Need Furniture?

This post is for those living in the area here. If you are interested in the following items or know someone that would be interested, leave me a message and I'll give you the number to contact my friend, Anna. She'll be happy to speak with you!

1 dining room table with two chairs

dropleaf in cherry; nice for a small area and a small family

I love the set, but we don't need it anymore. Both chilluns used it as starter pieces for

their homes. We used it to work jigsaw puzzles on! Know anyone downsizing? This would be great! No scratches or dents. (How can you dent wood???) Katie made biscuits on it once. Hey, that makes it a collector's item! Ha!

Asking price: $150

1 queen-size bedroom suit: oak; one end table with two deep drawers and one chest of drawers with five drawers

We no longer need this either, and both chilluns have no need for the set either.

Again, no scratches or dents. :)

Asking price: $200

This weekend we celebrated my birthday, which is actually this Wednesday. Bruce invited my parents and my mother -in- law over for steaks off the grill, loaded potatoes, and salad. It was so good! He did an excellent job on the steaks!!

I opened my gifts, which were some personal things from my parents, plus cash (yee haw), a beautiful pocket book from my mother-in-law and some cash (yee haw), and a bundle of cash from Bruce (yee haw!!!!) I do believe a shopping trip is in the making, folks!

Dessert, of course, was a birthday cake with my favorite ice cream...cookies and cream. And cheesecake was optional.

All of this was followed by a picture DVD my darling hubby made for me. It was so sweet. It had pics of me with my family, children I've babysat, friends. It was great! I have pics, but we'll have to wait on those. No time to upload right now.

Then Sunday night we had a fellowship after church, eating up all the leftovers from the Patch Bowl, which was the older Patch Class's awards banquet. Harrison will be moving up to this class in the fall so we'll be able to attend the Patch Bowl again. It is always an interesting time to see the children go against their parents in Bible questions. Anyway, the fellowship Sunday night was great. We were able to get to know another family, that has been visiting, a little better. It's really almost scary the things our families have in common. I knew the mother and I were kindred spirits when she said she loved the show Snapped.

So that was my weekend. I have a feeling this coming weekend is going to hold some great things also!

Saint Michael? I Don't Think So

I've been really shocked at the amount of people, not the amount of unsaved people, but those who claim to be Christians, that are saying how sad it is we've lost the great "legend" Michael Jackson. And how we shouldn't judge him.

We don't have to judge him. A couple of my facebook friends posted on their status updates this verse, Hebrews 9:27 "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:"

I started thinking about the word legend and there are several different definitions. The one that jumped out at me was this: a story of the life of a saint.

Hmmm.... I do not know all that his childhood held. Or what was going on in the man's head the last twenty years. But I do not believe the story of Michael Jackson is that of a saint. Taking care of monkeys and having a ferris wheel in your back yard for special needs children does not make you a saint. And MOST definitely the scandal after scandal he was involved in does not make him a saint.

What makes a saint is when one repents of their sins and accepts Christ as their Saviour.

Bruce and I were talking today about all the money he had and all the good he could have done with that money. We talked about how someone with his bank account could have had doctors on standby for such an emergency situation as he faced today. But the truth is, when God wants to stop your heart, your bank account is useless.

Matthew 6:19
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and
rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

Lots of Pics

We've had a lot going on the last several days and so I've loaded all of my pics up to my facebook albums. Here are the private links to those albums if you would like to see them. I like using the fb albums because it's so much faster than trying to upload them all to blogger. I won't do that all the time, but since I have so many to share, it just makes it a lot easier.

We had a great time at the Greer Baptist Camp Meeting Monday night. It's always a blessing to go. I wish I had not worn a long denim skirt since it was quite hot, but I was very thankful for the small fan Mrs. Diane let me borrow to wear around my neck. Harrison and I both were! lol Click here for pictures of the Greer Baptist Came Meeting.

Father's Day was good Sunday. We had a great service Sun morning and then mom and dad came here for dinner. I cooked a roast, potatoes with different toppings, green beans, biscuits, and cheesecake. It was quite tasty.

Saturday we spent the morning at the church. The kids were doing their thing in bus ministry and I was helping with the last minute touches for the Sigma banquet. Then Saturday night was the banquet. Click here to see the Sigma pictures.

Friday morning I waited for mom to call so I could pick daddy up from the hospital. He was ready as soon as I got there. When we arrived to his house, mom wasn't there and I had no key...neither did daddy. Justin had my key to their house and mom had daddy's key in her purse. So we waited and waited about thirty minutes or so when mom finally pulled in. We didn't know she had left the door unlocked for us. Silly us.

So anyway, that's the update on the last several days. Oh, I don't think I told y'all that daddy was in the hospital. Yes, he was in last week. Last Wed, his blood count was low after dialysis so they sent him by ambulance to the hospital. After a blood transfusion and cauterizing a stomach ulcer, he was able to come home Friday afternoon. Click here for pictures of the hospital stay.

NOW! That's the last of the updates. Enjoy the pics!

Quick Post

FRIDAY:
*My dear daughter came home from camp. Click her blog at Sugar and Spice to see her pictures.
*Picked daddy up from hospital and took him home.
*Cleaned mom's bathroom and ran the vacuum for her.
*Outback and Krispy Kreme with my beloved.
*Dropped mom and dad off a KK doughnut on the way home.
*Slept good!

SATURDAY:
*Made DVDs for the youth group.
*Cut out some race cars for the banquet decor.
*Covered a door.
*Cut up onions. (I dislike that, by the way.)
*Helped Mrs. Janet with the covers for the DVDs.
*Took Mrs. Pam home.
*Went Father's Day shopping for my hubster.
*Instructed my kids on getting my car washed and cleaned out!!!!!!!
*Getting ready for Sigma Banquet tonight.

I'll have pics later. Sometime between now and Monday. Hope y'all have a great weekend!

Justin's Birthday

Justin had classes yesterday at the college but when he got home I took him out to lunch at Mi Pueblito. It was really good and we had a great time. I'm still shaking my head that he's seventeen. *sigh*

Anyway, we stopped at Wal Mart to pick up a few things he wanted for his birthday dinner. It was so hot yesterday and I was thrilled to know that he wanted hoagies and I wasn't going to have to cook.

Since daddy is in the hospital it was just mom and Marie that made it last night. But it was still a nice time. We missed having daddy there. And I know he missed being here. You know, we got to thinking....daddy has been in the hospital more on Justin's birthday than at any other time. June is just not a good month for dad.

You can click here to see Justin's birthday pics.

Hannah will be home very soon. Like within the hour. It will be so good to see her sweet little face!!

June 18, 1992

What a day that was!

Bruce and I were living in Germany while he was serving in the Air Force. I was expecting our first baby and scared out of my mind.

It was a Wednesday afternoon when I suspected our little one was about to make his grand entrance. I didn't tell Bruce of my suspicions, just in case I was wrong. Plus I thought it would be fun to surprise him.

We went about our afternoon as usual. He sat in the living room reading and listening to music while I cooked supper before we left for church.

Bruce was teaching the RA's class at that time and I sat up in the service. Two of my church friends were sitting with me when my contractions started. We timed them through the service and at 8:00 sharp, they were five minutes apart. Pastor Hill said the closing prayer and I went to find the expectant father.

He was standing in his class room saying goodbye to a few of the little boys, "Bruce, are you ready" I asked?
"Yeah, I'll be done in just a second."
"No, honey......are you ready?"
"Ready for what?"
"Ready to be a daddy. It's time."
The look on his face was one I'll never forget. Sheer excitement mingled with sheer fear. That makes a funny expression.
We gathered our things and got on our way to Wiesbaden...a 45 minute drive. Good thing we took the autobahn, huh?

When we got to the hospital, we were checked in and put in a room where they took my vitals, hooked me up to fluids and monitors, etc. The nurse came in and stuck me several times with the IV. I looked up at Bruce, who had turned a very pale shade, and watched as he slightly swayed back and forth before falling straight to the floor. I'm pretty sure he tried to talk, but it came out like a mumble in another language. "Oh, we have a dad down, guys" I heard one nurse say. Several of them helped him up and into a chair. He sat there with a glaze covered look in his eyes for a few minutes while his brain reset.

It wasn't long before it was time to start pushing. They wheeled me into the delivery room and after a few pushes, I heard the sweetest sound I had ever heard. The faint, wee cry of my firstborn son. He was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. So precious. He weighed 7 lbs 13 ounces.

And so a new life had started. It's been seventeen years and he's been a joy from day one.

Happy Birthday, David Justin! We love you very much!

Hello Mother, Hello Father, Here I Am At Camp Grenada!

Janet and Kendra picked Hannah and me up this afternoon so that Janet and I could drop Kendra and Hannah off at camp. Wow....that was a big sentence. Anyway!


We stopped at Olive Garden on the way for lunch and it was good. The fellowship was nice and at least we knew the girls had at least one GOOD meal before we see them again Friday. hehe....
When we got there we found out the camp was on the church property. So we got them checked in and registered in the main building.

Mrs. Janet bought the girls a camp shirt. The front said, The Race is on........09. It also has the name of the camp and location, but I blocked that out...in case you're wondering what the smudges are. lol

They were given wrist bands to tell what teams they were on and if they had permission to go down the zip line.

Hannah and Kendra were put on seperate teams. Should inspire some friendly competition.

Next we....or rather they....retrieved their luggage from Mrs. Janet's van.

We took the girls to their dorm and were tickled at the rows of bunk beds. I can't imagine this many girls in one room. We'll have to pray earnestly for the dorm mother. lol

There was a laundry room in the girl's dorm so that was nice to know in case the girls ended up needing to wash something.

The girl's bathroom....

...one of the shower stalls.

The church has a printing ministry. They were busy printing away when we walked the facility.

This is the church's main auditorium.

I noticed they had a lot of lions in their decorations. I liked the gate on their fence.

This was the dorm. Boys on one side...girls on the other.

Another building on the property...not sure what they do there.

Hannah and Kendra were bubbling over with excitement. I really think they're going to have a good time.

LOVE YOU, GIRLS!!!!

She's One of Us

Amy and the boys were in town this weekend. Brother Mark had to be back in Ripley for his church, so we missed seeing him here. But it was so good to see Amy and hear her sing. I know she doesn't come here to sing, but it's always a blessing to hear her and since she's still considered a part of our church family, the piano bench and microphone are always open to her.

Look at her........she's just one of us. :)

Tex Mex at Greg and Janet's

Last night we went to Greg and Janet's house for Tex Mex. As usual, Janet outdid herself on the cookin'. We LOVE El Titanic, but I gotta say that Janet's Tex Mex is so much better! YUM!!

Bruce and I had arrived at their home and were waiting for mom and the boys to get there. When they finally did arrive, we were informed that mom needed help into the house because she had fallen at the gas station on her way over.

Poor thing...she was so pitiful.
The knuckle on her index finger was swelling.



And she bruised up her leg pretty bad.


Lying in the chair was good for her for a little bit. Her injuries didn't hinder her from being part of the Friday night fun.



She wasn't going to let her fall keep her from playing Mexican Train and Prison Rummy.


My sister, Janet....always going like the Energizer bunny. I love her.

And then, of course, we can't forget Greg. He had worked all day out in the heat and since he's still on blood thinners from his accident (which make him sleepy) he just couldn't hold his little eyeballs open.

Other than mom's fall, the night was good. The fellowship was good. The food was good. The games were good. It was all good!

A Flash From The 70's and 80's

Think I'll get up and clean the kitchen. There's nothing in there but dirty cups, glasses, and mugs. Five people in the house and forty-eight*slightly exaggerated* cups, glasses, and mugs to wash. What is up with that? I think I'll start making the kids drink from the water hose. Oh come on....y'all know your mama made you do the same thing when you were growing up. There was no such thing as filtered water or Dasani. They'd lock us out of the house and make us drink from the spiket when we were thirsty. Most of the time, we'd get peanut butter sandwiches passed through the kitchen window. On a good day, there would even be jelly on it! But don't leave it lying there. You'd come back to ants. And then we were told our plates better not be left outside. Hello, mom???? The door is locked!!!! So you knock on the door in hopes of getting in the cool house for just a moment, sneaking to your room to play quietly, only to be rejected by mother's hand slipping out to grab the plate just before shutting the door again. Followed by the sound of the clicking lock. You'd whimper, mosey on over to your swing set or tree house, wipe the sweat off your little red face, and think to yourself, Do striped shirts REALLY go with plaid pants?

Excuses

Since I didn't go to church today, I thought I'd share a song I heard as a kid and it always cracked me up. It's called Excuses by the Kingsmen Quartet. Who remembers it???

Excuses, excuses, you'll hear them every day.
And the Devil he'll supply them, if the church you stay away.
When people come to know the Lord, the Devil always loses
So to keep them folks away from church, he offers them excuses.

In the summer it's too hot. And, in the winter, it's too cold.
In the spring time when the weather's just right, you find some place else to go.
Well, it's up to the mountains or down to the beach or to visit some old friend.
Or, to just stay home and kinda relax and hope that some of the kin folks will start dropping in.

Well, the church benches are too hard. And, that choir sings way too loud.
Boy, you know how nervous you get when you're sitting in a great big crowd.
The doctor told you, "Now, you better watch them crowds. They'll set you back."
But, you go to that old ball game because you say "it helps you to relax."

Well, a headache Sunday morning and a backache Sunday night.
But by worktime Monday morning, you're feeling quite alright.
While one of the children has a cold, "Pneumonia, do you suppose?"
Why the whole family had to stay home, just to blow that poor kid's nose.

Excuses, excuses, you'll hear them every day.
And the Devil he'll supply them if the church you stay away.
When people come to know the Lord, the Devil always loses
So to keep them folks away from church, he offers them excuses.

Well, the preacher he's too young. And, maybe he's too old.
The sermons they're not hard enough. And, maybe they're too bold.
His voice is much too quiet-like. Sometimes he gets too loud.
He needs to have more dignity. Or, else he's way too proud.

Well, the sermons they're too long. And, maybe they're too short.
He ought to preach the word with dignity instead of "stomp and snort."
Well, that preacher we've got must be "the world's most stuck up man."
Well, one of the lady's told me the other day, "Well, he didn't even shake my hand."

Excuses, excuses, you'll hear them every day.
And the Devil he'll supply them if the church you stay away.
When people come to know the Lord, the Devil always loses
So to keep them folks away from church, he offers them excuses.
So to keep them folks away from church, he offers them excuses.

Vintage at the Crystal Sea

If you're nearby, Vintage will be playing at the Crystal Sea tonight at 6:00. Since Bruce will be playing, I was going to go with him, but since I'm not supposed to go anywhere for a couple of days, I guess I'll be staying home. Whatever will he do without his groupie there??

I'm feeling some better today. A little tired and my head hurts, but I can tell a difference in my throat. My neck is still very tender and swollen and there's like a pinching feeling when I swallow, but it really does feel better than it did. Plus, I don't think I've had a fever today. And for this I am truly grateful!!

I really don't have anything to blog about. I have a lot going through my mind, but nothing I'm ready to put on paper....computer....whatever. Nothing I'm ready to reveal, that is.

You know, some hot tea would be really good right now. Maybe peppermint?? Or raspberry? Hmmm...decisions, decisions.

Yep! Hot tea it is. See y'all later!

*sigh*

So what kind of tests do they do on you when the sides of your neck are swollen and tender and you feel as though your throat is going to close up at any moment? They do a strep test. Which, as most of you know, is a simple swabbing with a five inch q-tip looking swab down the back of your throat. Which, obviously, will make you gag and sometimes uncontrolably *blush*.

The nurse came back to say that the strep test was negative. So what do they test for now? The flu, of course! The next thing they do is open another q-tip looking swab and, rather surprisingly, ram it up your nostril. And if that's not enough, they do the other nostril too. Who would have ever thought that would happen today? Not me. It was a very unpleasant experience, I must say. Come to find out, the flu test wasn't even necessary. Turns out my strep test was actually postive....not negative....someone hold that nurse down so I can swab HER nostrils!!!! Oh well, she was just doing her j*b, right?

So what will we do now? Shot? Oral medications? Why not both? Yeah, one shot in the bum and a prescription too. Followed by a couple days of bed rest. The earliest memory I have of getting a shot, other than in my arm *sigh*, is at Doctor Maddy's office. I guess that's how you spell his name. I was only three. Anyway, I always received a sucker after my shots. No such luck today. The only thing I received today was a bill. But that's ok...it'll make me all better, right?

And I don't like running fevers. It seems that you're always too hot or too cold. If I cover up I get hot and clammy. If I throw the covers off I get chilled to the bone. I thought Tylen*l was supposed to help with fever.

I've never had strep before and hope I never get it again. And after the whole nostril swabbing, I don't want the flu either!

Special Service for the Graduates

Our church honored the 2009 gr*duates Sunday night. I always enjoy this night because it's nice to see them so happy to have completed a phase in their life that, at the time, seems like forever to complete.

You can click here to see pictures of the service.

The video below is of our church orchestra playing the Hallelujah Chorus. A very appropriate song for a gr*duation service, don't you think?

Tradition

Tradition is a quartet from our church. They sang at the Crystal Sea this past Saturday. Brother Roy and Mrs. Kay, from church, own the Crystal Sea Fish Camp. So if you ever get out that way, stop in and have a bite with them. They're right across the stree from Kelly's Restaurant. If you're familiar with the area, you know where that's at. :)

Brother Wayne was on the bass, Brother Mark on the keyboard, and my dear sweetie pie on the guitar!

The singers from left to right: Brother Ted, Brother Gene, Brother Mark, and Brother Bradley. I love to hear them sing!! :)