Bubbles in the tub chair...

Chase was taking a bath the other night. He is beginning to realize when he burps or toots. During this bath time, he passed a little gas and made bubbles sound off the tub seat. He looked up at me to see if I noticed. He smiled real big like it was the funniest thing! (Dad makes a big deal when Chase burps or toots...so it is a fun game now!)

Macaroni...

Chase is now 10 months old and is starting to eat more from the table food than jar food. One evening Chad and I had grilled pork chops, macaroni and green beans for dinner. We decided to give Chase some. He loved the pork chop, macaroni and greenbeans very much. During the feeding, he somehow managed to get a peice of macaroni stuck to his finger. Concentrating very hard, he pulled it off with the other hand only to realize it was now stuck to that hand. Again, he removed it with the other hand. You can see whats coming. For about 5 minutes, back and forth, back and forth, Chase concentrated so hard on removing the macaroni from his little hands. He finally ended up squashing it down to goo and had to have it wiped off. Chad and I were laughing so hard at him. It was a joy to watch!!!

Teen age journey...

I have such a very precious daughter. She brings my life so much joy and love. I would never trade her. She is my very special keeper. Her childhood years were such a joy to me. She had some bumpy roads that she faced but survived. She is now in her teen years. WHOOO> somedays can be a challenge. Who what have thought that my sweet little angelic girl could grow up and be testy!!?! Sometimes, it isn't very fun but it is interesting to say the least. She keeps me on my toes. I love those special moments where she comes and we talk for very long periods of time. BOY is she BOY crazy. I hear lots of comments on who she is going to marry...It is funny how it changes from day to day.

One interesting thing is the teenage girl DRAMA...Oh my goodness. I can not even fathom or remember me being so dramatic as a teen. Of course, my mom might say different. The exagerated drama of my teen girl is 210%^ and rising. Drama, I can live without. Now I fully understand the queer little statement, My child gives me gray hair...Of course we can't blame ALL of it on a teen girl now. No matter what the challenge, I sure love my daughter. I couldn't do without her in my life.

Baby Joys...

It has been 9 months since giving birth to my beautiful baby boy. What a wonderful journey!

It is such a wonderful journey to be on right now. I am enjoying every minute that I have to spend with my son, Chase. I love to see each new accomplished milestone. I love to hear him giggle when we play together. I love to see how much he enjoys his baths. I love everything about him. He has such a brilliant and cheerful smile. It would melt anyones heart. People stop me all the time just to talk to Chase. He is truly a people's magnet. I think he has only cried ONCE when someone talked to him. BUT, the person WAS VERY VERY TALL and had such a deep voice. I think it scared him. Chase seems to be full of joy. His daycare teachers say that Chase is the best baby. He hardly ever cries or fusses at the daycare and they say he plays himself hard. I love to hear special things about my baby from others. It is so wonderful.

40th Wedding Anniversary Party

40th Wedding Anniversary Party...

It was a perfect night. The tables were clothed in white, and light gray. Confetti littered the tables with light colored fresh flowers as center pieces. Balloons littered the ceiling with long hanging strings. A big heart of balloons with a special banner hung on the wall. All our special family came to honor my parents for their 40th wedding anniversary.

There was a table in the kitchen lined with smoked Turkey, smoked Ham, fried chicken, dressing and giblet gravy. There was green bean casserole, corn, mashed potatoes, chicken rice broccli casserole, northern beans, salad, deviled eggs, pea salad and rolls. On the desert table, there were 2 pumkin pies, 2 cinnamon apple pies, 2 pecan pies, 2 cheesecakes, huge tub of banana pudding, bread pudding, an anniversary cake and orange sherbert punch. There were soft drinks and tea also. Everything was just wonderful.

We had all arrived at the First Baptist Activity Center, except for my parents. My mom was under the impression that it was just a Thanksgiving dinner. She was very surprised when she walked in and saw everyone. It felt wonderful to hug everyone and to see every one. We so enjoyed the wonderful fellowship. Ashley and Gwen sang a song from the Moldy Peaches. The kids played basket ball and dodge ball in the gym. My dad and uncle and brothers played pool in the game room and all the women stayed in the dining area and did what we do best...hackle...It was great. Chad and I had gotten my parents a movie ticket package.(2 movie tickets and a $25 dollar visa gift card.) BUT THE OTHER GIFTS!!! I was not expecting. They were great. I think they got dinner gift cards to Red Lobster, Outback and I am not sure where else. Someone else gave $200 dollars. I was surprised. What a blessed 40th anniversary.


Special thanks to my brother's girlfriend, Heather. I could not have done this without her. Also great and special thanks to Heather's mom, Paula. She provided all the beautiful flower center peices. SO SPECIAL. (I was blessed that she owns a flower shop!!) A very precious and special thanks goes out to my baby girl, Ashley. She created the video of mom and dad's life!!! What a talented girl. I am planning on uploading it to Facebook once I get the opportunity. We had a wonderful evening.

Vision...

Sometimes, I wonder where my vision is. Have I lost sight of it? have I lost my goals and dreams? I don't think so. I guess as you get older, your vision and dreams change. What I want, I see in site. I can reach for it but it is slightly out of reach. I wished I wouldn't waiver so much!!
Lord help me!

Change...

Change...

I see so many things changing around me. My kids are are growing up. Work has changed the familiar system I am use to working with. We are trying to sell our house and move. I'm not afraid of the change or fearful. I might be a little sad but I am also excited. I guess making change isn't bad but can be a little sad. Sometimes you want to hold on to things of familiarity but sometimes letting go is the better thing to do. Learning and growing has a way of making one's life richer. I am not talking about money but in knowlege, culture and living. I am ready to forge ahead and move beyond the familiar and become vulnerable to the new of what life has to bring. We never know if it is good or bad until we are there. The good thing about that is we can always change it if we don't like it. If we do, we will change in growth. I guess change occurs everyday. We just seem not to notice unless it is something that takes us out of our comfort zone. Change...

Zooday!!!.

Chad, Chase and I went to the zoo this past weekend. WE HAD A BLAST. Chase, I think, was most fascinated with the aquariums of fish. He did show interest in some of the animals like the Big Tortoise, and the Gibbon monkeies but his favorite was the fish. The next thing, Chad, I think enjoyed playing at the zoo park. Chad and I enjoyed a long nice walk. What a great day!

Amazing Grace...

Amazing Grace…

We are doing a series at church on Grace. How sweet it is. We watched a clip from a movie that I really can’t tell you the name of. I can’t remember the name to be honest.
(The setting was back in the Medieval times)The clip showed a man who was imprisoned for stealing. I believe he was stealing because of the lack of food. After time served, he was released. Anyway the law was that the person had to wear a symbol that represented that he had been convicted. This symbol prevented him from being hired by anyone and from being able to buy shelter. This man found himself in the same position as before he had gone to prison. However, a priest and his wife took in this man. The man again, stole from the priest and his wife. He was caught shortly after leaving. The priest and the wife had no knowledge of the thievery. When the guards showed up at the priests home with the man and a sack full of stolen silver, the guard waited for the priest to verify that the items were his. Instead of saying yes, these were their items and had been stolen, the priest looked at the man and said, “Oh my, you forgot to take the candle stick holders. Wife, run in and retrieve the candle sticks holders.” The guard asked the priest to verify then that he had given the man the items to sell. And the priest said, “yes, I give this man these items to sell.” The guard unbound the man and let him go. The guards then left. The wife came with the candlestick holders. The priest placed them in the bag with the other stolen goods and told the man, “now you are changed”. The man asked why? The priest let him know that Grace had been imparted to him.

Even though this man did not deserve his freedom, grace was given to him. God is good. Even when we don’t deserve it, He grants us Grace daily. I thank God for his grace.

The man went on to be great. His life took a turn to where he was put in a position to grant Grace and help others. I pray that we can grant grace so freely to others that have hurt us or somehow wronged us. This is a hard thing to do. I know. I pray for the power and strength to give grace where it has been long denied.

Life cut Short...

Life cut Short...

There was a serious accident here this past week. Two young teenagers and and older couple hit head on. It seems that the teenagers were coming back from the local mall and lost control of the SUV they were driving crossing over the median and gaurdrails into on coming traffic on the highway. They struck an older couple. All four people involved were killed instantly. The wreckage was unbelievable. The vehicles were not recognizable as vehicles. My heart feels so broken for the parents of the two 17 year olds and for the family of the older couple. This is worth keeping the families in prayer. We never know when our time on earth is done. We have to tell others about Jesus.

The Broken Ones...

The Broken Ones

You know it is so easy to judge. We sometimes do it without thinking. We just think it and think nothing more about the thoughts we had. I heard this song on the radio the other day and I just broke and cried. I guess I never consider the journeys of other people’s lives. How sad for me. I know there are a hundred times that I have passed up to be a blessing to others and either didn’t realize it or was to absorbed with my own cares in life. Any way, this song really ministered to me. I hope the words minister to you. I know that even if I couldn’t help in a financial way or any other way, I know I can PRAY. (see the lyrics to this song at the bottom of the first song) Maybe, these songs can be found on youtube.com and you can listen to them.

The Broken Ones The Talley Trio Maggie came home one day with a raggedy Raggedy Ann She said, "Mama, look what I found in the neighbor's garbage can" Had a missing left arm and a right button eye hanging by a thread She carried it gently up to her room and laid in on her bed (Chorus) She loves the broken ones, the ones that need a little patching up She sees a diamond in the rough and makes it shine like new It really doesn't take that much, a willing heart and a tender touch If everybody loved like she does; there'd be a lot less broken ones Twenty years later in a shelter on eighteenth avenue A seventeen year old girl shows up all black and blue Needle tracks in her left arm; almost too weak to stand She says, "I'm lost and I need help" as Maggie takes her hand And says, "Come on in" (Chorus) If you call her an angel, she'll be quick to say to you She's just doing what the one who died for her would do Love the broken ones, the ones that need a little patching up See the diamond in the rough and make it shine like new It really doesn't take that much, a willing heart and a tender touch If everybody loved like He does, there'd be a lot less broken ones Tag: If everybody loved like He does, there'd be a lot less broken ones



I Can Pray (Dove Brothers) Verse 1 You say I’m not able I’m too young or I’m too old And I can’t sing or teach And no title do I hold Lord, what can I do? For I want to do my part And I want to help the hurting With all of my heart Chorus I can pray until the walls come down Until there’s healing all around That’s something I can do I can pray in my secret place Calling on your name That’s something I can do I can pray Verse 2 My family shows no interest My child has gone so far Though I try my best to reach them Their hearts just seem so hard Lord what can I do? To help bring them back to you For my family’s lost and dying And my words don’t get through Repeat Chorus You may not be a preacher You may not be a Sunday school teacher You may not be able to sing But friend there’s something we all can do You can pray In your secret place Calling on his name That’s something you can do You can pray, I can pray, we can pray I can pray, you can pray I know you hear us Lord when we pray We will pray I will pray Will you pray?

The Broken Ones...

You know it is so easy to judge. We sometimes do it without thinking. We just think it and think nothing more about the thoughts we had. I heard this song on the radio the other day and I just broke and cried. I guess I never consider the journeys of other people’s lives. How sad for me. I know there are a hundred times that I have passed up to be a blessing to others and either didn’t realize it or was to absorbed with my own cares in life. Any way, this song really ministered to me. I hope the words minister to you. I know that even if I couldn’t help in a financial way or any other way, I know I can PRAY. (see the lyrics to this song at the bottom of the first song) Maybe, these songs can be found on youtube.com and you can listen to them.

The Broken Ones The Talley Trio Maggie came home one day with a raggedy Raggedy Ann She said, "Mama, look what I found in the neighbor's garbage can" Had a missing left arm and a right button eye hanging by a thread She carried it gently up to her room and laid in on her bed (Chorus) She loves the broken ones, the ones that need a little patching up She sees a diamond in the rough and makes it shine like new It really doesn't take that much, a willing heart and a tender touch If everybody loved like she does; there'd be a lot less broken ones Twenty years later in a shelter on eighteenth avenue A seventeen year old girl shows up all black and blue Needle tracks in her left arm; almost too weak to stand She says, "I'm lost and I need help" as Maggie takes her hand And says, "Come on in" (Chorus) If you call her an angel, she'll be quick to say to you She's just doing what the one who died for her would do Love the broken ones, the ones that need a little patching up See the diamond in the rough and make it shine like new It really doesn't take that much, a willing heart and a tender touch If everybody loved like He does, there'd be a lot less broken ones Tag: If everybody loved like He does, there'd be a lot less broken ones



I Can Pray (Dove Brothers) Verse 1 You say I’m not able I’m too young or I’m too old And I can’t sing or teach And no title do I hold Lord, what can I do? For I want to do my part And I want to help the hurting With all of my heart Chorus I can pray until the walls come down Until there’s healing all around That’s something I can do I can pray in my secret place Calling on your name That’s something I can do I can pray Verse 2 My family shows no interest My child has gone so far Though I try my best to reach them Their hearts just seem so hard Lord what can I do? To help bring them back to you For my family’s lost and dying And my words don’t get through Repeat Chorus You may not be a preacher You may not be a Sunday school teacher You may not be able to sing But friend there’s something we all can do You can pray In your secret place Calling on his name That’s something you can do You can pray, I can pray, we can pray I can pray, you can pray I know you hear us Lord when we pray We will pray I will pray Will you pray?

Where did her mind wander off too???

Where did her mind wander off too???

Have you ever looked for something like your sun glasses, spending at least 20 minutes to an hour on the task before realizing, they were sitting on top of your head all the while!
OR your purse before realizing it has been on your arm the whole time?

Well, this is my Ashley. She does stuff like this all the time. The funniest one of late is when she stopped at a gas station to get gas. She put the gas in, went in to pay and then went back to her car and started to drive to her destination. She all of a sudden realized that she left her car keys on the counter and needed to turn around to go and get them. When she turned the car around, she realize, HOW CAN I BE DRIVING MY CAR UNLESS I HAD THE KEYS?? Need I say more?!

OK..doing this once is bad enough…but she did this TWICE.. HAHAHAHA. FUN FUN!

1st school day chatter…

1st school day chatter…

Ashley reported that her 1st day of school was “OK”. This is the typical teenage answer
I think she liked it more than she was willing to admit. She said all her teachers were nice and that she had a good day. This is good. Usually on the first day, she would come home with all the news on the BAD teachers. She had nothing negative to say on any of them. She did talk to us about some nice things in school. AND, I only thought we were through on school supplies. I guess some of the teachers invent needed supplies…like…a 400 count of POST IT NOTES?!
(is this for the teacher? Or the kid? HAHA!)

The school has what is called a PARENT PORTAL. This is where parents can monitor grades, lunch money, lunch purchases, absences, and receive emails from teachers. It also gives the student’s class schedule and access to email teachers. They have updated the site to allow teachers to list assignments for day to day to the whole year if they choose. Some teachers have done WONDERFUL and others have done nothing. Several of Ashley’s teachers have done wonderfully on this already. Her physics teacher has everything planed out through the end of OCTOBER. (She isn’t even teaching the first 6 weeks due to having a baby but has taken the time to get the site ready for her students!!!)
Ashley’s English teacher has vocabulary and literary terms listed for the WHOLE year. Ashley can never use the excuse that she left her words at school, if we have access to a computer, she can have the words right at her fingertips! I like this. OF COURSE, Ashley says “DEATH TO THE PARENT PORTAL! RUE THE DAY IT WAS INVENTED!”
I think it is great communication skills on behalf of the school . NOW we just hope all the teachers come on board. I know it is time consuming for them but if they had done the planning in the summer like the other teachers, they could have it all set up by now.
Oh well, just an opinion..hehehe.

Keeping snaps on Chase...

Keeping snaps on Chase...

Well, we will have to keep Chase snapped into his onsies. He can no longer just wear a tee shirt. The booger has learned to peel the sides of his diaper down and roll naked!!! gosh!

Faith...and a rocking chair...

Faith...and a rocking chair...

Tonight, I went to Chase's room to put him to sleep. I turned on a lullaby cd, sat down in the rocking chair and started to gently rock. As I sat there, I was taken back to how I was promised the rocking chair.

My mother in law and father in law had opened a little resale shop in Valley Mills. One day Chad and I went for a visit. We stood around talking at the little shop and I thought I would find some place to sit. There wasn't a lot of chairs so I sat in a rocking chair that they had for sale. It was really nice and cussioned.

For so long, Chad and I had tried to get pregnant and was not able. In my mind, I figured that it was just going to be that way even though I longed to have another baby. I prayed and wavered and prayed and wavered.

I commented on how nice the rocking chair glided. It was a glider chair. Then and idea came to me, I told my mother in law that if I was to get pregnant, I would want to have that rocking chair and she said OK, it was a deal. Well, as it turned out, the structure of the building in which my inlaws had their shop was weak. One day the store to the left of them caved and threatened my in laws store to cave. They had to move out. I figured everything would have to be sold but didn't think to much about the rocker chair after that.

When Chad and I found out we were expecting a baby, I was beyond excited. So was he. We both let our parents know. Chad had driven down to Valley Mills to visit his folks one day and found out that his mom and dad had sold their house and were moving to Arkansas. Chad came home and told me and asked about a rocking chair his mother had been keeping for me. I was really surprised. I figured that since the store collapsed that it must have been sold and didn't think anything about it. To say the least that was a special moment for me. I can't say how precious this memory is to me and will always be. We spoke a little thing in faith and even when I forgot or wavered, God didn't. What a precious thing my MIL did for me.

Problem solving day...

Have you ever had one of those days where things just needed tending to? Today was one of those days. FIRST, Chase

Pink eye Chase...

Chase has pink eye! This is his first real SICK Doctor visit. I noticed he had leaky eyes on Sunday. They were a little matty. Then Monday, he was good. No matting. TUESDAY morning, his eyes were sealed tight. It was kind of nasty. After prying his eyes open from warm water and a rag, Chase could see again. It was kind of sad...I couldn't look at his eyes without my own eyes tearing up...not because I was sad...it is weird. It just happened! I was able to take him to work with me this morning until I made him an appt. The doctor looked him over and declared..>PINK EYE.. wash your hands mom!!! We came to find out that 3 kids at his day care had previously had it within the last 2 weeks and we just found out today! A little upsetting! What if it had been chicken pox?! Anyway, he is on an eyedrop antibiotic. The doctor also said, that Chase had inherited a little bit of alergies from me since he has been congested since birth!!! I was a bit surprised. JUST SOME TID BIT INFO HERE.... HE WEIGHS 18.5 pounds.

Ashley school schedule....

We got Ashley all set up for school last week. She had schedule pick up today. When she received it, she had SPEECH twice. One of those Speech classes should have been Aerobics. (MS?) I had to call and try to get that straightened out. GEE!!!!

Ashley wisdom teeth bill...

I received a bill in the mail for having Ashley's wisdom teeth out. It was well over 1,000 dollars. I was shocked. The dentist office filed with my DENTAL insurance. However, the DENTAL insurance requireds filing with my normal regular insurance which is NOT dental first?? WHY DO I PAY FOR DENTAL INSURANCE IF THEY REQUIRE YOU TO FILE WITH YOUR REGULAR INSURANCE WHICH IS NOT DENTAL??!!! Ok...I call the dentist and they are going to file, wait for the DENIAL, then reapply with the DENTAL insurance...DOES THIS MAKE
SENSE TO ANYONE???

It may not seem like a lot...but it sure took up most of my day getting things straight!

Credit card whoas.... YESTERDAY FIX

You know that nice company I blogged about earlier? well it seems they charged my card again!!
I don't know who these people are nor have I ordered a thing from their site! I called the credit card company and disputed. They are taking care of it. They also told me that other people have been calling about the same company and disputing....SOUND LIKE FRAUD? Yeah, I thought so too. BUT...I was told, that this could happen again! Their advise, KEEP DISPUTING EACH TIME!!! Does anyone think that they should be turned in for fraud or am I the only one thinking this way? I cancelled the card and should be receiving a new card today or tomorrow...BUT, as I was told, this won't gurantee this company not charging my new card? WHY NOT? that wasn't explained to me very well. But...we'll see what happens with this card.

Butt Splash photos

Stacie, I tried best as I could to catch the butt splash in action but..(no pun intended)...Here is what I actually got. SMILE. This shows the back arch, you can't really see the lift of the bottom, then the water on the table, the side roll (he rolls to the side of the tub, which scares me, I think he is going to roll right out of the tub onto the table or floor.). Then water on the floor and my shirt after the bath, SIGH. We all shared the water together!!

Oh well...Hope you like these anyway!! HAHA.

Sometimes feathers, sometimes chickens...

We have all had those days where it seems like nothing we do makes a difference or nothing really seems to be going right. It isn't that we aren't trying, it's just that nothing is coming together enough to give us the satisfaction of accomplishment. These are my "sometimes feathers" days. This is where I lack the chickens. SURE all of us would love to be able to catch the chickens and have a nice hearty meal! We love the meat (pride) that seems to give us our fill and yes full we do feel! But on days where we lack sustenance and all we get are the feathers, these are the days that I find that I must really trust God and lean on His understanding and not my own. The arguement would be, BUT I HAVE TO EAT, Look at all the chickens I've caught today...meaning you had a really great day and acomplished much and you want your reward!!! Yet didn't Jesus say that Man should not live by bread alone but by every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God?!(Mathew 4:4) I know I am not talking about REAL food but about real life situations and spiritual growth. Somedays we don't know what direction we are going! Other days we amaze others of how much we have accomplished and are praised for those accomplishments! Our pride grows but not our spirit man. BUT... We don't always need the chickens, because we have God's word to sustain us. If we had our chickens every day, we would never know His word for our lives. His word for our lives is so much more fulfilling than the fleshy chickens that we think we catch on our own. (We wouldn't catch them at all if not for God's grace) The feather days gives us the opportunity to depend upon God. Living our life by the Words that proceed out of the mouth of God is much more fulfilling than the chicken days where we gloat in our own pride. The Bible says in Psalms 12:6 The words of the LORD are pure words; As silver tried in a furnace on the earth, refined seven times. I would much rather have my life following the path that God's words have spoken to me because I know it is truth. God's words are truth and Pure and if I am suppose to live my life by the Pure words that proceeds out of the mouth of God, then I will take my feather days and rejoice!

The Butt Splash...

My infant son who is 5 1/2 months old loves his bath time. He has since birth. Every day we have a routine. We get up get ready for daycare. I go to work. Pick him up after, feed him and about 30 minutes later, he has a bath. If we forget or try and skip the bath, he cries. Now that he is 5 1/2 months old, he thouroughly enjoys playing in the water. His newest thing is to lift his butt up and then let it fall HEAVY into the water causing a tidal wave of water on all sides to flow out of his baby tub. Needless to say!!! Both of us, the table and the floor have shared the bath together!

School Starting...

School starting…

Well, school will be starting soon. It is nice but sad too. My daughter is growing up so quickly. She asked me the other day, “Mom, Can you believe that I am going to be in eleventh grade”? I told her that I could believe it. She said, “I am scared”. I asked her why and she proceeded to tell me that she knew it was one more step closer to becoming an adult. I know that when I was a teen, I thought how wonderful it would be to become an adult. Then, I did become one and how I longed to be a teenager again. I didn’t count the cost of losing my childhood and all that was familiar. But as time goes, you adjust and realize the new found freedoms of being an adult. You also learn new rules of living. You still have the boundaries just rearranged in a different atmosphere.
I know that it will take her time to really adjust. She does have a bit of trouble dealing with change. With some encouragement and maturity, I am sure she will do just fine as an adult. I will continue to pray for her, in that she will make wise choices, find Godly friends and a Godly Husband. I have prayed this since she was born.
For now, I look forward to the last 2 years of school for her. I want to savor every moment that I have with her. She is such a joy and a blessing in my life.

Leap of Faith...

Leap of Faith… At church one Sunday morning, they played a small clip from the movie, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. It showed Indiana Jones standing on the edge of a cliff. He needed to get across a great divide to the other side and retrieve an antidote for a friend who was on the same side as he. The span was so wide that he knew trying to jump to the other side was impossible. He stated “A leap of faith”. He then proceeded to put forth his foot and walk out. Immediately a rock bridge formed beneath his foot and spanned to the other side. He was able to retrieve the antidote he needed. I sat and thought about the clip viewed that Sunday. So many times, I find myself trying to hold on by my own strength refusing God the control that He has to make all things right by faith. What is it in me that make me feel the need to be in control? What part of the hidden little seed of doubt in my hearts makes me seek control? Do I feel that unless I control the situation that God won’t come through for me? I have to be honest with myself in asking these questions. My prayer for me is that I will have the faith spoke of in Hebrews 11:1. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Like Indiana Jones, He took a leap of FAITH and not a leap in the PHYSICAL. My prayer is that I can walk by faith and not by sight (II Corinthians 5:7). I know that I have to trust God more and lean not unto my own understanding else I fall and fall hard. Journeying through life can be sometimes difficult and challenging but I know that God is in control when I surrender my weak control to Him and start walking by faith and not by sight. This is hard and scary when we are use to surrendering to our own flesh wants. God help me not to doubt but to have faith to trust you with my whole life and my families.

Baby and Doggie Love…

Baby and Doggie Love…

I started getting ready for work this morning. To my surprise, Ashley was awake. She had planned to stay the night with her cousins in Robinson. I was supposed to take her early and drop her off before work. I am putting my makeup on in the bathroom when Ashley calls for me. I don’t make it in time but the dog had climbed into the bassinet with the baby. The dog was lying on top of Chase’s tummy and legs. Now the bassinet is tall. So the dog jumped on our bed, leaped over the side of the bassinet and onto the baby. This of course woke the baby. So for a few minutes, the baby and dog were awake together in the bassinet!!!

Anniversary Weekend....

Anniversary Weekend ...

Chad and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary on July 24th. We decided to plan a small trip to San Antonio for the weekend of the 25th. We had planned to drive down early Saturday morning and come back Sunday evening. I reserved a room at the Menger Hotel for Saturday night. Friday afternoon, Chad called and asked if I wanted to leave that night. I was all for it. When I got off work, we hurriedly packed and we were off. Now, I know most Anniversary celebrations are suppose to be just a husband and a wife trip, well we decided to take our children, plus a friend of Ashley’s. Ashley and her friend were going to go to Fiesta Texas all day Saturday. The trip down was nice. We did have to pull over once to feed Chase and give him a small break from the car seat. He did fairly well. It was late by the time we reached San Antonio. Now, we had to find a hotel/motel room for the night. We searched and searched and everywhere we looked the signs were posted “NO VACANCY”. We were surprised. It seemed like the whole city of San Antonio was booked out. We must have stopped at 20 different hotels. We were not going to give up. About 2 am, we finally found a room. The room was a double but clearly they were having some repairs done in the bathroom. It was scary turning on the light in the bathroom because the NOISEY fan would come on also. The fan was UNCOVERED and dropped black pieces of filth on your head while using the potty. The beds however were so comfortable! We slept till about 8:30am. We then got up and ate at a little Mexican Burrito place. The prices were very cheap and the food was fantastic. After leaving the Mexican burrito place, we drove Ashley and her friend to Fiesta Texas. The drive was very nice. It was very scenic. There were lots of shopping places along the way too. One day when I have some money, just to spend, I may go back and do just that! Dropping off the girls was quick and easy. I had my mind set that we would have to wait through a long line of cars and have to pay some type of fee. THAT WAS not the case. The park actually has a drop off and pick up place. It was an easy in and an easy out. Of course, I checked to make sure Ashley had all she needed.(money and coupon, to get in at kid price. That was the special, everyone pays kids price. After dropping off the kids, Chad, Chase and I drove to the Menger hotel. The hotel is located right behind the Alamo and connected to the River Center Mall. It was established in about 1856. Very historical. The inside is decorated so lovely. They have lots of OLD furniture decorating the halls. The rooms are very nice also. We had two full beds. The entrance of the room opened up to a counter topped mirrored wall facing the door. The bathroom was to the left of the counter. You had to go around the wall to get to the beds. It was so lovely. I don’t know how we managed this, but our room had a balcony that overlooked the whole pool area. JUST BEAUTIFUL. There were about 2 rooms with this view, ours and the one next to us. Not all the rooms had balconies. We were impressed. Another neat thing, Any where you parked in downtown San Antonio, you would have to pay a fee. Well, we were able to pay our fee at the hotel and enjoy the benefit of valet parking! Nice. I am not rich nor do I pretend to be but that was nice.
Chad and I got ready to go to the River Walk with Chase in his stroller. We walked down to the Buckhorn Saloon Museum. It is a historical museum that tells of the Texas Rangers and also has ROOMS of stuffed animals from around the world. It was kind of like walking through a zoo without the fear of being eaten alive because there were no barriers. Chase was very captivated by the stuffed animals. The Texas ranger part of the museum was FANTASTIC. They have it set up like an old west town. They had a Pony Express/Newspaper office where the people would type up stories for their paper and also send off boys to deliver the mail! Dangerous job!
The ad called for wiry, gangly boys under the age of 18 to run the pony express! They had a sheriff’s office that held a sleeping prisoner. Wanted posters were posted all over the walls. One poster was “Wanted Dead or Alive, Jesse James, $25,000.00 Reward”.
Another, “Wanted, Dead or Alive, Billy the Kid, $5000.00 Reward”. It was great. They also had a livery stable that advertised renting a horse or horses for a day, week or month. There was a bath stop, 25 cents, soap and towels free! It was a very awesome place. There were wax people in different scenes with a button to push to hear about the history of what was taking place. There were pictures with writings beside them telling the history of how Stephen F Austin and others founded Texas. I loved this.
The museum had a little restaurant and Chad and I ate there. There was a man there with his guitar playing old trail songs and even so modern country songs (George Straight, All my ex’s live in Texas). He also did “Deep in the Heart of Texas”.
Chad, Chase and I strolled back to the hotel to rest. Around 6:oo, our hotel phone rang and Ashley was ready to be picked up. We drove back to get the girls. Once in the car, they told us that the gate person had made them pay full price to get in, ($15 dollars more than kids price). The guy at the gate had taken advantage of the girls. When Ashley asked about it, he totally ignored her. I was angry about that. They also had to buy a locker to place her friends purse in. All the $13 dollar lockers were taken and they had to purchase an $18 locker. The locker machine took their money the first time. Ashley explained this to the locker keeper. He told them that was too bad and made them pay $10 more for the locker. They lost a lot of money that day!!! They ended up putting what little money they had left together to buy supper and a drink. I thought about calling the park and complaining but let it go. It was done. The girls had a great time anyway. It was just HOT and they tired quickly!
Sunday morning, we walked the River Center mall and stopped at Starbucks. We walked lots and decided to go down to the River walk for Lunch. We ate at Casa De Rio. After lunch, we drove back to Waco. Our trip was great. After resting a while, we met Chad’s sister and family at Golden corral for supper. They came down from Africa. We had a great visit. My nieces and nephew have grown so tall! It was so nice to see them. Our anniversary weekend was great!

Whimsome Ramblings....

Baby Joys…

I love that sweet, sweet smile the first thing in the morning when the baby wakes up. He rarely wakes up crying in the morning. After the smile and about 5 minutes, if his breakfast bottle is not ready, THEN, I get the cry. What an angel. I can almost be sure that when the baby wakes, He will be smiling up at his momma.

Teenager Joys…

A lot of times, my teenager daughter suffers with insomnia. She sometimes takes a non addicting/non habit forming sleeping pill. Once in a while, I will wake up in the middle of the night and find that she is still awake unable to sleep. Some times these are the best shared moments together. I will lay with her and we talk. It can be silly things or serious. Last night was one such night. We were reliving some of the cartoons and shows she watched as a little girl. We giggled and laughed as we talked about the funny parts of them. It was great.

Husband Joys…

My husband and I rarely have a chance to just sit and talk for long conversations due to many uncompleted tasks that need attending to. Early mornings or late nights can be very special. This is when we are able to sit and chat before he leaves for work or doze off to sleep. I enjoy these special times of sharing.

Tomorrow we will celebrate, 15 years of marriage together. This is so dear to my heart.

Credit card whoas…

Sooo. You go on line and realize that your card has been charged by a company that you didn’t place an order to. WHAT TO DO!? Well, the obvious thing to do is contact the company to inform them that you hadn’t purchased anything from them. You get to their website and find the CONTACT US information or the CUSTOMER SUPPORT information…which these two things take you to the same page. It is an email messaging system. No phone numbers, no addresses, just a messaging system. I have left 2 messages and no return email. I even left my day number and evening number, no phone call. How frustrating. Now, you have to wait till your statement posts to dispute. What a headache.

Weekend look forwards…

About the middle of the week, Wednesday, hump day, lets get past it so that I can look forward to the weekend. WE ALL DO IT…smile. Happy looking forward!

Midst of the Hurricane

Midst of the Hurricane

Sometimes life can feel like a hurricane waiting to hit. I guess the intensity can depend on each situation. Recently, my family and I have gone through one of the worst hurricanes in our life. I would rate it a category 5 tipping the scales to a 6 if there could be a 6 strength. My 16 year old daughter, at the time 14, met a boy from our church. My daughter had always been the type to invite others into the youth group and get them involved. She was a very happy and joyful girl. This boy seemed alone and quiet. She went over and introduced herself. She always did this. She invited the boy to come and join the youth group. He did and they were acquaintances. In December of 06, the boys father had a heart attack in their home. For some reason, the boy called my daughter to pray. Unfortunately we did not get the call. My daughter had recently gotten grounded from the cell phone for going over her limit on minutes. The father ended up dying in the boy’s home. A friend of our daughter’s was able to reach us by our home phone. She let Ashley know of the death and that the boy was trying to reach her. We allowed her to call. The boy asked her to go to the funeral. We thought this would be a great way for her to show support and allowed her to attend. I took her. From then on, the boy and my daughter became best of friends. Later, it turned into a “boyfriend/girlfriend scenario”. I wished I would have jumped in and stopped it. As I do with ALL of my daughter’s friends, I met the mother. She seemed very legitimate and very Christian at that time. I decided to try and get to know the mother more since she had just lost her husband and thought she might could use a friend. The family was very wealthy as the father had been a doctor and had left his wife with money, a life insurance inheritance and she had received an inheritance from a past relative. They would be ok “financially”.
The more I talked to the mom, the more she seemed like a strict mom. Then one day we were hanging out waiting for our kids at a movie and she told me that her son had started having some depression. It was understandable considering that the boy had just lost his father. Then, she said that her son had a gift to see demons. That took me a step back. It isn’t that I don’t believe that demons exist, because I do, If I believe the Bible as being the true word of God then, I have to believe the part that demons do exist but, I also believe that if you have the gift to see them, that you should also have the gift of sending those things packing. This was not the case. The mom felt that it was “OK” for these things to hang around. NO BIG DEAL, she said she saw demons too. This is where I get very uneasy. I started noticing a change in my joyful daughter. In a matter of 3 months, she had started changing drastically. She didn’t hang out with her friends any more and she didn’t go out to do things. She started secluding herself and cutting herself off from everything and everyone. I felt that this relationship was not healthy for her. I talked to my daughter and told her that she and the boy couldn’t hang out and see each other anymore. She became very upset and ran away from home. This is when my husband and I searched for some answers. We looked into her room and found some things such as homemade Ouija board, very dark writing and some dialog between my daughter and the boy. He had basically told her that she was too nice and that he would show her how to change. It wasn’t something he could tell her but SHOW her. We were shocked. We also found poems with curses against my husband and myself. We were finally able to bring my daughter home that same day she ran away. However, the boy and his mom had called CPS. I had been married young and my daughter was from my first marriage. Her birth father had stopped seeing her when she was 5. She had been forced to visit sporadically between the age of 3 and 5. During that time, unknown to my husband and myself, (I had remarried to a wonderful man who had adopted my daughter at age 10 ) during a summer visit, Ashley’s birth father and 2 uncles had molested her. We never knew about it until my daughter ran away. This is why the mother and boy called cps. CPS came and talked with Ashley. Then with us. We were bewildered that the mom had put a report against my husband and myself for “medical neglect” when we learned that Ashley had cut herself on her arms. We didn’t even know she did it. I was so angry. However, CPS found no such medical neglect to be true. They ruled out the neglect accusation. (They believed it was a retaliation for us breaking up the kids). We did put Ashley into hospitalization for the cutting for a week. We also had to put her on anti-depression medicine too as now she was suffering with depression. (she was so happy before she met this kid). As Ashley began to do better, we found that the boy had introduced her to WICCA. Witchcraft. We found that they did more than just dabble. I couldn’t understand it because, when they were with me, they were always with me..not by themselves. The mother assured me that when they were with her, they were not by themselves. I found out later this was not true. The mother let them have free reign. I was shocked. Even after breaking up the kids, the mother of the boy started sneaking the kids around. I was furious. They had even purchased a cell phone for my daughter to use since hers had been taken away for punishment on over exceeding her minutes. I WAS MORE FURIOUS. I told my husband NOT to take the phone away so that they would see that she would go over the minutes. THIS WORKED TO OUR ADVANTAGE. When the boy and his mom received the phone bill, they noticed several calls to the same number for hours at a time. My daughter made friends with other boys and girls from her new school and would call them on her NEW CELL phone. The boy was curious. He called the numbers and found that some of them were boys. He was livid. I knew this would happen. I KNEW IT. This made the boy show his TRUE colors and abusive tendencies. He was so hateful to my daughter and finally ended the sneaking relationship for good. THANK GOD. This is what I prayed for. Since then, my daughter has had to go back into hospitalization a second time for cutting. She still takes medicine for depression. She has struggled with self worth and confidence. It has been about a year now. She seems to be doing better. We are starting to see our a little of our old daughter coming back. She has added color back into her wardrobe and she is in steady counseling. She also meets with her life group leaders and has returned to youth and life group at church. I know that we still have a way to go with her. We will make it by the grace of God. I believe with all my heart that God has His hand on my daughter’s life. I have raised her to know the truth. I hold on to God’s promise that if I raise my children in the way they should go, in Him, that when they are old they will return and not depart from God. I have prayed for my daughter all her life. I mean sincerely prayed, constantly. I believe God and hold on to His promise. Even though my daughter knew the truth, she made some horrible choices that gave her severe consequences. She is learning from them a very hard lesson. So are we as parents. Even though we checked everything out about this family, we still did not know the truth about them. I know that God is faithful and merciful. I know He is the one to give praise and honor for brining my daughter and family through. Please parents, don’t let your guards down. This is just a portion of the story. I couldn’t even begin to tell the whole thing. There were such frightening events that my husband and I knew that our only hope was to rely on God. To lean on God. He is still in the healing business and He is still bringing us through. I will not lean on my own understanding, I will acknowledge God in all His ways, and He will direct our paths. Please, be prayerful with us as we are on our way in God’s healing power. This hurricane did not defeat us. Even though Satan rose up like a flood, God rose up and kept us from drowning. In the eye of this hurricane, God blessed my husband and I with a beautiful healthy baby boy. It was a blessing in our storm. My daughter adores her brother although she tries to act tough. She feeds him and holds him and loves him. I am grateful. I can’t say that I wasn’t angry and I that I understood, because I didn’t understand and I was angry. I asked God why so many times. I am learning how to say BLESSED BE YOUR NAME in both the good and bad circumstances of our lives. I stand and say that this hurricane has dissipated. The sun is beginning to shine again. I praise God for all the prayer warriors who warred with us through this.