Fresh baked bread - smells like home

Oh how I wish you were here to enjoy the aroma right now. My little loaf of wheat bread is just out of the bread maker and the whole house smells great. I've included a photo of the little gem. This one even looks like a loaf of bread!

This has been a busy day with orders, clients, appraisal production, more tax payments to the IRS and some busy work done as well.

The day started with my usual trip over to be with the girls while their parents left for their work. At 8:33 I delivered Keanna to the gate where she passed into the world of education. Then I drove Kallie to her sitters where she smiled and demonstrated her peace with the world once again. Then home to prepare breakfast, talk to Art and move to the office. Today I've gotten several appraisals out the door through email, taken orders, dealt with problems, cleared my desk, applied to a new lender to be on their appraiser panel, made yet another large payment to the IRS for past 941s after today's mail brought yet another check. Just now I tried to call the IRS only to find out they really do sleep, they were closed. I've never had that happen before.

This afternoon when I decided to take a break from paper pushing I edged the front lawn, mowed what lawn I have, loaded the dishwasher, decided to make bread and have already fed the hungry fish. At lunch time I went out to the garden plots and picked dozens of tomatoes, came in and ate several on peanut butter and my wheat bread. Talk about great tasting. This evening for dinner I made brown rice (90 second kind in the microwave), warmed up peas and a little cottage cheese. Great tastes and now I'm full.

Life in my slow lane is pretty fast lately. Tomorrow I'm to be in Roseville at 9:30 to 10. I can only do that because tomorrow I do not get to help with the morning routine and the girls, their daddy is going to get to do it. I'll get up early, walk and then hit the road for Roseville, then back to Concord if the order gets here tonight and then to Pittsburg if the people confirm the appointment. I need to be back in Discovery Bay by 3:30 to pick up Kallie as her sitters have to go to the doctor tomorrow. That will be fun and something to look forward to. I tell you these little ones really get into your heart. They are so precious and full of energy, love of life, learning and joy. For those of you who have decided that children were not going to be included in your life I tell you you are missing something precious. At least enjoy others children and get close to them. Children are a great reminder of how wonderful freedom and opportunity is here in America. We are free to raise them as we see fit, free to teach them about the Lord, to keep them safe. How blessed we are. In these worrisome financial times our families and our little kingdoms we have been blessed with mean even more to us. I'm thankful I have a lawn to mow, a car to drive, food to eat, a bed to rest in, friends to talk to, opportunities to make a living.

Some of you will know my friend Sue Miller. How wonderful to receive an email from her this afternoon relating her 9 minutes on the treadmill and the successful passing of the stress test!

So we move through life day by day, some good, some sleepy, some very hard, some stressful and some impossible yet onward we go.

I can't help thinking about the terrible situation in Houston and Galveston, lives have been trashed there and it will take months to rebuilt but rebuilding will happen and being Americans people will pull together, clean up the mess, start rebuilding and move forward. Tomorrow it could be us with a huge earthquake or a fire or a terrorist attack. These are not the good old days any more. These are days where we need to treasure every opportunity, hold fast to what we believe and make people first.

Yvonne Miller forwarded a wonderful UTube clip today where a little 13 year old boy discusses his faith and how much God suffered when He lost his Son. It is a wonderful clip. It is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0r_FbARIn8&NR=1 and if you have not seen it give it a try but have a box of tissues nearby just in case.

So my friends, another day, another dollar, another chance to be a friend, to do honest work, to love your family and those around you.

love

tim