Early Bird Get's the Most Accomplished!

I was up just after 5:00 this morning. Bruce was up getting ready for work and I was up getting ready to clean Mom's house. We both left at 5:30.

When I returned home, the kids had finished up their school work assigned to them and were doing their chores. The house smelled so good! We carried in a trunk load of food that Mom had given to us. She's having a dishwasher installed and had to empty the cabinets where they're going to install it. YAY for us! I took a quick shower, dropped Justin off to cut the Fox's yard, and Harrison, Hannah and I went grocery shopping. Because Mom had given us all that food our grocery bill was half what it usually is. Isn't that great? Thanks, Mom.

We picked Justin up, ran home to put these groceries away and I took off back to Shelby to have lunch with my friend, Brenda, from church. Thanks, Brenda. It was GREAT!

When I got home my sweet hubby was just getting home from work. He looked so sleepy. Bless his heart.

Now we're getting ready for the kid's activities. Hannah has a sleepover at her Patch teacher's home with the other girls in her class and Justin has an all-nighter with the SIGMA group. They're going to a hockey game in Greenville, SC, to a fun park and then back to our gymnasium for snacks and games finishing the night off at IHOP for breakfast. He's looking forward to that. He is supposed to be taking his camera, so maybe I'll have pictures to show you later. I'm sure Hannah will take her camera also. So we might have pictures to post tomorrow.

I don't know that I'll be posting anything else today. But you never know. If not, I'll see you again tomorrow!

Pies, Fries and nilla' Shakes

When Bruce came home from work today we got ready and went furniture shopping. We knew we were going to get new furniture so when we started laying the floor down we gave our old furniture away. We still have a recliner and my rocking chair, but the kids are having to sit on a hard floor unless they grab a dining chair. So tonight we drove to Hickory and if you know anything about Hickory, NC you know it's the capital furniture city of the state I think. Unfortunately, by the time we got there all the stores were closed. So we pretty much took a nice long drive this evening. The highlight of the evening was spending time talking in the car. That was a lot of fun. We drove thru McDonald's for a milkshake and Bruce ended up getting us fries and apple pies too. We snacked and talked and had fun. Some people would say that it was a wasted trip, but we were spending time together and that is time never wasted. I love spending time with my Sweetie Pie. Before we knew it, the gas light was on but my dear husband didn't want to get gas in Gastonia because it was $2.49 a gallon. So we got $3 worth of gas in Gastonia and trecked on down to Grover where it was $2.25. LOL, it's the day and time we're living in, I guess. Anyway, we had a nice evening together just driving around.

Birds and Burps

I'm excited about next month. We're going to an Emu Farm. There's a man in our church that owns Emus and he has taken the day off work to teach us about this very interesting bird.

And speaking of birds...A missionary family in our church, the Lewis Howell family, is leaving for New Zealand in the fall and there is a bird there called the KIWI bird. It's a flightless bird but has two unusual facts about itself. One is that it's nostrils are at the end of its beak. And the other is that this bird is about the size of a hen and yet it lays an egg almost the size of an ostrich egg. I thought that was neat. Isn't that neat? You can check out Brother and Sister Howell's website at www.LewisHowell.com and remember to pray for them. They have about 50% of their support now.

One thing I can NOT stand is burping. I think it's crude and rude. I know sometimes it can't be helped, but when it's on purpose it's disgusting. My children know that it is not allowed in rude manner but tonight we took one of the neighbor boys to church with us and all the way home he happily burped and burped. I just took deep breaths and tried to focus on other things. I peppered him with questions so he would have to talk and not be able to burp, but it seemed that in between breaths, he found opportunity and I finally ran out of questions. Then tonight I was flipping through a book, Under Construction, and found this:

A mother said to her children, "Mind your manners; they may come back in style one day."

How appropriate!

Good Day

Harrison, Celine, Hannah and Justin in front of the Mauney Library in Kings Mountain.
My sweetie pie, Celine. I babysit her. She's part of our family.

Harrison diligently working on his Phonics.

Harrison checking out his books. He got his library card today and was so thrilled!!
Hannah and Mrs. Tammy during piano lessons at church.

Hannah learning something new.

Hannah telling Mrs. Tammy she was not happy with this piece. Her teacher said tonight that Hannah is a perfectionist when it comes to her music. I'm afraid she is correct.

Bruce took his truck to be inspected this afternoon but it wouldn't pass inspection because he needed a new tire and the light above his lisence tag was burned out. Plus, there was a hole in his muffler! What a bummer. But he took the tire and got it replaced and bought what he needed for the light and also some muffler putty to patch the hole in the muffler. So maybe it will pass inspection Thursday.
We took a trip to the library today. We haven't done that in some time for sort of political and moral reasons, but it's OK to go back. Now we just have to get used to going again.

Hannah had piano lessons this evening. I almost forgot about them until her teacher called to see if I could come at 6:00. When piano was over, we left and got half way down the road when I realized I had left my pocketbook in the church. So I had to turn around and go back, but Mrs. Tammy had already locked up the church and was gone which meant I had to bother our associate pastor, Brother Johnny, and ask him to come unlock the door for me. I did apologize.

I just happened to have my camera in the car today, so I took some pics of the library and Hannah's piano lessons. Hope you enjoyed them.

They Will Rise

With Easter just around the corner I can't help but think about the rising of the Saints. Can you imagine what it would be like to see the body of a loved one gone before, come walking and talking through the front door? There is so much pain and grief associated with death that if we were to see that happen, we would probably faint or check ourselves into an insane assylum. And yet, we as Christians wait patiently for that very day. They won't walk through the front door, but they will be caught up in the sky. Perfect and whole as though never touched by death. And we will be right behind them.

I Thessalonians 4:16

"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first."

New Floors

The cat is out of the bag. Mom knows about the floors. SO! Here are some pics of my favorite guys putting my new floor down.

Here is a before shot of my living room.


Dining area. You can see the high walking areas.

Here's Bruce cutting the carpet.

Here's Justin pulling up the carpet padding.

Here is that pile of dirt I mentioned in an earlier blog. This was swept up from that small area you see in the picture. You can imagine what was under the entire area. YUCK!!

Beginning on the new floor!!! YAY!

Hard workin' men!

Ain't that pertty?

Ladies Trip

Since Hannah wasn't in any pictures of the Graham trip, Bruce took this one of us before church yesterday. She's so sweet.


OK, now that I have a minute or two I can tell you about our trip to Graham! Don't forget to scroll down and look at the pictures from this trip!

We found out that you could burn five calories everytime you laugh. And since our trip up and back was filled with laughter I think we all lost at least five pounds each. Isn't that great?? I think I could stand a laugh diet. As a matter of fact, I feel lighter already.

We ate at the Olive Garden before checking in to our hotel. The Olive Garden is where we gained five pounds and that's why the weight loss wasn't noticeable this weekend. :) Anyway, after freshening up a bit at the hotel, we loaded the van for Bethel Baptist Church. Sis Janet checked us in at the meeting and was pleasantly surprised to see our very own Christy Key was helping to check people in. It was so good to see her!

The first speaker was Sister Barbara. She is one of Dr. Hutson's sisters. Her husband had left her with small children when she was in her twenties. She would not seek a divorce but stayed true to the Word and kept her faith in Christ to bring her comfort when she needed Him most. For 45 years she served the Lord with a happy, yet lonely heart. But her husband passed away and she was able to open her heart to finding companionship once again. She recently married Brother Roger Schultz and was actually on their honeymoon at the meeting after being married just two weeks. If you notice in the picture below, Sis Kay is tapping a glass vass. Well, at the wedding reception, everytime someone would tap a glass or vass, the newlyweds would have to kiss. So Sis Kay was tapping the glass vass and Uncle Roger was more than obliged to run the isle for that kiss. It was so sweet. They made a very cute couple.

Her message that night was on the Difference Between A Singing Christian And A Sour Christian. And that is the filling of the Holy Spirit. You can be a Christian and have the Holy Spirit, but are you filled up with Him? Here is the outline and you can look these verses up for yourself:

I. The Comparison - Eph 5:18 and Luke 1:15
II. The Command
III. The Conditions for being filled with the Holy Spirit
IV. The Consequences of being filled - and I'll list those for you,
A It strengthens us
B It leads us
C It helps us understand the Bible
D It improves our memory
E It hleps us in service
F It guides us in prayer

There were two of six workshops you could choose from. Hannah went to the ones on Soul Winning and Using your God given talents. I chose the marriage workshop and raising your children.
The workshops I attended were really wonderful and although I already knew most of what they were teaching, there were things brought up that I need to work on and things said that made me stop and really think. For instance, when Sister Sherry Camperson was teaching on raising the little ones she quoted a verse that, honestly, I did not realize was in the Bible. Ezekiel 16:44"...as is the mother, so is the daughter." Everyone tells me that Hannah is just like me and I wonder if that's a good thing and if God is pleased with her. Am I setting the example of a wife and mother and Christian woman that she needs? It's a huge responsibility raising up our daughters to be godly women. Of course, it's equally true of raising our sons, but my focus this weekend was my daughter. Her role in the Christian walk will be and is different than that of my sons. And so this verse made me stop and think about my example in her life. One thing Sister Sherry said was that we should mentor our children and not just monitor them. Be a Christian Heritage to them. A woman should build her home with words. Guide her home, for a child left to himself bringeth a mother to shame. Your children will be molded...make sure it is by YOU! And women should keep her home. Make the home first priority above all other things. Titus 2.
*It's not how much you accomplish in life, but how much others accomplish because of you.
*People take your actions more seriously than they take your advice.
*Believe in your children. Visualize great things in their life and they will become great.

On Marriage, Sister Donna Janney lead the workshop Dynamic Duet. It's a sensative subject, so I'll be careful with what I put on the blog, but basically, she was teaching the difference between men and women.
Women need from their husbands:
*affection
*for him to talk to her and with her
*to trust him totally--to talk openly and honestly
*financial support
*to be a good father and be family committed

Men need from their wives:
*"marital" fulfillment (Genesis 3:14 and I Corinthians 7:3-5)
*for her to be his playmate and recreational companion. In other words, take an interest in what he likes to do for fun even if it bores you to tears. (Genesis 2:18)
*a good looking wife...an attractive spouse! Take great pains to look like the woman he married. (I Peter 3:1-6)
*peace and quiet and domestic support (Proverbs 31:27)
*for her to be proud of him--ADMIRATION!! (Song of Solomon)
Read these verses. Ponder these verses. Put into practice making a dynamic duet with your husband.

Claire Dent, the violinist in one of the pictures below, had a great testimony. She was raised across the street from her Grandfather's Conservatory where he taught 60 children a week some musical instrument. She and her brothers took lessons three days a week on the piano and violin. By the time she was ready for college she decided to major in...MUSIC? No! PE and coaching. After years of not playing the violin she was playing a baseball game, slid into base and broke her thumb needing surgery. The doctor told her she would probably not play the violin again. She prayed and told the Lord that if he would heal her thumb she would pick up her violin and use it for him the rest of her life. She went in for her X-rays a few weeks later and the doctor was amazed proclaiming what a great healer she was. She said, "No, I'm not a great healer, but I have a God who is." She's been playing the violin ever since. She teamed up with a pianist and they started Heart String Ministries. What a blessing she was! Sis Janet bought some of her CD's. Maybe we can get her to play them over the loud speakers before church next week if we ask her nicely!! :)

This weekend was just what I needed and Hannah and I were so thrilled, honored and blessed to be a part of it. We're already looking forward to our next trip!

Pics from Tacky Night

Here are the pictures promised from last Wednesday's Tacky Night.


Hannah....check out those socks and shoes!!

Nice do, baby girl.

Hannah, Taylor and Kassie playing Simon Says

Justin playing Simon Says

Hannah gets put out of Simon Says. Sorry, Sweetie. :(

If you haven't seen my pics from the trip to Graham, NC, read the post under this one!

YAY!

Here are some pictures from our ladies trip to Bethel Baptist Church. We had such a good time. I don't have time to write because it's early Sunday morning and I need to start getting ready for church. But I'll write all about it later. Hannah is not in ONE picture. I was so upset. She did go with me, I promise, but that girl shopped til she dropped in the vendor rooms and was never around for a picture. Oh dear, what am I raising?? I'm kidding. She did shop...A LOT...but she had a ball.



Sis Susan. She might get upset when she sees her picture on the blog, but she's a very forgiving person....right, Sis Susan???

Sister April........on the phone.

The theme was Singing I Go Along Life's Road. They had several instruments on the platform and then several around the communion table. It was really pretty.

Brother Rick Chandler, Pastor of Bethel Baptist Church, Graham, NC and husband to Sister Kay.

Sister Kay singing as Sister Sherry signs.

Sister Kay introducing her Aunt and our first speaker, Mrs. Barbara Adair Schultz. She has such a sweet testimony and I'll share that with you when I have more time to write.

Our Friday night movie....we watched a ten minute episode of The Andy Griffith Show. Our Pastor would be so proud!

We statyed at the Comfort Suites Hotel. They were nice to us there.

Sis April.....on the phone

Little Sis Nicole sticking her head out. That's her mother, Sis Pam, looking in her pocketbook and Sis Tammy smiling in the back.

Sister Janet, she drove us safely to Bethel Baptist and back. Thank you, Sis Janet!!

Sis April........on the phone

The Hutson Sisters, singing together again.

This is the Associate Pastor OR the Youth Pastor. Some of us were split on that decision. Anyway! He was doing a skit for us on how much he likes toast. He was hilarious!

Sister Claire Dent, Professional Concert Violinist, serenading us to Amazing Grace. She played so beautifully it would bring tears to your eyes. What a BLESSING!

Sister Sherry Camperson, oldest daughter of Dr. Curtis Hutson, speaking on Fine Tuning God's Little Instruments. Of course this workshop was on raising children.


Sis Susan, Sis Tammy and Sis April eating our catered lunch from Chick-fil-A

Mom enjoying her Chick-fil-A sandwich

Sis April....on the phone

Mom was given this chest by some women in the church that decorated one of the eight bathrooms for the ladies. She had fallen in love with it the moment she saw it and after much begging to several women of the Bethel Baptist Church, INCLUDING THEIR PASOTR'S WIFE, she surprised all of us girls on the van by bringing it out the church doors crying, "LOOK WHAT GOD GAVE ME!!"

Front row from left to right: me, Mom, Sis Susan, Sis Janet, Sis Ava (Our Pastor's wife), Sis Nicole, Sis Tammy, Sis April, Sis Pam
Back row: Sis Kendra, Sis Cheyenne.
Hannah was shopping in the vendor rooms. She missed this wonderful group pic along with three other ladies that went, Sis Vicky, Sis Karen and another Sis Tammy.

Trip Today, Trip Tomorrow

Hannah and I are leaving with a group of women and daughters from our church for a ladies meeting in Graham, NC tomorrow afternoon. I'm not sure of the name of the church, but the Pastor there is Brother Chandler. His wife, Kay, is the baby daughter of the late Curtis Hutson and of course will be our hostess.

The special speakers will be her sisters Donna Janey and Sherri Camperson. I am really looking forward to it and so is Hannah. Because I will be gone, this will be the last post on this blog until probably Saturday night. And I don't know that I'll even be able to post then. But I will give you a complete update on our trip as soon as I can.

Today we took a field trip to the Carolina Chiropractic Plus. It was so interesting. There were some things that were discussed that I did NOT know. I could go on for a while about what all we learned but the one thing I took away with me was that maybe I should give them a try before I start pumping my body and my children's bodies with medicine whenever there is a problem with them physically. I was sort of interested with what they had to say about Harrison after his screening. While the children were getting hands on learning in the back, the moms were getting Chiropractic 101 with Dr. Berkowitz. He was saying that someone who needs to be adjusted in the lower part of the spine will probably have certain health problems. One of which was asthma. As you all know, Harrison was diagnosed with asthma yesterday. Well, I didn't say anything to the other doctor that screened Harrison, but sure enough, Harrison needs an adjustment to his lower spine. Now, adjustments won't cure his asthma, but adjustments followed by maintenace will help prevent the symptoms without being medicated. So, maybe this is something I'll look in to further. I wish I had time to tell you everything we learned. This field trip was planned and organized by another homeschooler and Pastor's wife, Rebecca Jones. She and her family were members of our church when her husband was asked to take the helm of T W Lovelace Memorial in Boiling Springs. We miss them a great deal, but know that God is using them there. Thank you, Sis Rebecca, for planning such a great field trip!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I know I will.

Tacky Patch Kids!!

I was going to try and post some pics on tonight, but I can't get them to post. They seem to do better in the afternoon. I don't know why, but anyway, I'll try again later. The pictures were of Hannah's patch class taught by Brother Mike and Susan McCurry and Sis Kim Lee. Their class had Tacky Night. The kids were really cute and very tacky. Can't wait to share the pics with you.


Brother Chris and Amanda Fox wanted to help Justin with his trip to Massachusetts in August and asked if he would like to cut their grass this summer. This will be his first summer job. He's very excited and thankful for the opportunity. Justin helped Brother Mike with some sheet rock last weekend. He didn't expect Brother Mike to pay him, but Brother Mike did pay him Sunday. Justin has been praying for the money for his Massachusetts trip and has seen the Lord open doors to earn it. He is very thankful and growing more excited with each passing day.

Luke 11:9

"And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you."

Frustrated!!

Poor Bruce. He's worked so long and hard on this project the last six days (excluding Sunday, of course). He was hoping to be finished today, but the devil knew exactly which buttons to push and he was unable to get it finished. He was becoming increasingly agitated. But he was OK when he left for work this evening. Maybe he'll be finished tomorrow.

The weather is so funny. We've had more cold and damp weather the first two days of spring than we had all winter. Isn't that something?

Harrison has a Doctor's appointment tomorrow. I'm pretty sure he has exercise induced asthma. He can not run to the trampoline and back without wheezing and coughing. It has become increasingly worse the last couple of years. So just pray they'll diagnose him and be able to get him started on an inhaler. Justin had asthma, but outgrew it very quickly. So maybe Harrison will too.

Brother Joe Arthur was preaching our revival a few weeks ago. His sermon was on Job and how we need to keep going when the trials come! He was talking about Job sitting in those ashes of remembrance of when the times were good and God's blessings were on him. This sermon inspired this song. I hope it's a blessing to you.

Ashes of Remembrance

One by one, they ran to tell him

all that he had was gone

His sheep, his cattle, his children

Satan thought that he had won

"Curse God and die," his wife cried

"You foolish woman," he replied

"Even though He choose to slay me,

I'll trust my God until I die"

And in ashes of remembrance, Job worshipped

When all others said give up, he still prayed

When Satan tried to steal his joy

He still gave God the glory

God brought Job through

and He will do

the same for you

When your heart is oh, so heavy

And your faith is nearly gone

Just keep your eyes on the One

that Job depended on

When your steps are growing weary

Remember where you started from

Jesus walked this road before you

He'll be there when your day is done

So in ashes of remembrance, still worship

When all others say give up, just pray

When Satan tries to steal your joy,

just give God the glory

God brought Job through

and He will do

the same for you.

Coming Down the Back Stretch

Bruce and Justin are finishing up their project. They should be finished tomorrow afternoon. I'm bubbling over with ebullience. (Look it up)

Today was overshadowed by gray skies and rain. It was great. I know some people probably didn't like it, but I happen to like weather like this. I know it's messy, but it's great napping weather. I just love a good nap. I wanted to share a poem with you that was inspired by this weather.

Sky, gray sky,
up so high,
It's too bad I can not fly.

Rain, wet rain,
wets the lion's mane
Does it hit a moving train?

Nap, sweet nap,
I like Bruce's rain cap
The rain on his cap says tap tap.

As you can see, I have a hidden talent that I've been hiding for some time. I suppose it's time to let the world in on my gifts. The secret is out. I.........Am..........A poet.

19th Anniversary

Today was the 19th Anniversary of Pastor and Mrs. Goodman coming to our church. We love them so much. They've been a testimony and blessing to our family since we started there in 2002. Thank you, Pastor and Mrs. Goodman for years of love and service. The Morrow family sure loves y'all!!

The message this morning was "GOD KNOWS" and it was such a good sermon for the Christian and unsaved alike. During the invitaion, Brother Medlin's son-in-law walked on top of the pew to get to the isle so that he could get to the alter and be saved. That tore Bruce and I up the rest of the day. To see someone that ready to come to Christ. That was a blessing.

On a more sad note today, we found out that Brother Bobby Roberson of Gospel Light Baptist Church in Walkertown was diagnosed with cancer and it does not look good. I don't know how bad it really is, but please keep him in your prayers. He's a wonderful man of God.

When Bruce was working on the house this weekend, there was a lot of dust and dirt that accumulated from the work. At first, the dirt and dust was scattered and it didn't look like much but I knew I needed to sweep it up because it certainly couldn't stay there. First of all, it's DIRT! Who wants dirt in the house? Second of all, some people, like Harrison and Justin, have allergies to dust and dirt. What kind of mother would I be if I let the dirt stay in the house knowing it was making my children sick?
I got to thinking of that pile of dirt and the sickness it can cause and the dirt that we, as Christians, allow into our lives on an everyday basis. To us, it may be a little thing, or maybe we don't even realize it's there. But it is there and eventually that dirt becomes a larger pile until our soul is sick. Or it makes the soul of someone around us sick because we have become a stumbling block. I've been sick in spirit, needing Christ to sweep out the dirt. It's a terrible place to find yourself. It could be our words, our dress, our music, our attitude toward others. It could be anything. We should always be asking ourselves what the dirt piling up in our lives is and be in continual prayer in asking the Lord to keep us clean.


Psalm 19:12-14 "....cleanse thou me from secret faults. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.

Babysitting and Parties

This weekend was fun. After cleaning Mom's house yesterday (Friday) I had lunch with my friend, Janet, while Bruce and Justin got started working on the house. When I came home from lunch Hannah, Harrison and I went to babysit four children in our church. Their dad was leaving for Patstor's school at Hyle's Anderson today and the children and their mother were leaving for Florida to visit family while he was away. They are a really sweet couple and their family is a blessing. We had a lot of fun with the children last night. Starting with Hannah and Harrison, we had a ten year old, two five year olds, a four year old, a three year old, and a 10 month old. Their Mom is getting ready to have number five. They're all terrific kids and I'm sure this next one will be too.

This morning, Hannah, Harrison and I left early so that Justin and Bruce could continue working on the house....in peace. We went to a birthday party for the little girl that used to live next door to us. That was fun. They had a shelter at Lake Crawford with a roaring fireplace going. It was very chilly this morning so the fire was nice to warm up at when the cool air became too much. Harrison has missed playing with Hartley since she and her family moved and was very happy to see her.

After the birthday party we went to a Sunday School party for the rest of the evening at the Rohrer home. The men and a couple of boys in the youth group played paintball in the woods and us gals sat around talking. That was nice. After the cook out we played a couple games of marbles (my all time favorite) and then we came home.

Bruce was hoping that he and Justin would finish this project today, but was unable to do so. I don't know if they're going to try and finish next weekend or do a little bit each day this week. I'm not even going to ask. Bruce is so sore now, bless his heart. I promised him a back massage this evening. He deserves it. Not to mention he looks like he might need one. I'm afraid if I don't give him one, he's going to wake up with his back locked up in the morning. That would be bad, wouldn't it?

We'll be having supper again at Mom and Dad's tomorrow. She's fixing lasagna. I told her she was going to spoil us if she kept having us over on Sunday afternoon. I could get used to that!!

They Came!!

Well, it looks as if today is ending and tomorrow is already beginning. It's so exciting. I babysat Celine and Mary Elizabeth. When Bruce woke up this afternoon he did the bills and called about our supplies we ordered earlier this week for something we're doing to the house. They came!! He'll start the work tomorrow after he catches a few zzzzzzzz's. I won't say what we're doing because it's driving my mother crazy not knowing. She just can't stand it. That's funny. Love you, Mommy.

Justin was helping Brother Mike from church with moving some sheet rock to his unfinished room upstairs and then he and one of our college boys that helped, Brandon, went out to eat. Hi Brandon!

Celine's mother, Amanda, picked up Celine and then later we dropped Mary Elizabeth off at her Grandmother's home on our way to Hannah's piano lessons. We went to the bank to cash a check, dropped Hannah off at the church for lessons, went grocery shopping, picked Hannah up, got gas and came home...{sigh}... Put the groceries away, fixed supper (corndogs and french fries) and now I'm working on this blog. I'm going to bed as soon as Bruce leaves for work and then I'll be at mother's to clean her house at 6:30 am....hope she's up. : ) Then I'm having lunch with my sister Janet. You didn't know I had a sister? Well, I do. We're just alike only she's older. But don't tell her I said that. : ) After lunch I'll come home and see if Bruce needs my help. If not, then Hannah and Harrison and I will be going somewhere to hear our Pastor preach. I have no idea where he'll be but I'll find out from my sister tomorrow. She should know, she's our church secretary.

Well, hope you all have a great day. I know I will. And behave!

Globetrotting

Last night topped off the end of Hannah's time in Upwards Basketball. Seth Franco, a 27 year old former Harlem Globetrotter was there to give his testimony and do some basketball tricks. He was amazing the way he made the basketballs look as if they were floating. It was simply remarkable! We enjoyed it very much. Below are some pictures from last night. Hope you enjoy them!



Paw Paw and Maw Maw Birt, Grandparents of Hannah. Thank you for your ever present support during Hannah's time in Upwards. It meant a lot to her that you were always there.

Taylor, friend and teammate waiting to get her basketball signed.


Hannah with her Upwards Basketball.

Seth Franco, doing tricks. When he was finished with his presentation he had concentrated so hard he was sweating. If you click on the picture, you can get a better view of him concentrating.
Seth Franco, giving his testimony

Evan, friend from church, on one of the boy's teams and a total nut case! Love ya, Evan. :)

Good Day

Before we left for church this morning I asked the Lord to bless the services today and to give me a personal blessing. By the time the choir sang the first song I was overwhelmed with thankfulness for the things that He has done in our lives. Not for monetary things, although He has supplied above and beyond our every need. But for the blessings that come our way in spiritual things. Today, especially, I was thankful for Justin. Mind you, I'm thankful for all three of our children. They are each a blessing to me in different ways. But there is a change taking place in my son and I can see the Lord working in His life. I remember rocking him as a baby late one night and asking God to use his life one day. I see the beginnings of a great man and know that God is going to do something special with him. There is a lot to learn about raising a teenager and I know that mistakes are inevitable, but I pray that I can always be a guiding force in his life, teaching him to continually seek God's will in every aspect and every decision that he makes.

Hannah played her piccolo for the first time in orchestra today. She was very nervous and very self conscience because she is the only one playing a piccolo, but she did very good. And the song they played was Jesus Paid It All. I have heard the orchestra practice this song and I have to admit I was worried, but it was absolutely beautiful today. Brother Mike McCurry has done a great job with our orchestra. Thank you, Brother Mike....I know you're reading this!!

We had lunch at Mom and Dad's again today. It was great. Thanks Mom.

Evening service was exceptional! A missionary from Peru was here. His ministry is adopting out Peruvian children to Christian homes here in the states. I enjoyed hearing him speak and am very interested in his ministry. I've never heard of a ministry quite like his before.

Good day!

Justin's Tennessee pictures

Inside the sanctuary of Middle Tennessee Baptist Church.


From left to right...Josh, Evan and Jeremy. Justin's three amigos. Don't they look thrilled here?


Eatin' time at the youth rally!

Brother RJ and Liz Parris. Our Youth Pastor and his wife and the newest members of our church staff. Keep up the good work, y'all!


Brother David and April Rollins. Two of our SIGMA sponsors, leaders of the Warriors.

He's BACK!

My baby boy is back. He had a wonderful time at Brother Hutson's church. He heard three preachers, two that he had never seen or heard before and can't remember their names. And Brother Joe Arthur was there. We like him a lot. He preached our revival this year and he was there at the rally and preached. They had a youth choir that sang one of Justin's favorite songs, God Handled It All. He was able to get it on his video camera.

OH! Those of you who know Justin know that any time he visits the great state of Tennessee he always leaves something behind. There was the time he left his Bible, luggage, pillow and sleeping bag at Brother Sexton's camp and didn't even realize he had left it until they had gotten home and unpacked the van. Then there was the time we went to sing with our choir in Elizabethtown, TN and he left his dress shoes under the bed at the hotel. But he said he was going to break the curse this time. And do you know what? HE DID!! He brought everything back. Way to go, son!

Bruce and I delivered an armoire that he had refinished for Sister O'Malley. She and her husband work at World Wide Baptist Missions and are members of our church. Sweet family. Anyway, she was so pleased with the finished product. I love being part of something that makes someone else so happy.

We did a little more window shopping today and were satisfied with some things we saw. Then it was off to Hannah's final game. Her sweet little eyes were so sad. She played very aggressively today. Even more so than last week.

We went to the church following the game so Bruce could practice with the Vintage Faith Group. They have a few new songs they're working on. Sounded good, boys!!

We ate supper at Fatz tonight and walked around Wal Mart to kill some time before having to pick Justin up. I bought a new Beverly Lewis book. It's called The Preacher's Daughter. I'm looking forward to reading that. I think I'll read a chapter tonight before going to bed. Which I'm going to do now. Hope you have a great Sunday!

Things Change

Today was HORRIBLE. I was so exhausted when I got in bed last night that I was physically sick. I crawled in bed around 3:30 AM and Justin was up and ready to go by 7:00 even though he didn't have to be at the church until 8:15. I was still feeling nauseous so I stopped and bought a coke on the way to the church. After getting Justin off safely I came home and rested on the couch for a couple of hours until the nausea passed. I cleaned the kitchen and mopped my floor while Harrison played with the cats on the front porch. He came in, dirty feet and all, and walked on my freshly mopped kitchen floor. Little black foot prints made a path straight to the cookie jar. So I mopped the floor again. While it was still wet, I found another set of black foot prints that made it's path to the trash can. Again I mopped....And fussed. I had a conference with one of my students concerning some unfinished Language work and threatened summer school. That went over well. Then I cleaned the hamster's cage. We have a sweet little hamster by the name of Peanut. I had Hannah hold him while I took his cage apart. I held the bottom of the cage over the trash can and heard a spattering noise. Then I felt something on my bare feet. I looked down and there was hamster urine pouring all over the floor, my feet and my clothes. I'm a total germ freak and wanted to cry, but Harrison was laughing so hard that I couldn't. I had never seen Harrison laugh that hard in his life. He was red as a beet and water was squirting out of his eyes and he was saying, "Oh, I can't wait to tell Justin!!" Cute huh? Daddy was feeling very sick after his dialysis treatment so I told him I would take Harrison with me and Hannah to the park and we would catch up with him later when he was feeling better. So off we went! I thought it would be nice to stop at a convenience store and get us each a big fountain drink. The weather was very warm today and I knew those drinks would be good when the kids got thirsty. So off we went to the park, with our drinks. As soon as we got to the park I put my drink on the top of the car and was helping Harrison out of his car seat when I heard something....It was my drink. It had fallen off the car and there was wild cherry Pepsi and ice all over the pavement. I was just happy that I had some ice left in the cup. So we made it to the picnic table where all my friends were and I put my cup on the table just in time for a nice gust of wind to come up from no where and blow it off the table spilling the rest of my ice all over the seat where I was supposed to be sitting. I was able to salvage a small section of the bench to sit on and was then bitten by an ant on the top of my foot while sand was blown into my eyes. The duration of the park trip was nice. The kids had a ball riding the train and the carousel at the Shelby City Park. Alas, the good times had to end and we were off on our way home. I decided to take the back roads to skip all the lights on 74, but guess what? School had just let out and I got trapped behind a school bus that stopped about every five houses on a road that seemed to have 872 houses. When I made it back on the main road I still got stopped by every stop light. I was so happy to get home and see my hubby sitting in his recliner reading. Shortly thereafter, my dad pulled up to get Hannah and Harrison to spend the night and Bruce and I went out to do some window shopping and had supper at Taco Bell. So we still had our date after all and that was the great part of my day. But the perfect ending of the day is when we returned home. There was a message on the machine from Bruce's boss man that said he did NOT have to come into work tonight. So we had the entire evening to ourselves and I wasn't alone. Isn't that nice?

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

All alone

I am normally excited come Thursday because I know that Bruce will be off on Friday and we always have a date for lunch and run errands together. But he told me this morning that he had to work tomorrow. Oh, woe is me.

Justin is leaving for Tennesse in the morning. He's going with our SIGMA group to a church in Murfreesboro where he will be hearing Brother Tony Hutson preach. He's looking forward to his trip and is taking his camera. Maybe he'll have a picture to share with you when he gets back.

My dad will be picking Harrison up around lunch and taking him to the Barber shop. Harrison still won't let anyone cut his hair but Bruce or me, however, my dad takes Harrison with him to the barber shop every once in a while in hopes that he will finally relent and let the barber cut his hair. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Hannah and I are going to the park to meet some other homeschoolers after lunch. I found out that it's supposed to rain but the park is across from the Library so if it's raining we can always go there. Then I'll be dropping her off to spend the night with her Grandparents and Harrison, of course, will be there too. So I guess that means I'm going to be home alone tomorrow night. I have NO idea what I'll do with no family in the home. But I'm sure I'll find something to occupy my time. We're getting ready to make a few renovations to the house so I'll probably start getting ready for that.

Have a great day and don't forget to "Open the window of your heart and let the SON shine in!"

And the verdict is...No cavities!

Harrison had a dental visit today. They don't allow parents to go back with their children but they were kind enough to take a picture for me. Wasn't that nice? This is Patch the Pirate night and he's excited about telling his fellow pirates all about his goodie bag and that he is cavity free. Because he is cavity free, he was given a gift certificate to Ham's Family Restaurant for a free meal. He was pleased with that but I think he liked his new toothbrush the best. He's been brushing ever since he returned home. Roger Miller in Kings Mountain is our Dentist. He's excellent with children and his motto is "We cater to cowards." That's why I chose him for our dentist....because I'm a coward. Thank you, Dr. Miller for keeping our teeth looking good!

Our Day

Today was a long and prosperous day. It was filled with physical pain, laughter and gaining knowledge. Bruce always tells our kids two things. (1) Knowledge is power and (2) The choices you make, dictate the life you lead. Both statements are true. I don't know why I thought to tell you those, but maybe they'll help you in some way in the near future.

There was nothing exciting to write about, so I'll just brief you on our day.

I was wondering this morning who came up with the typing keyboard and decided it would be a good subject for Justin to work on today. So here's what we found out....The typewriter was invented by a man named Charles Sholes in 1867. He did not have the finances to make and sell the typewriter, so in 1873 there was a contract written up between Mr. Sholes and E. Remington who was financially able to help make the typewriter, thus resulting in becoming the first step to our modern technology. Now, I know this bit of trivia probably does not interest you in the least, but just think how smart you'll feel if it's ever brought up in conversation! Thank you Justin, for digging up this information.

Hannah completed her school work today and began practicing her piano. I realized she was becoming increasingly frustrated with the song she was working on, Bring Them In, and told her I thought maybe she should take a break. And so she did. She picked up a book she's been reading for the last couple of days called, The Goat That Ate A Cow. It's a delightful story. Hannah has enjoyed reading it.

Harrison had a touch of fever today....Spring fever, that is. That child had a very difficult time concentrating on his school work today. But he did finish his work and was finally able to answer the call of the outdoors. At one point I looked out the front door to see him torturing the cat. Of course Harrison wasn't really torturing the cat, but in the hands of a five year old, a feline may feel somewhat tortured and judging by the look on Tom's fuzzy face, I would say he was feeling just that. God blessed us with a very tranquil cat. Bless his little heart. Harrison played outside until I called him for a nap. He was none too pleased with that idea, but I needed a nap which meant he needed one too. All mothers know exactly what I'm talking about, right??

I never did get a nap. I had the worst headache I've ever had today. The pain was so intense that I couldn't sleep. After thirty minutes of trying to sleep, I gave up on the idea and started supper. By the end of supper, my headache had subsided and the evening was fine. My dear hubby said we needed a special dessert tonight so he went to the store and bought all the items needed for a delectable banana split. SONIC ain't got nothin on what we had tonight. (I'm sorry, Mrs. Parris, I know that's bad grammar but that statement is synonymous with how I felt about the dessert.) The only thing that could have made it better is if all of you had been here to share a banana split with us.

Pictures

Here is the picture of Justin I deleted. This was taken at his Valentine Fellowship at church. The theme was western and he is standing at the O K Corral. Isn't he handsome??

These are the shutters that Bruce made for our bedroom windows back in the fall. Didn't he do a good job?



And here is Hannah's basketball picture that I deleted. She is playing Upwards Basketball this year. She's had a really wonderful time playing. Her last game is this coming Saturday, March 11. The stars you see on her sleeve is something they give the players to wear as a reward for different things. She has all 8 of her Bible verse stars, two for best defense, one sportsmanship, one best offense, one best effort, and two most Christ-like. So I would say she's doing pretty good. Wouldn't you?

Well, I have no thoughts for my thimble right now so I'm going to leave. And as the conductor said as he left his orchestra............I'll be Bach. Hehehe, get it? Bach??

Busy Sunday

As most of you know, our family gives the entire day of Sunday to the Lord. Naptime and extracurricular events outside of church do not normally exist. Today was no exception. It was a really busy day. But we love our Sundays and wouldn't complain because we prayed long and hard for a church just like the one we're in and God blessed us with exactly what we prayed for. We had a great Sunday School lesson by Brother Ken Carter, our Sunday School teacher. He's been doing an ongoing lesson on strongholds in the marriage that we need to let go of. It's been so good and informative the last few weeks. Keep up the good work, Brother Ken! Our morning service was good, as usual. Our Pastor is one of the best preachers. You can't come and leave feeling like you haven't received something.

After morning service we went to my parents home for dinner. It was so good. Thanks Mom. As usual, you outdid yourself!! Bruce couldn't make it because he has to come straight home and get in bed on Sunday afternoon so he can make it to church and then to work on Sunday night. But I did fix him a plate and he was more than happy to take it with him to work this evening. We had another excellent sermon from our Pastor during the PM service and then an afterglow with the teens. The afterglow was, in part, a meeting about the August Mission trip. Justin is doing good raising his money. Thank you to everyone who has helped in his efforts. He is almost 50% there.

If you would like to hear our Pastor, you can listen at 12:30 pm, Monday - Friday, on WWOL 780 AM, or you can listen on your computer Monday - Friday at http://www.wkjv.com from 6:00 to 6:30. You'll be listening to the Sounds Of Faith broadcast with J. Barry Goodman.

Hope your Sunday was busy in the Lord and rewarding in spirit.

Oops!

If you've been on my blog before and you scroll down a bit you'll notice that the pictures of my two older children are gone. That's because I accidentally delteded that particular post. Now wasn't that smart? Now eBlooger doesn't want to participate with me and so I'll have to try putting their pictures on again some time next week.

Hannah had a game today. She did good. She was very aggressive today. Bruce and I were proud of her. She got another Christ-like star for her shirt. That's because in the middle of a game if she knocks someone on the other team down or elbows them or whatever, she'll always stop to make sure they're not hurt or she'll yell over her shoulder as she's running down the court, "I'm sorry!!" She's so funny. Her games are always a lot of fun. Maw Maw and Paw Paw Birt are always there cheering her and the other girls on....ESPECIALLY Maw Maw Birt. Thanks, Maw Maw, for your loud and boisterous encouragement. :)

Justin and Hannah went to the Rest Home Ministry this evening with my parents. Hannah played Faith of Our Fathers on the piano and Justin did a duet on his harmonica with his Grandma playing piano. But he can't remember what the song was. Oh well. It was a good one, I'm sure.

Well, I'm closing my computer and probably won't reopen it again until Sunday night. See you then!

Trade-lottin

Well, we're back from going to the trade lot. The kids and I had a really good time together. You can meet some very interesting people at the trade lot. Odd.......But interesting. It's a great opportunity to pass out tracts too.

Justin did pretty good. He was happy with the money he made. He plans on doing this for the next few weeks. He likes haggling with people.

Hannah did good too. Mainly because people thought she was cute. The tables were five dollars a piece and when the man came by to collect, he said she was cute and wasn't going to charge her. Which worked out for me, because I was the one paying for the table. Then when she went to the concession to get us a biscuit, they gave her one free because she was "...just so sweet." So she does good on her looks and sweet personality. I'll have to take her again next week. :)

Hannah found an Aunt Jemimah Teapot and gave it to my mother because she collects them...Not Aunt Jemimahs....teapots. Mom loved it.

I told you in the last post that Bruce was going to sleep in, but you know what? When I came home he had washed our sheets, remade the bed, folded some laundry and washed up some dishes that were in the sink. Wasn't that sweet? He's such a sweetie pie.

Right now, we're going to chow down on Angelo's Pizza for lunch and lay down for a nap. Hope y'all have a great weekend.

Chilly Morning!

Well, it's 6:10 this chilly Saturday morning and Justin, Hannah and I are getting ready to head out to the trade lot or flea market, as some people call it. Justin is selling things to earn money for a trip he's taking in August. He and some of the other youth in our church will be working at a church in Massachusetts for a week. He's very excited about the trip and is working hard to get his financial part of it that he needs.

Hannah, well, she's just selling to make a little spending money. Then again, she might have something she's saving up for that she hasn't told me about just yet. We'll see.

Bruce and Harrison are staying in bed where it's nice and warm and comfortable and where I want to be right now, but he took Justin last week to sell and he's worked so hard this week that he deserves to stay home and sleep in a while.

SO! We're going to eat some breakfast and I'll let you know later how the kids did selling. Have a great day!

Fragrant Prayer Potpourri

If you're anything like me you like things around the house that smell good. Candles, tarts, potpourri. But what about a fragrant prayer life? Here is a recipe for a prayer potpourri that never fails.

Choose any and all of these ingredients. They compliment each other well. Just mix them together with an abundance of love and faith - anytime, day or night.

Worship...................Praising God because He is worthy.

Submission..............Desiring God's will and not your own.

Petition....................Praying for your own needs.

Intercession............Praying for the needs of others.

Forgiveness.............Seeking God's forgiveness for yourself. Forgiving those who have hurt or offended you.

Thanksgiving...........Thanking God for all He does and who He is.

Interesting Conversation

I had an interesting conversation with a lady the other day. It was about how Bruce makes me stay at home instead of working outside the home. I couldn't convey enough to her that it was a mutual decision, not to mention a conviction, to stay at home. I'm fortunate to have a husband that prefer I be at home. Anyway, I ran across this poem and thought it was good. So here's to those who think my tyrant of a husband makes me stay at home.

I'm free THE MOVEMENT says,
I can be whatever I want to be.
I do't have to spend my life
mopping up spilled milk,
getting out ring-around-the-collar, hunting for lost cufflinks,
matching up socks - or even scratching somebody's back.

I can write the great American novel
Or hawk my macrame plant holders
at craft festivals
(wearing a gypsy scarf on my head and
dirty tennis shoes on my feet - or maybe no shoes at all.)

I can be a lady executive
and try not to worry about whether
I took the roast out of the freezer.
(THE MOVEMENT wouldn't like that!)
Or I could run for Congress -
(That can't be much harder than
presiding over the PTA
Or figuring out my own income tax
Or brilliantly coordinating my
returnable pop bottles
and newspaper coupons
to buy 53 dollars worth of groceries
with only 42 dollars and 28 cents.)

So I'm free, am I?
Then I choose...I choose
the "promise to obey" part of the marriage vows,
the nose-wiping of a two-year-old,
the bargainings with my teenagers to use -
the car
the computer
the telephone
the bathroom.
I choose the endless precession of
bag lunches
peanut buter sandwiches
dirty dog dishes
potato chip crumbs
and yesterday's newspaper.

I choose the warm curve of his back on a cold night,
the precarious pleasure of an empty bank account
when all the bills are paid,
the promises of European tours
when the children finish college.
I choose to make your toast (dark) and your
eggs (easy over),
I choose to listen for your car turn in the drive
I choose to nudge you when you snore.
No matter what THE MOVEMENT says: I choose him!
-Jessie Rice Sandberg

Nice, huh??