tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-127215312024-03-19T04:01:58.943-07:00Tom, Beth and the KidsTom Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01655984471104753825noreply@blogger.comBlogger280125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12721531.post-91467936974815541002015-02-20T11:59:00.001-08:002015-02-20T11:59:03.098-08:00Sending my son off to a foreign landWell, I dropped Michael off at the airport in New Orleans to start his epic journey visiting East Asia. His first stop will be Jakarta Indonesia although getting there will be part of the journey.Tom Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01655984471104753825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12721531.post-74633042098175559652011-09-06T05:10:00.000-07:002011-09-06T06:22:33.029-07:00Verses of Encouragement
Memory verses: I call these the let-us verses. Hebrews 10:23-25 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching.Tom Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01655984471104753825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12721531.post-2750401583563998642011-09-02T15:00:00.000-07:002011-09-02T15:01:09.789-07:00Happy Anniversary
Happy anniversary my love of 29 years. I love to care for your garden because it reminds me of you; beautiful, faithful and fruitful. :-) Tom Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01655984471104753825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12721531.post-55631075915339081142011-06-25T12:11:00.000-07:002011-06-25T12:11:51.885-07:00Gulf Shores
Extended family at Gulf Shores. We celebrated Julia's 14th birthday and surprised her with this trip. :-) Tom Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01655984471104753825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12721531.post-87098483370766417092010-05-14T13:29:00.000-07:002010-08-15T15:35:00.731-07:00Mississippi KiteWe have Mississippi kites nesting in our big tree on the end of the driveway. At first we noticed them circling around the house. One of them landed in our yard and was scouting around. After a few weeks we noticed them carrying branches etc. to the tree. The nest is about 30ft from the ground at the top of the tree but well hidden from all sides. It is very hard to see but you can hear them. Tom Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01655984471104753825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12721531.post-8558272347838755302010-05-10T15:33:00.000-07:002010-08-18T23:09:42.140-07:00Then and NowIt was mothers day and Beth and I wanted to duplicate a portrait of ourselves that we had done in our college years by a friend in my photography class. It was framed then displayed in every house we've lived in since then. We had been looking at recreating this photo for about 10 years now so it was overdue. We made a date of it and had a lot of fun together. As a matter of fact, because Tom Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01655984471104753825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12721531.post-74742025833194812852010-02-08T00:00:00.000-08:002010-08-19T00:47:45.468-07:00February 8th the day after Superbowl XLIV.A letter I wrote to my family.I didn't want to fall asleep last night. It was all a blur. The New Orleans Saints won the superbowl. I watched it on TV with my wife and two of our children. We were at a fellow church member's house who hosted the party for her teenage daughter and the church youth group. It was rather loud and I made sure that my voice was heard when the touchdowns and field Tom Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01655984471104753825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12721531.post-59200090814962414242010-01-26T23:24:00.000-08:002010-08-18T23:25:23.657-07:00From our back door in the morningFrom our back door we can view the sunrise this time of year. What a peaceful view while reading God's word.Tom Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01655984471104753825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12721531.post-65728561504342232982010-01-11T21:49:00.000-08:002010-08-19T00:50:38.802-07:00Winter PetsAs the winter goes on our pets are not quite used to it. We let them in at night when the tempsdip below freezing. They are a hoot. I had to take some photos of animals being let in from the cold for an article. I told one of the editors I can create a shot that I know will work. :-) So I knew Precious our cat would want to go out for the night and wouldn't come back till the next morning.Tom Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01655984471104753825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12721531.post-85264589171029933422010-01-07T21:15:00.000-08:002010-08-18T23:29:17.292-07:00On Frozen PondOur pond filled to the maximum due to all the rain we received and then it got really cold for a long time. (For Mississippi that is) It was around 20 degrees for about a week. We had to let the animals in during the night. The pond started to freeze on the edges and then toward the middle. After about two weeks of below freezing weather our pond was frozen over. The center was about an inch Tom Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01655984471104753825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12721531.post-48769748456223403202010-01-01T10:43:00.000-08:002010-05-25T22:03:58.896-07:00Blue MoonBlue MoonWe had a blue moon this month. Last day of the calendar year 2009. Next blue moon for the last day of the year will be 2028. A Blue Moon is the second full moon in a calendar month. Usually months have only one full moon, but occasionally a second one sneaks in. Full moons are separated by 29 days, while most months are 30 or 31 days long; so it is possible to fit two full moons Tom Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01655984471104753825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12721531.post-59855793921783625032009-12-25T14:34:00.000-08:002009-12-25T14:38:44.828-08:00Merry ChristmasHave a joyful Christmas!Tom Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01655984471104753825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12721531.post-14368618479739061702009-12-24T07:52:00.000-08:002009-12-24T10:05:24.241-08:00A Christmas MessageAs I pondered over sharing a message with my family about Christmas. I wanted to get a new feel for what the Christmas season is all about. Yes, the birth of Christ is the reason for the season but I wanted a fresh point of view. I wanted a life's lesson.I read a devotional in Crosswalk this morning that helped me see some things from a different perspective. The perspective from the Tom Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01655984471104753825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12721531.post-56911332273455069002009-11-15T07:52:00.000-08:002009-11-21T19:48:59.753-08:00Sunday 11/15 was a fun day!Before church, Julia woke us up to remind her mother that she (Beth) would straighten her (Julia's) hair if she (Julia) woke up early enough...Thanks honey! It was OK though. I like being alerted that it is 6:30 in the morning by a cute girl anyway. So I thought a "before" photo was in order. (She is not going to like me posting her photo.)After church we watched the Saints game... they Tom Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01655984471104753825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12721531.post-1744846470466302722009-10-31T10:42:00.000-07:002009-11-17T07:51:25.935-08:00Robotics CompetitionMichael has been involved in a local robotics competition lately, here are some photos from the competition from a few weeks ago. The homeschool team was named Eclipse, the team mascot was the ninja platypus. Each school team had to come up with a Team name, have a booth representing their team and their robot, build a robot and program it to run certain tasks for an obstacle course. Sounds Tom Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01655984471104753825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12721531.post-20060689053899369212009-10-31T10:00:00.000-07:002010-02-03T16:16:04.928-08:00Car ShowAlong with the robotics competition, a car show was going on outside in a nearby parking lot. So during the lunch break we had something to kill a little time.Tom Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01655984471104753825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12721531.post-48955553423851751802009-10-13T17:43:00.001-07:002009-10-13T18:02:06.598-07:00Rain RainThe rain has been here for three weeks and it only stopped a few days in between. I've heard rumors that we've gotten 35 inches of rain in 6 months; 17 of those are for the month of September alone. I have to remember that there is sunshine on the other side of the clouds. The good side to this is that I can get a lot of housework accomplished.(Photo by Julia Thompson)Tom Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01655984471104753825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12721531.post-37509919232773530482009-10-11T18:14:00.000-07:002009-11-14T18:34:26.733-08:00Still Just a Kid, Thank You!We had Phillip over for his birthday cake and celebration (On Oct 11). We were very thankful that he had another birthday to celebrate. A broken collar bone 4 weeks ago from a bicycle accident and a serious auto accident the night of his birthday kept us on our toes and praying for him. The car was totaled but not a scratch on any of the people involved. Thank you Lord!Tom Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01655984471104753825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12721531.post-34852799288528064782009-10-10T00:10:00.000-07:002009-10-13T17:31:27.586-07:00The Ten Commandments Today I reflected on the 10 commandments in Exodus 20. I've been going through a time in my life where I feel I need to post on my blog the core of my belief and of my family. After all, life is getting shorter each day that passes and I sense I just need to polish the basics of my life.Exodus 20:3-17 The Ten Commandments 1 And God spoke all these words: 2 "I am the LORD your God, who Tom Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01655984471104753825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12721531.post-70104522477737085062009-09-21T15:05:00.001-07:002009-09-21T15:08:10.158-07:00Kids PortraitsHad fun with the kids and took some photos while I had the chance.Tom Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01655984471104753825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12721531.post-69268850925892289252009-09-09T08:47:00.000-07:002009-09-10T19:23:44.400-07:00A Strong Family Life<!--[endif]--> <!--StartFragment-->(Taken from a commentary in my Bible NKJ version)Building strong family life is always a priority in serving God.The family is the oldest and most basic of human institutions. In both the Israelite culture of the Old Testament and the Hellenistic culture of the New Testament, the household might consist of parents and children, relatives from several Tom Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01655984471104753825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12721531.post-23059605624729916792009-09-05T02:42:00.000-07:002009-10-10T02:48:09.107-07:00Prarie Arts FestivalWe had fun at the Prairie Arts Festival. Tom Marlin and I ran in the 5k race. The kids parked cars in the church parking lot. It was pretty much the same as it has been for the 10 years I've participated but still fun.Tom Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01655984471104753825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12721531.post-41188017495948611982009-09-03T17:57:00.000-07:002009-11-14T18:09:28.581-08:00Yellow Jacket ProblemBack in September we had a yellow jacket problem. Luckily we had a close friend who had a bee suit and knew what to do. He told us that yellow jackets normally nest in the ground and that nesting in our attic was unusual. He waited for nightfall since that was when most of them would be in the nest and less active, then sprayed them with Bengal roach spray. Must have got them all because we Tom Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01655984471104753825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12721531.post-50838368615360640212009-08-23T15:18:00.000-07:002009-08-27T15:25:39.567-07:00Alligator Nest?Late afternoon at the refuge. Beth spotted this gator close to shore. I think it had a nest and was keeping close watch. After reading information about nesting season.. it could be a possibility.Alligators breed once a year. Courtship begins in early spring and reaches a peak during May. Males bellow in choruses or chain reactions to advertise their prowess and attract potential mates, but Tom Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01655984471104753825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12721531.post-41569959701926627542009-08-15T16:53:00.000-07:002009-08-18T17:41:45.174-07:00Love and RespectBeth and I went to a marriage conference recently. The message was on love and respect based on Ephesians 5:33. The conference was jammed with information and the speakers delivered a message that is almost forgotten in today's society. Husbands should love their wives but wives should also respect their husbands. Say what? Yes, we've all heard the submission verses for our wives but they Tom Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01655984471104753825noreply@blogger.com