Mark Lowry Christmas Poem

This is wonderful and so very true!!

Gaither Vocal Band - Christmas in the Country

Anticipation

Wow!! Thanksgiving is already gone and Christmas is soon to be here!!!! I am excited already, can you tell????? : ) I absolutely love Christmas!!!! My house is already decorated, except for maybe a few minor touches here and there as the mood strikes, of course. Most of my Christmas shopping is done! I can hardly believe it!

This is from Christmas '09, but I think it's too cute! Children is what makes Christmas to me. I sure do love my tiny elf and little reindeer!

"Jesus On The Mainline" With Mark Lowry (FULL)

"One Day At A Time" By Lynda Randle

Changed Plans

We didn't go to Lazy 5 Ranch after all. Something about no available reservations for the times we needed. Sooooooooooo, we went to Ashboro Zoo instead. We has a good time, even though we did walk miles & miles! And no, that's not an exaggeration! The trail is 5 miles long. Needless to say, my legs are still sore! The weather was perfect, though. Not too chilly, not too hot, but just right! I had planned to take lots of pictures, but I was having so much fun I forgot! HAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!

Nathanael lost another tooth yesterday. It came out on it's own, thank goodness! He was pretty excited about it. As soon as he woke up this morning he said,"I need to see what's under my pillow!" I told him he had to go to the bathroom first. (I didn't tell him I had forgotten to switch out the tooth for a dollar!) While he was in the bathroom I made a mad dash for my purse. He was never the wiser! As I'm writing this, I'm realizing more & more that my baby is not a baby anymore! WAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fall Frolicking

I am loving this fall weather! What with it being such a hot summer, this cooler weather feels great!!!!!!! I love how I need a jacket in the morning when I go outside and that I can finally break out sweaters!!! (I love fall and winter clothes.) The leaves haven't changed a lot, though. A little, but not much, at least not in my neighborhood. Can't wait for the full show!

Saturday our church youth group is going on a trip to Lazy 5 Ranch in Mount Ulla, NC. Look it up, it looks like it's gonna be a lot of fun!! Hopefully we'll see some pretty foilage in that area. I'll post pics next week, hopefully. 

"Open Heart Surgery" By Mark Lowry Comedy

Dolls & Grandpas

This is what Abby & Grandpa were doing while I was getting lunch ready after church yesterday. This is something she won't soon forget. I thought it was so sweet! I have to say, I think I have two of the sweetest Grandparents in the world! My children just love them to pieces. Thank God for them!

Florida

We had a nice, long trip to Florida. (Long because it's a 12 hour drive!) We went to visit Andrew's parents. But, of course, it's not a visit to FL without a trip to the Caloosahatchee River in Andrew's hometown of Alva. We took a ride down the river in my in-laws fishing boat.

Nathanael & Abby were very excited! This was their first boat ride.

I was a little nervous! I can't swim! The nervousness didn't last long, tho. The river is beautiful!

Andrew had steering duty. He loves this river.

This is the kind of boat we WISH we owned...

parked at the dock behind this house!

I loved this barn! There is an orange grove to the left of the barns. It was absoutely beautiful!

We really had a good time. Seeing family is always worth the LONG drive! : )

Fall

Fall is definitely in the air! Goody, goody! I love fall. I guess it's my favorite season. The weather has finally taken on a fally feeling. Cooler nights & mornings, & shorter days. Some of the leaves are just starting to change colors, but only just. I love all the colors of fall!

I decided that my door needed a fall update, so I made this wreath. I really like it! Andrew said it looks a little like Halloween to him, but I don't think so. What do you  think?

Couponing

Ok, so I've been getting into couponing over the past few months. It is amazing how much money you can save by using coupons on things that are on sale! It takes some organization and time, but it is definitely worth it to me! Take yesterday, for example. I went to Harris Teeter because they are having Super Doubles coupons this week. Any coupon $1.98 or less is doubled, up to 20 coupons per customer per day.

This is what I got:

4 Tony's frozen pizzas

4 Pillsbury Grand's can biscuits

2 boxes Betty Crocker cake mix

2 cans Betty Crocker icing

2 boxes Betty Crocker Potatoes

1 box Shake n Bake

2 boxes Froot Loops cereal

3 boxes Pop Tarts

2 Herbal Essences Shampoo

2 Downy Fabric Softener

1 Lysol Neutra Air sanitizing spray

1 lg. bottle Gain Dish Detergent

1 Febreeze Set & Refresh

1 Oral B toothbrush

The total cost before coupons & sales was: $71.70

My total out of pocket after tax cost after sales & coupons was: $17.49

Isn't that great? I was happy, happy, happy when I walked out of that store! You should try is sometime!

New Kitchen

My kitchen is finished! We had ceramic tile put down last week and that was a mess! My stove and fridge was in the den, my kitchen table was in the living room. I couldn't cook and that was kinda nice, but take out gets old after several nights in a row. All this while we were in revival!! AAAGGGHHHHH! Now, however, I'm glad I went ahead and went through with it. I love my new floor! My sweet husband also let me buy a new kitchen table! I have been looking at this style for a while and wanting one for just as long.

Can't wait for you to come see it in person, Olivia!

Grace

"Grace, grace, God's grace;

 Grace that will pardon & cleanse within.

Grace, grace, God's grace;

Grace that is greater than all my sin."

How thankful I am for God's amazing grace! So many times I have had to ask for God's grace to come and cover me once again.

"Oh, I keep going back to the Well of Grace,

Great is it's power, sweet is it's taste.

For whatever temptation or trial I face,

I keep going back to the Well."

He is always faithful to come when I call. No problem is too big or too small for Gods grace. God cares about the smallest things that trouble me! Things that seem insignificant to someone else. His grace is sufficient for all my needs. I sure am glad he has more grace and patience with me that I sometimes find myself having with others. Another thing God's grace is covering more and more each day.

"I just want to thank you, Lord, for every time that you heard me pray.

I just want to thank you for always being there.

When I was so down and out, you came along and made me want to shout. 

I just want to thank you, Lord, thank you, Lord!"

Back to school!!! Last Thursday was officially the first day, but today was the first full day. Abby is in 2nd grade & Nathanael is in Kindergarten. They were so excited! I remember that feeling. But, gracious, it sure has been a while!

Abigail with her teacher, Sis. Mary Cooper.

Nathanael with his teacher, Sis. Ivey Woods.

I took this next picture after lunch yesterday. Andrew had sat down in his chair & Nathanael had climbed in his lap.

Andrew really was almost asleep, but not the little monkey!

Sweet

Today was the first day of school. Abby is a 2nd grader and Natanael is Kindergarten! I was going to take pictures but Andrew had my camera. He went fishing a few hours away today and wanted it as proof of the "big one" he catches. Hahaha!!!

Last night was Communion Service at church and what a wonderful service it was!! It was definitely the best Communion I've ever attended. Such a sweet, sweet spirit! The presence of God to remind us of his great love and mercy.

"There's a sweet, sweet spirit in this place; and I know that it's the spirit of the Lord."

How faithful is our God!!!

Changes

Summer's almost over!! That means some changes are just ahead. Sometimes that can be a good thing and sometimes not! Some of the good things I can think of are

cooler weather

leaves changing colors

Youth Camp

my 10th Anniversary

Holidays

school starts

Some of the bad things are

ice cream is not as good in cooler weather

grass turns brown

campmeetings are MONTHS away

school starts

No, I am not loony! I know I had "school starts" in both lists. It's a GREAT thing because it really does give me some quiet time, time to clean the house without 4 little hands to come behind me and mess it right up again, time to go to the grocery store alone ( my kids hate to go ).

It's a BAD thing because in spite of all the things in the previous sentence, I really do miss Abby & Nathanael when they're gone all day. Oh, well. I guess that's part of being a mommy and your kids growing up. BOO HOO HOO!!!!!!

Livi, we had such a great time at your house last week! Thanks for having us. It sure was good to have some girl time. NO HUSBANDS!!!!! Although, I really love mine and I know you love yours, too. Lets do it again real soon! I'm really looking forward to September.

By the way, I am now craving Dove's chocolate!

Addition & Subtraction

We recently had a few additions to our family. Four fish and a snail. We were in Walmart Monday night and the kids saw the fish and started begging for some! Well, I caved and bought an aquarium, all the little decorations, 4 fish and a snail. Abby & Nathanael wanted to name them so we did. We had Color Man (N), Spark (A), Sugar Ball (A), Gilbert (me), and Pokey the Snail (me). Tuesday morning Gilbert and Sugar Ball were already dead. By noon, Color Man was kicked the bucket, too. So we did what any good, sensitive pet owners do when their beloved extended family members die. We flushed them down the toilet. Nathanael & Abby really got a kick out of taking turns doing the flushing. HA!!!! We still have 1 fish, Spark, and Pokey the Snail. They seem to be doing good, although they seem lonely. Oh, well.

School starts back in just a couple of weeks on August 19. I'm ready in a way, and in another way not ready! Neither of the kids are!

Can't wait to see you next week, Olivia!!!!

God is in the Shadows

Busy Summer

Well, it sure has been a while!! A friend reminded me that my blog was awful lonesome. You're right, O. I keep forgetting to upload pictures to my computer.

A lot has been going on, that's for sure. I really am glad summer is here, but it sure is HOT!!!! We went swimming with my brother-in-law and sister-in-law Thursday evening. We had so much fun, even though I can't swim. Thank goodness for noodles!

Campmeeting was great last week! Bro. Bill really preached good and the services were all wonderful!

Last night we got a much needed rain! We sat on the porch for a while before it started lightning really bad. The cool breeze felt heavenly.

I'll try to post pictures next week and blog a little more consistently!

Mamas and Allergies

Happy Belated Mother's Day!!!! (I told my mama on time. : ) Mamas are wonderful people, don't you agree? I sure do love mine. She's a sweetie pie!  It's great when your mama is one of your best friends. We went out to eat Saturday night with Grandma, mama, and other family members for Mother's Day. Good food and good company! Abby had fun with Hope.

Abby and Nathanael stayed with their Grandma and Papa Friday night and loved it! Abby went to the office with Grandma on Saturday and made me a cute little pin cushion for Mother's Day. Mama sewed it together and Abby sewed some buttons on it for decoration. I should have taken a picture to post, but forgot.  Nathanael helped Papa work on his truck, got shocked by an electric fence (OUCH), pet the horses, and other boy stuff. He also must have gotten into some poison ivy or poison oak, because he broke out in an itchy rash yesterday.

These pictures are this morning after the doctor visit and a shot. Hopefully he'll clear all up quickly!

I Can Trust Jesus - The Collingsworth Family

Such beautiful weather we've been having! Too bad pollen and allergies has to go along with it. I ended up having to go to the doctor this morning. He confirmed what I suspected, I have a sinus infection. He gave me a shot (OUCH) and an antibiotic. Hopefully that along with continued allergy meds will clear it up quickly!

Thanks for all the birthday wishes. Only one more year in the 20's. Where have the years gone?

A birthday gift from a sweet friend. I added the flowers.

We grilled out Saturday night. Mama, Daddy, Grandma & Grandpa ate with us. Pork chops, baked beans, baby lima beans and potato salad. Delicious!

My sweet Hubby grilling the pork chops.

Sorry, no pictures to post. I haven't taken any worth posting lately.

Today was the first day back to school for the kids after Spring Break. They got up surprising easy! Thank goodness it was sunny out! It's kinda hard to stay asleep with sunlight pouring in your bedroom window. Only a few more weeks of school left, though. Abby & Nathanael are happy about that. Me, sorta. I love, love, love, love, love my children. But it is kinda nice to have a few hours to myself every day. Does that make me bad? I hope not.

A good friend sold me her kids' gameboys last week at a great deal and Abby & Nathanael are addicted! Well, maybe not addicted, but they sure do like 'em. They've been begging for a new game. Already! Can you believe it? I think I'm gonna make them use some of their own money to buy the games. I've been told that GameStop has them for cheap. We'll see.

Easter

Hi! I hope everyone had a great Easter. It was such a beautiful day! Very befitting the holiday that celebrates the resurrection of our Savour! Bright and Happy!

Abby lost her tooth the day before. She was a little self conscious. : ) When I showed Nathanael his shirt he said ," PURPLE??!!"

Flowers For Mom

From Nathanael to his Mommy. How sweet! 

This~N~That

Today is so beautiful after a couple of days of clouds and rain. Thank God for the sunshine! Abby was sick over the weekend and had to stay out of school yesterday. She was all better this morning, though. However, Nathanael woke up feeling not so great. I let him stay out of school today. I think he's feeling better now that it's afternoon. Enough of the sickies!!!

Andrew is in Florida. He left yesterday morning and will be back Thursday night. His parents have moved back to Florida and needed him to bring all their belongings. I'm sad they're so far away, about 12 hours, but it will be nice to have a place to stay whenever we want to go to Florida.

I can't wait for Campmeetings to start! It's always great to see old friends and catch up on everyone's life. I'm also excited about going to see a really great friend in a couple of weeks. I'm supposed to stay with her for a few days. Can't wait, ORJ!

Pretty Puppy

Abby & Nathanael finally have a puppy! His name is Scooter. Isn't he just so cute? We got him Monday and the children have played with him every minute they get a chance to. Abby has been terrified of dogs of any size since she was a toddler, so we've never had a dog because of that. She and Nathanael have begged and begged for a dog! She promised that if it was a small dog, she wouldn't be scared of it. Hence, Scooter!

Florida

Well! It sure is good to be home! We went to Florida with a group from our church last week. What a time we had! There were 19 of us on our church bus. We left Tuesday, March 16 at about 6:30 a.m. and got to Ft. Myers, FL around 7:00 that evening. Everyone was so tired of riding!

On Wednesday we went to the Evergaldes, to a place called Billie Swamp Safari. It is on the Seminole Indian Reservation and is a very interesting place to go. You learn how the Seminole Indians did things many years ago when they first came to Florida. The tour guide rides you through the Everglades on swamp buggies. The Evergaldes are a swampy mess for several months of the year.

The swamp buggy that was ahead of ours.

There are animals at Billie Swamp Safari. Kind of like a mini zoo.

This turtle was eating this cabbage.

Aren't these baby pigs cute? Our tour guide called them bacon bits.

Wednesday evening we went to Sanibel Island ,FL. It is a beautiful island on the Gulf of Mexico, way more beautiful that any of the beaches here in North Carolina. It's usually very warm in Florida in March, but it was pretty chilly this time.

Grandma & Grandpa in front of an orange tree. The orange trees were loaded and beautiful.

This is our group at the Alva Docks, the town that Andrew grew up in. This dock is on the Caloosacatchee River.

Thursday night, Friday and Friday night we went to a Fellowship meeting in Dundee, FL, at Faith Holiness Church. Bro. Wilburn Thompson is the pastor. Bro.. Don Rich was the evening speaker. The services were great and the people too!

We left to come home Saturday morning at 6:00 and got home around 5:00 that evening. We were so glad to be home! It sure felt glorious to sleep in my own bed!

New Kitchen and Old Photos

I'm getting my kitchen painted this week!!! Yaah! The painter started today. It was white, white, and more white! White walls, white cabinets! Now the walls are gonna be a neutral green. The painter painted just a small strip yesterday for me to make sure I liked it before he painted all the walls. I love it!!!!! Now I'll have to get new curtains because the ones I had up won't look right with the new wall color.

I was cleaning out some drawers Saturday and came across a CD of some old photos I thought I'd share with you.