Thimble Thoughts

BLOG ROLLERS!

2008-08-25T15:40:00.002-04:00

OK, peeps, if you're reading this, you haven't updated my new URL into your bloglines. So go do that!! I've missed hearing from a few of you.

If this is your first time at Thimble Thoughts or you haven't visited in a while, please click here
to take you to my new home.

Thanks!!

I've Moved

2008-07-22T19:54:00.002-04:00

Thimble Thoughts has a new home. Please click here to visit me there! And don't forget to bookmark it!!

He's Coming Home

2008-07-22T09:56:00.004-04:00

Mom called this morning and said they will be releasing daddy to come home later this afternoon. I'll be meeting them at the house to help him in. Since I'm not sure if he'll be able to get up the front steps, we'll be sure to drive around to the back of the house. Much less effort there and I'm sure my brother, John, will be there too.

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Thankful for Inhalers

Harrison has sports induced asthma. So of course he uses an inhaler for those times when he is wheezing and gasping for air.

Well, in The Original White House Cook Book, which is a book of recipes dating back to 1887, I found this relief for asthma which makes me thankful for inhalers:

Sufferers from asthma should get a muskrat skin and wear it over their lungs, with the fur side next to the body. It will bring certain relief.

If Harrison's inhaler ever stops working, I'll be sure to hunt down a muskrat.

Have You Ever Found Everything Funny?

2008-07-21T22:46:00.002-04:00

I went shopping at Wal Mart by myself this evening. One of my favorite things to do is people watch. And I saw some interesting people tonight. I just wish I had taken my camera to capture these people.

Like the woman at the deli with a bee hive hair do in white walking shorts, black panty hose, and red high heel shoes.

And how about the mother with four children, one of which was sitting in their infant car seat looking around without a care in the world while her three older (yet very young) brothers are throwing everything they can get their hands on into the buggy while mom had her back turned. And then they would look at each other, put their hands over their mouths and giggle at the thought of mom purchasing items she did not put in the buggy herself. OK, I admit it, I giggled too and gave them one of those shame on you looks....followed by a wink, of course. They were just so cute.

There was an elderly man walking behind his wife as she did all the shopping, never speaking to each other, and yet everything they did, they did in sync as if they had shopped the same routine for thirty years.

The little girl in the shoe department trying on all the ladies shoes, pretending and wishing her little foot was big enough to buy them. "Look, mama. These almost fit" with five inches left behind her heel.

I also had one of those days when I ran into everyone I knew. Two people I sort of knew from church, but not really. They knew my name, but I was embarrassed not to know theirs. I think I played it off pretty good though. I've learned that saying "Brother" or "Sister" in place of their name really helps a LOT. I learned that from Brother Johnny. lol

Remember my hood and how it popped up while Bruce was driving it the other week? Well, the hood is definitely damaged. The mechanic was able to get the hood closed, but we're going to have to replace it. While we were driving to church, I noticed the windshield wiper on the passenger side was broke and it looked pretty bad. We weren't sure if it was the blade or the arm. Bruce was going to check it for me later today when he got up, but while I was out I stopped at the auto parts store and they were kind enough to check it for me. It was just the blade so I purchased two new blades and they replaced them for me. Bruce was happy it was just the blade and that it's taken care of. I also noticed there is white paint on my windshield. But I think I'll be able to get that off myself. The car is in desperate need of a washing so I think I'll put Justin and Harry on that tomorrow. Harrison likes washing the car with Justin and Hannah. He likes to control the water hose. I'm sure you can guess why.

I better hit the sack. If I don't, I'm going to start rambling and this post is going to be way too long. "See ya" tomorrow!

Two Updates

2008-07-21T13:05:00.003-04:00

After dropping Justin off at work this morning, I stopped by mom's to drop off some clothes for Hannah. She'll be staying with mom for a couple of days to be company for her and to help her around the house and getting back and forth to daddy's hospital room.

Mom spoke with daddy this morning, who should have been in dialysis, but they were running late. They told him that since he is dressing himself, bathing himself, and feeding himself, they see no reason to send him to rehab. I have mixed emotions about this considering they wanted to send him to Charlotte just two days ago. But I'm happy to hear they feel he's doing so well. I don't know when they'll send him home. Maybe in the next couple of days. We'll see. He requested mom bring him pudding, jello, and snack crackers. So I'm assuming he won't be home today.

Hannah updated her blog. Click here to read a little bit about her trip to Puerto Rico. I'm sure she would love a comment from you!

Dinner at the Parris Home

2008-07-20T21:53:00.005-04:00

Brother Sam and Mrs. Anna have held a special place in our hearts since we came to Faith. Mrs. Anna is a wonderful story teller and Brother Sam is one of the most dedicated Clemson fans we have ever known!! (one toilet in the house has a Clemson toilet seat on it...need I say more?)

It surprised us when they invited us for dinner for this weekend and we were happy to go, looking forward to spending time with them. The last time we spent time with them was at the Clemson/UNC football game, which you can read about here. That was the very sad day our wonderful tarheels lost MISERABLY. We will NEVER forget that game. It was terrible. Last night was a lot more fun for us, I promise!

Mrs. Anna cooked up a delicious meal of roast, beans, mashed taters, corn, a WONDERFUL broccoli casserole and fresh veggies and cantaloupe. Not to mention the four desserts of chocolate chip cake (too sinful), banana pudding, cherry cheesecake, and moose track ice cream! Trust me, we did not leave hungry!

After dinner we talked at the table for a little while, sharing stories of how we were saved, stories of Brother RJ and Katie when they were little, stories of the grandchildren, etc...

Hannah and I helped Mrs. Anna clean the kitchen while Bruce watched Brother Sam and Harrison put puzzles together. Then we retired to the living room for more talking, story telling, and looking at the numerous picture books Katie has made for them.

Justin tried not to be rude, but just couldn't help falling asleep. At one point he was even snoring and we had to wake him up because we couldn't hear ourselves talking.

Hannah was tired too and very quiet through the evening. But she did a lot better than Justin and was able to, at least, stay awake.

Thank you, Brother Sam and Mrs. Anna for opening your home to our family. We had a great time and enjoyed the fellowship. It was a blessing spending time with you!

Visiting with Paw Paw

2008-07-20T08:07:00.003-04:00

Bruce and I picked the car up yesterday morning from the mechanic. It was nice to have my little ride back! We parked it at mom's house before going to see daddy at the hospital.

I took a picture of mom, but it was less than flattering, so I took pity on her and decided not to post it.

The kids were tired, grabbing a nap at every chance they could.

(sleeping in the hospital chair)

They brought daddy lunch while we were there. It looked....hmm....well, like hospital food. When they brought it in, he asked them what it was. They told him BBQ. Now, 'round here in these parts, when someone says BBQ, you think juicy meat with a savory sauce, right? Yeah, not at the hospital. It was more like two four oz dried up tenderloin, with no sauce. Daddy said it was like eating the tongue of a boot. LOL Poor thing. He actually did eat quite good. I knew if we stayed while he ate that he would eat better than if we weren't there.

Daddy and me

Daddy, Justin, and Hannah

There is no change since the last update, sorry. We had a good visit, although it was difficult to leave him with tears welling up in his eyes.

We had dinner plans with Mr. and Mrs. Parris from church last night. We had a great time talking and laughing. Mrs. Parris will keep you laughing, I assure you! She tells some great stories. I'll post about that tomorrow. Hope you all have a wonderful Sunday. I know we will. The youth will be testifying about their trip. So, I'm eager to hear what they have to say.

Da Plane! Da Plane!

2008-07-18T19:58:00.002-04:00

I'm dating myself with this picture, I know it! For you younger peeps you have no idea what that's about, but for you older peeps....hehe

Justin just called to say that their plane has landed and they are on their way home from the airport now. We'll be leaving here in just a few minutes to meet them at the church. I am so overly excited I can't even begin to tell you!! Woo HOO! My babies are home!! Well, they're in town, anyway.

Staying the Weekend

2008-07-18T17:53:00.005-04:00

(pic taken last night)

One of daddy's doctors was going to send him to the rehab center in Charlotte today, but mom insisted that he stay over the weekend for more observations and if they wanted to send him after dialysis Monday, they could. Providing she felt he was ready. They can not determine why his white blood count is so high, although they did rule out an abscess in his stomach.

Mom said he was quiet and sick today. He doesn't want to eat either. There's really nothing more to tell at this time. Hopefully, they'll be able to learn more over the weekend.

I'm hoping that a visit from his grandchildren in the morning will be a good dose of medicine for him. He has missed them TERRIBLY! So I plan on taking them up there first thing in the morning.

I stopped cleaning mom's house long enough to meet Bruce and Harry at Love's Fish Box for lunch today. When I made it back to the house to finish cleaning, a dear ole' chum of mom and dad's called to check on daddy. It was good talking to him. I appreciate his thoughtfulness and the blessing he and his wife are being during this time. Thank you, Brother Tom and Mrs. Sue, I know the Lord will bless y'all for your kindness.

After I finished cleaning the house, I headed over to Pizza Hut to pick up dinner for us. When I got home Bruce said Mrs. Janet had called and said the kid's plane was running an hour late. Which is OK, I guess. What can I do about it? I sure am getting excited. I can't seem to keep my eyes off the clock. It will be so good to see them and, as Jodi put it, smother their faces with smooches!

Harrison claims he hasn't started missing them yet, but he grins sheepishly when he says it, so I'm having a difficult time believing him. I will say, though, that he has enjoyed being an only child this week. And he's been a riot too.

Justin and Hannah talk about "plans" they have for their future. Well, Harrison informed me of his "plan" the other day. He said, "I know what I'm going to do for my future." "REALLY?" I asked. He shook his head and said, "Yeah, I'm going to save up all of my money between now and the time I'm sixteen. Then when I'm sixteen I'll be able to buy my own car and pay off some stuff." That last phrase, pay off some stuff, struck me funny. So I asked him, "Harrison, do you have bills daddy and I don't know about?" He grinned and blushed a little, then replied, "No, but you never know by the time I'm that old."

Yep, it's good to know my eight year old is planning for his future. LOL

Update

2008-07-18T00:06:00.006-04:00

What type of Mother Hen Are You?
by Montessorimom.com: Educational Resource

I found this at the Jungle Hut and decided to do it. Let me know if you do it too.

Bruce and I went to pay the mechanic for our car tonight. I thought we were going to pick it up, but then Bruce said it was due for inspection and the Check Engine light was on. SO! We paid the man for the job he had already done and told him to go ahead and inspect it. Who knows what he'll find out about why the Check Engine light is on. *sigh*

On the way to see daddy, we stopped at a little country store (the one where I broke down last Friday) and bought a soda and double decker chocolate moon pie. I looked down at Harrison, who had devoured his moon pie, and there was chocolate from ear to ear. Bruce saw him and said, "Boy! That moon pie must have been too big for your face!" lol

So, we saw my dad tonight. (Bruce, dad, my brother John)

There's really no more to tell than what we found out yesterday. He is seeing things that aren't there. Such as a black dog, a midget woman in a yellow dress, small children, etc. He knows it's strange that he would be seeing these things and they're not really there. But he can't explain it. Something else I've noticed is that his hearing is backwards. In other words, if something makes a sound on the right, he hears it on the left. Same with the other side.

His white blood count is over 23,000 now, they've put him on IVs with antibiotics and they ran a test on him tonight to see if they could figure out exactly why his counts are so high. We won't know the results from that until sometime tomorrow. Always tomorrow.

(my brother and dad)

We stopped for a bite to eat after leaving daddy and then went to check on my mom. Bruce bought us all a Wendy's frosty and we sat in her living room eating our ice cream and laughing at old stories.

My kids will be home tomorrow. I was going to go to the airport with some other parents, but after checking with Mrs. Janet today and hearing that Pastor did indeed say from the pulpit that he would prefer the parents meet their children at the church and not the airport, Bruce and I decided we would respect those wishes and so I will see my darlings tomorrow night, about 7:30ish, at the church. I am so excited about seeing them. I haven't heard from them since Sunday. So this mama hen is ready for her chicks to return home!

I think a traditional, all American supper will be on the menu for tomorrow night. PIZZA! They'll be happy about that, I think, especially since I've heard that the Sam's Club there is not like the Sam's club here. Instead of isles and isles of different foods, there are isles and isles of large cans of refried beans. I heard that Brother Johnny was smuggling several packs of quick gravy for biscuits and gravy. I wonder how that worked out.

Sun Drop! It's for what ails ya.

Tagged!

2008-07-16T22:29:00.004-04:00

I was tagged by Susan from By Grace to do a Meme. I'm sure I've done this one before, but I'll play again. After all, there are many crazy things about me I can share with you.

Here are the rules:
1) Link to the person who tagged me.
2) Mention the rules.
3) Tell six quirky yet boring, unspectacular details about myself.
4) Tag 6 other blogger´s by linking to them.
5) Go to each person’s blog and leave a comment that lets them know they’ve been tagged

*Well, y'all know I have this thing about numbers. Especially even numbers. I particularly enjoy numbers by twos and fours. But when I eat those little goldfish crackers, I have to do them in increments of ten. If I pull out more than ten I put how many I am over back in the bag/box. If there is an odd number of them left in the bag/box, I won't eat them.

*I get aggravated when the throw pillows on the couch are not where they are supposed to be. Putting them in their proper place is the last thing I do before going to bed.

*I DESPISE burping. I mean, I know we all do it. It is a natural way of expelling gas from the body. BUT, EXCUSE YOURSELF FROM MY PRESENCE. And when children do it, especially older children who should definitely know better, I have certain thoughts toward their parents. What is wrong with teaching our children manners? Hello, people!

*When someone says something to me I usually spell out the sentence in my head and wiggle my toes with each letter. I could expound on this, really, but I'll spare you every detail of this crazy habit.

*When you visit our home, I like for our entire family to stand on the porch and wave goodbye to you like the Beverly Hillbillies until you are out of sight.

*I do not like to talk on the phone for idle chit chat. I would much rather communicate through emails or IMs. The sound of the phone makes me cringe (except this week while my kids are gone.) I LOVE my caller ID so I can screen my calls. Yes, I know people hate to hear my machine. And yet...they still call.

Who I am tagging:
Susan from Boogers in the Woodpile
Amy from Music and Notes
Lisa from A Place to Land
Tiffany from Mrs. Creative
Dana from The Simple Gift James 117
Katie from Turner's Talent
Starla from Anything and Everything
Carla from Three Men and a Lady...and a Poodle

Yes, I know I tagged eight people, but sometimes I'm a rebel.

Not Going To Rehab....YET!

2008-07-16T16:46:00.002-04:00

The Lord did answer a prayer today concerning daddy going to rehab. Mom and I were a little concerned about him going just yet because it was really too far away and we wanted to find him a place closer to home. But also because we just didn't feel he was ready to leave the hospital yet. We were right!

He is still having those little episodes I told you about. Mom saw him have one again today. But the reason they're keeping him is because just sitting up in bed makes his blood pressure drop extremely low. Also, the disease control doctor was in and concerned because his white blood cell count was over 20,000. He believes he may have an abscess in his stomach from the surgery. Remember the SURGERIES?? UGH! Let's not even get started on that right now.

Anyway, mom did get her Family Medical Leave approved and daddy's stay in the hospital will buy us a little more time of finding a rehabilitation center closer to home. We hate there are other health issues keeping him there, but thankful he is not being moved at this time.

Our family thanks you for your prayers!

Pretty Good...Yet A Little Odd

2008-07-15T18:43:00.005-04:00

We stopped at FMC on the way to the hospital to see my brother and get some sugar. Doesn't he look professional? I think he stole the lab jacket. You know what? I don't think I was supposed to be taking pictures in front of the plant. Oh well!

Daddy was in pretty good spirits today. They want to move him to a rehabilitation center tomorrow. It's far away so I'm hoping mom and I can get him moved to the rehabilitation center here in town.

When they brought his lunch, he was finally ready to eat something. Just as he was about to take his first bite, his head turned to the left and it was as if he was in a trance, barely responsive to me calling to him. He would fight to turn his head toward me and then he would turn it back to the left. He was like this for a couple of minutes. By the time I got the nurse to the room, he had already finished this episode and had began eating as if it had never even happened. The nurse asked him a series of questions that he was able to answer but he did not recall what had just happened. It was very odd and left mom and me questioning what was going on.

They believe his sugar has something to do with his stroke and want to raise his insulin. They also suggested him using a pump. Which I've wanted him to use for a long time. So we'll see....

Jonathan O (the young man with his back turned) is our acting Pastor this week. With our entire staff, Mrs. Janet being the exception, in Puerto Rico, Jonathan is doing a great job. He stayed for a long time with us today and was a blessing to us. Then "little" John O' came to visit on his break. He loves daddy and has been worried about him. It was a blessing to have him visit also. These boys are so precious.

Brother John O' ("little" John's daddy) was leaving the hospital when we got there this morning and spoke to daddy about a sure path. His words were encouraging and stuck with daddy the rest of the day. He also took a picture of daddy sleeping...

He was OUT!

Even In The Valley, God Is Good

2008-07-14T23:23:00.002-04:00

It's late and I'm tired. I've already been to bed once, but I just had to thank the Lord tonight.

As most of you know, my sweet daddy is in the hospital. After running tests today, they have determined that his loss of vision is due to a stroke he had on the lower right side of his brain. When I heard that news today I didn't know what to think. There I was, stuck at home (remember my car is in the shop) feeling helpless and useless. I wanted so badly to be with both of my parents.

Mrs. Kim O' called me just as I was beginning to have my melt down and was so sweet to pray with me over the phone. God sent her at just the right time. Thank you, Mrs. Kim, for being there today. I appreciated that time of prayer.

Numerous men from our church have emailed asking if there was anything they could do. And I thank them for their concern and willingness to help and be a blessing. Thank you, Jonathan, for going to see daddy and standing in the gap for Pastor Goodman, your dad, and Brother RJ, when they couldn't be here. Thank you, Brother Randy and Brother John C, for taking the time to visit and give encouragement. And thank you to whoever else may have visited that I don't know about yet.

My mother showed up on my doorstep tonight just after 6:00. She was tired and hungry. I was able to fix her supper and eat with her. After we ate, Harrison and I packed our bags and came home with mom to spend the night. We meet with the Neurologist in the morning. Please pray he has a good prognosis for daddy's vision.

Mom was on her way to bed and I was going to run Harry some bath water. Just as he and I were headed to the bathroom, I heard my mother say, "There's no water. We have no water." Sure enough...no water! I felt so sorry for her as she leaned over the sink on the verge of tears. "What next?"

She made her way to the computer room and sat in her chair to look for a number of a plumber to call in the morning. Then she thought there was maybe someone in our church who could help. She called Mrs. Janet who assured her that everything would be all right and not to worry about the well.

Mom hung up the phone and began to cry. I said, "Mom, it just occurred to me that the devil is throwing these things at us to keep our minds off of the children's mission trip." Both of us were honest enough to admit that through the adversity of the day, neither of us had taken the time to pray for the young people and the staff in Puerto Rico. "God is bigger than these problems and He has gotten us through so much more than this." She went to her bed. I went to mine. We both began to pray. I'm not sure what she prayed, but I am pretty confidant that her prayer was similar to mine, praying for our young people to see the lost, praying that they will be a blessing to our missionary there in Puerto Rico. Praying for our staff, for Mrs. Debbie at church who faced cancer surgery today, knowing the outcome will most likely not be promising. Praying for Mrs. Tina's daddy who faces surgery tomorrow morning, and for Mrs. Coleen who is recovering from a very serious surgery. Praying for a family that is broken and trying to move on. Praying for a church member who will be leaving for Iraq soon, leaving behind his wife and three children. For all kinds of burdens on other brothers and sisters hearts. Eventually, we were both asleep.

And then at 9:45 the phone rang. It was Mrs. Janet calling to say that some men in the church were on their way over to make sure we had water in the morning. Thank you, Brother Larry H, Brother Mark H, and Brother Bowen, for coming out so late and working on the well. As I watched you from the kitchen window I thanked the Lord for each one of you, for coming out so late and getting the water running for my mom. You will never know what your kindness means. It was almost 11:30 when they finished. God will bless them, I know it!

I've asked that the parents who read this blog not say anything to your children if they are in Puerto Rico. I certainly do not want Justin and Hannah knowing. I would hate for this to ruin their trip and get their hearts on something they can not do anything about.

Daddy is in God's hands and just so you'll know, I have it on good authority that he is his jovial self. Making the nurses laugh and realize they have a character on their hands. Isn't that funny? I'm home crying and worrying and he's laying in a hospital bed, nearly blind, making people laugh.

God is good....all the time.

Happy Birthday, Celine!!

2008-07-12T21:24:00.005-04:00

Celine is more to me than just a child I babysit. To us, she is a part of our family. We love her so much and it was wonderful to help her celebrate her FIFTH birthday. I can't believe she's already five. Even though she acts sixteen sometimes.

Celine is full of fun and life. Always buzzing around and bringing smiles to those she's around.

WE LOVE YOU, CELINE!! You're a precious, wonderful part of our lives and we're so thankful the Lord brought you to us.

Amanda ordered Celine's cake from Amy. She did a cake to resemble cotton candy, which I thought was soooooo cute! Amy has such a talent for cake decorating and I always get excited to see what she's done "this time!" Isn't that cute?

The tables were decorated pink and blue with cotton candy taped to the back of each chair for the children to take home and skittles were used as confetti. Cute idea, Mander!!

There was a blow up slide...

...and one of those air bouncy things. Both of which were quite popular with the kiddies.

There was a brief moment of devouring cake and ice cream.

And then it was present time. Let's see, she turned five, so for five years she has LOVED music. She knows the Sons of Faith CD by heart. When I watch her from the choir, she's singing every word right along with us. It's so sweet. She likes to listen to my iPod when we're traveling somewhere, so we bought her an MP3 player and her daddy is going to load some music on it for her. She seemed really happy with it, as well as all the other wonderful gifts she was given.

Happy Birthday, Celine. You're a sweetheart!

Dinner With Tim and Angie

2008-07-12T20:47:00.005-04:00

As I said in the post below, we had dinner at Don's last night with Brother Tim, Mrs. Angie, and their youngest son, Logan. Their oldest son, "Todd," is in Puerto Rico too.

Angie and her sweetheart son, Logan. He is soooooo funny! He definitely has his own personality. lol And Angie has the sweetest voice. She's so nice and fun to talk to.

This is Brother Tim. He's a "special" case, this one. By the way, the wall tile in the background is not tile. I'm not sure what the wall was, but the tile markings were done with a magic marker. Pretty wild, huh?

Logan was hiding from my camera, but I GOT HIM!

At Sonic, Logan and Harrison found fun on the merry-go-round.

But then it was ice cream time. They were very serious about their ice cream!

These were Bruce's kin folk that showed up. From left to right is Aunt Diane, Uncle Robert, Uncle Richard, and Aunt Sylvia. Uncle Richard and Aunt Sylvia are my mother-in-law's brother and sister. These here are all good people and we love them so much!!

Theresa and Tammy were at Sonic too. They are so fun to be around. When you need to be around happy people, these are two that you look for!

And then of course was Brother Tim. Here he was showing his dog, Malachi, to someone at Sonic. The dog was not happy. Keep in mind, peeps, that these K-9 dogs are NOT pets. But I will say I have great respect for the dog. LOL.....Tim too, but I'm NOT telling him that!

Ever Had One Of THOSE Days?

2008-07-12T10:34:00.002-04:00

Yeah, me too! I had one of THOSE days yesterday.

I was already feeling somewhat emotional from seeing my babes off to Puerto Rico. I thought that would be the only sad thing in my day. But alas, I was wrong.

As you know, daddy is VERY sick. His sinus infection has caused him not to be able to see out of one eye and his other eye he can't seem to focus. Normally he drives himself to and from dialysis, but with this going on with his eyes, he certainly can NOT do that. So, mom took him to dialysis before work and I picked him up. He was terribly weak with his blood pressure being very low.

With his bp being so low, I knew I'd need to help him up the steps. After twenty minutes, we finally made it. Poor thing no sooner got out of the car that he started going down. I was standing behind him so I quickly wrapped my arms around him and, although he still hit the ground, I was able to help break his fall. I just had him sit there momentarily until he felt he had enough strength to try again. When he was ready, I braced myself with my arms through his and began to lift him up. Just as he was almost up, his legs gave out again and down he went. This time pulling my back. He's somewhat stubborn, as most people know, so I couldn't talk him out of trying to crawl. He got on his hands and knees and just stayed there, unable to move. The sidewalk was so hard on his knees he began to cry. I ran up the porch steps and grabbed a rocking chair. After several attempts, we were able to get him in the chair. He sat there while I raced in the house to fix him a cold drink. It was so hot outside yesterday. Finally, we were able to make it up the steps and into the house, just in time for him to fall into his chair. Bless his heart. He stayed there the remaining part of his day.

I was going to clean the house, but before I did, I decided to cook their supper for the evening. Daddy normally cooks for them, but again, since he can't see what he's doing, I figured I'd cook their meal so momma wouldn't have to when she got home from work. Remember, she's sick too!

So, the meal was completed, the house was finished, and daddy was resting in his chair. Time to get home. We had dinner plans with Tim and Angie C. I had enough time to get home, shower, and take a nap before leaving.

As I pulled away from my parent's home, something just didn't feel right. The car didn't want to seem to go. I made my first turn and checked to make sure I was completely in drive. I was. I looked at the speedometer...it wasn't working. Neither was the odometer or anything else on my dash. I made it to a little country store when it finally cut off. Drifting into the parking lot, I thought to myself, Oh dear....poor Bruce. He and Harry pulled up about 15 minutes later. Bruce jumped the car off, but it didn't hold it long enough to switch gears. We'd have to have it towed. We drove to our mechanic, which was fairly close by, but he didn't have a tow truck. He did tell Bruce that if he had a charger (which he does) he could charge it up enough to get it there from where it was. Our charger was at home though. For sake of time, Bruce decided to jumped it off again and this time left it running in hopes that it would charge the battery long enough to get it to our mechanic. Then he remembered this "thing" he had in his truck. Apparently it jumps the battery without using another car. ANYWAY! He hooks that up, closes the hood down on top of it and off he goes. But here's the thing.....the hood wasn't secure. So while Harrison and I traveled behind him to the mechanics, we were stunned and worried when we saw...and heard...the hood come flying up. Bruce continued driving, since he was able to watch the road through a crack. He drove like this about a half mile before he made it to the mechanic's. Needless to say, he was a bit upset when he saw what had happened to my hood and roof because of the hood flying up. So now, not only is the car broke down, but the hood and roof are damaged too. I suppose I could have been all over Bruce about that happening, but I think he was beating himself up enough. Besides, I didn't really care about the hood and the roof. I was just happy he wasn't harmed in the process!

We did make it home, but would this day get any better? My back was really starting to hurt. I was exhausted. Hot. Wondering about my babies. Thinking about daddy. Praying....for everything and everyone! I couldn't WAIT to get home, step into a hot shower, and rest before going to dinner. There wasn't time for a nap, but it sure felt good to put my feet up, in a cool house.

Bruce made a call to Mrs. Janet who let us know the kids were safe and sound in Puerto Rico. Not long after, my baby girl called. Her sweet little voice made the rest of the day seem like a blur.

We met Tim and Angie at Don's for supper. We enjoyed our time with them and it was so nice to be with friends. Thanks, Tim and Angie, for a great time of fellowship. We needed it and we had a wonderful time with y'all.

We all went to Sonic for ice cream!

While we were at Sonic, Bruce's Uncle Robert and Aunt Sylvia, Uncle Richard and Aunt Diane showed up.

While we were saying hello and stealing hugs, Theresa and Tammy showed up.

And THEN! While we were standing around talking, a policeman pulled up and started shining his light right in my face. I thought they were looking for someone at first. Then I realized it was Brother Tim and his K-9 dog, Malachi.

Most of my day was spent with burdens on my heart. My children. My sick daddy. My car. My husband. But it ended with a lot of laughter and smiles. And when we got home there was, not one, but TWO, calls from my kids.

I'm so blessed.

Although this day looks like it may have some "holes" in it, I'm just going to go with it, knowing the Lord is in control.

And Then There Were Three

2008-07-11T17:35:00.010-04:00

I got the kids up at 6:30 and while they dressed and got ready to leave for their trip to Puerto Rico, I made chocolate chip pancakes. But we were out of syrup. Well, I thought we were. We actually had a very small amount of maple syrup and we did have a brand new bottle of Karo syrup in the baking cabinet. So, that worked! The kids love chocolate chip pancakes and I knew they would enjoy those this morning. I was right.

Once they were dressed, fed, and ready to go, Bruce and I had a time of prayer with them and then we were off!

We stood around waiting to board the bus and everyone chatted, hugged, told plane crash stories, bomb threat stories, etc.

They'll be hiking through a rain forest so Bruce gave our kids a piece of advice..."Walk in the middle of the group so if anything jumps out to bite, they get someone on the outside of the group. And remember....you don't have to outrun anything. Just the person you're with." Yeah, that's good advice from their dad, huh? lol

Time for a group pic!

Next was checking to make sure everyone had their IDs.

Then it was hug time! This is Taylor and her mom, Kim.

Time to board the bus!!

Jeremy saying goodbye to his Grandma H

Jeremy, Parker, and Justin....what is up with Justin's smile?? LOL

Hannah got on the bus when told and then got stuck when she wanted to give us a hug, so Bruce and I hopped on the bus too. There was no way our little girl was leaving without that hug!!!

Of course, we weren't the only parents hopping the bus for hugs! (Rebecca and Jamie)

Mrs. Marla was driving the bus to the airport. Between driving that big bus and her daughter flying out today also, looks like she's already losing her mind!!

We're gonna miss those younguns! We're praying they'll have a great time with their church family and our missionary. But most of all, that the Lord will show them what the mission field is all about and give them a vision and love for lost souls.

THIS JUST IN: Hannah called on Justin's cell to say hello. They were getting ready to eat at a Sizzler there in Puerto Rico! Sure was good to hear that little voice.

Last Minute Shopping, Goodbyes, and Doctor Visits

2008-07-10T21:29:00.004-04:00

I took the kids to do some last minute shopping before they leave for Puerto Rico tomorrow. My babies are going to Puerto Rico and I can't go with them. WAAAH! I called mom to tell her we would be stopping by the bank for them to get their spending money and to say goodbye. She wanted to treat the kids to a special lunch before they left, so she took us to Mountain View Restaurant in our little town. It's locally owned with GREAT food. We were all stuffed when we left. Thanks, mom, it was so good.
Mom has been sick for a couple of weeks, and although she still has a very bad cough and some congestion, she did sound and look so better than when I saw her Sunday.

After dropping mom back off at the bank, we went to see daddy. He's been sick for a few weeks also and I have not seen or heard any improvement in him at all. After noticing that he had two black eyes from busted blood vessels, and that he could not see out of his right eye with the left eye not being able to focus, I called his doctor and got him an appointment for 4:30. I rushed the kids home, helped them do a little more packing, threw some laundry in the wash, and Harrison and I headed back to take daddy to his appointment. Being totally freaked at germs, all of this had to wait until after we all washed our hands and downed vitamin C and zinc....of course!

The doctor said he has a touch of pneumonia, which did not surprise me at all. He has a sinus infection and I believe his ear is infected also, if not both. Bless his heart. Because he has kidney failure, the doctor was a little leery about giving him this particular antibiotic. It's very strong so he just takes it every other day. I dropped his prescriptions off, ran him home, helped him into the house and got him settled back into his chair. Harry and I went back out to pick up the prescriptions, dropped them off at mom and dad's, and made it back home just in time for Justin and Hannah to return with Bruce from having their luggage weighed at church and packing the bus.

*sigh*

They'll be leaving early in the morning so please pray for their safety while traveling. I'm sure the entire group would appreciate those prayers!!

New Recipes and OOPS! What Was I Playing?

2008-07-09T11:12:00.004-04:00

There's a couple of new recipes at Blogger's Recipes. Chicken Under a Brick and Strawberry Pie. Check 'em out!

If you've seen the post below you know at least one thing I did yesterday. While I was sitting in the salon chair the phone rang. It was Mrs. Janet. Now, normally if she calls and asks what my schedule is for the day, it's usually because she wants to do lunch. Not this time! She actually wanted to know if I'd play the piano for a funeral of a man in our church that had passed away this week.

My initial thought, after I started breathing again, was Why did I answer that phone call!? But then I realized that there was a grieving family and a piano player was needed. Considering the fact that I'm constantly telling Hannah the Lord may use her piano playing in the future for times such as this, and since I wasn't playing for anyone singing oh mercy I told Mrs. Janet I'd be there. So! While Missy was busy rolling my hair and we chatted about this and that and the other, I couldn't help but think of what I would play. I rushed home, dressed appropriately, and then sat down at my piano. Do you have any idea the last time I sat down at my piano? I flipped through the song book, although I don't know why. I only play in C and by ear. Reading music is a foreign language to me. SERIOUSLY. I thought about Mrs. Anna...OH! Mrs. Anna, where is she?? She plays lovely.

After gathering about ten songs to play I slipped on my shoes and headed for the church. All the while feeling nauseated at the thought of playing in front of all those poor people grieving for their husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle, cousin, etc...you get the idea. I did not want to be a distraction to them during this time.

There was one point during my playing where I started looking around shouldn't have done that and ended up fusing two songs together...Tis So Sweet and In The Garden. How in the world that happened, I don't know. I just lost track, I guess. I stumbled through the keys trying to figure out which song I was originally playing. I still haven't figured that out, by the way. I ended with....something....and MOVED ON! It's already funny today, but yesterday...not so much. I don't know if anyone noticed or not. They didn't say if they did.

I moved from the piano to the front and closest pew for the service. Brother Boone was doing his best to comfort the family and offer words of encouragement But it was very difficult, I'm sure, under the circumstances. In the back of the church sat a young mother with her infant and toddler. The infant was crying...the toddler was talking and banging the pew...the mother was SHHHHHHHHHHHHing and whispering to them if you can call it that to SHUT UP! I didn't turn around, but I could see the faces of others and decided I'd be the one to help this mother with her children. So I got up, walked to the back of the church where I met Mrs. Dockery, who had the same idea I had. Together we took the baby to the nursery. I took her from her car seat and held her for a moment. She was so beautiful. She just wanted to be picked up and talked to. Then I handed her to Mrs. Dockery who was happy to love on her and rock her while I stepped back into the service. I stood in the back, so not to interrupt the service...again...and when Pastor Goodman said, "Let's pray" I took that as my cue to rush back to the piano.

All in all, it wasn't so bad. It's just funny how the Lord will put us in situations and we are totally clueless! But there's one thing I've learned from these situations.....

Just go with it!

After Three Whole Years!

2008-07-08T22:51:00.001-04:00

BEFORE~~~~

AFTER~~~~

Have You Ever Thought About....

2008-07-08T02:11:00.004-04:00

...how hungry people are for gossip? Someone can go two years or more and not see or speak to another party, but the first sound of a juicy tale will send them like a snake in the grass, slithering up next to their prey, ever so quietly gathering information to distort and possibly destroy others.

Hypathetically, of course, let's say someone used this blog to trace down another blog to find this juicy tale. Yes, "the tale" is out in public domain for anyone to read. But did they pray for these people when they read the other blog? Doubtful. Did they call in their husband on it? Yeah, probably, but he won't stand up for the right. He's pretty slitering himself. Can they wait until they see a mutual friend or aquaintance to tell what they "know" now? Nope.

To these people, I would have to say that if they are eager to read something good, try James chapter 3...

If you know someone like that, the Bible tells us what to do in Romans 16:17 "Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them."

But as I said, this is totally hypathetical. How would I know if someone could do that anyway? My point is.....well.....you get my point.

Proverbs 16:26-28 "He that laboureth laboureth for himself; for his mouth
craveth it of him. An ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips there
is as a burning fire. A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer
separateth chief friends."

Gardasil....Good or Bad?

2008-07-07T17:33:00.004-04:00

Death toll linked to Gardasil vaccine risesComplications include shock, 'foaming at mouth,' convulsions, comaPosted:
June 30, 200810:18 pm Eastern© 2008 WorldNetDaily

"Anaphylactic shock," "foaming at mouth," "grand mal convulsion," "coma" and "now paralyzed" are a few of the startling descriptions included in a new federal report describing the complications from Merck & Co.'s Gardasil medication for sexually transmitted human papillomavirus – which has been proposed as mandatory for all schoolgirls.

The document was obtained from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration by Judicial Watch, a Washington group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, and it has details of 10 deaths just since September. "Given all the questions about Gardasil, the best public health policy would be to re-evaluate its safety and to prohibit its distribution to minors. In the least, governments should rethink any efforts to mandate or promote this vaccine for children,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.

The organization's work uncovered reports of about one death each month since last fall, bringing the total death toll from the drug to at least 18 and as many as 20. There also were 140 "serious" reports of complications including about three dozen classified as life-threatening, 10 spontaneous abortions and half a dozen cases of Guillain-Barre Syndrome. The document reveals the case of an 18-year-old woman who got the Gardasil vaccine, was found unconscious that evening, and died. Another woman, age 19, got the drug and the next morning was found dead in her bed. The new documents also reveal a total of 8,864 Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System records, up from a total of 3,461 that had been reported in a document just last fall.

WND previously has reported how Merck was lobbying state lawmakers to require the vaccination, but said it would quit the campaign after its activities were unveiled. WND also reported when a key researcher into human papillomavirus, which is targeted by Gardasil, reported it needed more testing, and how even the Centers for Disease Control suggested the vaccine should not be mandatory. That, however, has not diverted the building campaign to have legislatures adopt mandatory vaccination plans. Judicial Watch said one of the reports, VAERS ID: 310262-1 (D), had this to say: "Information has been received…concerning a 20-year-old female with no medical history reported, who on 01-APR-2008 was vaccinated with a dose of Gardasil….The patient died four days after…patient sought unspecified medical attention. An autopsy was performed which ruled out suicide and anything suspicious." Another report said, "Information has been received from a physician concerning a female patient who on an unknown date was vaccinated with a dose of Gardasil. Subsequently, the patient experienced a coma and is now paralyzed. At the time of this report, the patient's outcome was unknown. VAERS ID: 303188-1"The target of the vaccine is cervical cancer, since studies show that those who have HPV have a higher chance of later developing cervical cancer. However, opponents note that such cancers develop most often in older women, while the plan is to require girls as young as 11 or 12 years old to be inoculated. They cite the lack of evidence that the vaccine would have an impact later in life. A Judicial Watch report said, "Even though Gardasil will not be fully tested for safety until 2009, physicians are already pushing it as a routine, harmless vaccine. Merck's aggressive advertisement campaign tells young girls that their lives could be 'one less' affected by cervical cancer and that, 'It's your turn to help guard against cervical cancer.' " The report also estimated it will cost as much as $2 billion to buy vaccinations for the nation's poorest girls.

"This vaccine will be more expensive than all other childhood vaccines put together," concluded John Schiller, a National Cancer Institute investigator. Judicial Watch earlier uncovered reports such as this: "Initial and follow-up information has been received from a physician concerning an 'otherwise healthy' 13 year old female who was vaccinated with her first and second doses of Gardasil. Subsequently, the patient experienced … paralysis from the chest down, lesions of the optic nerve…At the time of the report, the patient had not recovered." Officials with the Abstinence Clearinghouse noted in a position paper that groups including the Texas Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, and the American Academy of Environmental Medicine have come out publicly against mandatory vaccination." The reasoning of these medical associations is clear. They are not opposed to medical progress, and certainly support all efforts to combat life-threatening diseases. The problem, as these organizations see it, lies in the fact that the drug only went through three and a half years of testing, leaving the medical community somewhat in the dark as to what serious adverse effects might result in the long term," the group said at the time."Along with the potential of serious adverse effects is the question of efficacy.

There is evidence that after approximately four years, the vaccine's potency significantly declines. The long-term value of the vaccine has yet to be determined; if it wears off within six years, will girls and women need to repeat the battery of injections they originally received?" the organization wondered.Michigan was the first state to introduce a plan to require the vaccine to be given to young girls, but the proposal failed. Ohio also considered a failed plan in 2006.In 2007 Merck's aggressive lobbying campaign and contributions to Women in Government resulted in proposals in at least 39 states to institutionalize such vaccinations.

I am totally against this vaccination for several reasons. It's right up there with making sure our daughters are on birth control pills, because....you never know! That was sarcasm, people. But let me hear from you. In your opinion, is Gardasil good or bad? Why or why not?
ETS:Although there are moral issues that can be addressed WITH this subject, if you are a Christian parent and your daughter has had this shot, I do not automatically believe that your child is *active* and I am not suggesting that you're only preparing for the future. I do believe, however, that our government has over medicated and over vaccinated our children and they are using our children as guinea pigs.

Were It Not For Grace

2008-07-07T00:16:00.005-04:00

I took this video on the way to Lake Lure the other day. It has absolutely nothing to do with anything except for the song playing in the background. I love this song by the Victorious Valley Girls, Were It Not For Grace. This is just the chorus, but it's my favorite song on this CD. Can you say, "Were it not for grace...."

Here are the words to the whole song:

Time measured out my days

Life carried me along

In my soul I yearned to follow God

But knew I’d never be so strong

I looked hard at this world

To learn how heaven could be gained

Just to end where I began

Where human effort is all in vain

Were it not for grace

I can tell you where I’d be

Wandering down some pointless road to nowhere

With my salvation up to me

I know how that would go

The battles I would face

Forever running but losing the race

Were it not for grace

So here is all my praise

Expressed with all my heart

Offered to the One who took my place

And ran a course I could not start

When He saw in full

Just how much His love would cost

He still went the final mile between me and heaven

So I would not be lost

Were it not for grace

I can tell you where I'd be

Wandering down some pointless road to nowhere

With my salvation up to me

I know how that would go

The battles I would face

Forever running but losing the race

Were it not for grace

Forever running but losing the race

Were it not for grace.

Lake Lure and Hominy Valley

2008-07-05T17:05:00.026-04:00

We had several friends and family that asked us to join them for their celebrations and we thank y'all for each invitation, but we decided to spend our Independence Day at Lake Lure and Hominy Valley. We had some wonderful and well needed family time!
Bruce got up to make an early morning run to gas up the car and pick up a few needed picnic items before we left. We obviously left too early for Justin, cause he snored 'bout the whole way up. Come to think of it....he snored the whole way back. lol

Lake Lure

The scenery at our picnic spot...

There's a church steeple there in the trees. It's bells chimed 12 times at noon and played a couple of patriotic songs. That was nice.

There's a very nice picnic area near the marina...

...but we chose a more secluded spot to set up the canopy.

It was right next to a dock on the lake.

This little guy was quite troublesome to his parents. He kept "leaving the pack" and his mother kept quacking him back to his siblings.

Hannah and I loved the way the mallard's tail curled up.

Justin can't go a day without giving me a goofy look.

Enjoying the tranquility.

Bruce and Justin on the dock.

Bruce played catch with the kids.

I played too.

We had a nice time eating our picnic lunch and just enjoying each other. We were glad to see a little rain come to cool things off. While we sat under the canopy away from the rain, Bruce had a time of Independence Day trivia for the kids.

All good things must come to an end. But more fun was on the way. We packed up our belongings and headed to Hominy Valley for the Primitive's annual Fourth of July Bluegrass Festival. It didn't start until 7:00, so we had plenty of time to do whatever we wanted on the grounds.

Bruce took a little nap.

We were three hours early, but we weren't the only ones!

There was a big tent where we set up our chairs. It had rained lightly off and on through the day, so we thought that would be the best place to sit. We were right. Not only was it still very good seats even though it was the back section, we were dry when the BIG rain came. The Lord was good to let the rain come and go before the music began and it really did cool everything down.

My feet.

Time to start!

New Road was the first group up. They were really good. They had a CD sale too. Three of their CDs for $20. By the time Bruce got up there, of course they were wiped out. lol The guy on the banjo was awesome!

The next one up was Mike Upright. He's not really bluegrass to me. I liked it better when he was singing with Standing Tall. I guess he's flying solo these days. He does have a great singing voice.

These guys, The Marksmen, were my favorite, besides the Primitives, of course. The elderly gentleman on the far left was so sweet. He's an original Marksmen.

Enjoying the music.

And last, but certainly not least, the Primitive Quartet. They are so great. Not just to listen to, but every one of them are great to watch. They are so humble. I just love to see them.

Near the end of the night, the Primitives were given a flag that was flown over the nation's capital. They were very honored.

They honored all the veterans on the ground too. First, they presented the colors!

It humbled me to see the elderly veterans being honored, escorted to the platform. I felt very thankful for their service and was reminded of those serving our country, even now.

My veteran airman is under the yellow arrow. lol

This little girl got saved while there at the festival with her grandparents.

And then the fireworks. They were beautiful.

We had a great 4th of July. I hope you did too!

Happy 4th of July

2008-07-02T22:12:00.004-04:00

My husband is off until Sunday night and has decided that we are going away on Friday for Independence Day. With that said, I will be on a bloggy break. I hope you all have a wonderful Fourth of July celebration.

Happy Birthday To Me!

2008-07-01T23:29:00.004-04:00

ETA: The song with the video CAN be muted if it becomes too much. Which, after hearing it run through several times it does become annoying. However, you do need to hear it at least once.

My birthday was great! Thank you to all who took part in it. Those that wished me a happy day by phone, emails, blog comments and those who saw me today.

Bruce came home from work and gave me a really cute bubblegum pink external hard drive by Simple Tech. I had my files on it in ten minutes with 210GB left. I LOVE THAT!!

I received several phone calls this morning from family and friends. At 10:30 I was still in my jammies. Pam called first to see if I wanted to go to lunch. Duh! Then Janet called and asked if I wanted to eat lunch at the Tea Room. She knows I love their broccoli cheese soup. We called my mom at work to see if she could join us since the tea room was right there close to her bank. Everything was set. Now I had to fly to get ready. Janet picked me up in the church van along with Pam, Mander, Amy, Celine, Carissa, and Cameron. I was surprised and happy to see them all.

Unfortunately when we got to the tea room, they were closed today through the fifth. How dare they close on my birthday! We ended up at Pizza Hut, which was really good too. You know I love Pizza Hut. Anyway, there was way too much laughing going on. I'm surprised a couple of us weren't thrown out. The girls gave me presents, which I wasn't expecting....especially my gift from Pam. When I had told her Bruce bought me a bubblegum pink external HD, she misunderstood and thought he bought me bubblegum. We had a good laugh at that, but then we really laughed when I opened my gift bag from her and it was full of bubblegum. Very funny! The fellowship with them was what meant the most to me. I had a great time, y'all. Thanks for helping me to have a great birthday.

This evening, we met daddy at his house while we waited for mom to get off work. My mother in law was there too and Bruce would join us later after visiting the funeral home. While we were celebrating life, his best friend mourning the loss of his dad. Thankfully, his dad was saved and having his best day yet after fighting cancer these last couple of months.

So daddy has this thing he likes to do. He doesn't like to just give you a gift. He likes to make you work for it. So after finding clue after clue, which took me from one room to the next and ending at the mailbox, I finally got my gift. It was tucked in the mailbox, wrapped so pretty. I opened it up and it was a GPS....the MIO. Remember this post? I was so excited!! I've been wanting one forever. Then it was time to go. But where? Daddy gave me the directions and I used the MIO to get us there. Our final destination was Cracker Barrel. YUM

We had a wonderful meal and I opened my cards. Marie gave me birthday $$$. I'll be going shopping with that later. The kids and Bruce gave me some funny cards. And Bruce also gave me a charging home for my iPod. I was really thrilled about that gift because now I can listen to my iPod anywhere without my earphones. We made it back to the house for mom's delicious chocolate pound cake and ice cream. I couldn't eat but just a few bites of mine. She did let me bring the cake home though. I'll dig into it for real tomorrow. lol
Here's a slideshow of my birthday pics. Enjoy

Ankles, Shopping, and Another Birthday

2008-06-30T18:47:00.004-04:00

As some of you already know, my ankle has to be replaced...eventually. At my last visit the doctor said it would have to be replaced in five to seven years. That was four years ago. Lately it has been really acting up. It pops continually and a lot of times there is a terrible pain that darts up the back of my leg from my ankle. Believe it or not, it's the most painful when I'm sitting still. Especially when I've been walking or standing on it all day like today. I am also finding that I hobble and limp more these days. My point to all of this (..is there really a point?) is I have a feeling I'll be having surgery within the next year. I am not looking forward to this at all. But I knew it would happen...eventually. Do you really care about all of that? Probably not. Sorry for
boring you, it was on my mind.

Last night, Brother Johnny led the meeting for the parents whose children will be going to Puerto Rico. Eleven days to go! We were given our handout for what to bring and what NOT to bring. So this morning, Hannah and I dropped Justin off at work, ran a quick errand to the bank, and spent the better part of the day shopping for this much anticipated trip. I do believe all that is left is the packing. We had a lot of fun together and were thankful for the many deals we found today.

Tomorrow is my birthday. Yes, folks, I'll be 37 tomorrow. Thirty-seven years old. hmph...thirty-seven. Oh, I know, that's not a big deal. I have to admit that I love having birthdays. I always have. People often ask what my favorite holiday is. I always answer Thanksgiving and Christmas. But the truth is, it's my birthday. I know it's not an actual holiday, but it is for me. lol My dad has been telling me for WEEEEEKS that for my birthday he knows something I don't know. I also know he needs a couple of hours with me, so I'm very interested in what this birthday surprise could be. And then before Bruce left for bluegrass practice tonight, he snuck a birthday surprise in under his shirt and gave it to Hannah for wrapping. That's the thing about my birthdays I like the best. The surprises!! And I know that my mom, although suffering with an infection in her legs, is at this very moment making her homemade chocolaty chocolate pound cake for me. She makes the chocolate pound cake from her mother's recipe and then SMOTHERS it with thick, gooey chocolate topping. Sounds like a great day for me tomorrow, huh? Just so you'll know, I did ask her several times to please not go to the trouble of making the cake, to stay off of her feet! But she's very stubborn, that mother of mine. So this cake will taste even sweeter to me tomorrow. Thanks, mom.

I have some small details to attend to tonight, so I'm going to close this post and, OH YEAH! Blogger finally allowed me to publish the FIFTEEN comments waiting to be moderated. Thanks, Blogger. *sigh*

Comments

2008-06-29T22:16:00.003-04:00

Is anyone else having or had problems moderating their comments? I have nine waiting to be posted, but for some reason, they're not posting.

A Hoppin' Place To Be

2008-06-28T17:42:00.003-04:00

You've heard me mention my friend, Crystal, on my blog several times. Crystal has jumped on the bloggy wagon and has started her blog, A Hoppin' Place To Be. Crystal is a fourth grade teacher at a local school and, although I have never seen her in action, I am confidant that she is a great one. She has a true heart for the little ones and desires to see every child go farther in their education and life. She loves the Lord and has three great kids. She's also married to one of the nicest and craziest men I know, Terry.

Stop by and give her a holla! I know she'd love to hear from ya.

God Loves You, But Does He Like You?

2008-06-27T16:27:00.003-04:00

When we were at camp meeting the other night, Brother Tom Sexton preached a message titled God Loves You, But Does He Like You?

The title alone was enough to make you stop and think. It was a great sermon! His text was I Chronicles 28:1-4, but the text verse was verse 4, "Howbeit the LORD God of Israel chose me before all the house of my father to be king over Israel for ever: for he hath chosen Judah to be the ruler; and of the house of Judah, the house of my father; and among the sons of my father he liked me to make me king over all Israel."

Why did God like David?

1. God liked David because David had faith in God. Psalm 40:1-3 "I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall trust in the LORD." He gave his testimony of his faith in Christ.

2. God liked David because David was willing to follow. II Samuel 7:8 "Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel:" David was a good leader because he had learned to follow God. God will never use us as a leader if we do not learn to follow Him first.

3. God liked David because David found a purpose to life and a reason to live. God has a plan for each of us. What is God's plan for you? I Samuel 17:46 "This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel." David was going down to kill Goliath. The purpose was that God wanted the whole earth to know there is a God in Heaven!

It's not looking for God's will in
life that matters. What matters is giving our life for God's
will.

Romans 12:1-2 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Are you going to keep that life of give it to God?

4. David was liked by God because David was willing to fight. We need to fight the good fight of faith. When we've done all we can do to stand, stand some more! And do NOT stand behind the man of God. Stand WITH him. We should rather die than compromise.

5. David was liked by God because David didn't want to end his life as a failure. The devil may have gotten in David's life, but he found forgiveness. Psalm 51 was written by a broken man that found forgiveness and he knew he would die knowing God liked him.

This is Brother Sexton's son-in-law singing We'll Walk Through the Gate.

A Na-na-na-Boo-boo Lunch!

2008-06-26T23:29:00.019-04:00

Today was Mander's birthday. One of our friends treated us all to lunch at Ham's. It was so delish and we had a good time. I hope you did too, Mander!

Carissa enjoyed her special Ham's chips and dip. As you can see she was wearing the dip.

Celine enjoyed her chips and dip too.

I'm not sure who started it, me, but someone, me, got Carissa saying, "Na-na-na-boo-boo" on top of sticking her tongue out. So we all joined in on the fun with her.....great role models, I know.

Just who ARE these people and why am I out in public with them?

It was an interesting lunch to say the least. Especially when Carissa started running through the restaurant yelling, "Na-na-na-boo-boo" while her mother chased her between the chairs and tables. LOL

Happy birthday, Mander! I love you!!

The youth group went to Carowinds today. Originally I would have gone, but Thursday is my babysitting day now. Mander didn't have to work, but I didn't find out for sure until Wednesday night. So I just ended up skipping this outing. These are some pictures of Cassie that Hannah took on the van. This girl is slap nuts.

The girl in the pink is Taylor, Cassie's best friend. These girls are always getting into something. Usually mischief. LOL

Hannah said they had a wonderful time. Justin said it was the BEST day he's had in a long time.

We went to Brian and Amy's tonight for a cookout. It was nice to sit in the living room and just chill while the guys grilled hamburgers and hot dogs. OH! While we're on the subject of food....does anyone out there put cucumbers in their potato salad? Just curious.

Batman flew through the house to the kitchen to drink his power juice. The commissioner had a job for him and away he went.

Unfortunately, Amy and Pam were still in Na-na mode. Will these two EVER grow up?

Reformation Tour

2008-06-25T23:00:00.005-04:00

Our Pastor's wife, Mrs. Ava, returned from a three week Reformation Tour through Europe a couple weeks ago and tonight at church, Pastor showed us her pictures and videos. It was so interesting hearing the stories behind the sites and also wonderful seeing places that Bruce and I have actually been to. It brought back such great memories for both of us.

I'll admit that I smiled a little at the thought of them digging up the bones of Zwingli, Wycliffe, Hus, and men of like, to burn their bodies, scattering their ashes into the river so they could not be made a saint. Little did they realize, God had already done that!!

There was one picture that brought tears to my eyes. I had already heard the story behind these steps, but when I saw the picture it broke my heart to tears.

The steps in Italy, are believed to be the steps that Jesus climbed the day he was sentenced to death. It is said that the steps were ordered sent from Jerusalem to Rome by Saint Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine. The stairs are known as the Scala Pilati (Pilate's Staircase) or Scala Sancti (holy stairway). People literally crawling on their hands and knees, kissing the steps. And as they climb, a prayer related to the passion of Christ is recited on each of the 28 steps, in hopes of spending less time in purgatory. I looked up those prayers and how sad it made me to read them. Oh, if they only knew it is not their ritual prayers, but the blood of Jesus Christ that can and will save their lost and searching souls.

Justin's picture DVD

2008-06-25T01:49:00.001-04:00

This is the picture DVD Bruce made for Justin's birthday party. Enjoy!

Greer Baptist Camp Meeting 2008

2008-06-24T23:06:00.014-04:00

Last night our choir helped kick off the first night of the 61st annual Greer Baptist Camp Meeting. Pam was my bus buddy.

Mander and Chris sat in front of us. They were celebrating their seventh wedding anniversary. I've heard tell that after you've been married a while, you begin to look like each other. Boy is that every true with them!

The bus ride was fun and we made it to the meeting just in time to grab our seats. Brother Joe Arthur is the moderator of this meeting and it is always a joy to be in any service he is at.

Our Pastor led the opening prayer.

Harrison was going to video tape our choir singing, but I had the camera on the wrong mode and he didn't know how to correct that. So, maybe next year!

Offering time!

Brother Tom Sexton from Florida preached the service. It was a GREAT message. God Loves You, But Does He Like You? Wow! The sermon was as great as the title. I'll share the notes on that one day this week.

God's people under the tabernacle.

After the service, those who wanted to, gathered for refreshments and fellowship. I made Chris and Mander share an anniversary kiss. Well, I say I made them, but it didn't take much coaxing. Isn't that sweet?

And then, of course, Justin was ever ready for a silly picture.

Don't ask...

The preaching and the fellowship came to an end and it was time to board the bus. Thank you, Brother Greg for, once again, taking us there and back safely!

Birthday Party

2008-06-24T11:28:00.029-04:00

Being a true blue Carolina fan, Justin wanted a TarHeel cake. How beautiful is that?

My friend, Amy, made the cake. She can make some YUMMY cakes. Her icing, especially, is so good. I could eat a whole bowl of it, it's so good.

BroKen always has some unusual facial expressions to share with the camera.

This is Pastor and Mrs. Ava. That's Jordan giving Pastor bunny ears. SHAME ON YOU, Jordan!!

Sweet Crystal. She has an infectious laugh and I love to hear it.

That's Justin's picture slideshow from birth to present that Bruce put together in the background. It turned out good. I'm going to try and figure out how to post it. His baby pictures are so sweet.

Everybody seemed to eat good, even though we had lots of leftovers. We had nachos and cheese, tacos with the fixin's, and mom's homemade sloppy joes (NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH MANWICH) and of course cake and ice cream.

Tammy!

My Sweetie Pie

Haili, Nicole, Cheyenne, and Hannah were enjoying their food upstairs in the game room.

Justin C...poor thing. He opened up a strawberry 2liter and it erupted like Mount St Helen, spuing it's contents everywhere...including all over him.

Evan being as attractive as he can be for the picture he KNOWS will be on the blog. Yes, folks...one fine boy there!

His dad, on the other hand, smiles with his mouth full of....well....food.

Brother Joel caught me taking a picture of him getting ready to lick his fingers. We did have napkins, but why use a napkin when God gave us tongues?

Caleb is a sweetheart too. He'll be going in SIGMA this year. Hard to believe!

My Harry-boy with cheese sauce and chocolate all over him. He must have skipped the plates and ate straight from the trough.

Malachi, Isaac, and Joseph were so sweet sitting in the kitchen eating their food. Are they not cute?

Their little brother, Ethan, was content to sleep behind the couch.

My brother-in-law Barry came by and brought my nephew Zach. We were so happy they came!

Eventually, it was gift time. I thought this was a neat gift for a sixteen year old boy. He has a car sitting in the back yard ready to be worked on and I'm sure these gadgets and liquids will come in handy for that! Thank you, Corriveaus!

Justin was very pleased with the strings Gary gave him. Three sets for his banjo, fiddle, and mandolin. That's true musician brother-hood, wouldn't you agree?

Uh-oh! Gary + Evan + Jeremy = TROUBLE!

Brian and Amy were holding Baby Ethan. Ethan is a Douglass child, but we all share him. We just can't help it. lol Oh yeah, that's Brandon in the background. He's our "special" friend.

Naomi was so enjoying her ice cream. Don't you just love her hair? I think she's the prettiest when it's everywhere like that. Sometimes she'll take her little hand and brush it out of her face. I think that's precious.

Justin with the shirt and hat that Taylor gave him. I was so thankful that she bought him a new hat. The one he had was getting on my nerves. THANK YOU, TAYLOR!!!!!!!! It was definitely time for a change!

Of course, Justin was ultimately thrilled with the birthday cash received. It's his favorite color

and it always fits!

Some of us played air hockey, ping pong, and pool.

While some played video games.

Of course, Celine, just had to show off her new hair do. Isn't it lovely? She looks more and more like her mom everyday! LOL

Why Do You Go?

2008-06-23T13:15:00.003-04:00

I was in a conversation last night that brought a question to mind. So tell me...why do you go or not go to church?

A Few Thanks...

2008-06-22T20:53:00.003-04:00

We had a really great time Saturday night. Bruce and I were so thankful for those that showed up for Justin's party. We were in awe at the nearly 70 people that were there to help him celebrate his sixteenth birthday. Only four were immediate family and the rest were church family. What a blessing! The greatest blessing was knowing that each of those people in attendace love our son. Several told me how much of a blessing Justin is to them and that was a blessing for this mama to hear. I told Justin he could invite a few adults at church that meant something special to him. We were so glad to have them there. I would have LOVED to have invited the entire church, but we had to limit it to SIGMA and their families and then I was really surprised to see how many parents stayed. I honestly thought they would drop their children off and go. But I was thrilled to know they all felt welcomed and we were honored to have each of them there.

Thank you, Mom and Dad for being there and for sharing in Justin's special moment. It meant so much to him. You have always been there to help and share in every milestone of my children's lives. They will always remember. Thank you, mom, for those delicious sloppy joes. They were great! I'm looking forward to you sharing the leftovers with us.
;)

Thank you, Brother Mike, that in the midst of your own personal storm, you opened your home to our family, to our son, and to our friends. You are a blessing to our family and an encouragement to us as we watch you press forward, regardless of the circumstances. We appreciated your hospitality more than you will ever know!

Thank you, Pastor and Mrs. Ava, for coming. I know you stay EXTREMELY busy. It meant so much to our entire family that you made the time to come. We were humbled and honored to have you there with us.

Thank you, Amy, for that totally awesome cake! I do believe it was your best yet! Both in taste and decoration. I'm thankful the Lord brought you and your sweet family to Faith. You're a blessing!

Thank you, Mander, for those delicious cocktail weiners!! The two I ate were great. HA! You were so sweet to offer to bring something. You're like a sister to me. But then you know that, don't you?

Thank you, Mrs. Janet, Kim, Rebecca, Mander, Pam, Crystal, Jenn, and Meghan for helping clean up after the party. You are all special to me and my family. I appreciated your help so much. Especially since my *dogs* were killing me!! lol

If I have neglected to thank those of you who helped us in any way, please forgive me, but know that I am grateful for each of you just the same.

Gone To The Races

2008-06-19T21:35:00.006-04:00

Justin turned 16 Wednesday. Wow! Where does the time go? He was just born yesterday....or so it seems.

We're having his birthday party Saturday night, but his Grandmother won't be making it so she came by Wednesday afternoon with his gift and this thriple chocolate cake. We ate a piece of cake with her and then she had supper with us before we left for church. Thanks Grandmother!

My parent's have a Sam's card, but I do not. So they took me and Hannah with them to Sam's tonight and we purchased a couple of buggies full of food for Justin's party. Anytime we go out it always becomes an adventure. Tonight was NO exception. My mother was at the hospital today having an ultra sound on her leg. They believe she has a blood clot and told her to stay off of that leg and not go back to work until Monday. Lord willing she'll know the result of that ultra sound tomorrow. Daddy can't walk for long distances without tiring out and falling over. The two combined had them both puttering around Sam's in the motorized buggies. I don't know why, but it just seemed funny to watch them go down isle after isle bumping into things and watching people jump out of the way.

After we shopped for a while I thought it would be interesting to see them race. Mom's buggy had more stuff in it, but daddy's buggy had the heavier items. So they were balanced pretty good.

And now...the race!

Who wants to go shopping with us next Friday? I'm takin' bets if you're in!

Repentance...What Is It? Part IV

2008-06-19T09:39:00.003-04:00

Acts 11:18 "When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life." I haven't done enough study on this, but someone mentioned to me that Peter was at the house of Cornelius and that it was he and his family that were saved and baptized this day. There are two things to be aware of in this verse. Cornelius already had physical life. So when this verse says the Gentiles were granted repentance unto life, he was most likely referring to eternal life. And in verse 17, Peter did not use the word "repentance" but "believed." He was making sure that the Jews understood that repentance to life was equal to believing for the remission of sins and eternal salvation.

Mark 1:4 "John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins." Remission means forgiveness. Without repentance, there is no forgiveness of sins.

Ezekiel 18:31 "Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?" When we repent and CAST our sins away from us, there are two things we achieve in the process. A new spirit and a new heart. Our spirit becomes sweet and loving, humble and meek. And our heart is clean and looking to the Lord.

Luke 15:7,10 "I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance...Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth." I have a wonderful Christian friend that is probably the most giving and most selfless person I have ever met in my life. She loves the Lord, desires to do what is right, has a heart to serve others. I am continually amazed at how she quietly gives of her time and efforts for others. And for all the good that she does, all of Heaven rejoices more over one person that falls to their knees in repentance. When there is true repentance in the life of one that has gone astray from the Lord, it brings joy to Heaven. It brings joy to us who have prayed for someone living in their sin, and there is joy in the presence of the Lord. If the angels are rejoicing, think of how God must rejoice.

This and That and This

2008-06-17T13:59:00.009-04:00

Bruce and I ate at Showmar's Friday night. We love their gyro dinners. While we were out, there were little babies everywhere. I mean brand new babies. It made us wish we had another one. Then we went to Wal Mart and saw a bunch of screaming toddlers and whiners and were glad we didn't. LOL OK, THAT WAS A JOKE!!!!!!!

Truth is, we were thinking how nice it would be if there was another little bundle to cuddle and kiss. We decided that even though it was late we would stop and pick up Celine and Carissa if they wanted to come, since Celine is always begging to spend the night. But she was acting all weird about it, wanting to stay with her mama. I think she was afraid her daddy wouldn't pick her up the next morn to take her to grandma's house. Carissa said she wanted to go, which shocked all of us. She ran and got her shoes, grabbed her little bag that her mommy packed for her, kissed her daddy, and then walked to her mother, grabbed her hand and said, "I bwing my mama wif me." We just died laughing. Needless to say, we had no little ones in the house that night. But Hannah and Harrison were glad to stay up and eat ice cream we brought back home while waiting up for their brother to get home from the Melting Pot. He had a great time. Thank you, Mike, Kim, and Taylor. He had a blast with y'all and Madison, Jonathan and Jenn.

This is an old picture of Bruce's mandolin in progress. I haven't taken another picture of it since he finished it Saturday. Honestly, we were both expecting it to have a box sound, seeing it's the first one he's ever made. But it was loud and beautiful! I am so proud of him!! I'll have a picture with a video of him playing it soon.

Celine and Carissa did come over Monday afternoon. It's always fun to have them here. And of course when Bruce came to sit down in the living room, Carissa found her spot on the couch next to him and there she stayed until he got up. I don't know how many pictures I have of Bruce and Carissa in this same spot. Except for different clothes, they're all the same picture.

Justin helped his dad change the bearings on my car the other day. I'm not sure how he got those grease marks on his face, but it cracked me up. I guess Bruce neglected the lesson on never touching your face when your hands are covered in grease.

Justin worked yesterday. I dropped him off and really hated to leave him knowing there was no cool place to rest during his lunch break. But he assured me he would all right. Isn't that just like a mother?

Hannah is dog sitting for her piano teacher this week. Well, she's our church pianist also. Anyway, her name is Trixie. She's a minature Datsun and spoiled rotten. But isn't she cute?

Harley is less impressed with Trixie than the rest of us and has let her know it under no uncertain terms.

As you can see, Yogi is about as big as Trixie. Yogi isn't as long as Trixie, but they weigh about the same, if Yogi doesn't weigh more! They seem to get along all right. Just curious of each other.

Repentance...What Is It? Part III

2008-06-17T11:16:00.004-04:00

2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." From what I see, there are three things that lead us to salvation. One is God's longsuffering. Bruce and I have been told by family before that we are not tolerant enough of people. But it's hard to be tolerant of people who refuse to live the way God plans. They ask you for advice or tell you their troubles, and when you give them good advice, straight from the Bible, they won't take it. They want the humanistic advice because it fits into their comfort zone or they begin seeking out scripture to justify their behavior. That's actually pretty tolerable. People make bad decisions. Their worlds fall apart and as Christians, we are to be there to help restore them back to the family of God. But when they don't learn from their actions and repeat the pattern over and over, well, that's pretty INtolerable! But God, in all of His grace beyond our imagination, sees us falling farther and farther from His glory, and waits. Waiting for us, the prodigal son, to come home. Sometimes we end up in the very middle of the hog pin, but He is ALWAYS waiting for us to come home in true repentance.

Romans 2:4 "Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance." The second thing I see leading us to repentance is God's goodness. When I look back on my life and the times I was doing things I shouldn't, I am amazed at how God continued to be good to me, even though I didn't deserve it. There were times when He could have taken things away from me. There were times that God protected me when He really didn't have to. He could have snuffed out my life in an instant. But He didn't. And all the while, although I refused to admit it to anyone, in my heart I knew I was wrong. And yet His goodness kept me in reach of His amazing grace. I wonder how many blessings I missed during those times. True repentance will shine a light on God's goodness to our life.

Acts 2: 37,38 "Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." Peter was explaining Pentecost when the people were pricked in their heart. They were convicted. If we have ever been convicted of anything, we have experienced that same pricking. It doesn't feel good, does it? It feels like something has to be done in a hurry or we're going to bust at any moment. But what can be do? Well, Peter said it in verse 38...REPENT! Things seem different in the light of repentance. All of those restless days and nights leading up to it seem so distant. Nothing else matters. We've come home to the Father.

Father's Day

2008-06-16T20:45:00.010-04:00

I fixed a meal consisting of some of Bruce's favorite dishes for his Father's Day meal. Fried chicken, green beans, deviled eggs, hand squashed biscuits, cheesy rice and broccoli casserole, and potato salad with chocolate cream pie for dessert. He enjoyed it so much!

Bruce is a terrific dad whose personality and discipline show in his children. I'll admit that when our children were younger I felt he was too hard on them, but I see how I was wrong and how it has paid off these past 16 years. He's a very strong disciplinarian, but he is also respected and loved by all three of his kids.

He's never been worried about being the children's friend at this time in their lives, but has stayed focused on being their dad first. He knows there will be plenty of time to be friends later, although friendships are developing between him and the children with each passing day.

He has given them sound, godly advice, and has taught them at least three things in life:

*Knowledge is power

*If you want to be trusted, tell the truth

*The choices we make dictate the life we lead.

He has demonstrated faithfulness to his children by being faithful to the Lord through devotions, his prayer life, and being committed to the house of God.

He has shown them the importance of hard work by being a hard worker himself and that any job you do should be done to the best of your ability.

He stands for the right, no matter the cost or whose feathers it ruffles.

He has shown his sons how to treat a lady by being loving to his wife and has shown his daughter how she should expect to be treated by a true gentleman.

He is a practical joker with his children. When they were very small they weren't sure how to take their daddy, but as they have grown older, his wit and silliness has grown on them and I can honestly say to each of them, "You are just like your daddy!"

I hope you had a wonderful Father's Day, honey. I love you.

Repentance...What Is It? Part II

2008-06-16T09:13:00.003-04:00

Acts 11: 16-18 "Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, "Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God? When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life." In this chapter, Peter was questioned by the brethren in Judaea when they heard that the Gentiles had received the word of God also. Peter defended his ministry to the Gentiles, making it clear that we are all granted, by God, repentance. We are all equal in God's eyes and we are all given opportunity to repent. No matter how steeped in sin we may be, there is a way out if we will trust God and repent, turning away from our sin.

Acts 5:31 "Him [Jesus] hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins." Here the apostles were preaching to the council and again, making it clear that repentance is given to us by Jesus Christ.

Zechariah 12:10 "And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn." You may get something else from this verse, and if you do, I'd like to hear, but what came to my mind when I read it was that there was great conviction that fell upon the people for what their sin had caused. Conviction is a great tool used to bring repentance. Without conviction there is no repentance. Conviction is being convinced that what you are doing is wrong. Until we reach that point, we will not and can not reach repentance. This verse also made me think of how our sin hurts the Heavenly Father. Sin affects those around us. For someone who murders, all of the families and friends of both the murderer and the deceased are affected. For someone who is caught in adultery, family and friends are affected. For those who are liars, their lies affect those they are lying about and lying to. Etc, etc,...Sin affects everyone around us, no matter what it is. But the saddest part of it all, is how it affects our Heavenly Father. If we are only concerned about hurting our loved ones, and have no thought of how God is being affected, that is not conviction.

Repentance is granted by God, given by Christ, and felt of the Holy Spirit. It is a precious gift that, all too often, is ignored.

Happy Father's Day!

2008-06-15T07:58:00.004-04:00

Walk a little slower

Walk a little slower, Daddy,

Said a little child so small.

I'm following in your footsteps

And I don't want to fall.

Sometimes your steps are very fast,

Sometimes they are hard to see;

So, walk a little slower, Daddy,

For you are leading me.

Someday when I'm all grown up,

You're what I want to be;

Then I will have a little child

Who'll want to follow me.

And I would want to lead just right,

And know that I was true;

So walk a little slower, Daddy,

For I must follow you.

Repentance...What Is It? Part I

2008-06-14T00:22:00.006-04:00

I've been doing a lot of thinking on this subject recently and wanted to do a little study on it. So over the next week or so, Lord willing, I'll be doing posts on it.

There comes a time in all of our lives when repentance becomes a necessary part of our spiritual walk. Well, it's always necessary in the spiritual walk. Whether it is the beginning of our spiritual birth or a stepping stone to spiritual growth. Understand, though, you can not grow spiritually with God until you have been spiritually birthed. There is always order in GOD'S plan. And by the way, without God, there is no spiritual birth or growth. Just thought I'd throw that in there.

Acts 9:35 "And all that dwelt at Lydda and Saron saw him, and turned to the Lord." Peter had just came to Lydda and found Aeneas who had been sick of the palsy for eight years. Peter looked at him and said, "...Anneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole: arise, and make thy bed." At that moment, Aeneas arose IMMEDIATELY. No doubt in those eight years, everyone had seen this poor man struggle through with his sickness until the man of God came on the scene, with the power of God in his words, and he was instantly healed. Because of that healing, he was made whole and all those that saw him repented and turned to the Lord.

Acts 8:22 "Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee." To repent is to turn away from your sin and never look back. We've all seen people go to the alter, week after week, asking the Lord to help them with the same sin they've struggled with for years. But never once have they repented of that sin and given it completely over to the Lord. Never to return to it again. The burden of sin we carry begins in our heart. We can make our plea for forgiveness until the day is long, but if our repentance is only in our head, there is no true repentance. Repentance must come from the heart and there, God forgives us.

I Samuel 7:3 "And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines." Looking up Ashtaroth (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong) I found that he was a god in demonology, a prince of Hell. Samuel was telling Israel that God would deliver them if they would RETURN to the Lord with all their HEARTS. Not their head. Not their bodies. Their HEARTS. We can physically return to the Lord. On the outside, people see us living for the Lord. Doing our reasonable service for Him. But the Lord sees how we're living in our heart. He sees if we are turning to God or if we are holding on to Ashtaroth. If our hearts do not return to Him, He can't deliver us from our sin. If repentance is only in our head, we will fall back again. If repentance is in the heart, God can and will deliver us.

Acts 15:3 "And being brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all the brethren." When I read this, one thing came to mind in reference to repentance. The church rejoiced. Granted, there were Pharisees in the midst. There were ALWAYS Pharisees. Unfortunately, they're still around in our churches today. But we can't worry about the Pharisees. The church should be rejoicing when one converts or returns to God through true repentance. If we would quit wondering if "they really got it" and just rejoice in the moment, God will take care of the rest.

Let Me Introduce You....

2008-06-13T14:02:00.002-04:00

I have a friend that has started blogging and is ready to be introduced. Her name is Susan. She is a home school mom, raising a husband, two boys, a girl, a couple of dogs, a ferret and, I THINK, a cat, if he's not dead yet. She likes cross stitching, reading, sewing, reading.... Who knows what else she has in the woodpile. Speaking of the woodpile, the name of her blog is Boogers in the Woodpile. Yes, that's right....boogers. Only she would use this word to title her blog. So you can pretty much imagine what her posts will be like. I am sure you will find her stories delightful as she emerges into this wonderful world of blogging. She's a little nervous about being introduced. As a matter of fact, she compared it to being at a party where she didn't know anyone and being introduced to everyone. I know it's the weekend and comments are scarce at this time, but pop on over to Boogers in the Woodpile and give her a hearty hello. I know she'd like to hear from you.

Flashbacks

2008-06-13T00:23:00.002-04:00

When I was a little girl we had one of these trees in our front yard. I thought it was a wonderful tree because it was so easy to climb. The leaves, especially, were fun to play with. I used to pinch the leaves between my thumb and index finger and run them along the stem as the small pieces would fall into my lap. Then I would put them in a little wooden bowl, crumple the pink flowers on top and pretend it was a salad. Mud pies weren't all that appealing to me, but tree salads were great. Everytime I see one of these trees, I have that memory pop into my head.

I've had a migraine today. It's been pretty bad. I felt it coming on yesterday but hoped it would go away. When Bruce got up this afternoon he took my car to have new tires put on it. He knew my head was hurting so he came home with a bottle of the one pill that works GREAT on my headaches. I've been out of them for a few weeks. They've helped a little. I think I waited too long before taking one though. Anyway, he also brought home supper. That was a nice surprise. I had already started on tonight's supper, but wasn't too far along to put it all up for tomorrow. Thank you, Sweetheart.

I took Hannah to her piano lesson. When we came home my legs felt like there were weights tied to them and I was feeling dizzy. So I laid down just shortly after 7:00 for just a few minutes. Before I knew it, it was 10:00 and Bruce was waking me up to tell me he was on his way to work. I'm feeling a little sick on my stomach, but my head is feeling a somewhat better. I'm going to take one more pill before I go to bed and Lord willing I'll be wonderful come morning. I hope so!

No More!

2008-06-11T22:29:00.003-04:00

No more pencils no more books
no more mama's dirty looks!

School is out for this home school. I have to say that I am as happy as the children are. We're all ready for summer vacation.

I finished grading papers today. As a matter of fact, I took my books, my papers, calculator and pens and made myself at home at McDonald's while I worked and finished up. I felt funny sitting there with all my stuff scattered all over their table, but it was good and there weren't any distractions. So with everything completed, I can now retire my red pen for the summer.

Tomorrow we'll be packing up the books and putting them away for a later use.

Harrison's books will stay out. I feel like I should keep them out for him to keep his brain poppin' through the summer. But it will certainly be more relaxed than actual school hours. His reading has greatly improved. He seems to enjoy reading these days. Which makes me happy.

Hannah is focused on Puerto Rico these days. Now that school is out we'll be able to do some serious shopping for that trip.

Justin has several things going through his head these days. Not to mention he's turning 16 next week. AHHHHH!

So while we're enjoying our summer with the picnics, swimming, family get-to-gethers, church socials, and other extra curricular activities, I hope you're somewhere in your part of the world enjoying yours.

God Knows

2008-06-10T15:37:00.009-04:00

My brother, John, lives 10 to 15 minutes from me and I haven't seen him in over two months, I'm sure. I've missed him. I remarked to my dad this past Friday how I've missed John. As I was riding alone in the car after dropping Justin off at work Monday, I thought about how funny he is and what a sweet brother he is. I thought about how, even though we disagree from time to time, he can make me seriously crack up. By the way, I can't remember the last time we disagreed, except for the ongoing disagreement of which one of us are our parent's favorite. I thought about how he hasn't allowed his battle with MS deter him from being faithful to his job and to his family. How he would literally empty his wallet if he knew someone was in need.

So this morning while waiting for Celine and Carissa to get here (they never made it) I was pleasantly surprised to see Hannah come down the hall to say, "Uncle John's here!" Of course, Harrison started smiling too. They love their Uncle John.

He walked through my door this morning and it was good to hug his neck. Well, he hugged my neck. I lingered in his armpit. He's about a foot taller than me.

He was hungry so I offered him a banana, which only made his tummy juices begin to flow. I ended up making him a ham, egg, and cheese on toasted English muffin with a glass of cold milk to wash it down. He told some funny stories. Made some funny jokes. And then it was time for him to leave for work. He was already late, but I was glad for the time we had to visit.

His purpose of dropping by was to hand deliver Jessica's (my niece) high school graduation invitation. Her graduation is tonight. Nothing like advance notice, huh? LOL

I'll be missing it though. I thought I might make it, but Bruce and Justin are working on my car right now, replacing the bearings. I don't think they'll be finished in time. But you never know!

I'm just thankful for the time God allowed me to spend with my brother this morning. He knew I needed that.

Choices

2008-06-10T11:37:00.004-04:00

I have written and rewritten this post so many times today, without satisfaction to what I have written. So I've decided to condense it into something we tell our children on, almost, an everyday basis. It is simply this:

The choices we make dictate the life we lead.

Graduation Night

2008-06-09T21:29:00.004-04:00

We had a service last night in honor of our graduates. Of course, we don't let "special" services like that interfere with meetin'. Normally I would be in the choir, but for some reason thought the graduates would be honored before the choir sang. So I stayed in the congregation to take pictures for a couple of moms who did not have their camera. I quickly learned that I was mistaken. The choir did sing first. This is Brother Johnny singing I'm Not Ashamed. I'm pretty sure Mrs. Liz saw me taking the picture. I meant to ask her, but forgot. So, Liz, did you see that?

When the choir came down the youth choir sang and THEN it was time to honor the graduates.
First were the kindergarten graduates. Each of them are awarded a KJV Bible, signed by Pastor. This is Brooke.

Pretty Gracie

And handsome Kayson!

There were four high school graduates honored, receiving a beautiful Scofield Bible from Pastor, but my batteries went dead. I was so upset! Mark, John, and Ethan are in our SIGMA program and we love them so much. We're praying they seek the Lord's will for their lives. The fourth graduate was Christopher. Christopher is a special young man in our church. When he was born, they said he would never live past the age of nine. And now he's a high school graduate. He does have a learning disability. Every once in a while when Pastor is preaching, we'll hear him shout, "Pweach!" When it was his turn to say something, he smiled that big smile of his, leaned into the mic and yelled, "Pweach!" I don't know about everybody else, but that tore me up! It tore Pastor up too.

Then it was time for the college graduates. There were two of them. Jonathan, our Associate Pastor's son, just graduated from Crown College in Tennessee. We are VERY proud of Jonathan. I decided to try my camera again and it was when I took this shot of Jonathan that my camera finally killed over.

The second college graduate was Jennifer. She and Jonathan are getting married this fall. She has worked very hard, putting four years of nursing school into two so they could get married. I believe they are going to do things for God in a great way together.

Graduation is not the end of a path ,
but a stepping stone to the next level. Make each step count for
God.

Snack Time!

2008-06-09T21:09:00.003-04:00

Politically Correct Biblical Headlines

2008-06-09T10:58:00.004-04:00

I was going to save this for another time, but decided to post it today. Just so you'll know, I am NOT a politically correct person. I say, call it what it is and if someone doesn't like it, they can chew on it 'til they're ready to swallow.

I received this email from the Rollins. They are over the young adults SS class at our church and he is also a director of our prison ministry. The email was funny, yet true enough to make it sad. This is exactly how the world looks at our Bible.

PC Biblical Headlines
If Biblical Headlines were written by Today's Liberal Media

On Red Sea crossing: WETLANDS TRAMPLED IN LABOR STRIKE Pursuing Environmentalists Killed

On David vs. Goliath: HATE CRIME KILLS BELOVED CHAMPION Psychologist Questions Influence of Rock

On Elijah on Mt. Carmel:FIRE SENDS RELIGIOUS RIGHT EXTREMIST INTO FRENZY 400 Killed

On the birth of Christ:HOTELS FULL, ANIMALS LEFT HOMELESS Animal Rights Activists Enraged by Insensitive Couple

On feeding the 5,000:PREACHER STEALS CHILD'S LUNCH Disciples Mystified Over Behavior

On healing the 10 lepers:LOCAL DOCTOR'S PRACTICE RUINED "Faith Healer" Causes Bankruptcy

On healing of the Gadarene demoniac:MADMAN'S FRIEND CAUSES STAMPEDE Local Farmer's Investment Lost

On raising Lazarus from the dead:FUNDAMENTALIST PREACHER RAISES A STINK Will Reading to be Delayed

70 Years of Sweetness

2008-06-08T00:10:00.009-04:00

OK, Deby, this one's for you! See my poor little burnt nose? Ain't that just so sad?

This afternoon we went to Aunt Jeanette's 70th Birthday party, hosted by her daughter, Phyllis. We had a wonderful time with the family.

Aunt Jeanette is the oldest daughter of 11 children.

My mother in law, Marie, is the second daughter.

Aunt Judy coming in as third daughter.

And Aunt Sylvia closed the deal on having daughters, being the baby girl. Can you see how they favor?

On the menu was BBQ, hot dogs, chips, slaw, tater salad, pinto beans, and corn bread.

Some of the family.....

Brian (Bruce's brother, or couldn't you tell?)

Telling stories and talking about how all the little ones are growing up so fast.

Uncle Roger and Uncle Robert

Cousin Kathy and cousin Darrin

Dale, Anna, Brian, Linda, and Uncle Fred

I don't know who this one is. She wandered in off the street, I think. HAHA, just kidding. This is Crystal. We like to cut up.

The cake. Oh, it was good!

Aunt Jeanette with her cake

My babies

Anna showing us her guitar. She plays the drums too.

Bruce's turn. He came equipped with his pick AND kapo. That's a true guitarist.

My sister-in-law, Liberty

Bruce's brother, Barry

We had a great time. Aunt Jeanette, I hope you had a great time. Somehow, I have a feeling you did. We love you!

I Love Pink

2008-06-07T15:39:00.003-04:00

You all know my favorite color is pink. Well, when Bruce and I were out this morning I found some pink finger nail polish. It's called Twisted Pink. Which is really a twisted name for it considering how pretty it is. It's a dark pink. I used to polish my nails all the time but then I started having babies and there was not as much time for it. I paint them in a blue moon now and today it's a blue moon day. They're lookin' MIGHTY pink right now!

I've said it before and I'll say it again, if you walk around with unpainted toe nails, you should know your toes are probably ugly. Put some paint on them dogs, would ya! Nobody wants to see ugly toes. Besides they look a lot prettier in flip flops when they're painted.

Hannah just painted my toes. Too bad she's out of nail stickers. Can you tell I'm feeling girlie today?

We have plans to attend the 70th birthday party of Bruce's Aunt today. We're looking forward to that. It's always good to see family, isn't it? I suppose I should start getting ready for that now. I'll have pictures later.

Sigh

2008-06-06T20:12:00.003-04:00

Today I went back to the doctor to have my nose burned again. This time she fired it up. I look a little like a distant cousin of Rudolph, if you know what I mean. I can tell it's going to blister up pretty good. She started out with a regular size swab and then said, "You know what? I'm not getting good ground with this one. Let's break out the Texas Swab. "Texas swab!" I shouted. "Everything is bigger in Texas. Is this what you mean?" "Yep," she answered. She pulled out a swab as round as my pinky. She opened up the canister, dipped the swab, and said, "Here we go!" It burned so bad my eyes started watering. She began to giggle and said I had cotton fibers stuck to my nose. Thankfully it was all over. Haa! "Let's do it one more time," she suggested. She ended up burning it three times again. Twice with the Texas swab. I go again in two weeks. yippee

As far as the place under my arm, I'm still having pain and it didn't look as good as she had hoped. But there was no infection and she said I'm keeping it too moist with the Neosporin and not to use it for a couple of days. My first thought was that my Neosporin had pain reliever in it. I guess I'll just grin and bare it.

I cleaned my parent's home after my appointment. Two weeks in a row, one of them, daddy has spilled fruit juice in the very bottom of the fridge. Last week it was strawberry juice and this week it was mixed fruit. Have you ever tried to clean up fruit juice that has settled in the bottom of the fridge. EWW! But the good news is, daddy made a trip to Mac's Country Store and brought me back an RC cola and chocolate moon pie. Good snack, daddy!

Pam had an end of school party for her children today and invited several moms and their kids over to swim. Since I had my doctor's appointment and cleaned house afterwards, the kids spent the night at her house and were able to join in on the fun today. When I picked them up, Harrison's face was very sunburned and he was very sleepy. He fell asleep on the car ride home and went straight to bed when we got home. He was still sleeping when Bruce and I left for our Friday date.

Oh yeah, Bruce was on third this week, so while I did all my stuff today he was sleeping and we made our lunch date a supper date. Pizza Hut's Super Supreme stuffed crust was on the menu
since he let me choose. It's so hot we decided to try a brand new ice cream parlor here in our little town. It's called I Scream. The parlor is located in one of the vintage stores up town with a tall wooden door and high ceilings. There were a few pictures of the family that own the store along with dozens of pictures of different sports shots. I liked how the old floors creaked when we walked in. We had a banana split. It was so delicious. Instead of the regular chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry ice cream, we each chose three different scoops. Mine consisted of cookies and cream, chocolate, and playdough. Yep, playdough. It was playdough yellow and had little bits of red and blue in it. Truthfully it was just colorful cookie dough ice cream. But it was pretty and I had to try it.

On our way home we got stuck behind, none other than an ice cream truck, that we followed all the way home to our dead end street. So Bruce stopped the truck while I called Hannah and Harrison out. Hannah came out but Harrison did not. He was still sleeping. However, when I called his name and told him daddy was buying ice cream from the ice cream truck, that seemed to wake him up pretty quick. They both chose their cold, creamy delight and enjoyed every single bite.

I was going to wash my car when we got home but started blogging and now it's almost dark. Oh well, there's always tomorrow, right?

Random

2008-06-05T22:25:00.009-04:00

This is a totally random post about everything, which in reality is about nothing.

Before orchestra practice last night, the kids wanted to run some errands. We stopped at Verizon so Justin could settle up on his phone and then to Wal Mart because Hannah wanted to purchase an iHome for her iPod. She wanted a pink one she saw a couple of weeks ago but it was gone. So she ended up with a silver one. Which, in my opinion, looks better than the pink. But pink certainly would have looked great in her room.

This is Justin being goofy in Wal Mart.

This is Matt, Harrison's little buddy at church. Such a great kid.

Last night was the first night of the summer for the Jr. Ushers. As you can see, Justin was trying to figure out what in the world I was doing taking a picture of him.

We spent the day with friends today. I went to lunch with Amy, Pam, Janet and CAMERON! We ate at Ham's Restaurant. There's a train that runs along a track near the ceiling and Cameron is watching it. He loves the train. What little boy wouldn't?

His food came and he decided to be silly with it. So I video taped him. We had to coax him into doing it again.

At the top of this picture, you can see the train. Where I was sitting I couldn't get a good shot of it. This was the best one I got.

This picture of Janet cracked us all up.

Pamela

"Little Mama" Amy

Cameron was brought a cup of ice cream with whipped cream and a cherry. He and I thought it would be more fun to put the whipped cream on each other's nose than to eat it. Well, I kept it to the nose. He decided it was even more fun to put it in my hair, my eyes, and my ears. LOL

And! An added blessing today...I received an email from someone last night introducing herself as someone who knew our Sunday school teacher's family and Amy. Her name is Carla and she's new to the blogging world. While we were eating she and her husband came in. It was so nice to meet her and her husband, Dave. I hope it won't be the last time we meet! I have a feeling it won't be. By the way, it was their Anniversary! So stop by Three Men and A Lady...and a Poodle and tell her hi! I hope y'all had a happy anniversary, Carla and Dave!

The waitress gave Cameron a balloon but he didn't want it. If I understood his mother correctly, he didn't want the balloon because he let loose of the last couple of balloons he's received and they drifted off into the sky, never to be seen from again. I told him that was the best part of having a balloon, watching it drift off.

So he let it go and we watched as it soared to the clouds.

After lunch, we all parted ways. The kids and I were invited to swim at Pam's home and we did. Well, they did. I just stuck my feet in. I was sitting on the edge of the pool and never realized it until I stood up that the entire back side of my skirt was soaked. Well duh, I was sitting in a pool of water. I don't know how I never felt it.

Giveaway!

2008-06-04T11:14:00.002-04:00

GUESS WHAT!

Pam, over at Good News from a Far Country ,is hosting a souvenir giveaway. Go check it out and sign up for your chance to win some souvenirs from Israel!

North Carolina Mountain Music

2008-06-03T20:53:00.006-04:00

Tuesday night we went to a local elementary school where several of the ladies in our church teach. One of those ladies, Mrs. Crystal, is a fourth grade teacher there. Her class, along with five other fourth grade classes had their North Carolina Mountain Music program.

This is Callie. You may recognize that smile from the post on the Patch Quiz Bowl. Doesn't she look sweet?

Bruce and Brother Wayne played along with the young men's blue grass group from our church. They opened up with I'll Fly Away and Cripple Creek. At the end of the program, they closed with I Saw the Light and Foggy Mountain Break Down. They did a great job.

This is the group that represented six of those fourth grade classes. They sang some folk songs, which included, Banjo Sam, I Bought Me a Cat, I Fed My Horse, She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain, and I've Been Working on the Railroad.

The young man below is the nephew of a man in our church. His name is Brad and he played the Dulcimer. He did an EXCELLENT job. Everyone was very impressed by him. He's in the third grade and has been playing for two years, taking lessons from Dr. Joe Collins, a national champion on the dulcimer. Brad placed 3rd in the Georgia State Mountain Dulcimer Competition last fall.

Some of the children who have been playing the dulcimer in music class were given the opportunity to play what they've learned this year.

It was fun to listen to the children sing and play their instruments.

Thank you, Mrs. Crystal, for inviting us to join in on the North Carolina Mountain Music fun.

Faith Baptist Senior Moment...Mrs. Jenny

2008-06-03T16:24:00.006-04:00

I haven't done one of these in a while. If you're fairly new to reading my blog, I like to do a post every now and then on some of the seniors at our church. You can find a few in my sidebar if you'd like to read more.

This one is about Mrs. Jenny. She's so fun to talk to and I love her so much. I asked her to tell me a funny story about herself and the other day at a birthday party for another senior in our church, she came up to me and said she had been thinking about me the other day and came up with a story to tell me. This is a story of sibling rivalry.

When she was a little girl her mother told her to go fetch the mail. When her brother asked where she was going she told him she was going to get the mail. He said, "No, I'm going to get the mail." She argued, "No, mama told me to get it." This went on for several minutes until she finally had him cornered.

"You cornered him" I asked. She said, "Yeah, and that ain't all. I had a broom stick in my hand and hit him right square on the head." Now at this point, Mrs. Jenny was laughing and bent over with her hand on my arm. I asked her what he did when she hit him and she said, "He fell straight to the floor and started crawling around. But you know what? I got the mail!"

I'm telling you, if you never sit and listen to a senior, you need to. They'll tell you some funny stories!

For the Mamas and the Papas

2008-06-02T21:05:00.009-04:00

I know people from church have checked to see Patch pictures so here ya go, y'all!

Our church does the Patch the Pirate program and every year, Brother Mike's 4th-6th grade class hosts their Patch Quiz Bowl. This is not a normal Patch the Pirate event, but our church enjoys it, so we do it.

Brother Mike has been an EXCELLENT teacher over the years and teaches deep into the Scriptures. Come the night of the quiz bowl, the children go head to head against their parents and we (the parents) have never won. We usually fail miserably.

Because Hannah moved up last year, we would not have been partaking in the fun, except Madison had no one to go up against. Her mother is an assistant in that class and her daddy had to work. So, I volunteered my services. Boy, was that dumb! Madison let it be known, under no circumstances, that I would walk away a loser. She was correct.

The class...

The judges: John O', Brother Johnny, and Brother Jonathan. Hmmm...they all have the name John and they all have the same initials. How ironic. Jonathan was praying that he would be a good judge.

Poor Angie....I won't even tell you the question SHE missed. It's just too embarrassing. And believe me when I say that her son, Benjamin, was still picking at her for it Sunday.

Ally blends in nicely with the decor, doesn't she? :) Her daddy is Brother Mike, so she went up against her Uncle.

Brother Joel, suffering from a sinus infection, was quite the trooper as he went up against his son, Caleb.

And dear Michelle had to face her son, Bailey. He's rough!

Brandon wasn't about to cut his grandmother, Mrs. Gail, any slack either.

Brother Terry went up against his daughter, Callie. She is too funny.

Pam went against Nicole.

And Brother Ron, looking rather pale and anguished, went up against his granddaughter, Cheyenne.

Brother Tommy and his son, Cody, were at a stand off. We waited in silence for one of them to ring the bell and yet neither of them moved. Finally Brother Tommy, yelled, "Ring the bell, boy! I don't know the answer!"

It was Brother Danny's turn to go against Benjamin. Who rang that bell first anyway?

We'll not even discuss Brother Bruce going against his son, Coby. But the word pitiful does come to mind.

There was a lot of laughter going on and Brother Mike couldn't help but giggle throughout the night.

For the final round of the game, five children went up against five parents. We could work together to name the fruits of the Spirit. Both teams were correct, however, the children did actually get theirs in order.

The judges tallied up the final scores. It was no surprise that the parents lost and the children won. Oh, dear...how sad.

Next, it was time to pass out the awards.
Jordon and Kendall received the Class clown awards. I certainly was not surprised.

Callie won the Elephant Award, for memorizing the most verses.

There were several other awards passed out, but my camera wasn't fast enough.
The children moving up from the Patch program to our SIGMA gave a short farewell speech. First up, Caleb. Caleb is a young man of as few words as he can get by with, so I was impressed that he even spoke at all. It was sweet.

Next was Kendra. She gave a testimony of how something that was said in class this year had allowed her to see her need for salvation.

There were no teams this year, but Brother Mike awarded a medal to each of the children that have been saved this year. Bailey Watson was one of those also.

And these were the top five scorers: Ally in 1st, Callie 2nd, Madison 3rd, Nicole 4th, and Caleb 5th. Way to go, y'all! They'll be taken on a special outing later in the summer.

Pastor Goodman recognized the workers in this class.

Jennifer D, who will become Mrs. O this fall.

Mrs. Kim, who is more terrific than I ever knew.

And last, but not least, Brother Mike. He has given many hours of thought and prayer into this class and it has truly paid off. Thank you, Brother Mike.

Kim and Alex. Can you "cheese" like that for the camera, peeps?

We had a great time. Justin helped in the nursery and after the quiz bowl we went to DQ with some special friends. I had a plain ole' ice cream cone dipped in chocolate. There's something to be said for the plain ole' ice cream cone!

I Must Confess

2008-06-01T22:05:00.003-04:00

Blogging is the last thing on my mind tonight. LOL

We went to the Patch Quiz Bowl Saturday evening and I have pictures to share, but to be quite honest, I just don't feel like taking the time to download them and blog them at this point. For all of you parents wanting to see a picture of you being stomped by your child, you'll just have to wait another day. Sorry. Maybe I'll feel like it tomorrow.

Do you fellow bloggers ever feel like you're in a blogging rut and don't feel like messin' with it? That's how I'm feeling right now. I don't mind typing my thoughts, really, but I don't feel like messin' with the camera and putting my pictures in the correct files and waiting patiently for the pictures to upload to blogger. Does that make me a bad blogger? I don't reckon. Although I wouldn't be typing this post at all if it weren't for the fact that I'm waiting for my iPod to finish charging.

I'm just tarred. That's southern for tired, in case you yanks were wonderin'.

I had the honor of seeing a fan of my blog today. Momma Trenton was in town to see her lovely daughter, Mrs. Kim O' and grandson, John. I was walking down the hall of the church and heard someone say, "There's my favorite blogger!" I turned to see Mrs. Momma Trenton. That brought a smile to my face. It was good to see her and she's such a beautiful lady. Thank you for the kind words, Momma Trenton. They were encouraging and it was a blessing to have you in our services today!

We had really good services today. I was so happy to see a young lady that I've prayed many prayers for in the past, sitting in a pew when I came down from Sunday school this morning. She's my neighbor's daughter. A few years ago when she was just 17, her mother passed away from cancer. Growing up in an atheistic home, I know she had no peace to claim. And when our choir started singing This Is Just What Heaven Means To Me, I broke out in tears at the thought of her possibly never knowing what Heaven could mean to her. She's moved from our neighborhood now, and seeing her today gave me a new burden for her. She certainly heard the gospel this morning, that's for sure and for certain. Pray for her. Her name is Callie.

Our Sunday school class had an afterglow after church tonight. It was sort of last minute so not very many of us showed up. Basically we showed up, ate, and went home.

Justin went home with his friend, Gary, today and Hannah went home with her grandparents. Harrison was content to stay with Bruce and me. We brought home Japanese take out and chicken nuggets after church. Then we hit the sack. I slept like a log too. It was actually the best nap I've had in a while. Ain't it great to take a good nap? Especially on a Sunday?

And these are my random thoughts. Aren't you glad you stopped by?

Before and After and Some Other Stuff

2008-05-30T21:10:00.000-04:00

Hannah got her hair cut yesterday and then we went to the DMV and had her ID made for her mission's trip to Puerto Rico.

She's got a new do, her ID, and her plane ticket is with Mrs. Janet. The last thing on her things to do is shop for some new clothes. She's ready for that. I am too. Who's not ready for shopping??

I'm a little concerned about my arm. It's really red around the area where the doctor took off the skin tag. It's also burning a little bit along with the pain that hasn't really let up since Tuesday. I hope I'm not getting an infection. I'm taking an antibiotic, so maybe that will help until I get to the doctor next week. My appointment isn't until next Friday, but if it's still hurting Monday, I'll most likely go ahead on in.

Bruce ran some errands today and then I met him for our weekly lunch date. We ate at a Japanese restaurant. It was good.

We stopped for an ice cream at McDonald's. We chatted for a while and then bought some ice cream sundaes to take home for the children. They were happy to see those when we got home. Bruce and I laid on the couch for an hour and then he got up to go to work and I went to clean mom and dad's house.

Tomorrow morning I'll do my grocery shopping while Bruce works on the washing machine, stop to see some friends tomorrow afternoon, and then tomorrow night Justin and I will participate in a Patch the Pirate Quiz Bowl the fourth through sixth grade class has every year. We'll be heading to Dairy Queen after that. Ice cream is good in the summer time, yes?

Right now I'm going to get ready for bed, doctor my boo boo, and hit the sack! I'm plum tuckered out.

PR.....(Procedure Room?)

2008-05-29T10:14:00.006-04:00

I had a skin tag that decided to grow on the tip of my nose. It didn't hurt or anything but it was definitely annoying to have people say, "Kristi, you have something on your nose." Something like that can cause quite a mental disturbance. Mander said to reply back, "Get it off for me." Ha!

I clipped it off a couple of times but it kept coming back. Bruce told me to have it taken off so I made my appointment for this past Tuesday. He was surprised to find out I had actually made an appointment (cause I do not do doctors!) and suggested I have one under my arm removed too since I was going to be there anyway. I've had that one since I was born. It's never given me any problems but I asked her to get that one too when I went in. She looked at it and said, "Sure, I can get that one too."
Now, keep in mind I had thought all along I would get a couple of snips and be on my way home.
Boy, was I wrong!
She told me she would give me a shot (IN MY ARMPIT) to numb the area. While I was numbing she would burn the one on my nose and then she would cut the one under my arm. She said it was a little too large to just snip off and it would take about three snips, that's why she suggested the shot. "To be on the safe side we'll do a tetanus and I'll give you an antibiotic to take home too." Then she stuck her head out the door and told the nurse what she was doing and to"...please prepare the Procedure Room."
Procedure Room?!!
OK, so now we've gone from a couple of snips and go home to me getting shots, burns, and three snips in the PROCEDURE ROOM!
I waited in the PR by myself thinking about this. Suddenly I was scared and wanted Bruce there to hold my hand. It didn't make matters better when I saw the little table next to me baring scissors, needles, and bandages.

When she came in the PROCEDURE ROOM she could tell I had worked myself up into a frenzy. She was so sweet and calmed me down before she started.
First....the armpit shot! OW! That is SUCH a delicate place...did you know? BTW, I learned that my insurance pays better if she tells them it was my axilla and not my armpit.
Then....the nose burn. That made my toes curl and knees lock. A few seconds seemed like a full minute. I was glad when she let go. But she felt she needed to do one more.
Great.
Another few seconds and voila. I now have a blister on the end of my nose.
Next....the armpit! I couldn't feel anything, but I knew she was cutting. Yep, three snips, just like she thought.
Oh, here's the best part...."Hey, I got the little sucker, you wanna see it? Looks like it goes down pretty far, though, so I'll need to get a scalpel to cut and remove the rest."

"Scalpel?!"

"Yeah, don't let the big words scare you."

"Well, stop using the big words and I won't be scared."

She cut some and then burned it because it was bleeding pretty bad. Slapped a band aid on it and it was finally over. Oh wait...no it wasn't.

"Let me burn the one on your nose just one more time. It's actually bigger than it looks. As a matter of fact, I want you to come back in two weeks so we can burn it again."

After that last burn, I sat in the hall waiting for my tetanus shot. "This won't hurt," the nurse said.

"What do you mean?"

"You won't be sore later."

She lied. She lied. She lied!

I was only comforted at the thought of my giant jug of shaved ice, waiting for me at home, given to me by my friend, Amy, the day before. Ahhhh, what a nice comfort to come home to. I sat down with my big jug and spoon and enjoyed every cool bite.

Amy, thanks for the shaved ice. Your jug is in Mrs. Janet's office.

I'll admit that where I got my tetanus is not as sore as I suppose it could have been, but it still made my shoulder sore. My nose has a little blister on it but that's going away...I think. And my underarm is still in a good deal of pain. But this too shall pass.

Poor me.

Memorial Day Weekend

2008-05-27T07:41:00.014-04:00

First of all, a BIG THANK YOU to all of our Veterans who have served and are
serving on land, in air, and at sea to fight and protect the freedoms we enjoy
today! We appreciate every single one of you.

I hope y'all had a great Memorial Day weekend. We sure did.

Several of us got together for a trip to Dollywood. Dollywood was good, but the fellowship was the best for me. And the ride up and back was hilarious.

We checked into our hotel, went to lunch at Duff's, and then headed to Dollywood.

How come they don't make these strollers for adults? Bruce and I were wondering.

First stop....carousel! As you can see, Celine loved it.

Pam and Amanda

Bruce and Jordan

Woo Hoo! This was Celine's first time on this big ride. She was a little nervous, but we rode together and she laughed and squealed the whole time.

Bruce and me and Pam rode this disc ride. It wasn't scary, but it was, hmmm.......belly churning. While the disc took you back and forth on the coaster rails, it would spin you around. Some of our group were several rides away and knew where we were from our screams.

The lines weren't too bad. We waited the longest here at the water ride. I took this picture from a small hole in the wall where we were standing in line.

We just can't seem to go anywhere without Bruce getting into trouble. Whatever will I do with him?

Pam and me

Kelly bought some flip flops...several pairs.

Brother Brad killed over when he heard of all the shopping Kelly had done in the park.

Harrison was dirty, so he stopped for a shower.

Harrison rode the Thunderhead Roller coaster with Brother Brad and then he rode it with me later in the day. I was really proud of him, even though it scared him slap to death. I have a picture I'll have to scan for ya. It'll crack....you....up!

We had fun in the park. But all good things come to an end. Before we knew it, it was time to go. When we got back to the hotel we decided to go eat.

Abigale wanted a nap! Look at those sleepy eyes.

Pam waiting by her door until Brother Joel came with an actual working key.

We ate at the Texas Roadhouse. Cameron was lovin' those rolls and butter.

But after a several hour road trip, fun at Dollywood, and getting his little belly filled, the little guy just couldn't make it any longer.

After supper, we went back to the hotel to help Brother Chris celebrate his 30th birthday. He loves golf, so Mander had Mrs. Amy make him this birthday cake. Isn't it great?

He really liked it.

The cake was delish! We had ice cream sandwiches to go with it.

Elizabeth ate her cake and then disappeared. Later we found out she went straight to the room and passed out from exhaustion. It was a long day for the babies. ;)

The little girls were playing ring around the rosie and other games, having a marvelous time.

And some of the kids were swimming.

We had a really good time and enjoyed the fellowship so much.

Sunday morning our Veteran's Memorial Wall was unveiled. It was touching to see the soldiers who have served and are serving now. And yes, I cried when the ushers unveiled it.

Top row, third from left to the end is Bruce's daddy (Navy), Bruce (Air Force), Bruce's brother Mitch (Navy) and Bruce's Uncle Carvel (Navy).

Top row second from left and third from left is my daddy (Air Force) and my brother, John (Navy.) I didn't see my brother Larry's picture up there. He had served in the Army. I'm guessing mom wasn't able to get a picture of him to Brother Cohen, who put the Memorial Wall together.

My sweetie with a few other "front porch boys."

Sunday night we ate El Titanic with the Ross and Rohrer family. I just couldn't resist asking if I could have my picture taken in the restaurant's sombrero.

After dinner, I took "the lady's" home while Bruce and Brother Rohrer took the boys to Wal Mart to pick up some things needed for the Memorial Day picnic we were having Monday with our Sunday school class.

We met at Brother Brian and Mrs. Amy's house Monday afternoon and had a wonderful time. This is Tammy, our Sunday school teacher, cuttin' maters for the burgers.

Mom and dad aren't in our Young Married class, but they're the resident grandparents and parents of everyone in our class, so they came too. Along with their patriotic rocking chairs. They were content to sit and watch us play kick ball.

Content to watch.....until the go-cart was brought out, that is. Mom couldn't wait for Hannah to ride her around the field.

Daddy was next. He was not as enthusiastic as mother, but he got in and made Hannah happy.

Joseph sat in the little tykes car falling asleep. He fought with his brother Isaac for the driver's seat and won. Then decided it was time to just sit and relax.

Maw Maw and Ethan went inside for a cold drink of soda and Enfamil.

Joseph woke up for Bruce to push him up and down the field. Bruce was ready for a nap after that!

Isaac liked the fact that drinks were so easily accessible.

Motorcycles were also on the list of activities, thanks to Brother Todd. Hannah loved it and is now waiting for us to get HER one!

Nicole

Harrison waited patiently for someone to ride him on the go-cart or motorcycle. That's Jamie and Bailey behind him.

Joseph and Alanna managed to persuade Brother Todd into pushing the car around the field for them. See that field?

Little Abigale had a blast riding with her mommy in the go-cart while Cheyenne jumped hills and dodged kick balls, footballs, and softballs. Yep....perfectly safe day!

Mrs. Amy's feet got a little dirty......

...but Celine's feet got REALLY DIRTY! She could grow corn between those toes.

That was our Memorial Day weekend. What did you do?

Bye!

2008-05-22T22:25:00.005-04:00

We'll be going out of town tomorrow. We're taking the kids on a trip with some other families from our church. We'll be leaving early in the morning and spending the night. So you won't be hearing from me until....well, I don't know when. Looks like a busy weekend ahead of us, so I may not post until Monday morning. We have some fun plans in store for our trip. It should be very interesting, to say the least. Especially with the nuts we're going with. I can say that, because we're nuts too.

Pillow Talk

2008-05-22T07:23:00.005-04:00

Bruce and I were getting ready to turn in for the night. I rubbed lotion on my arms. He checked the doors. I fluffed the pillows. He made sure a hall light was on. I turned on the fan. He turned off the light. We crawled into bed. This was our conversation:

Bruce: What's wrong honey? You've been quiet all night. Did something happen at church?
Me: No
Bruce: Well what's wrong then?

Several seconds passed

Me: You ate my meat loaf.
Bruce: What?
Me: You ate my meat loaf.
Bruce: *snicker* I did?
Me: Yes, you did. But that's all right. I'm over it now.
Bruce: Awww, honey, you didn't eat supper tonight?
Me: No. I wasn't hungry at the time. I was waiting until after church. And when I finished putting my jammies on I came into the kitchen and it was gone.
(He had made a meat loaf sandwich.)

Bruce: Why didn't you say something? I would have gone to Taco Bell and bought you some Tacos. Baby, I'm sorry. I thought I was doing everybody a favor.
Me: What do you mean?
Bruce: Well, I figured you would be happy because your meat loaf was so good it all got gone and Justin would have an empty pan to wash without having to put leftovers away.
Me: Don't worry about it. I had toast and a piece of kielbasa.
Bruce: Oh, Baby Doll, now I feel bad.

When he said that.....I felt better.

The Anchor Holds

2008-05-19T17:20:00.015-04:00

The theme for this year's banquet was The Anchor Holds. Mrs. Liz wanted to do an underwater
theme. Pam and I met Thursday before last to start working. It took us several hours to hang hooks and fishing line for the ceiling decorations.

Brother Medlin and Brother Harmon fashioned this ship out of cardboard and placed it around a bar we have in the fellowship building.

Pam and I started papering the ship with brown bulletin board paper.

Justin and Clayton were draping "water" across the ceiling. OK, well, here Justin is drinking a soda and Clayton is working. lol

Kendra was helping them with the giant wave.

Mrs. April made a cave for some fish.

And Mrs. Janet had her hand in pretty much everything.

This was the coral in progress. Pam and Amy covered the cardboard coral with plaster of paris and when it dried, Mrs. Liz painted them. I know she had help, but I'm not sure who helped her. Fortunately it turned out pretty, but I would NOT recommend this project.

This was the dummy we would dress in scuba gear and hang from the ceiling.

There was a lot of hard work and hours that went into the banquet and it turned out beautiful. Mrs. Liz had GREAT IDEAS!
This is Bruce and me under the entrance.

Remember the heart shaped ice sculptures we used for the Valentine's banquet? Well, we did fish shaped ice for this one. We had very colorful fish. Yellow, green, blue, purple, and pink. They were really pretty.

This is Brother RJ and Mrs. Liz (Our Youth Pastor and his wife.)

Me and Bruce

Chris and Dana (sponsors), Bro RJ and Mrs. Liz, me and Bruce (sponsors)

Bruce with Justin and Hannah in front of the cave. You can't see, but we had an orange light in the cave with fish swimming around inside.

This is me with Justin and Hannah by the finished ship. Mrs. Liz, April, Pam, and me worked on the ship and I believe Mrs. Dana did too. I didn't get to work with Dana, but I thought I heard them say something about her working on it. See all the bubbles? There were bubble machines blowing those. The younger children LOVED that!

Here is our dummy diver.

John O', daddy, and mom

We had some fish and sea horses blown up with helium and weighted down to look as though they were floating in the water.

We also had schools of dolphins hanging from the ceiling.

Everyone seemed to be having a good time.

This was the bottom of a fishing boat hanging in the water from the ceiling.

Daddy was asked to pray over the food. We had a fish and chicken dinner catered in from Colonial Fish Camp. We had our choice of fish or chicken with fries or baked potato. We also had several desserts to choose from. The meal was delicious and the college and career class served us. That was nice of them.

Daddy with a future SIGMA teen, baby C.

After we ate, John O' gave a devotional. He did a fantastic job. He graduated from high school last year and is attending Golden State Baptist College in California.

After the devotional, Brother RJ and Mrs. Liz did a DVD presentation with pictures we had taken of the kids throughout this last year. Mrs. Liz's daddy was so kind to do that for us and each family received a copy.

Next was the awards presentations. We started out recognizing the graduates.

These were our top ten, in no particular order, but from left to right:
Evan, Katherine, Justin, Mark, Cassie, Spencer, Jeremy, Justin, Jamie, and Gary.

LeAnna won the Helping Hand award.

Ethan won the Good Humor award. Ethan has a crazy sense of humor. He can make anyone laugh at any time. He's one of the seniors and we're going to miss him terribly!

Monica was diagnosed and has been battling MS for over a year now. She won the Over comer Award.

I forget all the names of the awards, so I'll just tell you who won them. LOL
Evan

Nathaniel

Justin won this award for memorizing the most verses this year.

And Gary won first place in points.

Cassie won high points for the girls.

Katherine

Mark...he's one of our seniors too and will be greatly missed next year.

Justin also won the Pastor's Award for outstanding leadership and organization.

Our Pastor, J Barry Goodman.

The Nu Delta Fishermen was Brother Chris and Mrs. Dana's team. We were the Pi Gamma Eagles. Since Bruce and I were in the picture with our team, I'll have to snag someone's picture of us later to show you because obviously I could not take our picture. By the way, Parker, what are YOU doing in THIS picture? Hmmm?

Crystal and Elizabeth

Ethan and his friend, Brooke

Clint and Cassie with the Pastor

Bruce, me, and Justin

Justin with Brother RJ and Mrs. Liz

Daddy, Justin, Hannah, and mom

Daddy, Gary, and mom

I have no idea what this pose was about, but I had to post the picture anyway. LOL

We had a wonderful time and again, I must say that Mrs. Liz had great ideas for her banquet this year. I've already heard her discussing plans for next year and it sounds like a load of fun.

2008-05-17T22:16:00.003-04:00

Hannah had fun with her friends last night. They decided to sleep in a tent outside. There was one girl (Ally) that fell asleep on the couch before they went out. The other girls tried to wake her up enough to get her out there with them, but to no avail. She was out!

I don't know why I agreed to the outdoor slumbering, because I certainly did not rest peacefully knowing three little beauties were out there. I was up about every 30 to 45 minutes or so making sure they were all right. And then, of course, they were inside a couple of times. Bruce and I honestly thought they would come inside anyway since the air was quite cool last night. But no way. They were in the tent for the long haul. They finally fell asleep just around 3:30 AM.

Harrison and his friend, Matt, were upset that the girls had the tent. So while they played Wii, I was busy making them a tent with Justin's comforter. The boys seemed to like it, but decided sleeping on the floor wasn't fun and ended up on the bunk beds.

Our guests were all gone just after 10:00 this morning. Hannah was able to get a little rest before her daddy took her out, just the two of them. He took her to Ruby Tuesday's. They didn't sing Happy Birthday to her, but they did bring her a sundae. She enjoyed that.

After lunch he took her to get her birthday present, which was a black Ipod classic. She loves it. I downloaded all of my songs on there for her and she's a happy camper tonight.

Speaking of tonight, we had a wonderful time at the banquet. I think the highlight for everyone was the picture video/DVD that Mrs. Liz and her daddy put together. Each SIGMA teen received a copy of that DVD as a gift. I'll have pictures to share later. Right now, I am very sleepy and falling asleep while I post. So, goodnight and I'll catch up with ya Monday!

Giggle, Giggle, Giggle

2008-05-16T21:59:00.003-04:00

Justin is spending the night with Jeremy tonight so that Hannah can have a couple of her friends over. They've eaten pizza, brownies topped with mousse, caramel, and chocolate syrup, chips and dip, Krispy Kreme doughnuts (provided by my parents), and sodas. Don't you have a belly ache just reading that?

Harrison has a little friend over too. They're both skinny, quiet, and having a ball. Neither of them say much, but they get along so well together. It's funny. They were playing games in Harrison's room and when I took them a snack, they were playing with Justin's weights. Only it took both of them to lift just one. Which was quite comical to me.

The girls have jumped on the trampoline, scared the neighbor, and now they're getting ready to play hide-n-seek in the dark. They'll be playing until Bruce gets home and they plan on scaring him. But I have a feeling he'll be prepared for them and scare them before they scare him. Did that make sense?

They're making a lot of noise outside. Lots of laughs, lots of giggles. You know how it is. I'll probably have the cops called on me tonight. Wouldn't that be lovely? I'll tell them it's my parents fault for loading them up with sugary doughnuts at 10:00 PM! Oh yeah, did I say thanks for that, mom and dad?

Bruce should be pulling in here any minute. Hope you have a great weekend!

I'm Finished.....I Think!

2008-05-15T23:58:00.003-04:00

I took my friend, Pam, to the hospital today so she could get a nerve blocking shot in her back. As I sat in the waiting room during her procedure, I was alone with a woman that was about as country as country could be. Which is something you see a great deal of in these parts the closer you get to the mountains. I'm not a very talkative person in the morning, but that didn't seem to bother her. She did enough talking for the two of us. As she was talking the Lord was prodding me to witness to her so I did. She mentioned something about her sister's church so I asked her if she went to church anywhere. "No, I don't go nowhere, Honey." She began to tell me how her daddy was a preacher when she was a little girl and when the Pastor of the church told him he had to preach a little quieter, he got upset and took 'em outta that church for good. But she was baptized there. I asked her if she knew Jesus. She said, "Well yeah, I know who He is." I said, "Lots of people know who He is, but do you know Him personally?" She assured me that she was saved as a young woman. Then she proceded to tell me about the last church she was in where three decons were fighting and she's never cared to go back to church since. I said, "It's a shame you let the devil win that one." Her eyes widened, "What do you mean?" I answered her, "The devil wants nothing more than to stir trouble in a good church. He knows it discourages others and it will possibly give them a bitterness toward church, which is what happened with you. So....Satan won." She told me I was right and that she had been trying to live a good life "...for a lot of years now." I invited her to our church. She knew exactly where it was. So who knows? Maybe we'll see her there soon. The conversation was good and she was actually delightful to talk to, except for the moments between our conversation when she was spitting in her snuff cup.

Tonight was my last night working on the SIGMA banquet. At least I think it is. I know I won't be working tomorrow and Saturday morning is looking doubtful. Lord willing everything will be finished by tomorrow and there will be no worries for Saturday.

Pam and I worked on decorating the foyer tonight. We covered the walls and it was a very...hmm...tedious job. Especially since Pam was not able to climb ladders, bend, or stand for very long periods of time. She was a little loopy so she took on the task of tearing the tape I needed for the wall covering. On a normal day, she moves like a turtle. Imagine a turtle in slow motion and that's what she was today. Eventually, I just took the roll of tape and did everything myself. She wasn't much help, but we had a lot of laughs and giggles. That broke up the time and made the work fun. Especially when we touched up a giant piece of coral with spray paint. Although there was plenty of ventilation, we probably could have used more. All joking aside, she did help...some...and I did tell her I was going to blog about our work night together.

And now it's time for bed. I'll sleep good tonight with the sound of pouring rain and our fan going. Ahhh, yes..............

Your Time Is Up, Please Put Down Your Pencil

2008-05-14T23:14:00.003-04:00

We finished our yearly testing, required by our state. What a load off it is to have that completed and out of the way!

Hannah and Justin were finished with their tests week before last, but I had to wait for my examiner's manual for Harrison's test. They forgot to pack it when they mailed the test to me. But it did come and we have finished. This was Harry's first year and he did pretty good. I know he aced his math. And he actually did very good on the reading and comprehension, which was a surprise to me. You know he struggles with his reading so I predicted he would not do good in that area. But he did way better than I thought he would. The Language Mechanics, however.....well, let's just say I don't need his test results back to see where he needs help. LOL But I'm not worried about that right now. The mechanics are pretty repetitive, so that will come to him, just like his reading has.

I worked at the church today until church time this evening. Mrs. Janet and I have been working on the ceiling. That's finished now. PTL! After church, the children and I went back down to vacuum the floor and pull out the tables. All of the finishing touches (decorating the tables) will not be finished until probably Thursday and then we have a few things to blow up and place around the room Saturday morning. Wow, that was vague, wasn't it? Don't worry....you'll see what I'm talking about when I post my pictures.

Thimble Thoughts

BLOG ROLLERS!

I've Moved

He's Coming Home

Have You Ever Found Everything Funny?

Two Updates

Dinner at the Parris Home

Visiting with Paw Paw

Da Plane! Da Plane!

Staying the Weekend

Update

Tagged!

Not Going To Rehab....YET!

Pretty Good...Yet A Little Odd

Even In The Valley, God Is Good

Happy Birthday, Celine!!

Dinner With Tim and Angie

Ever Had One Of THOSE Days?

And Then There Were Three

Last Minute Shopping, Goodbyes, and Doctor Visits

New Recipes and OOPS! What Was I Playing?

After Three Whole Years!

Have You Ever Thought About....

Gardasil....Good or Bad?

Were It Not For Grace

Lake Lure and Hominy Valley

Happy 4th of July

Happy Birthday To Me!

Ankles, Shopping, and Another Birthday

Comments

A Hoppin' Place To Be

God Loves You, But Does He Like You?

A Na-na-na-Boo-boo Lunch!

Reformation Tour

Justin's picture DVD

Greer Baptist Camp Meeting 2008

Birthday Party

Why Do You Go?

A Few Thanks...

Gone To The Races

Repentance...What Is It? Part IV

This and That and This

Repentance...What Is It? Part III

Father's Day

Repentance...What Is It? Part II

Happy Father's Day!

Repentance...What Is It? Part I

Let Me Introduce You....

Flashbacks

No More!

God Knows

Choices

Graduation Night

Snack Time!

Politically Correct Biblical Headlines

70 Years of Sweetness

I Love Pink

*Sigh*

Random

Giveaway!

North Carolina Mountain Music

Faith Baptist Senior Moment...Mrs. Jenny

For the Mamas and the Papas

I Must Confess

Before and After and Some Other Stuff

PR.....(Procedure Room?)

Memorial Day Weekend

Bye!

Pillow Talk

The Anchor Holds

Giggle, Giggle, Giggle

I'm Finished.....I Think!

Your Time Is Up, Please Put Down Your Pencil

Sigh