A Servant's Heart

A Servant's Heart

Dedicated to the One who called him by name.
Allows his life ever to be changed.
Realizing he must present a Servant' Heart.
Obedience to his Master in truth will he impart.
Not intimidated by the challenge he faces,
Will show Christ's love in far off places.
Holding in his heart words written in the Bible,
In deeds towards others he knows he is liable.
Service to the Lord is his heart's intent.
Ministering to others is where his time is spent.
Always wanting and willing to do his part,
Nothing will change his desire to have a
Servant's Heart.

Tracy L. Stone ~~1992

How often do I show a servant's heart? Yet, that is what the Lord asks of me. It is my daily prayer that I have the willingness to be a servant to those around me. Not to be a doormat, but to be a blessing and encouragement to each person I come into contact.
Until next time~
Blessings to you~~

Reflection from the past

Just thought I'd share a poem I wrote several years ago. I hope it blesses.

Lord I come

Lord, I come to you for direction.
Please show me what to do.
Without your Guiding Hand,
I am left without a clue.

My Child, I come to you with guidance.
Take my outstretched hand.
Without you will falter.
Remember, I am in command.

Lord, I come with many questions.
Please show me what is right.
There is much confusion.
I am kept awake at night.

My child, I come to you with answers.
They are written in My Word.
There you will find solutions,
To the problems with seem absurd.

Lord, I come with my heart broken.
Please mend it strong and new.
When will my heart learn
To continually trust in You.

My Child, I come to you with My Love.
Please do not worry or fear.
When trouble comes to tempt you,
Remember I am always near.
~~~Tracy L. Stone 1991~~

Until next time~
Blessings to you~~

MOSAIC & Other stuff

I know it has been a few days since I last blogged but I have been busy and not awake enough to write or I have been running a bit behind schedule in the morning to write before work.
The last few days have been full of activity. I will only give a brief run down until I can get more because once again I am extremely tired.
Thursday night I went to MOSAIC. Pastor Deone spoke on Shame -Misplaced Shame and Well-placed shame. It was a great message. I walked away challenged. After study a group of headed over to Applebee's on the Blvd for a bite to eat. I was able to have a great conversation with a new friend, Alex. He has been a blessing!
Friday I had an early day at work which meant I got to go in at 7:30 and leave at 5:30. After work I had to get fruit for my trip to Presque Isle the next day. I also met a good friend for dinner at Fuddrucker's. We had nice visit. Then I went to meet my cousin to give her more Pampered Chef orders. I did not get to bed until midnight and I had to be up early the next morning.
Saturday I traveled to Presque Isle (more in a later blog) and Sunday I went to a pool party at a friend's house in Lewiston. Tonight I have been editing photos and now I am ready for bed.
Until next time!!
Blessings to you~~

Rest

Not much happening but I did get to bed early last night. I have been tired lately. It could be me staying up late and getting up early. Haha Anyways I was in bed by 9pm last night. Before I went to bed I did do some creative stuff. I am making some note cards with flower photos I have taken for Christmas presents. I have a lot to make so the earlier I start the better. Last night was corner rounding the matting for the photos. I did get some of the photos on the mats but not very many. It will be a project for another day.
Tonight is MOSAIC. I am looking forward to going. Pastor Deone has been teaching some great messages. Last week was about pride and the week before was about anxiety. I'm not sure what tonight will bring but I am sure it will be good.
Well, I have to go to work early again today. So I hope you all have a blessed day.
Until next time~
Blessings to you~~

Raspberry Lemonade

Last night my mom and I hosted a Pampered Chef party here at the house. We had about 10 people show up for the enjoyment of Raspberry Lemonade Surprise and a great sandwich(which I do not remember the name). My cousin, Nikki, was the demonstrator. During the evening in order to demonstrate her products she asked for volunteers to do the work. Each volunteer got a round of applause and we had a great time.
As for other activities going on. Monday night I met up with two friends, one for dinner and the other to give a personal opinion on his painting endeavors. Well, dinner was at Moe's Southwestern Grill and it was good. Adam and I had a great conversation and a delicious meal. The restaurant was packed because it was kids eat free night. Adam wanted to go to another place but I said I had been looking forward to Moe's all day. So we stayed.
After dinner I headed over to Jeff's to see his painting project. He is painting his kitchen and entrance way. He needed someone else's opinion on how far he should paint. Hopefully I gave him some good advice.
Well, I have to go to work early today. So I hope you all have a great day.
Until next time!
Blessings to you~~

Asparagus & Bunny

Last night I went to a great party given by Julie (a new friend to me.) She invited a number of singles from MOSAIC out to her home. The rain did not keep people away. I am glad for her. When I arrived her dad was grilling the hot dogs, hamburgers and sausages on the grill while her mom was inside making sure the hot food was getting hot. Jim, Mark W & Phil were playing catch while a few others were inside enjoying the coolness of the air conditioning.
I brought my cousin, Kara, with me to the party. After I arrived the rain started coming down a harder so most of us either stayed under the tent or went inside the house. Dinner was served not much later. Julie's daughter, Alanna, reminded us all that we forgot to pray. So we took care of that and let the party begin.
One of the highlights of the evening was the grilled asparagus that Jeff & Alex (who I just met) put together. They rummaged through Julie's refrigerator & cupboards for different spices, oils and dressings. I think they tried about 5 different varieties. First on the grill was walnut oil, salt & pepper, and Italian dressing. When those two varieties were done, they went fast. Next on the grill was Raspberry vinaigrette and Caesar dressing (separate). The Raspberry was not a favorite, but the Caesar went over great. The last bunch was a mixture of everything but the raspberry and another Caesar. I think Alex and Jeff will be bringing the asparagus to my bonfire in September. They are just asking everyone to bring a different spice. (should be interesting).
After dinner we celebrated Julie's birthday. Karin made a cake and Alanna helped her mom blow out the candles. Later in the evening Julie got to open presents. She received a great hat & bandanna from Karin, a couple books from Charity and a frame from me.
Alex, Kara, Jackie, Brittany, Tim & I played volleyball in the dark, rainy evening. I slipped on the grass once.
The whole evening was a success in my opinion. Everyone looked like they were having a great time even Mark who decided it would be fun to spray the whipped cream directly into his mouth.
Well, it is getting late. I just had to write because a lot of people are expecting to see the photos.
Until next Time~
Blessings to you~~

Family

This past Thursday relatives started to arrive at the house for our 2nd annual Stone Family reunion. Thursday night brought my Aunt Lyn, Uncle Jerry, Cousin Janeil, and their family friend, Rose from Newark, Ohio. Friday night brought my Aunt Sherry from Tampa, Florida. Saturday brought my cousin Nikki and her three children Kara, Cameron and Culin, plus their cousin's (my cousin's once removed) Kayla, Lexi, and Zechariah.
Thursday night nothing special happened. Friday the family minus me (I had to work), my parents and my sister, Amy went to Niagara Falls to enjoy one of the seven wonders of the world, Niagara Falls. Later in the evening they all went to see WALLE at the Drive in Theatre in Lockport. I would have like to go to the movie but I got home from work to late. When I did come home I did get to enjoy a delicious dinner made by my uncle Jerry. He made some sort of cheesy chicken and spaghetti with homemade sauce. Umm Good!
Saturday morning I woke up my aunts to head out to JCPenney's. The store was having great sale. I did get a few outfits. Since I only had an hour (my sister, Cassandra, warned me I had to have everyone home by 11am) I never made it out of the woman's department. That is okay because I spent enough in that department.
When we got home the festivities began(well not quite at 11 because Nikki and the kids were a little late). My dad got the grill going to grill sausages and hamburgers. Cassandra had the bonfire pit going to roast corn on the cob. I had made macaroni salad the night before and mom made knox blocks (from jello) before we left for JCPenney's. We ate around noon and everyone got their fill.
Before lunch we had to guess how much candy was in 4 candy jars Cassandra had put together for the day. The person closest to guessing got the jar. Needless to say I did not win any of the jars.
After lunch I took pictures of the kids. I had been taking pictures of other stuff already during the day. But the kids know that I will have them pose for me. I am excited to say that the photos came out great.
Also after lunch we had a treasure hunt. Cassandra divided all the family up into four teams. Then gave us the first clue of 12. We had to find our next clue by figuring out the first one. If you found the treasure before you had all the clues you could not open it. Everyone had a great time with the treasure hunt. Cassandra had us back and forth across our property several times. I have never seen my dad run so much. It was neat to see each team work together to solve the clues. When all twelve clues were collected you got the treasure. It was a cooler fill with candy, stuffed animals and other fun stuff.
After the treasure hunt Cassandra made cotton candy with the kids while the adults sat around and talked. Plus we were trying to cool down from all the running during the treasure hunt.
It was a wonderful afternoon. I am looking forward to next years reunion. Hopefully more family will be able to join us.
Until next time~
Blessings to you

MOSAIC

Thursday night found me at the Chapel at Crosspoint for a great dinner of Italian sausage and a good message about Pride from Pastor Deone. Last week we started meeting under the portico and it was nice to be outside rather than in the Crosspoint Theater.
This week we celebrated one of the couples 50th wedding anniversary. You may ask why a married couple is attending a singles group. I am not sure why but I would venture a guess that they enjoy Pastor Deone's messages. The neat thing about the anniversary was that it was also the husband's birthday. (He could not forget his annivesary) Well, anyways, MOSAIC had cake and ice cream in honour of the couple's anniversary.
After the message, most of my friends and I just hung out. A few of them ended up at Jackie's for a bonfire. I had already gone home to go to bed early (which did not happen).
Until next time.
Blessings to you~~~

Scrapbooking

I have not written in a while but I have been busy. Wednesday night I was able to scrapbook with some wonderful friends. I am a year behind in my scrapbooks and my pictures pile seems to get higher and higher with each passing week. I was able to complete four pages of last year's family reunion. I still have about 20 more pictures from the reunion to put into the scrapbook.
Before the scrapbooking started one of women brought supplies for each of us to make a card. I made a birthday card for a friend whose birthday was on Saturday. I also now know how I will be making my Christmas cards this Christmas.
Until next time (which will be in a few minutes)
Blessings to you~~

From A to Z

A is for age 37
B is for burger of choice. McDonalds cheeseburger.
C is for what car you drive. 2003 Ford Taurus. This is my second one and I was excited it had a CD Player.
D is for Dog's name. Cinnamon (rottweiler/collier mix) but she died about 2 years ago. My parents have two pembroke corgi's Tyler and Jasper
E is for essential item you use every day. Mary Kay toner
F is for favorite tv show at the moment Don't really watch TV
G is for Favorite game. Bejeweled 2 on king.com
H is for Hometown. Akron, New York
I is for instruments you play. use to play the recorder in school
J is for favorite juice. Cranberry
K is for who you'd like to kiss. Somebody special
L is for last restaurant you ate at. Applebee's almost every Thursday night
M is for your favorite Muppet. Animal
N is for number of piercings.Two
O is for overnight hospital stays.Three in the past six years
P is for people you were with today.Coworkers at the Alden State Bank and my family
Q is for what you do with your quiet time. Scrapbook, blog, play on the computer
R is for greatest Reward: Knowing Jesus
S is for status. Single
T is for time you woke up today. Real time or the several times I woke up during the night. 6:50am
U is for what you consider unique. Laughter of a child
V is for vegetable you love. Corn
W is for worst habit. procrastination
X is for number of x-rays you've had. a few
Y is for yummy food you ate today. Sour Cream coffee cake with blueberries
Z is for ? Zucchini

Sunny Days

Yesterday was not all that exciting. Work was busy and I got home later than I wanted. I was glad my mom prepared dinner of chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans. I was able to sit with my family and enjoy the home-cooked meal.
Last night my dad and mom hosted a Bible Study called the Truth Project. I was not part of the discussion as I was on the computer ordering pictures, but I did hear a lot of the video and discussion. It sounds good. If anyone is interested in attending it is Tuesday nights @ 7pm, right here at the house.
I did get my pictures ordered and some for a friend. What a process! I am so thankful for the digital camera I get a few weeks ago. It has been fun working with the photos. However, I am not sure my family appreciates how much time I spend on the computer now.
One other thing, just wanted to say I appreciate all the comments. It is fun to see how many people read the blog and what your thoughts are.
Until next time~
Blessings to you~~

Excitement on the Lanes

Last night I went bowling at the Transit Lanes with my nieces Dakota and Anna and my two sisters, Cassandra and Amy. What a Blast!
I arrived home around 5pm to the girls all waiting in the driveway. They were excited to be going out with Aunt Tracy, Aunt Cassie and Aunt Amy. While I changed into more comfortable clothes, Cassandra and Amy got Dakota and Anna situated in the car. Then we were off. First, I had to go to the chiropractor for an adjustment. I feel good by the way. Once the adjustment was over we headed to the lanes.
We had two lanes one for Dakota and Anna with bumpers and one for Cassie, Amy & me. The girls were excited. Dakota went first and got a few pins down. When Anna turn came up, she was so excited she couldn't contain her excitement. I was able to help her push the ball down the lane. When the ball left her hands, she would run back to my sisters and say "I did it, I did it!" It was the cutest thing.
It took us about two hours to complete 2 games. The girls were tired about halfway through the second game. Everyone had a great time, even Jeff who came to watch, (but was outside talking to his friend, Mark).
Until next time.
Blessings to you~~

Resurrection Ranch

Last night I went out to Middleport, New York to hang out with a group of friends from MOSAIC. Johnny Ciavatta owns the property up there and invited everyone out for an evening of fun and fellowship. I met up with some friends. Actually on the way to Johnny's, Jeff and I met at one point. I ended up following him to the party.
While at the party, I was able to enjoy good conversation with Lynda, Karin, Julie and Kathy. Karin and I threw her football around for a little while. It was funny watching the two of us, I could not throw the ball straight. There were a couple times we thought I might hit Martin's motorcycle. It never happened thankfully.
Johnny and Charity put on a good party. Everyone of all ages seemed to have a good time. After 5pm it started to rain. The rain did not keep people away. The continued to come out for the fellowship. Tony & Marcie brought a chocolate fondue fountain with all sorts of different foods to dip in the chocolate. Ummm good!!!
It was a good evening and I am glad I attended.
Until next time!
Blessings to you~~

Thanksgiving

"On that day David first delivered this psalm into the hand of Asaph and his brethren, to thank the LORD: Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works! Glory in His Holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD! Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face evermore! Remember His marvelous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgements of His mouth, O seed of Israel His servant, you children of Jacob, His chosen ones! 1 Chronicles 16:7-13 (Psalm 105:1-6)
Thanksgiving - Not just a holiday we celebrate once a year. It should be a daily public acknowledgment or celebration of divine goodness. In other words, we should daily be thanking God for His Goodness and His Presence in our lives.
The above verses express how we should give praise and thanksgiving back to God. How often do we get caught up in our worries and fears or trials of life that we forget all the good things the Lord has done? David encouraged the Israelites to not only give thanks to God but to tell others about the good works that God did in their lives. We are to "Sing to Him", "Glory in His name", "Rejoice in our hearts", and "Remember His marvelous works." When we take the focus off of ourselves and put our focus on God, we cannot help but to rejoice.
I encourage you, along with myself, to "GIVE THANKS & REJOICE"!

Little ones

Last night I visited with a friend. We met at his sister's house so I could see his mom and little great niece. What a fun evening? Little Lilliana is about 16 months old and a little character. She loved to have her grandma, grandpa and uncle chase her around the yard. It was also fun watching her dance when she played her little Princess CD player. (It wasn't a real CD Player, but one made for little ones)
I was glad for the time I had to spend with a friend and his family. There were some interesting conversations. I pray God will use the conversations to draw each one of us closer to HIM.
I am off to work.
Blessings to you~~~

Tennis with a Friend

Tonight I played tennis with my friend, Adam. I had a great time. He hasn't played in a while but that was okay because the people in the court next to us were very forgiving. We never really played a real game just rallied back and forth across the net. There were a few times I did make him run for the ball. He would say he won no matter what the score was because of a handicap. It didn't bother me because he was making me laugh. Laughter is always a good thing.
After tennis our friend Jeff joined us at the Clarence Center Coffee House for some fellowship. It was open mike night, so we ended up getting our order and sitting outside. The fellowship was nice.
It was a good night to play.
Until next time!
Blessings to you~~

Seeking the Rewarder

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." Hebrew 11:6

Today I started a study about what it means to Seek after God. The above verse is the first one I came upon in my study. I wrote out some questions and answers. There is a lot of good stuff in the above verse. I hope my thoughts encourage you.

What does it mean to "please" God? It means to bring Him pleasure. We become a source of delight or joy to the Lord.

Why do I need faith in order to please God? I need to believe that God is who He says He Is. When I negate or don't have faith in God, it does not change His Character, it changes how effective He can be in my life. When I do have faith and believe in God, His character is revealed to me and then He changes my character. Plus now I am a source of delight to Him because I have communion with Him.

What does it mean "He is a Rewarder of those who diligently seek Him"? When I seek Him, He will be found and He will not let me walk away empty handed. He will fill me with His Presence. How AWESOME is that!!!

Do I believe that He is a Rewarder to me when I diligently seek Him? I DO!!! However I know I am not always diligent in my seeking.

Well, I hope these thoughts were encouraging. Until next time
Blessings to you~~

God is Good

I am so thankful that God truly is GOOD! No matter how I am feeling He is my source of strength. I am glad I can trust HIM to do what He says He promises. There is no reason to fear or worry about what I think should happen.
Just a thought for this morning.
Blessings to you!

Home

Here is the cottage I stayed at for the week of June 28th through July 5th. It was very spacious. Each of us had our own bed, except for Bill (he slept on the couch). I made it home yesterday afternoon at 2pm. It was a good drive home with John and Karen. We stopped at a rest area half way home and got ice cream (peanut butter cup waffle cone Umm Good!)
Yesterday I downloaded and uploaded all the pictures from the trip. I took about 300 photos. When I was going through pictures yesterday, I did delete a handful of them. All in all the photos came out great. I will try and upload a few here.
The vacation was wonderful. I did come home fully rested.
Until next time!
Blessings to you~~

1000 Islands day 5

Yesterday was a quiet day around here.  The rain and clouds did finally diminish around 6pm.   The waters were calm.  Nobody around here went into the water unless you count the kids in the cottage next to ours.

Johnny finally brought out his fishing pole.  It took him all afternoon to get outside.  He drove over to the marina to get some night crawlers in hopes that he would catch the catfish that lives close to our dock.  After dinner (dinner was at 8pm) he did go outside and try to fish.  When he came in, he said he did not catch anything but he did get a bite and that excited him.  He might try again today. I'll let you know what happens.

I finished reading my book "Someday" by Karen Kingsbury. She is an excellent writer.  She makes her stories come alive because she uses real life situations in her books.  The book challenged me and also made me cry.  

Other inside activities were reading, doing crossword puzzles and watching TV.  Jim, Karen, Jackie and I did play a couple games of Phase 10.  Karen won both games.  

All in all it was  good day.  

Today the sun is shining and there is a little breeze in the air.  We are going to have French toast for breakfast and then coerce Bill to swim across the Bay with us.  Later this afternoon Jim's family will join us for the day and then in the evening we will find somewhere to watch the 4th of July fireworks.

Until next time.

Blessings to you~~~

Rain, Rain Go away

It is about 8:30am here in the 1000 Islands and it has been raining since 6:00am.  Not fun! Most of us had plans to swim to a nearby rock (okay, maybe it is about 300ft across the bay.)  How can we swim to the rock when it is raining.  Oh, well. I  hope the weather clears up.

Right now Jackie, Karen and I are the only ones up and about.  Well, I should say that Jim just walked into the kitchen.  We are either on the internet or fixing breakfast.  I did had oatmeal and yogurt for breakfast.  It was delicious.  I'm not sure what the others will be having besides tea and coffee.

Right now there are no plans for the day.  I'm sure we will come up with something.  Last night after dinner we played a competitive game of Phase 10.  In every hand, Jackie and Johnny were the first two people to be skipped.  Johnny had us laughing every time he got skipped.  In the end, Jackie completed Phase 10 and won the game.   Johnny came in a close 2nd but did not complete the phase.  It was a lot of fun to spend an evening playing games with friends.

Until next time.

Blessings to you~~

Be Still

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted the earth." Psalm 46:10

How often do I let my activity draw me away from Jesus?  How often to I become anxious about a situation in my life and think I have to be the one to fix the problem?  In the above verse, God tells me to "Be still and know that He is God."  When I am still and willing to let Him be God, He can accomplish amazing things in my life.  Not to bring glory to me, but so that "He will be exalted among the nation, He will be exalted in the earth."

I am learning to be still.  It is not always easy, but it is rewarding.  I want to continue to know that He is God.  I want Him to be exalted in every area of my life.  I want to cease striving for what I think is best and surrender my expectations to God so that He will be glorified and the world will know that HE IS GOD.

Blessings to you~~

1000 Islands day 4

I can hardly believe I have been on vacation for four days.  It has been a relaxing vacation. One of the best vacations in a while.  Today there were no plans so I was able to sleep in for  a little while.  Karen & Jackie prepared scrambled eggs and sausage for breakfast.  Jim prepared the toast.  It was all delicious.  

After breakfast Jackie, Karen, Karin and I went down by the dock.  I started reading a new book by Karen Kingsbury while I enjoyed the sun and breeze off the bay.  Today was a little bit cooler because of the breeze.  I didn't get to far into the book before it made me cry.  I had to put it down to think about some of what the book was saying.

Jim's parents, sister, brother-in-law, niece and nephew came up from Watertown for a short visit today.  They were here for lunch.  Caleb coerced Jim into going swimming.  Karen, Karin and I went in with them.  The water was warm today.  I should say it was cool at first and then got warmer as you swam around in it.   The water was choppy so made swimming a little bit of a challenge.  

John got in the water later in the day.  He made us all laugh with his antics in the water.  

The ladies are now preparing left overs for dinner.  I should be helping so I am going to stop writing. 

Until next time.

Blessings to you~~

1000 Islands day 3

Today started out with me making pancakes for breakfast.  The first couple of pancakes did not come out round.  Jim and I had a discussion about why they were possibly not coming out round.  It was entertaining.  

After breakfast Karin, Karen & I went swimming in the bay.  The water was calm.  We also saw a hug catfish at the end of the dock.  We wanted to wake John up so he could fish, but we were nice.

After lunch around 2:30 we left for Alex Bay.  We decided to take the ferry to Boldt Castle.  The ferry was quick and we toured the castle for about 2 hours.  There is an amazing story surrounding the castle.  I was impressed at how much renovation has taken place since I was there a couple years ago with my friends, Wendy and Kim.  

When we arrived back at Alex Bay, we stopped for ice cream.  I had a delicious cup of Peanut Butter cup ice cream.  Umm Good!!!

When we got back to the cottage, Karen & Jackie prepared dinner of potatoes, carrots, asparagus, shrimp, steak and chicken patties.  Jim actually grilled the steak and potatoes.  It was a feast fit for a king.  

Well, now we have just finished dinner and are possibly going to teach Karin how to play Killer Uno.  It should be a fun evening.  

Until next time.

Blessings to you~~~ 

1000 Islands day 2 part 2

Yesterday afternoon the group of us did travel back into Alexandria Bay.  It is a quaint little tourist town.  We walked through most of the souvenir shops. I bought a Christmas ornament (Jackie gave me the idea) and some post cards to send back to friends in Buffalo.  We stayed in Alex bay for about three hours with plans to go back today for a trip to Boldt Castle.  

When we came back to the cottage, Karin and I went into the bay for an afternoon swim.  I had Jim take pictures of us out on the water.  The water was a bit choppy because of the wind.  We had a great time out on the water.  We tried to make an eight with the two noodles we had. Karen and Jim were laughing at us because we looked like two bobbing heads trying to keep a float.  We tried to encourage them to come in the water but they had more fun watching the two of us try to beat the waves coming in.

John grilled pork chops for dinner, plus we had corn on the cob and two different pasta salads.  It was a delicious dinner.  Kudos to the chefs.

After dinner we all hung out in the living room.  I was reading while the rest of the group tried to do crossword puzzles.  They were trying to figure out of four letter word for long coat.  The word was maxi.  Yes, everyone got a good laugh from the word.  That is the strangeness of cross word puzzles.  After they finished the cross word puzzle they turned on the movie, Timeline.  I went to my bedroom and talked with a friend back in Buffalo and was in bed by about 11pm.

Until next time.

Blessings to you!