ANSWERED PRAYER

GUESS WHO CAME TO VISIT YESTERDAY?



Chuck and I were watching the Titans loose **sigh** and we heard this little voice say "Nana....I've been looking for you!"

BJ brought her over so we could visit for a little bit. It was only for about an hour and a half....but it's a major breakthrough!

We did some reading.....

Played with our Littlest Pet Shop "guys" for a while, played on Lyric's "farm" on the computer, and then she was teaching me her newest hobby....BELLY DANCING! lol

Catherine has a belly dancing dvd she uses in her workout. Lyric's belly dancing consisted mostly of running in a circle and clapping her hands.

We built robots with her Lego blocks, and then it was time to go home.

The time went by so fast! But I'm so thankful we got to visit with her!

Thank you God for answering our prayers, and thank you friends for praying for us!

BROKENHEARTED

This is Lyric....my 3 year old grandaughter....my heart outside of my body!

I love this child (and my grandson) more than just about anything in this world. Chuck and I have kept her every weekend since she was born. We get special "Nana and PawPaw" time, as well as give her parents a very well deserved break! Win Win....right?

I thought so too.

My son was laid off from his job last November. Chuck and I have done our very best to support them and help them out during the lay off. They even moved back home with us earlier this spring.

Our house is plenty big enough to accomodate everyone, and it gave them a chance to get back on their feet. It's what we parents do, right?

I though so too!

BJ, our son, went back to work over 4 months ago. The kids were still staying with us until they could get things caught up.

Well, 9 weeks ago....let me repeat that......9 WEEKS AGO....Catherine took Lyric and left!

(I've thought long and hard about posting this....but it's MY blog after all...and I need to say a few things)

I don't know all of the story behind her leaving, just that there has been trouble between them for over a year now! BJ told us this last week.

We knew something "wasn't right" because of the way Catherine was acting. She was very depressed and frankly, just didn't pay attention to Lyric at all.

She was spending most of her days either in bed, or sitting on the sofa doing Sudoko puzzles. Nothing more....no playing with Lyric, no tv...nothing!

We started potty training Lyric, and on the very first day Lyric had several accidents. To be expected, right??? At least I expected them, having potty trained 2 myself.

Well, Catherine went off!!!! She screamed and hollered at Lyric telling her what a failure she was as a Mom, and how she couldn't teach her anything! THE FIRST DAY!!

BJ works second shift, so after her went to work, I went in the living room and told Catherine she was NOT a failure, and this was going to take time. I also told her that if she kept telling Lyric what a failure as a mom she was......that's what Lyric would grow up to believe!

Things seemed ok for a few days after that. THEN.....on that Sunday Catherine wanted nothing.... NOTHING to do with Lyric!

She kept telling her all day to go away, or go downstains with Chuck and me. So she did!

We spent all day playing, coloring, etc.

Around supper time, Lyric went upstairs to go potty, and told Catherine she was hungry.

Catherine came totally unglued on the poor baby! She grabbed her arm and screamed at her that "she was sick of her, and didn't want to even look at her face" Then she told her to get out of her way!

I'd had enough!!

BJ came and rescued Lyric....he took her in the bathroom to get a bath.

Then I went into the living room.......... Naturally, I was none too happy at the time.

I told Catherine that I NEVER wanted to hear her talk like that to Lyric again. She's only 3...she did not deserve to be spoken to like that!!!!

I also told her that there were times I was sick of my 26 year old kids.....but I would NEVER talk to them like that! Lyric had done nothing to deserve this!

Catherine just went to pieces and ran to the bedroom and slammed the door.

BJ fed Lyric and put her to bed. Then he went to work.

When Chuck came home Monday afternon, they were gone! NOT BJ.....just Catherine and Lyric!

BJ said when he woke up that day, Catherine had her brother over at the house packing up their stuff, and she was moving back to her Mothers house.

I went into Lyrics room, and Catherine had taken all of Lyrics things (except the things we had bought her). She also took everything (I mean everything) we had bought for her over the last 6 years she and BJ have been together and dumped it on Lyrics bed. She wants nothing to do with us anymore! All because of me defending Lyric!

Fast forward 9 weeks.....BJ is still living with us, and Catherine is still at her moms house.

She's told BJ that she "doesn't want to be married anymore".....but she doesn't want a divorce because she has no means of support! She has never had a job, and does not drive. She told BJ she needs him for his money! Seriously???

My son is heartbroken! He really loves Catherine!

In her defense, I will say that since all of this has taken place, we've found out that Catherine is bi-polar and has sense been medicated. This has helped tremendously with the mood swings....but the attitude is still the same!

She has told BJ that if he finds a new palce and gets everything set up and moved then she will consider moving back with him. But not until everything is done to her satisfaction!

(she really needs the crown knocked off of her head).

In the meantime....Chuck and I have been denied any contact with Lyric at all!

We have not seen her in 9 WEEKS!!

Catherine says she is afraid that if she lets Lyric come over, we won't send her back! Are you kidding me?? She says she's afraid we will keep her because she is such a bad mother!!
NOTHING like that has ever even been suggested!

We've talked to BJ about this, but he says it just starts another fight if he approaches the subject, but he will "try to work on it!"
We know that KY recognizes grandparents visitation rights. We just really hate taking our own kids to court.
In the meantime, BJ is still living with us (rent free), and driving across town every day to visit his wife and daughter. We still have our house full of all of their household goods (I have put most of my stuff away to make room for theirs),and BJ is paying for all of the utilities and groceries at Catherines mom's house.
She is disabled and can't work.
I'm not sure where this saga is going to go, but I do know a couple of things. BJ has to make his own decisions about his marriage. We've told him we are here to support him, but we have no place in their marriage! I also know that we cannot continue to enable his behavior as far as Chuck and I are concerned. I'd like to have my house back if they aren't going to live there.....and
I WANT TO SEE MY GRANDBABY!
PLEASE PRAY FOR ALL OF US AND THIS SITUATION!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

JAZZ....the old guy!

KID STUFF LIVE!

Our church has a program called "Kid Stuff Live". It's where kids take their parents to learn! Such a great program! Lots of dancing, singing, and teaching.

This is the new promo video for this year. These guys are CRAZY!! I love them!!
Who says church has to be boring?
Thanks Willis, for all you do for us!

Willis is also an awesome photographer! Check out his work!

YOU KNOW YOU'RE FROM A SMALL TOWN WHEN...

The funniest thing happened last night! It made me realize that I'm no longer in Detroit, or anyplace close for that matter. The largest city around me is Nashville. It's about a 45 minute drive from my house.

ANYWAY.....yesterday, I was cooking supper.(woot woot...Chuck had a night off!)
So I decided to turn on the news and listen while I was cooking. I usually like to watch the news on channel 2.

So I was channel surfing down to there. (I'm too lazy to just key in the 2).
Channel 3 in this area is our local tv station. It's not a very big station, and deals mostly with farming, local happenings, yadda yadda.
I saw a guy being interviewed on the station that used to be one of my delivery guys, so I thought I'd stop and see what Ol' Chad had to say!

Imagine my surprise when he and the station manager were having this in depth discussion about "how you can turn your ugly ducklings into swans on Farmville!!!"

OMG !! I never laughed so hard!
Now, I'm as big of a Facebook addict as the next guy. And yes, I too have a farm with ugly ducklings! (see above picture) While this is a great way to have some mindless entertainment, as well as a stress reliever...does it really warrant a spot on the evening news?

Like I said....they do cover a lot of farming information! lol

Won't you be my Farmtown neighbor? Maybe you too can find an ugly duckling!

MY HOW TIMES CHANGE!

My aunt sent me these ads from th 30's today.
EEEWWWWWWW....my how the times change! You may have to click on the images to make them bigger to read.
I'm really glad we don't live in the 30's anymore!!

THIS MADE ME LAUGH OUT LOUD!!

No matter what your political views....this is tooooo funny!

LOVE IS HERE!

I woke up with this song in my head this morning. Have you ever done that?
I can't shake it!
I'm a firm believer that when God gives us a message, we are to share it.
I'm not sure who needs this song today, (actually we all do!)
but I just had to share it.
These guys are awesome~~~ENJOY!!

FOR ALL OF OUR TROOPS!

Our newspaper announced today that the 101st will be re-deploying back to Afganistan earlier than we had anticipated. Being from a military background, and living in a military community, this breaks our hearts!

This community depends on our military for more than defending us! It is the lifeblood of our economy and well being. We feel the direct impact of the loss of our "guys", as well as the heartache of the families left behind.

Military wives are amazing! Not everyone could do your job!

Our Celebrate Recovery group has even started a support group just for Military wives and families. I think it may possibly be one of the fastest growing programs we have.

My sister has just started blogging, and posted this video on her blog this morning. I think it's amazing!

We salute you 101st! We love you! And God bless every one of you!!

WE WILL PRAY!!

A TWIST ON AN OLD FAVORITE!

You have to be old enough to remember Abbott and Costello , and not too old to REALLY understand computers, to fully appreciate this.
For those of us who sometimes get flustered by our computers, please read on...
If Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were alive today, their infamous sketch, 'Who's on First?' might have turned out something like this:

COSTELLO CALLS TO BUY A COMPUTER FROM ABBOTT

ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?

COSTELLO : Thanks. I'm setting up an office in my den and I'm thinking about buying a computer.

ABBOTT : Mac?

COSTELLO : No, the name's Lou .?

ABBOTT : Your computer?

COSTELLO : I don't own a computer. I want to buy one.

ABBOTT : Mac?

COSTELLO: I told you, my name's Lou .

ABBOTT : What about Windows?

COSTELLO : Why? Will it get stuffy in here??

ABBOTT : Do you want a computer with Windows?

COSTELLO : I don't know. What will I see when I look at the windows?

ABBOTT : Wallpaper.

COSTELLO : Never mind the windows. I need a computer and software.?

ABBOTT : Software for Windows?

COSTELLO : No. On the computer! I need something I can use to write proposals, track expenses and run my business. What do you have?

ABBOTT : Office.

COSTELLO: Yeah, for my office. Can you recommend anything??

ABBOTT : I just did.

COSTELLO : You just did what?

ABBOTT : Recommend something.

COSTELLO : You recommended something ?

ABBOTT : Yes.

COSTELLO : For my office??

ABBOTT : Yes.

COSTELLO : OK, what did you recommend for my office?

ABBOTT : Office.

COSTELLO : Yes, for my office!

ABBOTT : I recommend Office with Windows.

COSTELLO : I already have an office with windows! OK, let's just say I'm sitting at my computer and I want to type a proposal. ?What do I need??

ABBOTT : Word.

COSTELLO : What word?

ABBOTT : Word in Office.

COSTELLO : The only word in office is office.

ABBOTT : The Word in Office for Windows.

COSTELLO : Which word in office for windows??

ABBOTT : The Word you get when you click the blue 'W'.

COSTELLO : I'm going to click your blue 'w' if you don't start with some straight answers. What about financial bookkeeping? You have anything I can track my money with??

ABBOTT: Money.

COSTELLO : That's right. What do you have?

ABBOTT : Money.

COSTELLO : I need money to track my money?

ABBOTT : It comes bundled with your computer.

COSTELLO : What's bundled with my computer??

ABBOTT : Money.

COSTELLO : Money comes with my computer?

ABBOTT : Yes. No extra charge.

COSTELLO : I get a bundle of money with my computer? How much?

ABBOTT : One copy.

COSTELLO : Isn't it illegal to copy money??

ABBOTT : Microsoft gave us a license to copy Money.

COSTELLO : They can give you a license to copy money?

ABBOTT : Why not? THEY OWN IT!

(A few days later)

ABBOTT : Super Duper computer store. Can I help you??

COSTELLO : How do I turn my computer off?

ABBOTT : Click on 'START'...........

When I got to work this morning, I looked up and saw this ......in the Bradford Pear Trees. Do you see it? ONE red leaf. That reminds me that fall is on the way. I love so many things about fall! It's just so refreshing after he heat and humidity of Kentucky summers.

This is a common sight (and smell) on my way to work in the fall. Kentucky tobacco barns.
There is nothing like them. It's very common to get tied up in a "traffic jam" of 10-15 tractors driving down the highway hauling tobacco leaves. They hang the leaves in a barn and smoke them. What a wonderful smell that gives off! I guess you have to live in the country to really appreciate it. It's a very unique smell, and the air is thick with it.

This is Main Street of the town I work in. I LOVE this place! It is very often compared to Mayberry. This is a small town, and everyone knows or is related to everyone here. Businesses are still closed on Sunday, and everyone has a church affiliation. There is actually a VERY heated vote going on in this county next month to end prohibition. it is actually dividing the people of Trigg County.

There is no Walmart here,and you are defined by who your mama and daddy are....and where you go to church!
Every October, this town hosts The Trigg County Ham Festival". It's a blast!

People come from all over the country for this event!

It's all things country!!

There's a carnival, all sorts of music (country, of course), hog calling, food and crafts vendors, and a Gaither type church service on Sundays.

The town gets all decked out with everything "HAM". LOL

There are contests with the best decorated yard and business. EVERY business has their own " mascot".......... Pigs of course!

I'm including pictures....see if you can tell what kind of business they belong to!

"Deputy Hogg"

He belongs to the sheriffs office!

"Hamlet"

He is in front of the local book store!!

"Sue E."She lives at a local restaurant

"Second Hand Rose"

Her home is an antique shop!

"Violet"

She lives at a florist!

You get the idea!

The kick off event to this weekend is this.....

There is actually a competition to get into the Guiness Book Of World Records for baking the worlds biggest ham and biscuit! We've made it several times! There was a special oven built to accommodate this bugger! It takes LOADS of people hours and hours of mixing, measuring and rolling to make this happen. After the official measurement is taken and submitted, it is cut up and pieces are sold to raise money for the festival!
I can't wait for the fall! I'll be one of these people visiting the vendors, and eating the goodies!

Ya'll come!!

WHY I WEAR FLATS !

I know you aren't supposed to laugh at things like this but....
This is why I always wear flats!

Needing a bit of bloggy help!

OK, by now most of you have heard the story of my brother Mike.

I miss him terribly!!

Mike passed away June 27th of this year after a long hard battle with kidney cancer.

Not only was Mike a great man of God...but he was an awesome graphic artist, as well as a published poet.

After he died, I found a binder of about 300 poems that Mike wrote. They made me laugh....they made me cry! They really told the story of my brothers heart.

Now for the help part......

I would love to have these poems bound into a paperback book (that he named when he put the binder together). It is my intention to sell the books and give the proceeds to our Relay For Life team ! I think this would be a great tribute to my brother, as well as a great way to raise money for cancer research. I have a list of people all ready that want to buy the book. Our Hospice as agreed to sell them, as well as a few friends we have that own businesses.

Great idea right??? I just need to know where to start!

Does anyone have any ideas about self publishing a book? I know we did them fairly inexpensively as church cookbooks. When I contacted that publishing company, they tell me they only do cookbooks! Grrrrrrr

I've found a lot of that.

There HAS to be a company or a way to do a small paperback book that will not cost an arm and a leg! I'm not looking to sell them in a bookstore, or get royalties....I just want a simple paperback of Mikes work.

Any suggestions???

19 ???? OMG!!

Have you seen this news today?

The Duggars are expecting baby #19!!
That's 19 !!
That poor woman!
Don't get me wrong....I think they are such a sweet family, and I love the fact that they are self-supporting (unlike the octo-mom)....but 19!

I love big families. There were 7 of us!
I've known several people that have large families through adoption, or other circumstances.
But 19 pregnancies ?????
That poor woman's uterus! It must be worn out by now.
I'm amazed that she's still healthy enough to bear children.

Her last baby is only 5 months old. When does her body ever get to recover?

What do you all think?