When Life Gives you Lemons...Make Lemonade!

Praising God

2012-01-24T09:15:00.001-05:00

Sunset over the Rocky Mountains on January 4th (courtesy of Izzy B)

Last week I began a new morning tradition that was shared with me by Abby over at Feathered Nest. It is called Magical Mornings and she was kind enough to share a printable with all of us. Anyway back to the point of Praising God... On her 'things to do every morning' is to spend a few minutes with your scriptures journal. In place of a scriptures journal I use my devotionals that I receive via email from my old work friends.

Today I received a devotional that I'd like to share with all of you. It reminded me of a situation that I had last Thursday. I was almost at the end of my rope and while making dinner I stopped up the garbage disposal. Who knew that putting potato peels in it would make mashed potatoes in the drain? I'm sure many of you know that but not me. I have made it my personal duty to share this with the world! Anyway I became so frustrated that I just began to pray and talk to the Lord. My husband kind of snickered at me. I mean who prays about a stopped up sink? I guess on that day I didn't find anything too small to ask the Lord. I knew that we couldn't afford to call a plumber so somehow or another this drain would have to flow freely. So, I'd plunge awhile then I'd pray awhile. Finally after about 3 hours, mind you I took breaks now and again, the drain ran free! I took a few minutes to Praise the Lord and then called my entire family to tell them about how it was fixed. It's the little things that make me happy!

From Immanuel Baptist Church, 1/15/2012 AM sermon by Doug Hayes (excerpt and paraphrased)

1 Corinthians 10:31

Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

Doug Hayes has a lot of kids and was talking about how several times during the last few weeks he's had to unstop the toilet, but strangely no kid has ever been responsible for stopping it up. He was rather frustrated when he came home to work on his sermon for Sunday (he was filling in for our regular pastor) and found the commode stopped up again. The LORD gave him 1 Corinthians 10:31-33 for his sermon, and after he had prepared his notes and went to unstop the commode, he felt the conviction from verse 31. He said it may seem strange to be singing a song of praise as you plunge the commode, but it's hard to stay irritated when you are praising the LORD.

We are called as Christians to give every activity to the LORD. You can have joy if the LORD is in everything you do. Turn it all over to Him. The world doesn't need to see Christians acting like the lost. They need to see love and joy, to see what they want to have in their own life. The world bases happiness on status, abilities, possessions--their own significance. Christians should base their happiness on Christ…the true joy that never changes. Christians should have their significance in Him--true significance.

Find joy in the journey of living out our Christian life -- every task, every single task!

…to use a line from Finding Nemo, with a slight variation: Keep on singing, singing, singing.

So you see this devotional affirmed my need to Praise the Lord even while plunging a stopped up sink! I hope you all have a blessed day.

~Blessings,
Krista

What a Difference a Day Makes

2012-01-23T17:47:00.000-05:00

Or should I say a weekend? I had the opportunity to visit a church on Friday & Saturday night in Newport TN. My brother-in-law and his father were holding a revival there. Then on Sunday morning & Sunday night I was in service at our home church in Claxton TN. Needless to say it was just what I needed. It seemed like from Friday night until Sunday night each message built on top of the other giving me strength.

God is always good! When we feel we can't go on all we have to do is ask and he is there. In the valleys and on the mountains he takes care of my every need. I always want to praise him for blessing me!

I sang a song last night at church that tells the story of my heart. It's an old song that I've heard most all of my life.

"Jesus is with me, He's helping me stand. He's making my pathways seem bright. He's driving the darkness back out of my way and making my burdens seem light."

Walking on water

2012-01-20T11:41:00.001-05:00

Do you ever feel like you are drowning? Literally like you are almost out of air and there is no way possible to take a breath. Today, I feel that way. I can see the water all around me. I can hear the storm with the waves so boisterous. I can feel the pressure on my chest that seems unrelenting.

I sit hear thinking why do I feel this way today? What has happened that makes me feel like hope is almost unattainable? I can honestly say nothing drastic has happened. Many things have happened over the last few years to make me feel distressed. Most days I feel like my head is barely above the water but I can still breath. Today the waves have pushed me under.

Fortunately I am a positive person and I am a Christian therefore I know that Jesus will come to my rescue. As I was typing I was reminded of the place in the Bible where Peter got out of the boat and walked to Jesus. Yes he walked, but he became distracted by the storm & the boisterous waves and he began to sink. He called out for help and Jesus saved him. I am depending on Jesus coming to my rescue today and giving me peace of mind. He can give me that much needed breath of life.

- Blessings
Krista

Get back in the swing

2012-01-19T15:43:00.005-05:00

of things.

I've recently been laid off from work so I am now officially a stay at home wife/mom. Not sure I can claim 'recently' since it happened November 30th. December was easy because we were so busy with the holidays. Both church & personal events kept me super busy, but then January arrived. Everything I wanted to do overwhelmed me. I had put off so many things until January that I just don't know where to begin. Today it is January 19th and I don't know what I've accomplished. Oh, my house is clean and my laundry is done. Dinner is made every night. I wake up every morning with my hubby to make his breakfast & lunch. However I just can't get into the swing of this. I look at the mountains of things I want to accomplish and I feel like I can't climb over them.

I do better with a plan so I started planning my days with my Franklin Covey and that seemed to help but not for long. Then I remembered Fly Lady from when I wasn't working before and tried to do follow the plan. Cleaning just isn't my problem, and yes, I have plenty to do. My children are self-sufficient, as they should be since they are both in college. From time to time they'll ask me to help them with something but usually I very rarely even see them. They are extremely busy with work & school. Charlie is happy as long as he has breakfast, lunch & dinner, all his clothes are in the closet where he can find them easily and the house is clean. Well, all those things are done and still I feel like I am stumbling along.

This afternoon I found a wonderful post from Abby over at a Feathered Nest. (For some reason blogger won't let me link to her blog) but in this post she talked about getting her groove on. She created and shared a printable for a to-do list and on the top was Prayer. Can you believe I have been leaving this off my to-do list? I talk to the Lord throughout the day, read devotionals, and spend a lot of time meditating on His Word. However, I think I need to go back to the basics and start my day on my knees.

Pray for me that I'll get back into the swing of things.

Happy New Year!!

2011-12-31T20:27:00.003-05:00

Okay, wait a minute am I doing this right? It's been so long I didn't know if I would even remember how to login to my blog! This year has had many up & downs, good times & bad, laughter and crying. Without all life wouldn't be very interesting now would it? I am thankful that I have lived to see 2012. I have only made one New Year's Resolution and that is to write more both on my personal blog and on our church website.

I hope to see y'all around more in 2012.

Hey, is there anybody out there...

Do you let your children tell you what they are going to do?

2011-07-28T07:49:00.001-04:00

This past Sunday I was telling a teenager at our church how proud I was to see him there for service. I know that his parents have had a tough time with him lately. He is going through a rebellious stage and they aren’t sure how to control him. He told me thank you but that he would only be there for Sunday morning & Wednesday night. He said ‘I told my Mom & Dad that I would go to church with them on Sunday mornings & Wednesday nights but that I wasn’t coming on Sunday nights.’

Hmmm I wonder what my parents would have said if I told them I wasn’t going to do something. I can’t even imagine the wrath. Oh, and just for the record, my Dad and Mom didn’t spank me. I think I would have rather received a spanking. My Dad would get down the Bible and teach us. Before I had time to utter another word I would feel so condemned by my actions.

When this child told me his concession to church, with his Mom standing right there, I was left dumbfounded. I didn’t even reply because I didn’t know what to say. Now, I realize that I could have said many things like ‘What if God only answered your prayers on Sunday morning, and Wednesday night?’ or ‘What if your Mom & Dad only fed you on Sunday morning, and Wednesday night?’ What would you have said?

What would you do if this were your child? Please help me to pray.

American Quilters Society Quilt Show

2011-07-16T11:03:00.001-04:00

Yesterday I had the opportunity to go to the quilt show here in Knoxville. It was amazing but I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

International Sue Bonnets

I love black and white quilts!! This one has just a little burst of color. Do you see it?

The appliqué on this was gorgeous.

These are just a few of the pics I took. I'm sorry they don't do justice to the quality of the quilts. I was using my iPhone to take pictures.

I'll have more tomorrow.

-Blessings
Krista

Daily Devotion

2011-07-12T07:53:00.001-04:00

I was sent this link today in my daily devotion. http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/currenttrendscolumns/leadershipweekly/minuteseternity.html It brought back a ton of memories and tears.

On December 22nd 1994, I lost my 3rd child. Believe it or not, I am at a loss for words. I am not like the people in this article that carried the baby to term and were able to hold it. No, my baby died in my womb. I was about 12 weeks pregnant when the baby died, and my body didn’t try to miscarry. I would have carried the baby to term, but it wouldn’t have been a live birth. If I remember correctly, I believe my due date would have been in June of 1995, but we chose to have the doctor take it that December.

I was never able to hold my baby or name it. I’ve always thought it would have been a boy, but I don’t know. After testing the doctors told me I lost the baby because of what is called ‘Trisomy 13’. Most babies born with this defect do not make it to term, and if they do they usually don’t live long. A trisomy pregnancy can be many different things depending on which chromosome has three instead of the normal two. The result could be anything from a cleft palate to down syndrome to dwarfism.

It took me years to grieve. At first it seemed like it didn’t happen to me. I was separate from this tragedy that occurred in our life. Then one day I was sitting in church and someone was singing a song about Jesus’ have a rocking chair, and I lost it! Yes, I mean sobbing, bellering, squalling, lost it… It was almost 2 years after I lost the baby. I had to leave the sanctuary. Charlie took me home and it was like it had just happened.

I know that God has a plan. I always wanted to have at least four kids, but I guess that wasn’t in God’s plan. I have two children that I have watched become wonderful young adults. Different people have different ideas about when a baby has a soul and I don’t want to get into that discussion. Suffice it to say, it makes me feel peace to believe that I have a child that I’ll meet in Heaven.

~Blessings
Krista

What do teenagers need from youth ministry?

2011-06-23T08:07:00.001-04:00

This is a subject near & dear to my heart. For the last 16 years Charlie & I have worked in the youth department of our organization. We started out working with fundraising for the youth but then our work progressed into something more. Charlie currently serves as Youth Pastor at the Claxton church of our organization. Working with young people can be very rewarding because you can see when you make a difference in their life. However, it can also be the most challenging. It’s very difficult to find that niche that will combat the entertainment that youth find in the world today. Our biggest challenge seems to be how do you get them to a church event when there is a football game at the school or some other exciting event on the same night? Do you offer video games & pizza, or go-karts & hamburgers just to attract them to a church event instead of an event the world offers then try to have a small devotional while you have their attention? We’ve done this in the past but we’ve always felt that it just wasn’t enough. What were we teaching these young people about the word of God?

As I said we’ve been working in youth ministry for 16 years and we’ve watched an entire generation become adults. The teenagers we started with are now parents and we have their children in our youth department. Looking back the youth that we had the most impact on are the ones we took to camp each summer. Camp Awanita, one week in the summer away from worldly distractions. No cell phones, no television, no radios, no video games, only each other and the Word of God. Yes, we would play games but they were always Faith building games. We watched these teenagers walk away knowing something they could build their life on. The challenge we had was only a few would come. If I remember correctly our highest number was 56. I think our last trip to Camp Awanita was in 2006. Our interested numbers have become so small that it isn’t cost effective. There are too many other offerings in the summer that the teenagers of today are pulled to like sports camps & band camps. I’ve heard many parents say we can’t afford both, and I’ve raised two teenagers so I understand that. I’ve also been told ‘If my child doesn’t go to this sports camp then they will have to sit the bench during the next season.’ They think this sports camp will make a drastic change in their child’s life; making them a better player. What they don’t realize is that a Christian Camp will make them a better Christian and could firmly plant their child on the Rock, Christ Jesus!

For years I’ve watched mega churches attract youth with things our small church just couldn’t afford; parties, pizza every Friday night, big trips, large youth centers, concerts, etc. We’ve had parents in our church want us to spend a large chunk of our budget to take their kids to amusement parks, beaches, etc., and we’ve really struggled with this because we keep coming back to where is the Word in all this foolishness. I’ve had people say ‘Well it’s good for those kids who might run with the bad crowd to be with the good crowd and it doesn’t matter what you are doing with them.’ ‘Keep them off the streets.’ I understand that to some extent; however what are you teaching them? Are you helping them lay the groundwork to become good adults or are you just teaching them life isn’t ‘fun’ without some kind of party?

I thought we were alone in this struggle then I received an email that led me to a discussion about youth ministry. I realized that we are not the only people that have seen our youth become young adults without a foundation in the church. They don’t know the Word. They are now just looking for the next party or event. I would like all my friends to read this article. It is very enlightening, and makes me to know we are not alone in feeling that our youth of today is being ‘amused to death’. Christianity Today

I think you’ll like it. Come back to my blog, comment and let me know what you think. Do you agree?

- Blessings
Krista

Stepping Out on Faith

2011-06-15T08:56:00.001-04:00

Do you remember in the Indiana Jones movie when he is going after the Holy Grail? He could see it. It was almost within his grasp, but between him & the Holy Grail was a chasm. It appeared that if he took a step he would fall into oblivion. Before he took that first step he picked up a handful of sand and sprinkled it across the void. The sand landed and showed the path.

Are you standing at the edge of your chasm? Can you see your prize but you can’t obtain it because you are unable to see the path? Let Jesus show you the path. Step out on Faith. His promises are sure.

This reminds me of the place in the Bible where Jesus was walking on the water towards the disciples’ boat (Matthew 14). When the disciples saw Jesus they thought he was a spirit, but Peter said to him “Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.” Jesus said one word to Peter “Come.” The next verse says that Peter walked on the water. He stepped out on faith in Jesus’ word. At that moment he had no doubt that he would walk on the water. As long as he kept his eyes on Jesus, his prize, then he walked on the water. When he took his eyes off his prize he started to sink.

Sometimes the path is only revealed one step at a time. Do your children or husband in my case play video games? Mine do. I’ve watched them play many games and in several of those games the path will be unseen, but as they take a step the block will appear under their feet. Sometimes they misjudge where they should step, the block doesn’t appear and they fall to their demise. Many times in our path towards our goal only the next step is revealed and not the entire path. Sometimes I catch myself wishing I could see into the future; especially now that my children are embarking on their adult paths. That isn’t the plan. I’m sure if the entire path was revealed we would become overwhelmed, and get wrapped up in fear and worry. Remember Jesus’ knows our path. We should live our life for him, keeping our eyes on him, and take our steps in faith; stepping forward in trust and obedience. If we were to take our eyes off Jesus, and take the wrong step, remember that Jesus will save us just like he did Peter that day on the water. Just don’t let the fear of falling keep you from taking the step.

- Blessings
Krista

My Baby Girl

2011-06-14T07:42:00.001-04:00

Yesterday I wrote about my baby boy so today I thought I’d write about my baby girl.

Mary Elizabeth, the ‘date’ she was born had always been a day of sorrow for me. You see her ‘birth’day is March 18. My granddaddy died on March 18, 1977, and then my Mama Mary Dell died on March 18, 1990. In my mind it was only fitting that when I went to my doctor’s appointment the morning of March 18, 1993 that the doctor would tell me that my baby girl was in distress. He said if I didn’t deliver soon that her life was in danger. I was only 19 at the time and completely alone. Charlie was on his way to a job 2 hours away in Atlanta, and my Mother was 2 hours away in Knoxville TN. Being the stubborn person that I am I told the doctor that I would not let him induce labor or give me a C-Section and that if she was meant to die or if she was meant to live then so be it. Well she is just as stubborn as I am because at 6:30 that night she was born in to this world completely natural.

There are so many things that I could say about my daughter. She is the child of my heart. She is the one who will walk up and give me a hug just when I need it. I remember when she was about 3 years old, she looked up at me with those big blue eyes and said “Mama, will you be my best friend?” She had on her favorite outfit. The one with the lady bugs on it! She wanted to wear that outfit everyday to preschool. She has always been my best friend. We go shopping together. We have our nails done together. We have our hair cut together. You get the point.

Beth is one of those people that loves completely. When she decides you can be a part of her bubble then you are truly blessed. However, she doesn’t love easily. She was born during a time in my life where I thought I was all alone. I wouldn’t let anyone close for fear that they would hurt me. I think I passed that feeling on to her. She doesn’t let many people get to know her. She appears to be a quiet person when you first meet her, but give her a little bit and she’ll talk your ear off!

She is extremely creative. When she picks up her sketch pad & pencil it’s like magic comes from her fingertips. I love to watch her catch that perfect moment by drawing or on camera. I’m not sure whose side of the family all this creativity came from but she is very talented. My grandfather was a sign maker. He created signs by putting pencil to paper long before computer graphics where around. I’d like to think that she inherited her creativity from him. I know he’d like that too!

This fall she’ll be spreading her wings. It is time… She has been accepted to Maryville College on an art scholarship. I know she’ll be successful. She has decided to live at home during her freshman year, but I know that it won’t be too long before she decides to move out to. I just don’t want to accept it. She is my baby! When she was young she would hide behind me when people would come up. I would continue to ‘hide’ her if I could but I know that would handicap her in this world because I won’t always be there to shield her. It’s hard to explain…I’ve just always wanted to keep her safe not letting the mean people of this world hurt my baby.

I’ve prayed her entire life that God would send her a special man that would love her so completely, taking care of her even more than I have. I’ve prayed that that man would be a God fearing person. I’ve prayed that he would be someone who will dedicate their life and marriage to God’s service. Now, it doesn’t have to be anytime soon, but I know that she is at that time of her life where she wants and needs her special someone.

I came home a few weeks ago and she was sitting at the table with her bible, a book, and a notepad. She was reading a devotional called “A Lady in Waiting”. She was cross-referencing the book with her KJV bible. The book is about becoming God’s best while you are waiting for Mr. Right. The book explores Ruth from the Bible, and by doing that you learn the characteristics that every woman of God should develop. I went to my room that day and prayed thanking God that my daughter wanted to be a woman of God! Not many in this day want God in their lives. I’m thankful that my daughter has had Godly women to pattern her life after. I’ve by no means been the perfect role model, but I have been forgiven, and thankfully God does use me to work for him. She has also had wonderful grandmothers, aunts, and other church women that have helped guide her.

Today, I am praying that my daughter will find her path in life, and that the Lord will give her contentment. I pray that God will send her true friends, and not those that just pass fleetingly through your life. I pray that God will keep molding her Mr. Right until he is just the man that Beth needs. I pray that she will always be my baby. Most of all, I pray that God will protect her and guide her throughout her life.

-Blessings
Krista

Posts from my iPhone

2011-06-13T21:55:00.001-04:00

I'm sure that this app has been around for a while but I just found it. I am really excited that I can start blogging again. I don't have a home computer anymore and that is why my blog posts have been so infrequent. I hope that this will help me get back into the habit of blogging. It might take me a few days to get used to it!! I've been following all my friends blogs through google reader but it is so hard to post a comment. I am going to search for a blog reader app too. Surely there is one out there...

My Baby Boy

2011-06-13T10:35:00.002-04:00

Life goes on. The babies you once held tight become adults. The toddler that begged you not to let go of their hand now is that young adult who wants you to let go. The little boy who walked off the field holding back his tears until he saw his Mother is now walking away from his Mother as she holds back her tears.

You raise them to be independent adults, but I don’t think it is ever easy to let them go. I know we’ve taught him right, and now it is time for him to walk on his own. I was thinking this morning of the first steps he took and how we held his hands as he teetered. At only 9 months he walked, not just walked but ran! At 2 he could ride a bicycle without training wheels. I should have known then that he would want to live on his own at a young age. He wants to make his own path. Understandable, isn’t that what we all want? Why then is it so hard to let go?

Last night, Trevlyn asked his Dad & I to sit down and talk with him. He had an important decision to discuss with us. He was such an adult about it all. He had everything lined out. When we first sat down I asked him if we were going to have an Amway presentation. He had his computer out, a folder, and jokingly said he needed to go get his HDMI cable so he could connect it to the TV and let us see his presentation. My baby boy then told us that he had toured apartments and found one that he thought he could afford. He had a spreadsheet of everything he would need from towels, pots & pans, to decorations and furniture. The costs of each were totaled. He had his monthly budget calculated with rent, utilities, and even his entertainment which consists of cable/internet so he can play his PS3. His original date was August 1st. I felt like my heart broke, but I held back the tears. If I’ve been successful raising him then he should be a successful adult, right? Then he tells us that after much prayer he would like to move that out 1 year. He would then be able to save the money each month and move out with a considerable savings. I slowly picked up the pieces of my heart.

I didn’t sleep much last night. The fear that I’ve lived with the last few years made a very strong reappearance last night. What if he doesn’t make it on his own? What if the apartments catch on fire? What if he doesn’t make it home at night? How will I know? I can’t imagine the first night he doesn’t sleep under my roof, but in his own apartment. I probably won’t sleep that night either! I had to remind myself throughout the night that God is not the God of fear, and we are his children. God is much better at taking care of his children than I am!

I remember when I was pregnant with him at the age of 17. I remember thinking this baby will always love me. This will be the one person in this world who will always love me unconditionally. He would fight for me and has. The first few years of our marriage weren’t the best. Charlie & I argued a lot! Trevlyn would always stand in front of me & yell at his Dad to stop. He never wanted us to argue. He has always been my little warrior!

When he was about eight he went through a phase where he had a hard time dealing with his emotions. He had a lot of built up anger and didn’t know how to vent. The school called me in for a conference. He had discussed with his counselors at length why he had so much anger. Most of it stemmed from the early years of our marriage. You would never believe that what you do in front of your toddler will impact them, but it does! I didn’t know what to do. Of course the school wanted me to take him to a child psychologist and they would put him on medication. By this time Charlie & I were both going to church and trying to live our life for the Lord. I remember calling my Mother as I drove down Red Bud Rd. I was squalling because I felt like I had let down my child. I had caused this to happen, and now I didn’t know what to do. I’ll never forget my Mother’s words. She said “Krista, give him to the Lord, and let God take care of him.” I did that on that day. I gave my child back to the Lord who had given him to me. From that day forward, God changed my child’s heart.

Trevlyn now lives his life for the Lord. He is a very tender hearted, compassionate young man. He’s not perfect, but he’s my baby boy! We always say those are shoulder blades not angel’s wings. I’m sure he’ll make mistakes. We all do. I know he has a great work for the Lord. God has an anointing on his life. I have already seen where his life has impacted others. I will continue to pray, as I always have, that God will keep a hedge of protection around him that Satan will not destroy him. I told him last night, as I have many times over his lifetime, that as long as he keeps God as his number one priority then he can do anything that he wants to.

Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD. And he worshipped the LORD there. 1 Samuel 1:28

I wish that I could fly away...

2011-04-04T07:54:00.001-04:00

On the wings of a great golden bird
To a place where there are no unhappy days
And there are no unhappy words

Standing alone in a storm of life
Without any way to turn
Tears are falling down like rain
From the lessons that I have learned

Yea, I wish that I could fly away
To a land beyond this pain
And lay my dreams on a mountain top
And wash my mind in the rain
Words by Frank Dycus

Psalms 55:6 And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest.

Sometimes life becomes unbearable and human nature says run away or hide from the problems. We all know as adults that is impossible. Your problems don’t go away because you pretend they are not there. The song above was written about love & heartbreak, but that isn’t what I am writing about today. I am writing about those problems that seem insurmountable. Whether it be grief over the death of a loved one, sickness, financial problems, or heartbreak.

The last few years it seems that it has been one problem after another in our life. I have been taught that there is only one place you can run, and that is into the arms of God. He will comfort you when it seems that no comfort is to be found. When the fear of life has you in a death grip ask God to take away the fear and pain. When you actually think about it, life is frightening. God didn’t promise that we would never feel pain or heartache, but he did promise that he would never leave us alone.

I’ve always had a fear in my life of being left alone; that the people I love the most would just disappear out of my life. Sometimes death takes your loved ones but more often than not we just get so wrapped up in our lives that we become out of sight out of mind. If it isn’t someone that we see or talk to on a daily basis then they get pushed to the backburner. I don’t let many people get close to me because of that fear. I keep only a few close because I just couldn’t bear it if I lost someone that I love.

I thought that I had almost overcome that fear and then Charlie’s parents died. The first few months after their death I was afraid every time my children left my sight that I wouldn’t see them again. I would panic and my heart would race until they made it back home. Then I started worrying about my own parents. I know that life is not meant to last forever, and my parents are getting older. Eventually they will die, and I know that, but I can’t bear the thought. Charlie tells me that we shouldn’t be afraid of death because that is are only transportation to Heaven, and I’m not afraid of my own death. I simply don’t want my family to die!

Yesterday we went to Dalton and visited Charlie’s brothers. We met out at the cemetery, and I planted flowers in the vases at the tombstone. They kept asking me why I wanted real flowers and not silk like was on all the other tombstones. Loyd always tried to teach me how to plant a garden, and I just never could get it right. One time he & I planted two tomato plants at my house. I tended them just like he told me. I grew the prettiest plants you’ve ever seen, but I never had one tomato on those plants. He would just laugh every time he would see them. Lethia would bring home the Easter lilies from the Easter Memorial Service, plant them in her yard, and just as pretty as you please those flowers would come back the next year. Not me! My lilies would die in the pot within days and I always forgot to plant them. So, yesterday I took my time getting just the right potting soil, and picking out just the right flower. Then we went to the cemetery and they all watched me put those pretty flowers in the vases. I made my niece promise to water them. Hopefully they’ll live and if they don’t well then I know that Loyd will have a good laugh over my attempt at gardening. He always did!

Sometimes I say that Life is not being very nice to us right now. The memories of death seem so close to my mind, health issues and then the financial problems that we are having seem ever present. It looks like everything is going good for a few days and then we come spiraling right back down. Sometimes I think that would like to run away, but then I remember ‘where would I run’? God is right there with me. Without God in my life I couldn’t make it. He is my ever present help in my time of need. This too shall pass! When this time of my life is over I’ll look back and see how God brought me through, and maybe I can use something that has happened to me to help others in their time of need. ‘But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.’ Job 23:10

Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint.

Full Circle

2011-03-28T13:26:00.007-04:00

Do you ever think about how sometimes life comes full circle? I didn't go to work today because I woke up with a migraine. Ugghhh... It is the first one that I've had in months. Needless to say, it wasn't a good morning. I didn't sleep well because I had wicked dreams all night long. I guess that is why I woke up with a headache. I feel like I clenched my teeth too. My jaw is even sore!

As Charlie was walking out the door this morning he said something that made me think about coming full circle. He said sometimes God has to bring us back to the bottom so we can start over. I feel like that is what we are doing. We have our house for sale, and we've already found a house that we are going to move into. It is only about 5 minutes from the church and we love it. It is a little country house. We are just renting it for now. We do have an option to buy it, but we haven't made that decision yet. We will probably move in May after Beth graduates.

Today I was reading a few of my posts from 2008. I posted then about loving being a housewife. How I was saving money on groceries, cooking for my family, quilting, and just being generally happy. It is funny how I remember being so worried about money the entire time I wasn't working, but the bills were always paid. We didn't have a whole lot of extras but we were happy. I can tell from my posts that my memories of that time are accurate.

So much has happened in our life in the last 2 years. Sometimes it seems like when Charlie's parents died that we just stopped living too. When we finally 'woke up' we realized that different things are important to us now. We now cherish the time we have with each other because life isn't forever. We love spending time together but we've always done that. The difference is now it seems like even the little things we do together are more meaningful! I'm not sure what is going to happen over the next few months but I am peace. God is working in our life, and I'm thankful that he has found me worthy for the test. April 9th will be 2 years since we received that dreaded phone call. It was a Thursday afternoon that I'll never forget. Here we are today, full circle, back at the bottom but ready to be remade. I'm thankful that God can take the clay and reform it into a vessel worthy of Him.

New Blogs

2011-01-19T18:57:00.002-05:00

I am so excited! I have awesome news! My daughter & sister-in-law have both started blogs. You should check them out!

I don't have time to do a proper blog post this evening but just to give you a heads up...We are selling our house! Yes, there is a realtor's sign in the front yard. Please pray with me that God's will be done and that we get somewhere close to asking price!!

Remember Me

2011-01-02T23:34:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago Charlie preached on living for the Lord, and in doing so you are able to ask him for what you need. His message was on "Remember Me". He referenced the place in the Bible where Hezekiah was about to die. The prophet Isaiah came to his house to give him the message to set his house in order that was he was going to die. Hezekiah immedately begin to pray. His words to the Lord were "I beseech thee, O Lord, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight." II Kings 20:1-4

The next day I begin to search in the Bible for places where it says "Remember Me". The first that I found is in Judges 16:28 "And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes."

Then in 1 Samuel 1:11 Hannah is praying to God begging him for a child. "And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head."

In Job 14:13 "O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!"

There are many others but the one common thread among these people is that they were all servants of the Lord. They were faithful to God. I want to live in a way that in my time of need I can ask God to "Remember Me!"

Expecting

2011-01-02T22:35:00.010-05:00

Acts 3:5 "And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them."

The quote above is on the wall at my chiropractor's office. I was reminded of this picture as my Pastor preached this morning on "expecting".

I went out to church this morning with the same renewed excitement that I wrote about yesterday. I was expecting a blessing! We hadn't been to church since the Wednesday before Christmas because of the weather and sickness so I felt like a kid going to the toy store! I wasn't disappointed. The Lord was very present in our service.

Our preacher started his message this morning in Acts 3:1-8. It is the story of a man who was lame from birth. Someone carried him to the temple gate so he could beg for alms as people entered the temple. Peter and John were walking through the gate when the man asked them for alms. He asked expecting to receive something of them. He didn't think he would be turned down. He was positive that he would receive something from the men but he didn't realize that on this day he would be healed. Peter told the man that they didn't have any money but that he would give him what he had. He said "In the name of Jesus rise up and walk." After he was healed he immediately stood up and entered the temple. He was walking, leaping, and praising God!

Our new word for the year is EXPECT! We will enter in to each day expecting something from God. He is our heavenly Father, and will not forsake us. Do you need something from God? Have you asked him for it? Do you expect it? I do! I am living my life for the Lord and I expect to receive his blessings. The biggest thing to remember are that blessings are not always monetary. The best blessings are spiritual. As a Child of God you can expect to receive blessings from him. You can expect for him to answer your prayers. You can expect for him to give you all that you need. Best of all you can expect when this life is over to receive a home in Heaven.

Go tomorrow EXPECTING...

Happy New Year!!

2011-01-01T12:21:00.006-05:00

Can you believe it is 2011? I've got a feeling this is going to be a good year! If you've read my blog at all then you know I am a pretty positive person. However, the last couple of years I've not been very positive which is why I've not blogged very much. Since 2009 life has given me a lot of lemons and I forgot how to make lemonade so for the most part I've wallowed in self pity. I've had people tell me that it is normal to be depressed after all that we've been through, and that has almost enabled me to continue being down in the dumps. No More! That is my New Year's Resolution! I will be happy! Even in the bad times I'll remember that God is in CONTROL!

Romans 8:28 (KJV)

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

My Pastor quotes the verse above often. I know he has been preaching to me for several months about letting God be in control, to have faith, to trust in God, and to remember that all things work together for good to them that love God! I'm sure he'll have to keep on preaching so that I'll remember all these things but maybe, just maybe, he'll not have to preach to me as often!

I already know that this year is going to have a few trials, but I'm am more prepared. I am going into it the year with prayer and asking God for guidance. No more wallowing in self pity! I am going to find the blessings in each and every trial!

This year I will be starting a new job! Yes, on January 5th I will be going to work in Oak Ridge as a goverment contracted secretary! I am very excited about this because the pay is great & ultimately the benefits will be too! I can't believe I've changed jobs 3 times since 2008 but I've finally been offered the job that I'd like to retire with. I will be working 4 days a week, Monday-Thursday, 10 hours a day. That will leave Fridays open for anything I want to do! The 10 hour days will probably be hard for a sleepy head like me but the reward is great!

In May my baby is graduating! Yes, both of my children will be out of high school this year. Can you believe it? It seems like life goes by so quickly. I would love to turn back time but we all know that is impossible. Now I want to enjoy every day, every moment, that they spend with us. Thankfully our kids still like to spend time with their parents! Just last night both of the kids chose to spend New Year's Eve with us. We asked them what they wanted to do and they both said just stay home with y'all and watch a movie or something! Can you believe it? My 17 & 19 year old kids just wanted to stay at home with their parents!

The biggest change to our lives coming in 2011 is that we have decided to sell our house. We currently live in Farragut which is basically West Knoxville. Our church is in Claxton which is Northwest of Knoxville. It takes us about 25 minutes to get to the church and our lives revolve around church. When we moved to Knoxville in 2003 Charlie wanted to live in Karns or Powell. We looked for houses in that area but we just couldn't find anything. My parents lived in West Knoxville so we gravitated there or should I say "I" did. Charlie never wanted to live in West Knoxville. Now that both the kids will soon be out of high school and in college we are going to try to move closer to the church. Our plans are to rent a house in a community close to the church until we decide if we want to buy a house or not.

With just those few things we know that life is going to be a roller coaster during 2011, but I am prepared! God is Good! I know that he'll be with us through it all!

Happy New Year!

Coupon savings

2010-11-20T17:17:00.002-05:00

I thought I'd lost the coupon mojo, but alas I've still got it!! I just saved $93.34 at Kroger! The entire back of the vehicle is full!! It took me all morning to go through my coupons and the ads but I was able to buy everything I needed for dinner tomorrow at church, dinner at work on Wednesday, Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday, and last but not least Trevlyn's birthday cheesecake with the family on Thursday!! Of course I also had to buy food for everyday meals at the house this week!! I spent $147.63. I know it sounds like a lot but it could have been a lot more!

It Is Well

2010-11-01T10:19:00.005-04:00

This was the sun rising on my way to work this morning!

I know I've posted this song before but it is one of my favorites! I felt like rehearsing it again today. This is a beautiful hymn and a beautiful history! It reminds me to Praise the Lord no matter what the circumstance. Last night my husband was preaching and I was so proud of him. He said we can complain of our circumstances or we can count our blessings. He reminded us that we could complain 'I'm about to lose my car' or 'I'm about to lose my house' or we could say at least we have a car or house to lose. There are homeless people and people without work all over the world. I want to remember to praise the Lord! He has given me so much and he blesses my family everyday. I realize that I complain about my job all the time but I must remember today that I am thankful that I have a job. I get a paycheck every 2 weeks that helps me to pay my bills. Without it I could be homeless too! I thank the Lord for all he does for me and I thank Him for letting me see another sunrise on my way to work!

It is Well With My Soul

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

It is well, with my soul,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!

My sin, not in part but the whole,

Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

And Lord, haste the day, when my faith shall be sight,

The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;

The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,

Even so, it is well with my soul.

HYMN HISTORY:

This hymn was written by a Chicago lawyer, Horatio G. Spafford. You might think to write a worship song titled, 'It is well with my soul', you would indeed have to be a rich, successful Chicago lawyer. But the words, "When sorrows like sea billows roll ... It is well with my soul”, were not written during the happiest period of Spafford's life. On the contrary, they came from a man who had suffered almost unimaginable personal tragedy.

Horatio G. Spafford and his wife, Anna, were pretty well-known in 1860’s Chicago. And this was not just because of Horatio's legal career and business endeavors. The Spaffords were also prominent supporters and close friends of D.L. Moody, the famous preacher. In 1870, however, things started to go wrong. The Spaffords' only son was killed by scarlet fever at the age of four. A year later, it was fire rather than fever that struck. Horatio had invested heavily in real estate on the shores of Lake Michigan. In 1871, every one of these holdings was wiped out by the great Chicago Fire.

Aware of the toll that these disasters had taken on the family, Horatio decided to take his wife and four daughters on a holiday to England. And, not only did they need the rest -- DL Moody needed the help. He was traveling around Britain on one of his great evangelistic campaigns. Horatio and Anna planned to join Moody in late 1873. And so, the Spaffords traveled to New York in November, from where they were to catch the French steamer 'Ville de Havre' across the Atlantic. Yet just before they set sail, a last-minute business development forced Horatio to delay. Not wanting to ruin the family holiday, Spafford persuaded his family to go as planned.
He would follow on later. With this decided, Anna and her four daughters sailed East to Europe while Spafford returned West to Chicago. Just nine days later, Spafford received a telegram from his wife in Wales. It read: "Saved alone."

On November 2nd 1873, the 'Ville de Havre' had collided with 'The Lochearn', an English vessel. It sank in only 12 minutes, claiming the lives of 226 people. Anna Spafford had stood bravely on the deck, with her daughters Annie, Maggie, Bessie and Tanetta clinging desperately to her. Her last memory had been of her baby being torn violently from her arms by the force of the waters. Anna was only saved from the fate of her daughters by a plank which floated beneath her unconscious body and propped her up. When the survivors of the wreck had been rescued, Mrs. Spafford's first reaction was one of complete despair. Then she heard a voice speak to her,
"You were spared for a purpose." And she immediately recalled the words of a friend, "It's easy to be grateful and good when you have so much, but take care that you are not a fair-weather friend to God."

Upon hearing the terrible news, Horatio Spafford boarded the next ship out of New York to join his bereaved wife. Bertha Spafford (the fifth daughter of Horatio and Anna born later) explained that during her father's voyage, the captain of the ship had called him to the bridge. "A careful reckoning has been made", he said, "and I believe we are now passing the place where the de Havre was wrecked. The water is three miles deep." Horatio then returned to his cabin and penned the lyrics of his great hymn.

The words which Spafford wrote that day come from 2 Kings 4:26. They echo the response of the Shunammite woman to the sudden death of her only child. Though we are told "her soul is vexed within her", she still maintains that 'It is well." And Spafford's song reveals a man whose trust in the Lord is as unwavering as hers was.

It would be very difficult for any of us to predict how we would react under circumstances similar to those experienced by the Spaffords. But we do know that the God who sustained them would also be with us.

No matter what circumstances overtake us may we be able to say with Horatio Spafford... It is Well With My Soul!

October 22, 2010

2010-10-22T16:00:00.003-04:00

I am done with all the supplements that the doctor put me on, and to be honest with you I can't tell that the detox has done much of anything...

I do feel better. I have more energy, and I've lost 15lbs. I guess I just had bigger ideas of what the detox would do. I am still doing the diet. I have almost grown accustomed to eating this way. I wanted to do a blog everyday but what I've been eating is very boring!

This is basically what my diet consists of....

Breakfast
Smoothie
Almonds

Lunch
Salad - Mixed greens, feta cheese, broccoli, cauliflower, and my homemade vinaigrette

Dinner
Baked Chicken or Fish
Asparagus or Green Beans
Roasted Peppers
Sometimes a salad

Boring, right? But I like it. I going to keep eating this way, and I hope that by the time Caleb & Courtney get married in May that I'll be down to 150lbs. I won't tell you how many pounds that is to lose but just know that it is a lot! Believe it or not this time I have a lot of will power. The hardest part is going to be making it through the holidays. I love to cook, and I'll be pacing myself. I'll indulge on Thanksgiving & Christmas day only!!! That's my plan anyway....

I am writing a monthly post over on our local church's website. If you are interested in checking it out go to http://www.thechurchofgoduaclaxton.com/ and it is on the ladies group page.

Wednesday, Sept 15

2010-09-15T14:04:00.004-04:00

I started pretty good today, but let's see if I can keep it up!

Breakfast
2 boiled eggs
8oz of V8

Lunch
Roast Beef
Steamed Broccoli & Cauliflower
Salad with grilled chicken & feta cheese with Italian dressing

Snack
nada

Supper
2 eggs & 2 pieces of turkey bacon

I didn't really like my lunch today. I brought roast beef & the steamed vegetables. I ended up throwing away the cauliflower, and the roast beef was like leather! Thank Goodness my supervisor brought in a huge salad that was left over from a meeting. It made my day! Teach me to not bring a salad for lunch! I should know better.

Monday & Tuesday, September 14

2010-09-15T13:54:00.002-04:00

I know I'm a day late, but it is really hard to find the time to document my meals every night. Since I was sick and slept most of the day I don't even remember if I ate at all on Monday.

Tuesday

Breakfast
Hot Tea

Lunch
Mixed Greens Salad

Snack
Bell Peppers & Homemade Guacamole

Supper
Chicken Salad

I drink lots of water everyday! I still haven't lost anymore than the 5lbs. that I originally lost. It gets a little discouraging but I have to keep reminding myself that the doctor said it could take up to 60 days before I see any results!

Monday-September 13

2010-09-13T12:20:00.002-04:00

Today is 2 weeks completely on the Cellular Healing Diet. I will say the weekends are really, really hard! I don't have a problem not eating starches, sugars, etc but I do have a problem getting in 3 meals with snacks.

Saturday

Breakfast
2 hard boiled eggs

Lunch
Nothing

Supper
Salad (mixed greens, broccoli, cauliflower, oil & vinegar dressing, 1 boiled egg)

Sunday

Breakfast
Nothing

Lunch
Grilled Chicken & Shrimp with stir-fry vegetables (zucchini, onions, mushrooms)

Snack
Hot Tea (decaf ginger tea)

Supper
Grilled Chicken Salad (lettuce, tomato, guacamole, cheese, salsa)

No weight change...

I do have a cold so I don't even want to eat! I can't taste anything. I didn't go to work today because I just don't feel good. I have laid in the bed all morning so I still haven't eaten breakfast. Today probably won't be much better than the weekend. Hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow and I'll feel like eating.

Catching Up

2010-09-11T08:24:00.004-04:00

I can't believe it has been since April that I've blogged. I've had lots of things to happen that I could have blogged about however unfortunately I just haven't had the time. I should probably say I haven't made the time.

The last couple of years has been a sea of change for my family. Trevlyn is now 18, almost 19, and started college this fall at a local community college. Yes, he still lives at home! I wouldn't have it any other way. Elizabeth is a senior in high school, and planning her college future. She doesn't want to live at home once in college. She wants to live on campus of any college that will take her! I wish she'd stay at home too, but I'm trying not to hold her back. Once I had a lady tell me that if your children couldn't make it own their own once they were raised then you didn't do what you were supposed to do as a Mom. That is what we raise them to do, right? Be successful adults! I just wish I could wind the clock back a few years. I miss them being little. I miss the basketball games, t-ball games, and football games that we watched. I miss helping them with their homework. There is no way I can help them now! Trig, what's that? I just nod and smile when they start telling me about their homework. They are learning so much more than I did 20 years ago in high school.

I decided to post today because I wanted to record what is going on in my life right now. I am on a new journey. I have had many health problems over the last 2 years. Some of them I recorded here earlier. I've finally decided that the medical doctors weren't going to do anything for me other than make me addicted to medicine. I started going to a chiropractor in July of 2009 for the migraines I was having daily. The doctors at Exodus Chiropractic are absolutely fabulous. It is a christian atmosphere, and the doctors believe that God made our body to heal itself. This is what I've always been taught so it has been very easy for me to continue going. I visit them 2-3 times a week, and I always leave feeling refreshed both in body and mind.

One of the doctors is also a nutritionist. Back in April, he had a meeting about healthy eating. I went to the meeting and I really liked the plan but at that time I just didn't have the money to do it. It involved a full diet makeover and a detox. Oh, I forgot the most important part! Since April of 2009 when Charlie's parents were killed, I have gained a massive amount of weight.

The first of August 2010 I went back in to renegotiate our yearly contract, and I was told that over the last year I had overpaid. Oddly enough it was within $40 of what it would take me to start the nutrition program. I asked if they would be willing to take the overpayment and apply it to the program then let me pay the difference. The doctors agreed to apply my overpayment however they didn't make me pay anything extra. The doctor said that he had been praying for me. He said he had watched me struggle with my weight and he had prayed that if the Lord wanted me to do the program then he would make a way. HE made a way!!

To give you an idea of what is going on. Per my medical doctor and my nutritionist, my body is in adrenal failure or adrenal insufficiency. Adrenal failure is brought on by prolonged stress. To keep it simple if your adrenal glands quit producing enough hormones then your body doesn't process food(sugar) correctly, and there are a whole host of other problems that come along with it too. The symptoms include recurrent infections, muscle weakness and back pain, problems sleeping, dizziness, inflammation, hypoglycemia, headaches, moodiness, salt craving, swelling, brown spots on skin, and even heart problems. These are all the problems I've had over the last 18 months. You should see the brown spots on my face that have appeared just this year. I look older than my Mother!

In order to do the full program I must do a full body detox, and change my diet. I have to make my body start using the food that I eat for energy rather than using the quick sugar and caffeine hits that I was using. As of August 16th I haven't had any caffeine. I was up to drinking at least a pot a day if not more. Yes, I had major withdrawals. That in itself made me very angry. How could become so addicted to something and call myself a Christian? I'll have accomplished a lot if all I do is break my addiction to caffeine! As the days have went by I have removed more and more of the sugars from my diet, and as of August 30th I am only eating vegetables, protein, and a few berries. I can not have starches like potatoes, corn or pasta, sugar of any kind, wheat, flour, or fruit that is high in sugar. I can have 15g of protein with each meal and unlimited mostly green veggies. I only drink water, and herbal tea with no added sugar. Mostly, I just drink water. I've had hot tea the last few days just because I wanted something hot to drink! I make my own salad dressing out of apple cider vinegar and olive oil. I have learned to eat hummus, and I actually like it. I love almond butter with celery.

I know this isn't going to be easy. The doctor told me that it might take 60 days before I see any results. Some days when I'm eating my salad I think that I could hate this, but then I remember why I'm doing it. I want to be healthy! I do not want to die young. I have lost 5lbs as of today. That doesn't seem like much when I need to lose 50! I do feel better already. I can come home from work and not need to lay down immediately for a nap. This is going to be a long journey. I will have to make this a lifestyle change. My family is supporting me so that makes it a little easier.

I am going to try to record my daily challenges and meals. For the last few weeks I've been eating boiled eggs for breakfast, a salad at lunch, and then a protein and vegetable for supper. I do eat snacks during the day. Usually that is green peppers with hummus, celery with almond butter, cheese and olives, or cottage cheese and berries. Snacks are important to me because I feel like I am getting a reward!

Here we go....this is day 12 of the journey!

Talking, Conversations, Listening

2010-04-20T22:05:00.002-04:00

As I get older I think more about things that I never used to think about. Lately I've been thinking about how different people are. Have you ever met someone who always talks about themselves? You try to have a conversation with them and they always trn it around to something they think or do? Like today I was talking to a lady about this past weekends youth trip. I got out about two sentences and then she started telling me about the youth group at their church. She talked for over 30 minutes!

Don't get me wrong, I am a talker! Get me nervous and I just ramble, but I am learning to be a better listener. You never realize what people are really saying or what they mean until you hear what they don't say. I want to be someone that people can talk to. I want to be a shoulder that others can lean on. I want my friends to know that if they talk to me about something confidential that it stays between us. I don't want to 'lead' the conversation because that isn't a true conversation.

Do you have conversations with the Lord? I love talking to him because he is my best friend! He is my confidant! He is not judgemental! But I want to learn to listen when he talks to me too...

Just thinking...

In memory of Loyd & Lethia Singleton

2010-04-10T00:49:00.000-04:00

We thought of you today but that is nothing new. We thought about you yesterday and days before that too. We think of you in silence. We often speak your name. All we have are memories and a picture in a frame. Your memory is a keepsake from which we'll never part. God has you in his keeping and we have you in our hearts.

Blogging

2010-01-25T22:12:00.002-05:00

Wow! Has it really been since Trevlyn's birthday that I've posted? I very rarely use the computer at home anymore. As a matter of fact the only time I am online is when I am using my iPhone! I wish that I could blog directly from my phone, but I haven't found an app for that!

I still visit your blogs often via google reader. It is a little difficult to post so I am now more of a stalker than blogger...

Well, life is about the same. We are a very busy family right now with a high school senior. There are so many events that I don't want to miss. I wish there was someway to record every little detail. I am so afraid that I am going to overlook something and then have regrets.

Trevlyn is still playing high school basketball. He is actual PLAYING this year not just sitting on he bench! It is so much fun to watch him play. He is so intense, and he reminds me so much of his Dad. When Charlie and I first married we were just teenagers. Many Friday nights would find us at the recreation center. Charlie playing pick up ball, and me in the stands cheering him on.

Life goes so fast...

I'll try to post a little more from time to time. Tonight I decided to post while I was waiting on the washer to finish spinning. I just heard it stop so it is time for me to go! A Mother's work is never done!

Eighteen

2009-11-27T18:12:00.005-05:00

A letter to my son, on the occasion of his 18th birthday:

It’s quite unfathomable that you are 18 years old today. When you were first born, well-meaning people would tell me to enjoy it because it would pass so quickly. I did not believe them — and I was wrong. The past 18 years have moved at the speed of life and show no signs of slowing down. You’re a senior in high school and heading off to college next fall, which is really the beginning of your launch into adulthood.

While this letter could easily veer off into the maudlin and sappy, I think you know me better than that. Plus? I save the maudlin and sappy for your Mamaw Brenda, who seems to need it more. It makes her happy and she obviously takes comfort in it!

I was not that much older than you are now when I became a mom. One month older to be exact. I think your childhood would have been far different had I been older, more prepared for the role. I’m not sure if you noticed, but I really didn’t know what I was doing probably 75 percent of the time. I think you’ve turned out pretty OK anyway, but I can’t take credit for it. (Don’t worry, Daddy does.) You were an easy baby, a bratty toddler, a pleasant child and a pretty fabulous teenager, except for those times I want to shake some sense into you. And if it turns out that your childhood has somehow scarred you, you’ll some day have insurance that covers therapy — but don’t expect me to fork out the co-pay.

Eighteen is a huge milestone, sort of this quasi-adult age where you’re old enough to vote, drive and die for your country, but you can’t legally drink an alcoholic beverage before making the decision to do any of those things.

You may be a newly minted “adult” but you have a lifetime of learning still ahead of you. I hope you don’t mind me sharing a few — OK, 10 — things I think you should learn, things I think will be important to you throughout your life. (Son, I know you and know the likelihood of any of these things sinking in is pretty minimal, given that you can’t remember to take out the trash after I ask you three times in a row. Humor me and pretend they changed your life. I’ve got a major case of mommy brain and won’t remember writing this three days from now, so you’ve only got to fake it that long.)

1. Personal hygiene is underrated. Do us all a favor and bathe regularly (with soap). Change your socks and underwear daily. Clean your room! Your living space should not smell like 5 day old underwear and socks! Don't turn into the 'one who must not be named'! And, for goodness’ sake, don’t recycle them because you were too caught up in REAL LIFE to do your own laundry.

2. You impress people more with what you don’t say than what you do say. Remember “who needs a brain when you have a mouth”? Sarcasm, son, Sarcasm.

3. Some things are better done in the privacy of your bathroom or bedroom. Most people find belching and 'passing gas' not only to be rude but disgusting. (I know! They totally have no sense of humor!) Learn how to discreetly excuse yourself to take care of business. Remember we don't do it and we definetely don't talk about it!

4. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect. Regardless of how they dress, look, act, what they drive, where they live or how they treat you. R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

5. No matter how bad you think you have it, someone’s got it worse. You can’t change other people; you can only change how you respond to them. It’s not easy but sometimes it’s the only way to cope with an unpleasant relationship, whether it’s personal or professional.

6. Ignoring your problems doesn’t make them go away. Often, it just makes them bigger. You can’t solve something if you don’t deal with it.

7. If you want friends, you have to be a friend. Don’t just call your buddies to hang out when you’re single or your girlfriend is out of town. Maintain those friendships (with pals of both genders) because they fulfill you in ways a romantic partner doesn’t, and you need that no matter how old you are.

8. People are more important than possessions. That means you call us for reasons other than asking for money, food or something you need me to do for you!

9. Do what you can to make the world a better place. Pick up trash on the sidewalk, keep up your work in the church, perform a random act of kindness as often as you can. If there is one thing I hope you have learned from me, it is this.

10 There’s lots more I could share with you, but I know your attention span is about as long as mine, which means you stopped reading somewhere around the third sentence. But I still love you, and I’m quite proud of you, even if I do still have to remind you to take out the trash!

Happy birthday, teddy bear!

I Love You!
Mama

A message from the Lord

2009-09-15T13:37:00.003-04:00

On Sunday night our Pastor was preaching and he quoted the verse in Corinthians that seemed as if it was just for me. It says "My grace is sufficient for thee" I know this was a message sent from the Lord! Then last night at our church ladies meeting an elder sister told me that she had been praying for me and Charlie and that the Lord was going to let us break out into the sunshine. I know that a message from the Lord too because other than our family and the few of you that read my blog no one knows of that we have been going through a valley.

I am thankful that God still works in the hearts of people!

In the Shelter of His Arms

2009-09-12T10:52:00.004-04:00

Well, it's been 2 months since I've posted, and a lot of things have happened in my life. I've still been reading your blogs and commenting from time to time. It isn't that I've not had trials because I've had plenty. Some I've overcome, and some I'm still going through.

It seems like since April that I've been walking through a valley. A dark dark valley. There is a verse from Job that describes the last few months for me.

Job 23: 8-10 Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him: But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

I can't name one thing that I've been going through. I know many people have lost jobs, and are in a financial crisis, but thankfully God has taken care of us financially. I started a new job in August. I am now working back in Inside Sales for a company that manufacturers automotive exhaust products. Last month Charlie had a horrible gall bladder attack that resulted in surgery. During the surgery the doctor also repaired an umbilical hernia and now Charlie has been out of work since August 17th, but we are making it. The doctor says he may be out of work another 2 or 3 weeks. There is no way that we could have survived if I hadn't already been working at this new job making better money.

The crux of it is, I am scared. Yes, horribly frightened! I feel like that something else bad or tragic is going to happen. I have to tell myself everyday that the Lord is holding me in his arms, and that he is with me. It is almost like I have to give myself a personal pep rally daily in order to live. I don't want to be this way.

The nights are the worst. A few months ago I posted about having a dream that my Mother died. Well, dreams like that are now a nightly occurrence. Last night, I dreamt that Charlie died. I'm scared when my children drive away that it may be the last time that I see them. About a month ago my brother called to tell me that my Dad is very sick. The doctors don't know what is wrong with him and he may not live much longer. It is some type of blood disorder. The first thing I thought was "Oh, God, I can't take another death!" How selfish is that?

My only consolation is that last verse in Job...when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. I've had people tell me that they perceive me as being a strong person, even intimidating, but if they only knew how weak that I really am.

"There are storms that we all encounter

Do not fear they will do you no harm

In the Lord you will find protection

In the shelter of His arms "

I am not a good blogger

2009-07-14T09:14:00.002-04:00

Well, I guess it is official! I am just not a good blogger! I can't seem to fit blogging into my daily life anymore. Now I no longer have visitors... Oh well, summer is just a difficult time. We are extremely busy with church, work, and just life. When I do have a spare moment I want to be doing something with the family not sitting in front of a computer. So, when did blogging become a chore? I guess when I started sitting for hours trying to think of the appropriate topic to discuss or maybe it was when I started taking pictures just to place on my blog! What was I thinking? Well anyway...if you don't see much of me around here please don't get mad at me. I'll be back from time to time. Just not regularly. I have to remember that I didn't really start this blog to attract followers or to make money. I started this blog for me. Just to record my feelings...a journal of sorts. I started this blog to record my trials over the last year, and how with God's help we turn those trials into blessings or lemons into lemonade! As I've progressed I've forgotten to witness, and because I forgot that I was doing this for myself, I chose not to share my trials for fear that I would be embarrassed. Oh well, I am going to get back to the true reason for starting my blog. If you don't see me for a while don't worry I'll be back. Believe me I have trials daily, and God does help me to overcome them. I'll share those trials so that others that maybe going through the same thing can see how we come through triumphant.

God Bless You All!

Pictures from the Cruise...Finally

2009-07-04T22:55:00.004-04:00

Our Boat...The Carnival Liberty

We just got on the boat, and Charlie already has an ice cream cone!

Some of the rest of the family above us!

These pictures are all from the first day! I'll post more tomorrow.

Bad Dreams

2009-07-03T10:55:00.002-04:00

Do you ever have bad dreams? I do! I've had them since I was a kid. Sometimes they are silly nightmares and then sometimes they seem like they really could come true. The ones that ring of reality are the ones that usually take a long time for me to forget.

Last night Charlie & Trevlyn went fishing overnight with some friends, and Beth & I were at home having a girls night! Of course, the boys stayed up all night fishing, but we just ordered in pizza and watched a movie. All was well until about 4 o'clock this morning. I woke up with my pillow drenched with tears. I was having a terrible dream!

I had dreamt of what could be my worse nightmare! Losing a family member to death. In my dream I had received a phone call to come to the hospital that my Mother had been in a wreck. I was thinking, is this deja'vu? When Charlie & I arrived at the hospital Mother was already gone. We looked at each other in shock. I asked him, How could this happen again? I wasn't ready for this. We can't lose Lethia & my Mother in the same year! I told him that I couldn't survive without either of them. They were my rocks! Who was I going to go to when I didn't know what to do with life? The dream went on in so much detail that it really seemed to be reality. When I awoke the first thing I thought was I need to call Brendia. Neither of us needed to be alone during this! It took me a few minutes to realize it was just a dream. I was crying and couldn't seem to stop. I stayed awake until about 5 and then finally drifted off to sleep. The dream started right back where I had left off. We were at the funeral home making decisions. It didn't take me long to wake myself back up again. From that point on I just stayed awake. Hours later and I can still remember in vivid detail every aspect of the dream.

I spent some time this morning talking to the Lord. I talked to him about trust, and being willing for his will in my life. That is really what this is all about. I need to trust the Lord and let him be my guide. He will always be there! Charlie & I have been praying about some tough decisions lately, and I know that is what brought this dream to life. I can't imagine not being near my Mother & my family anymore. I can't imagine not being able to see them at a moment's notice.

A preacher's family is subject to the Lord and to the church. Just like when I was a child if God led my Father to work at a different church from where we were then we moved. There was no delay. I know that I have been very fortunate that my husband hasn't felt the call to move as often as my Father did. However, I also know that if the Lord did call him to another church then he would follow the Lord's will. I know that God is in control, and I need to trust him.

It's My Life

2009-07-02T15:08:00.006-04:00

It's that time again!

If your new to it's my life (a family history project) go here for the details.

If not, welcome back!

Here's the list of this week's questions:

1. Was yours a religious family? Yes, our lives revolved around church. When I was little I remember going to church on Sunday morning, and Sunday night for service, Monday night for choir practice, Tuesday night for band practice, Wednesday church service in Dalton, Thursday night church service at our church, Saturday night church service. The only night we didn't have church was Friday night and that was if we weren't in a revival which I felt like happened every other week! Isn't it funny how you remember things from when you were a kid? Were Sunday's spent together with family? Absolutely! We always went to church together, and ate dinner together in between services.

2. Did your family take vacations? hmmm... vacations....well, do you count revivals as vacation? Usually during the summer Daddy would go somewhere in revival and then we'd extend the trip to include a little vacation time. This is how we vacationed until my parents divorced when I was 12. After that things were very different. My step-dad, who is also a preacher, didn't quite do things the same way. and our Summers were usually spent going between parents. Did you go to the same place every year? Absolutely not! Let's see if I can remember a few of the trips...I remember going to Kokomo Indiana for revival and then we went on a road trip to Mackinaw Island, Detroit, Toronto, back through Chicago, St Louis on our way home to Pampa TX where we lived until I was 12. I remember going in revival to Rockhill SC, and then going to Myrtle Beach. That was lots of fun! I do have 1 memory of a vacation that didn't include a revival...we went from Pampa TX to Colorado Springs, the Royal Gorge, and through New Mexico. I've been lots of places in the US. Some just passing through, others actually spending the night. My Daddy knows his way around the country by restaurants. It doesn't matter where we go, I can always call him and ask do you know of a good restaurant in ______ and he'll tell you right where to go, and what is good on the menu!

3. Do you remember any special stories your grandparents told you? I don't remember any particular life stories that they told me. I do remember a poem that my Mama would tell us..."Little Boy Blue come blow your horn, the sheep are in the meadow and the cows are in the corn, but where is that little boy blue? Behind the haystack fast asleep!" Granddaddy passed away when I was 3 1/2 but I remember him telling Mama to give us candy out of her stash! She would hide candy so we couldn't find it, but he always wanted her to give it to us. Did you sit on a lap when you heard these stories or did you hear them when you and your grandparent would walk hand-in-hand, taking a stroll? I remember one very special memory with my Granddaddy. My brothers and sister think I made it up because it sounds very Lion Kingish, but I didn't! I remember the day. I was really little. He was pulling weeds out of the flower bed around the church sign in Chattanooga, and of course I was helping. He began to talk to me about the brothers in the church who had died before us. He told me that they were wise and were the stars in the sky looking down on us. He also told me that when it Thunders it just God talking, and when it rains it is because God is providing water to the plants and animals that don't have anyone to take care of them. Do you tell any of these same stories to your children? I have told these things to my children. After I became an adult, and my brothers and sisters kidded me so much about it, I looked these things up for myself in the bible to see if they were true....There are several verses that refer to the thunder just a couple are ...2 Samuel 22:14 ; Job 37:4-6. The wise as stars is referred to in Daniel 12:3.

4. Did your grandparents live nearby? When we lived in Chattanooga TN, my dad's parents lived their too, and then when we moved to Texas, Mama moved with us. She kept her house in TN, and sometimes she'd go back and forth, but she always came back! My mother's parents lived in Knoxville, and we didn't see them very much. How often did you visit their homes? Their house in Chattanooga was like a second home. Mama would go back home many summers and I'd go with her. It was always lots of fun. The back bedroom was officially mine! Did the house have any special smells? Mama was always cooking. I think she spent most of the day in the kitchen. So, the food always smelled of food. When she passed away I was given the stove that she always cooked on. As a matter of fact it was the first stove that I had in mine & Charlie's apartment. Every time I cooked on it I would think of her! What did their couch feel like? The couch was brown & orange tweed. I think all couches were like that in the 70's. It was so soft though, and it seemed huge. I can remember laying on it, and 2 people still being able to sit on the other end. How big was their kitchen? The kitchen was huge! The kitchen and dining room were all 1 room. She had two big tables end to end so it felt like we could all sit in the same room and be at the same table. When I was about 6 I was running in round and round one of the tables chasing one of my friends and I fell. I hit my head on the rung of one of the chairs. I had to have stitches! I'll never forget it because Mama was in the shower getting ready for church, and she was so upset with me. She had to call Bro. Ray Smith, a deacon at the church, to come and get us to take me to the hospital. She couldn't drive because she was so nervous. I still have the scar on my forehead. Now that I am an adult I can imagine what she was going through because I was gushing blood, but then I could tell she was so nervous I just kept saying "I'm okay Mama. I promise I'm okay" At my Mamaw Brewer's house I can always remember a table with a bench behind it, and the bar stools. I remember Mamaw Brewer always had nuts that we could crack and eat. Funny thing I remember is that Mamaw always took her ice cream out of the box and put it in a Tupperware dish. My Mamaw Brewer is the only grandparent that I have that is still living. She turned 82 last week and she we all went to Aubrey's for her birthday. You know I think Mamaw Brewer still puts her ice cream in a Tupperware dish! She also had plastic cups that came out of oatmeal! When I first got married they still sold that oatmeal and I bought it just so my kids could have the same kind of cups that I drank out of as a kid!

Memories....You know what is so funny...as I'm writing these things I think about how different my sister's memories of our grandparents probably are. She is 8 years younger than me, and things were so different after our parents divorced. She was only 3 when they divorced so she doesn't remember the life "before" as we call it. She only remembers the life after.... They were both great, just different!

Tuesday night=Date Night

2009-06-25T12:25:00.004-04:00

Charlie and I had an impromptu date night this past Tuesday. Beth was at work, and Trevlyn spent the night with a friend so we had the house to ourselves. I already had a meal planned and since it was Charlie's favorite we decided to just stay home & enjoy the quiet house!

To my surprise Charlie brought me flowers. 5 dozen roses wouldn't have pleased me more! This is the first time he's brought me flowers in...well, I can't even remember!

Aren't all the different colors beautiful?

This is my favorite flower in the bunch. I don't know what it is called, but it was really pretty.

Our meal wasn't fancy, just Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, and Creamed Corn.

Then I made Honey Oatmeal Wheat Bread in my new Breadmachine. It is really really good bread! This is the 2nd loaf of bread that I've made. The first was just a basic white bread. The picture is of about 1/2 of the loaf already sliced. I am hoping to make 1 loaf of bread a week to supplement our bread intake. Charlie eats a sandwich every day for lunch, and I was hoping by making homemade bread that it will get some of the preservatives out of his system. He has had a few health problems over the last few months so I am trying everything that I can to make him feel better.

I don't have a picture of my breadmachine because I simply forgot to take one. I purchased the breadmachine at Goodwill for $4.20. It makes 1, 1 1/2, & 2 lb loafs. It has so many different settings that I had to print the manual from the on-line website just so I would know how to use it. So far though I could say that I've gotten my money's worth, wouldn't you?

Sorry if my pictures are blurry. My computer is still broken. I took the pictures with my cell phone then emailed them from my cell to my personal email. Today, I uploaded them, while at work but on my lunch break, from my personal email to blogger! I hope to have my computer repaired this weekend.

It's My Life

2009-06-23T15:29:00.006-04:00

Julie Isa over at Tattered Threads and Willing Hands has created a weekly blog post so that you can document your life for your children. As soon as I saw this I wanted to join. In 1997 Charlie & I purchased his Mom & Dad journals. They were called A Mother's/Father's Reflection. Each page had a question about their life, childhood, holidays, growing up, etc. When they passed away in April we were able to take these and read them. They have been a comfort. I read the stories and I can almost hear Lethia's voice telling it to me.

I hope you'll join me in this endeavor,here's how we'll do it. Each Tuesday you will have several questions to answer. Each month there will be a 'theme' for the month. For example, we will start with your family and ancestry, then we'll move on into the house of your growing up, your childhood, holidays & celebrations, romance, parenthood, etc. sometimes the questions will be simple, sometimes they may not even apply and other times, you might find it hard to answer. there's never a right or wrong answer.

Here are this week's questions:

I included my step parents because they've been apart of my life forever!

What is/was your Mother's name? Brenda Faye Brewer

What is/was your Step-Mother's name? Carol Ann Biller

Your Father's Name? Edwin DeWayne Condra

Your Step-Father's Name? Jerry Lynn Cassell

Your grandmother's names? Juanita Helen Kyle (maternal) Mary Dell Owen (paternal)

Your grandfather's names? Zolas Hiram Brewer "Bo or Johnny"(maternal) & David Turner Condra(paternal)

What did you call them? Daddy & Mother, Mamaw & Papaw Brewer (maternal), Granddaddy & Mama(paternal)

Do you have brothers and sisters? Yes, total of 10; 1 older brother, 1 younger brother, and 1 younger sister. 3 step-brothers, and 1 step-sister. 3 half-brothers.

What are their names? In order, DeWayne, Shane, Nakia, Dabreon, Corey, Brendia, Skyler, Caleb, Andrew, & Jordan

How old were you when they were born? DeWayne is the only one older than me, and he is 5 years older. Shane, Nakia, Corey, & Skyler are my step-brother's & sisters so I wasn't around when they were born. :) But, I was 5 when Dabreon was born, 8 when Brendia was born, 15 when Caleb & Andrew were born, and 18 when Jordan was born.

I'll give you our birthdates to give you an idea of all of our ages. DeWayne-July 1968, Krista-September 1973, Shane-October 1973, Nakia-April 1975, Dabreon-October 1978, Corey-February 1979, Brendia-October 1981, Skyler-December 1986, Caleb-January 1989, Andrew-June 1989, and Jordan-December 1991. Yes, I know all of their actual birthdays but I didn't think that was appropriate to put on the internet! :) DeWayne, Me, Dabreon & Brendia have the same Mom & Dad. Shane, Nakia, Corey & Skyler have the same Mom & Dad, just not my Mom & Dad, hehehe. Caleb and I have the same Mom. Andrew & Jordan and I have the same Dad. Now, are you confused yet?

Do you remember the first time you saw them? Yes, Dabreon was fat! Brendia was too tiny! I declared Caleb as mine at first sight! Andrew was born with a tan, and lots of dark hair. Jordan was born 2 weeks after my son, and he looked like Mo from the 3 stooges!

What about your aunts and uncles? Vicki & Al (maternal), Harold (paternal)

Did they play an important part in your growing up? Until I was a teenager we didn't live anywhere near my Mother's family so I didn't get to know my Aunt Vicki & Uncle Al until i was an adult. But, we were around my Uncle Harold and his family all my life. Uncle Harold's wife is Polly. We spent every vacation, holiday, birthday, etc with their family. We were all really close, and I thought of my cousins as siblings!

Did your family get together much casually or did you have to travel to spend time together? I spent a lot of time with my Uncle Harold and Aunt Polly. They lived in Midland/Odessa Texas and we lived in Pampa Texas. It was a drive to their house, but we did it all the time. I loved it because they had a pool! My mother's family lived in Knoxville TN so we didn't spend much time with them until we moved to Knoxville when I was a teenager.

I hope this isn't too much for my friends to read, and you may learn more than you ever wanted to know about me!

Timi & Leslie convertible diaper bag

2009-06-23T14:50:00.002-04:00

They are having a great giveaway over at Mom Central. It is a Timi & Leslie Convertible Diaper Bag. Now all of you know that I do not have small children. My kids are teenagers, right? Yes, you are correct! No, I do not expect either of them to have babies soon. But, My baby sister has baby Isaac, and I know that she would love to have this trendy diaper bag! It really looks like something that she would carry and get a lot of use out of! I have entered! Just click on the link here, and you can enter too!

The patent tote comes in five colors and there are a ton of organizational compartments inside. The bag also includes two smaller matching purses, a bottle holder, changing pad, stroller straps, and a removable shoulder strap. Plus the liner itself is water proof. Wow, can you believe this is a diaper bag?

One Door Closes..Another Opens

2009-06-11T11:12:00.004-04:00

One Door Closes..Another Opens

Revelations 3:8 KJV

I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.

When God leads you to the edge of the cliff, trust Him fully and let go, only 1 of 2 things will happen, either He'll catch you when you fall, or He'll teach you how to fly! The power of one sentence! God can shift things around for you today and let things work in your favor. God closes doors no man can open & God opens doors no man can close. If you need God to open some doors for you just ask.

Have a blessed day and remember to be a blessing...

My cousin forwarded this email to me yesterday and I thought of how true the words are. I hope it helps one of you today.

We are back!!

2009-06-10T13:34:00.003-04:00

I have so much to tell you! Unfortunately I just don't have the time to write it all down because I am posting from work! I've come home and my laptop has bit the dust! I can't download my pics or anything :(

I am planning on taking my digital cards to Sam's and having all the pics developed and put on a CD. That way I can share them with you all.

Needless to say we had a fabulous time! The time off was very relaxing. We slept, ate, slept, ate, and then we'd get off the ship at a port, oh and then we'd sleep and eat again! Lots of sleeping and eating. I do have some wonderful pictures of the gardens in Jamaica, Hell in Grand Cayman, and the coral reef in Roatan Honduras. I know you'll all love them, once I can share!

My google bloglines was over 1000. This is the first time that I have had to say "mark all as read" without really reading them. I just don't think I'll ever get caught up so I'm starting fresh.

Out on the Ocean Sailing

2009-05-28T13:35:00.002-04:00

As of Saturday morning, me & 15 of my family will be boarding the Carnival Liberty setting sail for Ocho Rios Jamaica, Grand Cayman, & Roatan Honduras! I'll see you back here on Monday, June 8th!

Upper Classmen

2009-05-22T11:13:00.006-04:00

First Day of School 2006-2007 Trevlyn was a Freshman & Beth was in 8th grade. Isn't it cute how they dressed alike? They didn't realize it until I took this picture! It was a good thing they were still in different schools then!

First Day of School 2007-2008 Trevlyn was a Sophmore & Beth was a freshman. This picture was taken as they were getting ready to walk down the steps to school. Can you tell they are embarrassed?

We don't have a 2008-2009 picture because they decided they were too old for me to be taking 1st day of school pictures! So sad...:(

What?? This is what my daughter said to me last night. She said "Mom, do you realize that as of today both of your children are officially upper classmen?"

No, I refuse to believe it! My babies are still my babies. It just seems like yesterday that they were born. I can still remember my pregnancies and their births in vivid detail. How could this be? Trevlyn will be a senior, and is turning 18 in November. Beth will be a junior, and just turned 16 in March.

Can we stop time? There are so many things that I wanted to do with them before they were grown. I still have so many things on my list. I know they aren't leaving and will probably still live with us while they are in college. (because I refuse to let them go off to college) Overprotective? MUCH!! However, I know things are going to be different. They are already making so many decisions on their own. I just want to say, please don't forget about your dear Mom & Dad! You still love us remember? We are cool too! You don't have to spend all your time with CHARLIE EMERT!!!!!

Charlie is a great young man, but both of my children would rather spend time with him than with us! I am a little jealous, can you tell? Really I would rather they spend time with him than with some of their school friends! I just miss them wanting to spend time with me.

I miss my babies!

Stress + Krista = Disaster

2009-05-21T11:28:00.005-04:00

About this time last year my health problems started, and it was during a stressful time of my life too! I had a few problems with some friends, I quit working for my Dad, and then what happens...I start having major migraines! Okay, so stress is not my friend, and that is what the doctor said. Make sure you are getting at least 8 hours of sleep a night, eat properly (no skipping meals which I have a tendency to do), and remove stress from your life. Now just how do you do that? Remove stress from your life...if anyone has figured that out let me know!

I am looking forward to our vacation in 8 days! There are 16 of us going on a cruise. Ultimately that is a no stress situation, but leave it to me to make it stressful. Who else gets stressed out over making sure everything is packed, and that we have enough money to have a good time without overspending? AAARRRRGGGGHHHH Why can't anything just be simple in my mind? I think I am wired to make everything complicated! I don't intend to, it just happens. I start thinking of all the 'what if' factors. Like, 'what if' we can't fit all of our luggage in the vehicle? 'What if' we don't make it to the boat in time? 'What if' our passport cards don't get here before next Friday? Now Charlie knows my problem and has already made appropriate measures to ensure that none of these things will cause a problem. For instance, he made arrangements that we can put the luggage on top of the vehicle if the back isn't big enough. He wants to leave before 8pm, which should give us plenty of time to get to the port before 1pm the next day (it is a 12 hour drive). I checked with the cruise line, multiple times, and as long as we have our birth certificates and are leaving & returning to a US port than we don't even need our passports. Okay so everything is taken care of, right? NO, my mind just starts coming up with more potential 'what ifs'? I can't even let vacation be simple!

If Brendia is reading this she is probably rolling out of her chair laughing because she knows how OCD I am! I even made a packing spreadsheet to make sure I didn't forget anything. Guess What? I did, Brendia emailed me yesterday afternoon to tell me that I left off shaving cream! By the end of the week I would have been a woolly mammoth!

I need a mental vacation! Hopefully I will get one on Sunday. Our first day on the cruise is a day at sea! I can't wait. I have already told everyone that I am unavailable that entire day! I want to lay out in the sun or even just sleep in the room. Whatever it takes to relax, that is what I am doing!

Enough about vacation. Let's talk about my job. Most of you know that I started this job in December 2008. I work in a retail cell phone store in the mall. I do not work retail hours. I work Monday - Friday 8:30-5. I found out this week that my schedule is probably going to change. We are going to a new scheduling system that schedules everyone based on store needs and projected customer needs. Even though my job is not customer impacting, my job title is. I have a job title that doesn't relate to my actual job duties. The district manager is trying to get the back office sales support to be exempt from this new schedule but we don't know yet if this is going to be possible. There are 7 of us that do the same job in this district just in different stores. Our job was a trial thing and the other stores in the nation do not have a back office person. This could mean that I would have to work anytime that the store is open Sunday - Saturday pretty much 10am - 9pm. Of course Sundays are 12 - 6, but that still causes a problem. Then we were told that our job might even be phased out since the other stores do not have a position such as ours. Our position was created to increase efficiencies. We do most of the office management duties so the store manager can be on the sales floor increasing sales. If our district manager can't prove that we've increased efficiencies and sales are increased because of us then why do they need a back office person? The manager could go back to doing the paperwork before the store opens. They pay him a salary anyway, right?

So, Please pray for me and my job. I want the Lord's will. Charlie & I really need the second income to make our bills each month. While I would much rather be at home being a good housewife, the mountain that we've created must be crossed first. We have paid off a good amount of debt since I've been working but we still have more. I should know something for sure once I get back from vacation.

It makes me remember that God is in control. I AM NOT!! We are all in God's hands.

It happened again...

2009-05-18T16:27:00.004-04:00

This past weekend our church held our annual minister's convention. It begins on Friday night, and goes through Sunday night. We always have a great time, but it is very tiring. The Friday night service is mostly singing, and just a short sermon. Saturday & Sunday we have 2 services each day. By the end of the Sunday night service we are all exhausted which gets me to the reason I am posting today.

Last night I became very sick during the service. Actually it happened at the very beginning of service. I started feeling dizzy, and then I felt almost like an explosion in my head. It felt like ants were crawling all over my head or a thousand needles. Then I couldn't feel my fingers or toes on my right side. I guess I could feel them, it just felt like needles or like they both went to sleep. I'm sure you all know how that feels. I sit there for a few minutes just trying to keep it together. I didn't want to lose it in front of 3000 people. My sister was sitting next to me and she began to realize something was wrong with me. Charlie was sitting on the rostrum with all the ministers but I tried to get his attention to let him know that I needed prayer! He saw me and looked at me funny. He later told me that he could tell something was wrong but he couldn't understand what I was saying. As I sit there I begin to feel nauseous then I felt like I had to go to the bathroom. I told my sister that I was going to try to get to the bathroom. She asked me if I wanted her to get Charlie. I think I said yes, but I'm not really sure. When I stood up I thought I was going to fall back down. I made my way past the people that were sitting on the pew and finally made it to the aisle. I didn't have far to walk to get out of the sanctuary but it felt like miles.

We made it to the bathroom without accident. I was barely walking, and I really felt like a drunk person. I was washing my hands and I heard Charlie in the hall asking where I was. I still couldn't feel my right foot or right hand. I walked out of the bathroom and when I saw him I started crying. He asked me what I wanted him to do, and all I could say was pray for me. I tried to tell him what was wrong but my words were slurring. He prayed for a long time, and I began to have feeling come back into my right side. I told him that I felt like I would be okay, and I wanted to go back into the church.

I sit through the remainder of the service trying to control my right side. I was involuntarily shaking, but only on that side. I held my arms crossed so that no one would notice or so I thought. Beth was on my left side and Brendia was on my right. At one point during the service Beth moved over and I almost fell. I didn't realize that I was leaning on her until then. I don't know how long the service lasted. I know that 2 preachers spoke but don't ask me what they spoke on because I have no idea. During the service I was talking quietly to myself. I just kept saying No, I will not be like ______ (another lady that has had seizures in our church), and No, I will no let this claim me! Later Brendia said that I was saying No, but that was it.

After the service was finally over, Charlie came down from the rostrum to get me. We were trying to get out of the church, but with over 3000 people it was difficult to do it quickly. There were also several people from all over the country that we really needed to tell bye because it will be months before we see them again. We made our way down the center aisle, and spoke to a couple of people. I talked to my brother from Florida and told him good bye. I sat down in a chair once while Charlie was talking to someone else. An older man that we know came by and spoke to Charlie and then to me. He walked on by me but then he came back. He told me that he felt like the Lord was going to heal my body, and that it was going to happen right then. I sat there for a couple more minutes and it was almost like a fog lifted off my head. Charlie quit talking and we walked on down the aisle. As we were walking down the aisle, Charlie's cousin walked up to me and hugged me. She also told me that she felt like the Lord was going to move for me. She said she hadn't ever prophesied to anyone before but she really felt like telling me that.

Several of my family stopped us to ask if I was okay. I told them I was feeling better and that we were going home. You see this is the same thing that happened to me last year and this is why I went to the neurologist. The doctor has diagnosed me with partial on-set seizures, but I refused to take the medication. I haven't had a "spell" since last July after the church elders anointed and prayed over me. My family was very worried about me. My daughter told me later that went I went out to the restroom that my face was white as a ghost. We made it home and I slept well last night without incident. For that I am grateful. I was afraid that once I went to sleep I would go into a full blown seizure but I didn't. I know that God was watching over me.

Today I am work. My right side is extremely sore. I feel like I've been lifting weights or something. I am a little dizzy today, but nothing that I can't handle. I am still believing in my miracle. I have Faith that God won't let me down. I will not let this take me over. Please pray for me and help me believe!

Coulter's Comfort

2009-05-09T08:00:00.002-04:00

While we were staying at the ICU of the Dalton Hospital I noticed that a couple of ladies were delivering quilts. Being that I am a new quilter, I began to ask questions. My niece then told me that her daughter, my great-niece, had received one of the quilts. I then went up to the patient representative, Ashley, that was delivering the quilts, and asked where they came from. She told me the most heart wrenching story.

Coulter was not a crier. But one bad day at the clinic, after numerous procedures, he had enough. On the way home he began to cry. And he cried and he cried and he cried. This went on for hours. It broke my heart to see him so sad. I went to the psychologist at the clinic who suggested giving him a blanket to create a 'safe' place for him. He could hide under the blanket, make a tent, or make it a 'no ouchie' zone. What ever worked for him. Coulter loved teletubbies, so the next day we went to the store and got two yards of fabric. I made one blanket for Coulter and one for Annika. It did the trick. He loved the blanket! And, while he never slept with it at home, it went to the hospital a lot with us and on the way home he'd throw it over his head and sleep under it. It gave me a great sense of relief to have given him some comfort.

This child's Mom started a group of ladies in Georgia that makes and donates blankets to children who for whatever reason have to be in or at the hospital in honor of Coulter. I think this is an awesome outreach and a help to so many children. You can visit their website for more information.

Look for me

2009-05-08T14:43:00.004-04:00

When we've been there ten thousand years, a million, maybe two, look for me for I will be there too! Lethia has been in Heaven now for 4 weeks and Loyd for 3. I wonder if it feels like just a day.

Mother's Day is coming up this weekend, and we had plans to go to Georgia to spend it with Lethia. We've not talked much about Mother's day since. I am trying not to push anything. I don't want to make an uncomfortable situation any more unbearable.

We've had a tradition on Mother's Day since the first year we were married. I was just pregnant with Trevlyn and not really even a Mom yet. There is a little restaurant in Chattanooga TN called Bea's that Charlie takes me to. I went there with my grandmother when I was little, and Charlie knew it was one of my favorite restaurants. After we moved to Knoxville we would still go down after church on Sunday and eat there. The last few years Charlie's Mom & Dad had met us there so we could spend Mother's Day with them and still celebrate our tradition. Charlie may surprise me and we may still go to Bea's, but honestly I don't know if I could handle it. This Mother's Day will be a very sad day. Please remember Charlie. We all still need your prayers!

Monday,April 13th - Thursday,April 16th

2009-04-30T13:17:00.005-04:00

Okay, I am going to fast forward through the rest of the week. As you can tell from my previous posts the family tension was horrible, and made everything worse. However things are starting to work themselves out, and I really don't want to talk about it anymore. This will be a long post, but it will be the last about the wreck and the incidents following it.

On Monday morning at 5:45 we were back to see Loyd. I loved those first morning visits. It was usually just me & Charlie, and maybe one of our kids if they woke up that early. We tried to let them sleep till the second visitation because it was always 1 or 2 in the morning before the rest of the family went home and we could all try to go to sleep. So, that morning just a little after 6 the neurosurgeon came in and told us that at sometime over the weekend Loyd had a stroke. His was unable to feel his left side, and had become unresponsive to commands. Meaning that he would no longer squeeze your hand and then let go when told or open his eyes on command. He could still squeeze your hand but he wouldn't let go. The doctor said that was a muscle reflex and not because he wanted to. Again his right side was the only side where he could do that at all. As we talked to the doctor, Charlie started talking to his Daddy. The doctor gave him a few exercises that could make Loyd respond. He taught Charlie how to get him to lift his eyebrows, wiggle his fingers and toes. In the matter of just a few minutes he was responding to Charlie's voice commands, but he still wouldn't respond to the doctors or nurses. His responses were always a little unusual; like from the beginning he would respond better to my daughter Elizabeth than anyone. He would try to lift his entire arm up when he heard her voice. He would lift his eyelids a little when I would sing, and then when our old Pastor came in to talk to him he tried to lift his right hand like he wanted to shake his hand. We could tell by these acts that God was still in control.

Then the lung doctor came in. All of this during that first AM visit. Believe me Monday was a most eventful day. He told us that even with the ventilator he was not getting a full deep breath. They were very concerned about the continued path and what the children should decide to do. The children had all already told him that no other methods of life support could be done. Meaning, no cutting, chest compressions, heart support, or brain support. The lung doctor wanted to insert the tubes via a trach, but he knew the circumstances. He basically told us that morning that if we weren't going to do anything else than we needed to just remove the ventilator completely. We were just prolonging Loyd's suffering. Yes, his pain was getting worse everyday. They were giving him more and more morphine everyday which also slowed his responses to anyone. The doctor asked Charlie to sign a DNR so that the hospital would have the information in writing. Charlie explained that he couldn't and wouldn't do that without talking to his siblings first. Charlie always wanted them to be in agreement before anything was done, but most of the time when the doctors came by we were the only ones there.

At about 8am, the nurses came running out. Loyd's right lung had collapsed and there was a 4cm tear in it as well. They wanted to do a chest tube. Charlie got his 2 oldest siblings on the phone and told them the news. Remember no one wanted Loyd to be cut on. He talked to them about 5 minutes and they couldn't come up with a decision. Finally Charlie said "Well I am the one here, and it can't wait. I am telling them No, and I am signing a DNR otherwise they will do a full code and we don't want that" He told them both that he loved them, and then went in with the nurses to do what he'd said. Basically he was just putting in writing what they'd all verbally agreed to anyway, but this caused a little friction. His brothers & sister finally arrived at the hospital that afternoon. They weren't happy but they understood why Charlie had to do what he'd done. They didn't want the chest tube either, but they just didn't want to put anything in writing.

Monday evening, Tuesday & Wednesday came and went. We only left the hospital for the visitation at the funeral home and then the funeral on Wednesday. Charlie wouldn't stay gone long because he didn't want his Daddy left alone. If the doors were open then he wanted to be there, so we went to visitation between visiting hours. This upset the other siblings a little bit because they thought he should be at the funeral home with them. What they didn't understand was everyone who was at the funeral home had already been at the hospital at least once, and we already felt like we'd had enough visitation.

Before the funeral on Wednesday the doctors had talked to Charlie and recommended that if we weren't going to do any other treatment that Loyd be taken off the ventilator. Charlie asked the doctors if they would meet with all the siblings on Thursday morning. He explained the funeral situation, and asked that they just let them all get through the day. After the funeral Charlie asked all the siblings to meet him at the hospital to talk to the doctors at 8:30 Thursday morning.

On Thursday morning everyone arrived as requested, but you could tell they weren't all happy campers. Charlie began by giving them all copies of something that his Mother wrote. It basically said that she always wanted her family to be peaceful and that the circle be unbroken. She never like bickering of any kind. Charlie told them that he didn't want any fighting, and that he just wanted to honor the life that his Father had lived and his requests. He asked them to be open minded and listen to the doctor. Charlie then asked them if the Pastor could pray with us all. Well, needless to say we never had prayer. Each of the brothers had something to say to Charlie from he was rushing it because we needed to get back to work to we were greedy. His sister never said anything at all. It was very ugly! They all believed that Loyd could get better, and come home. They even were talking about home health etc. Finally the doctor came out, and explained. He told us that Loyd couldn't live with the tubes down his throat, and that he would have to be on a trach. No one wanted that. He told us that Loyd would never go home. If we did decide on keeping him on the ventilator via a trach then he would go to a nursing home where he could have 24 hour nurses care. He would always be exactly like he was now, unless he had another stroke which could further restrict his ability to respond. Charlie never said anything because we had already heard this all. They all had something to say to the doctor, and really berated him. One brother said well when God is ready for him to go then his heart will stop. The doctor said well if you believe so much in God's will then why do you have him on the ventilator anyway? He said, why don't you take him off and then if it is God's will for him to continue to live he will, and if not then he'll go. After about 30 minutes the doctor finally said he had to go to surgery and to call him if we ever made a decision.

The day went on. About 1pm Charlie, me & the kids left. I needed to do laundry, and we wanted to get something to eat besides snack food. I couldn't believe Charlie wanted to leave but he said if they left his Daddy that way then he couldn't stand it and that we would probably leave Friday morning for home.

I need to preface what happened that afternoon with something else I haven't told you. There were times that Loyd would be in a lot of pain, choking, and they couldn't give him anymore morphine. The nurses would call Charlie in to pray with him and the pain would subside. None of the other children had witnessed this. That morning all the children went in together and this happened. Charlie didn't pray immediately because he wanted his brothers & sister to see the suffering that he was going through. Finally one of the brothers looked at him and asked him to please pray. He did and the pain & choking subsided. So, about 3:00 we were at the laundromat and I received a phone call from one of the granddaughters. She said her Mother, Charlie's sister, was asking Charlie to come and pray for Loyd. Well, we couldn't be there that quickly, and within 5 minutes she called back and said that her Mother had decided to remove the ventilator. She couldn't take seeing him suffering.

We started back to the hospital immediately. We almost didn't make it in time. When we walked in we realized that the entire family was in the waiting room but the door was open for visitation. We just walked straight back to Loyd's room. The nurses were there removing the tubes. He only took about 3 or 4 breaths once the tubes were removed and he was gone. He never gasped, choked, or anything that they'd prepared us for. Charlie was his only child in the room with him when he passed. I was there, my children, and 3 of the granddaughters.

It was a very sad passing. I think I reacted the worst because they had prepared us for the worst which didn't happen. They told us that he might last several hours to days, and that he might even be able to communicate with us. I wasn't prepared for him to just pass so quickly. However, I was and am very happy that he no longer had to suffer.

He lived a very full and happy life. He was a wonderful, strong man and very loved by his entire family. He loved to work and sometimes I think he lived to work or worked to live. When he couldn't work he would get sick. I miss my in-laws greatly. They were both inspirations to me. I was never counted as a daughter-in-law. They always told me I was their daughter. They had other daughters-in-law but I was the only one they ever said that to. So, I think that makes me special! I am special to have been loved by people so great! I am going to share more stories about my in-laws but they will be reflections of their life and my life with them.

Thank you all for your prayers! We have definitely needed them.

Saturday, April 11 & Sunday, April 12

2009-04-29T14:50:00.003-04:00

Saturday began with Loyd's blood pressure & heart rate being extremely high. They started him on a heart medication to bring down his blood pressure & pulse. It worked to some extent. His heart rate & blood pressure came down but it was still high by normal standards.
We met with his family doctor and the lung specialist sometime on Saturday afternoon. They began by telling us that there wasn't much hope for his survival. Dr. Bedgood, his family doctor, asked if we knew Loyd's wishes about life support. Charlie & I said yes. He asked us what they were, and we told him that Loyd didn't want to be on any life support. Then he said that is what he told me too. He asked why we placed him on the ventilator? Charlie's oldest brother explained that he was told that it would give him a better chance of survival. Dr. Bedgood just kindly smiled at him, but he never returned the entire time we were there, his PA did the rounds. Dr. Bedgood was my family doctor when we lived in Dalton. He explained to Charlie & I after the family left that he couldn't be part of his treatment because he knew Loyd's wishes weren't being carried out; however there wasn't a living will so our hands were tied.

Saturday afternoon we finally left the hospital, but only for a few hours. We went to the funeral home to make funeral arrangements for Lethia.

On Saturday night or should I say Sunday morning about 3am, Charlie decided that he would like to go to church for Easter. I had been talking about making a trip home to get more clothes. We decided that we would visit with Loyd at the 5:45am visitation and then we would all leave for church, our church! We made it home about 8:00am. We all ran through the shower, unpacked and then packed the right clothing for our trip. About 9:45 we left for church. We had a great time, and our church family welcomed us with open arms. I don't think we could have made it through the week without the church service that morning. We made it back to the Dalton ICU in time for the 5:30pm visitation. The four of us went straight in and began to tell Loyd about the service that we had. We told him about the songs that were sang, the sermon that was preached, and the spirit that we were able to feel. He would lift his eyebrows, and try to squeeze Charlie's hand.

We again spent the night at the hospital. Sunday night was the fourth night we slept in the recliners, and on the benches.

Friday, April 10

2009-04-28T11:38:00.007-04:00

Charlie & his Dad in February 2009

Thursday night was the first of seven nights that we spent at the hospital. Friday began at 5:45am, the first time that "the door" opened for the day. For 7 days we ate, slept, and plain lived by the opening and closing of "the door". This was my first time to see Loyd since the accident. For me to tell this story accurately I need to tell you that Loyd was dropped as an infant, and his back was broken. He lived his entire life with a hunchback. I had never seen him laying on his back until that morning. I was immediately concerned because I knew that this was causing him considerable pain on top of the pain he was in from his injuries. He was having trouble breathing, and with each exhale he would say "Oh Lord". I couldn't keep from crying. Charlie was able to hold him up a little and that would relieve some of the pain. It was so sad to see Charlie holding his daddy like a little baby. He would wrap his arms around him and then just pull him up to him. It was like he was giving him a big bear hug. The first time that Charlie did this Loyd looked at him and said "I Love You." Of course, this had us all crying. At 6:30 we had to leave the room to return at 8:30. When we returned the nurse told us that Loyd was having considerable trouble breathing. The respiratory nurse said that every breath was hurting him because of the pressure from his back and from the fractured ribs. He was breathing very shallow, and couldn't get a deep breath. They were concerned about pneumonia setting up in his lungs. They recommended that he be put on a ventilator. Charlie explained to the nurses that he wouldn't do anything until all his brothers & his sister arrived at the hospital because they needed Loyd as alert as possible so they could tell him about Lethia's passing. The nurses then placed Loyd on a CPAP to assist his breathing. Within minutes he seemed to be breathing easier.

When the siblings arrived Charlie explained the situation. Charlie also explained a conversation that we had with Loyd the first of February when Charlie's uncle was placed on life support. Loyd was adamant that he never be placed on life support. He told us, Lethia, and Charlie's sister, Tiny. Of course we never thought that we would placed in this situation. At 11:00 they let us back in to see Loyd. All the siblings gathered around his bedside and told him about Lethia's passing. We weren't sure if he understood or not. He was on morphine for the pain, and that caused him to be very sleepy. He was able to talk, and he said "Oh Lord, Thank You Lord, I Love You Lord" He didn't stop between statements.

The nurses left him on the CPAP machine until later that afternoon. Then around 5:00pm they came out and said he was still having considerable trouble breathing. They again recommended the ventilator. Charlie was adamant about following his father's wishes, but his other brother's didn't hear Loyd say it so they wanted to go ahead and place him on the ventilator. The respiratory nurse said it could help him breath, and that would give him a better chance of recovery. So, at 5:30 they placed him on the ventilator.

We visited with Loyd at the opening of "the door" throughout the rest of day but he was no longer able to communicate with us. We were told that it was because of the morphine that they were giving him for the pain, and the fact that without enough oxygen he was becoming very lethargic.

**I am still having problems with my home computer so my daily entries won't be daily but as I have access to a computer.

Thursday, April 9th

2009-04-23T07:36:00.003-04:00

This Thursday was similar to many other Thursday's since December. I went to work at 7am because I needed to get off early to take Trevlyn to the doctor for his 4th ultrasound. I have a great boss; as long as my work is done, and I work my allotted hours than he is fine with making my schedule flexible. Trevlyn's appointment was at 2pm. It didn't take long and by 2:30 we were at Home Depot looking for material so that I could make a sign for the Easter Festival at church. After leaving Home Depot we stopped by Hobby Lobby. My to do list was long...Our church Easter Festival was scheduled for the following Saturday, and I still had many last minute things to do. While I was searching for Easter Egg Dye, candy & prizes, Trevlyn was talking on the phone to my brother Corey. That Thursday night our church was starting a revival, and it was going to be the first revival that Trevlyn had ever spoke in. He was very nervous, and Corey was giving him a "hard" time. It was all in good fun. We were laughing and just enjoying the beautiful day. Little did we know that at 3:42 our lives would irrevocably change forever.

We decided to go home after leaving Hobby Lobby instead of going to Party City. Trevlyn really was getting very nervous, and a little sick to his stomach! We were almost home and I received a call from Charlie. I knew that something was wrong as soon as I answered because he was crying, sobbing was more like it. He asked where I was, and then he said go straight home, and pack us some clothes. We are going to Georgia because Mama & Daddy have been in a wreck. I asked him if he knew how bad it was and he explained that his sister had called him from the scene. His parents had just left their house, and less than a mile from their home a vehicle passed a car in their lane hitting them head on. The ambulance had already taken his Mother to the hospital but they were still getting his Dad and brother out. The truck was completely caved in and all three had to be cut out of the truck. At that time no one knew exactly how bad it was, but by the appearance of the wreck his sister didn't think any of them would make it.

An hour had passed by the time we all arrived home, packed a few outfits, and were ready to go. By that time we had received another call letting us know that Lethia, Charlie's mother, had been airlifted to Erlanger in Chattanooga. His Dad & brother were in ICU at the Dalton hospital. At that time we knew that Loyd, Charlie's dad, had 8 fractured ribs on the right side, a fractured vertebrae in his neck, and a cut on his left hand. Joe, Charlie's brother, had a broken wrist, and his right leg was crushed. Lethia was in the worst shape. She had internal bleeding. Her left leg was crushed, her right leg was broken, and her pelvis was broken. Before airlifting her to Erlanger they were having a hard time getting her blood pressure stabilized.

We arrived at Erlanger shortly after Charlie's sister and niece arrived. The nurses explained that Lethia was taken straight into surgery. We waited and waited and waited. More family arrived. Charlie's family is huge, and I think a member of every one of Lethia's siblings was present. Finally a nurse came and took us to the ICU waiting room, but we were turned away because our family was too big. They said only 2 people could be in that waiting room. We were told that visiting hours were from 8:30-9:00, and then they took us to the CCU waiting room because it was bigger. The nurse explained that they would call us when it was time for visitation. We asked when we would have a chance to speak with the doctor and she told us that as soon as the doctor was able to get cleaned up he would be by. At this point it was about 7:30. We thought everything was fine. Of course we knew that she was critical because she was going to ICU, but we thought we were going to be able to see her shortly. We even began to talk about getting Loyd & Joe moved to Erlanger so they could all be in the same hospital. About 8:15 the doctor comes out and ask to speak with the Singleton family. He takes us into the hallway. Then he begins to explain..."When Lethia arrived her blood pressure was very low, and not stable. She had internal bleeding, and many external injuries to her lower extremities. We were able to get her blood pressure stabilized. We found that her internal bleeding was from where her bowel had come loose. We were able to get the bleeding stopped, and the bowel reattached. Then her heart just gave out." The way he was explaining we all thought that everything was okay, but then his last sentence just about stopped our hearts! After about an hour they let us back to see her. She looked like an angel. Lethia's skin is olive toned and her hair is white. Laying on the bed she looked like an old Indian woman. She looked like she was sleeping. We all said our goodbyes and made our way to Dalton.

Upon arriving to the Dalton ICU we found out that Joe was still in surgery. Charlie's other 2 brothers didn't want them to tell their Dad that Lethia had passed until they could tell Joe. Joe didn't get out of surgery until after midnight and by this time it was too late to tell Loyd. They made a decision not to tell Loyd or Joe until the next day. They didn't want Charlie to go back and see Loyd either. They were afraid that he would tell him about Lethia. Thursday was the last day that his Dad was fully conscious.

My Grace is Sufficient for Thee

2009-04-18T10:06:00.005-04:00

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (King James Version)

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

Valerie's sister shared the verses above. As I read the above I thought about how the Lord prepares you for things even when you don't realize it. A couple of weeks ago Charlie and I were making plans for the months of April & May. We were trying to find a weekend to come down and spend a weekend with Loyd & Lethia, Charlie's parents. We had something going on at church every weekend until we go on vacation in May; however our plans were to spend the weekend of Mother's Day with them. Yesterday we were coming out of the funeral home and Charlie said "I bet God was laughing when we were making plans a few weeks ago".

I started this post on Saturday, April 18, but due to computer issues I was unable to finish it. I think that I will let this be the start of a few posts dedicated to my wonderful husband's parents. I will try to write a post about them each day. I will tell you about the events that led to their painful death, and other posts about how they've impacted my life.

God is in control

2009-04-13T01:44:00.006-04:00

What a week!! I don't even know where to begin, but I guess the week starts with Monday so here goes... Last Monday I found out that my brother's first wife; the Mother of my niece & nephew was still in the Dalton Hospital's ICU. She had been admitted with pneumonia and had steadily gotten worse. The doctor's couldn't find out what was wrong with her, and where all the infection was coming from. The diagnosis hours before her death was that she had contracted an infection from an IUD. She died early Tuesday morning. She was 38 years old, and the Mother of 2 teenagers. Her funeral was planned for Friday at 2pm at Ponder's Funeral Home with visitation on Thursday night at 6pm.

Also on Tuesday morning we found out that my step-father's brother had a massive heart attack. His heart quit beating and he was gone for 25-30 minutes. They were able to shock his heart and revive him. Today he is doing great. He didn't have to have surgery and this morning was sitting up in the bed eating.

Some of you know my son has been sick since December when he contracted mono. His spleen has been enlarged now for 4 months. When we went in March for the ultrasound the test results said that his spleen was twice the size that it should be, and that he would still be unable to participate in any sporting activities. We all know that sports is Trevlyn's life, and this has been very hard for him. On Thursday afternoon we went for another ultrasound. We should receive the test results back later this week.

Then about 3:30 on Thursday afternoon I received a phone call from my husband. He was crying, and he told me to meet him at home; we were going to Georgia. I know that something was bad wrong. I finally got it out of him that his Mother & Father had been involved in horrible head-on collision. His brother was also in the car with them. When we first received the call we were told that they were all in horrible shape and had to be cut out of the truck. I immediately started praying for God's will. They airlifted my mother-in-law to Erlanger in Chattanooga TN for further treatment while my father-in-law and brother-in-law stayed in ICU in Dalton. Some of the family stayed in Dalton & we met Charlie's sister in Chattanooga at about 5:30. By 8pm the doctor's came out from surgery and told us that his Mother didn't make it. Her heart was unable to survive the trauma. We left Erlanger and came to the hospital in Dalton to see my father-in-law and brother-in-law. By Friday afternoon my father-in-law was unable to breath on his own and was put on a ventilator. My brother-in-law had multiple injuries; his right leg is shattered, his left wrist is broken, and his right knee had to be reconstructed. We don't know if he'll ever walk again.

Today is Sunday, well actually since it is 2am I guess it is Monday. We've now been here since Thursday night. The good news first...Joe, my brother-in-law, is improving day by day. They've been able to sit him up little by little. He is fully awake, other than the pain meds they give him, and able to communicate with us. My father-in-law is not improving. The doctor's told us that he had a stroke sometime between Saturday morning and today. He is in unresponsive and hasn't talked to us at all since Thursday when he arrived at the hospital. Of course he couldn't talk if he wanted to because of the tubes in his throat. We have seen him try to squeeze someones hand and he grimaces his face, but the nurses say that doesn't count because he can't respond on command. We've been told that it doesn't look good for him to make it.

My in-laws have been my parents for almost 19 years. I love them with all my heart. I've never had those horrible mother-in-law stories that many people talk about. My mother-in-law was truly an angel. She was such a Godly woman. My father-in-law is also a Godly man. He is a deacon in our church, and at 81 he has served his church for many years.

I would ask that you pray for our family. We are in desperate need of God! I know that he is in control, and when he is ready to move then he will. Thank you for all of you who have already posted about the accident. You'll never know what you prayers and thoughts mean to us.

My mother-in-law is now a star in her local town too. I think we could have done without this type of stardom though. You can click on the link to read the story that was featured on the front page of the newspaper.
http://www.northwestgeorgia.com/local/local_story_100201112.html

Making Money with Surveys

2009-03-24T10:38:00.001-04:00

I have enjoyed being a member of the SurveySavvy.com community and thought you might find it fun as well. As a member, you can make a difference by participating in online surveys, focus groups, as well as other interactive studies. SurveySavvy is unique from other online panels because of its patented referral program that gives you incentives for every survey your referrals complete and additional incentives for every survey their referrals complete. This represents growth to your account balance regardless of whether or not you actually complete any surveys!

To sign up, click on the following link: https://www.surveysavvy.com/ss/ss_index.php?id=2787938&action=join&lid=en-us

If that doesn't work, copy and paste the link into your browser.

****I was asked if I make money doing this, and yes I've made a few dollars here and there. Nothing astronomical but $3-$4 every once in a while. It just takes a few minutes, and it doesn't cost me anything. ****

Aldi's

2009-03-16T16:47:00.004-04:00

Our Aldi's finally opened on Saturday, March 7! They started teasing us before Christmas when they put up the big sign, but finally it opened! I had my first opportunity to visit yesterday after church. The biggest problem with the first Aldi's in Knoxville is that it is across town from where I live. It is very close to where I go to church though, so in an effort not to waste gas, we went yesterday between church services. Of course, I forgot to bring my own grocery bags, and I didn't have a quarter for the buggy. Luckily, Trevlyn had a quarter, and I was able to snag a couple of boxes to bring home my goodies! Charlie & the kids weren't very impressed with the store, but why would they be? They aren't the ones struggling to meet the grocery budget every week.

A few of the items that I was impressed with:

$1.99 for 1 gallon of Skim Milk
$2.19 for 1 gallon of 2% Milk
$0.49 for 1 dozen large eggs
$0.99 for 1lb of slicing tomatoes
$0.99 12oz. Salad Mix
$1.49 5-7 oz Spring Mix
$1.49 12oz Baby Spinach

The other items that I bought I could have probably purchased at Kroger's with a coupon for about the same price. The store claims to have different items every week as "store specials". I didn't get to look around much because the entire family was with me, but I hope to go back and take more time! I plan to make Aldi's one of my weekly stops and I'll let you know what I get next week. I feel more and more like my grandmother everyday. She would go from store to store to get the best prices! I remember...Pruetts, then Red Food Store, and then the farmer's market for vegetables. I always hated going with her on grocery day because it literally took the entire day! Now, I remember those times fondly. I wish I could recall them more vividly. Memories...

For Our Children

2009-03-12T15:33:00.004-04:00

I found a beautiful poem written by Amy Carmichael. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

Father, hear us, we are praying,

Hear the words our hearts are saying,

We are praying for our children.

Keep them from the powers of evil,

From the secret, hidden peril,

From the whirlpool that would suck them,

From the treacherous quicksand, pluck them.

From the worlding's hollow gladness,

From the sting of faithless sadness,

Holy Father, save our children.

Through life's troubled water steer them,

Through life's bitter battle cheer them,

Father, Father, be Thou near them.

Read the language of our longing,

Read the wordless pleadings thronging,

Holy Father, for our children.

And wherever they may abide,

Lead them Home at eventide.

By Amy Carmichael

I've Been Out of Pocket

2009-03-12T09:25:00.005-04:00

Have you heard that saying before? My mom uses it all the time, and it means simply I've not been available. She also says "back of this..." but that is a whole different story. True southern woman!

Anyway...my point to this title is that I've been unavailable for the last week and a half. It all started with jury duty last Monday, and then it just hasn't stopped. I've just been extremely busy, you know how it is, nothing important just one thing after another! To make a long story short...I'm back!

I have been reading your blog posts, here and there, but I've not had time to sit down and write one. I have so much that has happened over the last week that I want to share (starting with jury duty) but I still don't have time to share today. I wanted to drop in and say Hi and tell you all that I am not dead, as some of you have sent me emails wondering... Things should be back to normal by Monday, and I'll post about the "goins' on of the Singleton family"!

Have a great weekend, and enjoy the spring like weather! You know warm, then rain, then it is cold again, and then it starts all over!

I'll leave you with a picture of Hannah & her quilt!

Opening Up

2009-03-03T15:38:00.005-05:00

Since my 1 year anniversary just passed, I have been thinking about the direction that I've taken this blog in. I was going through many trials when I first started the blog, both financial & health issues. I wanted a place that I could share my feelings & struggles without condemnation. I needed friends that would lift me up when I was down, and pray for me when I needed it. I've realized that I haven't opened up very much about my feelings, and as things in life became harder I actually closed up! I want to share something with you that happened this weekend. Believe me it shows how human that I am. I was reading this blog today and it encouraged me to open up.

So, here goes. First a little background...Charlie & I have decided that we are going to try the Dave Ramsey plan, again. Yes, we've done this before but it never works. For one reason or another we just can't do it. For instance, we have decided we are going to go through with the envelope system, snowballing our debts, etc, but we are still planning our vacation this year. Actually our vacation is already almost paid for. Now, Dave Ramsey would have said to take that money and pay off some of your bills, right? Yes, that is right, but we justified in our minds that we need a vacation. Okay, so next we also said we'd only go out to eat on Sunday afternoons after church. That way we can go with our church family and spend time with them. Okay so here's the story. This past weekend we went out as a family on Saturday so we decided we wouldn't go out on Sunday. Now, in my head I knew this, but my heart wasn't going along with it. Sunday afternoon comes and my son mentions going to Ci-Ci's pizza to eat lunch. It would be cheap, he says, and it has been a long time since we've been there. My wonderful head of the household says No, we've already decided. Yes, when I say we, I mean we, We try to make this a family decision so everyone knows the reason why and no one can argue. Well, my belly thought it sounded good too. I didn't really want to go home and eat leftovers. I wanted something different, and I didn't want to cook. Needless to say the discussion became heated. Yes, it was in front of our children. There was a lot of you don't stand behind me, and well you don't care what I want... It was horrible. Even as I am writing this, I am ashamed. We made it home. Charlie told the kids to go in the house, and we stayed in the truck to "talk". It ended rather blandly. Charlie just said this discussion is over, and got out of the truck. I being upset, went where I always go when I'm upset, WALMART. I ran away. I couldn't even look at him. I was ashamed, hurt, and mad. I felt like such a kid, I mean why couldn't we go to Ci-Ci's!

I came back home after a couple of hours, and then around 4:30 we went back to church for choir practice & evening service. Charlie & I are good fakers. We still hadn't spoken and I don't guess anyone knew any difference. Our kids were just being quiet, and watching. I'm sure they were thinking a volcano was going to erupt at any minute. We had a wonderful service, and I began to feel absolutely horrible about the things I had said. I knew in my heart that I had been disrespectful to my husband, and my children. What a stupid argument!?!? I am the one who wanted to do the financial makeover in the first place, and he was just making sure that I followed through. At church that night we went to the alter together, our entire family. I could hear Charlie praying about uniting our hearts, and not letting Satan destroy what God had given us. See we've not always had a perfect marriage. When we have arguments we tend to bring up things from the past, and if you've ever been to marriage counseling than you know that is a no-no! I knew that I was the one that was wrong, and I owed my husband an apology. But more than that, I needed his forgiveness. On our way home from church I asked him to forgive me, and I asked the kids to forgive me too. I wanted them to understand that what I had done was not right, and it was silly & stupid. Of course, Charlie said he would forgive me but then he did something I'll never forget. He asked me to forgive him for being dramatic. You may think that is funny or odd, but if you knew my husband you'd understand. He said he blew it out of proportion, and we were both at fault.

So the moral of the story is just like the picture says at top, it may be hard, but the Husband is the Head of the House! Don't let your children come between you! Stand united together!

My Giveaway

2009-02-28T21:13:00.006-05:00

Jen at A Good Cup of Coffee is the winner of my 1st blog giveaway! It is ironic that she won because she was one of the very 1st blogs that I started following! Jen has already requested an apron & pot holders instead of the baby set, so I'll get started on that right away! I already know what fabric I'm going to use. I hope she likes it. The picture above is of everything that I'll be sending, except the apron & pot holders.

I want to thank all of you who entered. I have found lots of new friends and blogs that I have started following through you. I had a lot of fun with this giveaway, and can't wait to have another one.

Exciting News

2009-02-27T08:39:00.003-05:00

Shanda & her daughter Laci

I realized that my niece , Shanda, started her blog this week. Shanda is my husband's brother's daughter. When Charlie & I got married Shanda was 10, I think... Her parent's were recently divorced, and she was going through an emotional upheaval. Charlie and I lived with his parents for the first year, and Shanda was there a lot. We became very close and she became like a little sister to me, almost a daughter. After we moved out she spent many days & nights at my house. When I had children she became like their big sister, and good for me because she was always a handy babysitter. Shanda says she has learned many things from me, but I am sure they are both good and bad, probably more bad. You see, Shanda was around us mostly when we were first married, and I was a spoiled child. Yes, I said it! I'm sure she is laughing reading this because we were both spoiled children! Charlie & I both did a lot of growing up, and she was around to witness that. Now we live about 2 hours away from each other but we are still close. As I've gotten older, I've tried to be an example for her of the way that you should act, and hopefully she'll forget all that bad stuff. LOL :) Eventually Shanda married Charlie's best friend. Isn't that odd? Now they have a beautiful little girl. She will be 3 in April, and she is like my granddaughter. She reminds me so much of my little girl. Shanda is a very creative person. Valerie and I have been after her for months to start a blog. She is an excellent crafter. She crochets, sews purses, dresses, you name it and she can make it. She is an avid scrapbooker and can make all kinds of really neat layouts. She made her own shadow boxes of her daughter's first dresses. She could probably post for weeks about the items that she has already made and never even have to start a new project!

So, without further ado...go and visit her blog, A Small Ray of Sunshine!

My 1 year Blog Birthday

2009-02-24T08:52:00.005-05:00

I didn't realize that my 1 year blog birthday was going to fall on a Sunday. I very rarely touch a computer on Sunday. So, my birthday present to all of you is late! I'm sorry but I'll make it extra special. I entered the blog world with trepidation. I doubted that anyone would get anything out of it...I didn't realize that it was me that would get the most of it. I've met so many people in the blog world that I call my friends. My family still looks at me strangely when I say things like "I have a friend in AZ that has a lemon tree in her backyard." or "I just talked to Valerie today and she said..." I'm sure they think that Valerie and I are burning up the telephone wires! I've learned so many things from all of you! I've learned many great recipes, how to sew, cutting & piecing quilts, and I am relearning how to embroider! Thank you all for making my 1st year so memorable. You have prayed with me through some of the toughest trials of my life. I started to stop blogging and a friend of friend who never even leaves me comments emailed me. She said that she looks forward to reading my posts, and that I am an inspiration to her. Really?? Me?? I guess I didn't realize by sharing my thoughts, trials, inspirations, my life in a world that seems invisible that I could inspire someone else.

So to celebrate this 1st birthday or blogoversary as some call it, I will be giving away some things that say a lot about me. I've learned to sew this year mostly baby things because my sister had a beautiful baby boy, so I'll be giving away 1 of my baby sets which includes a blanket, bib & cloth diaper. You choose boy or girl & I will make it special just for you! For those of you who don't have a baby in the family I can make something special for your kitchen, like an apron & potholders! I will be giving away a cookbook, because I love to cook and you all were with me as I launched Krista's Kitchen. A devotional book, because I love to be motivated by the bible. and last but not least, fabric... I have accumulated lots of fabric, and I would love to see someone make something with it. I'll be giving away a couple of yards of corduroy, pink & purple 5" squares, and lots of scraps. At this point it is just sitting in the corner of my sewing room/dining room. All of this to just one person!

To enter the giveaway just leave a comment telling me how you've turned lemons into lemonade or in other words how you've turned a trial into a blessing! Oh, and make sure that you leave me your email address or your blog address so that I know how to contact you in case you win! I'll be choosing the winner on Saturday, February 28 so you must enter before Midnight on Friday, February 27.

I'll have pictures to follow this evening. I am unable to post pictures from work.

The Mail

2009-02-19T08:12:00.004-05:00

The picture from the top of the subdivision this morning!

Do any of you still get that excited feeling when you go to check the mail? You know the feeling that I am talking about. That feeling that we all had as children when our parents would tell us to check the mail, and we thought maybe just maybe something would be there for us. That feeling left me about the time that I realized the only thing that came in the mail with my name on it were bills! Then this last year I started receiving samples in the mail and I started getting excited when the mailman came.

My daughter loves to check the mail. She usually checks the mailbox everyday on her way in from school. Lately she has started getting college invitations, I guess that is what you call them, you know the letters that say "Come check out our school", so checking the mail has a whole new feeling for her now. Let's just say she is super excited about checking the mail!

Well, yesterday, for some reason, she didn't check the mail so I did. She again had several college invitations which I knew she would love, but there was an envelope for me... It said open immediately, time sensitive, who knew can they put bombs in an envelope. As soon as I get in the house, I rush to open the envelope, and guess what was in it?

JURY SUMMONS

You are hereby summoned to appear before the JUDGE of CRIMINAL COURT...

Since living in Tennessee Charlie & I have both now received an invitation to be on a jury. I served on a jury once in Georgia, but it was a civil case. This could be interesting...

What color is your rainbow?

2009-02-17T09:37:00.001-05:00

Your rainbow is intensely shaded white, indigo, and yellow.

What is says about you: You are a contemplative person. You appreciate cities, technology, and other great things people have created. Friends count on you for being honest and insightful. You're good at getting people to like you.

Find the colors of your rainbow at spacefem.com.

I found this at Sew Happy Quilting, and thought I'd play along. I am a little amazed by the colors of my rainbow. The others that I've seen are usually one color, but mine is very shaded... What does that really say about me?

You don't appreciate what you have

2009-02-17T09:00:00.005-05:00

Until you don't have it anymore.

I never thought that I would say this, but I miss being just a housewife. I didn't work outside the home for almost 9 months last year. Financially it was extremely hard. Our outgoing was more than our incoming almost every month. The stress of paying the bills was almost more than I could handle, and it was definitely more than Charlie could handle. We didn't have a lost of extras. Any discretionary expenses were cut down to almost nothing. Then you think about those things that we did have. The house was always clean. The laundry was always done. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner were made by ME! I felt more of a sense of accomplishment doing those things than I have ever felt working in a 9-5 job, even when I made 6 figures!

So, now we have money to pay our bills, and we can go out to eat every once in a while, but I miss being at home. I miss being there when my kids needed me or Charlie needed me. I miss sewing, cooking, and Yes, even cleaning! We may not ever be to the place where I could stay at home without any income, but I will say that it was an experience that I'll never forget.

I envy those of you who are SAHM, and home school your children. I don't envy you, as some do, because "you don't have to work", we all know that is not true! I envy you because your work is so much more rewarding than just a paycheck!

Some say well, Krista, you can have it all! You can work, keep a clean house, have the laundry done, cook supper, and be there for your husband & kids when they need you. I say, "Do I look like SuperWoman?" My house is clean, we have clean clothes to wear, and I cook supper, but it just doesn't feel the same, and I am always tired! Now it just feels like I have 2 jobs.

Oh well, the moral of the story is...Be happy with what God gives you. If you are always unsatisfied then you'll always be looking for more. Sometimes you are right where God wants you, and doing what God wants you to do. It may not be what you want, but it is what God wants. Charlie & I have talked and we are going to try to pay off our debt with my earnings. That may take years... Who knows maybe I'll be a Stay at Home Grandma or Aunt! I wouldn't mind being either one because I love babies so I'll leave you with the newest pics of Baby Isaac! These were just taken on Sunday. He is in the 90th percentile for both weight and height. He is 17 lbs and 26 inches long! He'll be 4 months old on Feb. 22, 2009.

ROCK Solid's Blog

2009-02-16T12:04:00.003-05:00

Our Youth Group at church now has a blog...

Check out rocksolidyouthministries.blogspot.com.

My 1st Blog Birthday

2009-02-13T11:30:00.005-05:00

My 1st birthday is coming up...

I missed celebrating my 100th post, and I knew that my blog birthday was coming up soon, but I wasn't sure when. Today I began looking through my older posts and realized that my 1st birthday will be February 22nd! Hooray...I've almost made it a year, and even though I've not hit rock star status, I do have a few people by my site everyday. Most don't leave comments, but that is okay because I still love you!

Now I have to think up a birthday present for 1 lucky person. Not for me, but for you! I know most of my posts are very random, and I would like to incorporate some of the things that I have blogged about. I'm thinking maybe a devotional book, a few pieces of fabric, maybe a baby blanket set, maybe something sweet, I don't know I am going to dwell on it. I'll be posting something next week letting you know what the present will be and how you can win it!

Fabric Line

2009-02-13T08:00:00.004-05:00

I receive emails from a local quilt shop about their upcoming promotions. Today they were featuring a new fabric line from Clothworks called Delilah. While I thought it was pretty it wasn't quite to my style, but Clothworks has another new line called Cherry Blossom that I love. I did a google search for the Clothworks website, and to what did my wondering eyes did appear!!! Many, many, many FREE patterns. Now I am no where near as talented as most of you, but I love to collect fabric. Yes, that is what I call my fabric stash because since I've went back to work I very rarely have the time to sew so now I just collect fabric. I have lots, and lots of fabric! Someday I'll make that fabric into quilts, purses, curtains...

Anyway...fabric. My new Clothworks favorites are Funny Farm, Classic Black, Toy Box, and All Aboard. I just found it and Toy Box & All Aboard are no longer available! What am I going to do? I am going to check around and see if anybody has these two collections because I think that I need them for my fabric collection! There are many others that I like too, and I'm sure that you all will too. Check out Clothworks and find a store near you that carries it.

Happy Friday the 13th!

Making Plans...

2009-02-09T08:52:00.005-05:00

When life is at it's fullest we began to make plans. Plans for what do you say? Well, usually plans for vacation!

Sometimes when I am tired and worn out from just the daily tasks of life I began to get depressed, and just the thoughts of vacation rejuvenate me. We've been talking about vacation with the kids for several months now. Since our kids have been old enough to have a suggestion about vacation we've let them be in on the discussion. If you know my kids then you probably know that this started when they were about 2. My kids are talkers... Wonder where they get that from? anyway, back to my point. We had several ideas, and couldn't come down to just one. Of course money is always a factor, and we know we have to go somewhere that is within our budget. My husband is a big Disney fan, so his suggestion was to rent a house in Orlando/Kissimmee and spend the week at Disney World and Universal Studios with maybe a day or two in Daytona. I had a couple of ideas. There are two places that I would love to take my kids. I've been there, but they haven't. My first idea was to fly to Las Vegas then rent a car. After spending a couple of days in Las Vegas then we could drive to the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, even LA isn't far away. My second idea was to drive up north, going to New York City, and then drive back down through Washington DC. Staying a few days in each place. Charlie and the kids didn't want to go anywhere that we had to drive a lot, so that pretty much nixed my ideas. We've been to Disney multiple times, and the kids are getting older so that doesn't interest them very much. The kids ganged up on us and want to go on a cruise. Charlie and I have been on 2 cruises, but they've not been with us either time. At first we were afraid that a cruise would be over budget, but I began to look. Because of our past cruiser discounts we can save over $200 per person. This brought it within budget. We began to talk about it with our extended family, and now there are 16 of us going! We are going to have a blast! The great thing about it is that it is all family. That was one of the stipulations that my children had. They just wanted family to go because they want to be able to relax & have a good time.

I am really excited. Our trip is planned for May 30 - June 6. We will be going to Ocho Rios, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel Mexico. Beth & I have started shopping for formal dresses. Thankfully, she is a very modest girl. It does make it a little hard though. She wants a formal dress that isn't too short, low cut, and it has to have sleeves. We are having a tough time finding something that isn't too expensive and doesn't look to old for her. We will persevere and I know that we will find something! We have several months too look and I know that we will find the perfect dress!

Yesterday after church I began to think about making plans for vacation and about how it has changed my mood the last couple of days. I then began to think about going to Heaven. Sometimes we lose our focus, and forget about our ultimate destination. It is very easy to become downhearted. Sometimes I began to even doubt my salvation. Don't tell me that you've not done that too because you know that you have! Our Pastor preached a wonderful doctrinal subject yesterday about the true sheep fold. Not everyone enjoys those times when we go to church and the preacher is teaching, but I do. I always learn something new. The sermon led me to thinking about something my grandfather used to say. He would call those types of sermons "nuggets". He said that you just take it and put it back because you'll need it someday. I began to correlate the two things in my mind; vacation & Heaven. There are so many similarities, but Heaven will be our ultimate vacation. Will I have everything I need to make this journey? Do I have everything packed correctly? Are my garments ready? Do I have the right clothes on? Each time I go to church and receive something new I should be "packing" it away so that I'll be ready when Jesus calls.

Just like preparing for a cruise...do we have our passports ready? Do we have our clothes packed? Do we have the right kind of clothes for every event? Is our life in order? Are we ready?

TGIF

2009-02-06T08:54:00.003-05:00

Really, I am thanking God that it is finally Friday! Many things have happened since last Friday. Jump back 1 week...I was sick. Remember Bah Humbug...well, that was me. I am not a very nice sick person. I just don't take being sick very well. I am whiny and want attention, but yet I don't want anyone to bother me. Does that make sense? Of course not. My husband for over 18 years still doesn't understand it. I try to tell him, just acknowledge that I am ill, and then leave me alone. I will get better eventually. Charlie doesn't get the acknowledge that I am ill part. He just leaves me alone!

Last Friday night we had a lock-in planned at church. I really didn't want to go, but since I was probably going to be the only female adult supervision, I had to! Believe it or not, I made it. We had a great time. We played board games, and video games all night long. We played American Idol, which is a blast by the way, Guitar Hero World Tour, Soccer, Racing, honestly I can't even remember all the games that were played. We had a great time. We had pizza, chicken wings, chips, and I made 7 dozen chocolate chip cookies, 1 dozen at a time. Each dozen was gone as soon as I brought them out of the oven. It was a night to remember.

Then sometime during the night, I don't remember what time it was, Charlie's mother called. His uncle had a massive heart attack and was on life support. Charlie & I discussed it and decided not to tell the youth. We just continued the lock-in and made plans to go to Georgia as soon as we could. We finally made it home about 8am. Charlie and I both passed out till about 2:30. We had missed several calls from Charlie's Dad. He thought we were going to meet him at the hospital. We immediately got up, dressed, packed, and left for Georgia. By the time we arrived at the hospital they had already taken his uncle off the life support. His heartbeat was steadily decreasing. The doctors & nurses said that they didn't think he'd make it through the night. Charlie's Dad didn't want to leave the hospital. He wanted to be there when his brother took his last breath. That night became the longest ever. We stayed up all night Friday night, and it didn't seem like the minutes lasted hours, but sitting in that ICU waiting room on Saturday night the minutes lasted days. Charlie's Dad said he would leave come daylight if nothing had changed. We all left about 7am. His uncle passed away about 1:30 on Sunday afternoon. The funeral was planned for Wednesday. Charlie & I left Georgia Sunday evening so that we could come home and work on Monday. We turned right back around Tuesday morning and went back to Georgia, not returning home until Wednesday night. I am thankful that God watched over us in the many miles that we traveled. I would ask each of you to pray for Charlie's Aunt. His uncle & aunt had been married 58 years. I can't even imagine the pain that she must feel having to go home to an empty house. I know that God can comfort her and the family during this time of grief.

Of course we returned home to snow & ice. Charlie is now sick. I guess he caught the cold that I had last week. Needless to say it has been the longest 7 days ever! I am so thankful that it is Friday.

When Life Gives You Lemons Award

2009-02-05T11:13:00.006-05:00

I received this cute award from Mari. It's for someone who has a great attitude or shows gratitude. I am very humbled that she thought of me. I try to have a good attitude and to always look at the bright side of things. I've always been told that I am a "glass is half-full" kind of person. I started this blog almost a year ago when I was going through a very tough time in my life, and I needed to remember that When Life Give You Lemons...Make Lemonade. I've made a lot of lemonade.... some of it sweet and some of it extremely sour! :)

I would like to pass on this award to a long time friend of mine over at Laugh and the World Laughs With You who also is going through a tough time, but we know with the Lord's help she can make it through it!

What Generation Do You Belong In?

2009-01-30T11:56:00.002-05:00

I found this neat little quiz over at Mari's. It doesn't take much time, so try it out. I was born in 1973 so it pegged me just right!

You Belong in Generation X

You fit in best with people born between 1961 and 1981.
You are fun, laid back, and very independent.
You are willing to take risks and live your life however you see fit.
You are casual, accepting, and friendly. You see everyone as your equal.

What'>http://www.blogthings.com/whatgenerationdoyoubelonginquiz/">What Generation Do You Belong In?

BLAH!!!!

2009-01-23T10:27:00.002-05:00

I am so happy that it is Friday! I need a weekend to catch up on life :) Is there such a thing?

I have so much laundry to do, and our cabinets are crazy...What I mean is they aren't organized and that drives me crazy! Since we started our diet revamp Charlie has been grocery shopping with me. Well, I told him this past weekend that he couldn't go with me anymore. If something looks good then he just puts things in the buggy as we pass by. Don't get me wrong, it is all on our diet, but we have too much of certain things and not enough of others. I just can't tell him No when he really wants something. You should see us in the store...I'm sure that everyone is laughing. He is just like a little kid, and if it is on sale...well, enough said...we have to buy it! Our grocery budget has been blown every week for the past 3 weeks.

I only had a minute to write. I hope all of you have a great day, and a great weekend!

Monday - January 19

2009-01-19T10:53:00.005-05:00

As I sit here in my room within a room, listening to my worship playlist, I am thinking about how good God is. He has blessed us financially, with our health, and most of all he saved us from a life of sin. On Thursday by 1pm, my headache was completely gone, and I know that it was only through prayer! Isn't it nice to know that you can live a life that God is always with you?

Please pray for my siblings. I have 4 brothers, and 1 brother-in-law that have either recently been laid-off or their work has severely decreased. I know that God always provides, and that he will see to their needs.

For Today, January 19

Outside my window... I don't have windows in the backroom, but when I went out earlier it was snowing!

I am thinking...that I must organize my coupons this evening & make a grocery list.

I am thankful...for God's mercy & grace.

From the kitchen this week... Chicken Wraps, Turkey Burger Pitas, Tacos, Baked Ziti, and hopefully Parmesan Tilapia.

I am wearing...Grey slacks, Black Shirt, and my dress shoes.

I am reading... I just traded several books at McKay's and I can't wait to start one!

I am praying... that my siblings will all find jobs.

I am creating... Beth's quilt. I'll have pictures later. We bought the material on Saturday, 1/2 price! It is going to be beautiful.

I am hearing... my Worship playlist.

Around the house... sorting clothes, laundry, and I hope to start cleaning out our extra bedroom downstairs so that I can have a sewing room!

One of my favorite things... just watching TV with my husband and kids.

Few plans for the rest of the week...I hope that I am able to stay in during the evenings this week. On Saturday, Beth has ice skating lessons, other than that no plans.

A picture thought....

I can't upload a picture from this computer...sorry.

Headache!!!!

2009-01-15T09:36:00.004-05:00

Today, I woke up with the one of the most horrendous headaches! It has been months since my head has hurt this bad. I think I slept wrong or something. When I woke up I could barely move my neck and the entire back of my head felt like it was going to explode! Charlie massaged it for me and then I took a hot shower to try to work out some of the tightness. It relieved it enough that I was able to go to work. Now, I just can't seem to get my thoughts focused. I have asked Charlie to pray, and I will ask you too. Please say a prayer for me that God will move this headache or just give me the strength to bear it.

There is a song that has been on my mind the past couple of weeks. It is called "It Didn't Come to Stay". The words are beautiful.

It Didn't Come to Stay

Sickness must be present for healing to take place

Lives must be broken so they can be restored

We must stop looking at our hard times like they are dead end roads

But avenues to prove that he is Lord!

It didn't come to stay it came to pass

The Lord will move that mountain if you ask

The trials that we see today won't last

It didn't come to stay it came to pass

If I should live by sight I would be beaten down

Because I can't see past these walls of circumstance

But faith will be my substance and my hope is in the Lord

And He will turn my sorrow into dance

Oh He will turn my sorrow into dance!

It didn't come to stay it came to pass
The Lord will move that mountain if you only ask
The trials that we see today won't last
It didn't come to stay it came to pass

Weeping may endure for the night

Oh but I'll find my joy tomorrow, tomorrow

It didn't come to stay it came to pass

The Lord will move that mountain if you only ask

The trials that we see today won't last

It didn't come to stay it came to pass

**After I wrote this post I searched through my old posts because I wanted to listen to a video that I knew that I had posted with The Isaacs singing It Is Well. I listened to the video, and then I just happened to scroll down and read the previous post. It made me think about everything that I've been through this year. How at the time I wrote the post I didn't know why I was having sleepless nights and waking up with headaches. I do know now, and last night was the first night that it has happened since the elders prayed for me this past summer. I know it was God that led me to read that entry. I will not give Satan the victory today! I will overcome. Also, take the time to read the Proverbs 31 devotional that I referenced that day.

Reflections, Dieting, and Work

2009-01-07T11:53:00.002-05:00

As I am sitting here on a break at work, eating my Activia Prune Yogurt, I am thinking about how much I miss being at home. My kids went back to school yesterday, they were out for over 2 weeks for the Holidays, and they were so excited to tell me about all their new classes. However, where was I? I was at work until 5:30. When I did finally arrive home at 6:15, traffic was horrible and it took me 45 minutes to go 15 miles, I had to turn around and leave again for a church business meeting that started at 7. I miss being with my kids, I miss having supper ready at 7. You may say, Why can't you have supper ready by 7 if you get home around 6? Well, maybe I will be able to once I figure out how to prioritize! Yes, I don't do well with schedule changes. It seems like just when I get used to a schedule in my life...it changes!

On a brighter note! I love my paycheck... Our bills are being paid with ease, and when my kids told me all the "class dues" that they have for the new classes, I didn't feel my heart quiver, and my stomach didn't start hurting! In this economy with many people without jobs, God has been good to me! I know I'll get used to this schedule, and I will be able to prioritize things so that the time I am at home will be smoother.

Another reason my menu plan is so hard is that Charlie & I started a diet on Monday. We both need to lose weight and eat more healthy. For 6 months we have eaten very unhealthy. I love to cook, and I have made all kinds of things since I wasn't working. Fried okra, fried chicken, french fries, fried green tomatoes, Do you get the picture? In the fall of 2006 I joined LA Weight Loss. I didn't use their bars, shakes, etc. I wanted to learn how to eat healthy with things I could buy at the grocery store, and a plan that I could work with for the rest of my life. On LAWL they teach you that you should eat proteins, vegetables, fruits, dairy, starches, & fats everyday just in the right portions. Portion control is my biggest weakness when it comes to food. Today I might not eat any vegetables, and then tomorrow I might only eat vegetables. Charlie is the same way because I cook for the entire family. In a nutshell, I am making my entire family unhealthy. The difference this time is that Charlie & I are both committed to this! We are going to the store together. We are planning our meals together. So far it is fun! Charlie hates being told what he can & can't eat so it is a little harder I think for him, but maybe he is just acting that way so it will be easier for me. You never know with Charlie. He is a character... The first two days your food is very limited. You eat only green vegetables & baked chicken, you drink lots & lots of water, and you drink this special blended juice. This is to flush out your system, and "jumpstart" your weight loss. This morning being the 3rd day we weighed in... I have lost 5lbs, and Charlie has lost about 10lbs. I don't know his exactly because he wouldn't tell me where he started. He is worse about keeping his weight a secret than I am.

Well, my break is over... I hope to talk to you all again soon.

A Penny to remind us...

2009-01-02T10:49:00.003-05:00

I received this email from a friend today, and it touched me. I thought I'd share with all my friends. We must always remember to trust in God!

A PENNY
You always hear the usual stories of pennies on the sidewalk being good luck, gifts from angels, etc.. This is the first time I've ever heard this twist on the story. Gives you something to think about.Several years ago, a friend of mine and her husband were invited to spend the weekend at the husband's employer's home....

My friend, Arlene, was nervous about the weekend. The boss was very wealthy, with a fine home on the waterway,and cars costing more than her house. The first day and evening went well, and Arlene was delighted to have this rare glimpse into how the very wealthy live... The husband's employer was quite generous as a host, and took them to the finest restaurants. Arlene knew she would never have the opportunity to indulge in this kind of extravagance again, so was enjoying herself immensely..

As the three of them were about to enter an exclusive restaurant that evening, the boss was walking slightly ahead of Arlene and her husband.He stopped suddenly, looking down on the pavement for a long, silent moment.Arlene wondered if she was supposed to pass him. There was nothing on the ground except a single darkened penny that someone had dropped, and a few cigarette butts Still silent, the man reached down and picked up the penny.He held it up and smiled, then put it in his pocket as if he had found a great treasure. How absurd! What need did this man have for a single penny? Why would he even take the time to stop and pick it up?

Throughout dinner, the entire scene nagged at her. Finally, she could stand it no longer. She casually mentioned that her daughter once had a coin collection, and asked if the penny he had found had been of some value.A smile crept across the man's face as he reached into his pocket for the penny and held it out for her to see. She had seen many pennies before! What was the point of this?'Look at it' He said. 'Read what it says.' She read the words ' United States of America ''No, not that; read further.''One cent?' 'No, keep reading.''In God we Trust?' 'Yes!' 'And?''And if I trust in God, the name of God is holy, even on a coin Whenever I find a coin I see that inscription. It is written on every single United States coin, but we never seem to notice it! God drops a message right in front of me telling me to trust Him? Who am I to pass it by? When I see a coin, I pray, I stop to see if my trust IS in God at that moment. I pick the coin up as a response to God; that I do trust in Him. For a short time, at least, I cherish it as if it were gold. I think it is God's way of starting a conversation with me. Lucky for me, God is patient and pennies are plentiful!

When I was out shopping today, I found a penny on the sidewalk. I stopped and picked it up, and realized that I had been worrying and fretting in my mind about things I cannot change. I read the words, 'In God We Trust,' and had to laugh. Yes, God, I get the message.It seems that I have been finding an inordinate number of pennies in the last few months, but then, pennies are plentiful! And, God is patient.

************************************************************************************
God didn't promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way. I hope you are all having a wonderful day, and that God is with you every step of the way!

Quilts to make in 2009

2008-12-30T13:47:00.003-05:00

Hannah's quilt was a hit! I'm sorry I don't have pictures. Believe it or not I forgot to take my camera and so I don't have a picture of the finished quilt. My sister-in-law has promised to get me a picture of Hannah with the quilt. I hope I get it soon so I can share with you. I saw Hannah last night at my brother's birthday party, and she told me she has slept with her new quilt every night since Christmas. She really loves it. When she opened it she said "It's just want I wanted!" Granted she said that with every present she opened...

My sister-in-law, Heather, has asked for a quilt next. She is so funny. She told me I could even make her a baby quilt too! I guess she thought that was all I could make. I am going to try to make her a Black, White & Red quilt using Amanda Jean's pattern. I think it will work beautifully in her living room.

I also want to make Beth a quilt using the same pattern, but using Brown & Turquoise. I already have the fabric for Beth's quilt. I just haven't been able to come up with a pattern.

I also want to make Charlie a Georgia Bulldogs quilt. He loves the Bulldogs. I found a blog where someone made their son/grandson a Bulldogs quilt but I can't find it now.

I would also like to make Trevlyn a quilt, but I don't have any ideas yet on colors or patterns.

I think it would be neat to make them all at least Twin size, and then make a pillow case to match. So, that is 4 quilts, and I still have Mother's too. I have her material and her pattern. I am planning on having hers ready by her birthday, which is March 16. I would like to have Beth's ready by her birthday too, which is March 18. So, lofty goals....

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T14:29:00.002-05:00

Well, Christmas is tomorrow. I have finished Hannah's quilt, well almost! I am at work right now and on my breaks I am finishing the binding. Oh! How I hate binding! I hope to have pictures of her with her little quilt to post over the weekend. Yes, I said little quilt. I also hate cutting! I started with a 45x60 and ended up with a 36x48. What? how did I lose 9 x 12? Well, let's just say I can't sew straight nor cut straight! I had to even everything out and that is what I ended up with! Good thing Hannah is only 4 and hopefully will love her Aunt's first try at a disappearing 9 patch.

I better go. I wanted to drop in and wish anyone a Very Merry Christmas!

Christmas Time is Coming...

2008-12-18T19:33:00.003-05:00

Wow, Christmas is a week from today. We finally got our Christmas tree up on Tuesday night. Although my Christmas gifts that I was going to make our still sitting next to the sewing machine. Aaaarrrggghh, time needs to slow down. I only have this Saturday left. I am going to be working like a crazy person!

My kids volunteered me to make a Buche de Noel for their French II class tomorrow. Of course a recipe that I've never tried...I'll let you know how it turns out. Right now I have Salmon Turnovers in the oven, and they smell delicious. I found the recipe over at The Happy Housewife, go on over and check out her blog.

I just got off the phone with my sister who is organizing our Christmas menu this year. We are both going to be at Mother's for dinner. Usually we go to our respective in-laws, but due to the economy and her having a new baby, we are both staying in town! It will be different but still wonderful. I have been told to bring the ham & green beans for Christmas dinner, and Rotel Dip for Christmas Eve snacks. That is great by me because they are all easy things to do.

What are you doing for Christmas? Are your plans different this year due to the economy?

Random Thoughts - Friday - December 12

2008-12-12T09:44:00.002-05:00

I haven't blogged much lately because of the new job, and I've had a cold...again! Yes, every night this week (except last night) I've went home, drank a cup of NyQuil and went to bed. My intention was to blog in the evenings once I started this job, but it hasn't quite worked out that way. Usually what happens in my life isn't what I planned to happen. Do you think I am being too hopeful or setting unrealistic expectations? Maybe I am just not trying hard enough!

Can you believe there are only 13 days till Christmas? I still have so much to do. I haven't even put up my Christmas tree yet! GASP.... I know I am horrible! Usually I have my tree up by December 1, but this year my tree is in the attic and I can't get the attic door open. My husband hasn't been home until late every night and when he does get home he doesn't feel like getting it out. AARRRGGGGHHHH... I hope to clean house this weekend and put out all the Christmas decorations. That will give us about 3 weeks because I usually don't take them all down until New Year's Day!

The Christmas Play at church is this weekend. We have dress rehearsal this Saturday night. My sister and I have coordinated the Christmas Play for the last 3 years...I think. It maybe 4 but I can't really remember. It was always easy because we worked together, and we would brainstorm things at work then put them in action. It isn't that easy now! I miss being able to talk things out with her. Of course, I can hear you all saying "just call her" but it isn't that easy! I just remembered this morning that we need to put the programs together, so I called her. She reminded me that the original we work from is on my laptop. I totally forgot. See, if we were together I would already have the programs done or almost done and we would have done it together like we always do. I guess I have been spoiled, but I miss working with my family.

My job, you all have been asking, How do you like your job? Well, have you ever had a job where you felt like you didn't go to work? Well, that is how I feel. Other than missing my sister, I really like my job. I have specific job responsibilities, I do them, then I go home. I don't think about what is not done or what I have to do tomorrow. I do the same things everyday...deposits, process returns, check in inventory, etc. This is daily work so I get today's done and then tomorrow I do tomorrows! My manager is great. He is laid back, and easy to get along with. The people I work with are all younger than me. I think all but 2 of them are in school at UT. Their lives are full and exciting. I don't see how they get so much done. Most of what they talk about is going to a party or the party they just went to. I don't think any of them go to church so I hope to be a light to them. I would like to be a witness for Jesus. Wouldn't it be amazing if I could make a difference in one of their lives?

You have asked me (Valerie) about my quilting projects, and I hate to say that since I started this job I have not even sat down at my sewing machine. I just haven't had time. I know I only have 13 days to finish.... Tonight is a no go, I'll be at the church. Tomorrow, I have to clean my house and decorate for Christmas. Sunday, in between church services...maybe. Monday, I am not working because I have an appointment but it is at 1:30...maybe I can get up early and sew for a little while, then sew some more that evening. Okay...that is the plan. I'll let you know if it works out. It doesn't sound to unrealistic, does it?

Have You Ever?

2008-12-11T16:29:00.003-05:00

I found this on another blog and I thought I'd give it a try. There are 200 things on the list and the things that are in bold are the things I have done. Remember I haven't always been saved so some of the things I have done and I am not proud of them, but I still did them! Give it a try if you want!

Have you ever:

1. Touched an iceberg
2. Slept under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby's diaper
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a tarantula
10. Said "I love you" and meant it
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Taken an ice cold bath
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
33. Adopted an accent for fun
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
36. Loved your job 90% of the time
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach
41. Gone sky diving
42. Visited Ireland
43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files
48. Ever worn a superhero costume
49. Sung karaoke
50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don't
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a movie
60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone - verbal not physical
67. Bounced a check
68. Read - and understood - your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
74. Helped an animal give birth
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover
86. Changed someones mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92. Read The Iliad
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch - does sewing count?
94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97. Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair
103. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all four
106. Raked your carpet - when I was a kid
107. Brought out the best in people
108. Brought out the worst in people
109. Worn a mood ring
110. Ridden a horse
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe.
113. Buried a child
114. Gone to a Broadway (or equivalent to your country) play
115. Been inside the pyramids
116. Shot a basketball into a basket
117. Danced at a disco
118. Played in a band
119. Shot a bird
120. Gone to an arboretum
121. Tutored someone
122. Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back into style
124. Eaten caviar
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
127. Published a book
128. Pieced a quilt- (a very small one!)
129. Lived in a historic place
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
131. Asked for a raise
132. Made a hole-in-one - does Putt Putt count?
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134. Gone roller skating
135. Ran a marathon
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented something
138. Flown first class
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo
143. Gone spelunking
144. Learned how to take a compliment
145. Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David
147. Had your portrait painted
148. Written a fan letter
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
151. Ran away
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
155. Lied about your weight
156. Gone on a diet
57. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158. Written a poem
159. Carried your lunch in a lunch box
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
164. Gone to the opera
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous
166. Worn knickers
167. Ridden in a limousine
168. Attended the Olympics
169. Can hula or waltz
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books
171. Been stuck in an elevator
172. Had a revelatory dream
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
175. Saved someone’s life
176. Eaten raw whale
177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
178. Laughed till your side hurt
179. Straddled the equator
180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a bottle
183. Spent the night in a hostel
184. Been a cashier
185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
186. Joined a union
187. Donated blood or plasma
188. Built a camp fire
189. Kept a blog
190. Had hives
191. Worn custom made shoes or boots
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
196. Know CPR
197. Ridden in or owned a convertible
198. Found a long lost friend
199. Helped solve a crime
200. Responded to a NJP newsletter

Now you probably know more about me then you ever wanted to know! Hope you all enjoyed that! Now go try it yourself!

A New Chapter

2008-12-01T18:40:00.003-05:00

Today was my first day on the job. I am working in a retail cellular store. My title is sales support rep. Basically I run reports, make deposits, order & check in inventory, and process returns. I was so bored today! I don't think that the manager expected me to learn so much on my first day. He told me that I am going to have to slow down or I'll get all my work done everyday in about 4 hours, and I have to stretch it out to 8. This is going to be interesting... All the people I work with are in their early 20's. Only one of them is married. They seem to be a fun loving group, and they all act like they get along. But that was a first day impression...

Well, I just had a minute to write...I am on my way to a church ladies meeting!

Thank you all for your prayers, and I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T09:15:00.002-05:00

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite days of the year. I guess because it is one of the only days of the year that most of family will be together at my Mother's house. Just like when we were young. Today, I woke up about 8 so I could get started on the dishes I am taking. I am waiting on a dessert to finish so I thought I'd write down my thoughts today.

I have been reminiscing a lot lately. Maybe because I am getting older... Perhaps because of the season... I don't know! Tradition means so much to me. Thanksgiving always starts with the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and the smells of dinner coming from the kitchen. As a child we would help Mother with whatever she needed us to do, and watch the parade. We would sit down to dinner about 12 or 1. I say sit because I don't remember ever having a table that we all could sit at, but we try. All the chairs are brought to the dining room. Chairs from the kitchen, office chairs, even the piano bench! You see there are 9 of us, plus Mother & Jerry, makes 11. Now we've added spouses, and grandchildren, but we still bring up every chair in the house and try to all sit around the table. As we've gotten older we've added new traditions. The grandkids now sit around the kitchen table. Some of us stand around the table or sit in the adjacent living room. Then after dinner, Jerry & some of the boys will be watching football in the family room, the other boys will be in one of the bedrooms playing some type of video game, and the girls are in the living room going through the Black Friday Ads! My step-brothers & sister usually leave around 3 or 4 and go to their Mother's house, but most of us end back up at Mother & Jerry's that evening.

Today, we are expecting that 7 of the kids will be there. 2 of the boys won't be. Dabreon is in Florida, and DeWayne is in Alabama; neither were able to come because of work obligations. I am very excited because my sister, Nakia, will be there today. She doesn't always join us, but today she is going to be able to. So, total we will have 23 people for dinner today! That is our 2 parents, 7 children/siblings, 5 spouses, and 9 grandchildren! Sounds like a lot but we will be missing 2 children/siblings, 2 spouses, and 9 grandchildren... When we all get together there are 36 of us! Isn't that amazing...

Well, I just heard a timer go off, and I hear my husband & children stirring. I hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Banana Sour Cream Cake

2008-11-25T08:16:00.009-05:00

Kraft Foods Banana-Sour Cream Cake

My Banana Sour Cream Cake

I found this great recipe in my Food & Family magazine this month. I always have bananas and most of the time they are eaten before they get too ripe, but sometimes they don't! I get tired of making banana nut bread, muffins, etc. My picture isn't as good as the one from Kraft Foods but hey they have professional photographers with very expensive cameras to take their pictures! My family was very impressed with my attempt, and best of all it tastes delicious! I will be making this again!

Simple Woman's Daybook - November 24

2008-11-24T11:12:00.005-05:00

Good Monday Morning! Come on over & check out what's going on in my day...

If you want to join in, just go visit Peggy over at The Simple Woman, read the guidelines here and then add your name to Mr Linky. There are so many other participants sharing their day, I'm sure you'll enjoy looking through them :)

For Today

Outside my Window...

the wind is gently blowing with a nice steady rain. I can see the last few leaves struggling to hang on to the branches. A very large black bird just landed on the bird bath to get a drink.

I am thinking...

that I won't be able to blog as frequently as I have in the last 6 months after this week.

I am thankful for...

Mercy...God has supplied all our needs even when the obstacles seemed insurmountable.

From the kitchen...

Monday-Country Fried Steak & Mashed Potatoes with Banana Sour Cream Cake, Tuesday-Homemade Chili, Wednesday-Trevlyn's 17th birthday we'll be eating out with family but I am making a homemade Oreo cheesecake, Thursday- Homemade Mac & Cheese & Pumpkin Cheesecake for Thanksgiving, Friday-Thanksgiving leftovers!

I am wearing...

Blue sweatpants & a red t-shirt

I am reading...

Compromised by Kate Noble

I am praying...

that my work schedule will be convenient for my family & my church obligations

I am creating...

Christmas presents; quilts, aprons, purses, pot holders...How will I get it all done before Christmas? Maybe some will be Valentine's presents...LOL

I am hearing...

Silence... no one is in the house but me. I can hear the clock ticking, me typing, the wind blowing through the trees. I treasure my "Me" time. I told my husband this morning that I am going to miss it! I didn't really realize how much until now it will be gone.

Around the house...

Bathrooms, Kitchen, my bedroom, and several loads of laundry. This week will be very busy. I am going to attempt to make sure that the house is very clean so after I go back to work the rest of the family can chip in and help me keep it that way.

One of my favorite things...

Cooking...I love to cook.

A few plans for the rest of the week...

I'll be at home until Wednesday night church service. I will be working in and around the house as much as possible for the next few days. Then Wednesday night after church we will celebrate Trevlyn's birthday then go over to Mother's to help her prep for Thanksgiving dinner. Thursday will be spent with all of my family at my Mother & Jerry's house. Friday will be spent with Brendia, Heather & Beth shopping. I don't really have any money to spend but it is just so much fun being with everybody. We tackle the ads & the stores looking for the best deals. Mother will join us about 9 for breakfast. We have a great time, and it is the way we kick off the Christmas season. Saturday morning we are all going out to the church to decorate the dining hall for Christmas. Saturday night is our very last Vols game. This will be the last game that I manage the church concession stand. I am both happy & sad. I've enjoyed it, but I am glad that next year I won't have the responsibility. I can just go out, work the stand, and enjoy the fellowship. A busy week. Hopefully I've not planned too much, but you know me, I probably have and won't be able to get everything done. Especially if I stay on this computer a minute longer today! LOL :)

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

This is a picture of my baby about 17 years ago. He was just a few weeks old in this picture. He was born on Tuesday, November 26 at 6:34am, 2 days before Thanksgiving. We were released from the hospital on Thanksgiving day and went straight to a Thanksgiving dinner at my husband's uncle's house. I'll never forget it. He was and is my favorite son! Isn't he beautiful? I can't believe he'll be 17 years old this week! Where does the time go?

I've Caught the Bug!

2008-11-18T14:07:00.003-05:00

I woke up this morning sick! My throat hurts, my head hurts, my ears ache, I can't breath, and I've been running a fever off and on all day! Chills one minute and sweating the next. I have been in the bed all day. At least our house is warm. I am so thankful that Charlie was able to fix the furnace yesterday. He had to replace the ignitor. I am glad that he is mechanically inclined otherwise it would have cost us several hundred dollars to have it repaired. I was planning on going to Trevlyn's first basketball game tonight, but I guess now I won't!

I just made a big pot of potato & onion soup. I call it the feel good soup! Hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow.

A Simple Woman's Daybook - November 17

2008-11-17T10:17:00.003-05:00

FOR TODAY November 17, 2008

Outside my window... The wind is blowing gently with a very chilly breeze.

I am thinking... that it is cold in my house because my furnace went out last night!

I am thankful for... God answering prayers. I was offered a job today. It isn't a management job which is what I've done for the last 7 years and I am thankful. I wanted a job where I could bring home a check and still be available for my family.

From the kitchen... Cinnamon Toast this morning

I am wearing... flannel pants, and 2 long sleeve shirts

I am creating... Quilts for Christmas

I am going... anywhere that is warm! Charlie & I are getting ready to leave to buy the part to fix the furnace.

I am reading... Full Circle by Davis Bunn

I am praying for... that God will help me and Charlie to be good stewards.

I am hearing... birds chirping.

Around the house... I have to finish the 2 quilts I am working but I also need to do a few loads of laundry today.

One of my favorite things... blogging, and the feeling that I get knowing that I have friends that are praying for me.

A few plans for the rest of the week: This is a stay at home week. I don't have anything planned for the days, but Wednesday night we will be going to Trevlyn's Basketball Jamboree, and on Thursday night Beth has Ice Skating!

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

Ripples, everything that happens in life causes ripples!

Another Quilt Giveaway

2008-11-12T09:35:00.002-05:00

Can you tell what is on my brain? Quilting... Camille over at Thimbleblossoms is giving away a quilt, and you get to choose the pattern! You have until Nov 23 to enter so head on over and check out her giveaway.

A Feeling of Accomplishment

2008-11-12T08:15:00.007-05:00

Yes, I finished something! Lately it seems that I've been going from one project to the next without finishing anything. I hate doing that, but sometimes my ADD kicks in and I just can't seem to get anything done. I am that typical Mom that starts in the kitchen cleaning. I find mail on the counter so I take that down to the office. While in the office I find my coffee cup that needs to go in the kitchen. I take my coffee cup back to the kitchen. Then I find my car keys on the counter. I take those to my bedroom, and I realize I didn't make up the bed. Then ...okay on and on and on.... These really are my days. Most of the time I just can't seem to find a good rhythm, and I spend my time getting nothing done! Yesterday wasn't like that! I had a very productive day. Before noon, I had washed 2 loads of laundry, folded and put them away, made egg salad for lunch, and while doing that I put dinner in the crock pot so that could be cooking while I was working on my quilting. Then I started working! We have another baby shower tomorrow night. Did I tell you that we have 7 babies being born in a matter of months at our church? 2 of them have been born in the last month, and the other 5 are due between January & May. So this is the 3rd baby set that I have made. It is a coordinating baby blanket, burp cloth & bib. This is one of my favorites. I just love the rubber ducky fabric. They are made of a very soft and cuddly flannel. I like for the sets to be comfortable, and cute but still be able to be used. All 3 things can be put in the washer & dryer when they get dirty!

These are the squares for my niece's quilt. I received 40 charm pack squares, and I had to cut out the other 100! Have I told you that the cutting & binding are the things I dislike the most about quilting. I know all the colors are little funky! She asked for pink & purple, and that is primarily the colors that I am using, but there are other colors too! My husband came in last night and he said are you sure that all those colors are going to work? I told him well actually No, I'm not, but I sure hope so since I just spent hours cutting out all these squares! What do those of you with quilting experience think...Will it work? The end result will be a disappearing nine patch! On the left are all the stacks of squares that go in the quilt, and on the right is one square that I put together to let Charlie see an example of how it was going to go together.

Old Red Barn - Win 1 of 3 Quilts

2008-11-11T13:58:00.003-05:00

Aren't these 3 quilts absolutely gorgeous? I love them and really really want to win 1 of them, don't you? Go on over to Dana's Old Red Barn Co to enter the drawing!

Little Is Much

2008-11-11T13:03:00.003-05:00

I have been taught as a small child to work in the church. Whether you may be a door greeter, a church custodian, a singer in the choir, the sound man or whatever the Lord calls you to do then do it with all your might. I have tried to pass that along to my children too. But, if you've ever been involved in church work then you know that it is a thankless job. Most of the time if someone comes to talk to you about a job you've done in the church then it is probably because you did something wrong not because you've done something right. Sometimes our jobs seem so small, and little known. Today I have been thinking of that, and this song came to my mind. No matter what the job or how small it is if God is in it then our Praise will come from him on that last day when he says enter in! I want to hear him say Welcome Home My Child, Well Done! It will all be worth it on that day!

In the harvest field now ripened,
There's a work for all to do.
Hark, the master's voice is calling,
To the harvest calling you.

Does the place you're called to labor
Seem so small and little known?
All is great if God is in it,
And He'll not forsake His own.

Little is much when God is in it.
Labor not for wealth or fame.
There's a crown and you can win it,
If you go in Jesus' name.

When the conflict here has ended
And our race on earth is run,
He will say, if you are faithful,
"Welcome home, my child, well done."

The Simple Woman's Daybook - November 10

2008-11-10T11:36:00.006-05:00

For more daybooks go on over to Peggy's.

For Today November 10, 2008

Outside my window... The sun is shining brightly. I can see the mountains in an array of colors; Yellows, Greens, Reds & Oranges....

I am thinking... that I have a lot to do this week.

I am thankful for... my home, and my family.

From the kitchen... A few things I plan to make this week; Roasted Pork loin, Homemade Pizza, Battered Fish & Fries, and Vegetable Soup with cornbread.

I am wearing... My cleaning clothes; Red knit pants, and a very old t-shirt.

I am creating... A baby set. We have another baby shower at church this week.

I am going... Today is my at home day. I am going no where!

I am reading... I just finished a Kasey Michaels book.

I am praying ... for God's guidance.

I am hearing... the house is very quiet so I can hear the clock ticking, and every once in a while I hear the birds chirping from outside.

Around the house... Clean my bathroom & bedroom today, and wash 2 loads of laundry.

One of my favorite things... talking with my husband. This morning we sat and talked just the two of us after the kids went to school.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Work around the house a couple of days, finishing the construction clean of Brendia's house, Wednesday night church service, Ice Skating Lesson, Baby Shower, and then the weekend shoud be here!

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

Charlie & I pretending to ballroom dance while waiting for our family Easter picture to be taken.

Coming Full Circle

2008-11-09T20:24:00.004-05:00

I was sitting here this evening reading back through my blog posts... Do you ever do that? It is amazing to see how my life has changed so much just this year. In my first post I said that this might be a type of therapy for me. I just didn't realize how much it would help. I have met new friends, and renewed old acquaintances. You all have been there as I was going through some of the hardest trials of my life. I have battled sickness & financial difficulties. But you have also been there with me through some of the happiest times of my life. This year, I have 2 new nephews, I have learned how to sew, and basically just released the creative side of myself.

I realized as I was reading my past posts that I never told you the results of my neurological testing. The MRI came back fine. I didn't have a tumor as the doctor thought at first. However the doctor felt sure that I had Partial Onset Seizures. I hadn't taken the medication that he had given me so when I went back for the office visit he was a little upset with me. He asked me to take the medication for 1 month and then come back. Of course you know me, I asked a multitude of questions about the medication. The medication was a full blown seizure medication. Once I began taking it I would have to take it for the rest of my life. If I didn't then that could result in full seizures. I told him that my husband & I would discuss it, and that was pretty much the end of the visit. I decided not to take the medication and cancelled my next doctor's appt. For many weeks after the testing I was still having major headaches, dizziness, and some numbness in my extremities. These things would always come after I had experienced a rough night. I sleep very hard. I can't say I had sleepless nights because I didn't. I would just wake up feeling like I had run a marathon! Well, one Sunday morning I woke up with a headache, and felt like I could pass out at any moment. I went ahead and went to church with my family. I didn't tell the kids how I felt, only my husband knew. We had been praying for a miracle, and I knew that when God was ready then he would heal me. I sat through church and I felt like I was barely there. I had a sense of being on the outside looking in. I could tell what was going on, but felt like I wasn't a part of it. After the preacher finished his sermon, he decided to sing a song and asked me & my Mom to come sing with him. The song was O What a Savior. I was so scared that I wouldn't be able to stand through the entire song. I felt like I was swaying as we were singing. Immediately after the song was over, I asked him if he would anoint me with oil and pray for me. He said Yes! He asked 2 of the elders in our church to come up and pray with us too. He asked me if I believed that God would heal me, and I said I believe he can. He asked me that twice, and I responded the same way. Then he said No, do you believe he will heal you, and I said Yes, I believe he will. He said we are going to pray for a miracle and you are going to be healed. The entire church started praying, and I was healed. I no longer have those tremendous headaches. I haven't had the numbness or dizziness that I felt for so many months. I still have headaches, but I think that goes along with stress, and they are nothing like the headaches that I did have. The headaches I did have were like brain aches. I literally felt like my brain was going to explode! I don't have those anymore. God healed me!

I don't know why I haven't shared my testimony with you. I should have, and I feel horrible for not doing it sooner. I always want to praise God for what he does for me. He has always been there for me. I want to be faithful and committed to him. I know God knows exactly where I am today. He knows my weakness, and my faults, and Guess What? He still loves me! He is my father. He is still teaching me, and I am still learning. This morning in church our Pastor was preaching, and he spoke to a lady in our church that is 94 years old. He asked her, How bad do you want to go to Heaven? She said Bad, and then she said I am ready. I want to be ready when he calls me. Don't you?

Fall at My House in Pictures

2008-11-07T15:55:00.002-05:00

Tuesday, November 4th - A Historic Day

2008-11-04T12:32:00.005-05:00

I hope all of you go and exercise your right to Vote today! No matter who you vote for, please go vote! I don't like to talk about politics because I believe that everyone has a right to believe according to his/her own heart. For the first time ever we will either have an African American President, or a female Vice President. We are a part of history! Our children and our children's children will be talking about this election for ever. It will be entered into history books... exercise your right, Go Vote!

A depressing note... I received a call from the company that I was interviewing with tomorrow. They are postponing opening the office in Knoxville until the Spring of 2009 so they have postponed the interview. I was told they would call me in a couple of months to reschedule the interview. AARRGGGHHH.... I have applied other places but I haven't received any calls back. We are praying, and I am getting things together to start selling on ebay again! I know the Lord will take care of us either way!

Quilting, Sewing, Fabric... OBSESSED

2008-11-03T14:46:00.003-05:00

Okay, I am obsessed! I can't stop looking at blogs about quilting. I am fascinated by the talent of so many! I have so many ideas that I want to make but I can't seem to get off the computer and get started! I have promised my niece that I'll make her a quilt for Christmas. She, after seeing a quilt I made for my brand new nephew, told me that she wanted a quilt that was pink & purple with butterflies & flowers. She just assumed that I could do it. Isn't that just like a child? They never doubt that their parents, aunts, uncles, or grandparents can just do exactly what they asked for. She didn't know that the quilt that I made for Isaac was from a kit, and that somebody else picked out the fabric for me. That I didn't make the pattern or anything. She just politely said what she wanted, and that I could give it to her for Christmas! Well, I have searched far and wide for a fabric that would meet her demands. I finally found Butterfly Fling by Moda, and it works perfectly. I am going to try to copy a pattern from Sherri that she made from a charm pack.

While I was searching for fabrics today, and reading my friend, Val's blog. I found SeeKatieSew. She has a wonderful giveaway this week (that I hope I win). Go on over to her blog and register to win!

The Simple Woman's Daybook - November 3

2008-11-03T10:42:00.003-05:00

For more day books go on over to see Peggy at The Simple Woman.

For Today...

Outside my Window... the sun is shining brightly.

I am thinking... about the election tomorrow.

I am thankful for... peace in the Lord.

From the kitchen... today will be leftovers, plans for the rest of the week are sketchy...

I am wearing... black pants, black jacket, and a black & brown print shirt.

I am reading... an Eloisa James novel

I am praying... that people will go vote tomorrow and that the God will lead this election and that my interview on Wednesday goes well.

I am creating... a quilt for my niece.

I am hearing... MSNBC talking about the election.

Around the house... the house is empty! I am working a couple of days this week at the family store.

One of my favorite things... staying busy! I am excited because this is the first week in months that I have a full week planned...outside the house!

A few plans for the rest of the week...

Monday & Tuesday I'll be working at the store. Monday night we have a church ladies meeting. Wednesday morning, I have a job interview. Thursday & Friday, I am working at Brendia's new house, cleaning.

Here is a picture thought...

Either way, someone different will be running the country after January 1st!

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T08:02:00.005-04:00

Thank Goodness for Friday! This week has went by really quickly. Today is Halloween. We won't be giving out candy this year. We have 4 free movie tickets, and my wonderful hubby decided that we would all go watch a movie as a family. I am not sure what we'll watch. I hate scary movies, and refuse to watch them. The kids think it is silly to go out on Halloween and not watch a scary movie. I think they just really wanted to go out with their friends tonight, but they won't say that. It is so rare for us to spend a night out with just the 4 of us that they are happy no matter what we do! As it stands, it should be only the 4 of us! Plans have been known to change though. One time we had plans to go out to eat at my favorite restaurant for dinner, Olive Garden, just the 4 of us. During the course of the day, my wonderful hubby had talked to several of the youth, and told them of our plans. When we arrived at Olive Garden our party numbered 22, not 4. So, you can see how plans change!

This past Wednesday night we had Trunk or Treat following our service. It was so much fun. We had over 90 people during our worship service. 30 of them were children under the age of 14, and then after service more people came. We probably had between 125 & 150. I'll have pictures later. I am on my husband's computer and he doesn't like it when I upload pics to his computer. Brendia has mine till tomorrow. She doesn't have a home computer, and since she is out of work for a few weeks on maternity leave, she borrowed mine to work on the church Christmas play.

Sherri at A Quilting Life told me about this wonderful website called The Fat Quarter Shop. I love it! They have charm packs, and jolly packs that you can't find anywhere; for example Amy Butler Jolly Packs! I have been looking at a Moda Jelly Roll called Butterfly Fling. At my local quilt shop it is $37 + tax, which in TN is 9.5%. On this website it is only $30 + shipping, and no sales tax. The shipping via USPS Priority Mail is only $4.95. Right now they are running a special for free shipping on orders over $50! Thanks Sherri for this website! They will have my business!

I hope everyone has a fabulous day! I must work on my house today. Tomorrow we have a busy day, and I like to spend Saturdays with my wonderful husband. Saturdays are really his only day off. So, tomorrow we are going to be running around all day. We already have a full day scheduled. I am excited! I love to spend time with him, and the kids.

Terrific Tuesday

2008-10-28T13:15:00.002-04:00

Wow, I have had an exciting week! Yes, since last Tuesday a lot has happened! I have a new nephew...that is the most exciting! I have talked to several potential employers about me, myself, and I. Friday, We took the youth to a presentation of Judgement House. I worked a fundraiser for the church on Saturday. On Sunday we had 2 wonderful church services, and our 4th Sunday dinner. Monday, I spent the day with my sister and the new baby. I helped her run a few errands. Then Terrific Tuesday, I received a call from a potential employer (I've already had a phone interview with them) to schedule a face to face interview with their Director of Operations! I am really excited about this opportunity. It appears that it would be an excellent paying job, and it won't consume my life. I have really prayed that the Lord would send me a job that would allow me to still be a wonderful Wife, Mom, and Church Worker! I know that sometimes as women we spread ourselves very thin, but when I think of that I am reminded of the Proverbs 31 woman. She did it all, and if she can then with the Lord's help, I can too!

The interview is next Wednesday at 10am. I would like for all my friends and family to be praying with me. Since the initial phone interview my Mother has said that this is the job that she wants me to have, of course if it is the Lord's will. So, you know Moms are always right. I've applied for a multitude of jobs, and talked to a few already, but I want to be willing for whatever the Lord wants. If this is it, then pray that it goes well!

James Isaac

2008-10-22T23:11:00.004-04:00

James Isaac

Born 10-22-2008 at 2:03pm

7lbs 8oz

20in long