Purple Rain

Well, not really purple rain but Purple Jaelynn! (In case you didn't know, I try to name my blog titles from songs--don't know why--but I just do. Sometimes it is hard and they don't match, but I try anyway.  What do you expect from a "joyful noise kinda gal"??)  Amanda sent me this picture today while I was at church.  What a delight to see my grand-baby in the most amazing color ever!  

A hip hop to the hippity

Random happenings from the recent life of Beck:  

• Here is a picture of baby Jaelynn from Amanda's cell phone.  Jaelynn is six weeks old!  Amanda and baby will be coming to visit for a few months this summer.  I simply CAN. NOT. WAIT!

• Look out world, Jordy B is graduating in two weeks!!  Jordyn received her cap and gown yesterday and I am so weepy.  sigh.  So, after 12 years of home schooling I can honestly say,  if I can home school, ANYone can do it!!   

(I believe she is thinking, "Yikes...my mamma learned me at home!" ---personal joke between us!)

• I put a fresh coat of paint on my old outside glider this week.  I almost threw it away but decided to keep it one more year (it is a hand-me down from my parents).  I decided to cover the old, faded white paint with a nice, bright red.  While painting, I found myself singing some of the old "blood" hymns I knew from years ago.  (What can wash away my sin?  nothing but the blood of Jesus!!!!)   After my paint job was complete, I went inside to 'wash up', when I glanced at my hand.  It was a God wink and a wordless picture to me about what one drop of Jesus' blood means to all and how much He LOVES us:

• As you know we've gone to the dogs.  My new little puppy ZuZu is 13 weeks old.  Tilli is still very unsure about ZuZu and continues to make her Alpha-dog presence known on a daily hourly basis through snarled lips and assertive growls (assertive growls...whao...very scary coming from a 4 pound dog!  I mean seriously!! It is great comic relief.)  This week we are seeing progress.  Small steps in the journey of the two dog becoming "BFFs".   Actually I think we are making microscopic steps (since microscopic means- objects smaller than those that can easily be seen by the naked eye and which require a lens or microscope to see them clearly).  Here is a testimony to the power of prayer in my house:  

• Summer time,  It can only mean one thing to me.  Ice cream and LOTS of it!!!  The sound of the ice cream truck in the neighborhood leaves me giddy.  I had the opportunity to go to one of my favorite places with one of my favorite people "elf friends" recently.  

Grow old with me! The best is yet to be.

I am full of excitement this morning.  It reminds me of that Christmas morning excitement.  I am thrilled to congratulate  my precious brother, Ryan Fick and Miss Holly Allen on their recent engagement.  Our family could not be happier.  I am so proud of my brother and the Godly man he has become.  He is one of the smartest, most giving, God-loving men I know.   My brother is fourteen years younger than I am, so I have had the sheer delight of watching him grow-up.  From Teddy Ruxpin to collecting baseball cards, he has always been my little buddy.  As a teenager, I can remember him crawling down the hall of our home and banging on the door to come into my room.  He would enter the room and head right for my records (yes, you read that correctly--records.  Not CD's. lol).  He loved to scatter them on the floor and laugh and laugh until I'd kick him out and lock the door.  To which he'd sit and bang and bang until I let him back in.   Times have changed and so has our relationship.  Now, I look to him as my friend.  What a pleasure Jim and I have had watching Ryan grow into a young man  who loves and serves The Lord with his whole heart, mind and soul.  I have seen The Lord work in Ryan's life in ways I could never have imagined and I give The Lord all the glory!! 

Then there is Holly.  I could not have personally hand-picked a more amazing young woman to become his future wife. She is a loving, beautiful, Godly woman.  She is the one our family has been praying for  in faith over the years that would one day become Ryan 's wife.  She is fun and fits in with our family perfectly!!  I admire her boldness for Christ and the love she has for Him.  Jesus is her life and His joy resonates from her.  She is fun loving and so smart!   Besides--anyone with a birthday on Christmas Day has got to be a God send to our family.  (You know how much the Ficks love them some Christmas!)

We love you both and you are in our continued prayers!!!

Houston--we have a SPLEEN!

Quick update on little Miss Jaelynn (who is four weeks old today!!).  She had an ultrasound today to see if she has a spleen, and, in fact--- she does have a spleen!!  Apparently, the reason the spleen was never seen before was because it is on the wrong side (due to her heterotaxy syndrome).    

Gettin' jiggy with it.....

Jordyn's Senior Homeschool Prom was last night.  (Yes, homeschoolers have a prom too!!)  Just wanted to share a few pics from her big night (in case she feels slighted with all the baby Jaelynn pictures of late!)

Jordyn being silly with her buddy Ashley (not sure where she gets her silly side??)

Our amazing Youth Director (my little bro) and his darling gf  (my Holly) joined us for picture time!

Group picture

A pic of the poor little un-socialized home schoolers.....

One more picture of the poor, sheltered little home school kids as they all congregated to the prom.

I always feel like somebody's watching me

I had another silly 80's tune stuck in my head today. Being Monday and the fact that I am learning valuable lessons from a puppy these days (may be a future blog post), I feel I should have been singing, "just another manic Monday".  But instead, I was singing a different tune.  Amanda sent me a picture of Jaelynn and it made me started singing, "I always feel like somebody's watching me":

I was thinking about El Roi, The God who sees.  I am thankful that no matter how crazy our life may get (or even how manic our Monday may seem), we have a God who sees everything that we are going through.  He knows our struggles, our weaknesses, He sees our broken hearts.  He sees our need. He is there for us and He will NEVER leave us nor forsake Him. I look forward to that day when He returns and we will all "see" Him face to face. 

From heaven the LORD looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth-  he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.   Psalms 33:13-15 NIV

Baby girls

Praise The Lord!!  Baby Jaelynn saw her cardiologist today.  He was very pleased with the way her heart is pumping.  The Vena cava is still 'interupted' but she has another blood flow on the side of her heart.  (not sure how this should be medically explained but that is "grandma" language!)   She needs to see the cardiologist in 10 months and if the "flap" is not closed, they will need to go in and close the flap.   She is scheduled to have an ultrasound next week to see if she has a spleen.  Unclear about that issue right now.  We will keep praying!

 (biting her mama's nose!)

Speaking of praying....I have been praying off and on the past two years about a Yorkie puppy.  (I told you I pray about EVERYTHING!  I won't lying!)  Jordyn has a Yorkie (Tilli) but I have missed my yorkie Chester so much since he died.  I have been on a waiting list for a while to receive a free puppy from a family that breeds Yorkies to give to other Yorkie lovers/good homes.  It is this family's ministry to bless others.  (Thanks to Mike and Peggy and Beverly for arranging everything for me!!)  I found out yesterday that our puppy was ready to come home!!   Without delay, I picked her up today.  What a little blessing. (hmmm, wonder if I will think that at 3:00 am when we need to go out and wee wee!! ha ha).

Let me introduce you to Miss Zulina Tulina Elphaba Burton.  We will call her "ZuZu" from the famous line in "It's A Wonderful Life" when George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) proclaimed, "Ha, ha, ha, ha! My mouth's bleeding, Bert! My mouth's bleeding! Zuzu's petals... Zuzu's petals. There they are! Bert, what do you know about that......Merry Christmas! !"

Come and see what our Father will do

Sorry to disappoint, but that is most certainly not a picture of baby Jaelynn.  I am verging on feeling like a narcissistic grandma by posting so many pictures of my baby girl(s).  I thought I'd switch gears today. 

In case you don't know, the picture is of George Mueller.  George Mueller is one of my favorite modern hero's of faith.  I was reading Randy Alcorn's blog today and found the following story from the life of George Mueller:

Things looked bleak for the children of George Mueller's orphanage at Ashley Downs in England. It was time for breakfast, and there was no food. A small girl whose father was a close friend of Mueller was visiting in the home. Mueller took her hand and said, "Come and see what our Father will do." In the dining room, long tables were set with empty plates and empty mugs. Not only was there no food in the kitchen, but there was no money in the home's account.

Mueller prayed, "Dear Father, we thank Thee for what Thou art going to give us to eat." Immediately, they heard a knock at the door. When they opened it, there stood the local baker. "Mr. Mueller," he said, "I couldn't sleep last night. Somehow I felt you had no bread for breakfast, so I got up at 2 o'clock and baked fresh bread. Here it is." Mueller thanked him and gave praise to God. Soon, a second knock was heard. It was the milkman. His cart had broken down in front of the orphanage. He said that before the milk spoiled, he would like to give it to the children.

Randy Alcorn closed the above story on his blog by saying, "What a powerful reminder that prayer is never secondary, it's always primary. It's not the last recourse, when options run out; it's the first and best recourse."

Will you join me in making prayer primary so we can "come and see what our Father will do?"

Speaking of "seeing what our Father can do".....here is today's picture of baby Jaelynn (sorry--I couldn't help myself!!)

Mountains, Zebras and baby...oh my!

I woke up in Virginia to mountains again. Not the Rockies but mountains of laundry! Ick.   To ease my pain, I found a few pictures on my camera I thought I would upload:

This is one of the most beautiful sights I saw while in Colorado:  

We drove from Colorado Springs to Denver in this:

One more pic of our baby:

Not only did I leave my heart in Colorado but I also left my Zebra shirt! Lol!

I better jet and go hike this mountain (of laundry)!

There's No Place Like Home

We had the sheer pleasure of traveling to Pike's Peak today.  The summit was closed (due to ice and snow) but we were able to drive to around 13,000 feet.  I have never seen anything more beautiful.  Adding to the beauty was the fact I was able to play in the snow (again).  Jim pulled over so I could "play".  I took off running and realized very quickly it was not the typical "Virginia" snow I am familiar with.  I expected to dash through the snow but found myself knee deep and falling.  (It was fun though).

We were greeted by a precious little fox (he reminded me of Tilli):

I was looking for Bigfoot---but never saw him.  (imagine that!)

Spend the afternoon and night with my girls.

As to be expected, I am feeling sad about leaving Amanda and baby Jaelynn tomorrow but we have been so blessed to be here with them the past eight days.  The trip was as close to perfect as it could have been.   I have made Amanda promise me that she would send me a picture EVERY day so I can see my precious Baby Bella.

As Dorothy said, "There is no place like home".  With that thought, I'll go click my heels!