Our DC Trip

 

"Shelli, do you want me to reschedule the trip to DC?" my husband asks.

"No. I know there won't be as much to see with the government shut-down,

but the trip will still be a great experience.

We might not get to go inside the Smithsonian or other museums,

but we'll get to see amazing monuments outdoors.

It will be worth the trip."

So, I obviously went into this trip with my eyes wide open ...

 

 

This was actually our first airplane flight in over seven years;

so truly, if we didn't see anything in DC, we were totally excited about the plane ride.

We had the back seats all to ourselves on the way there and back!

Awesome! 

As we were taxiing on the runway, I asked Katelyn,

"What do you like best: this plane trip or Rock-n-Roller Coaster at Disney?"

She said, "This plane trip."

I said, "Just wait till we lift off the ground."

"Aren't we already off the ground?" Katelyn asked.

I was tickled to pieces.

"The pilot is about to put the pedal to the metal. Get ready!" I exclaimed.

She held onto the arm rests with all her might ... the pilot put the pedal to the metal,

and we were off the ground.

We laughed ourselves silly.

 

***

 

I'm going to add more pictures than some might appreciate,
but I have family members who have never been to DC.
This was my very first trip, as well.

Outside our hotel, we walked to the entrance of the Metro.

The Metro really made it easy to get around (since we had no car).

 

 

Our first day, my husband took us by Metro and on foot to the White House.

 

 

This is probably where I got my best photo:

 

 

Going home on the Metro, though I had smiles,

a precious lady looked at me and said, "Mom, come take my seat."

She could see my exhaustion right through me.

What a blessing she was to me!

 

***

 

The next day, the girls and I were on our own.

We took the Metro and got off at the Smithsonian stop.

We walked to the Capitol:

 

 

 



 

This was a good walk.

But I also discovered how out-of-shape I am.

Everything was closed down. I figured it would be,

but I was still disappointed when I saw the McDonald's closed.

And with all the museums closed, there were no public restrooms open or places to get drinks/food. So, the girls said, "Mom, let's walk over to the White House to eat at McDonald's."

So, we walked at least a mile and a half there.
We find a concession stand open on Constitution Ave;
what a sight for sore eyes! We had water!
The man said, "You'll need to head that way, pointing to the White House,
for anything 'open' ... I'm about to leave this area because
I'm not making any money here."

I love these photos:

 

 

We passed the Smithsonian on our walk.

The girls could only gaze and wish those doors were open.

But we saw this ... the Colossal Head (as I wondering, "Am I out of my mind?"):

 

 

Here are some other things:

 

 

 

 

The Treasury Department

We passed the Washington Monument. They are repairing/working on it.

 

 

As we returned to the mall area,

I looked down and saw the Lincoln Memorial way off in the distance.

I figured we'd better head that way.
We had two hours left before we needed to head back.

But directly in front of us was the WWII Memorial.

So, I gazed at it, and I thought of my precious Pa-Paw.

He received a Purple Heart; he was shot in the shoulder.

 

 

 Then, we began that long walk down to the Lincoln Memorial,

passing a closed restroom
(there was not a sign revealing the restroom was closed,
so we took a few more steps off the beaten path to figure that out the hard way!):

 

the railing at bottom of stairs was as far as one could go

zooming in

 

I was saddened to know that we couldn't walk up to the monuments.

During the shut-down, I could completely understand museums being closed.

But I couldn't understand being kept away from outdoor monuments.

There were park rangers working, not only to guard the monuments, but to guard the people from going near the monuments.

And that disappointed me.

There were people from all over this world ... I heard so many languages on that walk to the Lincoln Memorial. Their trips had been planned for probably months, maybe a year ... and they couldn't walk up to the outdoor monuments.

Broke my heart.

 

 

But as we were leaving the Lincoln Memorial, this was the view:

 

 

We were exhausted from the walking.

The temperatures were mid to high 80s. I experience much higher temps in Texas, but it was humid and with no place to head indoors for a break, it was rough on this girl.

I kept saying, "I've got to get in shape!"

As soon as we returned to the hotel, we began receiving texts from family and friends wondering if we were okay.

They had seen on the news that there had been a shooting and a car chase at the White House and Capitol.

We barely missed it.

We praised God for our safety.

 

***

 

The next day, we headed to the Spy Museum with my husband.

This was a neat experience.

It started out so educational ... learning about spy equipment, hearing spy testimonies.

But it moved from "history to Hollywood" fairly quickly.

James Bond, anyone?

 

***

We really had a good time.
The shut-down could have been a huge disappointment, and on some levels, it was.
But on the way home,
I looked at Katelyn and asked, "What was your favorite part of the trip? Mine was being with you." She said, "I was going to say the very same thing."
Some of you know we had a real scare lately with Katelyn.
She had cancer as a baby, has one kidney now,
and her kidney protein level tested high.
This could have meant her kidney was having to work too hard.
After retesting, her kidney tested normal.
We were so thankful.
Those things really help put your perspective back in the proper place.
We were altogether, all healthy.
As we boarded that airplane, heading home ... took off,
with a great viewing looking down over the Pentagon ...
I have to admit I got tears in my eyes.
I was so thankful for this chance to see so much history.
It was beautiful.
And we found out the day we left that the government ended up closing down the whole mall area ... people couldn't even walk up toward the monuments.
So, we were especially thankful for our opportunities.

***

My souvenir was a t-shirt that says: "Washington DC" ...
at home today, we headed out to Wal-Mart ...
I covered the wording on my t-shirt up with a jacket,
out of fear that I might get beat-up over
"Washington DC."

People are angry over the shut-down.
But I praise God for our country and our godly heritage,
from our founding fathers to ...
my grandfather.
I love the words on this monument:
"Our liberty of worship is not a concession nor a privilege but an inherent right."
Beautiful.

 

I hope you enjoyed this overview of our trip.

And always remember ...

In a world with shutdowns, shut-ins, shutoffs, shut-outs ...
when it's tempting to see nothing,
may we still shudder when we view God's "all" ...
omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience.
The ONE true God is still all powerful, in all places, all knowing.
In a world of seemingly nothing, there is still something.
Glory!

 

Popsicle, Poison & Poised

On my way out to retrieve the mail,

I grabbed a sugar-free, tropical flavored popsicle from the garage freezer.

I dropped it.

It landed on the ground.

Dirty.

Ugh.

I picked it up, rinsed it off, and was just about to administer the 5 second rule ... 

 When I remembered the poison we had sprayed.

Listening

I took a new direction.

I threw it into the garage sink.
 

Then
I got a new one.

A clean one.

 

It clearly occurred to me:

 

Ignoring the Holy Spirit is like ingesting poison into our hearts.

We must be poised to listen.

 



Light of the World

Though merely pins and beads

Handcrafted
with love

When the "Light of the World"

 

resides in you

 

Much colorful you

 

 

In darkness

 

In hardships

 

Our colors are more brilliant

 

We become beautiful

 

Extraordinary

We glow

Darkness is pushed away

 

We radiate the light inside us

 

No one can separate us from the Light

Christmas-like

 



 

 

We are

 

the light of the world

 

because of THE

 

"Light of the World"

We are a handcrafted, treasured possession

Made by: God

 

 

 

 

Balance

This photo captures the beauty of trees.

But what is wrong with this picture?

 

 

If you look closely ...

This is what you'll see ...

 

 

 

 

I often hear people discussing life issues that we

simply refuse to give to God.

Giving Him control.

I've always thought, "Not me. That doesn't apply to me."

I have given God my all.

And for the most part, I have.

But just this morning, God placed on my heart one little issue that

I haven't totally surrendered to Him ...

Something I have placed on a pedestal

and have unreasonably elevated in my life.

 

 

 

 

It usually rests in this very location by my kitchen sink (below)

and reminds me to take my

healthy daily vitamins!

 

 

 

 

And this is how I know it is "my" Diet Coke ...

do you see the lip stick?

And I never open my tab all the way.

Why? I do not know.

My husband pointed this fact out to me;

he opens his tab all the way.

So this is how we know which can belongs to whom.

This is mine.

 

 

 

 

Now, I'm not a big coffee or tea drinker, but

I love diet drinks.

I started drinking them when I was only in

the 6th grade ... took a few years off ... but started back.

I don't care what kind ... I love orange, grape, root beer ...

anything as long as it is diet.

And McDonalds has the very best Diet Coke, in my opinion.

They help me not eat as much. And as many as I drink,

they are better than the "real" thing,

as far as calories and the health of my teeth go.

Right?! I'm just saying sugar is not flowing

past my teeth all day long. Just acid.

And I've even taken to often drinking with a straw

to help prevent my teeth from staining too much.

I've thought this through.

Now, I'm not saying anything is wrong with them.

But here is where "my" problem lies ...

Here is the ratio of soda to water in my garage refrigerator,

reflecting my habit:

 

 

 

More Diet Coke; Less Water (Mini Size)

So, God was definitely sending me a little mail ...

And the message is this:

 

 

 

So, every now and then, we ("I") need to take a seat

and evaluate our lives ...

What are we giving God control of?

Are we giving Him our all?

What are we keeping from Him?

What areas in our lives are we saying,

"Private Property; Keep Out"?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then, we need to take those areas and ...

Deflate them.

Remove them

from our hearts' pedestals.

And bench them.

And Balance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nothing distorting our lives.

Nothing wrong with the picture.

 

 Oh, the beauty of balance. 

 

 

 

 

 

 



"So" Loved

 

When life is tough, you just feel rough,

 

nothing goes right, money is tight,

 

you just feel low, not a thread to sew

 

... remember ...

 

you are

so loved

 

(John 3:16).

 

 

 

 

 

I ran over a curb today,

after digging through my purse at a stop sign to make a donation!

I can't do two things at once.

Karalee said, "Mom, I'm embarrassed."

I was just as embarrassed.

Then we all got tickled about it.

Praising God for a rainy day.

Love, Shelli  

 

 

Son Rise

Regardless of what we are enduring, I am reminded the Son will still shine.

 

The Son will still rays 

you

to your precious feet.

 The Son will still rise to the occasion to meet you ... 
 

 right where you are.

The sweet reminder and view from my swing this morning.




 

Life is a Gift

 

 

Once a baby
Tender locks of hair
What a blessed parent
To have embraced you there 

A little child
Hair twirling through air
What a blessed mommy
To have this day to share 


Young lady now
Hair rollers of blue
What a blessed sister
To have these years with you

Time has passed
The hair is gray
What a blessed daughter
To have had you today 

Face is thin
My heart will care
What a blessed grand-daughter
To comb your treasured hair   

Peace has come
Others comb your hair
What a blessed family
The loss is hard to bear 

-By Shelli Littleton
Copyright 2013 

My beloved grandmother's tea set from childhood.

 

The loss is hard to bear.
I will always cherish combing her precious hair.

 

 We often forget: we were all that little child.
Special to someone.
Special to God.

Inside our "Little House" on a County Road!

A very sweet friend asked what our house looks like on the inside.

So I thought I'd post a few pictures.

I wish I had a better camera.

But, come on inside!

 

 

Our entry from the front door to the living room

(see if you can spot the "eagle" from my book!):

Our living room from a few angles:

 

 

Do you see the chest/trunk below? By the chair?

It makes for a good drink holder. But ...

it houses all my Bible study books from since I was about 27 ...

when I really fell in love with Jesus.

There are some treasures in that chest.

A treasure chest.

 

 

Brian has a picture of John Wayne, his hero, beside the rocking chair.

Our curtain rod holders need to be moved out to the edges of the windows

(this is where they were when we bought the house) ...

but that may never happen. We may have

invented a new design.

 

 

That is Aslan, our boy kitty, on the ottoman:

 

 

Our dining room: 

 

Our small kitchen. We often run into each other in this room!
The girls love watching the "Property Brothers" so they
can figure out how to make this room better:

 

 

Kitchen/pantry/island area, with door leading out to

garage (that houses my washer/dryer ...

yes, I have no "laundry room"!):

 

 

Our bedroom:

 

 

 

I love these shutters in our bedroom and bathroom:

 

 

 

Karalee's upstairs bedroom (I love her sliding bathroom door!)

The first picture is the door leading up to her room ...

I love this door, too ... reminds me of a barn door:

 

 

Head up the stairs.

These are slick as can be with socks on:

 

 

Karalee has the biggest room in the whole house.

All my kitchen sq. footage is here:

 

Those two blue "laundry baskets" house all

Karalee's stuffed animals that she just can't part with!

And her closet is to the left ... attic access to the a/c is here ...

we have to pull everything out of her

closet just to change the

air filter.

 

 

Karalee has this little "nook" in the wall.

She can sit here with the cat and look out.

Another pair of boots! Those were my very first pair (age 19 probably).

It is the one wall that houses her precious, favorite "baby" things:

 

 

Katelyn's bedroom:

 

 

And if you walk out the back door, this is the girls' favorite room!!

 

 

We really love it here,

love living on this beloved Texas county road

... in spite of the many scorpions that check in.

I love that our two sheep like to be where we are,

and are smart enough to put themselves up in their pen at night,

without being led there.

I really love our walking trail.

We walk the sheep around the trail each night.

I'll try to post pictures of the outside area soon.

 

I hope you enjoyed the tour!

 

Psalm 16:2

 

And if you want to see what our house/property

looked like this last Christmas Day with SNOW,

look here: http://shellilittleton.blogspot.com/2012/12/a-texas-rarity.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Truth is Pretty

Baby's busted lip after stumbling on a landscape timber in our
flower garden.
Watch out for life's landscape timbers!

“Momma, I didn’t mean to lie.” When my daughter Karalee was eight years old, a lie slid right out of her mouth. Learning the importance of truth, she realized it immediately and set things straight. I reminded her gently how, as a Christian, the Holy Spirit was guiding and leading her. And I was proud to see her owning up to the wrong instead of covering up; she owned it. The following day, she got up early from a nap. I told her that I didn’t think she had really slept, and she said, “Momma, my Holy Spirit told me that I did!”

She was the cutest - little - thing. I tried desperately to choke back the laughter; but I laughed out loud. We still laugh about it today. That was a definite journal entry if there ever was one. She may have been telling the truth, but I honestly felt that cutie-pie was lying right through her teeth and using the Holy Spirit for a crutch.

Surely, many have heard of the TV series Pretty Little Liars. Honestly, I have never seen it; but I have definitely heard of it. I can’t purchase groceries without passing the magazine rack of "gorgeous" girls labeled “Pretty Little Liars.” I won’t pretend to know what the show is about. It could be about girls speaking truth, for all I know; but the message I receive is: lying=pretty.

God has been working on my heart in this area. Recently, as the girls and I were grocery shopping, we placed powdered sugar donuts in the shopping cart. The first words out of my mouth were, “You don’t have to tell Dad about these.” They slid right out. In my heart, I knew my husband might hassle me about the donuts because they are unhealthy. So I’m telling my girls they don’t have to “volunteer” the information. In other words, I’m teaching them to lie. I want to defend myself over that “fine line.” But there is no fine line where God is concerned. A lie is a lie, whether in the heart or out the mouth.

A lie is a lie. Lying is one legacy I don’t want to inadvertently pass down to my beautiful girls. Not only was Jesus truth, but He also spoke truth. As believers, we must follow His example. Remember, we have the indwelling Holy Spirit who guides us into all truth (John 16:13). He is not our crutch for lies. Truth must be habitual. We must be intentional. The truth is: sin leads to death. Lie=Die. Own the mistakes–the sin; call it what it is. A lie is not pretty. Truth=Life. Truth is pretty.

“Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator” (Colossians 3:9-10, NIV).

Lastly, gratefully and boldly swallow and savor the taste of God’s mercy and grace.

 

 

WMU Articles

Hey y'all. I have a few more articles, interviewing missionaries across the globe, regarding times when God is silent.

West Africa

Peter Blackaby (relative to Henry Blackaby) in Canada

South Asia

Blessings,
Shelli