Well, what a fun birthday dinner for Clinton.  Several were missing but it was a nice time!

.

.

Our long-time friends Carolyn and Danny presented a great poem (written by Danny):

Ode To Clint Wall on His 58th Birthday January 10, 2012

There once was a boy named Wall

And, boy, could he throw a baseball.

Slider, curve and a "heater" he'd bring

How deftly this lefty the spheroid did fling.

To Jaycee the Bulldog faithful would file

To witness this southpaw with cunning and style.

With off-speed deliveries the batters he'd dazzle

While driving the opposing coach to a frazzle.

His '72 duel with Donnie Moore was a doozy

40 springtimes ago? - It sure makes one woozy.

Alas, Monterey won it in 8...just 1 to zero.

But that didn't tarnish the halo of our hero.

He returned as a senior for another great year

Played varsity basketball - a different kind of sphere.

But it was that diamond sport - the boy's first love

"Just give me a ball and a bat and a glove."

Then it was on to Tech - the majors a dream,

But it wasn't to be in the big picture scheme.

For while in high school he was often out late'n

Squiring a feisty young lass...her name Phyllis Dayton.

The romance soon blossomed...real clear to us all.

That Dayton young lady would marry a Wall.

They settled in Plainview to work and to do.

To coach and to help..and that not a few.

A Sunday School teacher, a coach and a pal

Ably assisted for 35 years by that red-headed gal.

Aaron and Chrissa and grandbabies, too.

And now Wal-Mart walkers-give them their due.

Well, giving up something is related to Lent

And showing true patience is related to Clint.

Crossed arms and soft chuckles are a part of his life

As he deals with a dynamo, sleep deprived wife.

So today as he marks birthday Fifty and Eight,

He's never too early...and never too late.

And who knows what happens if he gets into shape,

He may dress himself up in a Superman cape.

And give it a new shot - a knuckle-balling Texas Ranger?

Life is like fiction...only sometimes more stranger.

So we bid him the best...this message is sent:

Happy 58th to you...our good ol' friend Clint.

.

Fresh Find:  What a beautiful serving piece!

His name is Clinton.  It is his birthday.  In 1993 I wrote this for him and I'll share it again today.

.

TO  MY  HUSBAND

You are the balance of my life.
I am proud and privileged to be your wife.

You are the one constant on whom I can depend.
God gave me a gift when you he did send.

You protect me from others, as well as myself.
You have given me many years of happiness, true wealth.

The scale of my life you keep in perspective.
In His plan God knew I needed to be protected.

With two wonderful children we have been blessed.
From each of us they received the best.

I have not been the wife you deserve.
You’ve wondered, I bet, why God threw you such a curve.

I pray for your continued patience and unending love.
I believe our marriage was created up above.

My dream is to grow old with you by my side.
You making me laugh and holding me through our days and nights.

.

.

Fresh Find: What awesome lunch "boxes" for kids of all ages!  ;o) They have a carrying case, too.

I love my ambiance lights.  Aren't they pretty?  It is like Christmas all year long in my little 'neck of the woods' office.  :O)

.

.

.

and my heater all aglow!

.

Fresh Find:  Every guy that rides a bike needs a helmet.  I kinda think this one is pretty cool.  I guess gals could wear it, too.

Everyone thrives on encouragement.  The word encouragement has four syllables.  I like to think of the 4 parts of the word like this...

In...what is in us will come out us so if we have a heart of humbleness it will come out in encouragement.

Kerr...Kerr jars have been used for ages to "put up" tasty things to eat.  We should fill others jars with tasty...not soured.

Age...It makes no difference what age we are everyone loves to have nice things said to them...sincerely.

Mint...Think refreshing mint.  When we encourage others they are given a little bounce in their step...a little fresh "mint" air instead bad breath!

So, let's go out and create a big old happy world filled with encouragement!!!

.

Fresh Find: I want it to be summer and I want this top.

I want to share a few apps that I have really been enjoying and if I use them and share them you know they must be maaavalus dawling!  LOL

Okay, I have recently loaded YouVersion...an awesome Bible reading tool.  I have Olive Tree, as well, but the thing I enjoy on YouVersion is that it reads aloud to me while I read which enforces my learning style.  It has several read through the year options and short studies, too.  You might look into it if you haven't already.

.

Want to write and share...try Cowbird.

.

i love, love the ease of Cozi calendar.

.

Of course i must have a concrete calculator...just in case I'm asked to figure concrete, and I love my level, my flashlight, my notepad, etc.  I really have used Catch, too.

.

I'm not big on editing photos from a phone but one photo app I like is PopBooth...like pictures from a photo booth!

.

Anyway, these are a few of my favorites at the moment.  Do share yours!!!

Fresh Find:  I like these fun summer boots!  This Etsy site has some unique items...

People need to see the damage a certain species of birds are doing to a pretty set of trees...

.

.

I call these the white trees.  They have a layer of, well, bird poop, on the leaves  and all underneath from hundreds of Grackles.  Quite a shame really.  These are not the only trees they are finding to land in around here.  They are are all around...here and there...our town and yours.

Speaking of birds...we have a young hawk living in our backyard.  Of course, he does not prefer the food in the feeder.  He likes food that lives and then kills.  Gross.  I know...nature.  I will get a picture of it when I can.  Each time I go out back he flies away.  I'll have to catch a shot while he is tearing raw meat.  Glad we don't have a tiny dog! 

.

Fresh Find:  Cute napkins...

Today something I heard made me think about losing those we love...maybe to death or maybe to a season.  Think about a meteor burning out or a shooting star.  Are we mad at God for ending the creation or are we blessed to have known the beauty?  God shares his beauty with us according to his purpose.  We should be thankful for any amount of time that he includes us in the lives of those he created.

.

Cooked lunch and cooked dinner...impressed?  LoL

.

Been drinking hot tea all day trying to warm my bones.  Not sure why I'm cold because it is so pretty out.  Filled the bird feeders.  Took recycle items out to the blue bin. So nice out.  I'm ready for warmer days.  I know, it will be a while.

.

Took this picture today waiting in a drive-thru.  Loved the contrast...

.

Fresh Find:  If I were a cat I would want this for my bed!

Yeah, we got a blue bin in our alley.  Now we can kind of recycle.  We get lots of cardboard via shipments and we have lots of little water bottles, newspapers, and catalogs.  So excited!!!

.

I fell in love with this mother/child painting.  It helps that they have "red" hair :O)

.

Fresh Find:  I'm so in love with this artists handmade shoes and other items.  Amazing!  I so want a pair...

Some days I think to myself that I would love to have a 9-5 job.  Seriously.  Some days I feel pulled about 50 different directions and sometimes it is 50!  LOL  Some think that I've never worked. Well, I have and do and even for pay sometimes. But, volunteering is my love.  Making our community better and making others lives easier...makes me smile.  I'm not complaining really, just some days I feel a little overwhelmed since I'm one that really needs lots of visionary value time. ;o)  I'm blessed to be able to create, assist, help, encourage, and whatever God has for my day.

.

Miss A playing with her doll house...

.

Fresh Find:  I think this looks like a great cleaning sponge.

Luke 11:36 reads, "Therefore if your whole body is full of light and no part is dark, it will be completely lighted, as when the light of the lamp shines on you."

As I read these verses in Luke I always love where it says your eye is the lamp of your body.  It IS in our eyes.  What is in our hearts glows and reaches through our eyes.  My thought is what kind of bulb am I, are we, burning?  Do we have a three-way that sometimes we keep burning on low to give throw out a shadow of our faith to the world?  Do we click our bulb up to the middle notch where our light is neither out or bright...rather middle of the road?  Or, do we live to have our light burning bright so that others may see a way to their salvation?  Just what God gave me this morning.  Sure making me think.  I know my light does burn differently at different times, but it is always there.  What I found for me today is that it really must be bright enough to lead...bright enough for others to see Jesus.

.

Fresh Find:  If I baked I would want this carrier for my goodies.  Love it!!!