#2 is on its way...........

I decided to send out 2 cases this month. April always starts out with joking and fooling around. So I thought I would end it with a little love and giving! :)

Here it is.............. Aprils "No Foolin' " hook case.

hugs... love... and blessings

.::Tam::.

Fear of the unknown........

"Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before." Joshua 3:4

Do you have a fear of the unknown? If so, then you know how nerve-racking it can be. Fearing the unknown can cause us to live on pins and needles as we spend precious energy anticipating the worst-case scenario. There are two problems with this type of fear:

1. The future is not here.
2. The future is not ours.


While the future may be out of our hands, it's not out of the hands of an adequate and trustworthy God. When we face a worrisome unknown situation, we can look to Joshua as an example.

It's recorded in the first chapter of Joshua that before Moses died, God passed the baton of leadership to Joshua. The Israelites had been wandering in the desert for 40 years under the guidance of Moses. Now, their journey was almost over. Just beyond the Jordan River was their promised land—the land that God had guaranteed to Abraham and his descendants.

Upon reaching the Jordan River, Joshua and the Israelites set up camp by the stream and awaited God's direction. Much like their meeting with the Red Sea, God had to make a way for them to cross over the river. On the third day, God told the officers to instruct the people that when they saw the Ark of the Covenant (where God's Presence abided) to follow it because they had "never passed this way before" (Joshua 3:4). In essence God was saying, Follow Me and I'll see you through this unknown territory.

That's not all. The people were instructed on how closely they should follow the ark. Without this instruction, the people would have crowded the ark and God wanted every person to be able to see His presence ever faithfully leading them through the unknown valley. What greater encouragement could they have than this, that the Lord was their God, a God who was with them?

You see, friend, the Lord understands our fear of the unknown. He realizes that you may be in a situation that you've never passed through before and you're afraid. It may be the first time you've been without employment. Maybe you've just been diagnosed with an illness. You've never been down this road before and you don't know which way to go or what to do. God will guide the way. Or maybe you have been down this road before and you are afraid to go down it again. Again........ God is with you and will guide your way.......... to safety!

Joshua's life was unpredictable and full of unknowns much like yours and mine. Yet, he successfully resisted fear by keeping his focus on God rather than the events surrounding him. Just as God guided the Israelites through unknown territory, He will guide you and me too. When we come to a place we've never passed through before, God is always present to help us.

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD, your God,the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; (Isaiah 43:2,3b).

Even though the children of Israel were not told how they would pass over the river, the people went forth in faith. We too can move forward in faith sharing in the promised presence of God leading the way through our unknown circumstances.

Dear Lord, thank You for Your promised presence. It comforts my heart to know that I am not alone. Lead me, Lord, through the unknown in my life. Make Your path clear and I will follow it. In Jesus' Name, Amen.




hugs....love... & Blessings,
.::Tam::.

Been sick..............

and still am......... :(
Caught myself a nice little cold... that has now become painful and not fun! My chest is about to burst... I struggle for every breath and I have laryngitis.... of which my family is enjoying the quiet.......... HUSH .. all of you!
Haven't gotten any real rest in the last few days..... little naps through the night... but not a good solid sleep............. boo hoo!
Thursday night.. Track Meet... ALL day Saturday Track Meet....... Sunday Double header Baseball game................... all outside in the cold. *sigh* Then out today to take Patrick to track practice... then later run to ball field to tell Davids coach he wont be at practice... (he has a cold too and its stinkin' sprinkling out) NO way David is going out in that!
But ... this is life of a mom! :)



Well... off to sit in my chair .. cover up in a blankie... and crochet......... :)
have a great rest of the day all!!!!








hugs... love & blessings,
.::Tam::.

Patrick pitching Sunday!

Another great Track Meet........

Patrick did a great job yesterday at his second track meet this year..... even with a slight bum knee.

Long Jump...... 3rd place

400 meter........... 2nd place

800 meter............1st place

1600 meter (4x4 relay)........... team placed 2nd


Mommy is proud of you buddy!!!

Go Cougars!!!

hugs...love... & blessings
.::Tam::.

April Showers.............

“When they walk through the Valley of Weeping, it will become a place of refreshing springs, where pools of blessing collect after the rains!” Psalm 84:6

Although the rain is beautiful and is a blessing to nature.... It also creates a mess on the streets... yards... and playgrounds. I find it can be a visible thing for how we feel inside at times. Beautiful and refreshed... or a muddy mess.

Today its raining out ... and as I reading through Psalms..... I found a book mark in my bible that said............

“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning to dance in the rain.”

I took it as a challenge. Would I choose to “dance” in my “rain”?

Many of my friends would trade my “rains” for their Valley of Weeping. Their lives hold divorce, illness, death---and places of sorrows. God doesn’t promise us a trouble- free life, but He does say that Valleys of Weeping will eventually become pools of blessing. We choose our attitudes. We can decide to trust Him during the difficult seasons or we can bury ourselves in bitter self-pity.

Although the pain of life may linger, the Lord will lead us out of the Valley of Weeping. Let’s take to heart Psalm 27:14, “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord”

I recall the lines from a childhood poem, “April showers bring May flowers.” Hopefully, as I go though the rains of my life I will look for those pools of blessing that will spring beauty like the flowers ...that the Lord will provide and not get stuck in the mud.

Dear Lord, life is hard sometimes. Walk me through the Valley of Weeping. Keep my heart focused on You and the blessings You provide. Open my eyes to the pools of blessing that You supply. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

hugs... love... & blessings

.::Tam::.

Special Show & Share........

This is a hook case I made for my Very Special "Home Run" hook (made by jimbo). Its the very first project made with my "Home Run" hook.

my perfect hook!!

WIP........... this is a "Scrap'ghan" I'm making using my "HomeRun" hook. I work on it at the ball games. With all the games I will be at this summer... I'll get this done NO Problem. :)




hugs...love & blessings
.::Tam::.

Placed in all his events.....

Patrick did very well in his first Track Meet!
He "Placed" in all the events he was in..... which earns the boys points!

Long Jump.......... 3rd place with 15' 1/2" (off his wrong foot)

400 meter..........5th place with time of 102.40

800 meter...........3rd place with time of 226.

1600 meter (4x4 relay) Team placed 4th with time of 419.41


So with all that said...........lets see how Patrick and the team does through the season!
If you look close.. I put arrows in the pictures to help find Patrick and the boys! :)

hugs... love... & blessings

.::Tam::.

Help... there's a frog loose in my house......

hahahahahahahaaa... this is my youngest grandson in his new froggie beanie I made him. :)

I just made a simple beanie and added a couple froggie type eyes to it.. and Tah Dah...

hugs... love... & blessings...

.::Tam::.

What you know... or what you hear...

I was thrilled to hear the good news a few few weeks ago. The winter blues were starting to set in.... I love winter... but had gotten to a point where I was ready for the Spring... and the weatherman had forecasted unusually warm spring-like days for the entire week. However, as I was driving to get the boys from school.... I heard quite a different forecast on a different station. The announcer predicted cold days ahead; highs in the forties, and rain.

What happened to the amazing forecast that the weatherman had predicted? I felt my spirit drop as I thought about yet another cold week to endure.

But as I listened later that evening, the weatherman was predicting sunny weather once again. Beautiful days, mid-seventies, with the possibility of breaking a record high.

What?! I was so confused. I finally determined that the radio must have been playing the wrong forecast by accident. Somehow, I think the wrong buttons had been pushed, and the wrong information was sent out over the air for thousands of people to hear…if they had heard the weatherman's forecast too, they were surely as perplexed as I was.

I had heard information that contradicted what I knew to be true, but since it seemed to be from a trustworthy source, I readily believed it. I even shared that information with friends and family, only later to realize that I had been misled and misinformed.

In the same way, today's culture does an excellent job of sending us wrong information, misleading us about right and wrong, and convincing us that their opinion is accurate.

Take tolerance, for example. The term "tolerance" seems to imply, by today's standards, that anything and everything is morally equivalent. Society tries to convince people that the truth is relative, open for interpretation, and apt to be changed if anyone wants it to be different.With this in mind, and due to the fact that there is a smorgasbord of beliefs to choose from, it is imperative that Christians stay keenly aware of whether or not we are believing what we know, versus believing what we hear.

The Bible clearly states that God set moral laws for His people, and the outline of what is right and wrong is written with great clarity. Knowing that, do we allow ourselves to be swayed by information that does not line up with God's Word? Do we follow the crowd, even when it is operating on inaccurate information? Do we act on questionable truths, just because it seems that everyone else believes it to be true?

As believers, we have the incredible responsibility of being sure that we place what the Bible says over what well-intentioned (even trustworthy or respected) people may say. If we doubt that the Bible is the one absolute truth, what other source of truth are we looking to?

1 Thessalonian 5:21 says, "Don't suppress the Spirit, and don't stifle those who have a word from the Master. On the other hand, don't be gullible. Check out everything, and keep only what's good. Throw out anything tainted with evil". The thing that is good, is what is written in The Bible – the inspired Word of God.

If you ever question whether or not something you hear is true, and before you share it with others who could be influenced by your statements, check it out against God's Word. The truth will be confirmed in the scriptures, and that is a source you can believe in.

Dear Lord, help me to be strong in knowledge of Your Word. Give me the inner strength to stand up for what is right in Your eyes, even if it goes against the consensus opinion of what is right and tolerated in the eyes of man. Make me a person who influences others with Your truth. In Jesus' Name, Amen.



hugs... love ... & blessings,
.::Tam::.



"Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming." Ephesians 4:14

Hard work pays off........

I shared in an earlier post about how we were doing some renovations of the ball field bleachers.
Its coming along nicely. One bleacher at a time.... and we will have them all redone and looking good! That will surely brighten up the place!

Here is Patrick and a buddy of his (Damon) finishing up the primer painting that I didn't get done.

Lookin' good boys!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here is a "Before" picture of the bleacher................

And here is an "After" picture of the new paint... and wood. WOW! Looks GREAT! One down... four to go!

hahahahaha............... and here is Patrick and Damon showing us how they like to have fun after working.............. :)


hugs....love...& blessings

.::Tam::.

**Search for the Lord and for his strength; continually seek him. 1 Chronicles 16:11 **

Nehawka Baseball ........ ROCKS!

The Traveling Angels played their first game. Now although they lost 10 - 7 ... they played a great game! It was awesome being out there watching them again!

Here is Patrick pitching................ he did a great job!

GO ANGELS!!!

hugs...love... & blessings,

.::Tam::.

Global Finals for DI....

Destination ImagiNation (DI) is an exhilarating after-school activity in which students work in teams to solve mind-bending Challenges and present their solutions at Tournaments. Teams are tested to think on their feet, work together and devise original solutions that satisfy the requirements of the Challenges. Participants gain more than just basic knowledge and skills—they learn to unleash their imaginations and take unique approaches to problem solving.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Congratulations Conestoga Jr/Sr High!

K.... a friend of Patrick's and her team won 2nd place in the State Finals in their level and category..... which now moves them on to the Global Finals in Tennessee!
K and her team were given "Breaking DI News" challenge.

Their challenge was ..............
*Design, build, and test a Structure made only of newsprint and glue.
*Reduce the props and scenery used in the Presentation to fit inside a 30in x 24in x 48in (76.20cm x 60.96cm x 121.92cm) container.
*Reuse a story about a Newsworthy Event in a nation other than your own.
*Recycle newsprint by using it creatively in a costume or prop.
*Create two Side Trips and integrate them into the Presentation.

Here is K putting the weights on their Structure. It held 441 pounds! Amazing girls! GREAT Job!

hugs... love... blessings,
.::Tam::.

Blessed.........

Sometimes the folks you meet online are some of the best friends you make.
There is this lovely man over on the 'ville.... nick name "jimbo" many crocheters know his talent of creating the most beautiful crochet hooks! And sometimes the most wild. Well..... let me tell ya........... I am sure I got the most meaningful / beautiful treasure he has ever created!

Jimbo had an auction going on over on his blog (http://www.jimbosfrontporch.blogspot.com/ )
I had popped over to see what new hooks he had up and I just went crazy when I saw he had a hook made from 'baseball bat' wood! It was even my favorite size hook! I HAD TO HAVE IT!
I sent in my email with my bid.............. along with a long email that just went on and on about how that hook had just touched my heart and I had to have it! You see... my 3 younger boys all play baseball........My daddy was a crafting kind of guy and had dabbled a bit in wood creations.... Daddy loved watching the boys play ball.... and after he passed away.. the boys all carry him with them by wearing his number on the back of their shirts. (#73)
Daddy was the 73rd heart transplant patient at the hospital he was at. Its been a lucky family number for us.
Seeing that simple hook created such a rush of emotions for me. It would be so neat to own it. The memories I could create with it. So I placed my bid... watched like a hawk on the auction and waited for the day of announcement of the winner... which just HAD to be me.
The day before the auction was to end... someone outbid me. I raced to my email to get a note to Jimbo to place my counter bid.............I received an email back shortly there after telling me I couldn't bid on that hook...because I had already bought one. Huh? What? I did? Um? Ok?

Yep........... that beautiful man created a hook for me that I will forever treasure!
And here it is............. my "Home Run" hook! Made from Baseball Bat wood... size "I" hook with the #73 burned beautifully right onto it!

Jimbo.............. thank you so much! I do hope you know how much this means to me! God Bless you my friend!!


**please take some time to go visit Jimbo's blog! He is such a blessing!**
hugs... love... & blessings.
.::Tam::.

New eyes.............

Have you ever asked God to help you see what He's up to in the spiritual realm?

In II Kings 6:15-17, the prophet Elisha prays for his servant to be able to see beyond his circumstances. They are surrounded by a great army and the odds look to be overwhelmingly against them. He asks God to show the servant what is taking place beyond what the eye can see. The servant's eyes are opened to a supernatural realm and he is able to see the Lord's armies gathered to fight on their behalf. Elisha knew his servant was feeling hopeless and simply needed a different perspective.

We need eyes to see just like that servant did. Make no mistake, we are fighting a war. As Christians, we must suit up every day and face another battle. We have an enemy who wants to defeat us. And some days it seems like he gets the victory. We look around at the failing economy, the fractured families, and the fast pace of our lives and feel that the odds are overwhelmingly against us. We grow weary and feel like giving up.

In those moments we need to stop worrying and pray for a new vision. We need to ask God to change our perspective so that we can look past what we can see to what He is taking care of in the unseen. We need to remember to trust Him and to ask Him to help us see His activity—no matter how overwhelmed and unworthy we may feel. God sees us and He will send help when we need it.

The odds are never stacked against us because God is waging a battle we can't see. I love that He is always fighting on our behalf, even when we don't see it—and especially when we need it the most.

Dear Lord, please help me to remember that You are fighting even when I don't see it. Help me to have a vision for what You do daily on my behalf and not grow discouraged by the battles I face. In Jesus' Name, Amen.



hugs... love... & blessings,
.::Tam::.


**"'Don't be afraid,' the prophet answered. 'Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.' And Elisha prayed, 'O Lord, open his eyes so he may see.'" II Kings 6:16-17 **

It's on its way................

My first monthly hook case is on its way. The ladies over at the 'ville have been so wonderful with their compliments and encouragement... that making the decision to mail out a hook case each month was a no-brainer.



So here it is.................. "Spring is here" hook case................

Off to its new home............... hmm... wonder who will get it?

hugs....... love & blessings,

.::Tam::.

Working hard for our community............

The parents and kids of the Nehawka Angel Baseball team has been working hard to raise money for the team for new gear... fees for tournaments for the boys to compete in and to clean up the baseball field. This is Patrick doing his part to help by grinding the paint off one of the bleacher frames so it can be repainted and new wood for seats placed on it.
Good Work Patrick!!!! Thanks for your help!


hugs....love... & blessings
.::Tam::.

Happy Easter..........

Healing at the Cross

We know when Jesus was crucified
Upon the wooden cross
Our every sin was laid upon Him
All for loving the lost

And we know that when He rose again
He conquered death and hell
Through His resurrection we have
Eternal life as well

For this we praise our gracious Lord
And thank Him for His love
For we could never have had this hope
If it wasn’t for His spilled blood

But we can know His resurrection power
Right now while we are here
For we can come to the cross of Christ
And lay down our burdens there

For everything that may hold us back
The hurts from yesterday
At the foot of the cross we lay it down
And then just walk away

For I believe that there is healing
At the cross of Christ
We do not need to carry these loads
For they’ve all been crucified

Receive from Jesus the healing you need
For your spirit, body and soul
Then you can arise, freed from your past
To walk completely whole

For what He accomplished on the cross
Goes on into eternity
Just reach out your hand and He will too
And receive His victory



hugs.......love ....... &blessings
.::Tam::.

New RAOK project..........

Over on the 'ville........ there are a few ladies that have monthly give-a-ways. They Randomly pick someone and send them the special gift they make. I myself have received Totes from two different ladies.......... and boy do I love the totes and appreciate those ladies for what they do.
So......... this brings me to my new RAOK project.

I have decided each month... I will randomly pick someone and send them a hook case.
This particular case I have named..... 'Spring is here' It will be going out in the mail next week. I sure do hope the lucky one that gets it ... likes it! :)
The hooks inside are some of my bamboo hooks that are they for display.

Now this case is a wish gift for a lovely lady in a yahoo group I'm in. It is a knitting needle case. I've tucked a couple sets of knitting needles in it that were also wishes of hers. :)

hugs... love... & blessings

.::Tam::.

Just a Show & Share day....

Remember that Cougar Paw Print blanket square I was Hook Knitting? Well.. here it is finished. It came out to be a nice 12" square made with my size 'I' hook. ;) I'm rather happy with it! A blanket made up of 12 - 16 of these squares would be nice!!!

This is one of my simple corner to corner dishcloths. Super simple garter stitch pattern!

Thanks for stoppin' by!!!
hugs... love ... & blessings

.::Tam::.