A Mom's Musings

Summer Time!!!!!!!!!!

2009-05-19T21:01:00.002-04:00

Yeah!!!!!!! I am so excited that summer is here - although the weather here seems much more spring-like. I'm not complaining though, because I know in a few short weeks, it will be plenty warm! We are finished with school except for math. We have about 2 more weeks of that. But, I feel as if the slower pace of summer has already begun. This afternoon, I got to drink coffee and read out on the deck. It was glorious! Will is still playing ball (for a couple more weeks) and we will be going to Louisiana this weekend for a Bible Conf. But, summer reading is right around the corner. I am still looking for a few good books to read! I like to several books going during the summer. I like something a little challenging -- maybe a good Bible study and then some light, fluffier reading. That way, when I tire of one, I can read something else. Let me know if anyone has any great suggestions!
Happy Summer!!!!!!!!!

2009-04-01T08:09:00.002-04:00

I decided a month or so ago that I wanted to host a girls' Bible study for my girls and some of their friends. I wanted to make it a time where we can focus on some issues very pertinent to their lives and where they can encourage one another. Our first meeting was yesterday and we had a great time (well, I did anyway -- I hope they did). They are a very sweet group of girls and I hope that that they can grow closer together during this time. We made some very "girlie" snacks -- lots of chocolate -- brownies and chocolate covered strawberries. Yummy!

For our first few meetings, we are studying modesty. There is so much in our culture trying to influence young women and their choice of dress. There is also much said in the scripture about what we choose to wear. I hope to encourage them in this area!!

Here are the girls stamping their folders for their papers.

Baby Gift

2009-03-27T17:41:00.003-04:00

These are some gifts that I made a couple of weeks ago for a baby shower for a couple in our church. They were so quick and easy and they turned out really well. For the blanket, I used a nursery rhyme flannel for one side and another type of textured flannel for the reverse. It was so soft and cuddly. I used the instructions that I found here.

For the burp cloth, I just cut out a size that looked right and used the flannel for both sides of it.

I really want to make a baby quilt next.

Homeschool Rally Day in Nashville

2009-03-26T14:27:00.017-04:00

The Highschoolers at our homeschool co-op are studying Government this year. We decided that the Homeschool Rally Day at the capital in Nashville would be a great field trip. We decided to go up the night before and spend the night. We had a great time.

This is the group of kids that went.

These are the moms. I am very thankful for these ladies and the support we can give each other!

This was at the end of the program. The honors band and choir included homeschooled students from all over Tennessee. The soloist sang "God Bless America".

Our first representative to meet with was Senator Bo Watson. I really enjoyed this meeting. He was very friendly and great with the kids and the questions they asked.

Our next representative was Jim Cobb.

The kids in Sen. Andy Berke's office.

Some of the middle school girls outside of Sen. Bo Watson's office.

We were blessed to have a beautiful day. This is after all of the meetings before we headed home.

Hannah' Big Day

2009-03-20T07:20:00.003-04:00

Hannah's Big Day of getting her braces off was yesterday. Of course, as her mom, I had to take pictures. I suggested that I go back and take pictures as they were actually taking them off, but she vetoed that suggestion :-).

Before:

After:

I Samuel 8

2009-03-19T11:13:00.002-04:00

This morning, as I was reading I Sam. 8, I was reading about when Israel decided they wanted to have a king. At first, in vs. 5, the elders of Israel tell Samuel that they want a king because Samuel's sons are not like he is -- that they wouldn't be Godly leaders. But, I thought it was interesting after Samuel talks to God and then tells Israel all of the reasons that they shouldn't want a king, the REAL reason that they want a king comes out.

I Samuel 8:20 -- "That we also may be like all the nations;...."

Wow! The reason they wanted a king was because everyone else wanted a king. Sounds like today. I struggle in wanting to be like everyone else. My kids struggle with wanting to be like everyone else. That struggle has been around since the beginning of time. And, that encourages me. To know that my struggles and my children's struggles are not anything new.

As I shared this with my children this morning, we talked about how God had a perfect plan for the nation of Israel, but they messed it up in wanting a king. Did God still take care of Israel? Sure he did, but it was never as good for them as it could have been if they had chosen to keep God as their king. We will have the "best" in our lives when we do things God's way and not our own.

Prov. 14:12 -- "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."

Ready for Spring

2009-03-04T14:17:00.002-05:00

I am ready for spring!!! I am ready for the new life. I am ready to see green. I am ready to see flowers and trees blooming. I am ready to smell spring! Thank you Lord for seasons and for new beginnings. Thank you Lord for "Grace". Thank you for giving grace to me and for the opportunity to give grace to my children. Spring is in the air.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T08:47:00.002-05:00

"It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:" Ps. 92:1

We will be going to mom and dad's house in just a little while (the kids are already there -- they spent the night last night). I love Thanksgiving -- I love that we can have traditional food, I love spending time with family (and seeing some family that we don't get to see too often), I love looking at black Friday ads after dinner while we drink coffee, I love the familiarity of it all.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Election Day

2008-11-04T06:36:00.002-05:00

"The future of this Republic is in the hands of the American Voter." -- Dwight D. Eisenhower

I read this on the blog, Gathering Grace, yesterday. These were my thoughts exactly and I wanted to share them here -- "If Obama wins, we are going to drink up and keep right on truckin' because we are mamas and wives and Christians and we have better things to do than wring our hands over spilt milk. God won't be knocked off His throne "even if." "

But, if Obama does win, I am going to keep right on doing the things that I need to be doing for the Lord. I am going to trust the Lord. I am going to serve Him. I am going to enjoy Thanksgiving and Christmas with my precious family. Etc.

Today, may we all experience the peace that passes all understanding!

Halloween Cuteness!!!!

2008-11-02T08:10:00.003-05:00

This was definitely the funniest costume of the year!

Thanks Mom and Dad for having us over once again and making everything special! It was great having Billy there with us since most years, he has been working. Yeah for a day shift job!!!

Pumpkin Carving

2008-10-30T07:44:00.006-04:00

We have had two sick kids this week, so we were not able to go to church last night (as we had planned to do). We decided to carve pumpkins while we were home. We have not carved pumpkins for several years because we are usually not home on Halloween night. We usually go to my mom and dad's house for a weiner roast and trick-or-treating. Well, last year, I felt the "mommy guilt" that my kids hadn't carved a pumpkin for the last several years. So yesterday, I thought why not. We went and bought pumpkins and had a fun time carving. I was planning to do one or two, but the kids each wanted their own and daddy said that was fine.

Gifts 16-17

2008-10-27T20:36:00.008-04:00

16. Being able to spend the weekend in Pigeon Forge with my mom. This was the first time since before I had kids that I have gone away for the weekend with just my mom. We had a great time! Mom was teaching at a women's retreat and I went with her to drive and keep her company :-). We had a wonderful time of sweet fellowship with each other and with the other ladies, relaxation, eating out, and shopping. My mom defintitely spoiled me. I felt refreshed both spiritually and physically. But, despite the great time, I really, really missed my family! Saturday afternoon, while in the hotel, I was able to watch a little bit of the Georgia/LSU game. While watching it, I was imagining Billy and Hannah cheering on the dawgs, Kristen hanging out and sort of watching the game and being on the computer, and Will coming in and out watching the game for a little bit and then going off to play some more. It was a nice feeling and a good reminder --that is where I belong -- right at home with my sweet family. So, thanks mom for a great trip and to my family for letting me go and being able to carry on with me gone. I am glad to be home!

17. My parents. I feel so blessed to have parents who are still married. They celebrated their 4oth wedding anniversary this year. I am very thankful for each of them inividually, but I am also thankful that they are still together after all of these years. I love that I can go visit them together and that we can sit and drink coffee and enjoy being together. They are a great example and testimony to me and to others of committment in a marriage even when it wasn't easy. They have also taught me to stand for what I believe even when it wasn't popular or easy to do so. I am so thankful for all of the help and support that they have given to me and Billy over the years. Thanks mom and dad!!

Gifts 14-15

2008-10-21T10:37:00.002-04:00

14. Being able to go camping. My dad and mom have a camper and took the kids camping all last week. They had a great time. Then, over the weekend, Billy and I got to use the camper and camp with the kids. What a blessing! It was cold, but we had a good time. Thanks mom and dad!!! I forgot my camera, but I think Hannah took some pictures. Hopefully, I'll be able to post some of hers.

15. Three great kids, who amongst ipods, cell phones, and computers, still like to swing at the park. :-)

Fun Night -- Going to get Ice Cream

2008-10-11T13:23:00.006-04:00

Thanks to our sweet friends, Robbie and Kim, who had so sweetly given us a gift card to Cold Stone Creamery, we went out for ice cream on Thursday night. The ice cream place is right next to the aquarium, right on the river, and right across the steet from a playground. The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed the evening! I think often of how soon these times will pass -- the kids still being at home and us all getting to "play" together. I want to slow down and enjoy this time as I know how fast the seasons of life change.

Wow, that was a big cone that Will had! He spotted it as soon as we walked in. And, yes, his hair is red. I took him to get a hair cut and they lady asked him if he wanted it colored. Of course, he said yeah! For anyone worried, it all washed out. :-)

Sisters, never too old to play on the playground.

Hannah's fans

2008-10-08T08:18:00.013-04:00

Kristen and Sarah

Will and Clari

Taylor and Kelsey

Mammaw and Conner

Mom and Dad

Rebekah and Kristen

Mrs. Amy and Seth

Roger and Granny Da

Hannah as an Eagle Spirit

Hannah with Jamie who played Black Elk

Last weekend, Hannah was in a production of "Black Elk Speaks". It was the story of an Indian named Black Elk who was retelling the history of the Indian people. It was very fascinating and I learned a lot about Indian culture and religion. I did not realize, that there are still a lot of people who are still practicing the religion of the native American people.

The night performances were pretty chilly. It was fun to bundle up and get out our warm sweat shirts and fleece blankets. On Sunday, the performance was during the day and it was quite warm -- you've got to love fall in the South. :-)

Thanks to all of our friends and family who came out to see the show.

2008-10-08T07:59:00.002-04:00

13. I am so thankful for a perfect, pure, preserved Word of God. I do not have to wonder what God's instructions for me are. They are clearly written in His Word. I just have to take the time to read and study my Bible and then choose to obey his commandments! We were discussing this at our ladies Bible study yesterday. If a parent wants specific things to happen after he is gone, what does he do? He or she writes a will. It is written down. No one has to question what the parents wishes were. The same is true for our wonderful, caring God. He has given us a perfect Word that we can go to and find out exactly what He would have us to do. It is not mysterious or mystical. It is written down in clear, plain, English. I am so thankful for that!

Ps. 37:23
The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.

My prayer is that my steps will be ordered by the Lord. The only way for me to know what those steps should be is to spend time in His Word!

My Prayer for this Morning....

2008-10-07T07:51:00.001-04:00

"I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth."
Psalms 34:1

Gifts 10-12

2008-10-04T10:51:00.004-04:00

10. Will -- "a sunshine in my life". His first word was "ball" and he continues with his passion -- he loves to play ball. He is all boy and I am so thankful God gave me a son! He continues to teach me more than I will ever teach him!

11. Sweet Christian friends for my girls! And that they will come spend the night with us. I love to have them here with us!

12. Warm sweat shirts to wear and fleece blankets to wrap up in as we sit outside in the cold fall night to watch Hannah's play.

Gifts 7-9

2008-09-30T14:09:00.003-04:00

7. Kristen is the perfect middle child for our family. The Lord knew exactly what we needed when He gave us Kristen. She has a very sweet spirit and a heart for the Lord. She is a joy!

8. My faithful household servants -- today especially my washing machine and dryer as I catch up on the weekend laundry. My washing machine servant washes clothes for me so I can blog :-).

9. A great, covered deck where we can begin our day. We love to sit out there on these cool fall mornings while we do Bible and History together to start the day.

Gifts 4-6

2008-09-28T20:38:00.003-04:00

Remember the "gifts" are in no particular order!!!

4. Hannah -- a wonderful oldest daughter who loves to act, who I can take to play practice, and who is even more beautiful inside than out.

5. A beautiful, warm, fall day, a Starbucks pumpkin spice latte (made just the way I like it and those who know me, know how I like it :-) ), and a good book to read during play practice.

6. A Church that teaches salvation by grace and the King James Bible rightly divided, where I can gather together with other believers and be fed with the Word of God.

Gifts 1-3

2008-09-27T19:18:00.008-04:00

By inspiration of a couple of blogs -- (this lady began the idea, and this one ) I am going to begin my list of 1000 gifts that I have and am thankful for. I was hesitant to start this list for several reasons. The first is what if I don't keep it up -- coming up with gifts each day. I decided that is ok and I will just do my best and add to it when I can. My other reason was that I am not a very eloquent writer. I love to read other blogs and be inspired by them -- I want to write like that. But, I can be thankful for what I have and the wonderful gifts the Lord has given me whether I am eloquent in telling about them or not. The Lord knows my heart.

1. My wonderful Hubby. He is a great husband and a great father too.

2. Lazy Saturdays to enjoy, hang out together, and watch football. Nothing that has to be done today. Lots of things I would like to do. I can do what I want and the rest will be waiting patiently next Saturday.

3. The smell of chili cooking in the crockpot to enjoy on a beautiful fall day.
And a family to eat it with.

Will in funny places and collecting feathers

2008-09-24T21:36:00.005-04:00

Every since Will started walking, he has always loved to get in strange places. I have pictures of him in his toy box, in a basket covered in stuffed animals, in the laundry hamper brushing his teeth, etc. Here is a reminder of that picture. Now, I have a picture of him in the dog crate. I have always said that I should do a scrapbook of Will in funny places.

In school this year, Kristen and Will are studying flying creatures. This week we are studying feathers so today we went to the duck pond to collect feathers to look at. It is amazing to study the details of feathers and how they are perfectly designed to cause a bird to fly. It all points to a perfect creation by a perfect Creator. Even the fact that when a bird molts or loses a feather, it loses one on the opposite side so that the bird isn't lopsided when it flies shows God's perfect design. I am so glad that as we do school, we can marvel at God's beauty and design.
I am so thankful to be homeschooling so that God can be a normal, natural part of our school day! I continue to be amazed at all I learn while we do school. I'm sure that on most days, I learn more than the kids do. Here are a couple of pictures at the duck pond.

Bible Conference

2008-09-22T07:36:00.004-04:00

Wow!! What a great weekend!

This weekend was our annual Bible Conference at our church. I don't know how many years we have had a Bible Conference at our church -- a long time, but last year we went to having it start on Thur. night. I love having the extra day!! It gives us more time for fellowship, the preachers have more time to preach, and my mind has time to absorb what I am hearing. We have some precious friends who come for the conference each year and it is always so fun to see them and have them into our home. The kids also have friends who stay with us each year. This year, Will's buddy Luke didn't get to come. We sure did miss him this year and I know Will missed him as our house was filled with girls :-). The girls all enjoyed doing each other's hair and make-up all afternoon on Saturday!!

All in all, there were thirteen preachers over the weekend. And there were some great messages! Because I teach the class for the 4-7 year olds, I only got to hear about half of them, but the ones I heard were great! One preacher said Sunday morning that there was enough gospel preached this weekend to save the world. We are praying for those who were there who were lost that they will continue to be under conviction until they get saved. I am so thankful for my salvation!! I never tire of hearing a salvation message and rejoicing in what Christ did for me!
I will work on listening to the messages that I missed as they are all on our church website. Billy does a great job of recording all of the messages and then getting them onto the website!

As usual, Tim and Kim did a great job with the food for the conference. It is no easy job to feed 150-200 people four meals, but they make it look so easy!!! They do such a wonderful job and they do it so gracefully -- not a bit of grumbling or complaining!! And this year Conner helped a lot too. I saw him in the kitchen with his apron on several time! I guess he is in training.

I laid around and slept alot yesterday and I feel almost human again today. So, it is off and running on another week of school -- we are going to have a light day today and let the kids sleep in a little.

I will close with one of my favorite quotes of the conference -- "When it comes to serving the Lord, don't say 'I can't', say 'I won't' ".

This Week...

2008-09-06T17:23:00.005-04:00

This is going to be my attempt at blogging more frequently -- noting the highlights of our week each weekend. I really want to do this to remember this season of our life since I don't scrapbook, journal, etc. I am fortunate that Hannah keeps up with her blog pretty well, so I guess we could always refer to her blog if we need to remember what happened in our life :-).

We are back in school full swing now although we did take off on Monday for Labor Day. Will got to throw out the first pitch at the Lookouts game on Monday. He won a promotion by Great Clips. He was so excited when we got the call, but the day of the game, he was so nervous that I'm not sure he really enjoyed it. I know that he will look back on it with great memories though. It was REALLY hot, so we didn't stay for the whole game. We went back to mom and dad's house and cooled off and had supper with the whole fam. The kids had a great time with the cousins. They jumped on the trampoline with the sprinkler on and fun was had by all -- until Hannah sprained her ankle.

The rest of the week was busy! We went to Dalton on Wednesday. We had lunch with Pat, Kristen had horseback riding lessons, and then we went to the library to finish school. Having lunch before Kristen's riding lesson is something that we started doing before Papa Hoyt passed away. I am so glad that we have continued to go have lunch with Billy's step-mom since his dad passed away. She is still a part of our family and we enjoy the time we spend with her. We then met Billy for supper and then went to church. I enjoy our days in Dalton. They are a long day, but I always enjoy spending the day with the kids.

On Fridays, we have our homescool co-op. I feel so blessed to have such a great group of families that we meet with. It is such a nice way to end our week with our friends.

After co-op, we went to collect pond water for Biology class. After trying a couple of different locations, we found one that looked just right.

Here is Seth gathering the water --

Caleb was wondering if the picture was really necessary :-)

Will and Clay tagged along with us and enjoyed throwing rocks in the water!

Braves Game

2008-06-06T09:18:00.003-04:00

Wednesday, we were blessed with some free tickets to go to a Braves game. It was a day game, so Billy took the day off from work and we headed to Atlanta. We had a great time. It was very hot, mid 90's, but we were very pleasantly surprised to find out that our seats were in the shade. That made a huge difference and the game was very enjoyable. It was nice to get away and have some family time.

I thought that life would slow down a little once school finished, but so far, that hasn't happened. But even though we continue to be super busy with baseball, it is still a change from our regular routine and that is nice!

Baseball

2008-06-01T17:25:00.002-04:00

Well, we finished up the regular season for baseball last Friday. Will's team ended up placing 3rd place out of 7 teams so they were pretty excited. We won the first game Friday night which was VERY close and so we had to play again. We lost the second game by quite a bit. The boys were drained from the first game and plus we were playing a really good team. Will's first at-bat during the second game, he hit a ball over the fence. We were SO excited!!! He was one of only 3 kids who hit one over the fence this year in his age bracket. I wish I had had my camera. I will never forget -- as Will touched home plate, Billy was standing there with his arms open and Will jumped into his daddy's arms and Billy swung him around. I had tears in my eyes as I watched them together. What a precious moment!!

Billy has decided to coach an 8 year old all star team so that Will can play all stars again this year. We didn't think that there would be enough players, but we rounded up enough to have a team. Billy has helped to coach every year, but this will be his first time as a head coach. He will do a GREAT job, I'm sure!!!!

So, it looks as if our summer will be quite full -- Billy coaching and Will playing baseball, and Hannah is doing a summer performance at St. Luke. They are doing the play "Carousel". I guess Kristen and I will be summer cheerleaders and play attenders :-).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HANNAH!!!

2008-05-16T11:48:00.007-04:00

Happy Birthday Hannah!! Fourteen years ago (wow! that sounds like a long time ago) you came into our lives. From the moment you were born, you have brought so much joy -- not only to our lives, but to everyone who knows you! You truly are a blessing from the Lord and I feel priviledged to be your mother! You have become a beautiful young woman! I thank the Lord everyday for you and I pray that you continue to seek His will for your life in these next, exciting years!

I love you,
Mom

Mother's Day

2008-05-12T08:47:00.004-04:00

I had a great Mother's Day, thanks to my sweet family!!! We had Mother's Day with Mom on Saturday night because they were leaving to go out of town on Sunday. Dad grilled for us and we had a great time! On Sunday, when we came home from church, Billy had me close my eyes and he led me out to the porch. When I opened my eyes, they had me a new lounge chair for the deck. He had it set up with a table beside it, with the laptop sitting there. He told me to sit there and relax while he and the girls fixed lunch. He grilled steaks and veggies. It was all so yummy!!! After dinner, we all sat on the porch for a while and then I sat and read my book and drank coffee for most of the afternoon. What a nice day!!

I am so thankful to be a mother to my three precious children! They truly are a gift from the Lord! I am also so blessed to have such a great mom! She has taught me so much by her word and her example. I hate to imagine where I would be in life without her example.

Spring and family basketball

2008-04-07T16:02:00.003-04:00

Here are some funny pictures of us playing basketball out in the yard on Sunday afternoon. It has been so rainy here lately that we were ready to be outside a little. Of course, Hannah won the game of "horse" that we played. She is the family champ.

Also, the trees and flowers are beautiful right now! This is a little bouquet that Kristen arranged.

Look carefully and you can see Kristen in the tree :-)!

Spring

2008-04-01T19:14:00.003-04:00

I love springtime!! (although I think I say that about every season :-) ). I am very thankful to live in a place that has a definite change of seasons. I love watching the world come back to life. Our flowers are beginning to bloom and I am wanting to have a cookout. Definite signs of spring.

School is hard during the spring. We all have spring fever and would rather be outside on the pretty days.

Will is playing baseball again this year. His first game is this Saturday and then the craziness of ball season begins -- but we LOVE it! Billy is really enjoying being able to help coach more because of his day shift job.

Enjoy the spring weather and the beauty of God's creation!

Will's cuteness

2008-03-07T08:41:00.003-05:00

Last Sunday, Will received a new Bible at chuch. For many, many years (since I was a child), our church has had the tradition of giving a new Bible to any child who can say all of the books of the Bible. Well, last Sunday, Will received his. I was having the typical mother of the third child guilt. The girls had been SO much younger when they learned their books of the Bible and received their Bible -- like age 4 and now Will is 8. However, we kept with it until he had learned them all. So, last Sunday during church, he got to get his brand new Bible. He was SO proud and excited! I was very proud of him as well. Well, as soon as he sat back down, he opened up to Genesis 1 and started reading. He read the whole first chapter during church. Well, for anyone who knows us, you know how much of a struggle reading has been for Will. Now, at 8 1/2, it is finally beginning to click. I have seen great improvement in just the last few weeks. So, needless to say, I was very excited to see that he was reading his Bible! During church, he leaned over to me and said with a big smile, "I never knew that I like reading so much! This Bible just might change my life!" My mother's heart was truly touched and I said a prayer right there that his life would be changed by the most important Book of all!

(He is now on Ch. 7 of Genesis :-))

Cell Phones vs. The Bible

2008-02-22T07:43:00.003-05:00

CELL PHONE vs THE BIBLE

I wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cellphone?

What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?

What if we flipped through it several time a day?

What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?

What if we used it to receive messages from the text?

What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?

What if we gave it to kids as gifts?What if we used it when we traveled?

What if we used it in case of emergency?

This is something to make you go, hmm where is my Bible? Oh, and one more thing. Unlike our cell phone, we don't have to worry about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill. And no dropped calls!

(Thanks, Tim, for sending me this!)

Happy Anniversary to Us!

2008-02-15T07:52:00.003-05:00

Today Billy and I celebrate our 16th wedding anniversary. I was talking to the kids the other day about the importance of choosing a life mate well and told them that in five more years, I will have been married longer than I was single. Wow!

The kids are staying with mom and dad tonight so that we can go on a date. Will told me not long ago that we didn't need to go on a date because we were already married :-). Little does he know how much we need and enjoy our dates. Someday, he'll understand.

Our Homes

2008-02-13T07:36:00.003-05:00

I read this today in the book, "Beautiful in God's Eyes" by Elizabeth George. Enjoy!

"I know it may not seem very inviting or sound very exciting, but your home is definitely the place most worthy of your diligent watching. In fact, home is the most important place in the world for you to be spending your time and investing your energy. Why do I say that? Because the work you do in "a little place" like home is eternal work, meaningful work, important work -- when you realize that the work you do in your home is your supreme service to God! I invite you to enjoy the beauty of serving in a little place, a little place....like home."

A Little Place

"Where shall I work today, dear Lord?"

And my love flowed warm and free.

He answered and said,

"See that little place?

Tend that place for Me."

I answered and said, "Oh no, not there!

No one would ever see.

No matter how well my work was done,

Not that place for me!"

His voice, when He spoke, was soft and kind,

He answered me tenderly,

"Little one, search that heart of thine,

Are you working for them or ME?

Nazareth was a little place....

so was Galilee."

CHRISTMAS MEMORIES

2007-12-07T22:28:00.000-05:00

Our family Christmas from then until now.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

1991
This is the year that Billy and I were engaged. I had pneumonia this Christmas

1994
Hannah's First Christmas

1995
Billy and Hannah decorating the tree

1996
Kristen's First Christmas

1997

1998
Just found out I was pregnant with Will. We told the girls on Christmas Eve.

1999
Will's First Christmas -- wasn't he cute!!!

2000

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006
Billy and I at Dollywood -- it was cold!!!!!

The craziness that we love on Christmas Eve :-)

I am so thankful for my family and for all of the wonderful memories that we have together!

For all of the moms out there

2007-11-11T20:07:00.000-05:00

My Honey

2007-10-17T20:08:00.000-04:00

I am so glad to be walking through life hand in hand with Billy! We truly are "heirs together of the grace of life" (I Peter 3:7)

Quiet Time and Starbucks

2007-10-10T16:20:00.000-04:00

Today, the kids are all gone camping with Mammaw and Pappaw so it is very quiet at our house. :-) Normally when the kids are camping, I go and spend the day at the camper and then come home in the evening. Today, however, I wasn't able to do that because I am teaching a Bradley class this evening. Billy and I had a nice morning together and then this afternoon, I ran a few errands and then went to Starbucks. I ordered my coffee and muffin and then sat outside and read my book for a while enjoying the wonderful fall weather!! Heavenly -- I love coffee, I love to read, and I love fall!

I was in much need of a quiet day as we have been rather busy lately. Thanks mom and dad for taking the kids camping!! Tomorrow, I will join the kids camping, and Friday we will come home for our co-op. But, today, I am going to finish enjoying the quiet and solitude :-).

Fall Update

2007-10-02T17:26:00.000-04:00

It is finally beginning to feel a little like fall here in the South. Cool mornings and evenings are nice, but the days are still pretty warm! I love fall and the cooler weather. I love to cook during this time of year too. I am trying to find/create a good, healthy pumpkin muffin recipe. I love pumpkin bread in the fall and I have a very yummy recipe from mom, but it isn't so healthy :-). So, I am in search of a recipe that is not only healthy, but yummy too.

We had our County Fair last weekend and the girls did very well with all of their entries. They placed in almost every category that they entered. Hannah was really excited to win one first and one second place in the photography categories because there were so many entries! Kristen worked very hard on a latchook project and finished it just in time to enter it on Thursday. She won first place on that project as well. Will entered two items, but he didn't place. He was a little sad, but it was a good learning experience. I am going to try to work with him a little harder next year to have something nice to enter. It is a lot harder to find craft projects for a boy than it is for the girls.

Next week the kids will be going camping with Mammaw and Pappaw. They are very excited. Billy and I and the kids will camp over the weekend. Yay!!! It should be lots of fun! Our spring camping trip got cut short because of the chicken pox so we hope this one goes a little better :-).

Our Little Mummy

2007-09-12T22:41:00.000-04:00

Will -- the Mummy

This week as we continue our history studies in "The Mystery of History" we read about the Egyptians, their pyramids, and their mummies. Our project was to make a "mummy" out of someone and Will excitedly volunteered :-).

The little mummy is Will's stuffed animal, George. The Egyptians would make mummies of their pets so that they could go into the after-life with them.

Computer Guys

2007-09-09T11:30:00.000-04:00

I liked this picture of all of the "guys" working hard at the computer on Labor Day. Billy has recently updated our church website and is very patiently adding all 36 of our tv broadcasts onto the website. It is a very slow process, but he is so very patient. He teaches me everyday about being a little more laid back and patient. I am so thankful for him!!! Check out the website when you get a chance.

Happenings

2007-09-05T14:16:00.000-04:00

School is going really well and we are settling into a little bit of a pattern or schedule. This week will be a shorter school week because of Labor Day. We enjoyed Billy being off from work and we went over to Mom and Dad's house and spent the day. We had a very nice, relaxing time. The kids played on the trampoline almost all day. Kristen is still sore because she jumped for so long :-). Hannah has a sprained ankle from tripping at our homeschool co-op last Friday so she didn't get to play on the trampoline. She was doing better, but I think she was on it to much yesterday and so today it is a little more sore today. It is hard to keep her down. She is not one who enjoys just sitting around. She has been reading a lot to help keep busy.

Hannah has also started selling healthy, whole wheat muffins and bread. She is trying to build up her small business. She has always enjoyed cooking and is a great help in the kitchen!

Last week, Will caught a turtle in our woods. He has had a good time watching it, feeding it, etc. But, today, I decided that it was time to let it go. He was sadj, but I think he will be ok :-). It was kind of neat to watch the turtle slowly make its way back down the hill towards the woods. We did find out that he liked mushrooms better than anything else we fed it.

Billy was very excited for football season to be starting last weekend. On Friday, he said that he felt like a kid on the night before Christmas. He is so funny! Saturday, we had a relaxing day watching football. I'm glad that I enjoy football season too :-)!

Tomorrow is grocery store and errand day and then we will have a full weekend. Hopefully, I will be able to post some Labor Day pictures soon.

Romans 13:14

2007-08-30T16:04:00.000-04:00

Yesterday morning, as I was reading my Bible, I read the following verse --

Rom 13:14
But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
(KJV)

I began to think about what my lusts of my flesh are. What are the lusts of your flesh? So often, people associate the "lusts of the flesh" as being smoking, drinking, drugs, etc. And while some people may struggle with these lusts, not everyone does. Personally, I don't struggle with these issues, but believe me, I still struggle with lusts of my flesh. My lusts are just as wrong and just as selfish. I struggle with wanting more time for "ME" (even though I never find that in scripture). I struggle with not wanting school to take so much time -- so I can have more time for myself. I struggle with wanting some time to sit and drink coffee and read a book. I struggle with lots of selfish thoughts. They are all lusts of my flesh. I will always battle my flesh for as long as I am in my flesh. But, I can become a servant of righteousness through Christ's life and power in me. That is my prayer today!

My Girls

2007-08-26T16:19:00.000-04:00

Here are a few pictures of the girls before church this morning. I am SO proud of each of my two girls!! They are such a blessing to me. I know that I am learning just as much from them as they are from me. They are so different and they each add to our family in their own special way.

I feel like my time with them is so short! I want to teach them so much! I want to teach them most of all of God's love for them -- so much so that he sent His Son to die for them! I want to teach them to love the Lord and His Word and to rely on Him. I want to teach them to be the princess that they are inside! My prayer is that I will redeem the time and take advantage of these few short years that I will have them with me. Thank you Lord for this opportunity!

Homemade Graham Crackers

2007-08-22T08:28:00.001-04:00

Last week, Kristen and I made homemade graham crackers. I found the recipe on Homemaking Homesteader. I love her blog and website and have found so many good, healthy recipes!! We had a great time making the crackers and they were SO yummy and healthy too!

Redeeming the Time

2007-08-19T15:29:00.000-04:00

Eph 5:15-17
See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
(KJV)

One of my goals for this school year is to make better use of my time. I find the above verse very convicting! So often we quote only vs. 16 about redeeming the time, but in order to do that, we have to (vs. 15) be wise and (vs. 17) understand what the will of the Lord is. There are so many GOOD things that I can do to fill my time, but are they the BEST use of my time. So often, people wonder about what the will of the Lord is for them. I am so thankful that I have a perfect Word of God where I can find and know what God's will is for me. I know that a lot of what the will of the Lord is for me as a wife and mother is found in Titus 2. I am very good at filling up my time, but I want to make sure that it is truly what is BEST. I want to teach my children with words and with actions about what is really important in this life. I want to teach them that relationships are much more important than things and being entertained. I want to teach and train my daughters about being "at home". I want to teach my son what it means to be a godly man. I want to spend time in the Word of God myself so that I have something to give those around me. I want to be a help meet to Billy. I pray that the Lord will help me to be wise and redeem the time!

Here is our school schedule. I mainly make my schedule for me each year -- I like to see it all written down on paper. I am not real strict that we follow the times each day, but it does give us a goal and an order to do things. It definitely helps me to redeem my time!

8:00 Get up and Make Bed
8:30 Breakfast and Load Dishes
9:00 Bible--M/W together; T/TH personal
9:30 History
10:00 Mom/Will -- Reading; Hannah/Kristen -- Math
11:00 Mom/Will -- Math; Hannah/Kristen -- Reading/LLATL/spelling/EG
11:30 Mom -- Start lunch
12:30 Lunch/Clean up/Extra Chores
1:30 Kristen/Will -- Science; Hannah -- Finish school
2:00 Science with Hannah; Kristen -- Finish school/Drawing
2:30 Mom -- Check school work!!!!!!
3:00 Cleaning chore
3:30 Coffee/Bible Study

Homeschool Curriculum

2007-08-16T20:05:00.001-04:00

Ok, as promised, here is our list of curriculum for this year. I have some favorites that I stick with year after year and then I always add something new each year. This makes things a little more interesting :-).

Hannah (8th grade)
Bible -- Two days a week, we will do Bible together continuing in "The Key to Bible Understanding" and two days a week, the girls will do their own Bible study. Hannah is using "Wise Up" which is a study of the first 9 chapters of Proverbs.
Math -- Saxon 87
Langauage Arts -- Learning Language Arts through Literature green; Easy Grammar
Science -- Apologia Physical Science
History -- Mystery of History Vol. I

Kristen (6th grade)

Bible -- our study together 2x's a week and for her personal study, Kristen is doing a study on Truthfulness from the Notgrass company
Math -- Saxon 76
Language Arts -- Learning Language Arts through Literature tan; Easy Grammar; Building Spelling Skills
Science -- Apologia's Exploring Creation through Astronomy
History -- Mystery of History Vol. I
Art -- Kristen is doing a drawing book also by the Notgrass company

Will (2nd grade)

Bible -- our study together 2x's a week and then Studying God's Word Book B from Christian Liberty Press
Math -- Rod and Staff Math 3
Language Arts -- Learning Language Arts through Literature red; Abeka readers
Science -- Apologia's Exploring Creation through Astronomy
History -- Mystery of History Vol. I

We will be involved in a co-op this year that I am coordinating. We will be doing our science together, a writing class, and Beautiful Feet Geography. We are looking forward to and praying for a good school year with lots of diligence and consistency.

First Day of School

2007-08-15T16:29:00.000-04:00

Well, today was our first official day of school. We are going to start out light this week and then into our full routine next week. Once again, I am very thankful to be able to homeschool. Last night, Billy and I discussed our reasons for homeschooling and then this morning I shared those reasons with the kids before we started our day.

Here are two of the verses that we read:

Ps 1:1-3
1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
(KJV)

Prov 22:6
6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
(KJV)

We want our children to receive Godly counsel and instruction. We love that we can talk about, discuss, bring up God's Word all through the day. We want them to be like the tree with deep, deep roots when the winds blow. We also love our children more than any other person would ever love them. We want to be the ones to teach, encourage, and shape their lives. Thank you Lord for this opportunity!

Check out Hannah's blog for -- "You know you are a homeschooler if..." for a good laugh!

Tomorrow, I will list what curriculum we are using this year.

Grocery Store Day

2007-08-09T15:50:00.000-04:00

Obviously, the picture isn't from the grocery store :-). This is a picture from inside the Lost Sea. We went with mom and dad one day in July when Billy was off work. It was really neat.

Well, today was grocery store day -- yuck :-)! But, I am always glad to have it over with for 2 more weeks. I have started shopping at Aldi first and then going to Walmart. This is really saving us a lot of money. Plus, I love the produce and produce prices at Aldi so we buy a lot more fruit than we used to! Hannah went with me today to buy groceries. I always enjoy the time we spend together!

I used to have some menus made and corresponding grocery lists. This really saved me a lot of time, but I got tired of the menus that I had. So, I quit using them. But recently, I have made up some new menus. I put about 8-10 meals on each menu and then I can add 1 or 2 new recipes if I want to try something new. I have also switched out a few things that I didn't want to make for the summer.

Here is what I have planned for the next two weeks (I don't plan what day we will have what -- that way, I can see what I have time for that day):
1)Spinach Manicotti; salad; bread
2)Taco Mac Salad
3)Ham in crockpot; potatoes; vegetable (lots of fresh veggies right now)
4)Beef Stroganoff; carrots
5)Greek spaghetti; salad; garlic bread
6)Meatballs; potatoes; green beans
7)Homemade Pizza
8)Cabbage Bake; Macaroni and Cheese
9)Meatball Subs; Broccoli Salad
10)Ratatouille (new recipe -- Will recently went to see this movie and I thought it would be fun to make the actual recipe)

Happy Cooking!!!

Happy Birthday Will

2007-08-04T23:30:00.000-04:00

Today is Will's 8th birthday! I am so thankful for him -- I have always called him my little sunshine -- although he isn't so little anymore. Will is such a joy to us!
Happy Birthday Buddy!

Here is a picture when Will was born

This is a picture of Will and Daddy napping. Like father, like son!

Will has always loved fruit!

Summer Update

2007-07-29T17:08:00.000-04:00

I thought it would be fun to post a summer update. I always enjoy summertime and the change of schedule that it brings. We started off the summer with chicken pox. Kristen had it first and we have no idea where she caught it. Then next Hannah had it, and Will never did get it. Both of the girls had a pretty good case and some scars to prove it :-)

Will played baseball this year and then played all-stars. He LOVED it!The all-star season was only one month long so that was good. He really learned a lot and improved a lot over that month. I guess when you play every day, that happens. Will's birthday is this week and he is having a baseball themed party. He is very excited!

While Will was finishing up all-stars, the girls went to Pennsylvania with Pappaw and Mammaw and Taylor and Conner. They went to the Bible Conference in Altoona, PA and also did some sight-seeing on the way. I was so thankful that they were able to go to this Bible Conf. They had a great time and learned a lot too!

After the girls returned from Pennsylvania, we had our week of Bible school. It was a great week! Our theme for the Bible Conference was the "Power and Authority of the KJV". As always, our friends from North Carolina, the Sipes, let their children, Abby and Luke come spend the week with us. Abby is Kristen's age and Luke is Will's age. Hannah's friend Kelsey also stayed with us for the week. We had a very full house :-), but had a great time!

This is Kristen and Abby with their American Girl dolls.

Hannah and Kelsey

Since Bible school, we have been relaxing, going to the pool, and the girls continue to do interpretive dance/sign language with their cousins for a group called Praise in Motion. They really enjoy doing this and even taught the kids at Bible school a song to perform the last night for our program.

These are some pictures from a performance this past Saturday.

Hannah and Will in the car

Some of the performance

Cooking and other stuff

2007-02-27T15:34:00.000-05:00

Billy and I had a great trip to Nashville over the weekend. We just relaxed, went to Starbucks, went to movies, out to eat, and then on Sunday night, we went to Winter Jam -- a contemporary Christian concert. We had a great time just being together!

This week is a lot less busy than last week. It seems to fall that way :-). I am trying to cook with the girls more. So, I have decided that they will each have at least one cooking job each week. Today Kristen made some healthy chocolate chip cookies. We are trying to eat more healthy and learning about whole grains, more natural sugars, etc. Of course, we are trying to make very slow changes. One change that we have made for a while now is whole wheat noodles and brown rice. These changes have been pretty easy and taste good too :-).

Here is the recipe for the cookies we made http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/chocolatechipcookies.htm They are "kid" approved :-).

I have been learning a lot from this website and using a lot of her recipes. There is always so much to learn!

Busy, Busy

2007-02-22T22:42:00.000-05:00

Whew, it has been a busy week. It seems that a lot of our activities that we do every other week always fall on the same week. It makes for a very busy week, but then the next week is always much more relaxed which is nice. I can't decide if it would be better to spread it out a little or get it all over with :-).

Monday -- Hannah got braces. She is doing great and we are very thankful!

Tuesday -- We had ladies Bible study. I am so thankful to have a group of like-minded ladies to meet together with. They are all such a blessing to me. And thanks to my mom who teaches us.

Also, Tuesday night, we had our monthly homeschool meeting.

Wednesday -- We ate lunch with Pat (my mother-in-law who is so special to us) and then Kristen had horseback riding. It was a BEAUTIFUL day -- sunny and warm! Hannah (and Kristen after horseback riding) got to work with Maegan and Tarah on some signing/interpretive dance.

Today was Will's music class, Kristen's band, buying groceries (we only do that every two weeks as well), and then Will's basketball practice.

This is a picture of Kristen and her friend Rebecca at their band concert in January.

This weekend, Billy and I are going out of town for our anniversary! Yeah!!!!!!! Maybe we can relax a little :-)

I hope you all have a great weekend!!!!!!!!!

My Sweet Girls

2007-02-20T00:06:00.000-05:00

Well, as I posted, last week was mine and Billy's 15th wedding anniversary. This past Sunday, Hannah and Kristen surprised me at church. They have been learning sign language/interpretive dance from Maegan and Tarah for about a year. On Sunday, they performed a song, "I Will Be Here", which has always been one of mine and Billy's favorites. It was a total surprise to me and I cried through the whole thing. I feel so blessed to have such sweet, thoughtful daughters. They truly are a blessing to me.

I Will Be Here

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Back Again

2007-02-15T16:05:00.000-05:00

Well, I have decided to give blogging another try. I quit back before the holidays, so we will see if I can keep up with it better now :-).

Today is mine and Billy's 15th anniversary. Wow, I can't believe it. I am so happy to be married to my BEST friend!

Here are a few pictures to take us back in time a little:

Here is a picture of mom and I before our wedding

This is a picture of us in Knoxville on our Honeymoon.

We are going to go out of town next weekend for our anniversary. We are going to Nashville for the weekend and going to a concert. This morning, Billy gave me a beautiful ruby heart necklace. It is so pretty. He told me that this present had significance because I am a virtuous woman and my price is far above rubies. It was SO special!!!!

How Many of Me Are There?

2006-10-20T20:54:00.000-04:00

HowManyOfMe.com

There are:
1,866
people with my name
in the U.S.A.

How many have your name?

Stephanie:

There are 599,937 people in the U.S. with the first name Stephanie.
Statistically the 82nd most popular first name.
More than 99.9 percent of people with the first name Stephanie are female.

Thomas:

There are 932,902 people in the U.S. with the last name Thomas.
Statistically the 10th most popular last name. (tied with 3 other last names)

Camping

2006-10-16T21:54:00.000-04:00

Yeah! We got to go camping. The kids camped with mom and dad all last week and then Billy and I and the kids camped Saturday and Sunday. It was so much fun and relaxing too. We love to camp at Cloudland Canyon State Park. It seems as if you are a million miles from everything. Billy's friend Albert and his family came up and hung out with us on Saturday. We did some hiking, grilled hamburgers, and made smores over the fire.

Then, on Sunday, we just sat around the fire and relaxed. Billy said he saw a shirt that he wanted to get for me. It said, "Instant camper... just add coffee." My favorite part of camping is sitting around the fire and drinking coffee!

Thanks, dad, for letting us use the camper!

Here we are enjoying the campfire

Can you tell that Will loves to climb trees?

And Life Goes On....

2006-09-22T23:24:00.000-04:00

Well, it's been a while since I posted, but as my title says, life goes on. With school and extra activities in full swing, there always seems to be so much to do. School is going fine -- we seem to settling into a routine and everything is going well. I am doing "Five in a Row" curriculum with Will which has been a breath of fresh air for me. With this curriculum, you have a book that you study for a week or two. Every day, you read that book and then do a lesson about something from the book -- maybe science, social studies, language arts, art, etc. It has given us some good snuggle time on the couch reading some great books. And with a 7 year old boy who is always on the go and thinks he is getting too big for much snuggling, I have enjoyed the snuggle time. Will is also taking a music class which has been good for him.

Tonight, mom had her "stamp and play" stamping party. It was fun as usual. I love going and being able to make a few cards to use throughout the month. A lot of months, that is the only time that I get to stamp.

Hannah had her middle school social tonight (this is a time for middle schoolers from all over Chattanooga to get together, play games, eat pizza, etc.) They had a great time. There were over 30 homeschooled kids there. I am so thankful to be able to be in an area where there is so much support for homeschooling and such a great homeschool community.

Well, that is all for now. I am so enjoying the cooler fall weather and I hope you are too!

Loving Your Husband

2006-09-11T16:03:00.000-04:00

I have been reading the book, "Woman After God's Own Heart" by Elizabeth George. I have really enjoyed the book so far. She has some very practical applications for being the woman, wife, mother, etc. that God has called us to be. Below is a list of 9 ways that she gives for a woman to shower her husband with love. Titus 2:4 says, "That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children."

1)Pray for him daily
2)Plan for him daily -- plan special deeds of kindness, plan special dinners, plan special times alone, etc.
3)Prepare for him daily -- prepare the home, prepare your appearance, prepare your greeting, etc.
4)Please him
5)Protect your time with him
6)Physically love him
7)Positively respond to him
8)Praise him
9)Pray always

I pray that I will put these into action and show my husband just how much I love him!

States I have visited

2006-09-02T11:28:00.000-04:00

Here is a cool map to show all of the states that I have visited. I saw this on another blog and thought I would try it. Here it is:

>

create your own visited states map

Welcome Home Mom and Dad

2006-08-24T23:02:00.000-04:00

I am very thankful for my mom and dad! They have been out of town for 2 weeks and they are supposed to be home tomorrow. Yeah! Just thought that I would say "Welcome Home and we missed you!!!" I am looking forward to drinking coffee together and hearing all about their trip out west.

Back from Gatlinburg

2006-08-21T23:25:00.000-04:00

Well, we had a great weekend in Gatlinburg last weekend. We went up on Thursday and came home on Sunday. We had a nice mix of doing some touring and attractions around Gatlinburg and also relaxing at the cabin we rented. We enjoyed the hot tub, playing pool, and just sitting on the porch reading, listening to the crickets, and talking.

We went to the aquarium in Gatlinburg. Billy and I had been before, but the kids had never been. We all really enjoyed it. Will had not wanted to go because he wanted to stay at the cabin and play. But, when we were finished he said, "I can't believe that I didn't want to go there. That was cool!"

On Saturday we went to Dollywood with my cousin, Kathy, and her family. We always have such a great time together, but we don't get to be together often enough! It was HOT, which made the water rides even nicer. It was nice to come back to our cabin that evening instead of having to drive all the way home.

For more pictures and details about the trip, you can check out Hannah's blog.

Now it is back to real life -- working, school, laundry, cleaning, cooking, etc. which isn't so bad either.

Time for School

2006-08-13T16:52:00.000-04:00

Well, after a great summer, it is time to start back to some routine and schoolwork. We are starting school tomorrow. Officially, this will begin our 8th year of homeschooling. Wow, that sounds like a lot. You would think that after that much time, I would be an expert. Maybe if all of my children were the same, our circumstances were the same every year, that would be true. But, in some ways, every year is a new experience. They are all a year older, they are ready to learn new things and they each learn so differently. I guess if it were the same each year, I might be a little bored. But, boredom is never a problem.

This year, the kids will be 7th, 5th, and 2nd grade. I feel so blessed to be able to homeschool. I thank the Lord for the opportunity to have these three special blessings -- to be able to mold them, train them, and prepare them to serve Him. I thank my husband for allowing me to be a stay-at-home mom and homeschool. Even when money is tight and we don't have the money to do a lot of things or buy a lot of things, he has always allowed me to be at home. And I thank my 3 precious children for being so patient with me. There are so many times that I don't feel worthy or wise enough to homeschool, but they hang in there with me.

So, I begin this school year by committing it to the Lord. I pray that we will all continue to learn what is truly important!

My Boys

2006-08-05T10:07:00.000-04:00

Things learned from raising boys:

1) A king size waterbed holds enough water to fill a 2000 sq. ft. house 4 inches deep.

2) If you spray hair spray on dust bunnies and run over them with rollerblades, they can ignite.

3) A 3-year old boy's voice is louder than 200 dbs in a crowdedrestaurant.

4) If you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, the motor is not strongenough to rotate a 42 pound boy wearing Batman underwear and a Supermancape. It is strong enough, however, if tied to a paint can, to spreadpaint on all four walls of a 20x20 ft. room.

5) You should not throw baseballs up when the ceiling fan is on. Whenusing a ceiling fan as a bat, you have to throw the ball up a few times before you get a hit. A ceiling fan can hit a baseball a long way.

6) The glass in windows (even double-pane) doesn't stop a baseball hit bya ceiling fan.

7) When you hear the toilet flush and the words "uh oh", it's already too late.

8) Brake fluid mixed with Clorox makes smoke, and lots of it.

9) A six-year old boy can start a fire with a flint rock even though a 36-year-old man says they can only do it in the movies.

10) Certain Legos will pass through the digestive tract of a 4-year old boy.

11) Play dough and microwave should not be used in the same sentence.

12) Super glue is forever.

13) No matter how much Jell-O you put in a swimming pool you still can't walk on water.

14) Pool filters do not like Jell-O.

15) VCR's do not eject "PB & J" sandwiches even though TVcommercials show they do

16) Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.

17) Marbles in gas tanks make lots of noise when driving.

18) You probably DO NOT want to know what that odor is.

19) Always look in the oven before you turn it on; plastic toys do not like ovens.

20) The fire department in Austin, TX has a 5-minute response time.

21) The spin cycle on the washing machine does not make earthworms dizzy.

22) It will, however, make cats dizzy.

23) Cats throw up twice their body weight when dizzy.

24) 80% of women will pass this on to almost all of their friends, with or without kids.

25) 80% of men who read this will try mixing the Clorox and brakefluid.

What I learned at Bible School

2006-08-02T08:57:00.000-04:00

"Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed; for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." Joshua 1:9

This was the theme verse for our Bible school that we had last week. The overall theme was "Arctic Edge: Where Adventure Meets Courage". As I studied to teach these lessons last week, I began to see how many applications I could make from this for my own life. So, as is normal when I teach, I'm sure I got more out of it than the kids did :-).

So, what is courage? Most of the kids said being brave and that is true, but we expanded it to include, being brave enough to follow the Lord even when it might be scary or not what we want to do. Think about Abraham. The last part of Hebrews 11:8 says, "and he went out, not knowing whither he went." God told Abraham to go and "by faith", Abraham went. Imagine Abraham's fear and uncertainty about what might lie ahead. So often, we think of the Bible heroes as extra-human or super hero type people. But, they were just people with the same fears, concerns, etc. As I thought about Abraham and how he must have felt, I began to think of my role as a wife. As a wife, God has told me to be in submission to my husband according to Eph. 5, but sometimes this takes courage. Now don't get me wrong, I have a WONDERFUL husband, and most of the time being in submission to him is very easy. But there are times when we have different opinions (afterall we are 2 different people) and God has clearly laid out in his Word that he is to be the head of our home. So why is it so hard for me sometimes to be in submission? Because of a lack of courage -- fear! Fear about the decision that my husband might make, fear that he won't do what I want him to do (that's pretty childish, huh?), fear of what will happen. But, I can honestly say, the more that I am in submission, the more peaceful I feel. The more I trust the Lord with my life (and not my own ability to make something happen), the more joy that I have and the stronger my marriage becomes.

So, as wives, can we be like Abraham, "and he went out not knowing whither he went"? Sometimes we wonder and stew over decisions our husband has made, but we don't have to. We can give it to the Lord and walk by faith. There really is no more joyous place to be!

Bible School and trip to North Carolina

2006-08-01T08:53:00.000-04:00

Wow! It's been a long time since I posted. We had our Vacation Bible School last week, so we've been quite busy. We had Abby and Luke here (our friends from North Carolina) so that kept us busy too. The kids had a great time. Our theme was the "Arctic Edge: Where Adventure Meets Courage". I thought there were some really good lessons this year. I will be posting later on about what I learned!

We took Abby and Luke home on Saturday and spent the night there. We had a great visit. We took the kids swimming that evening after dinner, and then we adults sat up really late playing cards so we were all a little sleepy on Sunday morning :-). On Sunday, we went to church with them and then went over to some other friends house for dinner. They live in the beautiful mountains of Asheville and have several horses. Kristen was thrilled to get to ride and Hannah even enjoyed it too. I think they ended up riding for almost 3 hours. They were both a little sore the next day :-). We ended up getting home late Sunday night, but we had a nice weekend visiting with some great friends!

Zucchini Cake

2006-07-15T15:39:00.000-04:00

Today, I made some zucchini cake and I thought I would share the recipe with you. This is a recipe from my mom and it is so good! Dad has a garden this year and he had given me some huge zucchini. I remembered mom used to make zucchini cake and bread when we were little whenever she had an abundance of zucchini. I only used about 1/4 of the zucchini for the cake so I went ahead and shredded the rest and put it in the freezer in freezer bags in 3 cup portions. That way, I will have it whenever I want to make another cake.

Zucchini Cake

3 eggs beaten
1 cup vegetable oil (I used 1/2 c. oil and 1/2 c. applesauce)
2 cups sugar
2 tsps. vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tsps. cinnamon
2 tsps. soda
2 tsps. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3 cups grated zucchini (I use my food processor)
Combine eggs, oil, sugar, and vanilla; mix well. Combine dry ingredients; add to oil mixture, mixing well. Stir in grated zucchini. Bake in a greased bundt or tube pan at 350 for 55-60 min. Let cool 20 min. before removing from pan. Glaze and Enjoy!!
Glaze:
1/2 c. powdered sugar
2 t. milk
Blend until smooth

Here are some cute summer time pictures of Kristen and Will going fishing with Billy.

Family Time

2006-07-13T09:15:00.000-04:00

Wow, Summer is just flying by. I can't believe that it is now almost the middle of July. We went to an outside concert yesterday, and the heat reminded me that it truly is the middle of summer :-). But, the concert was great. We went to see Building 429 (Billy's favorite contemporary Christian group) and a new group 33 Mile which I really liked!! The concert was in Franklin, TN. Lisa, Maegan, Tarah, Nathan, and Taylor went with us. After the concert we went to downtown Franklin and walked around and enjoyed the little shops. It was so quaint and pretty there. Even Hannah, who enjoys big cities and big malls, said it was so pretty. We got ice cream and then had to head home to get Hannah back for play practice. Her play starts tonight and she is so excited. We also have horseback riding lessons today and lunch with Pat. Hannah is also learning some sign language to music with her cousin Maegan while Kristen is at horseback riding. I am so thankful to be able to spend time with family!!

Here are a couple of pictures in downtown Franklin.

A few More 4th of July pictures

2006-07-07T08:17:00.000-04:00

Here are some more 4th of July pictures.

Mammaw and Clari playing games

Will is enjoying his homemade ice cream (look closely at the chin)

Independence Day -- July 4th

2006-07-04T22:06:00.000-04:00

This is a quote by Thomas Jeffereson about the Declaration of Independence --

"May it be to the world what I believe it will be, (to some parts sooner, to others later, but finally to all, ) the Signal of arousing men to burst the chains, under which Monkish ignorance and superstition had persuaded them to bind themselves, and to assume the blessings and security of self-government. That form which we have substituted, restores the free right to the unbounded exercise of reason and freedom of opinion. All eyes are opened, or opening to the rights of man. The general spread of the light of science has already laid open to every view the palpable truth that the mass of mankind has not been born, with saddles on their backs, nor a favored few booted and spurred, ready to ride them legitimately, by the grace of god. These are ground of hope for others. For ourselves, let the annual return of this day forever refresh our recollections of these rights, and an undiminished devotion to them."

We had a nice 4th of July. We had a cookout at mom and dad's house. Dad cooked ribs and chicken on the grill. It was so yummy. After dinner, we played a game of wiffle ball in the front yard. We played the Thomas' vs. the Atwood's. I'm not sure what the score was, but I'm pretty sure the Atwood's won. That was alright because the highlight of the game was seeing Tim slide across the yard when he was trying to get someone out (the grass was wet because it had just rained). We all had a pretty good laugh after that! After ball, we had homemade ice cream. The kids always make sure that Mammaw is serving the ice cream because that way they get HUGE servings.

We had a nice day. I am very thankful for the freedoms we have!

Summer Time is Here

2006-06-19T22:14:00.000-04:00

Well Summer time is here. It is hot here in Chattanooga and we need some rain very badly! But, in spite of the heat we are enjoying summertime! It has been amazing to me how much time I seem to have since we have been finished with school. When we are doing school, I really don't realize how much time it takes since it is just a way of life for us. But now that we are finished for the summer, I am realizing that I have some time for extra things. This is the time of year that I do some extra "summer" (instead of spring) cleaning and organizing. I also enjoy doing some extra reading and Bible study while I have extra time. I am studying the attributes of a servant according to scripture. The idea of servanthood is so far from what society teaches and what our own flesh desires. The girls and I are studying Prov. 31 together and I am doing a "hero" study with Will (thanks mom for the idea). Right now, we are studying David. I am also continuing Will's reading curriculum through the summer. He is a little behind in reading so I didn't want him to take the whole summer off from reading. The girls also have to read each day.

We are enjoying going to the pool some days and hanging out together on the porch in the evening. Saturday evening we had a cookout with some family and friends. We had a great time of fellowship and fun. Most everyone (the kids and the "big" kids) played baseball in the back yard after dinner. For those who know our house know the back yard is not flat -- so they played hillside baseball. They had a great time. I enjoyed watching Emma and Macy so their mom and dad could play. But, I realized I'm not used to watching a two year old :-). She is fast, but so cute!

Update

2006-06-12T08:57:00.000-04:00

Well, it's been a while since I posted. We have been really busy the last few weeks and now I am looking forward to relaxing some during the summer. We are officially finished with school! Yeah!!!!!! I know it won't be long until it is time to start again, but I am going to enjoy the break while we have it. I told the kids they will have to do reading every day and a few other things so that we won't be totally "wasting" our days. We also have several craft projects that we will be working on this summer as well. I'm sure there will be plenty of time spent at the pool too!

We went to Bible camp in Florida last week. This camp is put on by several grace churches in Florida, and boy, do they work hard. They really keep all of the kids busy having a good time. It was encouraging to me to see so many "young" people laboring together for the work of the ministry. Dad and I took my 3 and Taylor and Conner. Here is a picture the day we were leaving to come home. If you can't tell by looking at Will in the picture, there was a pirate theme (searching for God's Hidden Treasures) for the camp :-).

We had our Keepers of the Faith Banquet last night. This is a program we do with our kids at church -- it is similar to a scouting program but with a Christian emphasis. We had dinner at church and then we have an Awards Ceremony where the kids receive their awards for all of the skills they learned this year. It is always a lot of fun to get to honor the kids for all of their hard work and they enjoy it too!

Wedding Day

2006-05-27T21:30:00.000-04:00

Today, my cousin Jason got married to a beautiful lady both inside and out -- Whitney. The ceremony was beautiful and very Christ honoring. They had several songs which were just beautiful! The reception was great. All of the flowers were Gerber Daisies which I love and I thought were perfect for an early summer wedding!

I always enjoy weddings and the love shown on that special day in a couple's life. I always wish for the couple being married that they would always remember the love they felt on that day! But, for anyone who has been married for a while, you know the love feeling is not always there. That is where committment and real love (which is an action) comes in. I love I Cor. 13 and the example that it lays out for us in what true love really is. Anyone reading will notice that everything listed is an action and not a feeling:

I Cor 13:4-7:
Charity suffereth long and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not ther own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

And the amazing thing is that when you put those actions into practice with your spouse (or with anyone else for that matter), the loving feelings come too! But, when we refuse to do the actions of love and think of ourselves, we feel distant and cold and things continue to get worse. There have been many times in my life when I have put these actions into practice and have been amazed once again that God's Word works!!! (why are we amazed when it works?) Putting others' needs before our own is so against our fleshly desires. It reminds me of the verse that says, "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. (Prov. 16:25)" God's way doesn't always SEEM like the right way, but we can always trust His Word to be true and right!

This is my mom and uncle talking at the reception.

The kids at the reception.

Hannah caught the bouquet :-)

Bible Conference

2006-05-21T21:39:00.000-04:00

What a great weekend we had!! Our Bible Conference was this weekend at our church. It was a wonderful weekend of preaching, singing, and fellowship. We had a great crowd, and it was wonderful to be able to serve those who came from out of town. Beth and I taught the 4-7 yr. olds (thanks Beth for all of your help :-)!!). We had about 15 for most of the weekend. They were a great bunch of kids, but they did get tired! We had services Friday night, Saturday morning, Saturday evening and Sunday morning. On Saturday afternoon, we had about an hour of special music before supper. I really enjoyed that. Tim and Kim coordinated all of the food and they did a great job. The food was great (Will said that was his favorite part of the conf.)!! It is so wonderful to have a family that is all saved and serves the Lord together (each in our own way). We also enjoyed being able to visit with some of our friends that we don't get to see often enough. The kids had out-of-town friends to spend the night all weekend. So, while we are physically worn out, we are refreshed and so thankful for all of the spiritual feeding that we received this weekend.

My Mom

2006-05-14T09:46:00.000-04:00

Reasons I am thankful for my mom:

1. She taught me by her life, her example, and her words the importance of the Word of God. My mom always stressed to me how important it was to have a personal time with the Word of God every day. She taught me to live by the principles of the Word of God even when it wasn't what I wanted to do. She taught me to make decisions based on the Word of God, not what was popular. She not only told me these things, but she modeled them for me.

2. She taught me the importance of standing for the Word of God rightly divided even when it wasn't the easy thing to do or wasn't the popular thing to do.

3. She continually had me in church and other places where I heard the gospel preached (like Bible conferences and Bible camp) so that when I was 19 yrs. old, I trusted Jesus Christ for my own salvation!

4. She showed me the joy in being a stay-at-home mom. She taught me that you can enjoy your children and your role as a mother.

5. She taught me commitment to marriage. Even when things were not easy and rosey between my mom and dad, they stayed in the marriage. We were taught that marriage is forever and divorce is not an option. I owe my marriage to the fact that they modeled and instilled in me commitment.

6. My mom always was and still is my biggest cheerleader. It didn't matter if it was a big event in my life or just an everyday matter, mom was there to cheer me on and to encourage me to do my best.

7. My mom continues to be an example to me of what I want to be as an "older" woman. She continues to be a great example, teacher, and most of all a great "MAMMAW".

I LOVE YOU MOM!!!! HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

Remodeling

2006-05-11T21:17:00.000-04:00

Why is it that every job around the house takes so much longer and is more involved than it seems it will be before you start? Whew, we finished the girls room today. Well, it's not actually finished, but good enough for Hannah's birthday party tomorrow night. We still have to get beds -- their mattresses are on the floor, a nightstand, lamp, etc. I would also like to get Hannah a new chest or dresser. Hers is pretty old. Billy said today it is probably over 30 yrs. old :-). But, over all, the room looks good. It is very pink -- hot pink walls and pink cheetah print bedspreads. We painted the shelves black and some of the furniture will be black. They are very happy with it. Of course, Billy and Will don't care too much for it :-). We had a hard time finding something that both girls liked. They are so different and have such different tastes, that picking out room decor was harder than I thought it would be. But, they did finally find something that they both really like.

The whole project was a good lesson in both patience and diligence. Hannah is so much like me in that she wants everything done right now so we both have to work on patience.

This is a picture from while we were camping last summer. I love this picture because it really shows the girls' different personalities.

Kristen and Horses

2006-05-09T21:52:00.000-04:00

I thought that today I would share some pictures of Kristen during her horseback riding lessons. She has been doing horseback riding since August and she loves it! It is neat to watch your child do something that they truly love from their heart. This is the way Kristen is when she rides -- I can see the passion in her eyes. Papa Hoyt got to come watch her ride just a few weeks before he passed away and even he was amazed at how comfortable and confident she looked on the horse. She has done a few small jumps in her lessons. One of the first times I watched her jump, she almost fell off. It really scared me and I was afraid that it would have frightened Kristen -- she is not a daredevil at all, she doesn't like any kind of fast, scary rides at amusement parks, etc. But, the near fall didn't seem to bother her. She just got back where she needed to be and tried again. After, her lesson that day, I asked her about almost falling and she said, "Yeah, I was a little sacared," but that was it. The pictures were taken in the fall and the horses name is Biscuit. She is now riding a bigger horse named William.

Baseball

2006-05-08T13:06:00.000-04:00

This is Will's first year to play baseball and he loves it!! It has been a lot of fun for us as well. Billy helps to coach when he gets to be there and I help in the dugout. Will is very talented (of course I'm not prejudice at all) :-). He has received two game balls so far. I want to teach Will to do his best at what he does, to be proud of his accomplishments, to thank the Lord for talents he has, but not to have a proud spirit. I think there is a fine line between the two. The pictures are Conner and Will before their first games and Will at his first game waiting in the dugout for the game to begin. Now, as soon as one game is over, he wants to know how many days until his next game.

Just Beginning

2006-05-06T22:33:00.000-04:00

Hi --
I am just learning to blog and post pictures. These are my three sweethearts!