Greetings from my home to yours this beautiful evening here in Texas!!
 Here I come with a video blog post which is not on one certain topic but on a variety of things.
 On this video you will hear...
~ how and why I baked cokies on the smoker!
~ what we do when things  don't always go the way we would like.
~ what our oldest son is doing way up in Canada for the summer.
~ what is keeping me busy now that school is done
~  about reading to my blessings in the evenings.
~ and letting your light shine!

 Keep your light shining brightly for Jesus, and don't burn your cookies!
Enjoy! In Him, Mae
​
P.S. I made this video several days ago, and my oven is still continuing to be so temperamental and strange on me. After the burnt cookie episode Paul said he would get me an oven the next day, but guess what the next morning it worked again like a charm! So he didn't get me a new one. Then that evening I went to use it and it didn't work again, but the next morning it did. A few days of that pattern and I got to thinking it only worked in the mornings. But I went to try it this evening and it worked! So I quickly mixed up a cake and got it in there while it was still going!! We will be getting a new oven though soon, because when I need to bake I need to bake! I can't put up with this silly part time oven!!
  

   When our new journey first began after loosing our second oldest son in a four-wheeler accident on April 19th, 2017, I started blogging here about that new journey. Also right off I knew at some point down the road I would want to write a book about our loss and of the hope we have in Christ. And now I am anxious to see that book come into reality.
  Why? Because I want to share the hope we have with others. I want to share our story to be an encouragement and blessing to someone else. I believe someone somewhere needs to hear what God has done and is doing for us. I know how much I was blessed and encouraged by reading the books of other families stories of loss or tragedy. How they made it thorough. And what all they went through and emotions they experienced, ect... , which helped me know I was not alone. Others had walked this road. And God was by their side every step of the way. And He would be for us too!!
 And I want to be that same blessing and encouragement to someone else with the story God has given us. My constant prayer right after I found out our son died was this, "If there is any one who knows us who doesn't know you Lord, may this be their moment." I felt God would give life to others through the death of our son.
​
 I am so glad to have this blog and to have been able to share so much on here over this past year. I pray that it has been blessing and help to someone. And that they can see God's greatness, and feel the strength, peace and joy that  comes from a life founded in Him and which only He can give.

  I suppose we will never know why this happen to our family. And I don't why your going through what you are going through. But I know this. Our God does not make mistakes. He is giver and taker of life. With Him there is no accidents. He has a plan and a purpose for every move He makes. His ways are not our ways. He loves and cares for his children way more than we can ever comprehend. And He will see us through our every storm. He promised He would always be with us. He will never leave us nor forsake us. This I know!
 Just trust Him. And cling to Him with all you got. He's got you!

    We grieve, but not with out hope.
In Him, Mae

     I just got all my little ones tucked in bed for the night. The whole procedure takes me awhile, but after it is all said and done I know it is worth all that time and more!
  I always read to the children in the evenings. Right now I am reading to the younger crew out of a bed time Bible story book, and then to Sam and Sarah from a missionary story. That takes about 30 to 40 minutes or more to do that. ( It never goes with out interruptions )
  Then they have a bed time snack and then everyone heads in the bathroom for washing up and brushing teeth. Then into their beds they go.
And that starts the next and last part of their bedtime routine.
  I go to each of their beds, and study the Bible verse with them that they are practicing for the week. And then we talk about their day a bit. And then before we pray I have started asking them these questions; what are they thankful for today, are they sorry for anything, and what do they want to pray for? Then I pray with them. We thank the Lord for the day and different things they are thankful for, and we say we're sorry for the things they are sorry about that they did wrong, and then pray for certain things or people. Sometimes this gets a bit lengthy and time consuming on my part, but I try hard not to rush this time with each one.
   Sure this cuts into my evening time considerably, but I feel this time is so  important and vital to their spiritual life and growth, as well as special individual time with each child. So I may not be left with my much peace and quite time before I to have jump in bed my self. But this is a major top priority to me. And I am willing to do what is most important. This time will pass. The children grow so quick.
 ~So if your a mom like me with little ones or older ones please, please take the time with them in the evenings  to pour into them. It is worth your time dear mom!

 I will share a couple poems here that you may enjoy that I wrote last year to go in my book called, More than a Mother. They reflect on the fragility of life and what is really important. ( These poems were written a couple months after the tragic and sudden death of our 14 year old son. )
Keep up the great work of being a Mother! God bless you!
 In Him, Mae

  We are now completed with our homeschooling for this year! So happy about that!!
  I should have more free time! YEA!! But life doesn't slow down much for a mommy with a house full of busy and  children like mine!
  As time allows though I will pour into completing Volume 2 of my book As For Me and My House. As well as writing here on my blog and working on my website.
  I am so happy and blessed to have this website/blog to encourage and empowering fellow women in the Lord. It is my passion in life besides being a wife and a mother. As God puts things on my heart I share it here with you all. 
  Most of you here know that I am an avid  reader and I share most of my latest reads from time to time here on my blog. And I got 2 going right now. I am going through a devotional of Priscilla Shirer, called Awaken, and then The Power of Praying Together by Stormie Omartian. Both are super good!
​
 Recently though I have been listening to different of Beth Moore's Bible studies on CDs instead of reading so much. These CDs have been a real  blessing to me. I just pop them in and go about my work in the kitchen! Some I have listened to are Believing God, Breaking Free, the Bible study on Esther, and the Bible study on Daniel. I love her way of unpacking Bible passages and the way she teaches. So powerful, and so passionate! And she so easy to listen too, and has a great humor! 
 Only a couple months ago though I only knew of Beth Moore by name and that's it. I had never read any of her books or Bible studies or anything. Then my neighbor offered me some of her CDs, and I was hooked! When I finish one set, I bring it back and she supplies me with another set!!
 And what is so amazing about it is that this is just what I have been needing to hear at this sage and time in my life. If I would have listened to these CDs years ago they would not have spoke to me the same and when I really needed to hear them.  Praising the Lord for that! ONLY GOD! I just love the way God works!
  And over these past couple of months I have felt God's calling more and more about me speaking. So not not knowing how all that will play out that way, and when where and how. But I am trusting the Lord on this and stepping out in faith. And I know my God is strong when I am weak, and he will equip me for what He has called me to! Amen!
    Keep believing and trusting in God. No matter what you have gone through or where life has taken you so far. Give your life to God and He will redeem you to Himself, and set you free from whatever has been keeping you captive. You are His beautiful daughter, and He has an amazing plan and propose for your life!
​ In Him, Mae

  

  Hi! Here is another video blog post from my house to yours!
  In this one I am  speaking on  a message that is an old blog post of mine that I had written several years ago, and is now in my Volume one of, As for Me and My House.
   This message is about the power of Satan and to beware of his power in our lives so that we can knock him down! He is real. And he is out to attack and destroy us, our marriages, our families, our relationships. We need to be on guard all the time and on duty. But through Christ we can victoriously fight against our enemy. And Satan really has no more power over us and our lives that what we allow our selves.
 This is just a very light study on the subject. Much more could be said about it for sure. But I hope you enjoy it for what it is.
​
  ~ Remember to draw near to God, and the devil will leave from you!
 In Him, Mae

  Hi everyone!
  Here I come with a video blog post, from my house to yours!
  I enjoy doing video blog post occasionally instead of just wring all my blog posts. But I know I am not too good at this yet. But as the saying goes, practice make perfect! And as I say, you can only get so much practicing in practicing, you just have to practice through doing! So here is doing! :)

  Note before you watch: I hope everyone really gets the message I was giving here. That we need to make God the main focus and center of our lives. He should be the very essence of our lives. God should not be kept for just churchey kind of  things, or just to top off our day. But He is our very life. And we love Him with a priority love.
 I took notes for this video before making it. And I know it is good to have notes and all, but when I have notes I unfortunately tend too look at them too much! 
   Well watch, enjoy, and may you be blessed and encouraged as you walk each day with our Lord!
 In Him, Mae

   So in saying we have our 2 oldest sons graduated now.
One completed with school and headed off soon to work at Riverside Bible camp for the summer in far off Canada, as well as what ever else the Lord has for him and his life.
 And our other one, completed with this life and now safely off in his forever Home with the Lord.

 Sure, it is all bitter sweet. But it is what it is. And sometimes we just have to look on things with a little different perceptive. What ever it takes to make it through what we have been given in life. Because we know our God makes no mistakes. There is no accidents with Him. Though we can not understand why we know this was apart of the His plan for our lives. And so no matter how hard it may be for me to say this, " I wouldn't desire it to be any other way." 
 To God be the glory, honor,& praise for ever and ever! Amen!

In Him, Mae

    P.S. If you are a mother that has just recently lost a child, I understand that you may find it hard to see and feel my perceptive of how I view our son, Clayton, as graduated. Know that I could never have felt this way any sooner. It would have been too hard on me to feel that way earlier on. Now though that is has been over a year, the pain has lessened some and so I can honestly feel happy for Clayton. But it still hurts - a lot. That is why it was so hard for me that morning as I mentioned, and as I was writing the above piece tears were very close to the surface.  Maybe this is not the way others may want to look at it with their loss, but it does and has helped me. So I am sharing in case it may be an encouragement and blessing to you and your situation. 
 Remember if you need someone to chat with please leave me a message in the contact box, and I will get back to you as soon as I can. That is what my blog and I are here for!  :)