Nearing the End..Part 1

Not the end of the world....but the end of 2009. I can hardly believe it. It's been a year of so many emotions for me, which is probably subconsiously one of the reasons I stopped blogging for a season. It has been hard for me to put into words some of the things I've been through this year. That and the fact I didn't figure any of you would really be too interested in hearing about it.

But one thing I have missed by not blogging the last 6 months is being able to go back and read a recap of my life....which is important to me. I think I was my own biggest bloggy fan. I loved going back and reading past post. Seeing what my life was like on paper...and reliving the good parts in my mind...and the bad.

So, my friends, I am going to take the next week or so and (for myself) try to remember the things that have taken place in our lives in the months passed, and the things that have made an impact on my life. This blog, in it's own way, has taken the place of a book journal for me. Shame on me, for letting it go. Read if you like, or just pass on by, it you'd rather, but at least I can feel like I've done what I set out to do when I joined the blog world.

I checked back to see where I had left off posting "informative" stories of my life, and it appears that the last thing of any essence that I talked about was our trip to the lake. According to my windows photo gallery, it seems the rest of the month of July held a 4th of July celebration with my church family, a visit with my friend, a week sponsoring Little Ann and other little chickadees at church camp, and a rocking chair redo.

Remember this? Believe it or not, I think we have accomplished everything on the list. It looks much better.

With August came our Vacation Bible School with the setting in Rome this year. We had a good time as always.

And, of course, the first day of school. The 6th grade for my Little Ann.

and Freshman year in college for my Big Dan.

It wasn't as bad as I thought because he chose a local University that allowed him to commute instead of moving off into a dormitory. Of course, his first day was much too hectic for him to stop and let me take pictures, so I had to do the next best thing. The first semester is now over, and I strongly suggest anyone that has a "soon to be" college student. Let them start the classes first before buying books. We spent $700 on these books and several of them, he never even used. 1st college lesson learned.

Til next time.......

The Matter at Hand

Several months ago when the pastor began talk of visiting the mission in New Jersey, I was a bit skeptical. A preacher who had been raised in the North, began pastoring in the South, had developed a burden for the people in his home town and wanted to plant a church there. I had heard good things were happening. I had seen pictures of his building and had heard they were having good attendance. "It seems like they are doing just as good in mission status as we are at a church that has been established for hundreds of years", I thought. What could we possibly be needed for?

Boy, did I ever need this trip.

I learned a number of things.

First...God needs a few good men who are willing to answer His call and be willing to uproot their lives and their family and go to who knows where to plant a true New Testament Church. I am so thankful that God called this Missionary to this place where the truth is so scarce.

Secondly...numbers can be oh, so deceiving. Just because they are attending, does not mean they are strong Christians or grounded in the faith. Majority of the people who are coming to this mission are unchurched people and have never given a relationship with Christ or God's people a second thought. How wonderful that they have decided to join His family, but who else is there to disciple but the missionary and his wife. What a great task at hand.

Third...I saw neighborhood after neighborhood of houses. So many houses with people who need Jesus. So many more than our one Missionary could possibly reach. I was so happy to be a part of a team of door knockers. To get the word out about the church and to take every opportunity that God gave me to tell someone about His love. My primary goal with each door that opened was to make sure they knew how to get to heaven.


and Finally...I learned that sometimes, even if there isn't an abundance of work to be done or buildings to be erected, sometimes it can simply be about encouragement. Encouraging our missionary and his family to keep on keeping on. Letting them know how much we appreciate the work they are doing, the sacrifices they are making and the souls they are reaching. (and cooking him a good ol' Southern style meal doesn't hurt any either!)

My eyes were opened.

A Whole Lot of Stuff...Packed Into Three Days!

I've blogged quite a a bit this past week about feeling anxiety regarding the business (I guess you could say) of the week and especially the weekend. It was crazy and I felt like I met myself coming and going from about Thursday on, but here it is Monday again and I made it through.

I got a chance to take lots of photographs that I am excited about sharing today so bear with me.

Friday Night was Big Dan's Senior Prom. Pete and I invited the kids over to eat. Last year a group of them went to Chili's for dinner, but this year, I volunteered to pick up steaks from our local butcher shop for Pete to grill if they wanted to come here. I was hoping the words "eat free" would entice them, because I so wanted to be as much of a part of this special night as I could.

Here is Big Dan being his normal goofy self. They are eating in their street clothes because the girlfriend was just certain Big Dan would get dinner all over that white coat of his. Ahhh....not even a year since they started dating and she knows him so well.....lol.

We had a good meal and topped it off with some delicious cheesecake for dessert. Then they began getting ready. Little Ann was beside herself all night. She was just amazed by the glitter in the girlfriends hair, her beautiful dress, her sparkly shoes, and even Big Dan's white coat and bow tie.

I think she has been dreaming of her Prom Night every night since.

Unless I am bragging or posting pictures of him playing baseball, most of the time, when I am blogging about Big Dan, I am venting....lol. Mostly about some of his not so endearing teenager qualities, but one thing I can say about him is....he is funny. And that's probably the thing I love the most about him. He can make you smile. Check out this picture....

And now it's time for the finishing touches so we can get this photo session on the move!


And I took about a thousand pictures after they were dressed, but I won't bore you tee totally to death. Here are my favorites.

And so after they drove off in all their radiant glory, I went to hang out with my girls and we stuffed about a million eggs for Saturday's church/community wide egg hunt.

And here is my Little Ann finding those eggs.

Sunday afternoon, me and a friend of mine (is that the way you say that?? lol) hosted a baby shower here at my house for another dear friend of ours. She is actually our Pastor's wife as well. We'll be welcoming her sweet bundle of joy into the world on "Good Friday". How's that for a "Good Friday" celebration? She had a great shower...lots of fun, good fellowship, and I was tickled at the gifts she received.

See that cute little "Evan" bag right in the front? My mother made that. Don't you want one for your next shower? I can hook you up!

In looking at the calendar, it seems like this week will be a little on the crazy side as well. I'm starting today out with a little laundry, returning the tux, and heading out to a ballgame (that is supposed to be freezing), but I've got my attitude in check and a smile on my face!

Have a great week!

Bad, Bad Blogger

Ok. So I'm sorry. I've been a bad blogger lately. My husband reminded me that it's been over a week. What's wrong with me? Could it be that my emotions have been running wild again and I didn't figure you wanted another whiny post? Could it be that my girl has been sick with a whole different ailment this time? Could it be that my church has been in revival all week and that both my days and nights have been cram packed with things to do, places to go and people to see? Or could it be that I just absolutely, for the life of me, can't think of one single thing to blog about?

But! I'll be back, I promise.

Have a wonderful weekend, my friends.

A Christmas-y Weekend Wrap

First of all, let me start this post with a warning for ya. I love pictures, so I'm letting everyone know up front that this post will be long and full of photographs! Maybe you won't get too bored looking at my Little Ann during our Christmas-y weekend.

The Girl Scouts got to go to the County Courthouse to view their ornament on the big tree, sing Christmas carols with the County Judge and eat refreshments.

We had to go up to the 2nd floor to be able to see our ornament which meant Little Ann wasn't getting anywhere near it. She has a height phobia, but agreed to let me get her picture by the wall.

Christmas presents came a little early for my brother's kids and Little Ann. Meemaw and Papaw wanted them to come open their gifts and spend Friday night with them. They always get so much on Christmas Eve and get lost in all the chaos. This way they could enjoy what they got that night. Unfortunately Big Dan had to work, but if I know my practical parents, I'm sure his gift will be waiting in the bank for his future "hard times".

Here is Little Ann with her new point and shoot....a girl after her mother's heart. The newest photographer in the family.

And run for your life! It's the Hulk 3 year old style!

Remember this night? The kids were all so excited to get their parent's and grandparent's gifts with their behavior bucks. They were so much more eager for my mom and dad to open than they were to even get their own presents.

And I totally don't want to gross anybody out, but on this same night, my dad surprised my mom with $500 big ones so she could go buy her a laptop. The sweetest thing is that they are in retirement, so he had gone out and cut several loads of logs to sell to the mill so he could do that for her. I can only hope I am this happy after 40 years of being married to the one I love.

Here is my little "lady in red" hamming it up for the camera. She is all decked out in meemaw's new scarf and mittens, wearing her bow while holding her new red camera. So stunning..dahling.

We had a busy morning today. Of course, being the Sunday before Christmas meant our choir's performance, lots of wonderful holiday food, and back into the sanctuary for the children's play. It was called "Operation Baby King" and the kids did great. It was a sting operation to make sure everyone understood the Baby Jesus came for ALL PEOPLE!!

Here is Miss Sass herself....The names blond.....Jane Blond.

And last but not least...here's my baby girl and myself. She'd already gotten rid of the tie. And...Oh dear hairdresser..I know you had surgery, but can you just look at this hair??? I need you.........before Christmas!!

Have a great Monday!

Ooooo.. I Can't Wait!

I really got nothin' in the way of blog news. I've been doing probably what everyone else is doing.., just trying to get my Christmas shopping, wrapping, and bow tying done so I can move on to bigger and better things....like fudge.

Yesterday, I made a mad dash to our capital city to finish up some loose ends at some stores we don't have where I live. When I say mad dash..I mean mad dash because it's an hour away, plus an hour back, and I had to be back in time to get Little Ann from my mom's and to dress rehearsal for their Christmas play. And why, oh why, is it that when I am in a hurry, traffic is at it's worst? AND...for the record, I am admitting that I don't have the best reputation when it comes to driving anyway. I have been known to rip a mirror off my little car on someone's mailbox while adjusting my bra strap as I was driving to work. (Yeah, that really happened..I took that thing clean off and kept on driving). I also have pretty little designs on the side of my van at this very moment from getting a little too close for comfort with my own mailbox. What is it with mailboxes?? And did I mention how directionally challenged I am? Just this past year have I mustered up enough courage to tackle the driving in the capital city myself. I got so tired of waiting on Pete who is never home or bothering someone else to chauffeur me so I just did it. An amateur in capital city, work traffic AND Christmas shopping traffic..not a good mix. I think I may have cut like 50 people off and I didn't count how many mean looks (among other things) I got! lol. Something about having so many lanes to choose from just gets me every time. And those exits..they just seem to sneak right up on me.

Ok, so enough about my bad driving. I did finish up my gift buying and also went into Hobby Lobby to have my portrait of Big Dan framed as I bought more gift wrapping supplies. I was so happy with it.


It's sitting in front of my fireplace at the moment until I can get Pete inside with the stud finder to hang it for me.

After dress rehearsal, the kids got to spend some "good behavior bucks" they had earned on Christmas gifts for their parents. Adults had brought donations in the way of neat little what nots for them to choose from and we had a checkout and a gift wrapping station set up. They absolutely LOVED this. My littlest nephew was ecstatic..he ran up to my brother and said..."wook, Daddy, I got you this Christmas present and you're gonna wuv it"!! I also heard another little girl (6th grade) who commented she was so happy because she had never gotten to get her dad anything for Christmas and her sister's birthday was today and she was able to get her a birthday gift too. Little Ann wrapped most of her gifts herself and she was also very excited to come home and show her daddy as she placed each one under the tree. (But not before mom got a picture for the blog!!)

Most of my day has been spent getting what I've bought wrapped up. We are supposed to go to another Christmas party at a Mexican restaurant tonight, but I'm just pooped. I think I want to just stay home, curl up with my baby in front of the gas logs and watch a Christmas movie.

And last but definitely NOT LEAST!! I'm so excited to see that Jason is going to be the next Bachelor. If you don't know by now...I LOVE that show. I am such a sucker for reality shows and romance and when you combine the two, I am just hooked! It premiers on January 5 and I can't wait.

Have a great rest of the weekend! I guess my nothin' turned into somethin', huh?

Hen.. She Cackle

And my night of hosting the hen party has come to an end. This was our monthly scheduled ladies bible study night and I must say...it was good food, good friends, and lots of cackling. Now, I'm off to read some of your blogs since the kids are gone and hubby is headed to beddy by. Whoo Hoo!!

(And for those who may be stumped by my title, it is the name of a song my grandfather used to sing to me all of the time. It is etched in my mind forever. lol)

Wrapping it Up...

birthday presents and the month of October....that is.

If you read my letter to my firstborn, you know that Big Dan celebrated his 18th birthday Thursday. He had a good day complete with a birthday breakfast, a lunch his sister packed for him to take to school, and an evening spent with our family and the girlfriend at a Japanese steakhouse/sushi bar in the big city. I wanted it to be a special night and it was. The food was soooo good and the atmosphere was hysterical. The guy that cooked our food on the hibachi was so comical and he really made the kids laugh.

I love watching the tricks these guys do on the grill. They are pretty amazing if I do say so myself. After we ate our meal, several of the cooks came out pounding drums and singing Happy Birthday to both of the kids as they brought out the fried ice cream. The girlfriend will be turning 20 (yes, he's got an older woman) on Tuesday so it was kind of a 2 for one birthday dinner.

Can you say spoiled??? Oh. my. goodness. I bought Big Dan several items for his baseball career. He had told me his coach said he would be working on 1st base some this season and so I went all out on a really good 1st baseman's mitt. I didn't mind spending a little more because it was a special birthday and he is talking of playing baseball on the college level if able. I also went ahead and got him a really nice new bag, and a new pair of cleats. The girlfriend got him 2 Ed Hardy tees, a fossil watch and a Lacosta cologne gift pack. Not to mention that she has already bought him a Ralph Lauren cap.

He got several cards (that included cold hard cash) in the mail and tomorrow we are having Sunday lunch with my mom and dad and so the gift giving will continue. I know he has had a great 18th.

Last night we had our 2nd annual "Trunk or Treat" at the church. We decorate the trunks of our cars...or in my case the back of my mini van..lol.., dress up and pass out candy from the parking lot. I like it alot because it gives us all a chance to fellowship with friends while giving the kids a safe place to trick or treat. I also like not having to take Little Ann door to door. She loves to trick or treat, but she has never eaten the candy. Yes, my child is a unique one indeed. Not only is she a major germaphobe, she is convinced all Halloween candy is evil and laced with cyanide. Most every year I end up taking the candy to my students just to get it out of the house. Anyway, with the trunk or treat, she gets to play with her friends while in costume and I don't have to bring home lots of extra calories.

My mom made our costumes and I thought they turned out so cute. Little Ann picked out her pattern and then we just ran with the rest of a 50's theme. She wanted to be a 50's car hop and so I went with the poodle skirt thing.

A couple of nights ago I went up to my mom's attic and dug out my old records to hang from the back of the van. I also had a cd of oldies but goodies playing which really set the mood. I just laughed at the kids though. I can't tell you how many kids came by and asked me what the records were. They honestly had no clue. Isn't that funny?

Anyway, I can't believe how fast October flew by. I am sorry I have been so lame lately. I know several of you have given me awards, memes, tags, gifts by real mail, and even boo-ed me and I haven't responded to any of that. I am going to, I promise. I know the rest of the year is going to be just as hectic...for all of us.

I tried to do a little something new with the blog this morning too. And if you noticed..or if you didn't, I have changed it about 10 times trying to get happy with it. This seems to suit my fancy at the moment, but don't be surprised if it comes up different again soon.

Enjoy your weekend.

Hello There!

I admit. I've fallen back into old habits. Habits of lurking....and not much commenting..or posting for that matter.

I did want to stop in and say hello though. I had a busy, but great weekend. Friday, Pete was actually home long enough to accompany me into the "big city" for a little supper and some shopping. It was high time to get Little Ann some winter clothes. The temp is finally beginning to drop here. We had a good time except for the grocery shopping at 11:30 pm. ug.

Saturday, our church had it's yearly fall fellowship at one of our newest member's home. It was a blast. I did some serious karaoke. It's a good thing Big Dan and the girlfriend didn't show up until after I did my 1st number....Joan Jett's, I love Rock n Roll. OWWW!!! lol. I wasn't the only one though. You should've seen our pastor. All I can say is...oh. my. goodness. It was hard to take him serious this morning, lol. Even he made that comment as he stepped up to the pulpit. Great fun.

I'll be working I know at least 3 days this week at the school. Evenings are going to be pretty packed with Girl Scouts, Church, Costume fittings, Big Dan's 18th and of course Halloween. All I can say is, I hope you have a great week and I will be in and out as time allows.

An Eventful Weekend

Hello all, It's me....a little sore....and a lot tired, but I'm back. We had a great weekend, but I must admit, tent life is definitely for the birds. Next time, and I stress if there is a next time, I will have an air mattress under my behind when I sleep.

Just a little heads up for you.....This may be long. I'm going to include several pictures with this post. There are just so many good ones, I just couldn't decide.

Friday, the girls all met up at the school to head to the park site where we would set up camp. Their first attempt at a "girl scout duty" was to get the tents set up.

Next up was to get the fire going. Yes, my little pyromaniac, Little Ann was one of the fire cheifs on first shift. Her daddy had taught her lots of neat tricks for starting a fire. One of the methods (and the one she chose to use) was touching a battery to a piece of steel wool. She blew on it a little to help it spread. I was impressed that it actually worked.

Here are the 2 fire chiefs on fire patrol while everyone else scurried around the site, completing set up, unpacking and preparing for dinnertime.

After set up, the girls roasted a few hot dogs over the fire, and our picky eaters fixed up some Campbells soups on the burners.

Every year, this particular state park, hosts what they call a "Ghost Roast" usually on or the weekend before Halloween, depending on the day it falls on. All of the tenants set up their campers usually for the whole month and decorate their spots. There is a contest for the best one. The kids love this and absolutely flock to it every year. Our girls were fortunate enough to catch a sneak peek of the sites as nightfall came and the park lit up with orange lights and sounds of ghouls.

Here is one of the camp sites I photographed as I walked past.

Of course, no camp out is complete until everyone sits around a campfire roasting marshmallows, making s'mores and singing campfire songs in their pj's......

Saturday, we rose up from our slumber fairly early to meet the day...well, actually some of us were already awake, because some of us never really got to sleep, because some of us had to sleep in a tent, and some of us didn't have an air mattress to sleep on. And I can thank my frugile hubby for that one. At breakfast, it was every man for himself. They each cooked their own pancakes, and others pitched in to fry up some bacon and eggs.

The weather was absolutely perfect for our midday hike. I swear, Little Ann had everything in her backpack but the kitchen sink.

And just as we were about to head out for our 3 mile adventure, I noticed the sun glistening through our own camp site Halloween decoration!

I can't say that I am a hiking kind of gal, but this one was quite enjoyable. Like I said before, the weather was gorgeous, the trail was nice and spacious, and I just enjoyed spending this day with Little Ann. She had the greatest time.

At the end of the hike, the girls had a little down time at the play area in the park. We left shortly after this so we would have time to stop my mom and dad's house to check on the newest member of our family.

Meet Amelia. She was born Thursday evening.

Thursday, Little Ann and I had actually just stopped by my mom and dad's for a brief visit and so meemaw could sew a few Girl Scout patches onto a blanket...unknowingly mother Abigail was in labor......lol. I can't say I have ever seen a calf born before now. Isn't she adorable?

Today has been such a good day too. My brother and his wife have reconciled after 10 long months of separation and an almost finalized nasty divorce. It was a shock to all of us and will take a long road of healing for everyone, but we are making a start. She and the boys came to church with my brother today and it was such a blessed feeling seeing them in the row in front of me again. Right were they should be. The boys like to sit with me and color and I just eat it up.

Tonight, a group went to our local Sunday night Mexican hangout and they went along for that too. I love sweet fellowship with my church family. If you haven't already, tell your pastor how much you appreciate him....this is Pastor Appreciation Month.

I guess I will go to bed now. I am substituing at the High School tomorrow!!

Have a great week!