WAYYYYY to early

So it's 4:00 a.m. and I have already mopped my kitchen and downstairs bathroom. Can't seem to sleep, so I've been cleaning and praying, and praying and cleaning. I used to have these types of "early mornings" when Brandon was a baby, so it's been a while...but I have ENJOYED praying while I mop, singing while I swept and thanking God for all of his provisions. With Thanksgiving only a day away, I could go on and on with a list of all that I am thankful for, but I'll make it short =)

1. God's grace, forgiveness, love, protection, provision, and tenderness.
2. MY ENTIRE FAMILY including those who are already in Heaven..imagine the FEAST THERE!
3. Just being a mommy....though there are days it's easier than others...lol
4. My wonderful CHURCH family...without them I wouldn't have such a huge beautiful family!
5. My friends ... as cracked as some of them are... (SUSIE..lol) as the quote says:
"Blessed are the cracked, for they let the light shine through!"
6. MY HUSBAND...Sheldon is truly my best friend, the love of my life, the most wonderful father and spiritual leader that I could never deserve!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and may God bless your time with family and friends and may we truly be ready and willing to share our love for the one who gives us every blessing that comes into our lives!

Something OLD

So when my Aunt Roberta moved to Oaklahoma I had asked her to pass a few things on to me that meant something to her.... I have always adored her, and she is the reason that Sheldon and I really got back into the house of God over 8 years ago. To make a longgggggg story short, I got some wonderful things, an oil painting of Jesus praying in the garden that used to hang above her bed.... now, it hangs above ours. See, Aunt Roberta is my realy Dad's sister...he died just a little over 2 weeks before I was born in an auto accident. She seemed to be my life line to the one person in the world I wanted to know... Anyway, among other things that she found of my Dad's (some of this stuff was 30 years old!!) The funniest things are these 2 upside down clawfoot bathtub feet. My Dad painted them....I think I see where my randomness may come from...lol. They always used them as door stops in their house to keep certain doors open. I grew up playing in their house, and never once knew the story of who painted these funky looking things?? So Brandon was playing with "George Washington"...the story goes my Dad painted it to look like George Washington with a gas mask on because of all the chemical polution and the way the world back then was having so many issues (Vietnam..which he was in active duty for on the U.S.S. Tidewater) ANYWAY, back to George (Mr. Washington)and Brandon... I sat there and watched Brandon playing with George (I think he wanted to put a diaper on him, but that's besides the point..lol) and I grabbed my camera to get a picture of my little boys hands touching all over where his grandpa's hands had been probably 40 years ago. I was touched by how God puts these little blessings in our lives to keep us connected to those we await to see in Heaven and miss here on Earth with all of our hearts.

Just wondering...

It's amazing the things that can go through your mind while you're listening to a 5th & 6th grade band and choir performance ;) THEY DID GREAT!!! WAY TO GO KIDS, EVERYONE WORKED HARD!! Anyway, my mind starts wandering (it happens everywhere...lol) and I was thanking God for our community, for the quietness of our towns, for the way people really do seem to make an effort to come together and find common ground, help the needy, watch out for each other. So I then drift back a little farther (and I LIE when I say little...it was a LONG TIME AGO) when I was at that very same school that Darian was performing at probably a year or 2 older than him, and I started to think about being on stage and looking at everyone and thinking how HUGE this town was... then I thought about my mom, her sitting there when I was younger, and now me thinking of her as I watch Darian sing his little heart out (and my did he loook handsome!!!) So I brushed a tear (ok, maybe 3) away, and listened and video'd and took pictures of.... I mean, what else do we mom's do??!! Boo lookin handsome as always!Big brother...little brother =) NOTHING BETTER!

It seemed like an ordinary Sunday...

You know, those days where you're trying to get kids to eat neatly before you leave, trying to find everything like Bibles, diaper bags, watch and make sure the cat doesn't get out... just a typical Sunday..lol Then you have a service like today that really just brings your heart around to the place where home really is suppossed to be. Rick sang a song he wrote about Mary and Martha...the two sisters... where was the right place to be??? Busy..worrying...doing... or sitting at our Savior's feet? The Holy Spirit moved in such a tender way reminding us all that no matter how crazy, no matter how busy, no matter how rushed....the one place that truly matters is at the Savior's feet.

(oh, on a mommy note...BRANDON FINALLY got his haircut...lol) He doesn't look as much like a bobble-head now... =)

Time

I don't think we really understand the concept of time. Having a 14 year old, makes you realize how quickly they go from diapers to young men. Having a 2 year old makes you realize how quickly they go from infants to toddlers. I guess just watching your children grown should give us a better concept of time....I don't know. What I DO KNOW is that it had been over 2 years....yes 2 years since my sweet hubby and I had been out alone together...and....drumroll please.... we actually made it out to supper alone (thank you Mrs. Rathbun) on Saturday. May I just say that time meant the world to me that night.... no kids interupting, you mom he did this, or dad can you change the music, or can you hand me this or that, or when will we be there.... I guess I could go on and on... what it made me realize and remember is that if there is one person I can spend time with I always want it to be Sheldon... I miss him when he's gone to work, I miss him poking fun at my "little issues"..ok, my stupidity at some simple things...lol ANYWAY, just had to say that it will not be another 2 years before I steal my hubby for myself again... I don't care if it's to go absolutely nowhere, I'd rather be there with him than anyone in the whole world. After 11 years, I love you more each day =) I love you Sheldon.... and here's to the many more years to come..... I LOVE YOU STILL!!!!!

His Word...

So I wrote a verse on our "erase-board" magnet on our fridge, but I used a permanent marker...lol I knew this is a verse I have to constantly be reminded of to help me not worry about things. My sister came down from Joliet Friday afternoon, and she saw the verse (and she just lost her job, and goes to school...so she's got a lot to figure out right now) and she saw the verse on our fridge and said she needs to write that somewhere so she would see it all the time.

It's Matthew 6:34 Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Only by putting our mind on the right things can we truly not worry about the other things. I love the way the Bible can address every single thing in life that we go through and give us many verses to stand on!!!! Reminds me of the other verse that says ~ He gives them perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Him. Keeping our focus on the grace and forgiveness and love and protection and blessings that the Lord wants to give us helps us deal with the difficult times you encounter in life.

Special Friendships

I think one of God's greatest gifts to us is our friends. Our true friends who are there through the good and the bad, who cry with us, laugh with us, grieve with us, rejoyce with us, grow with us, and especially the gift of them loving our children. Brandon and our kitten (who is technically BIG enough to be called a cat but still sooooo young) reminded me of this the other night. Saturday night it was just me and little guy at home. He took his bath ~ which he invited Oreo the kitten to take with him, over and over again =) and when it was time to chill and watch TV, Brandon and Oreo took on their usual positions they have at nap time. Oreo snuggles so sweetly with Brandon, and Brandon talks to Oreo like he's a real life little friend of his. He tells him that he loves him, he shows Oreo his toys when he's playing, he picks him up and lets the kitten watch out the front screen door as his brothers get on the bus in the morning, he gets in Oreo's face and asks him what he's doing.. I could go on an on. The cutest thing is that Oreo absolutely LOVES Brandon. He is so patient with him even when Brandon isn't exactly "gentle", he lets Brandon carry him in some pretty uncomfortable positions without even getting upset... they always seem to be looking for each other if they're not together. When Brandon falls asleep, his arm is around his furry little friend. It reminded me of some special people God has brought to me as friends... Susie is one I have to say stands out as one of the best gifts of friendship God has ever given me. My momma loved her, she spent time with us as a family when mom was still here and we always had so much fun =) She cried with me as my heart broke when I lost my mom, she has been here for me every step of the way as I have learned to once again live life, she never makes me feel stupid when I ask a question, she is the biggest blessing when it comes to having someone in my life who encourages me as a mommy and a wife. Sometimes I don't think she knows how much I love her and appreciate her, yet at the same time I know that she loves me just as much...even if I'll never know why ;) I guess it's funny that my 2 year old and his relationship with our kitten can make me think to a deeper level and remind me to thank God for those special friends he brings my way.
Best Buddies =)
Sometimes it just takes a friend putting their arm around you =)

Burrrrrrrr

So it's finally here, the cold has arrived (I know, don't complain it's still not AS COLD AS IT WILL GET...lol). I have to admit I emailed some good friends in the southern states and told them how much I'm "looking forward" to (SARCASM..believe me) our first snow that they say could fall this weekend, and then told them how much I wanted to strangle them all when I saw on the weather channel that they're about 30 degrees warmer than we are =) BUT, I have to admit that I truly love the changing of the seasons. I don't think I'd like to live somewhere that has no big climate changes. I can remember once in Georigia on Christmas walking around in a t-shirt and it was nearly 70+ degrees, and I was sad!! It's suppossed to be cold on Christmas and there has to be some snow (I don't really like anything over 6 inches of snow....gets too crazy). In Georgia, they close EVERYTHING if it even starts flying, but they only have sand to put on the roads...no salt... kinda weird to see after growing up here ;) Anyway, just getting excited about the season, not necessarily the FREEZING temps and wind (not to mention wind-chill) but just about this time of the year where people seem to focus on their families with Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Years to celebrate. Now on a serious mommy note... Brandon is FINALLY making some serious strides in potty training!!! This to me, is more news worthy than all of the presidential election news we went through ;) WAY TO GO BRANDON!!!
Growing up sooooo fast!!!

Expectations

So having a family of 6 can get a little interesting sometimes. There are so many different ages of our kids, that we have one experiencing teenaged stuff with girlfriends, and all the interesting things that high school brings your way, not to mention the thought that in not even 2 short years he could be driving???? ...to a 10 year old who has a heart of gold (and Boo... no matter what any one ever tells you, GOD calls us ALL to be tender hearted... not just women, men have to have this in them too, and sometimes God gives some men a special tender heart and it will be what makes his future wife know that he's the one...that's how I knew your daddy was the one forever and ever) then comes Gav, who's ALL BOY..100 percent, tough as nails, rough as they come, yet sweet as honey when it comes to his ability to know when you need a little kind word as a pick me up... down to the "Terrible Two's" which I have to say ARE NOT AS TERRIBLE as I've been put through before...lol after having 4 other boys to make it through, Brandon truly is a breeze. He definitely has his moments of stubbornness, but he's met his match when it comes to his mommy and he's figuring that out. All of that I guess to say, that life comes with expectations, you raise your children the best you can so that as they grow up you see their character, their compassion, hopefully their undeniable love for each other, a heart for their church, a living breathing relationship with our Heavenly Father, a passion inside them to live out the grace of God as an example in your life everyday towards everyone. This seems like such a huge expectation when I think of how many times I get aggrevated, or I think I've said the wrong thing, or handled a situation in a way that maybe could've been dealt with diferently. So back to expectations.... I've learned to have expectations, to know that things take time...with each and every one of us, that time is different, but with the word and with love sown into every part, God promises us that our words will not return void.... So when we least expect it is when it seems our expectations play out in front of our eyes =)Time and Patience, Patience and Time

Been gone too long...

So through a variety of sicknesses in the house, war wounds from falling down the stairs, a major sinus infection, and yet 200 million things to do with concerts and fund-raising, I have been sooooo out of the loop =) AND, I usually write at night when everybody else was sleeping, but I found that my body was telling me to GO TO BED ... so I listened. Finally seems that everybody is doing better, of course nothing seems to be slowing down, but I can at least keep up when I'm up to par =) So here's a few shots of things that have been going on...Gav got his new guitar with his birthday money =)

Hallalujiah Night at the church =)

Brandon the glowing sound man =)
One last bloom before winter....I LOVE THIS ROSE BUSH!!!! Blooming in NOVEMBER!
Gotta squeeze in every chance to grill before the snow starts flying!
Loving the last of the warm weather =)
I promise to be blogging more often!