To Start Your Holiday Joy!

I can't believe it's all ready mid November! Time is flying by faster than I can believe.
We finished Football season without Jacob sustaining any injuries, we celebrated his 15th birthday, the yard is finally cleaned up, they leaves are all blown, and now it's just 1 week until Thanksgiving!

Just in time for the holiday hustle and bustle, the weather has turned cold and windy.
I have a very good friend that is director of the KY. weather spotters, and he is warning of a major snowfall in the area with bitter cold temps by the 21st. ! Should get interesting, especially because we don't usually get snow until late January.

Chuck and I have started CHRISTmas shopping in earnest! Most of our "bigger" gifts are bought, and I'm biting at the bit to get the tree up! That's usually saved for the day after Thanksgiving in our house.

A friend sent me this video to get me jump started this year.....Oh how I would have loved to have been present when this went on! I'm having a hard time embedding the video, so you can check it out here!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp_RHnQ-jgU&feature=player_embedded

Happy Fall Y'all!

How do you answer these questions?

As many of you know, my older sister, Deb, has started blogging.
She just wrote a post that knocked the wind out of me!

Deb is the principal of an alternative school for children K-12.
I am awed as I watch her work...at the things that go on at her school...and her marvelous staff.
I thought I'd heard it all...until this.

Go give it a read, and then pray for our children!

ROCKIN' AND ROLLIN'

Not the musical kind!
A very good friend of mine is the director of the Weather Spotters Network in Western Ky, and he sends out weekly emails about what we can expect from Mother Nature in the coming week. This past few days has been loaded with alerts of wicked weather on the way.

When I got up this morning at 4:30, it was all most 80 degrees!
In late October?
Our normal temps for this time of year are about 45 degrees in the early morning.
The air was heavy, the wind was brutal....something was brewing!
When the sun came up, this is what I saw out my back door....

5 minutes later it looked like this...

and it only got worse from there!

If you look closely, you can see shingles blowing off houses!

This is right by my grand son's high school!

I think Mother Nature was mad!

We had many tornadoes touch down in our area this morning! A local moving and storage company lost it's roof, and there were some horses and cattle killed by falling trees....but not a single life was lost!

It seems that damage was pretty minimal considering how massive this system was!

It all blew over in about 30 minutes, and the temperature fell 25 degrees!

Now it's 56 degrees and raining.

Thank you Jesus for your protection over our city, and for our awesome Storm Intercept team that gave us a much needed heads up on this situation!

GOD IS GOOD!

On Cyber Sisters

Have you ever stopped to think about all of the blessings we receive through this modern technology called "cyber space" ?
There is a whole virtual word open to us through the Internet.
Some aspects are not so great, but depending upon the choices we make, a whole new beautiful word can be opened to us.
Take blogging for instance. I have met so many wonderful people in the blogosphere.

I had so much support, information, and love throughout my brother Mike's fight with kidney cancer.
I've followed a friend's journey through the birth of a daughter with Downs Syndrome, her fight with childhood leukemia, and the international adoption of another daughter with Downs.
I've learned about military deployments, rebuilding lives after major earthquakes, the salmon runs in Alaska, and life as they know it in foreign countries.

What I've learned is that we are all basically the same. Our skin color, language, and lifestyles may be a little different...but we are all just people on this journey called life. We all want to be loved, and we need each other.

About 12 years ago, when I was fairly new to the world of computers, I found Pogo.
I was in love...I'd found the Mecca of cyber space! lol
I could actually log onto my computer and play a game of canasta or bingo with people from Germany, France or Canada. Oh happy day!

Pogo has a little chat box set up in every game room. I admit, I was afraid of them at first. I lurked, and I laughed until I cried at some the things people said!
Sometime I didn't even play....I'd just log on to read the chat.
Then one day someone said something to me!
I didn't answer at first because frankly, it startled me.
I knew this person was supposed to be a woman, but her name was Dale. (not a common woman's name in the U.S.)
I had visions of a cyber perv or something.
I didn't know computers. This was all new to me! So I turned off my computer and ran!

After a few days, curiosity got the best of me. I logged back into Pogo. After all, the room I played in was called "Clean Chat"....it couldn't be all bad.

Dale was there, and again she approached me. This time I answered!
We chatted about the weather, where we lived (she's in Nova Scotia), and basically made small talk.
I liked her! She was so positive...she cracked silly jokes, and she was my kind of girl.
That was 12 years ago, and now I couldn't imagine my life without her in it!
She has become my cyber sister.

This is Dale with her husband Joe.

In the past 12 years, we have shared so many secrets,

and learned so much about each other.

We're the same age, we lost our mother's at the same time (of the same disease),

we have the same amount of siblings and children, we both love God and our families.....

We've shared our children grow and graduate ( this is their daughter Katie)

We've shared our children's weddings
This is Dale and Joe at their son Jeff's wedding.
He married another Katie!

And the birth of our Grandchildren

(I got mine first...nah nah)

Grammie with baby Alexandra

I could not love this woman more if she was my biological sister. I love her family as much as my own.
Even though we have never met "in person", Dale is my sister.....

and Dale has been diagnosed breast cancer!

She is "Fighting Like A Girl", and my heart is breaking!

I have one major goal in life right now, and that is to go to Nova Scotia and meet my cyber sister!

Being unemployed , I'm not sure how I will accomplish this, but I WILL!

I believe God put Dale in my life for a reason, and I believe HE will provide the way!

I Love You Dale!

You have brought so much joy to my life, and I will forever be grateful for our friendship!

FIGHT LIKE A GIRL AND I'LL SEE YOU SOON!

Some People!

In 2008, our community came together to build a park/playground for families to play, picnic, and basically have a great day in a safe place.
It really is a terrific place, and we take Lyric there to play a lot.
The whole park was built by volunteers with donations given by many local businesses.
This is just the entrance.

The park has castles, an old frontier town, tractors, a picnic shelter, a Frisbee golf course, bridges, and basically everything needed for a fun family day. It is used A LOT.

This afternoon, we went to the park to play and found this...

It seems that a group of "older kids" set fire to our playground yesterday morning.

I just don't get it!

One of our local firemen was there with his children this morning. He told us they found rags tied to sticks and soaked in gasoline at the fire.

I don't know why people have to be so cruel! This is a happy place!

Every child that came today was so upset. They were full of questions. We should not have to explain to 4 year olds (or anyone for that matter) why some people are so unkind!

What did it prosper those "Big Kids" ?

Despite the fire, a good part of the park was saved. The most damage was done to the city for 2-5 year olds.

You did NOT win...we WILL rebuild !

We played anyway!

Our children deserve better!

Kentucky Quilt Line

Isn't it funny how we take things for granted in our own home town?

A few weeks ago, my sister Deb and her friend Carla were here for a visit. We were out one day doing what we do best, shopping!

I live in a fairly small town in Western Ky, so most of the time we go to Nashville or one of the larger cities close by to shop. We were driving down the road and Deb said "What is that"?
Look...there's another....
I had no idea what she was talking about!
Then she pointed it out to me....the quilt squares painted on the barns.
I've seen these squares for years, and took them for granted. Of course I knew what they were, I just never stopped to look at them. I mean really look at them. They're beautiful!

They are part of The Kentucky Quilt Line Trail.

The trail is aimed at attracting visitors and tourist to the area. It actually started in Ohio when a woman painted a square on her families barn to honor her mother's passion for quilts. The trail now extends through Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Iowa.

I'll never forget when my brother, Mike was still with us. We were driving him to a men's christian retreat weekend. We drove down a long country road that was mainly an Amish community. It showcased many of these quilt squares. Mike was in the back seat asleep (or so we thought).
Out of the middle of no where he starts screaming "hurry up, get us out of here"!
I asked him what the problem was, and he (with the most sober face he could muster) said "We're on Amish Gang Turf " !
Look....they've even marked their territory!
I thought I was going to wet myself laughing! Gosh I miss him!

I'll leave you with a few pictures of the barns in my area. (They aren't mine...I snitched them off of the website)

Our country is so rich in heritage and history. It's a shame that we get too busy to appreciate it!

Ten Commandments For Parents

A good friend sent me this yesterday. I thought it was worth sharing!

Ten Commandments For Parents:

1. My hands are small; please don't expect perfection whenever I make my bed, draw a picture or throw a ball. My legs are short; please slow down so that I can keep up with you. Remember, it's our parental responsibility to teach and train our children how to do even the basics of life such as,how to make a bed, how to brush their teeth properly, how to prepare simple meals, how to dust and vacuum, but not expecting perfection in each task. As children learn each new life skill, give them opportunities to practice these in your own home, so young children and teenagers can feel good about themselves and build confidence in their own abilities.
2. My eyes have not seen the world as yours have; please let me explore safely; don't restrict me unnecessarily. It should go without saying but,this advice does not include allowing our children such a wide berth of "freedom to explore" their surroundings in such a way that might put children at risk of being harmed or abused in some way.
3. Housework will always be there. I'm only little for such a short time...please take the time to explain things to me about this wonderful world and do so willingly.
4. My feelings are tender; please be sensitive to my needs; don't nag me all day long. (You wouldn't want to be nagged for your inquisitiveness). Treat me as you would like to be treated. No matter how busy we are as parents, taking care of the home, jobs, and other duties, make sure you are taking/making the time to really listen to your children. Physically stop what ever you are doing when your child wants or needs to talk to you, rather than thoughtlessly telling your children you are "too busy right now", making sure you are giving your child undivided attention and looking directly into their eyes when they are speaking.
5. I am a special gift; please treasure me as my Creator intended you to do, holding me accountable for my actions, giving me guidelines to live by and disciplining me in a loving manner.
6. I need your encouragement, not just your praise to grow. Please go easy on the criticism; you can criticize the things I do without criticizing me.
7. Please give me the freedom to make decisions concerning myself. Permit me to fail, so that I can learn from my own mistakes. Then someday I will be prepared to make the kind of decisions life will require of me.
8. Please don't do things over for me. Somehow that makes me feel that my efforts didn't quite measure to your expectations. I know it's hard, but please don't try to compare me to my brother or sister. If you have the tendency to give your child a chore to do, but continuously follow closely behind to re-do the chore "your way", you might need to consider if you are really helping or enabling your child's efforts to grow and fully develop.
9. Please don't be afraid to leave for a weekend together. Kids need a vacation from parents, just as parents need vacations from kids. Besides, it's a great way to show us kids that your marriage is very special. Taking and making time to be alone with your spouse, over a weekend trip or during "date night" away from the kids, is beneficial for children as well as for married couples. It's so easy to get bogged down with various aspects of daily living that we may find the fire and romance in marriage, once enjoyed before the kids came along, begins to slip away from us.
10. Please set a good example for me to follow in all the ways of life. I enjoy watching the things you do and want to do them just like you do. The old saying "Children learn what they live" couldn't be more true, so make sure as parents that the attitude and behaviors children learn are the ones you really want your children to exhibit in their lives.

Our Princess

This is my heart outside of my body!

I learned a whole new love when my children were born. One I thought the Lord could never top! Oh how very wrong I was. After everything involved in birthing and raising children of our own...Chuck and I breathed a sigh of relief when we became "empty nesters". We looked back and were proud, not only of what we had done...but of the people our children had grown to be.

God is good!

Then......we were blessed far beyond anything we could ever imagine. Grandchildren!

Everyone knows how we feel about Jacob, our first...the boy!

BJ and Catherine surprised her mom and I on Mothers Day 2005 when our gifts were presented to us.Brenda's was in a blue gift bag, and mine in pink.
Sweet gift wrapping, but we thought nothing strange about it.

When we opened our gifts, Brenda got a blue sleeper with a matching blanket.
Mine was an identical gift in pink. Again....we didn't get it!
Ahhhh...but Chuck did! He jumped up with a look on his face that I had only seen once before and then the light bulb came on! They were having a baby!

December 15th of that year, we were blessed with Miss Olivia Lyric!
We thought the name a bit "different" at first....but we loved it!

Little did we know how much that name would suit her. She brings a song to our heart, and just the sound of her name is music to our ears!



OK, most of the time!

Lyric is so sweet. However she's NOT a "girly girl". She sings, she dances, and she tells the corniest jokes I've ever heard from a 4 year old! She is a very opinionated child, and woe is the person that disagrees with her. Do I see a lawyer in her future?

Her Paw Paw is her best friend,they "get" each other and have the same sense of humor.

She loves to spend the weekends with us, and we take advantage of that every chance we get.

We go places, read stories, and discuss all things I Carly and Sponge Bob...but we will not talk about Justin Bieber.....he stinks!

She rewrites the ending of all of her favorite shows.

She will sit and watch a television show, and tell us how she thinks it should have ended. See....opinionated!

A few Sundays ago at church, we were talking to Erin, one of our youth directors (who is expecting a baby this fall). Lyric asked Erin what the baby's name was going to be. She told us she wasn't sure because they didn't know the baby's sex yet. She went on to tell Lyric the names they had chosen depending on the baby's sex. THEN.....she asked what Lyric thought of those names.

With the most straight face the child could muster she told Erin that the boy's name was "awesome"... but "that girl's name is crap" !

I thought I'd just crawl under a chair somewhere and die!

Erin has since found out she's having a baby boy.....whew!

Her newest passion is ballet and tap class. She loves dressing up (but only for dance) and making noise with her shoes. We have spent the last few weekends with her teaching Nana how to do ballet positions, or somersaults! Not a pretty sight at 53 years old, but she tells me I do awesome!

I love this stage of my life. I get to be young again through my grand kids, and maybe even master those dance moves I was afraid to try as a young girl.

ODE TO MY GRANDSON

I was looking back over older blog posts today, and realized just how much things/we have changed since I started blogging! Just looking at the pictures on my header make me laugh. I really need to update my pictures. Chuck and I, as well as our kids don't look much different...but oh...my grand kids have changed!
Not only physically, but they are becoming such great people!
I thought I'd do a quick update on them. Today is Jacob's day!!

I just love this guy!! If God would have asked me to make a list of what I wanted in a grandson...I would not have changed a thing about him.
In the header picture he looks so little! Kristy says the "puberty fairy" came to visit him in the past year or so, and looking at these new pictures....I believe her!

Jacob is such an "old soul". I love that about him! He is all most 15 now, and has a true love for God, his family, BMX biking, and FOOTBALL! This is his freshman year in high school, and he's playing on 3 football teams. He starts on the Freshman team, plays JV and varsity!
Needless to say, our weekends are filled with tailgating, and cheering on the Wildcats! (that's one proud Pawpaw waving in the back).
I can't believe how much he's grown!
I tease Kristy about giving him an iv infusion of miracle grow before every game!

This is Jacob's second favorite pass time! The boy can do things on a bike that I never dared try on my two feet! He spends every chance he gets with his buddies at the skate park. Those times consist mainly of who can jump the highest, or take the biggest dare! UGH.... scares me to death!

What is it about boys and dares?

With all of these activities, he still finds time for his school work,

(he's consistently on the principals list) and he always has time to spend with his Pawpaw and Nana.

He even wrote on his Facebook wall that his Grandparents rock!

I was so honored!!

And...he still has tea parties with Lyric, or plays Dora when ever she wants.

Yes, I believe the Good Lord knew what he was doing when he gave babies to young women.....

I'll take grand kids any time!

Tomorrow....Lyric

Sisters Rock!

Well, it seems I've taken a blogger break for long enough.

For years, I've tried to get my "not so tech savvy" older sister to get a Facebook account. It's been like pulling teeth, but after her visit here this summer....

SHE STARTED A FACEBOOK ACCOUNT! Woot Woot!

It seems that it's not that she didn't want to set up a page, but she was a tech nerd.

She still kept up with everything on a calender or in an actual paper notebook!

Please note....this is my older sister....the principle of a school....a teacher!

hee hee....DORK!

Before she came home, her school had furnished her with a new Mac book.

Kewl !

I so covet that laptop!

She was all excited to show it to me, until it came time to boot it up.

From my kitchen table I heard that familiar cry...."Seester, I love you past heaven and back! (uh oh...wait for it.....) Help MEEEEEE!!!! LOL

I love it!

So being the dutiful tech savvy little sister that I am (shut up Deb) I came into the kitchen to help.

AAAARRRRRRRGH....it's a Mac! Greek to me! I've never seen anything like it!

So I had to admit defeat...I hate that! Sibling rivalry still gets the best of me sometimes....

Enter Carla....one of Deb's best friends and teachers. (she loves me)

Carla manages to get the Mac booted up, and Deb begins showing us how to take pictures and put them in all kinds of cool backgrounds. I loved it! We had such fun for about 30 minutes, then our tummy's started growling. So Deb logs off the Mac and we go out for some yummy Mexican food.

When we came back, I wanted to play with the Mac and see how fast I could figure the thing out!

We turn the power on, and hmmmmmm...Deb has logged out, and can't figure out how to log back in!

Toooo funny!

Not to worry, she says. I'll just call my tech guys and get it back up.

That never happened while she was here. We got tied up in doing family stuff. I only get to see her once a year, and there's never enough time.

Well, Miss Smarty Pants not only goes home and gets her computer running, she actually works with the tech guys and sets up a Facebook page in 2 days. I'm impressed!

THEN...she learns how to post pictures and comment on peoples walls! Go Deb!

I'm getting proud here (or wondering if she's just dictating to one of her office staff and is actually a poser) :0)

Two days later she sends me a link to her blog! WHAT????

Deb is blogging? I have to check this out!

I click on the link, and laugh so hard that I'm crying! The goof is actually going to blog her way through cyber space~ Good luck with that! snicker snicker.... I'm not there to help you.....

So I started following her. I even linked you guys to her....and I have to say that I'm proud!

She's now up and running daily on Facebook, posting on 2 different blogs, and even has a Twitter account now! And the girl is good!

She and my brother Mike have always had the gift of words...I just muddle through.

She's blogging stumbling through cyber space, and blogging her daily walk with God.

Go visit her, and give her some cyber love!

I love my sisters! Both of them, and now that we're all a bit tech savvy.....we can stay in closer contact, and harass each other long distance! Not to mention the Team rivalry. Everyone knows I'm a Tennessee Titans fan, and she love the Kansas City Chiefs. ***groan** Maybe I'll work on that next!

A Lesson in Humility

My older sister has started blogging! I'm so excited! She's an educator/school director for children with disabilities.
I guess I need to get back into the blogosphere now,or I have no right to fuss at her for not keeping up!
You can read her blog here:
A Lesson in Humility

In the mean time...I'll be working on my newest post!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAYS....SPRING HAS SPRUNG

Hersheys Better Basket Blog Hop

Renee at My Special K's has passed on a virtual Easter Basket !

It's the best kind.....so cute and calorie free! Plus it helps a very worthy cause!

Hershey is partnering with the Childrens Miracle Network, and has promised a $10.00 donation in honor of each blogger that writes a post about this event.....up to $7000.00!

Since we all like to talk, and EAT CHOCOLATE....we have a winner here!

In my basket there would have to be a big chocolate bunny, Chuck's favorite Cadbury Creme Eggs (I just can't stomach them), Malted Milk Balls (yum), jelly beans, and a special Easter toy! We also used to give our kids a new cross every Easter.

I think everyone deserves a yummy Easter basket, so I'm passing this one on to each one of you!

Before you dig in, be sure to read the rules! Then go back to Hershey and link them to your post.

Hershey Better Blog Hop Rules:

Copy and paste these rules to your blog post
Create a blog post giving a virtual Easter Basket to another blogger – you can give as many Virtual Baskets as you want.
Link back to person who gave you an Easter Basket.
Let each person you are giving a Virtual Easter Basket know you have given them a Basket.
Leave your link at BetterBasket.info/BlogHop comment section. You can also find the official rules of this #betterbasket blog hop, and more information about Better Basket with Hershey’s there.
Hershey’s is donating $10 per each blog participating to the Better Basket Blog Hop to Children’s Miracle Network (up to total of $5,000 by blog posts written by April 4th, 2010).
Please note that only one blog post by each blog URL will count towards the donation.

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!!

IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL

Have you ever been in the middle of a situation and could see God shining all over it?
That happened to me over the past 2 weeks. I just had to share!

Rewind to my posts a few weeks ago. There has been major problems with my son and daughter in law for a while now. Actually, we haven't seen our daughter in law since August. You can read my rant here.

Fast forward to 2 weeks ago and bear with me....this gets really really weird!
Chuck and I received a letter from some friends, Heath and Paige Wilson, who are adopting a child from Ethiopia. They are doing a fund raiser with a ministry called Both Hands. I had never heard of this organization, so I did a bit of research. What an awesome idea!

They had chosen a local "widow" to do a project for, and we're asking for our support.
As I read the letter, I was shocked! The widow they were helping was Catherine's mother!
She is not a widow, but is disabled and really needed the help.

I didn't know what to say! There were a few concerns with this situation that may have caused Paige and Heath to loose their funding for the adoption. There were things they did not know about and I wasn't sure how to approach the situation. I did not want them to miss out on the adoption, but I also did not want to get involved because of the situation with my kids. I spoke with a mutual friend of ours, and we all decided to pray and pray about it and let God do what was in his plan! He had put this whole situation into motion and HE was in control of it!

Paige and Heath contacted Both Hands and asked for guidance. The answer came back to all of us....Go ahead with the project because Brenda (Catherine's mother) needed the help. God also opened the door for the team to witness to my children. HE knew what he was doing!
Saturday, the work began. Chuck and I decided not to work at the house because of the family dynamics. We did support them financially, however. We went on about our day as usual (grocery shopping, etc)

When we pulled up at Walmart, the first thing we saw was our kid's truck parked right in front.
Since we had not laid eyes on them (or our granddaughter) in months, I all but jumped out of the truck! I was a mom on a mission! I wanted to see my children, even if they would not speak to me. I just had to "see" them.
I went on the hunt for them, and there they were....all 3 of them, right in the front of the store! Praise be!!

I sheepishly approached them and just had to get a kiss from Lyric! They were all smiles, and spoke to me as if nothing had ever been wrong at all! They told me they were staying away from the house during all of the construction and didn't know what to do with themselves for the day. Then it happened.....they asked if they could come to our house for the day! I all most passed out!
I told them they were welcome any time they wanted to be there. AND THEY CAME!!! ALL 3 OF THEM!! They stayed all afternoon.
Not only that, but we are all spending Easter together!

Soooooo....Paige and Heath received their funding, Brenda got many, many needed repairs to help her out, and we got our family back! GOD IS GOOD!

RELAY FOR LIFE

A friend recently told me that "if you want to get rich quick....count your blessings".

I just want you to know what a blessing you have been in my life this past year.
The illness and passing of my brother Mike truly showed me just how God has blessed me,and my family with such wonderful friends!

Every day, it seems, I meet another person that cancer has affected.
I am so encouraged and blessed by these survivors !
Whether it be in their life, the life of a family member, or a friend... cancer has no boundaries.
It does not discriminate, and it destroys!

In honor of my brother Michael, and my mother, I am participating in the Christian County Relay For Life this year.

During Mike's illness, the American Cancer Society supported, encouraged, and sustained us.
They not only worked diligently researching a cure, but they provided my family and myself with the tools necessary to fight.
From food and lodging at no charge while Mike was hospitalized in Nashville, to the gas cards they provided to help with travel expenses....
they did everything possible to support our family....all at no charge to us!

Please join me in my efforts to give back!
If you could make a gift to my team and the American Cancer Society, I would truly appreciate it!
We all seem to think that "I can't give more than $5.00". You should know that $5.00 can do wonders!
If we all decided to give just the money that we'd spend on a lunch out for just one day.....lives would be changed!

You can make your gifts at www.relayforlife.org/christian. Just search TEAM STRONG TOWER!
You can also find a link to donate on my Facebook page.
If you prefer not to donate online, I will be glad to provide you with my home address.

I would also like to invite you to attend the Relay For Life in your area. I promise you will be blessed!

My Brother Mike....The reason I Relay!

Cracked Pots....I LOVE THIS!

One of my friends sent me this story. I LOVE IT!! Hope you will too!


An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across her neck.

One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water.
At the end of the long walks from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived
only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water.

Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments.

But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one
day by the stream.

'I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all
the way back to your house.'

The old woman smiled, 'Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the
path, but not on the other pot's side?'

'That's because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them.'

For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the
table.

Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the
house.'

Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding.

You've just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in
them.

So, to all of my cracked pot friends, have a great day and remember to smell the
flowers on your side of the path!

What's a Sabbatical?

A few years ago, in reviewing the by-laws of our church,we realized that scripture teaches the principals of a sabbatical.
What an awesome teaching! EVERYONE needs a break from time to time....just to relax, rethink and re-evaluate.

Today, we sent our pastor on a one month sabbatical!
Brother Kevin, in his sermon yesterday, gave us a family talk!
He said when ever his dad would travel on business, he would call a family meeting to instruct the boys how to act while he was away....and to warn them "don't make your Mom cry" lol

The associate pastor Cory (whom Kevin kindly referred to as "Mom") will assume the business of the church, while Brother Kevin takes a much deserved "working" break. He will be in Florida visiting and learning from the church we "snitched" our "Out Of The Box" program from.

I love New Work Fellowship!!! There is so much going on within our church, and so many good things happening! It sometimes feels as if the building is actually trembling (in a great way) and the Holy Spirit is going to blow the lid right off of us! What an awesome feeling! We are so excited to give Brother Kevin this rest, and excited to see what the Lord is going to teach him!

He has decided to blog his sabbatical! How cool! My pastor blogs! lol
You can follow his trip here. Please join me in praying for a safe trip, much needed rest, and a spirit filled journey back to us! We Love You Kev !!!

Our Missionaries in Haiti

I am SOOOOOO Stoked!

I just found out that the missionary family our church sponsors in Haiti has set up a blog!

Kevin and Susan Bruns are such an awesome couple. They ( as well as their children) moved to Haiti about 8 months ago. Little did they know about God's timing! The earthquake hit soon after.



We have cried, prayed, and done everything we could do as a church to support them.

We actually sent 2 of our church Elders to Haiti this morning to help with recovery efforts, as well as to make a video for Global Outreach. I'll post it as soon as it's available.



In the meantime, please go to their blog, and show Kevin and Susan some love!

You will certainly get a better view of what every day life is like this far after the quake!
In the meantime, I'll leave you with the latest video from our church's outreach. Enjoy!!

New Year....New Stuff...Changes

I can not believe how long it has been since I've posted here! I check everyone's blog daily, but just have not taken the time to do a post of my own! So many things happening, so many changes....

I think I've entered a new phase of my life. I'm just trying to sort it all out, and trust God for direction. It's not bad....just definitely a "different" phase.

To begin with, on New Year's Eve, I was at work (as usual) preparing end of the month reports, balancing the store, etc. At 4:30 ( 30 minutes before closing time) my boss walked in and told me that as of 5:00 I no longer had a job! WHAT???? I was not being fired, but permanently laid off. With the weak economy and all, the store was not doing stellar. I knew that.....but seriously???? 30 minutes to prepare ??? OMG !!!
He told me they were NOT closing the store, but rather that the family was going to run it. They couldn't afford the overhead. (they have since opened an additional store here in the town I live in. I was NOT asked to be a part of that store!
I have worked since I was 16 years old. NEVER drawn unemployment for one day, let alone been fired or laid off! I didn't know how to act!
He stayed there with me, helped me pack my stuff up, and walked me out to my car. A new year was starting in 7 hours, and I had no job! I had no time to say good bye to my staff....I'd been blindsided!
More about that later. Much more!

I came home and told Chuck what had happened, and he was HAPPY!!
I couldn't believe it!
He said he wanted me to just take a break and chill for a while. I was glad he took it so well, but still, I didn't know how I felt! I was lost.....
It's funny how we allow our jobs to define us.

So, I'm at home and LOVING it!
For a while anyway. It took some getting used to, but I LOVE being home when Chuck gets here. I LOVE cooking supper for him every night, and Saturdays??? WOOT WOOT !!
I feel so normal!! We actually go out and I see people I know on the weekends!

I've been spending my days fixing things up around the house. I've been painting, cleaning, I even learned how to hang a new storm door! Spring cleaning has nothing on this girl!
We've had record snow this winter, and I haven't even worried about getting out and about. I'm nesting! LOL

We still have not heard from our son. **sigh**
The last time there was any communication was when they let Lyric come for a while during the holidays.
They do not answer phone calls, texts, or anything. They don't even respond to calls from Kristy anymore.
They are all still fine. We do get regular updates from Catherine's brother. They have a stack of mail here, as well as a few packages. They know they're here. They just choose not to deal with any of it. Please continue to pray for this situation! We miss them so much that it hurts! However, I've come to the conclusion that they are "big people" and have to learn to deal with they're problems in a way that works for them. I KNOW God has this....I gave it to him. Now I just have to "Be still and know".

Chuck and I have also left the "Celebrate Recovery" program at our church! That was major!!
I love that program, and truly believe in it! However, there were some major problems within the ministry staff itself, and several of the directors left our church. They then decided to move the program with them.
I believe that decision was ok, but when some of the staff decided to change things within the program, and not follow the direction that Rick Warren originally developed.....well, it was time for us to back out.
Chuck and I were encouraged by some of the staff to move our church membership to coincide with "the new" CR. We did not feel the calling to do that. A few days later, I was told that I was no longer needed in the program~ I've never heard of a "ministry" that did not need a volunteer! Especially since we had been faithful to the program for 4 years!
Chuck submitted his letter or resignation a few days later. He had not told me in advance that he was doing that. I got the letter with everyone else. He said he could not/would not continue in a ministry that I was "dismissed" from.
Sooooo....we're waiting....We believe that God has a new plan for us. This is a new season in our lives, and we're trusting Him to direct it!