Youth Ralley with Brother Mark Stroud

Last night we went to a youth ralley at the Gaffney High Sch*ol to hear Brother Mark Stroud. I'll admit that I felt the devil did not want us there. But I also made up my mind that God did want us there and that was that. lol

It was kind of last minute finding out about this youth ralley so unfortunately only a few of our teens were able to make it. I wish more could have been there, but they had other obligations.

This youth ralley was put together by a few student* that attend Gaffney High Sch*ol. They were burdened for their sch*ol and began praying each morning. The Lord gave them a vision for a youth ralley so, one of the student* went to her Pastor (Pastor Phillips) and asked if he could help them get that going. And so he did. The sch*ol allowed the student* to use the auditorium and they invited the sch*ol to attend, along with many local churches. The Phillips family sang last night and Brother Mark Stroud preached. They'll have Brother Joe Arthur tonight and another family group singing. I'm sure it will be wonderful.

Seven teenagers accepted Christ last night and one young man was called to preach. And the Lord allowed me to help lead a young lady, about the age of fifteen, to Him. Her name was Sarah. What a blessing! And she was why God wanted us there. Amen? AMEN! :)

You can go here to see pics from the youth ralley.

From My Deck This Morning

When I see things like this, it makes me stop a moment and realize how magnificent my God is. There is no other god that can create such lovliness.

Psalm 26:7
That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of
all thy wondrous works.

I Love This Land

One of the groups at our church sang this Sunday for Memorial Day and it was such a blessing. Brother Jeff, who is also recently enlisted in the Army National Guard, and his son, Dylan, took part in this song.


I hope you enjoy it.

Celine's Graduation

Y'all know Celine is the little sweetie pie I babysat for a couple of years. She's a part of our lives...our family...and we love her to pieces!! We were proud to attend her Kindergarten graduation at her Christian school this past weekend.


Celine's sister, Carissa, was being her usual goofy self. Gotta love this kid. She has more sass than any child I know. She's a riot! We planned for Celine to stay with us next week and Carissa let it be known, under no uncertain terms, that she would be coming too. So we're looking forward to having them both here with us.


This is Brother Robins, Celine's principal


Here she comes!!

The children lined up for the pledges and were very sweet. Bruce and I were impressed at how smoothly the graduation went. Their teacher obviously worked very hard with them!

Jake used to go to our church. It was nice seeing him and his family there. Jake is hilarious too. He says some crazy stuff sometimes.

This is Julie. Julie goes to our church too. And yes, she is also hilarious, just like her mother. She was the only child during the opening prayer that kept her eyes closed the entire time. I know, because I looked. hehe Anyway, look at this angelic child. Remember this picture.

Celine got up and counted to 100 by 2's. She did a fantastic job!!

The children went off the platform to get their cap and gowns on. I got tickled when I turned around and saw all the dads and grandpas up with their cameras and video cameras. Isn't that sweet?

There she is....the little graduate. Isn't she cute?

This is Brother Griffith, the Pastor of the church where Celine attends school.

Waiting for their names to be called...

I couldn't get a good picture of Celine receiving her diploma, but that's her....I promise.

And there she is, diploma in hand. It's official...only twelve more years to go now. :)

Jake....

The children demonstrated things you could do with your diploma beisdes scrapbook it or hang it on a wall.

Celine's teacher

Remember Julie, the angelic child that kept her eyes closed during the opening prayer? This is her during the closing prayer. She's the one blowing in her classmate's ear. ha haaaaa.....KIDS!!!!

Time for the reception!

Celine with her parents, Chris and Amanda (Mander)

Celine and Harrison

All of my babes....aren't they great?

Celine opened a card from her grandparents and was happy to see the green stuff fall out.

And then she opened our card.

Happy again to see more green stuff!!

When her mom asked her what she wanted for graduation, all she asked for was a bag of twizzlers and a big, giant Hershey bar. So her mom got her the Hershey bar and we bought her the twizzlers. Sweets for the sweet.

When we first started babysitting Celine, she was very timid around Bruce until he came home from work one morning and offered her a handful of cheerios. She's been his buddy ever since. When he would come home from work, she would want him to carry her around. It was so precious.

We are very proud of Celine and we love her so much!

Congratulations, Celine! You're a doll!!

Dippity Dawg

Sam before....

Sam after....

Mander told me about a place uptown called Dippity Dawg. It's a dog grooming spa and salon where you can make an appointment to have your dog groomed, or you can just come in on your own and do it yourself, no appointment necessary.

My mother-in-law's dog needed to be groomed and since her dog groomer wouldn't return her call, Bruce decided to pick Sam up Saturday and groom him himself.

Patty, the owner of the establishment, showed Bruce all around the shop, what to do, and all the equipment. She was such a nice lady!

Bruce started cutting Sam's hair and Sam acted as though he were very happy to get it all cut off. He sat there, just like in this picture, the entire time Bruce was clipping away. Patty has aprons there too so you don't get covered in hair and water while you're grooming your pet.

The clippers were hooked up to a vac so while Bruce clipped, Sam's hair was sucked up into a box. Patty had to clean out the box before Bruce was finished clipping. He had sooooo much hair. Sam....that is. hehe

After the first cut, it was time for a bath. You could use the shampoo there in the tub or she had tear free shampoo you could use.

He seemed to enjoy the bath all right.

I thought the noise from the blow dryers would scare him, but he did good. And even Harrison was able to join in on the grooming process.

After his bath, Bruce ran the clippers over Sam one more time to smoothe out his coat and then trimmed his nails. I think trimming his nails was his least favorite part of the whole grooming experience. But even through that, he was good.

Bruce sprayed a little doggie cologne on Sam and he was ready to go back home to see my mother-in-law.

I liked Dippity Dawg because of the convenience. Sure you have to drive your pet there. Big deal. Everything you need to groom your dog is at your finger tips for a fraction of what it would cost if you had someone do it for you. AND! Patty cleans up your mess when you're finished!! The grand total for our do-it-yourself day was $19.00. Not bad!

A Thought From Scripture

Proverbs 26:20

"Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out, so where there is
no talebearer, the strife ceaseth."

Hannah's Birthday Dinner

Last night, for Hannah's birthday, we had dinner for her with the grandparents. Something that has been a long time tradition for us since our children were small.

(Mom and dad)


(Marie)


We sat down to Italian chicken, crock pot mac-n-cheese, potato salad, home style green beans, and yeast rolls.


It was really good.

Amy, our cake lady, made this awesome cake for Hannah. I had forgotten that we had ordered strawberry, so when I cut it open I was a little surprised....pleasantly, of course. lol It was so good, Amy. Once again....the best you've ever done!! YUM!

Hannah had requested a new Bible for her birthday. So we bought her that, a giraffe print pocketbook, and this game for her DS called Rhythm Heaven. It's a very interesting music game with certain skill levels.

I had a serious blonde moment and when signing her card, I wrote Bruce's name real big across the front. What was I thinking, I have no idea. Oh well....it was one of those days....you know?

She got a card and cash from Grandmother Morrow. Which she was T-totally thrilled with. After all....it's the right size and color, right?

"Thank you, Grandmother"

She had a bag to open from her other grandparents, filled with lots and lots of girlie things that we gals always need.

Of course, the check inside brought a smile about the teeth as well.

Bruce being Bruce. He's so funny.

Harrison and Justin bought her this LARGE bag of Sour Patch kids. That stuff is nasty, but for some reason, she thinks it's the best.candy.ever!

And of course you can't have a birthday without getting a birthday whoopin'! Harrison waited all day to see that. And Bruce even broke out the paddle!

Me and my baby girl!

Little Hannah, Big Daddy..........and yeah......Harrison. :)

Hope you had a good birthday, Hannah. You're a great blessing to our family and we love you bunches!

Hannah updated her blog and you can see a pic of her pocketbook and Bible there. Just click here!