I know, I know, I've been slacking in the blogosphere. I have popped in and out to read my friend's blogs, even if I haven't commented for lack of time and I have prayed for those in need. I have kept my clothesline busy this week. All of my laundry has been hanging out in the wide open sunshine. I am hoping to see a difference in my electric bill. I don't want to go on a rampage here, *smile* but with gas prices the way they are every little bit helps.
Nathan is loving playtime outside. Hubs is suppose to get a smaller area fenced in the yard to help keep him contained. There is just so much for him to get into and that's not all. Fire Ants. I am almost convinced these are a plague. We haven't been able to get rid of them. I have never seen them this bad. We have put poison out for several years, but that only makes them move from one area to another. Gone are the days when you could get barefoot and fancy free on the luscious lawn.
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Nathan had his second appointment with his speech therapist yesterday. I don't know, but for some reason, I am unsure about this. Not with therapy, but with Nathan's responses to the exercise. The therapist had two stacks of pictures of boys and girls. She would hold one of each up at the same time and ask Nathan "which one is the girl/boy?" His only attempt of answering this was by reaching for one of the pictures. After his choice she would scribble something on her pad. This is where I was getting a little fidgety. What was she scribbling and why was I afraid to ask? I probably wouldn't have been so uncomfortable except I knew Nathan was making his choices based on what the girl/boy in the pics was doing or holding. Balloons, bikes, and bananas captivated his attention. That's what he was going after. I wanted to bring this to her attention, but *sighing* feeling a little intimidated, I said nothing. I will see how it goes next time.
Speaking of Nathan's speech, he doesn't make full sentences well. Yesterday, while I was in the kitchen he wanted juice. Anything we put in his cup for him drink is "juice." I heard him saying "mama's juice" curious as to what he could be talking about, I turned to see him holding my water bottle. He sure knows how to bring a smile to my face.
I don't know how much time I will spend on here. It's time to get the pool going and ya'll remember what a chore that was for me last year. Whew! I am hoping to get it going by this weekend. I am planning to have a few people over for a cookout on my BRAND. NEW. GRILL!
Yes, you read it right. Hubs decided not to take anymore chance and went out and purchased himself that new grill we had discussed previously. Yay!! Grilled steak is sooo much better than broiled. I have already tried it out and it works beautifully. I will try to post pictures as soon as I can.....if I don't forget.
Whew! Another week has passed so quickly and there is no time to slow down. We have a full schedule tomorrow and Sunday. We have a birthday party to attend for my hubby's uncle at the top of the day. His birthday is also an excuse to have a family reunion of sorts and since a few will be coming from out of town, we will end up staying longer than we usually would. This wouldn't normally be a problem, but we have other obligations for the evening. *sigh* I'm worn out just thinking about it. I wanted to get a few things done around the house, but they will have to wait.
Oh, how could I forget this? I missed my WW meeting today. I really wanted to go and weigh in to keep me accountable. I may try to get up extra early in the morning and make the first meeting. I may not have lost that much weight, but I feel better since making better food choices. I know how to do this because I have in the past. Just. Got. To. Get. Myself. There.
The meetings are so informative and we get a new recipe every week. Some good. Some yuck!
I wanted to pop in and do a quick post, but I can't keep sitting here. I have laundry to do and a few other things to take care of tonight. I hope everyone has a great weekend!
I have been tagged by Denise and Sharon to do the 8 Random Things meme.
Here are the rules :
Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves.
People who are tagged write a blog post about their own 8 random things and post these rules.
At the end of your blog you need to tag 8 people and post their names.
Don’t forget to leave them a comment and tell them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.
This was a lot harder than I thought. Some things I started to post and changed my mind. I wasn't sure that I wanted to reveal that much about my family. This is purely because of some privacy issues and since Anita experienced a little "turmoil" on a post awhile back, it caused me to re-think my list. So, now to tag 8 more, hmmmmm........ I think mostly everyone I know has already been tagged, but here it goes. Anita , Angel Mama, heartthoughts, that's all I can come up with so, if you're reading this and you haven't been tagged, please feel free to participate and let me know!!
Someone sent the following email to me and I thought the message was worth repeating so I decided to post it.
The Duck & the devil
There was a little boy visiting his grandparents on their farm. He was given a slingshot to play with out in the woods. He practiced in the woods; but he could never hit the target. Getting a little discouraged, he headed back for dinner. As he was walking
back he saw Grandma's pet duck. Just out of impulse, he let the slingshot fly, hit the duck square in the head and killed it. He was shocked and grieved! In a panic, he hid the dead duck in the wood pile; only to see his sister watching! Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing. After lunch the next day Grandma said, "Sally, let's wash the dishes" But Sally said, "Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen." Then she whispered to him, "Remember the duck?" So Johnny did the dishes. Later that day, Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing and Grandma said, "I'm sorry but I need Sally to help make supper." Sally just smiled and said, "Well that's all right because Johnny told me he wanted to help" She whispered again , "Remember
the duck?" So Sally went fishing and Johnny stayed to help. After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally's; he finally couldn't stand it any longer.
He came to Grandma and confessed that he had killed the duck. Grandma knelt down, gave him a hug and said, "Sweetheart, I know. You see, I was standing at the window and I saw the whole thing, but because I love you, I forgave you. I was just wondering how long you would let Sally make a slave of you."
Thought for the day and every day thereafter?
Whatever is in your past, whatever you have done... and the devil keeps throwing it up in your face (lying, cheating, debt, fear, bad habits, hatred, anger, bitterness, etc.)...whatever it is...You need to know that God was standing at the window and He saw the whole thing. He has seen your whole life. He wants you to know that He loves you and that you are forgiven. He's just wondering how long you will let the devil
make a slave of you. The great thing about God is that when you ask for forgiveness; He not only forgives you, but He forgets. It is by God's grace and mercy that we are
saved.
Everyday Mommy is hosting a blog design giveaway. How exciting is that? I would love to have a personalized design, but will be happy for anyone that wins. Go on over there and enter!
My mind has been so full of thoughts lately that everything just seems jumbled all together. There are so many needs and not enough people ministering (or so it seems) to those needs. I have been thinking about that last statement and feel compelled to ponder the "why not." Why are we not ministering to our brothers and sisters? I feel pretty comfortable in stating that there are countless reasons, especially when we bring it down to a personal level. Before this sounds like I am criticizing, I am totally NOT doing that, I want it to be known that I also realize there are many people/organizations that ARE ministering to the best of their ability. What I am referring to, is the the person sitting beside you on the church pew.
How well do we know that one that sits next to us? Do we know what they are dealing with day after day? Are we concerned? I have noticed that most of my friends and family that are serving the Lord, are kept so busy fighting spiritual battles, that they are constantly worn out. This alone has them beaten down and the thought of helping just one more is out of the question. Not because they don't want to, but because they feel there is nothing left to give or because they have let the devil convince them they are inadequate. How do I know this? I speak from experience.
I have sat on the pew and quietly thought about how I wanted to do more, but how could I? How could I possibly take on another burden onto my already overloaded "burden wagon?" Not that I would ever turn anyone away, verbally that is, but what about my actions? Were others able to see my almost flat, spiritual tires bending from all the pressure? Did this make me appear to be unapproachable? Dear Lord, I hope not. We are to carry things to Jesus, not for Him! I think this detail is forgotten somewhere along the journey.
So, as I am trudging along carrying all these burdens and just when I think I can't go another step, The Lord of hosts shows up! Suddenly our burdens are lifted away and we are refreshed and renewed by His Spirit! Nothing can compare to the presence Of God. This is exactly what happened in our Sunday morning service. The sweet presence of God surrounded us in His sanctuary and pointed us back to the cross and with "emptied wagons." I was reminded of the scripture in Acts 3:19 that I wanted to share.
19.Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.
Next time your wagon feels full, empty it out at the feet of Jesus. Don't try to carry it around needlessly. And by emptying it out, we will be able to minister to those that are hurting. I want others to see and feel the love of Christ in me. Only then will they be comfortable in letting me help carry their "load" to Jesus!
The cold snap we had at the beginning of the month was unexpected. I am thankful that we didn't lose to many of ours. I wasn't really happy about having to go out and cover my plants at night, but the results are worth it. I wanted to share these pictures of my light purple azaleas and my snowball bush.
Temperatures have been in the 90's for a couple of days until today. It is only in the 60's and sprinkling rain. Unbelievable. I am thankful for the much needed rain.
Wow! Has it really been a week and a half since my last post? I have been very busy with dr. appointments, family activities and church functions. The weather has been beautiful and we have taken full advantage of it. This has not left much time to blog. However, I have tried to pop in and out to check on everyone. Thanks to all you for your comments and messages of concern. You all are the greatest friends!
I have lots of things to blog about, but today is going to be about our latest trip. I have pictures!
This, of course, is Nathan on our starting journey.
This is a shot of the water from the bridge.
This is the front entrance to Pine Knoll Shores Aquarium. Too bad I didn't get all the boys in this one that wanted to dip their fidgety fingers in the pool.
I didn't capture the shark too well in this picture. He looks more like a shadow at the bottom. Can you see him?
This was the largest turtle I have ever seen swimming the way this guy was. He made me think of Little Nemo. Hmmm...speaking of that, I didn't see a clown fish this time.
Much to the boy's delight, they were able to touch the stringrays at this little area. Needless to say, there was much handwashing going on afterwards.
There goes the turtle again. I had a pic of his belly, but I don't know what happened to it. 
Here is Nathan and Amanda digging for shark's teeth. Hey, this is better than paying $3 for a couple of them in a small bag. 
The boys are sitting around having our packed lunch. This piques the interest of a few friends below.
Caleb decides to feed them.
>
These birds were aggressive!! I would have taken a shot of that, but I was probably trying to protect myself and family! LOL! These only represent a few of the many!
This is the Amanda crab.
Caleb crab and immediately below him is the Nathan crab.
For some reason, I always associate these beautiful "sun behind the cloud" views with Jesus' return. I picture Jesus with his foot on the bottom cloud with hands raised calling us to "come up hither." Glorious! 
This sunset appeared after a few more miles. Lovely, isn't it?
Nathan was worn out and slept all the way home. 
It was a long day, but one enjoyed by all. I was especially proud of Nathan for being so well behaved. I thought I was going to have a problem keeping him in the stroller, but I didn't. Yay! Caleb got to romp and stomp with his buddies and he couldn't have been happier. I was probably as worn out as Nathan, but couldn't get my "snore on" until after midnight.
God has blessed us with so many wonderful things to enjoy. We all need to take the time in our busy lives to do just that. Enjoy!
I don't think there has ever been a MORE beautiful day! I slept in for awhile this morning, but still was up early enough to have a very productive day. I feel like I started cleaning as soon as my feet hit the floor. Actually, I fixed Nathan's breakfast first and then it began. I took those steaks out of the freezer to thaw and went right to work. I wanted to rearrange my cabinet in the diningroom, but that will have to wait for another day. It was more of a day of straightening things up. I was able to get some things sorted that I have been planning to give away and that feels nice. They are in my trunk and ready to go! Yay for me!!
I had to take a short break to mail an important document that I had forgotten about. Since I live in the country, my mailbox is down by the main road. I got into the car and pulled down the drive to see the usually late mailman driving away from my box. Just seconds away. I proceeded to drive in his direction and caught him on the next road. Mail is mailed. *whew*
Have you ever noticed if you stop what you are in the middle of, it is hard to get right back to it? Well, this is what happened to me. Since I was already out, why not take care of a few other errands. I know, I was so anxious to get back and start scraping those rails! It was definitely on my mind. That is why I had to stop by walmart, ( I entered the lawn and garden area because I wasn't really dressed for shopping. Thus, I did not want to see anyone I knew. This is a sure fire way to see LOTS of people you know, take note to remember that next time.) and make my purchase of two, lovely geraniums. I mean, how could I have freshly scraped and painted porch rails without red geraniums to accent the work?
I finally got back home and decided to sweep my porch off while Nathan played outside. One thing led to another and pretty soon I was filling up the bird feeder, cleaning out the birdbath, and so on. I decided to trim the hedges and clip the underbrush from my river birch trees. This wore me out! It was starting to get late and I knew I wasn't going to get to those rails today. *sigh* I knew I needed to prepare the steaks for grilling. I have been looking forward to this ever since I mentioned it the other day. I marinated them while I prepared the potatoes and corn on the cob. Amanda wanted some BBQ bread and went to the grocery store to get some. I made a pitcher of tea and waited patiently for hubs to start the grill.
When he came inside and I knew something was amiss. Any wife that has been married awhile has learned to *read* their hubby's body language and didn't like what I was reading. I knew there wasn't going to be any grilling going on at our house. I asked anyway, you know, hoping I was wrong. Seems "the grill isn't acting right" and my thoughts of hot grilled steak faded quickly. Now, I really could have had a "field day" here as my grandmother use to say, but for the sake of keeping harmony and being a good wife, :) I restrained myself. I won't go into details, but let's just say that grills were on sale about two weeks ago and I pleaded with hubs to get a new one. The one we have is several years old and needs replacing, I reasoned with him. He informed me that our grill was JUST fine. Can you see where I'm going? :)
I got the broiler pan out placed our not going to be grilled beef on top, all without grumbling. Thank-you, Jesus. I lovingly finished preparing everything and we were seated and ate in peace. Thank-you, Jesus. I keep thanking Jesus because I could have blown it, as the usual act of my flesh and not heard the sweetest words of the day. After hubs had eaten and was resting on the couch I heard him make a softly spoken remark. I asked him to repeat it a little louder although I heard him the first time. "I wish I would have bought that grill" I don't know about you, but that sure tickled my ears! There is joy in serving Jesus! And honey, just in case you're reading this, I do too! You know I love you!
I presented the latter part of this post in a lighthearted way, but something can be learned here. Even though I have been in similar situations, sad to say, I haven't always used wisdom gained from my previous lessons. I have allowed the flesh to rise up and missed what the Lord would have me do. I am reminded of this when He tells us to "BE Still and know that I am God" He is always teaching us, if we are willing to learn, and again, I thank you, Jesus.
Who would've thought I'd have my very own Darth Vader?
Oh wait, or is it Batman?
NO PERMANENT DAMAGE!!!!!! ALL PRAISE AND HONOUR BE UNTO GOD!!!! THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPLE INFORMED US TODAY THAT UPON FURTHER EXAMINATION, (WE KNOW WHY!) HIS NECK IS NOT BROKEN!! PRAISE GOD!! HE IS FULLY RECOVERED!! I THANK GOD FOR HIS FAITHFULNESS AND YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS! I AM REJOICING OVER THIS WONDERFUL NEWS. HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!!!
I have an urgent prayer request. There was a celebration at school today for children who participated in a candy fundraiser. Upon picking my son up after school, I learned that one of the children had been injured. He fell off the back of another student during a relay race. He landed on his head. I knew the moment he said those words it was serious. I felt it in my heart.
After arriving home, I received a call from another parent who was concerned that it was my child from the description given. Thank God it wasn't. I have learned he has broken his neck. Please be in prayer with me. I would like to ask all that would, to please post this on your page so others can be praying. I serve a God that is able to mend this child's every muscle, bone, and spinal injury. Please pray that he will not be paralyzed, in JESUS' name! Also pray for the parents of the child. I don't want to even think of the anguish they must be suffering.
Ladies, can you believe I stumbled across THIS? Besides being a giving away, it is about TEA!!! I would be greatly appreciative to win. Wow! Wouldn't this be a lovely Mother's Day gift? I don't know if I can wait that long! I know! I know! I am just rambling on and on, but don't let me hinder you any longer. Go on over there and enter! Now Get!
I am ready for a get away weekend. I know it hasn't been that long since I was away on my anniversary, but it sure seems like it. It was soooo nice. Those treasured memories are strongly trying to persuade me to convince hubby to pack the bags and hit the road. It's funny how things change as you get older. He's usually the one wanting to spend time away and I am the one who reasons that we don't have the money to splurge.
I think I failed to mention this purchase from our last trip to the Biltmore House. Yes, my hubby purchased this lovely book for me from their gift shop. I was thrilled with this gift. I couldn't wait to get alone with it and devour every page. There are so many beautiful pictures and lots of recipes. I was also pleasantly surprised to find one of the same patterns I have collected, used in one of the tea settings.
Although the weather is suppose to be nice this weekend, I am sure we will spend it at home. We have unfinished projects that need our attention. My porch rails need to be scraped and painted. I can hardly wait to get started on that. (she said with sarcasm) Seriously though, I have plenty to keep me busy and I really enjoy working outside on nice Spring days. It also gives us a chance to crank the old grill up. I have some steaks in the freezer and a new marinade I want to try. Hmmm...... I am looking forward to it already.
Have you ever had someone tell you, other than your spouse, they want to be buried right beside you when they die? My sister informed me of this particular wish just today. Now, you would have to know her to realize how BIG this is. She is actually my step-sister, but since I dislike the thoughts associated with that term, I do not refer to her as such. We have a close bond and always have. She has always been the "planner" of the family. She has a schedule for everything. She is presently living out of state, but when she lived here, in my town, you had to get "penciled" into her schedule. She had the weekends and all the family activities well planned and organized and she made sure her time was spent wisely.
I wasn't expecting to get a call from her this weekend since she was home for Easter. I had gone to Ross', (big surprise) to browse around their fantabulous aisles when the call came. It's only fitting she would call me while I'm shopping. Did I mention that we are the absolute bestest shopping buddies? We were once hailed the Wal-Mart queens, but since being introduced to Ross, by me, of course, it has now been lauded as one of her faves also. Since she doesn't have one where she lives she is anxious to enter the doors of the one here when she is home. I am more than happy to accomodate her. Anyway, she ask me if I had gotten her message. I told her that I had not. She nonchalantly proceeded to tell me what she had been thinking concerning this burial idea. She also told me she knew of a place we could get our plots and how cheap they were. Now of course, I'm thinking she is just adhereing to her normal "plan ahead" behaviour. This would only make sense considering since we both have turned thirty, our birthdays come faster than a jet propelled anything!
She begins to tell me about a place she remembers visiting as a small child. These were family gatherings that involved all the hide and seek you could handle, as well as some roughing up by cousins that made you glad it was once a year gatherings. Easter. She was saying it was Easter festivities that brought them all together. With the recent Easter weekend home these memories were stirred and she remembered the small cemetary located on the same property. Upon further investigation, she learned she could purchase two plots for a very reasonable rate.
By this time I am standing in the aisle getting all sentimental feeling my heart being squeezed to the moment of tears. I am soooo honored. I mean, she wants me. ME to be buried beside her. Not her spouse or any of her children. ME. What in the world have I done in her eyes to be offered such a position? My life has impacted her more than I realized. My mind is in a whirlwhind of thought. Was it something I said? A simple act of kindness? Just as I was about to start babbling like an idiot and right before the snot started to trickle down my face along with crocodile tears, I composed myself long enough to finish hearing her reason. WAL-MART. She found out that Wal-Mart had purchased the site of those family gatherings. Along with the purchase agreement, the cemetary was to be fenced in and maintained with members of the family having burial options at reasonable rates. As a kind of shopper's last stand, she wanted us to be buried together on Wal-Mart grounds. Now is that sisterly love or what???
