A Good Goodwill Day!

I have often read on other's blogs about finding great things at Goodwill. Usually there is a lovely picture with darling tea cups, teapots, and other fine china that have been scooped up and taken into their lovely homes. There are also pictures of beautiful table linens that have been abandoned. I, on the other hand, haven't ever found anything half as great as these ladies, until today. Nathan had his regular speech appointment and I impulsively decided to swing by my local Goodwill before going home. I really wasn't expecting to find anything. I am usually excited about treasure hunting, but since I have been disappointed in the past, I didn't hurry to the back shelf where the dishes and glasswares are kept. In fact, I think I was snubbing them for not having anything awaiting me before, so I casually strolled through the many racks of clothing acting as if I didn't care. Imagine my surprise to find not one, but two tea cups and the matching saucers!


I paid .49 cents each per cup and .39 cents for the saucers. Can you believe that?

As my eyes scanned the rest of the shelves, I found this lovely Noritake bread and butter plate. I don't have anything else that matches, but I couldn't leave it there all alone, could I?



I placed these pretties in my little "hand basket" and was ready to look for those table linens. I mean, after all, I was having a good day! I soon changed my mind about the linens. There was too much stuff all strewn together in that bin. Bed linens and table linens in one. I know, I know. There was probably linen treasure galore at the bottom of that heaping pile, but I don't think I was quite ready for that adventure. I will save linen hunting for another day!

Copyright Infringement

I am sad to say that I had to change my beautiful banner due to the fact of copyright infringement. I found it one day while "surfing" the internet and just loved it. While surfing a few days later, I found the rightful owner of the photo and felt the need to do the right thing and ask permission to use it. The owner was very gracious and thanked me for asking, but I am sad to report she could not grant me permission as it is pending magazine publishing. *sigh*


I am really sad about it because I felt the photo was so "me", :)
but this has forced my hand........

I have thought about taking pics of my own things and using it for my banner for a while now, but haven't gotten around to it. I haven't been too confident in this area, thus giving me an excuse not to try. Sometimes we have to be forced out of our comfort zone. I find this true in all areas of my life. Yes, even in my walk with the Lord. It is so easy to get comfortable right. where. I. am. Definitely not what God intends for us. He wants us OUT there turning the world upside down for HIM! And all the while we are sitting around thinking we are not capable of such a feat even after all HE has equipped us with. He wants us to answer the call.Lord, forgive me for letting you down.



Well, now you have it......my very own things and you know, I kinda like 'em!

Bloggy Birthday Giveaway!

Iris is having a birthday! Go on over and leave a comment for a chance to win some great items. Not only that, you will be encouraged while visiting her site. Hurry up, you only have till March 31.

He Lives!!

I want to share some pics of our outdoor Easter drama. I wished I would have taken more, but I was too busy. We worked very hard in a short period of time to pull this off. Hope you enjoy.


We tried something a little different this year by having "Jesus" walk with a crowd and explain his life story at each scene starting with his birth.



Jesus with the children.



Jesus with the woman at the well.




Here is Jesus breaking the bread and yes, I know, we had a very tallll Jesus.







This is where Jesus was taken before Pilate and then led away.



















We have Jesus portrayed in lovely garments, but we know this is not how it was at all.





















Jesus comforting Mary and John.





I think I posted a couple of duplicates, but it so aggravating to try and fix it so.......bear with me here... *smile*

Refrigerator Tag

Beth tagged me with a refrigerator tag a couple of weeks ago. I had planned to do this sooner and had almost forgotten about it. As you can see, my fridge is loaded with pictures of my children, school papers, menus, and outdated calendar, recipes, and plenty of other things that need to be taken down. I didn't realize how messy it looked until I had committed to sharing my pics. So, ahem......I am embarrassed.....especially after viewing my friend's fridge's which are so much neater.

Should I Change My Blog Title?

Having at least one boy in my household before the arrival of Nathan, prepared me for anything I may find in my washer or dryer. I have found rocks, pens, crayons, seashells, paper, gum, candy, and an assortment of food particles. He taught me early on to check every pocket, button hole, nook and cranny so I wouldn't have an ugly scene awaiting me upon laundry exiting the dryer. It's just regular routine for me now, but I have NEVER found anything like I found Wednesday night. I was removing the clothes from the washer and placing them into the dryer methodically and then

when I reached down to pick-up another clothing item to place in the dryer,



imagine my surprise to find this:








Yes ladies, this is a banana. The actual banana that was in my washer. It went through an entire washing and spinning cycle and did not un-peel, de-peel, ummmm what is the word I'm looking for? Anyway, I have to say this is the first time I have been shocked in quite awhile. I picked it up and immediately placed it on this plate for photo purposes. I only wished I would have thought to take the picture before I took it out, but I was in a state of shock and removed it quickly to make sure I was actually touching what I was seeing.



I couldn't help but think of Shannon at Rocks In My Dryer mother of 3 boys and the cute header she use to display. I feel pretty certain she has found enough rocks in her dryer to landscape a couple of neighborhoods. A very cute inspiration for blog titlement. Hmmmmm......Bananas In My Washer..........

I don't think I'll change my title anytime soon.

Yipee!!

Yes, Denise! You guessed it! Anita is coming down to thaw out!! I am so excited. We didn't have much time together back in December, but we are planning to soak up every minute available this time. Will it be the beach, mountains, military base? Who knows?!

I have a lot going on at church as we are getting ready for our Easter drama. I have been working on the scenery. More particular the tomb. I plan to take pics to share. I have to run out again because I have a meeting at 6.

Easter! What a glorious time of year! Thank you Lord for giving us everlasting life through your death, burial, and resurrection! We can never repay you for such an awesome sacrifice.

Tra, la, la, la,de, da *singing*

Something wonderful is going to happen again and I am sooo excited!

Whew! That feels better! I don't know how much longer I can keep it a secret!!!

Spring Is In The Air

It is getting warmer around here and the beautiful buds of Spring are showing their wonders! My Bradford pear tree is in full bloom. I still have the unanswered question of why such a beautiful tree has such a bad smell. The pungent odor filled my nostrils today as I was descending my steps to take Nathan to his speech therapy session. Why can't they have a more appealing fragrance like magnolias or gardenias? Whatever the reason I will continue to enjoy the beauty, tolerate the smell, and give God the glory and thanks for sharing this creation with me.


I also praise God that I was able to descend the steps today. I have had lower back spasms for a couple of days. I wanted to rest my back, but I had to make that appointment. I tried to be very careful in every movement made. I did not want to let out one of those uncontrollable yelps in the middle of the office. Of course after all the conversation/gossip that was taking place behind the receptionist desk it would have been quite amusing to see their reaction. I could really go on a rant here about such things as that, but since I am trying to be nice I will let it pass. And if any of you ladies from the office are reading my blog (I know you're not, but just in case) how about keeping it down. I find it completely embarrassing to hear about other clients or your own personal information for that matter. I was eavesdropping by force. I mean if I am going to eavesdrop let me do it willingly...*grin*


Since I had to go out today I decided to drop by Goodwill. I have been planning to go on a hidden treasure search. I found plenty of mismatched cups, plates, and the such, mostly stoneware. Sad to say, nothing I was interested in. If I were in the market for a new sofa, I would have hit the jackpot. A beautiful Queen Anne sofa and loveseat came in while I was there. The price was amazing. I did purchase Nathan a toy jeep that was still in box for 50cents. I guess all the other treasures remained hidden. *sigh* I may try again later. I think my backache may have hampered with my shopping skills.


Anyway, as I was going to say in reference to my Spring title, I have changed my header. How do you like it? I know I am apt to change it again shortly, but I think I like it......for now......

Not Pictures I Would Like To Post

When I said that I would try to post some pics later, I had no idea it would be ones like this:








This was my new Mazda 6 last year, but has since became my daughter's and she hit someone on her way to work Wednesday morning. I am so thankful to my wonderful Lord that no one was hurt....at all....Thank-you, Lord! She was a bit shaken up, but no physical pain. I think she was more worried about how her dad and I were going to react.

The car is now in the "auto hospital" where it is well on the way to a speedy recovery. (I hope) The driver of the other vehicle seemed to be very understanding and hopefully the tons of solicitations for lawyer representation won't change his mind. Please pray that he won't. I don't have pics of his damage, but it seems to be minor. Our insurance will cover all expenses.......again, thank-you, Lord.

I Couldn't Pick Finer Friends!

I am so glad my "hat" didn't come sailing back out the door! I really don't know how I have gotten so far behind. I planned to blog about this and that, but it seems that I never have enough time for each post, so then I put it off and then......you see what happened. I have some pics saved on my camera and hopefully, when I get the batteries charged, I will have a few things to share.

Time is just whizzing past!! Truly, the days are being shortened. We are seeing the bible being fulfilled. Things that we use to see on the news in other parts of the world that we thought were utterly shocking and horrid are now happening in our neighborhood! WAKE UP AMERICA!!!!


There's a lot more that I want to post, but as I stated earlier, I don't have much time. There is a revival going on at my home church and I plan to be there tonight. If I have time afterwards I may come back and try to update some, that is if I can think of something interesting. I went to the Biltmore a couple of weeks ago. I know, I know, that's old news. I didn't take my camera.......*big sigh* I know how disappointed you must be since I have only shared 9,128,7364,557,908,766 photos before, but this is the one time we actually stayed at the Biltmore Inn. I FORGOT MY CAMERA!! My hubby had to resort to buying one of the disposables. He couldn't believe I didn't pack it. Yes girls, that's how far I have slipped from the blogging world. I can hear you gasping right now. So you see I was in far more danger than you realized. Thankfully I feel that I am on the path to recovery........

It's Been Way Too Long!

DECEMBER! WOW! I don't have enough space to update, (very embarrassed about it) but please forgive my absence. Being from the south, my hospitality should not be in such error. I remember my grandmother sharing with me as a young girl about southern manners and some interesting customs. One being that of "testing the waters", if you will, of your current status of your relationship. A gentleman was known to toss his hat into the front door of the residence and if it didn't come sailing back out, he was welcome. hehehehehe....So here it goes.......I'm tossing my hat........ Ummmmm, how about it.....do I have any friends left out there?

Debbie & Anita's Excellent Adventure (my version- hehehee)

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Ephesians 3:20


If someone would have told me when I started blogging that I would actually meet "real" people that would become "real friends" I don't think I would have believed them. After all, the internet is just this great big old "space" that no one can really get a hold on, right? Wrong.......not in this case!

As everyone is aware of we (Anita and I) have been planning this meeting for awhile. What I deemed impossible (she lives in another country you know) God brought to pass! I was excited from the beginning........and a little nervous. It is quite un-nerving to move the computer keyboard and monitor over and "blog" in real time! I told a few friends/acquaintances of my intentions and was met with the "hmmmmm, so, you're going to meet someone from the internet, are ya?" This was enough to quell further conversation. I knew in my heart Anita was not a serial killer *grin* let them think what they wanted. And even if she were, I thought as I left my hair appointment early Saturday morning on the "day", at least my hair would look good! *smile*

Anita finally called around 3:30 Saturday afternoon to let me know they were getting closer. Yay! I think I know how Paul Revere felt. I wanted to shout to everyone that would listen, "Anita is coming! Anita is coming!" seeing as to how I was in a business at that moment, I decided to stay quiet lest I get myself locked in the shelter for the night. We had decided to meet at the hotel a little before 6. I could hardly wait to see her! Time passed quickly, in fact, so quick I was a few minutes late. (sorry again, Anita)

We finally arrived at the hotel and Caleb and Nathan were out of the car in a flash. As Anita stated earlier, Nathan was the first inside. I could see there were a few people in the lobby sitting down. Although I couldn't see them clearly, I knew Anita was one of them. She was on her feet immediately and we were hugging each other and sharing a moment we had both anticipated. WE WERE NOT STRANGERS! I am convinced we are related. hehehee.......

I had it all planned. My husband would take a great picture of Anita and I meeting for the first time. Did this happen? No, it did not. *sigh* I really wanted a picture of that, but I treasure the ones I do have. Since Anita shared the one of us together I will try not to post the same ones. (I liked hers better anyway, *smile*)
This is Anita, as we all know and love, greeting Nathan and making him feel comfortable at the hotel. He was probably wondering what in the world was going on and who are all these people. hehehehee



You would think the way the guys bonded that they were the ones that had been blogging! Although neither one mentioned it, I think both of them had earlier thoughts of "what if I don't like this guy and have to be stuck him" Isn't God wonderful. These two weren't strangers either! They talked nonstop!



These are two I took before heading to the church to eat supper. Aren't they precious? Very handsome pose there Kirk and of course, Allie was dazzling everyone with her newly acquired "southern smile" I don't know where Brent was......




It was already dark when we left the hotel for the church, but I don't think it would have been a problem to see our way there even if we didn't have car lights. I think all of us were grinning so brightly our way would have been illuminated......oh wait.....
was that bright light from our grins or was it from a piece of jewelry someone was wearing of whom I shall refrain from naming..........hehehehee

Here are the girls at the church supper and...........


Here are the boys



Told you they were having just as much fun!

Oh, I forgot to show you my precious, precious gifts Anita gave me!
I anxiously opened this pretty blue box



to find this. I just adore it! Can you see how beautiful the pansies are? She knew I would love it!



She also gave me a can of the famous Tim Horton coffee. Graham is a BIG coffee drinker and will be the first to try it!


We decided to take a quick tour of downtown and then head over to the base. It was getting late so there wasn't too much to do. The kids decided they wanted to hangout at walmart and we were happy to oblige them so we could spend more time together. Anita and I got to ride in the back of her van and the boys drove. It was just like a double date! Since the post(military) is "closed" because of the w*r, we knew we would be stopped at the gates if we didn't have an official sticker on our vehicle. We would also have to provide ID's. We had to get out of the van so it could be checked but it was not as extensive as I thought it would be. I really wish it had been daylight.
Here is a couple of pics of Anita in the back of the van (these are great...did you spot her "ears"?!) and I took these of her taking pics of a place on post, those not too good, but I hope you can see.





These are a couple I took after returning to the hotel. We were getting ready to leave, but as you can see, my honey was engulfed in conversation.


We were having a great time, but we were all tired and knew we needed to get some rest for the next morning.

Anita did make it to church a bit earlier than we did, but we still got to sit behind them. Knowing they were not accustomed to the same type service as I am, I wondered what they would think. Not to worry though......it wasn't long before we were no longer defined by denominational boundaries. We were just God's children. Worshipping together. It was just heartwarming to see how much Brent was enjoying the service. I can't help but smile now thinking about it as I type this.

Anita had previously mentioned that they were planning to leave after church. I was hoping that we could have Sunday dinner together and when they agreed I was overjoyed! We had talked about Cracker Barrel earlier and decided this would be the place to eat. We were told that our wait would be 20 to 25 minutes, but we waited much longer than that. We were so caught up in conversation, we hardly noticed. We sat outside in the unseasonal, but beautiful weather and rocked and relished in our short time left together. Here are a few more pictures outside the restaurant.






And of course, here are a couple more of Anita and I. I just love her!




We finally got inside cracker barrel to eat and the fun continued.






There's my Brent! *smile*






I knew the inevitable was coming. I was going to have to see Anita and her beautiful family leave and head north. This is her family plus one of mine......*smile* right before they were to load into the van for the long trip.



I was feeling sad, but happy all at the same time. Sad because I didn't want to see them leave and happy for the time our lives had intertwined. I truly feel the Lord multiplied the time we had together. I know that Anita mentioned how amazing it has been and she is not exaggerating. Blessed, blessed, blessed. We have been blessed this past weekend. Things just don't happen the way our awesome weekend visit has happened. God has graciously blessed us with an extended family. Can anyone guess where our summer vacation plans are forming?