All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,

**********

Chapter 3 goes on to discuss the attributes of God:

God is holy
God is sovereign
The God of providence
God is good
God is love

**********

This is good stuff my friends! I remember well devouring the Scriptures when God changed my heart. I was alone in my bedroom in Tucson. I started in Genesis. he he. Those words were (and are) so precious to me. I also remember the time during discipleship/Bible study that I first learned of God's attributes. That was a wonderful time of understanding and peace.

I came across this book a few years ago and it has been a favorite ever since. It will be required reading for my teenagers this summer!

I love this book so much and I want you to have one.

Interested?

Leave me a comment and I'll send you "Bitesize Theology". For free! :)

It's Show Time

We've had two shows so far and they went off without a hitch! The cast is just incredible! This is a high school production. They don't seem nervous and they don't miss a beat. I guess that means they are well prepared and a very talented group.

Dorothy is only a freshman! She has a quiet confidence about her and delivers her lines calmly and perfectly. She also has a beautiful voice!!

The Cowardly Lion is stealing the show. Oh!! He is hilarious and adorable. It's interesting....I think the Lion annoys me in the movie but for some reason this guy is playing it so well and in such a humorous way we are all just howling. He has great timing and is patient so his lines come off very well.

This version of The Wizard of Oz is neat. It mixes mostly old with a little bit of new. They sing "Ease On Down The Road" as the finale.

And now.

Last but not least.

THE MUNCHKINS, MY MUNCHKIN. :)



















Sarah is having a blast and told me last night that she will miss the practices and performances.

The crowd clapped and giggled when they first saw The Munchkins and they were also very gracious with their applause. These little ones did a great job and the director shared that they were a pleasure to work with and they learned quickly!

Two funny things. During one scene Sarah was in the front right corner of the stage and with all the dancing and movement she ended up right behind one of the flowers and totally out of sight. I was hysterical with laughter. She continued singing and dancing like a pro and within in a few seconds she was out from behind the big colorful flower.

And during the finale she is in the front left on the very end and while they are singing "Ease On Down The Road" she has to be very careful not to dance herself right OFF the stage (and on to the gym floor). I saw her wobble last night but thankfully she caught her balance and continued. I'm thinkin she may have a future in this stuff. ;-)

One more performance tonight. Our family and friends will be there to cheer Sarah on. I will have seen it three times and honestly, each time I love it more.

My favorite line? Delivered with perfection.



Toto too?
Toto too.

New To Me

Are you already familiar with Robbie's Recipes?

If so, why didn't you tell me about it sooner? :)

It all started making sense one day.....my sister Cindy and I were on the phone and she was yacking about finding a Chili recipe on line that was just like Wendy's, the restaurant. Then I clicked over to Amy, The Humble and followed one of her links in her side bar for Baked Potato Soup and THERE IT WAS (and is)! This was the web page Cindy was talking about.

I was so excited when I saw recipes for some of my favorite food, especailly from the Italian resturant Carrabba's. Oh, yum.

I order the same thing every single time I go. (Gee, what a surprise)

And now I can try a few things at home. Happy day.

We devour the sour dough bread and the dipping herbs with olive oil. Our kids always beg us to bring some home for them.

I always order Pollo Rosa Maria as my entree, with either garlic mashed potatoes or steamed veggies. It depends on whether I've started my diet for that week or not.

I think I'll try the dipping herbs first.

I need to find a great loaf of sour dough first.

Enjoy the recipes or go to Carrabba's tonight!

New Music: Matt Maher

BooMama has the best connections when it comes to new Christian music and I always love the people she recommends.




Several months ago I won the Monk and Neagle CD and yesterday I won the new Matt Maher CD called Empty and Beautiful. Oh my! His music is incredible and worshipful and the man is talented.

Please follow this link and listen to "Empty and Beautiful" and grab a Kleenex cuz you will cry, maybe sob. I did. I also love "Great Things"! Once you are on his page go to the lower right hand corner and launch the player.

You will recognize "Your Grace Is Enough". Matt Maher wrote it and Chris Tomlin made it a popular praise song.

What I love about this new Matt Maher CD is that it is something our entire family can listen to and we all enjoy it equally and sing along together. There is nothing more precious to me than hearing several of my children singing praises in my car!

It is being offered right now for only $8.97 here.

Of course you can always get it off iTunes.

Run. Now. And buy the new Matt Maher CD. You won't be disappointed.

April In Arizona

Melissa at The Inspired Room played a fun Spring game last week and as usual I'm late to the party. She encouraged her readers to post a picture of something Springy. So here you have it. My Spring picture of my new birdhouse and a few potted plants. See the oregano on the right! It survived our cold Arizona winter!



















Enjoy Melissa's site. It's a keeper. :)

A Bridal Shower

For a very special lady who is about to marry a very special man. This is Miss Tammy. She will be marrying my brother-in-law Keith on May 3rd. Without going in to detail I will say Keith's journey has been a bit rocky but God in his grace and mercy has brought him to a wonderful place. Keith loves the Lord with all of his heart and God has blessed him with a lovely young woman who also loves God. Together they worship and serve and seek to obey Him. My friends, God is faithful and good and answers prayer. Never stop praying and believing in the work of Christ.

This day was quite a celebration!

Here she is....the bride to be!






















Is there anything better than tulle and satin ribbon? It just screams BRIDE.





















My girlfriend's mother made and decorated the cake. Isn't it sooooo cute?!


















Wow. Isn't Janice talented? I bought the flowers at Costco and just look at what Janice created. Stunning! She also made two small arrangements and a darling little nosegay for Tammy to hold during the shower. The flowers were like manna, they seemed to have multiplied from the time I handed them over to Janice. They were such a special addition to the shower. Thank you Janice!

















Last but certainly not least, my helpers. My Dani and cousin Abby. They really are best friends and cousins.

Not So Quiet

Donna sent me this wonderful cookbook for my birthday.


















So, tell me, do you use these recipes and do you have a favorite?

Thank you Donna! I can't wait to dig in!

~~~~~~~~~~

Speaking of Donna!

She's got a new gig. And I couldn't be happier for her. My sister is so incredibly talented and she is doing something she absolutly loves. Not to mention with like, one of the most famous ladies in blogland.

Here is the photography page where Donna's work is highlighted a couple times each week.

Woot!

I have to tell you that when I found out Donna was invited to contribute to Ree's site I screamed things like "oh my goodness, LIKE, NO WAY" in my best valley girl voice and then I yelled "knock it off" in my best Wisconsin accent and then I went on for 10 more minutes shouting things like: are you going to her ranch? are you going to meet her? are you both going to be on Oprah? can I be your assistant? I begged that one, suddenly I know all about back light and PS3 and layers and opacity and telephoto lenses and natural light from the north window. See, I know a lot and I would make THE WORLD'S BEST ASSISTANT. K, Donna?

Call me.

I'm available.

Love ya.

Yes!

The whole night (AI) was a pleasant surprise. Dolly Parton was so sweet and gracious!

This was incredible. I love his rock/blues sound.

Micheal Johns:

Huh?

Our Guinea Pig, Carmel, has scurvy!

















Carmel is the little brown one on the left.

I was showing our 2 year old neighbor boy the Guinea Pigs yesterday and noticed the little brown one was dragging her hind legs. I felt horrible for the little critter and thought that she was dying and in terrible pain.

I got right on the computer and Googled "Guinea Pigs" but that wasn't detailed enough so I Googled "guinea pigs dragging hind legs" and WOW, there it was. Guinea Pigs, if not given enough fresh fruits and veggies, will eventually get scurvy and then end up being paralyzed. Apparently, their little bodies need Vitamin C and Calcium in healthy amounts. We have given our Guinea's carrots and lettuce and grapes but obviously not enough.

So yesterday afternoon and in to the evening the kids were wrapping Carmel in blankies and hand feeding her fresh strawberries and grapes and carrots. I'll be going to the grocery store today to be sure we have fresh food in the house.

(Janice was wondering if my children have Scurvy. She's sassy like that though.) :-P

Good news and miraculous too. This condition can be reversed. So we will be caring for our little Guinea Girl and seeing to it that she has a scrumptious diet of fresh, organic, pesticide free, home grown (getting carried away) fruits and veggies.

The internet also suggested putting pure cranberry juice in the water bottle. (See, The Fat Flush is good for them too). We tried both cranberry juice and Emergen-C but they took one sip and that was it. They didn't like it at all.

Janice, Carmel is 'hurting' and you are not allowed to call her a RAT today. K?

Funny Pages

Lauren whispering to me a few weeks ago when Sarah had Mono.:

"Mama, don't tell anyone about Sarah's LIMPNODES, ok?

~~~~~~~~~~

Me to Sarah while walking through Target when she had Mono.:

"Sarah, please don't spit on anyone today, K?"

~~~~~~~~~~

Dave to me upon returning from a French pedicure:

"Hmmm, looks like your toenails need to be cut."

~~~~~~~~~~

Me to Stacey last week:

"Guess what? I'm getting out of the house today, all by myself. I'm going to a funeral!!"

~~~~~~~~~~

Janice to Janet on Saturday as Janet is leaving for the bridal shower:

"So are you taking your bridal shower clothes with you?"

"Um, no, THIS is what I'm wearing"

~~~~~~~~~~

LAUGHTER IS GOOD MEDICINE

and sometimes it's all you can do to get by.......

42 Years Young

I tried scanning.

I tried cropping.

I tried "save to".

AND I GOT NOTHIN! No picture today. :(


HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY PRECIOUS TWIN, JANICE!


Special Treasure

God gave a gift to the world when you were born—
a person who loves, who cares,
who sees a person’s need and fills it,
who encourages and lifts people up,
who spends energy on others
rather than herself,
someone who touches each life she enters,
and makes a difference in the world,
because ripples of kindness flow outward
as each person you have touched, touches others.
Your birthday deserves to be a national holiday,
because you are a special treasure
for all that you’ve done.
May the love you have shown to others
return to you, multiplied.
I wish you the happiest of birthdays,
and many, many more,
so that others have time to appreciate you
as much as I do.

By Joanna Fuchs

LOL!

I caught up on some tv viewing last night.

This made me scream laugh, howl, chuckle, lol, rotflmbo and any other word you can use to describe what I did last night. I was alone and it was no fun to laugh by myself, so I give you this....



Did it make you laugh??

The Floating Lab

San Diego, California
Tuesday, March 18th



















The boat. It was a 4 hour tour!! ;-)


















A sting ray, minus the stinger!






















Lunch! Yum.




















A sea star not to EVER be called a star fish. K?



















Our group of older kids. The lady in charge did a great job with the 3rd graders but also geared this time to the older kids. Ew. Do you have any idea what is in one drop of sea water. I may never swim in the ocean again. Oh, that's right, I don't swim in the ocean. I just sit and watch and tan.























Ashley put her arm gently around Sarah's waist as the boat sped up. Isn't that a precious picture?



















The (almost) 16 year old fashionista's!

~~~~~~~~

The kids actually caught all of the critters. They threw a net into the bay, let it sink to the bottem and then we all participated in pulling it up. It was very fun to see what was in that net!

Our guide, Adrienne, was fantastic. She had a great sense of humor and taught the kids well.

As you can see, the weather was perfect.

















These guys just crack me up!!

18 Years Today!

Happy Anniversary to my sweet husband of 18 years!






















To have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish to death do us part.
- Book of Common Prayer

~~~~~

To keep your marriage brimming,
With love in the wedding cup,
Whenever you're wrong, admit it;
Whenever you're right, shut up.
- Ogden Nash

~~~~~

Whatever souls are made of, his and mine are the same.
- Emily Bronte

~~~~~

There is no more lovely, friendly and charming relationship, communion or company than a good marriage.
- Martin Luther


I pray the Lord blesses us with 18+ more.

Love,
Janet

Rejoice!

From the archives
(That sounds better than "to lazy to write a new post for Easter")
Have a wonderful day.

~~~~~~~~

I want to share with you an old, old hymn. It is one of my favorites.

Listen Here


Low in the Grave He Lay
Robert Lowry


Low in the grave He lay, Jesus my Savior,
Waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord!

Up from the grave He arose,
With a mighty triumph o’er His foes,
He arose a Victor from the dark domain,
And He lives forever, with His saints to reign.
He arose! He arose!
Hallelujah! Christ arose!

Vainly they watch His bed, Jesus my Savior;
Vainly they seal the dead, Jesus my Lord!

Up from the grave He arose,
With a mighty triumph o’er His foes,
He arose a Victor from the dark domain,
And He lives forever, with His saints to reign.
He arose! He arose!
Hallelujah! Christ arose!

Death cannot keep its Prey, Jesus my Savior;
He tore the bars away, Jesus my Lord!

Up from the grave He arose,
With a mighty triumph o’er His foes,
He arose a Victor from the dark domain,
And He lives forever, with His saints to reign.
He arose! He arose!
Hallelujah! Christ arose!


Have a blessed Resurrection Day my dear blog friends and family!

He is risen indeed!

Live Blogging

From San Diego, California!!

Hello.

We are here with several 3rd grade classmates of Sarah's. Tuesday we are going on a "Floating Lab" in the San Diego bay to learn all about marine life.

Tomorrow we are going to the Institiute for Creation Research.

Wednesday we will be off to Sea World.

Later!

Have Mercy

It's that time of year again.

And I'm having a difficult time passing up this delectable treat.


















So, tell me?

What is your favorite?

(Hi Amy) :-P

Spring!

Nancy, Lauren and I went shopping at The Biltmore a few days ago. It's an outdoor shopping center in the heart of Phoenix with great stores and great grounds keepers. :) Wouldn't you agree?

It was so nice to visit with Nancy again. I hadn't seen her since November. We shopped a little and had a delicious lunch at Houston's. I had the most wonderful Thai dish with grilled steak. It had fresh avocado and mango too. I loved it. Janice, are you proud of me for making that choice. tee hee.





















Spring is definitely here.

I wish Donna was there to properly photograph the flowers. She would have been in her glory!

I check my stats every once in a while.

I find some very interesting Google searches.

I'm glad I could be of some assistance.

Google — funny throw up stories

You're welcome, by the way.

Help!

Here's the scoop:

May 3rd wedding (brother-in-law)
5:00 outside garden wedding
6:00 inside dinner reception

Bride wearing ivory and champagne
MOB wearing lavender tea length
MIL wearing pink tea length
Husband is best man in a black tux

That leaves me with...green?

I'm 41, is this a little oldish?

Is black out of the question for a Spring wedding?

I want your honest opinions.





















UPDATE

I don't know if this is appropriate either but it sure it CUTE!

Shepherds' Conference

My dear hubby is enjoying rich fellowship and excellent teaching at the Shepherds' Conference in California.

The conference is a ministry of Grace Community Church.

Their mission is:

to provide the opportunity for men in church leadership to be challenged in their commitment to biblical ministry and to find encouragement as together we seek to become more effective servants of our Chief Shepherd.

Dave went with three great friends and they are having a wonderful time! They left at 3:30 AM so they wouldn't miss the first session.

Already Dave has run in to two men that we knew when we lived in Dallas. Not just any old "men". These are dear friends who we have lost track of over the years. We haven't seen Scott and Heather in probably 13 years. We saw Dan and Jane about 3 years ago when Dave and I made a trip to Long Beach. (that was the trip I got a migraine headache and all I could do was lie on the couch with my eyes closed and try not to throw up while the three of them visited). I digress. Dave hopes to have time to catch up with these great friends. Funny story...Scott and Dan were poor seminary students at Criswell College living in Dallas and doing a wonderful work in the inner city. Neither of them had a vehicle so Dave and I bought them a car. Before you think we were sooo incredibly generous I should tell you that is was a BEATER. A black, low riding, ugly beater. And the heat stayed on full time, full blast, in the summer. They would come over to our house for a visit and be beat red in the face and sweating profusely. :)

OK, back to the conference.

Here are a few links:

The not too shabby Keynote Speakers. All I can say is WOW.

The Live Stream!! How cool is that?

I told Dave that if he runs in to Phil Johnson he has to tell him that "Janet from Just Janet" says hello. I'm just sure he'll know exactly who I am. What? You're laughing.....

**********

PS. Sarah has Mono. This is unbelievable. She is not uncomfortable but she has many swollen lymph nodes and the blood test came back positive. I came home from the doctor's office and checked Lauren's lymph nodes and guess what?? They too are a little swollen but not nearly as bad as Sarah's.

BBQ!

Here are a few shots of our Sunday afternoon BBQ. My brother-in-law, 'Binky' and his daughter, Lindsay were in town and we hadn't seen either of them in a long time. It was a real treat to spend the afternoon with them. Of course, it was also fun to have Ashley and Janice here (they both live in town). The weather has been beautiful and sunny and our yard is beginning to make it's comeback. My allergies are in full gear. Ah choo.

















Here are the cousins! James is a little out numbered, eh?



















The girls got comfortable and sunned their bods and visited for a little while. Hmmm, what is it about that Vitamin D?! It feels sooooo good to soak up the sun the first few days of Spring. It's therapeutic.

Is it Spring in your neck of the woods?

What's New!?

My hubby went and bought himself (and the family) a new toy.

It really should be called the iMiracle.

iMac just doesn't do it justice.

We owned an Apple computer back in the early 90's but have been PC users until this beauty entered our lives.





















In true Geeky fashion, Dave ordered the blue tooth keyboard and mouse. And would you please look at that cord.

One cord.

Can I get an Amen!

















See that box next to the One Cord? That's Dave's sub woofer. Like I said. GEEK.

Donna, Dave said you and I can video chat for FREE on a mac dot com site. I'll get right on that. Better yet, I let Dave figure it out. tee hee.