Happy Thanksgiving!

Here's Dr. Love from a Thanksgiving past. See that pile of plates? On top are the paper plates for the kiddos. We had a full house that year!

Thanksgiving is my favorite-est holiday. I love to have people in, the more the merrier! This year will be smaller: the four of us plus my dearest friend Connie and her husband, along with their newly married daughter Amy and her sweeheart husband Curtis.

I enjoy cooking Thanksgiving dinner. I love setting the table with linens and china and silver. I don't mind cleaning up afterwards (Dr. Love helps!). I love sitting down all together to enjoy the food. Most of all, I love going around the table having each person tell what they are thankful for!

I home some unique things on my thankful list this year:

Charlie had an appendectomy in February and Miss B just had one this past Sunday. In both cases, God worked out their situations: neither appendix ruptured; each of them got the right Doctor for their surgery; each of them bounced back quickly. Two new babies (grandnephews to me) were born healthy & happy. Miss B made the leap to high school with great success. Charlie moved to a Christian school and God provided the wisdom & financing for that.

A few weeks ago God was gracious and gave me a peek into His reasons for moving us here. As you know, I wasn't thrilled about moving away from Crown Point and Bethel Church and all of our relationships there. I struggled with the change for a long time, even naming this blog "Contented in West Lafayette" as an attempt to come to grips. Recently, God used Dr. Love to help our church purchase some prime property for an incredible price in order to further a ministry to Purdue University. If we didn't attend FBC.....hadn't moved here..... Dr. Love hadn't accepted the job at PRF (which also threw me into a funk 2 years before the move happened!)......etc... I am thankful to see how God was working out details several years in advance and I can't wait to see what's ahead! Above all, I am humbled that He chose to use us in spite of ourselves! He makes everything glorious!

Wishing YOU a wonderful Thanksgiving,

Hugs, Leslie

My Dishwasher is Broken

1. (see above title) It's been broken for about a month now. Dr. Love keeps saying that he's going to take a look at it and I keep asking him to wait. After Miss B & Charlie cleared their plates & the rest of the table, it used to take me another 10-15 minutes to finish up loading the thing and hand-washing the pans, etc... Now it takes about 10 minutes to wash while someone clears and someone else dries and yet another someone puts away. And then there's no dishwasher noise for an hour. And I don't have to time the dishwasher not to coincide with showers. And in the morning, there's not dishes to put away. Plus, every time Charlie complains, I am determined to wait another week for the good Dr. to do his thing. I'm evil that way.

2. There are a lot of leaves in my yard. Some are in huge piles waiting for the wind to die down to be burned. Some are scattered, needing to be raked.

3. Today is my last free Friday. Not that I'm not looking forward to the Young Prince's arrival at SmallPeoples House on Thursday.

4. I bought some beautiful fabric for a quilt for someone I don't even know. I can't wait to get started on it!

5. My husband is terrific! He makes me giggle almost every day. He flirts with me. He fixes stuff. He does algebra & biology & spanish homework with Miss B & Charlie. He cooked dinner last night while I had a nap! He smells good. He's coming home for lunch today.

6. If you haven't read Tales From the Coop Keeper...you must go there right now! I get deep belly laughs every time she posts! I've gone back in her archives and read every single post word for word.

7. Facebook is my friend. This week I connected with a former pastor's son who was 6 the last time I saw him. Now he's a Pastor with 8 kids! And two other former pastors. We went to a lot of churches when I was young.

8. I'm trying a new recipe tonight. The ingredients are penne pasta; fontina, mozzarella & parmesan cheeses; roasted eggplant & zucchini.

9. I like when my cats cry to find me. Not so much when they sit on the stool and nibble the raw meat on the counter when I turn my back to find a spatula.

10. Did I mention my husband?

Sheep (again)

Psalm 119:169-176 (NIV)

"Let my cry come before you, O LORD;
give me understanding according to your word!
Let my plea come before you;
deliver me according to your word.
My lips will pour forth praise,
for you teach me your statutes.
My tongue will sing of your word,
for all your commandments are right.
Let your hand be ready to help me,
for I have chosen your precepts.
I long for your salvation, O LORD,
and your law is my delight.
Let my soul live and praise you,
and let your rules help me.
I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant,
for I do not forget your commandments."

At book club yesterday morning, the "buzz" was all about the sheep from the field behind us that keep finding ways over & under their fence to visit our back yards. Yesterday morning one lone lamb was spotted and my neighbor shepherdessed it back to it's own pasture.

This morning was my turn to look out and find two of them hurriedly eating what they could scrape up. I carefully opened my door and quietly sneaked out to get as close to them as I could without spooking them. It was cold and my hands were shaking as I attempted to snap pictures. This one saw me first. It bleated to it's partner-in-crime and they took off down the line of backyards, about four homes away, to the place where they'd gotten in.

I'm often like those sheep. I sometimes perk up my ears when someone other than The Master calls. I even reach out my neck to check out what's being offered. Dumb me. Just like those dumb sheep. They took off running back to safety. HIS arms are open and He takes me back. Every time. "Let my soul live and praise You, and let your rules help me."

Grace & Peace,
Leslie