Another Busy Day

Our Missionaries to New Zealand have added more coloring pages for your little one on their website. Please check it out and print some off. And remember to pray for the Lewis Howell family. They leave, I believe, the 20th of this month for a six month term. To print the coloring pages, click here.

I spent most of the day away from the house doing "Kristi" stuff. It was a busy day but a good one. I say that a lot about my days lately.....busy, but good. Would I want it any other way? Nope!

Courtney's mother, Rachel, did a wonderful post today that I think all mothers should read. Please click here to read it.

I didn't have a dinner oops to share with you tonight. After all, how do you mess up corndogs?

I had lunch and went shopping with a couple of my friends today for the children in our bus ministry. That was fun. We hit the Dollar Tree store and racked up on some fun stuff for the little ones, things older boys would enjoy, and things for the older girls to make them feel pretty. Like lotions and hair clips, bath gels, etc. The bus kids earn "bus bucks" to purchase certain items by doing things like attending church, learning Bible verses, dressing right, etc. I suppose they'll put these things up like a store. That will be fun.

Tomorrow I'll be cleaning house for my mother and possibly dropping off Justin to cut grass. I say possibly because it's been raining off and on all day and looks like it may be doing the same tomorrow. I have some other irons in the fire as well. So either way, my Friday will be full.

Tonight I hope to get my own house cleaned and several loads of laundry finished. We'll see. It's already 9:00 so I'll have to call in the troops and assign chores. Our best cleaning is at night and it's always nice to get up to a spotless house. Before we put our floor down, I would clean my carpets very late at night. SOME people thought that was funny. SOME people would laugh at me for that. SOME people.....well, I can't think of anything else, but SOME people know who they are. ; )

That's about all I have for tonight. Have a great Friday~

And remember: Hard work, cheerfully done, is easy work. Light work, unwillingly done, is mere drudgery.

Good Posts, Missionaries And Frozen Meat

At Ever Joyful, Arlene has posted something funny to read about "How Hot Is IT?" It's cute, you have to read it. Just click on the title.

Mrs. C over at Riverbend Ramblings posted on "31 Days of Prayer For Your Husband." This was good too. This is for those who have husbands and for those who don't.

Tonight at church, we had some visiting Missionaries home from Alaska. Brother Ronnie and Rebecca Starr. Our former church supported them and the church we are at now supports them. It was so good to see them again. They gave their testimonies and sang a song and it was such a blessing.

YEARS ago, some friends of mine were going to a party at a school mate's house in honor of his cousin and invited me to go. The young man having the party was Joseph Yarborough. His cousin was Darby Starr. We struck up a friendship while his parents traveled all over the United States visiting their supporting churches and he stayed in his family's hometown with his Grandparents. Seeing his parents tonight brought back a lot of funny memories. I found out that Darby is now a paramedic and fireman in Arizona, married with two children. Now isn't that neat?

I had another dinner "oops" tonight, but it worked out way better than last night. I took some cube steak from the freezer this afternoon to unthaw. About thirty mintues later, I called my friend Rachel (Courtney's Mother) and while I was talking to her, I guess my hands needed something to do because they put the cube steak BACK into the freezer. Now, how dumb was that?? LOL

Come time to start dinner my meat was still frozen. If this were any other night but Wednesday I probably wouldn't have minded so much, but we have to be at church at 6:00 on Wed night for Justin and Hannah's orchestra practice. What did I do? Well, since Bruce was still sleeping from working third shift, and Hannah was in the shower, and Justin was in his room reading, Harrison and I put Tipsy in the car and ran to Pizza Hut for one large supreme and one large pepperoni with extra cheese. Oh yummy! It was so tasty good. Hannah greeted us at the front door when we got home and said, "I love it when you make mistakes like that" (referring, of course, to me putting the meat back in the freezer. :D

Heeding Godly Advice

Sis Julie from Julie's Jewels did a post on heeding advice. I thought it was worth sharing so please check it out by clicking here.

The picture above is a result of me reading and commenting on this particular post of Sis Julie's. The whole time I was reading and commenting, I kept telling myself that I needed to pull the cornbread out of the oven. I did not HEED MY OWN ADVICE and this is what happened. BUT! With as awful as this cornbread LOOKS, none of it was left because my family ate every bite of it. LOL Can you believe that? They were either hungry, being nice, or genuinely liked it. :D

Looking at this cornbread, you might not want any of my recipes, but I've started a new blog just for recipes. It's called Blogger's Recipes. These are recipes that have been compiled, mostly by different bloggers, but also ones that have been given to me by friends and family. I never intended on keeping a recipe blog, but as I looked over the recipes today, I just had to share them. I did not keep the names of the bloggers that posted some of these recipes, so if you see one of your recipes on there, please email me and let me know so I can give you credit for it. I'll be placing them in categories eventually. This is a work in progress with many, MANY more recipes to come. I hope you'll find something you like.

And remember: When it comes time to die, make sure that all you have to do............is die.

Teach Me Lord

Hannah video taped the skit, Teach Me, Lord. I must admit that I did write the foundation of the skit, but Missy and Susan brought out the humor of it. Thanks, y'all!! You'll need to stop the Teens-4-Christ radio in the sidebar to hear it and good speakers help. LOL

Teach Me, Lord

Tonight we had our Ladies Meeting and it was so very good. I enjoyed it so much and Mrs. Ava's devotion was just right. The theme was Teach Me, Lord. She had a little booklet that she made for us and I'm going to post some out of it periodically. Tonight, I'll be sharing our pictures.

About 15 minutes before we started, there were some ladies that stood as mannikins before each day of the week, which represented a certain chore for their day of the week. They did a really good job just standing or sitting there for 15 to 20 minutes. Thanks, y'all!!

Brenda was under Monday, Wash Day. Kellie was under Tuesday, Ironing Day. And Pam was under Wednesday, Mending Day.



Rebecca was under Thursday, Cleaning Day. Missy was under Friday, Shopping Day. And Susan was under Saturday, Baking Day.



And April was under Sunday, The Lord's Day.



This is my Mother sitting down, and Betty-Jean.



This is our Pastor's wife, Mrs. Ava, reading us a poem about daily chores for our Spiritual life.



This is my beautician, Missy, with her mouth open....as always. hehe...love ya, Missy!! :)



Here is a picture of some ladies in line for the food. Our menu tonight was salads, pastas, breads, and desserts.



I wrote a skit about a woman that comes home from work complaining about having to do the dishes, wash laundry, cook, etc. She falls asleep and meets a woman from the past who has it way harder than what we have it today. Susan and her foster daughter, Brittney, were my people from the past. We were in the storage room where they waited before entering for the skit. This was NOT part of our decor. :D



At the majority of our meetings, Mrs. Ava always has some sort of door prizes. Tonight was no different. She had the coolest cleaning novelties to give away...among other door prizes.



My number was called and I got this little basket with Bath and Body Works lotion (Plumeria) and a Bath and Body Works candle (brown sugar & fig.) They both smell, oh so good!



So this was our night. And it was a great one!

And Remember: The educated may require knowledge, but true wisdom is a gift of God.

Oh Well!

I had hoped to post something inspiring or uplifting because I won't have time to post tomorrow but was coming up with nothing. Oh Well. You just get babbling now! :D

I'll be at the church early in the morning with some other ladies to help decorate for the Ladie's Fellowship tomorrow night. We'll leave together from decorating and go to a funeral. It is for a man who was the father of one of the sweetest ladies in our church. I never met the man, but I do know and love Mrs. Wendy, and want to be there for her. Please pray for her and her family. I know this is a very difficult time for all of them.

After the funeral, we'll return to finish decorating. Then I'll have to rush back home, fix something to take to the meeting, go with Bruce to put my car back in the shop and come back to shower and pick up Hannah to leave for the meeting. So! It's going to be another busy day. But I like those busy days.

I plan on taking plenty of pictures of the meeting, so be sure to check back to see those, hopefully Tuesday.

And remember: And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. Matthew 21:22

Does Your Anger Rule You?

I was thinking today that anger can be a driving force in our attitude, health, and even the way we think about other situations in our life.

I'm a redhead and I'll be the first to tell you, that yes, it's true, redheads have a quick and fiery temper. Does this give me an excuse and a way out for me to be quick to anger? No.

Proverbs 14:17 says, "He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly..." I have found this verse to be true on more than one occasion, I must confess.

Does this mean it is wrong to become angry? No. But sometimes the flesh kicks into overdrive and we let it take over. It's OK to be angry, but......

Ephesians 4:26, "Be ye angry and SIN NOT; let not the sun go down upon thy wrath." When we neglect to put this verse into practice, the devil has a foot in the door of our life. Verse 27 says, "Neither give place to the devil." People get under my skin........and fast. I have no tolerance for ingorant people. I don't have the patience of the Lord and I have NEVER been told I have the patience of Job! And I certainly do not pray for patience because I know what will follow. I do, however, pray that the Lord will give me inner peace and help me to love those that get under my skin. And I'll say truly, that just praying for it doesn't make that change. I really have to work on it. LOL I found this little poem and thought how true this was of how I feel. It is comical but befitting.....

To live above with saints

we love,

O that will be glory!

To live below with saints we know,

Now, that's a different story!

If you don't want anger to rule over you, verse 31 of Ephesians 4 tells us exactly how to avoid that happening. "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice;"

How should we react to someone who angers us?? Vs. 32, "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for christ's sake hath forgiven you."

Anger comes from many sources and most of the time it will be from our own family. Why? Because the devil hates family. He hates our physical families and our spiritual families. He'll pit sibling against sibling, spouse against spouse, child against parent and Brothers and Sisters in Christ against each other in the church.

Ephesians 5:1&2B "Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love..."

And remember: Nothing will cook your goose faster than a red hot temper.

Surgery Went Well

I was at the hospital this morning at 5:30. My Mother-in-law's surgery began around 7:30 or so and went really well. She was out in 45 minutes. Her time in recovery was longer than that. She had a bit of an upset stomach for a while, but that passed and she should be able to come home tomorrow. Thank you all for praying and please continue to pray for a speedy recovery as she will be down for six weeks.

I was going to read some of The Englisher while Bruce's Aunt Sue and I waited during the surgery, but I had grabbed the wrong book in the dark and ended up taking The Preacher's Daughter. So I decided to skim through it and read different paragraphs. Some of them were really funny and some of them were sad. I think I skimmed through about 11 chapters. It was kind of fun and it did help pass the time quickly.

My Dad came to pick Hannah up to spend the weekend with him and Mom. They're taking her shopping tomorrow and she's really looking forward to that. He asked if we would like to go to McDonald's for some lunch so we took him up on his offer and then he changed his mind and said he wanted a corndog from a local owned restaurant called Angelo's. Since we were near the church anyway and Angelo's doesn't have dine-in, Daddy suggested we go see Mrs. Janet at the church and all of us ate lunch with her in her office. We had some real belly laughter there today. It was so funny. What was funny? Everything! I don't think there was a serious moment while we were there. But if you know my Dad, you don't expect anything otherwise. Well, there was ONE serious moment. Just as we walked in, Janet told us about her cousin that just started nursing school this week. She was in a wreck and totaled her car just before we got to the church. But thankfully, she was OK. We went to see her after we left the church and she was more shook up than anything. Her wrist looked pretty bad and I have a feeling that even though it is NOT broke, it is certainly going to be sore tomorrow. I'm glad it wasn't worse than it was.

We picked up our car and ended up paying $20 for the work that was done on it. We took it straightway to have it inspected, but the code had not reset yet and they couldn't inspect it. The gentleman told us to drive it around over the weekend and bring it back on Monday. By then the code should reset. Well, it did reset when Bruce drove it to the hospital to see his Mom and the Check Engine light came back on. SO! Bruce will run the code....again.... and see what else needs to be fixed. LOL We expected as much. It's been like this for three years now. Oh well. As with everything else, it is in the Lord's hands.

Prayer...

My Mother-in-Law is having surgery tomorrow, so I would really appreciate everyone who prays, to please remember her in your prayers. She'll need it and thank you for it.

Normally, Justin will do his yards on Friday, but we did them today to get them out of the way so we wouldn't have to worry about it while Marie is having surgery tomorrow. His second house has an apple tree that has dropped many apples. And on the ground were dozens of yellow jackets, wasps, and even a couple of hornets enjoying the sweetness of the apples. Well, I wouldn't let him cut over there, and he didn't seem to mind me telling him so. LOL I left the lady a note and I'm sure she'll understand. She's really sweet. I kept her Grandchildren for a few years so I wanted to make sure they didn't go over there. Wouldn't that be awful?

Anyway, got the yards done, grocery shopping done, and car put in the shop. The "check engine" light is on and it's time for inspection. UGH! Every year at inspection time, that light comes on and a simple inspection ends up costing between $200 and $700. Bruce ran the codes on it and we know it's the EGR, but he doesn't have time to work on it since he's on seven days a week. Not to mention, he needs some special tools, and everywhere he's gone they've been sold out or don't carry what he needs. But the mechanic we took the car to is a really nice Christian man and seems very fair in his prices. So we're praying it doesn't run us terribly too high this time.

Well, that's it for today. Pretty boring, huh? LOL

Me and Books

OK, I was tagged by Anne at from my perspective... and so here I go. I'm not going to tag anyone, but if you would like to join in on the fun, please let me know. I would love to read it. If you don't have a blog, email it to me!

1. One book that changed your life: Without a doubt, the Bible!

2. One book that you’ve read more than once: The whole Anne of Green Gable series.

3. One book you’d want on a desert island: My Bible

4. One book that made you laugh: The Far Side Gallery books and The Wizard of Id.

5. One book that made you cry: The Shunning by Beverly Lewis

6. One book that you wish had been written: You Married Him....Now, Love Him!

7. One book you wish had never been written: Love Stories of the Bible by Billy Sunday. Now, don't get me wrong, Billy Sunday could preach up a storm, but he certainly lacked in the noveling department. LOL

8. One book you’re currently reading: The Englisher by Beverly Lewis. I've read it through once, but didn't pay much attention to it, so I'm reading it again. And yes, I love to read Beverly Lewis books.

9. One book you've been planning to read: I'm fascinated with stories of the Amish that come to salvation or stories set in the Pioneer days or Victorian era. I don't have just one I'm wanting to read right now.

Things About Me

1. Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, and find line 4:
We have learned that there is only one God. But the Bible also tells us that God is three. God is three Persons, yet He is one God. That is something we cannot understand. (Leading Little Ones To God By Marian M Schoolland)

2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can right side: The top of my husbands stack of books next to his end of the couch where I am presently sitting.left side: A couch pillow

3. What is the last thing you watched on TV? Leave It To Beaver

4. Without looking, guess what time it is:2:00 pm.

5. Now look at the clock. 2:07 pm.

6.With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?Harrison asking me if he can wear a certain pair of socks to church tonight.

7. When did you last step outside?When I took Justin to the Mall this afternoon.

8. Before you started this survey, what did you look at?I was looking at Arlene's , Ever Joyful.

9. What are you wearing?Brown sandals, a yellow bumble bee shirt that says.....Bee Happy, Bee Joyful, Bee Wise, Bee Kind, Bee Good, Bee Tender, Bee Sweet, Bee...and an ankle length denim skirt.

10. Did you dream last night? Not that I can remember

11. When did you last laugh?
I'm sure I've laughed since, but I definitely remember laughing when Jeff, Stephanie, and Bruce fell in the water while we were rafting this weekend...sorry you guys.

12. What is on the walls of the room you are in? Beginning from my left...My husbands shadow box of military medals and ribbons, a home interior picture of a little girl sitting in a window watching a bluebird and gold bird plaques around it with a flower swag. In front of me is a home interior grouping of a gold sconce with two candles, a Victorian picture of a mother and daughter sitting at a piano, and a gold shelf with a candle, plaque, and candle snuffer. To the right is a home interior grouping of a two heart shaped plaques with birds on them, a birdhouse with a nest, and a flower swag. More to the right on another wall is a wooden message keeper that Bruce bought me And on the back wall, there is our computer shelves, another home interior grouping of a wooden shelf with a candle and a mother sheep with her ewe next to a picture of some sheep in a pasture in front of a church and a wooden plaque with the Psalm 23 on it. Down the wall from that is a victorian painting of three children walking down a dirt path with flowers and greenery around them.

13. Seen anything weird lately? What a hook worm looks like close up and it's mouth opened. UGH!

15. What is the last film you saw?
Anne of Green Gables....I think. I watch it all the time. She cracks me up.

16. If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy?After paying our tithe, I'd buy some land away from everything and would build everyone of our FAITHFUL members in our church a new home on that land and we would call it "Faith Village." And when I say faithful members, I am referring to those who love our Pastor, the ministries of the church, and are faithful to the services without making up excuses of why they can't be there. I would have a playground built, a new church building and all the amenities. All the stores we would need. We could come and go to each other's home as we pleased and never have to worry about our children and what they were doing or who they were doing it with. LOL Yeah, I know.....RIGHT! Not much reality in that, is there? I suppose we'll just have to wait til Heaven.

17. Tell me something about you that I don't know.While growing up, I attended nine different schools. I think that is why I can talk to pretty much any person at any given time.

18. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do?Where should I begin....Let's see.....abolish abortion, marriage between one man and one WOman, making sodomy illegal again, take away all the great stuff in our prisons and go back to bread and water and chain gangs, require that everyone attend a good Bible preaching, evangelistic, soul winning church....even Satanists, Athiests, and Agnostics. LOL Wouldn't that make for some interesting services????? No liberals allowed in the halls of justice or law making or anywhere else in the US. LOL Oh dear. Ok, so that's just a few things. I can dream, can't I??? I'd love to hear what YOU would do!

19. Do you like to dance? Yes, when I'm cooking dinner and Bruce grabs me for a sway back forth, a dip, and a kiss. That's always nice. ; )

20. George W Bush: Yes, I like ole George. I think he did better in his first four years. There are some issues I would like to discuss with him, but I think he's done a fine job and I would vote for him again if he could be our candidate again.

21. Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her?Hannah Victoria....she is our first daughter.

22. Imagine your first child is a boy, what do you call him?I don't have to imagine that....his name is David Justin, but we call him Justin.

23. Would you ever consider living abroad? We lived in Germany for almost two years and I would go back and live in a heartbeat if God willed it.

24. What do you want God to say to you when you reach the pearly gate? "Well done thou good and faithful servant; enter thou into the joy of the Lord"

25. Four or Five people you want to do this quiz on their blog:I've seen several people do this quiz, so if you have not done it and would like to do it, or you have done it, let us know by posting the link to it.
Thanks, Arlene for tagging me. :) But where is number 14???

Know Anyone Like This?

Work Day

Having the computer surrounded by flour and liquids is probably not a good idea while I'm in the kitchen. But I wanted to post something for today because I plan on getting in bed a little earlier tonight than usual. I really need to get more sleep. Getting in bed after 2:-- AM is not going to be profitable during the school year when I require the children up at 6:30. So I'm trying to put myself on a better schedule. My goal is to be in bed thirty minutes after Bruce leaves for work.....yeah right! My friend, Susan D, from church knew I had trouble falling asleep with Bruce gone so she bought me a cup that says, Dear God, I just can't sleep. Want to talk? Yep, that's me. Thanks, Susan. I drink from it often. :)

I had a good day today. I was at the church around 10:-- or just a little before that this morning and started working on the fellowship building and some of the decorations for the lady's meeting this coming Monday. Pam showed up around an hour after I got there and worked with me until about 3:45. Thanks, Pam.
We sponge painted some wooden panels and cut out letters. I won't bore you with the details. You know you'll see pictures of the meeting and I'll explain it then.
The theme for this meeting is "Teach Me, Lord." It's going to be really good. The decorations are things you associate with school. Books, apples, blackboards, etc. I'm eager to hear what Mrs. Ava has for us that night.

Well, my supper is nearly finished and I have hungry people standing over my shoulders. So I'm outta here!

And remember:
Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying. Proverbs 19:18

School Books Finally Ordered!!

Mom and Dad always buy the children's school books. This year was no exception. So after going through all of my books to see what I needed and did not need to order, I finally got this year's curriculum ordered and they are on their way. Thank you, Mom and Dad, for buying their books. That is so sweet of y'all!!

What a job it was! I've tried to keep all of our books to pass down. The first couple of years Justin and Hannah used Bob Jones. We switched over to Christian Liberty Press and ABeka when Justin was in the second grade. I have almost all the books from there on so next year I shouldn't have to buy too much for Harrison and Hannah. Although Justin's books are becoming more expensive. LOL

While we wait for the books to arrive, I'll be working on decorating for the Ladie's Fellowship and a room in the church that needs to be cleaned out. But once school starts I'll be ready to hit the grindstone again. I'm really excited about starting school this year. I always liked the first day of school.

I had two unexpected visitors today. One was our former neighbor, Natalie. I hope I spelled her name correctly. Her husband, Greg, graduated from high school with Bruce. She was on her way home from the store and decided to just stop in. And I'm so glad she did. It was good to see her. I hope she comes back soon. We're making plans to go see them too.

She hadn't been gone long when I heard Hannah and Harrison say that Uncle John was here. That's my brother for those of you who don't know. He stopped by to give Tipsy's leash to me. He took care of her while we were away this weekend. Tipsy loves John. She was so excited to see him and cried at the door when he left. It was almost pitiful. I believe she remembers when John rescued her and her siblings as puppies. Anyway, it was good to see him too. So we had two unexpected visitors this evening. That NEVER happens. But it was nice.

This has been such an emotional and physical day for me around the house. So I'm closing it down and going to bed. I have to be up EARLY in the morning to work at the church. I've enjoyed doing that since I haven't been babysitting. It's been nice being able to help out when I can.

OK, so goodbye!! Goodnight!! Sleep tight!!

Great Weekend!

We had such a great weekend with our Sunday School class. There were 13 of us that went. Brother Ken and Tammy, Brother Joel and Pam, Brother Ted and Rebecca, Brother Jay and Paige, Brother Jeff and Stephanie, Bruce and myself and Brother Jim.
His wife, Angie, wasn't able to make it and we missed her bunches. We missed all the couples in our class that weren't able to go. But it was a good time of fun and fellowship and Bruce and I were able to spend time with couples that we don't normally get to spend time with and that made it even more fun. We feel like we all know each other a little better, I think.

I did not get any pictures of the rafting. Mainly because we didn't want to take the camera in the water...duh! However, my SS teacher's wife is pregnant and drove along the river stopping to take pictures of us as we floated by her. So maybe when she gets those developed I can talk her into letting me scan them and then I'll share them with you. OK?

I did get pictures of our bike ride down the mountain. So I'll just start out with our Friday morn.

We kissed the children goodbye, left instructions on locking up the house when they left later, and headed to the church. The men rode with Brother Ken in the church van and the wives rode with Sis Tammy in her van.



Because Brother Ken drank, what I believe to be, a whole pot of coffee, we were making frequent pit stops, if you know what I mean. We made more stops because of the men, and WE had a pregnant lady with us!!!! Well, anyway, when Brother Ken went into the bathroom at a gas station, we decided it would be fun to hide from him. Isn't that nice of us?? So here he is when he finally found us up on a hill behind the gas station.



We finally made our destination to the Ole Barn Bike Shuttle.



We each picked out a bicycle and did the necessary adjustments that we needed. Here is Bruce posing just for Courtney. He knew she'd like the hat. LOL



Some of us rode our bikes around the parking lot or just waited for the owners to load them on the trailer.



When they loaded the bikes, we all boarded the shuttle and headed about 20 miles up the mountain.



When you get to the top of the mountain, they give you your bike and you start the path back down. The scenery on the way down was so beautiful. Bruce and I stopped to walk up another path and took this picture.



We jumped back on the path........



.......and eventually came to this old train depot. The man inside said it used to be the train depot, post office, general store, and pharmacy, all at one time. We stepped inside and looked at all the old photos displayed on the walls.







We started down the trail again........



......passing babbling books.........



.......riding over bridges........



........and stopping to peer over bridges.



We all met at a creekside to just enjoy the moment. This is me. I don't like it, but it's the only picture of me that was taken. So here is proof that I was there. LOL



The men folk decided to skip rocks across the water, but I believe that Brother Jim and Brother Jeff got somewhat carried away. Although their rock did not skip, it did make quite a splash.





We had stopped at another place to "play." This is Bruce with Brother Jay and Brother Jeff.



We had to cut through a pasture to get back on the path.



We stopped at a cafe for lunch about half the way down. I didn't take any more pictures until we got back to Preacher and Mrs. Ava's house in Valley Cruicis. This was the only one I took of Pam, Paige, and Stephanie at the house. They were playing Phase 10. I thought I took more, but I didn't. Oh well. Maybe next time.



Some of us girls took showers while the guys cut down some trees for Preacher. Then we headed out for supper at the Sagebrush. Back to the house, and up at 5:00 to be gone by 6:00 for rafting.

Bruce and I were in a raft with Paige and Jay Carr and Jeff and Stephanie Martin. They are HILARIOUS. We did pretty good....at getting stuck on rocks. But I am happy to say that we did finish our course. At one point we hit a rock that snuck up on us and out went Jeff....then Stephanie. It was all so sudden that Paige and I couldn't help them.....for laughing so hard. As a matter of fact, I laughed so hard that it didn't matter that I was wet, if you know what I mean. I don't think I have laughed that hard in a very long time. They did make it back into the raft, only for us to lose Bruce not ten minutes later.

He just sort of plopped right out of the raft and as I tried to hold my ore out to him, I dropped it and watched both my ore and my husband as we drifted away from them. Bruce laid on his back as instructed by the man before we left, but the water was too shallow where he was and so he only floated in the same spot. We were trying to paddle to the bank as we laughed our heads off at Bruce just laying there...going no where. He finally got up and walked down the bank to us. Oh how hilarious. And yes, I did get my ore back. Brother Ken and Jim grabbed it for us.

Anyway, we had a great time. I would love to take our children back there and hopefully we will. I highly recommend both of those activities for your family.

The bike trail was called The Virginia Creeper Trail. It is in Damascus, Virgina. And we went down the Nantahala River.

Harrison stayed with Mom and Dad. Thank you! He always has a good time with his Grandparents. Tipsy was supposed to stay with them, but ended up being taken to my brother's house. So THANK YOU, John, for taking care of our baby. Justin and Hannah stayed with Brother Mike and Susan McCurry because Hannah was in the top ten of her Patch class and went to Carowinds as their reward. So it worked out to let them stay with them. Justin went to help tend to the boys. They had a wonderful time and THANK YOU, Brother Mike and Susan, for opening your home to them. They had a ball with y'all.

Gone For the Weekend

Just wanted to remind everyone that Bruce and I would be gone until late Saturday. So there won't be any posts until late Sunday or Monday. I should have pictures to post from our trip...Lord willing. I doubt I'll have any of the rafting, but I'll try.

"See ya!"

Beautiful Service

Today we attended the funeral service of Brother Davis. I mentioned him in the last post. Anyway, "It Is Well" on his saxophone with Mrs. Tammy playing the piano. The Pastor of Davidson Memorial, where Brother Davis was a member and deacon, spoke and it was very nice the things he said about Brother Davis. He kind of reminded me of our former Pastor the way he delivered his message. Brother Davis really did have such a sweet testimony. Brother Humphries, one of our members at Faith, sang the timeless "Beulah Land." He's an older man with one of those old style singing voices. It was so wonderful. Then our Pastor spoke. Or rather PREACHED. That was the best part, really. After he preached, The Sons of Faith got up and sang "Our First In Heaven." As uaual, it was beautiful. I believe that one will be on the CD, Courtney. :) Anyway, when we got to the cemetary there were SO MANY people. It was unbelievable. But as we all walked from our cars to the tent, one of the grandsons, Nathan, and Justin played a duet on their trumpets, "Amazing Grace." They were kind of far away from the tent so it was more of an echo as they played. It was really beautiful. After the Pastor said a few words and prayed, one of the men from the funeral home asked that everyone gather in a circle, including the family. So we did. Jennifer Dyer and Jeremy Boone, two of the grandchildren, stepped inside the circle with a heart shaped basket. Jennifer read a poem. And I can't remember what all it said but it was so appropriate for the homegoing. Then Jeremy read the poem that was on the back of the paper memorial given to us as we walked into the church. This is what it says....

Going Home....

Birds in flight symbolize

the end of a Christian life.

One bird is shown leaving the flock

and "going home" to his final reward.

The three remaining birds

continue their journey through life

with peace of mind,

knowing their loved one

is now in God's hands.

Just as Jeremy finished that poem, they removed the lid from the basket and released three white doves as Nathan and Justin broke into "I'll Fly Away." That's the first time I've ever heard SHOUTIN' at a graveside service. We were blessed and honored to be a part of such a service.

Tony Hutson At Revival

Monday and Tuesday we were in revival with Brother Tony Hutson from Middle Tennessee Baptist Church. The services were more than what we prayed for. God was so good. I believe revival had started before he even got there Monday night. Sunday, a young man who was visiting came forward to be saved. The alter was full Sunday morning and then Monday night after the PREACHING, the Lord moved and the alter, the isles, and the pews were full of those kneeling and praying. What a sight and what a sound! To hear God's people pray in earnest need of what our spirits and souls have needed. Releasing those things into God's hands which we have been holding back from Him.
Then after the evening service one of our teenagers came to Pastor Goodman and was crying. Come to find out she wasn't saved and knew she had better get that fixed right quick! So she did before she left the building. Then Pastor got a phone call around 11:30 that same night and was told that another one of our teenage girls had gotten saved.
Tuesday night was a FIRE sermon. I mean he hit everything from drugs to gauchos. LOL It was HOT and it was GOOD! Again, the alters were full.
Then tonight, a young man in the back of the church just couldn't take it any longer and stepped out to accept Christ.
The last three days have been so good. We witnessed four souls saved, two little souls baptized, and the homegoing of a Saint of God, Brother AV Davis.
He was not a member of our church, but was a dear friend of our church and several of his children and Grandchildren are members of our church. The testimony of his children and grandchildren give insight to what a man of God he was and they loved him so much. Please pray for this family. They are a very large family and a very close family. They were told Monday that he only had a couple of hours to a couple of days to live but they knew he would want them in revival and that's exactly where they were. The service was right on target and I believe that God gave them that particular sermon at that very moment so that they would totally give him into God's hands. That night at 2:00 AM, he boarded that lifeboat and made his journey from this world to the next. We were at the funeral home tonight and what a precious sight to see the smiles behind the tears. For they have hope.

A Nice Surprise!!

Look what I found in the mailbox today!!

Lydia from Three Sisters Blog sent this to me all the way from Northern Ireland, where she and her family are missionaries. She made this bracelet and sent it as a gift to me! I feel so honored. There was the sweetest note with it and if the bracelet wasn't enough, she sent a Yankee Candle tart. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Yankee Candles. How did she know that??? I can't wait to get this one on the burner. The scent is roses and ivy. It smells so good. I just know its aroma is going to fill the whole house.

Thank you, Lydia, so much for the sweet gifts. You're a darling!!

If you've never seen this blog, you MUST visit it and see the beautiful pictures of the country side there in N Ireland. It is simply breathtaking.

Thanks again, Lydia, with all my heart!

And remember:
Kind HEARTS are the GARDENS
Kind THOUGHTS are the ROOTS
Kind WORDS are the FLOWERS
Kind Deeds are the FRUITS.

If you want the full effect of the pictures and posts below, you'll have to start with the post titled "As I Promised....PICTURES" and work your way up. Sorry about that.

And remember: He cannot have taught
us to trust in His name,
and brought us thus far
to put us to shame.
-J. Hudson Taylor

And Last But Not Least.....

Mark...boy, if looks could kill. lol

Daniel??? Drew??? One of 'em!

Josh

Carrie and Clint

Jesse

Catherine

Christopher in the red shirt and Benji in the white.

Jamie

Monica and Leanna...Monica got saved tonight at revival. Praise the LORD!

Nathaniel

Drew??? Daniel??? One of 'em.

Celine came home with us to spend the night. Hannah put up her tent and she and Celine camped out in the living room.



So those were my pictures from Sunday. Now, here are the pictures of my Monday....today.

I have a collection of thimbles......



and my brother, John, brought me one this morning back from Barbados. Itsn't it beautiful?



When John left I got Tipsy and we went to the vet. She is 32 pounds now. UGH! She has definitely caught herself up to where she should be. Because we dog sat for Mom and Dad this weekend, Mom felt it necessary to reward the children with a few bucks to eat out on for helping with Dolly. So after Tipsy's appointment, I picked the kids up and we went to Pizza Hut for lunch. Yes, pizza again. You can never have too much pizza. Ok, that's not physically true, but mentally, you can never have too much of it. Well, after we ate lunch, I took the children, a cake, some party plates, napkins, cups, and drinks over to Mom and Dad's house. Mom was working and I couldn't bare the thoughts of Daddy spending his birthday in a chair at dialysis and then coming home to an empty house so I took a party over to him. WOO HOO! I like a good party and I think we gave him a nice one.

Hannah loves hats and her Grandparents brought her that red one she's wearing back from Gatlinburg.
Messy hands eating cake.

Harrison with his hat on. It says Dixie Stampede across the top, but you obviously can't see that. Look at his eyes. He always looks like he just woke up in every picture I take of him. lol Bless his heart.

Justin taking a picture of himself being goofy while showing off the knife they brought him back.

Me and Daddy.

Daddy and Harrison

Daddy reading his card

Celine resting on Justin while he talks to my niece, Taylor.

Daddy talking to Taylor. He was happy to get to speak to her today.

Well, those are my pictures. Mom and Dad brought me back a hat and thimble, but I can't seem to get a good picture of either of them. Especially the thimble. But when I do, I'll share them with you.

And remember...God does not comfort us
to make us comfortable,
but to make us comforters.

More Sunday pics

When church was over, several of us got together and took some pictures of the Sons of Faith so we would have some to pick from for the cover of their CD. Which is completed, btw. I'm looking forwad to hearing it. In the picture below you see from left to right: Mark, Bradley, Spencer, Justin, and Brother Chris (one of our bass players.) In the front is Sis Tammy. She's their piano player, our church piano player, and also Hannah's piano teacher.



After taking pictures, we headed down to the fellowship building for the afterglow where we waited for Dominos Pizza to deliver. Mmmmm, Mmmmmm, good!


LtoR: Kendra, Sis Liz, Sis Wendy, Sis Vondie, Sis Marla



Kevin being goofy

Anna Grace enjoying an ice cream cone

The Corriveaus. He's looking at her so adoringly, isn't he? :)

Brother Johnny and Baby Sam

Callie

Michaela chowing on pizza

Tyler

Nathan

As I Promised....PICTURES!!!

I'm having to do this post in spurts because I guess I had too many pictures. They wouldn't let me post it all in one post. So!....

Sunday was a very good day. Busy and good. I used to think I had to have those Sunday afternoon naps. After all....it is a day of rest. Right? Well, technically, it's a day of rest from work, but not from God. So when our morning service ends at 1:00 and I have to be back at 4:00 to work with the Daughters of Faith, or Justin has to be back at 4:30 to practice with the Sons of Faith, or there's a special project that needs to be worked on for the evening service, I try to keep a joyful attitude. I mean, what kind of Christian parent would I be if I demonstrated a bad attitude toward service in front of my children? So when Sunday comes and it's busy and hour runs into hour, I just thank the Lord that I have the opportunity to serve.

My Sunday started out with Brother Johnny calling me at 9:00 asking me to take the five year old Sunday School class since Sis Susan was sick and my Mother was out of town. (By the way, if you're reading this, Sis Susan, I hope you're feeling better. We missed your sweet smile.) Anyway, I was glad to help in that class. To be perfectly honest, if someone were to ask me what class I preferred to teach, I honestly wouldn't know what to say. Each age group is so special and unique in their own ways. I just love them all. So needless to say, I was more than happy to fill that gap. I decided to teach on baby Moses, but was quickly informed by little sister Haili that, "We already know THAT story!" But since I already had my coloring papers we were at least going to REVIEW baby Moses. And review we did. I only had two five year olds, Haili and Harrison. But I know two five year olds who know the story of baby Moses, for sure and for certain. Sis Susan and Mom have done a great job teaching their little ones and it was very evident. So Kudos to Haili and Harrison for knowing their Bible stories!!





After morning service we came home to Tyson's steak patties. Have you had them? They're great for a quick meal. Anyway, after I took Dolly home and got her settled, I ran to the store to pick up a dessert and drink for the youth afterglow following the evening service. Then back to pick the kids up, and off to church. We had choir practice and then service began. It was one of those really sweet services where the Holy Ghost of God gets in and people are praising the Lord and hitting the alter. I love those services. And then there was baptizing. Jordon and Mason were baptized. It was so sweet to see these little boys follow through with believer's baptism.



Jordon

Mason

Pictures, Pictures, Pictures!

I have a lot of pictures that I took yesterday and today and I'm in the process of editing them now. I also have a two day revival at our church with Brother Tony Hutson tonight and tomorrow night. SO! Between editing, cooking supper, and getting ready for church, I may not be able to post any pictures until after church tonight. SO! Be sure to check back soon for those. :)

And remember: A lot of money is tainted~
'taint yours,
'taint mine
but 'tis God's!

Calling All Homeschoolers

If you are a homeschooling friend, please take time to register at Homeschoolers-4-Christ. This is a newly revised forum for homeschoolers. This has been set up by Brother Randy and Sister Kellie Ross, administrators of Teens-4-Christ ministry.

Thanks!

Ponytail Tip

I found this, tried it, and it works! If you like to wear ponytails, but always end up with little humps at the nape of your neck or clumps around the ponytail holder, try this...Brush your hair into a ponytail and just before you begin wrapping the ponytail holder around the hair, tilt your head back as though you are applying mascara. Beautiful ponytails...every time.

Saxon Math Users

I know it's a little late to tell you this, but if you use Saxon Math or other Saxon Curriculum, you might want to check out this website. This is an Online Supercenter for curriculum resources. I have saved a lot of money the last couple of years by ordering my Saxon Math from them. They sell other curriculum, but I use Christian Liberty Press and I don't know that I've ever found anything for them there. BUT! If you do the Saxon, I'm sure you'll find a deal there. The Saxon kits are a little more expensive than most other Math currcs, but well worth every penny. And I'm not good at giving up my pennies, so I'm telling you, it's worth it! :)

Saxon is the BEST Math curriculum I have ever come across. I love it. I don't know what I did before it. My children's Math scores sored when I switched them over a few years ago and I doubt I will ever find anything that I like better.

Just for fun if you homeschool, what Math do you use and why?

Wet Saturday!

There is a continual and steady rainfall outside of my window today. It's really good to see it come because we've needed it so badly. I'm thankful for it.

Dolly slept in the bathroom last night. Well, actually, she slept half the night and yelped the other. UGH! I would get up and bang on the bathroom door and she would be quiet....for three seconds. LOL Her cage, which she is used to, would not fit in Mom and Dad's car and it definitely would not fit in mine, so staying in the bathroom is a foreign concept to her. Mom said to let her sleep with Hannah, but she wouldn't. She kept wanting to jump off the bed and roam the house.

I had planned on going to a wedding today, but my dear hubby worked third shift last night and will have to again tonight. I can't just leave Dolly running the house, she'll chew everything up. And I can't leave her in the bathroom again, she'll keep Bruce awake. So for the sake of my furniture and my dear Bruce, I'll have to forego the wedding nuptuals. I doubt they'll notice I wasn't there anyway. I'm sure they'll be focused on each other. :) As far as church goes tomorrow, I just don't know what I'm going to do. I might have to take her back to Mom and Dad's in the morning and go back to take her out between services. lol Don't get me wrong, Dolly is a very cute and loving dog. It's just that she and Tipsy have different home lives and schedules and things like that. It's like taking care of someone else's baby. Does that make sense?

Bruce had an interesting night. He said all the way to work he was having to look out of one eye because the contact in the other was missing. Of course he didn't realize that for some time. LOL Then when he opened his lunch box on his break, pinto bean juice had leaked out of the bowl and was everywhere. He keeps his little Bible and other gospel literature in there. Thankfully, it didn't get on any of that.

Hope y'all have a great Saturday.

WOW! What a Day!

I am soooo tired. lol It's been a very busy day, but I've gotten a lot accomplished.

I was up at 6:00 getting ready to go to my parent's home to clean their house. I was there before 7:00 and finished up around 10:30 or so. I brought home their dog, Dolly, because they left for Gatlinburg, TN after Daddy's dialysis treatment today. Mom called just a little while ago to let me know that they had made up there safe and sound. They rented a cabin that over looks the mountains. She said it was breathtaking. They're planning on visiting our Pastor's son's church on Sunday and looking forward to that.

I came home long enough to drop off Dolly and flip through the mail. Nothing interesting. No one ever writes me a letter. :( Of course, since email, I don't do enough of traditional correspondance either. You know, I think I'll do that this week. Maybe write two or three of my friends that I haven't seen in a while. Hey, I know...I'll write ONE letter, copy it, and fill in the blanks for their names. LOL That's cheating, isn't it? Oh well.

I put a baby gate up across my front porch so the dogs could stay out there and play while Justin and I went to cut his yards. I dropped him off at Brother Chris and Sis Amanda's. His knee is still bothering him, so while he got started on their yard, I went to his second yard and did the hardest part of it. I cut until that was finished, went back to pick him up and drop him off at the second house to finish and I took his checks to deposit them in the bank and run other errands where I didn't have to get out of the car. lol I was soooooo dirty. lol I got back to him just as he was finishing up and got home in time to clean up the house a bit. I was going to get pizza for supper before I remembered that I had cooked pinto beans for tonight's supper last night in the crock pot. But once the kids heard the word "pizza" that was it and Bruce is out getting some now anyway. SO! Pizza and pintos. Hmmm....One gives you garlic breath and the other.............doesn't.

Well, that was my day. How was yours??

Kids!

Bruce and I have both of our computers set to a password so if the children want to be on the computer, they must get us to put our password in.

Harrison and Hannah were on Bruce's computer and Bruce was just about to doze off for a little while on the couch when Harrison came over and said, "Hey Dad, you need to write down your code on a piece of paper so we can always have it and then you won't have to get up and do it."

I don't know, I thought that was so funny. It totally escapes him that we have it that way for a reason.

Update On The Howell Family...Praise the Lord!

This email was waiting for me in my box yesterday. Thanks to all of you who prayed for the Howell family, our missionaries to New Zealand. The Lord certainy came through once again. Here is the email Brother Howell sent:

PRAISE GOD!

I just picked up our passport and approved visas from FED EX.

Thanks for your prayers.

We have had more funds come in this past week to bring us closer to our needed $8,500. Our airline tickets have been covered now, they were just under $6,000. Please continue to pray that we will raise all of our needed funds and that we will be at least 70% of our support. It is important that churches with commitments, but have not started support, to get their suport in before the 25th so we will see it before we travel on the 20th of next month. Also pray that any churches considering supporting us will start by the same date. Pray also that our support will continue to increase while we are in New Zealand for the 6 months; I know many churches do not take on new missionaries until the end or beginning of the year.

God is good...all the time,
Lewis Howell

Thursday Devotion

In my devotions this morning I was reading in Acts chapter 3 when the lame man was brought daily to the gate for alms.

vs. 4 "And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. vs5 And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them."

You may receive something different by reading those two verses, but as soon as I read them, I thought to myself, "How many times have I laid at the gate and didn't expect something from the Lord?"

Our Pastors work diligently through the week preparing a message from GOD. When you attend services this week, go expecting a blessing. You may not know how it will come, but it WILL come.

My Wednesday Thought

Yesterday I went to the church to work on cleaning out a resource room. It is slowly becoming a place for storing things that really need to be thrown out. There were three greeting card racks in there with HUNDREDS of greeting cards in them. Apparently, a local owned Bible bookstore had gone out of business and had given our church some of the items that were left in the store. Anyway, the cards had been stored in there for so long and things had been piled on top of them that a lot of the cards were bent, torn, or faded and I just threw them away. I went through all of them and put them in their proper categories lining them up on three long tables down the upstairs hallway with all the envelopes divided into colors and size. The church will announce this evening that anyone interested in these cards may go up and take whatever they want and how much they want. That's one way of getting rid of them! It took from 11:00 to 3:00 to do that one job. So needless to say, I'll be working on that room some more soon. There are dozens of video tapes from our services that need to be placed in chronological order and that will be the next job, I believe. These master copies go all the way back to '99, three services a week and special services for 52 weeks a year. I love doing stuff like that. LOL

I'm really excited right now. Since Bruce and I will be working in SIGMA I won't be singing on a regular basis with my Pee Wee Pirates. However, I still get to work with them on the Christmas Program and I spoke to Sis Janet today and she's going to order the Patch the Pirate play Peanut Butter Christmas for me from Majesty Music. This story is about a family stranded in a motel room at Christmas because of a snowstorm. Bruce and I were actually in this play as the mother several years back when Sis Rachel (Courtney's Mom) directed the youth choir at our former church. I've always wanted to do this play with our kids at Faith, and I'm so excited that we're finally going to be able to do it. I know it's going to be cute and I know it will be a blessing.

Well, it's a wonderful Wednesday afternoon and right now I'm going to flip through my favorite blogs to see if anyone has updated and then I'm off to start supper. Hope you're having a wonderful "hump day." I learned that from Tori. Isn't that funny?

Carolina Cyclone

This is a short video I took while riding the Carolina Cyclone.

Hurray For Photobucket

I really wish I had been able to take more pictures, but it was really a hassle to try when getting on rides. So here are just a few I took.


Pam bought our breakfast from McDonald's for the trip to Carowinds. Here she is drinking her orange juice.


Here she is trying not to laugh. She wanted to eat her McGriddle but wouldn't because I had the camera.

Here we are in the parking lot.

Here I am in this really red and furry hat. I look like Huggy Bear. If you grew up in the 70's, you know who I'm talking about. LOL

Here we are flying on the scrambler.

This is the Vortex. This is one of my favorite rides. You're standing up on this ride.

This is the Borg. This is my LEAST favorite ride....but I did ride it for the first time with Pam. Standing in line I was nervous and feeling sick. When you sit down and buckle up, they lean your sit completely back so you're lying down. Then it takes off backwards and the corkscrews begin keeping you suspended in a flying position. I was so worked up when we got off I was ready to throw up. Honestly.

This is a little friend we made by giving him and his friend some fries. They were so sweet to watch.



We ate lunch at Chick-fil-A in the park. If we had ordered here in town what we had ordered there at the park it would have come to under ten dollars. But for the two of us to eat a sandwich, fries and drink each, it cost a whopping $25. Isn't that highway robber?? But it was good!

Here is Pam posing with Fred from Scooby Doo.

And this was the beautiful sky just before we were leaving the park.

We had a really good day. Thank you for taking me, Pam. I had a ball!!

What Color Flower Are You?

You Are a White Flower

A white flower tends to represent purity, simple beauty, and modesty. At times, you are dignified like a magnolia. And at other times, you represent great ecstasy, like a white orchid. And more than you wish, you're a little boastful, like a white hydrangea.

What Color Flower Are You?

Carowinds

OK, I'm having trouble with blogger...AGAIN...downloading my pictures. So! I'll have to post my carowinds pictures when I get them downloaded to photobucket. Good ole photobucket. I love them!! Right now, I'm going to start cleaning out a room at our church. Just check back again later this evening. Lord willing, I'll have some pics. We had a really good time.

~Kristi

MiMi

I found this one at Three Sisters Blog and since they thought I would respond, which they were correct, here goes.....

A. Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Stay at Home wife and Homeschooling Mother
2. Liberty Day Care
3. Front end supervisor and in charge of the safe for AAFES when hubby was stationed in Germany
4. Front desk supervisor and auditor for Master's Inn Economy

B four movies I could watch over and over
1. Anne of Green Gables
2. Anne of Avonlea
3. Larry Brown from Iowa preaching, "But Amnon Had A Friend."
4. Home movies

C) Four Places I have lived
1. Kings Mountain, NC
2. Frankfurt, Germany
3. Bessemer City, NC
4. Greenville, SC

D) Four things I like to do.
1. Sing, read my Bible
2. Be with my friends
3. Take pictures/Scrapbook
4. Be cheerful!!!

E) Four places I have been on vacation
1. Myrtle Beach, SC
2. Gatlinburg, TN
3. Luxombourg
4. Trier, Germany


F) Four websites I visit daily (or frequently) I must say that limiting this list to four made it very difficult because there are MANY that I visit each day. But since it said four, I chose these:
1. Three Sisters
2. Ever Joyful
3. A Home Away From Home
4. Tammy's Times

G) Four of my favorite foods
1. Chicken Salad from Sonic
2. Pizza Hut pizza
3. Sloppy Joes
4. Brother Joel's Tex Mex. (This should REALLY be in the number 1 spot.)

H) Four places I would like to be right now
1. To be honest, I can not think of any place I would like to be right now because I'm content being at home. However, if I get the urge to go someplace, I'll let ya know. :)

Four friends I think will respond
1. Rhonda from Missionary Mom
2. Heather from Just Laugh
3. Arlene from Ever Joyful
4. Tori from A Home Away From Home

Here's Where I've Been

create your own visited states map
or check out these Google Hacks.

Here are the states I've visited. This is for Christina....A fellow homeschool blogger. Check out her site. She's fantastic!
Hope y'all have a great day! I know I'm going to. :)

Late Gifts Are Great Gifts!

My birthday was July 1st and I had a great one. And although it is a month
past my birthday, due mostly to busy calendars, my friend, Pam is taking
me to Carowinds tomorrow, just the two of us. Doesn't that sound like fun?
I'm planning on taking my camera if I can remember. So be sure to check
back tomorrow night or Tuesday morn to see if I remembered.

We had some good services today. Tonight, our Pastor preached out of Nehemiah 2 and the walls we need up in our Christian life. One of the last points he hit was on protecting our treasures. Specifically to parents, our children. It was a really needed sermon because my oldest son, Justin, brought up a subject on the way home from church this morn that had been on his heart. I wasn't quite prepared for it, but we had a good talk. And as I laid down for my Sunday nap I prayed that the Lord would help him see and understand some things. Then tonight, Pastor's sermon was right on target. As the alter call began, Bruce and I both were lead to pray around our children. As Justin made his way to us I began to cry. Not out of worry, but because I could see on his face that the Lord had made some things clear to him through the sermon.

Now, isn't God good?

Justin's Back

We picked Justin up from the church at 4:00 today. He had a really good time in Tennessee. He was exhausted, but ready to tell us about his trip. He said his favorite time of fun was on the ski lift up the mountain to the different shops and things. His favorite work time was the visitation. They were split up in groups and he said he believed one person was saved. That was good news! He said the church was quite small but seemed to be a really good church.

When we picked Justin up from our church, we headed straight over to some friend's home for dinner, games, and lively discussion. So I haven't really had a chance to get all the details. I'm sure he'll fill me in on all of them tomorrow. I'm looking forward to having a regular conversation with him and when I do, I'll be sure to fill you in on some more of his trip.

To those of you who gave Justin things to sell in his yard sale and at the trade lot, to those who have given him an opportunity to work for them this summer cutting grass or doing odd jobs, and to those who just wanted to make donations for his trip, we extend a heartfelt thank you. It meant so much. He has learned the value of a dollar this summer, which I am so glad to know, but he also learned that God does supply. He took a specific amount with him and came back with 1/3 of what he took. I was really surprised and proud at the same time.

So Thank You for letting the Lord use you:

Grandmother Morrow
Maw Maw and Paw Paw Birt
Uncle John
Aunt Dessie
Brother Chris and Sister Amanda
Brother and Sister Vaughn
Brother Randy and Sister Kellie
Brother Cecil and Sister Colleen
Brother Mike and Sister Susan
Brother Ken and Sister Tammy
Brother John and Sister Kim

Did I forget anyone? If I did, I'm sorry. It doesn't mean it wasn't appreciated. It just means that once again, it is 2:00 AM and my brain is on stand-by. :)

What Donut Are You?

You Are a Boston Creme Donut

You have a tough exterior. No one wants to mess with you. But on the inside, you're a total pushover and completely soft. You're a traditionalist, and you don't change easily. You're likely to eat the same doughnut every morning, and pout if it's sold out.

What Donut Are You?

I had to laugh when I read this because I do pout if Krispy Kreme is sold out of chocolate covered cream filled donuts. But I disagree with me having a rough exterior. I think I'm very approachable. At least I try to be. If you know me personally, do you agree or disagree?

New Blogger

I wanted to help Courtney, from Courntey's Contemplations, announce the blog of her cousin, Rebecca. The blog is Rebecca's Reflections. I have met Rebecca personally on more than one occassion and I can say that she is a wonderful Christian young lady who loves the Lord with all her heart. She graduated from a Bible College here near us but presently resides in the wild and wonderful state of West Virginia and has a beautiful singing voice! Give her a holler!

What Frappuccino Are You?

Caffe Vanilla Frappuccino

Smooth and sweet, you fit in to almost any crowd. No one would suspect you of being a coffee tweaker!

What Flavor Frappuccino Are You?

These tests seem to be all the rage these days. I found this one at Tammy's Times and thought it would be cute, although, I'm not exactly sure what a coffee *tweaker* is.

Another Message From the Howell Family

This post is really for those that live near me, but not necessarily if you're interested in a free pet. Mrs. Kim Howell, our missionary to New Zealand, is offering a free pet to a good home. Here is what she has to say about it........

Just thought I’d drop a quick note about the hamster. New Zealand doesn’t have hamsters and won’t allow them into the country so our furry friend has to find a new home. We would like to keep the cage because we probably would get a guinie pig or other small animal that could use the cage. Pet supplies are very expensive in New Zealand. The hamster is free with all other stuff I have for him since we could no longer have a hamster. The wheel, wood home, feeding bowl, water bottle, food, bedding, small fence for letting him run around in without letting him have free roam in the house, wood chew blockes, etc. The happy person receiving Tiger would only have to supply a cage and the above stuff is free. Tiger is a teddy bear hamster with some dark stripes on his side, hence the name Tiger. Of course he is male. We have had him about 1 year and he has always been healthy and quite friendly. I give him an apple and carrot piece each week and put vitamins in his water. His fur is very good and he has never given us any problems.

Another quick note, do you know if anyone has a fish tank and would like a few free fish? I will be breaking down the tank soon and will just take them to the fish store if no one wants them. I have about 8 swordtails and 4 small stripped things (forget name) and 1 algae eater. All get along fine, the swordtails have reproduced and their babies keep having babies, so a few of the swordtails are only about ¾ inch long.

Thanks for posting this on your web site.

Kim

If you're interested in the hamster, please go to the Howell website and email them from there or just email or call me and I'll make sure they get the message. THANKS!

~Kristi

Hannah's Denim and Lace Pictures

I've had a lot of problems lately getting pictures on my blog. Even through Photobucket, which leads me to believe that it's something wrong with Blogger, (of course!). I hope you can see these all right.
These are pictures that Hannah took on her trip to the mountains with our Pastor's wife and the Denim and Lace girls last weekend. They had a really nice time. Some of the mothers were able to go. There were a couple of moms and mom substitutes that she didn't get a picture of. Well, she may have gotten a picture, but for the sake of friendship I've decided that some pictures just should not be shared....You know who you are. :) You can thank me later.


This is Shelby. She's pretty here, but wait til you see the faces she can make. LOL


This is Callie. She is hilarious beyond words. The funniest child I think I have ever met and always has a great sense of humor.


This is Cassie...Callie's older sister. She'll be in our SIGMA group this year. Such a sweet face. HA! She has us all fooled!!! Or at least she THINKS she does. ;) Love you, Cassie.


This is Kendra. The spittin image of her Mother. Hehehe. Her Mother is the church secretary, Mrs. Janet.


This is Ally(left) and Cheyenne. Ally is our orchestra director's daughter. She's very sweet and funny rolled up in one beautiful little girl. Cheyenne is the oldest daughter of our Sunday school teacher. She's a really pretty girl and has a good sense of humor.


Cheyenne again.


Ally again


Sis Pam and daughter Nicole. Nicole always has a big hug for whoever will take it from her. Pastor always says he feels like she gives him a back adjustment when she hugs him. LOL


Cheyenne and Kendra being crazy.


Mrs. Ava (our pastor's wife) and their new son, Bubba.


Cheyenne and Bubba


Mrs. Ava


Callie


Shelby making faces. She's so crazy.


Oh, that's lovely.


She was sporting her chocolate mouth.


Mrs. Janet


Mrs. Crystal. She's Cassie and Callie's mother.


Cheyenne and Shelby


The waterfall


Nicole






Shelby. I thought I would put this one last so you could see what she REALLY looks like.

Please Pray for the Howell Family

As some of you know, I have posted periodically on the Howell family, missionaries out of our church on their way to New Zealand. I received this prayer request through an email and wanted to share it with my praying friends. Please keep this family in your prayers.

The Devil is fighting our getting into New Zealand. Our last lengthy trip away from home, we came home to a defrosted freezer which leaked all over the kitchen; we lost the freezer and all the food in it. Also, on that trip we had a flat tire and a blow out. This trip we came home to some potatoes that rotted and oozed all through the kitchen; smelled as bad as the defrosted meet. This time we also had our washer go up. And, while cutting grass last night the lawn mower front wheel fell off. We just returned to this yesterday and today we found out about our visitor visa being declined. All of this and much more has been happening ever since we purchased our airline tickets a couple months ago.

Our application for a visitor visa for our 6 months in New Zealand came back declined. We are resubmitting with what we hope is all they will need for approval.

They declined due to insufficient funds for our stay. We will have sufficient funds coming to us through our mission board if we are at 70% or more of our support. However, what they require is a specific amount of current funds in a personal bank account or credit card, and this amount for our 6 months is $14,400. When we eventually apply for our work visa we will not need this because our salary will be proof of funds. Besides purchasing our recent airline tickets, we have no credit card debt (this month the Lord has sent in about $1,500 towards our tickets). Because we had no credit card debt when sending in our visa application, the credit card information we sent was over a year old since we have had no purchases or statements, and this card had only $13,200; the credit card statement being a year old and not for at least $14,400 caused the decline. We just activated a credit card for $15,200 but we have no statement except what I can print off the internet. I am sending this information with our application for a visitor visa. Please pray that this will be sufficient. If this is not sufficient, we will need $14,400 in a personal bank account to show proof of funds.

God is good…all the time,
Lewis Howell
Ephesians 6:18-19

Justin's Gone :( But He'll Be Back!!

Well, the trip Justin has been looking forward to finally came to pass this morning. I just came back from dropping him off at the church. He was up and ready to hit the open road around 7:00 this morning. We stopped at McDonald's so he could get a bacon, egg, and cheese bagel and then off to the church we went.

When we got there, all the teens that were going were standing in front of the bus ready to leave. Some sipping on a coke, some running around being goofy, and some were just standing there with pillows in hand and a "just woke up" look on their faces.

They are on their way to Tennessee where they will be helping a church promote their VBS by passing out flyers and going soul winning. They'll be singing Wednesday night along with the Sons of Faith and doing some other things. I believe Pastor will be preaching. Not sure for certain though. Anyway, they have an extracuricular activity planned for one day so they're going to have a really wonderful time.

Bruce hasn't had a day off in a month so he told his boss lady he wanted this past Sunday off and that if he didn't get it he was going to call in for three nights. Well, needless to say he got his Sunday off. LOL He enjoyed his day so much. Even though it was a busy day, as our Sunday is always full, he loved every moment of it. And since he works third shift, that gave him the morning and afternoon of Monday off as well. So he and I kissed the younguns and we went out for the better part of Monday. :) It was so wonderful!! When he was at PPG we went out once a week on his four day break. And when he started at Danaher we did that too, but since he's been working every day, we haven't had the opportunity to do that. So it was really nice being able to spend some quality time alone with him just catching up on each other's activities and filling him in on what he's been missing at home.

I'm really looking forward to getting away with him in a couple of weeks. Our Sunday school class is going to Virginia. We're going up a mountain to ride down it on a bicycle. Doesn't that sound like fun??? We'll be staying at our Pastor's house in the mountains and then off to go rafting down the Nolichuckie River. I'll admit that this is NOT my cup of tea. I'd rather be in a dark room with rats....OK, that's stretching it....I'd rather be in a dark room with.....Well, let's just say I don't want to go rafting. But I promised my husband I would go if our class ever went again. He loves rafting. As a matter of fact, he acquired the nickname, Aquaman, the last time he went. I don't like water. I can swim, but I don't like the thoughts of banging against rocks or being in the water with snakes. I have chill bumps just thinking about it. As a matter of fact, I try NOT to think about it. So I'm just going to stop talking about it all together now. LOL

So I'm going to do some laundry now and start fixing supper. I had planned on doing a chicken tonight and found a recipe that Arlene posted on her blog. To see the recipe, click here. She's the sweetest little wife and mother-to-be, living with her Air Force hubby in Japan. Stop by and give her a nice howdy do! She's a real sweetheart.