Our Trip to Columbia

Sorry to be so slow in posting these, but let's try this a different way. All of my favorite pictures from our trip to Columbia SC last weekend are uploaded onto my Facebook page. I think it is much quicker to view them if you follow the links here. Let me know how this works ok?
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=260982&id=604280284&l=8abd55fd79
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=260742&id=604280284&l=f7935781f9
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=259615&id=604280284&l=75c63f4f1a

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=259609&id=604280284&l=ff8300c4e4
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=259602&id=604280284&l=06fd22e3a0

Hello

Sorry guys for not updating the blog lately but I have been SICK AS A BIG MUTT DOG! I will try to post later, but I am heading back to bed for now. Love you all!

Back from our weekend getaway!

We had such a great time on our weekend getaway! We went to Columbia SC and had a blast! I will post new pictures ASAP but not tonight, I am too tired and have a mountain of laundry to tackle! Check back soon for photos though!

Prayer requests

Just need to ask my bloggy pals to pray for a couple of folks.........

A young lady I know is in ICU after an overdose last weekend. Please pray for her.

My friend Steph's husband, Keith, is in the hospital in Ohio with cellulitis in his leg. Luckily, no blood clot, but he is very ill. Fever of 103. The life of the wife of a long haul truck driver is not easy!!!!!!!!!! Steph is balancing kids, work, home and having him sick many states away!!!!!!!!! Say a prayer for both of them please.....

Also, my step Dad Frank is very ill. Just lift him up please.

Sorry to be so vague about all of these, but some issues are very private and we need to respect people's privacy and feelings. Besides, God knows who they are! Thanks so much!

Thankfulness

God woke me up a few nights ago with instructions to write again. This time, about thankfulness. While I thought this was a rather unusual topic for this time of year, I must be obedient. His ways are higher than mine, so here goes.

Usually we take on a sense of thankfulness around holiday time, beginning before Thanksgiving and winding up after New Year's. It is easy to be thankful when you are prodded by Publix commercials and writing assignments for elementary school. A few years ago, we began the tradition of making a tree of thanksgiving, which is a large paper tree taped to the wall between our kitchen and dining room. I use a leaf punch, and punch out about a million little leaves it seems. We take turns writing things we are thankful for on each tiny leaf. It usually starts with the big ones, like our family, our church, our pastor, our home, but quickly evolves into things like our cats, toys, Dasani water, chocolate, etc.

What God placed in my heart this time is that we should be thankful for EVERYTHING. In His word he told us to be thankful on many occasions, in fact the entire 136 chapter of Psalms is about thanks. One of my favorite verses is Psalm 118:1 which says "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever." But what I felt God telling me to share is that we often thank Him for big things, like when someone is healed of an illness or comes through surgery or survives a car accident. But what about the little things? This is what He asked me........

When you shower and brush your teeth, do you ever thank Him for clean water?
When you cook a meal, instead of complaining that you have to cook, do you ever thank Him for the food?
When you get in the car to run countless errands and back out of the driveway, do you ever thank Him for your vehicle?
When you get dressed in the morning do you thank Him for clothes to wear and the means to wash and dry them?
When your child comes in and wakes you up early on a Saturday morning when You had really hoped to sleep in, do you thank Him for the gift He gave you in that child?

I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea. I know He made it clear to me.

In EVERYTHING.....give thanks. That's not just my words....read Ephesians 5:20.

Have a great day! And thank Him for it!

WHY????????

Why does my child, who up until recently was a complete mini version of me, all of a sudden now LOOK NOTHING LIKE ME?????????????????

My Wonderful Mother's Day

I had the best weekend! Friday Jamie came home and we went to Wal-Mart and had a lovely lunch together. We went to my Mom's that night at the beach and went out to eat Low Country Boil and crab legs....YUM! Saturday we rented a carpet cleaner and Jamie cleaned the carpet in THE WHOLE HOUSE even though I had just asked him to do the living room. WHAT A GUY! He also mowed the lawn and blew off the roof and cleaned the gutters. Then we ate BLT's and watched Madagascar 2 with Marissa before bed.

Sunday we went to church, and made our official membership move to the church we have been attending. It is the most alive, invigorating, inspiring worship I have ever experienced! It feels good to be a part of something again. I didn't like being a nomadic church goer while we visited, but it was important to find the place that God truly wanted us to be.

After church Jamie and Marissa cooked dinner for me, my Mom and Papa. It was so wonderful! They made grilled chicken, baked potatoes, steamed broccoli, fresh corn on the cob (which Marissa shucked and silked) salad and a wonderful chocolate cake. Jamie makes this cake that has been named the Bulldog cake because he started making it when he was on Tug Bulldog at his job, and he passed the secrets on to Marissa. It was all so wonderful!

I think this was by far my best Mother's Day ever!!!!!!!!!

Happy Mother's day everyone!

I hope you all have a wonderful mother's day! Mine has already been great! I got a new shirt and a new purse, then my wonderful husband mowed the grass, blew off the roof, cleaned the gutters, shampooed the carpets in the whole house, and is making dinner for me and my Mom tomorrow! How awesome! I hope you all have a fabulous Mother's Day!

More layouts!

This concludes the layouts I completed this past week. I have been on a roll! Hopefully I can keep this momentum going! I can't believe I am scrapping Christmas pictures! They are always so hard for me to do!!!! At least maybe I can get them all done this year before 4th of July!!!!!!!! Well, maybe..... I can hope at least!

A few new layouts

Once again, I beg you to forgive the poor photo quality. The layouts are much brighter in person! Stop by my house to see the real deal! LOL!