Draw Near To God

(*God's soft call to you...Draw Near!)

Draw Near To God

Draw near to God...get close today
Just bow your head and start to pray...
*Draw Near!

Don't worry 'bout what others see
Just bow to God on bended knee...
*Draw Near!

The Bible says that all will bow
Before the Lord...so start right now...
*Draw Near!

Don't wait to bow before His throne
When judgment comes you'll stand alone...
*Draw Near!

Bow today with humble heart
Avoid His wrath right from the start...
*Draw Near!

He died for you and all your sin
Accept His pardon...enter in...
*Draw Near!

Receive His sacrifice and peace
And all your fears you can release...
*Draw Near!

And then when you draw near to Him
Just let your love and praise begin...
*Draw Near!

You can believe..His word is true
Draw near to Him...He's there for you...
*Draw Near!

(*God's soft call to you...Draw Near!)

By Linda Hogeland

Someone's Having A Birthday Today!

My friend Kristin over at "These Little Girls of Mine" is having a birthday today! So pop on over and wish her a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

She is not just a friend...I call her my adopted blog daughter! And she calls me Momma Linda. I know that the Lord brought us together here in blogland. When I first met Kristin she was missing her Mom who had passed on to heaven...and my heart went out to her so much.

I enjoy her stories about her three beautiful daughters and, I love how much she loves Jesus. I have watched her grow in the Lord over the last couple of years and now I look forward to her weekly reviews of what she learned in church each Sunday. God is teaching her so much.

Kristin has a heart as big as the state of Texas...(and that's where she lives)
I'm here in Kansas...but I hope to meet my adopted daughter in person one of these days.

I just want to wish her a very Happy Birthday today...and also one to her oldest daughter Madison...who will be 10 tomorrow!

A Quiet Day At Home Alone

A Quiet Day At Home Alone

A quiet day at home alone can be a blessing rare

To eat or drink, and sit and think, while resting in my chair

To ponder on the days gone by… or what is yet to be

To hide God’s word inside my heart and set my burdens free

To pray out loud to God above and sing till heart’s content

To bake a cake and ice it too, and wonder where it went

To write a story and a poem and put it on my blog

Check facebook… and email too, and bathe till water logged

I left the dishes in the sink and called a friend to talk

And didn’t dry or curl my hair or go out for a walk

When I was young and kids were here I couldn’t waste the day

But now they’re gone and I am old and taking time to play

I played today while I was home alone and it was fun

Do you ever get the chance to slow down from your run?

I think we all need time alone to rest, or think and pray

I sure enjoyed my quiet time at home alone today!

By Linda Hogeland

I Love the ...Love Comes Softly Series

Years ago I read the Janette Oke series called Love Comes Softly and I enjoyed them so much! I was thrilled when they made them into movies and one by one I have collected them and watched them over and over again. Tonight on the Hallmark channel they began the replaying of the series again and even though I own them, I sat here and watched the first one on TV, since I was on the computer. It had been awhile since I have watched the first one and I had forgotten how much I loved it. I think the first one is my very favorite!

I enjoy the Christian message this first part of the series contains. The lead character, Clark, is a godly man who's faith is great. It is also just good family entertainment, and we don't get enough of that these days it seems.

I know they are very popular and probably most people have read the books and seen the movies...but just in case you haven't...I would encourage you to do so.



So my six words are:

Watch The Love Comes Softly Series

Birthday Fun and Friends

From the moment I got up yesterday I could tell it was going to be a good day to have a birthday! The sun was shining, and the birds were chirping, and I was feeling good!
My husband was off helping a friend, so I decided to shower, put my hair up in with clippy things, dress, and go play! (Of course I had to wear my feel good color PURPLE)
So first I went to see my friend Myrna at Keepsakes and Treasures...she is both a keepsake and a treasure to me and has been my friend for over 30 years! She gave me a silver peridot ring, and a silver cross pendant, and the sweetest handmade card that our friend Cheri Hill makes. They are such beautiful cards and on the back she puts her "Hillmark"! (Not Hallmark) Myrna and I had fun taking pictures together like friends in a photo booth. We giggled and kept taking them until we got one we liked.
Then I went over to Roadhouse Antiques to see my friend Rodgie. She's such a sweetie and I love her long layered hair. (I'm gonna copy it when my hair gets long enough tee hee) Rodgie had asked me to come over cuz she had a gift for me. She gave me a lovely shawl/scarf, and a little antique rhinestone pin shaped like a flower, and the sweetest card. We had over an hour of conversation and hugs, and laughter, and we took some pictures together too.


I got several phone calls from family and friends, as well as cards, emails and facebook greetings, and blog comments. My daughter Lynnette kidnapped my blog for the day and told all of her followers and mine about it being my 60th birthday, so many of you blessed me with special comments and birthday wishes. It was like a shower of love raining down on me! So... thanks so much for making my birthday a special one.

My honey returned and he took me out to dinner and then we just came home and relaxed. Today my daughter Lisa is treating me to a movie! So the birthday fun continues. And then next Saturday we will do a family party for myself, a 7 year old grandson, and a 15 year old grandson at Lynnette's house and she is making homemade pizzas! (They are so yummy)

Turning 6o wasn't bad at all...and especially when a friend told me that 60 was the new 40 !

Have a great day...and remember: His mercies are new every morning!

I'm BLOG NAPPING!!! Why? Because it's Linda Sue's Birthday!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOTHER NATURE! (a stupid nickname I gave her many years ago!)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

It's not nice to fool Mother Nature! Do you think she'll be mad at me for Blog Napping?NAH!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!You're the man! (Well, you know what I mean)
Love you!Nettie

A Refreshing Rain...Autumn Is Coming

Oh what a beautiful morning! We got rain!!!! I woke up around 4:30 and heard the rain hitting the windows and I felt so happy. I snuggled the pillow and turned over and went back to sleep. When I got up a couple of hours later it felt so good to look out and see moisture.

This summer we have had a lot of 100 temps...and I was starting to feel like a hermit cuz I didn't feel like going out in the heat. The grass was getting brown spots where the sprinklers didn't hit...and the plants were drooping and turning brown. My friends on Facebook were talking about doing a rain dance if the hot spell continued! ha! I'm so glad that God gave us some showers...what a blessing.

I know we will still have some more heat before Autumn arrives...but I am thankful for a little break, and for the rain!

To everything there is a season... and a time for every purpose under heaven!

The only sad thing is ...my hubby and a few friends had an early golf time and had to cancel...but there will be other days for them to golf.

What's happening in your neck of the woods today?

Six Word Saturday

Hmmm let's see what will my six words be today???
Oh I know...

THIS THURSDAY IS MY 60TH BIRTHDAY!

I Love My Stylist~ She is such a sweet person.~

This is my Hair Stylist Kristel. She owns the Madison Avenue Hair Salon here in town. She has been cutting my hair for several years and we have become good friends. She also cuts my husband's hair and he loves her too.

She has a very nice shop with a peaceful atmosphere. She even has a salt water aquarium to gaze at while you are waiting.

She has cute decorating, and fashion accents, clothing and jewelry for each season to give you a boost and help you get into the new styles. Her Salon also offers other services like hair products, manicures, pedicures, and also relaxing massages.

Speaking of relaxing, it is so relaxing to go in for a shampoo, condition and a haircut, that I can almost fall asleep while she is working on me....except I also like to visit with her and catch up on what her two adorable little boys are up to. Kristel also has a wonderful husband Bill, who pops in with the boys from time to time.

She is a lovely Christian woman and she has a sweet and gentle spirit, and a beautiful smile. I sort of think of her as another daughter.

I wish everyone we did business with in life were as nice and as kind as Kristel is.
I thank God for her, because she is a blessing to my life.

When my daughter Lynnette lost her 6 yr. old daughter Anna to heart issues, she ended up writing a book about the faithfulness of God in her life during her great trials. Well, Kristel sold that book in her shop and would not accept any commission for her efforts. That is just the way she is...very kindhearted!

I just felt like honoring Kristel today on my blog. I think we should take the time to be grateful for the special people in our lives, don't you?

Before and After Highlighting Pictures

No this is not me...I'm just teasing you guys...it is my sweet friend Rodgie who owns an antique store here in town. Isn't her hair cute? She is such a fun person and I always like her hair. I have considered growing my hair a little longer and trying this style.





Ok, this is me... a few days after my highlights. I'm saying "HMMMM...do I like it or not?"










The lighting in these above pictures is not very good, but my husband took these to show my hair from each angle after the highlights.




This is me in the car on the way home from the Salon. I was excited to get home and show my husband to see if he liked it...and he did.




This is me in the 2 hour highlighting process. Yikes I looked so silly!!!!




And these last three pictures are me before I went to the Salon. Was there enough change? I'm still thinking about it and wondering if I want to do something more.




Before pictures




Before pictures



I know I put the before pictures after the after pictures, but I was too tired to switch them around tee hee.


Yay! My laptop is working again! I have been unable to post pictures of my new hair highlights until today. A couple of weeks ago I did a post about Meg Ryan's hair being cute, and I was exploring some styles for myself because I am turning 60 this month and feeling kinda down about that. Well I haven't gotten my hair cut yet, but I did get it highlighted. Still deciding if I like it...and considering doing more. I don't think it looks very different. What do you think? Any suggestions? One thing I think is I need a style with more height on top, so I think I might go get it layered. I have been letting it grow since November because I have had really short hair for a very long time...but it is awkward in the different stages it goes through.

I love my stylist and she is very good, and she is willing to help me with whatever I want to do. I have just been feeling a need for some changes. It is kinda fun to make changes and try new things once in awhile don't ya think?!