*Blink* YAWN *Blink*

So tonight we're having an all-nighter with our Sigma youth. We'll be playing some indoor putt-putt and then making our way back to the church for a lot of gym games and other activities. Hopefully we'll have plenty of caffeine and snacks to keep them up all night. Then again.... maybe we should have no caffeine and they'll all pass out no later than 3:00. That would be great, but I remember being a teenager, and I really don't think that will happen. We'll go to breakfast in the morning and then they'll all go home and crash. Well. WE'LL all go home and crash.

We're taking Harry's iPod back tomorrow and hopefully they'll exchange it for another one if it can't be fixed. He's missed it so much. He'll be spending the weekend with his Grandmother and he's looking forward to it.

I haven't been feeling well the last few days. Kind of sick on my stomach. Nothing happening, just nauseated all the time. I almost WISH something would happen just to relieve the nauseousness. Hopefully it will pass soon.

God is so good and He is perfect in all His ways. I have several prayer requests on my heart and would appreciate your prayers with me.

I think I'm going to take a wee nap before I'm up all night with a bunch of crazy teenagers. Maybe we should have signed up our junior sponsors for tonight. LOL Looking forward to being with them and hopefully some of their youth will rub off on me and I'll manage to make it through the night!

Recipes, This and That, and Such

In yesterday's post, I mentioned we had a young man from our church over for supper Monday night and that he liked my Taco Pie, which by the way, I found in our church cookbook a few years ago. It became a family favorite and I haven't fixed it in forever. So when I knew he was coming over, I decided to fix it. Here's the recipe in case you'd like to try it.

1 tube of original crescent rolls
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 1/2 packs of taco seasoning
16 oz sour cream
1 1/2 bags of Mexican cheese
1/2 bag of Doritos
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Layer the bottom of a 9x13 pan with crescents and roll edge to edge
Brown ground beef, drain, and add taco seasoning and water according to seasoning pack. Cook for several minutes. Drain. Pour taco meat on top of crescent rolls.
Spread sour cream on top of meat
Spread cheese on top of sour cream
Crumble 1/2 bag of Doritos and sprinkle on top of cheese for top layer
Cover with tin foil
Bake until Crescent rolls are done
If you find yourself without tin foil, like I did last night, just bake until the crescent rolls are done and cheese is thoroughly melted. Then crumble your Doritos on top and bake just a few minutes for the Doritos to set in the cheese.
Add a green salad mix with fresh tomatoes on the side. Yumm-o-licious!
I haven't tried this yet, but I'd like to do a fajita variation with shredded chicken.
This stuff gets gone fast. So.... ENJOY!
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Today we had one hour of cardio on our schedule. I did thirty on the bicycle and thirty on treadmill. Bruce did his full hour on the treadmill. It was a nice break from weight machines considering the muscles in my arms are aching from yesterday's workout. LOL Gotta tear 'em down to build 'em up, right?
I did discover that icy/hot is great for when my ankle is hurting. It felt fantabulous this afternoon. So that's a good thing.
When Bruce's doctor told him that his cholesterol and triglycerides were high, I googled some ways to lower them naturally and was reading where a handful of nuts a day can play a role in lowering your cholesterol. Yes, there are some bad nuts out there, but even they have some good nutritional values. Right now he takes high doses of behind the counter Fish Oil and it has helped a LOT. But I thought we could incorporate the nuts too. So everyday after our workout, I give us each a handful of mixed nuts. I'm nutty, but not really a nut person. Bruce loves nuts, so he loves his after-workout snack.
Tomorrow is thirty minutes cardio with the thirty minute circuit.
You're probably wondering why I'm posting about our schedule. I post those who, for whatever reason, can't make it to the gym and want a routine. It kind of gives them an idea of what they can do each day on their own. I learned something about working out, too. You can't have just a target area. You need to work everything! You also need to give your muscles a day or two to rest between weight machines or you cancel out what you did the day before. I haven't asked this yet, but I'm not sure if that's just for beginners or for everyone.
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A friend of mine is making halo headbands for when I take pictures of baby girls. I saw one they made the other day and it was adorable. She was able to get a little crafty so that I could have just a few headbands with interchangeable flowers, feathers, etc. I can't wait to see them all! In turn, I'll give her family a photo shoot.
Bruce bought me some new photo editing software and I think I'm going to love it. It was a little difficult to figure out at first, but I did eventually figure it out and have played with a couple of pictures. In two words I would have to say, "me likey."
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Tonight is SIGMA night. I'm glad we were able to keep a SIGMA night on Wednesdays and the youth still be in the church service. I love having them in there. I need to start getting ready. Hope you have a great evening!

SIGMA RUSH NIGHT!

Sigma Year 2011-2012 started this past Sunday night. It was a lot of fun. We really were in a RUSH to get things done since we only really had two days to work. But I was so impressed with the kids this year and how much effort they spent working on displays and getting things ready. They did a SUPERB job! Bruce and I are sponsors for the Pi Gamma Centurions. My contribution to the display was this Centurion in our colors of gold, silver, and blue. I love doing stuff like this.

Bruce has been working second shift so Saturday was the only day he was able to work. But when we finally got there Saturday afternoon, everything was pretty well done and all he had to do was use his air compressor tools to stabilize the walls around our display. He was proud of what the kids had done also. And was really, REALLY proud of them for freeing up his time to go home and watch some football. haha

Each team is suppose to have a banner with each team member's name on it. This is the one the kids did for our team.

A couple of the young men made this awesome chariot! They did such a fantastic job. They used an old wheel chair to construct it. Pretty creative, if you ask me!

And these were our centerpieces for the tables in front of our display. Lanterns, that the church has had for a long time, and then a small shield and sword that Bruce made. The kids painted the shields and swords and put the Pi Gamma letters on them.

Our theme was "...truly this man was the Son of God," taken from Mark 15:39, which was our theme verse, displayed on our background.

The next team sponsored by Brother Chris and Dana were the Nu Delta Fishmasters. Their display was great. A river bank with their team verse was their background. Their team verse was Matthew 4:29 "And He said unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." I loved their dock and the big rocks they constructed from blown up trash bags, covered with gray paper.

This was the centerpiece they made for their tables. Cute. :)

The third team was the Chi Alpha Soldiers, sponsored by Brother Mark and Mrs. Jeannie. Their display was a boot camp with the theme, "Training up soldiers for the army of Christ. Their team verse was II Timothy 2:3 "Thou, therefore, endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ."

I loved the banner they made for their names. One of their team members free handed the army tank. I watched him work on it and was very impressed with his finished product. He did a great job. They displayed their names on "dog tags" and placed them all around the tank. I really did love the creativity from all three teams.

And this was the centerpieces for their tables.

I may be biased, but I thought our team showed great team spirit. Here are our team captains, Justin C and Jordan L raising the swords Bruce made for them. And a HUGE thanks to Mrs. Tammy, Brother Ken and Cheyenne for making our team shirts. We all LOVED them!

Hannah is on the Fishmasters team this year. Had to get a picture of her and her teammate, Taylor. I never did get a shot of their team together.

And these are the soldiers....

The best part of the night is hearing the teams taunt cheers at one another. Not sure which cheer the Centurions were doing here, but it was cracking them all up.

We had a lot of fun and I can't say enough how proud I am of all the kids that showed up to work. They worked, and they worked hard.

We're looking forward to a great year with these kids and praying for each one as they go about their daily lives.

Busy, Busy, Again!!

We officially started school on Monday. It's been a good week so far. Trying to get back into the groove of things.
This Sunday is Sigma Rush Night. So we'll be pouring it on this weekend trying to get things ready for that. Our team is the Pi Gamma Centurions.
Had a photo shoot with Taylor this past weekend. While we were out on location at a living history farm, decided we should be his care takers. So while we were trying to take pictures, he was trying to tell us where his food was. But the door had a lock on it, so kitty didn't get anything from us. He was really cute and we had to laugh at how friendly he was being in hopes of us saving him from starvation.
I have another photo shoot this Saturday, providing the weather permits. I heard it will be rain all weekend, but I haven't checked to see myself. I guess I'll know when I step outside, if I don't check before then. O-o

So that's where I've been and what I've been doing. Where I'll be and what I'll be doing.

Y'all have a great day!

This and That and Pictures

I have not forgotten about the prayer study. We've had several things going on and so I haven't really had time to post. But to give an update on what's happening recently...Brother Hill preached Sunday night. He and his family joined the church a few months ago and we have been so blessed by them! I've been wondering what kind of a preacher he was because he's out evangelising a lot. So I was really happy to hear he was preaching the evening service. It was so good!! And as I mentioned to others, he is a fiery preacher!

This past Sunday was also our promotion Sunday, so we had a several new faces in youth choir. It was so sweet to see them already know the songs and sing with all their heart.

After evening service, the Sigma had an afterglow. We enjoyed pizza, fellowship, a time of basketball in the gym, and a lot of good laughs!

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I had a photo shoot recently with this little cutie. She is so hilarious and makes some of the cutest faces you've ever seen. I posted a couple of my favorites from that day. Hope y'all had a great Labor Day. We sure did. I'll post about that another time.

Comment Season Is Now Open

Now that summer is pretty well over and things are settling down around here, I've enabled comments and hope to hear from you soon.
There has been so much that I haven't gotten to blog about!! I admit I've missed it. I hope I can get back into the swing of things.
We took our youth group to a camp ground the first few days of last week and had our own camp meeting with them. Spencer preached the first day, and Pastor preached the second. The services were sweet and we had a great time. The more Spencer preaches, the more he sounds like his dad. It's just amazing. What a blessing it was to hear him!

We spent one day at Dollywood. Bruce and I were playing it safe until after we ate supper at Aunt Granny's. Then we went straight to the Thunderhead roller coaster. What was I thinking? Never eat a meal and then board a roller coaster. That is so not a good idea!!

We had two families join our church today. That was a blessing. I'm looking forward to getting to know one family better and just slap happy that the other family has come back home. We've been seeing a lot of that this year and it's been good to see those familiar faces we've missed seeing, come walking through the doors. Welcome home S&U!! :)

Today would have been my dad's 66th birthday. To be honest, I've tried not to think about the dates in this month. Just taking each day as it came, never noticing the calendar. So when Mrs. Janet stood next to me in the choir and said, "Ain't today your daddy's birthday?" It dawned on me that, yes, it is. And of course a few tears snuck out. My heart breaks, but it also rejoices in the fact that daddy is celebrating more today than he ever had to celebrate here.

We had two wonderful services today. In between those services I ended up going shopping with Harrison. Somewhere between last Sunday and this Sunday he grew out of this dress pants. The boy has gone up three pant sizes this summer. It's crazy! Just one of those things, huh?

I can't stop yawning so I guess I'll turn in for the day. I hope each of you had a wonderful day with the Lord!!

And One More Busy Weekend...

I've been spending some time at my mom's house, helping her do some things, which I was able to complete today. I primed and painted her hearth for her. That was a JOB, let me tell ya!! But it's finished and it looks so much better.

I also painted a mirror and sconce set she already had. I think the black looks so much prettier. I like it a lot better than when it was white.

I had a lot of fun doing these projects. I have some touch up work I need to get to for her on her walls. Lord willing, I can get to those before next week.
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Of course yesterday was Father's Day. We had two wonderful services at church. One young man was saved Sunday night and then Pastor baptized a lady Sunday night also. Praise the Lord!
We celebrated with Bruce by having one of his favorite meals for dinner. Justin had to go back to the camp and wasn't going to be able to come home with us after church so he opened his gifts before the morning service. He just died laughing at the card from the kids. They bought him a parental translator of what kids say to what they mean. It was really funny and I just loved how he got cracked up.


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Saturday was Justin's 19th birthday. He got home from the camp around 5:00 and we celebrated with his grandmothers.

He wanted pizza, so of course Pizza Hut was on the menu.

And since we're a Tar Heel family, he got the white and Carolina Blue with banners birthday cake! :P

We got into a little icing fight. I would have won, but he overtook me in the end. Oh well... maybe next time.

His cake and ice cream.... ugh, I get sick just looking at it.

He wanted a video camera to take to camp so this is the one we got him, only the one we got him is red. It's really nice. I think he'll get some good stuff on it.

We had a good evening with him.

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Friday night, Brother Johnathan, Mrs. Jennifer, and myself, took the youth group bowling. It was so much fun. This bowling alley is pretty far away, but it is very family oriented and had a good atmosphere. Great place to take the youth. It was so fun bowling with them and watching them bowl was hilarious.

Brother Johnathan being his nutty, turkey-self. lol

And this was the final score. Brother Johnathan had 46 pts, I was in second with 64, and Mrs. Jennifer was in first place with 150. Great job, Mrs. Jennifer!!!!

After bowling we took the youth to McDonald's. They really know how to eat!

Some of the crazy girls on the van! lol

You can't go through Gastonia without stopping at Krispy Kreme! And when the red light is on...well...you know what THAT means!

Poor Mrs. Jennifer never gets out of Shelby. Needless to say she was really excited about getting to go to Krispy Kreme. :P

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It was a terrific last few days. Looking forward to some much needed time this weekend with my family our two extra daughters that stay with us from time to time. Celine and Carissa will be with us. Love those girls!

This and That of a Busy Weekend!

We finished our end of grade testing Tuesday. So now I have a high school junior and a sixth grader. WOW! It has been a long school year. But we got through it, Praise the Lord!

I've been uploading these pictures when I can over the last couple of days. It was a busy weekend, with lots to share and lots of pictures!! So sit back and prepare to stay a while, if you can.
Saturday night we had our SIGMA Banquet in our new Banquet Hall. It was great. The SIGMA Banquet was the first thing we've done in there and it was very nice. Thank you, to all the men and boys that have worked so endlessly on getting this building put together for our church.

We had grilled chicken, salad, rolls, and baked potatoes on the menu.

Brother Mark gave the WORD for us that night. It was good to hear from him. He and Mrs. Amy and the boys have moved back here and joined our church this past Sunday. They're picking up right where they left off until the Lord directs them somewhere else. It is so good to have them home!

Next was the awards. Bruce and I were happy to hear that Hannah took the Esther Award, the top scorer for girls, came in second place in the Top Ten high scores, and was on the winning team. Way to go, little Hannah!!

You have to understand this next picture. Clayton just got saved about a year ago and he has been a totally different young man. He's never tried in the past to do anything in SIGMA, but this year he made me proud. Bruce and I were his sponsors and it was an honor to have him on our team. Anyway, he took the Pastor's Award and the Joshua Award and also came in fourth place in the Top Ten. So when his name was called he noticed his mom didn't have her camera and in great wonderment said, "MAMA! WHERE'S YOUR CAMERA??" It just cracked us all up. Way to go, Clayton!

We had three great teams this year. The Hunters, The Survivors, and The Cherokees. James Corriveau was the team captain for The Cherokees, with Brother Mark and Mrs. Jeannie as their sponsors. The Cherokees won top team this year. Congratulations, Cherokees!

The sponsors: Brother Chris and Mrs. Dana, Bruce and me, and Brother Mark and Mrs. Jeannie.

Gary won the Top Scorer for boys, the Psalm 119 award, and he was in first place in the Top Ten. Brother Chris and Mrs. Dana were his sponsors. Way to go, Gary!

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Sunday morning we went to our former church for their homecoming service. It was wonderful seeing everyone after much too long! It has been ten years and we had a lot of catching up to do!! The Lord allowed our family to provide some special music for the service. Mrs. Polly, the Pastor's wife, is still playing the piano.

And this is Pastor Ammons. He is a sweet and precious man. I wish everyone could know him.

There was a fellowship following the service so we enjoyed doing most of our catching up down there.

Sherry was cuttin' watermelon. Doesn't it look yummy?

We had a great time at the homecoming and enjoyed seeing everyone so much! I'm thrilled that we were able to make it this year.

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We had our special Graduation service Sunday night. As always, it was wonderful seeing the graduates and hearing what they feel the Lord has for them to do in the future. It's been wonderful seeing Mrs. Debbie fill in on the organ when Mrs. Joy can't be there. I've enjoyed getting to know Mrs. Debbie I'm looking forward to getting to know her better.

Brother Johnathan has been doing an excellent job with the orchestra. Here lately they have been the best I've heard. And Sunday night they were fantastic!

Our "front porch" boys are growing in number, for sure! Brother Gary, Jordan, and Brother Zoltan are our newest members over there. They're doing a great job.

Missy is doing the signing for our deaf ministry.

Then it was time to honor our graduates. We begin with K-5 and go up to college. We had four k-5s moving up this year.

Brother Mark graduated this year. His brother just got married a couple weeks ago and he will be tying the knot, himself, here in a couple of months. We love Brother Mark and are excited about his future.

Next was our high school graduates. James graduated from Southern Eagle Academy Home School. He received his diploma Sunday night, along with some other awards from his home school. He would like to study architecture after taking a year at Bible college, Lord willing.

Clayton graduated from ABeka Home School. Clayton said he is going to keep doing exactly what he's doing now until God directs him somewhere else.

Raven graduated from Crest High School and would like to pursue a career in dentistry.

Our college graduates were Brother Bradley Richard and Brother John O'Malley IX. Brother Bradley was working with his future father in law in New Jersey, so he missed our service, but he graduated from Ambassador Bible College and we're proud of Brother Bradley. He's a wonderful young man and I know God is going to use him in many ways. He already does.

Brother John graduated from Golden State Baptist College in Santa Clara, California. He will be returning to further his education in Christian ministry. We are very proud of Brother John also and know he's going to continue to do a great job. I know God has something special for him too. He is very enthusiastic about going back to school.

The youth choir always takes part in this service, so we heard from them. Justin sang the lead on I've Got My Mind Made Up.

I cry everytime Clayton gets up to sing. Getting up in front of people is definitely out of his comfort zone, but in the last year, since he's been saved, he does a few things out of his comfort zone, once again showing us what God can do when you let Him take control of your life.

Love to hear Matthew sing. He's always been a quiet young man, and always a blessing.

We heard from Daughters of Faith. They sang I'd Rather have Jesus. What a beautiful song!

We got to hear testimonies.

We also heard from an ensemble. Parker played the piano while they sang Sheltered By His Grace. A song they first introduced at last year's graduation service. It sounded just as wonderful Sunday night as it did last year. Wonderful words and so fitting.

I've been sheltered by His grace, kept in a safe place, surrounded by the prayers of those who've always sought his face...

And in a world of shifting sand, I can hold on to their hands...

for they've guided me in how to run this race...

and as the years go on, I'll be sheltered by His grace.

As they sang, the Lord moved on people to say thank you to those that have been prayer warriors in their lives.

Aunt and niece...

Fathers and daughters...

Bus ministry teen and teacher...

Father and son...

and friends...

Vintage Faith sang also. Love to hear them!

After they sang, Pastor preached a very good message! One I needed to hear for my own self and one that reached out to the lost. After he preached he gave a charge to each of the high school graduates. And then had all of the graduates come forward with their families, the preachers in our church, and the deacons, for a special time of prayer.

After the service the youth group went to the new building's banquet hall for a time of fellowship with the grads.

Each of the high school graduates had a display table. This one is Raven's.

This one is Clayton's. His mom had a video picture montage going on his table. He was such a cute little fella when he was younger.

And this table belonged to James. I loved that MEMORIES frame! I got tickled because they all had jars on their tables for different "funds." I thought that was cute.

We had a good time of fellowship at the after glow and then it was time to go home and crash

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On Monday I set up for a photo shoot with Raven. We did some of her in her cap and gown.

And then we went out around town and grabbed some shots. They all turned out really good, I thought. She's a sweet girl and I had a good time with her.

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On Tuesday I cleaned the house I clean and then the kids and I spent the better part of the afternoon at my brother's house eating pizza and hot dogs, playing Phase 10, and swimming in his pool. It was a wonderful, relaxing time, and I enjoyed it very much!

Tomorrow I will be going to spend most of the day with my mom. I plan on starting a new project over there for her. She has a brick wall and hearth that her fireplace sits on and I'm going to prime it tomorrow. Then in a few days I'll start painting it. This will be interesting, no doubt! But I'm looking forward to it.

And thus concludes this very long post. Hope y'all had a great weekend too!!