Time for celebration!

Today, my mom is celebrating her 16th real birthday with JESUS!

I was very young when I over took my mom in birthday age. Actually, I don't think my mom ever really got old. She didn't really have a choice. She passed away at 47 years young in 1995, only 10 days after her first grandson, my Matthew, was born. She was always laughing and had a good attitude. She took on responsibility and did what she had to do to take care of us. She got to hold her grandbaby 5 times before leaving this earth. Yes, I am a little sad today that I can't hug her and tell her I love her. I am just beginning to grasp some of what she taught me. I may be crying a little now. I do promise to celebrate today too, in memory of mom. She was so much more than I knew back then. She raised my brother and I. She kept us motivated. She stood behind us. She loved us. Please, if your mom is with you, call her or see her today. Hug her and let her know that she is the most awesome lady on the planet. As we get older, we realize that our moms were the smartest people ever. I love my mom and miss her horribly. She always made such funny faces. I just keep seeing that in my mind. MOM, is having the ultimate celebration with Jesus today. One day, I will be there and celebrate too. It don't get better than that!!!

Crazy busy day at home and I have to fit in a trip to town sometime. Got the coffee cup here and about to get 2nds. The rain is still hanging around. I will choose to be happy! I hope you do too.

Changing it up!

My life is all spontaneous. I never know what my day will look like. My husband calls me and sends me on a chase at least 2 times a week. Most days, it doesn't bother me. Some days it does. We won't talk about those. :)


Saturday, we woke up with big plans. We ended up not leaving till noon. We went to Cookeville, TN. I dropped the guys off at the movies. I went and got a pedicure and a manicure. That was amazing!!! My first pedi ever! I will be back!

Sunday was an awesome service at church. We also had an awesome Sunday night Uprising with the youth of the county. They just seem to have such a great energy! There is strength in numbers. If we make choices, stand together and back each other we can help each other to do right things.

Monday, I was going to clean house and have Patrick doing homework. I woke up to unexpected company who wanted to take me to lunch. I already had lunch plans. I then got a call from the school. Matt had fallen on his knee and I had to go get him. I took him to lunch and then we went and got it x-rayed to make sure things were ok. They were. I came home and had to deal with "home" stuff and still had the homework to check.

Today, I am still sitting here. (shhhh, don't tell that) I got requests from hubby last night to do 3 things. I also need to do some bookkeeping. We have school at 1:30. I forgot to mention laundry. I don't know what else my day will bring. Seems like I go from one extreme to the other a lot.

I was putting in water heaters a week or so ago, getting pampered on Saturday and being a maid today. Life is so full of fun. I was thinking....(I know that's scary). I wouldn't trade my life for anyone elses. I have learned a lot and grown a lot. I have looked at death close up. I have a God that I am special to, a family that loves me despite my unlovableness at times, a dog that teaches me daily, friends that really care and a nice place to live. I believe change is a good thing. I can't imagine me the way I used to be. Change has been good for me. Wonder what will get changed up today? That's ok, surprise me!

I'm ready for the day, how bout you?

My Honey is off today.

Today is a special day. Paul is off today which is a miracle of its own. THANK you Lord!!! Both of our boys are here, we all feel good and the day is awesome. We are going to spend the day together. I'm not exactly sure of how it is going to go. I have heard Cookeville. I love Tennessee, so that is great! I also heard pedicure so that is DOUBLE great. I have never had one. I am tooooooo excited. I think the guys are going to watch a movie. It is great to have a family. There are a lot of different feelings and emotions that come with having a family. The one that comes up the most is love. In 19 years, we have had so many ups and downs. I am so happy that we choose to fight for what we have. Seems like it is so easy to just throw away our marriages and a lot of times, our families. I am so happy we choose to fight for ours. Which brings me to another subject.
FIGHTING
I have always told my boys that fighting was not a good thing. It should be avoided at all costs. I really don't like fighting. I have changed part of my opinion on this. Fighting is a good thing if your fighting for your marriage, fighting to win a game, fighting to win the battle with cancer or fighting to pull your kid through a hard time. Fighting has many definitions. One of which is, to try to prevent the development or success of. I had never really considered fighting a good thing. I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks. I'm still learning.

I'm going to have a great day! I hope you will do the same.

Speaking of wind!

It is WINDY here in KY today. I mean really windy!!! On top of that, I feel like I have been in a whirlwind. Paul came in this morning, one minute before my alarm went off, and woke us all up. Matthew got ready for school and headed out. Patrick went out and helped Paul do a small outside job. I made coffee. (I have an earlier post on coffee.) After Matthew left, Paul, Patrick and I left. We have been to Celina, Red Boiling Springs, Tompkinsville, Edmonton, Columbia and Burkesville. We were home before 12:30. I think I need a nap.

No nap here, gotta get Patrick started on school. My whirlwind continues.......lol

Going to a mother - daughter tea tonight. That will be nice, no testosterone. Have a blessed day!

Little crazy things that hold you back

I have something to own up to. I let little crazy things hold me back sometimes. Now, my little things may not be yours, but I know we all have them.

One thing that is so NOT a big deal but I make it a big deal is cutting my nails. I can do nails. While MANY women go and get nails, I am BLESSED!  My nails grow like crazy. The problem is cutting them down. I always feel better when they look better. I can type better when they are shorter. I know this sounds nuts. I just wonder how many times in our spiritual life, we let little, silly, crazy things hold us back. In this day and time, we have so many things that can hold us back. My days come and go before I even know they have been here sometimes. It's the little things in life that make life good. It's the little things that aggravate us. It's the little things we need to learn from.  I wonder how many "little things" will enter my life today. The bigger things are easy to see.

My hubby called me this morning and told me how special I am. This is the man that lives with me. This is the man that has been with me for 19 years. He has seen the good, bad and "OH MY" parts of my life. It was an awesome way to start my day. I hope you hear a good thing today.

How big are your walls?

Let me start by commiting to something.

I believe every written word of the Bible. I believe the Red Sea was parted and they walked on dry ground. I believe that Jonah was in a fish. I believe Job had a HORRIBLY hard life at the hand of the devil and made it through at the hand of God. I believe that Joshua walked around the walls and I believe on the 7th day, they came down.

Ok, I have walls in my life. My husband has walls. My children have walls. I believe that even my Bob Bob has walls. It happens to us all.

Now, that we have it established that we all have walls, what can we do about it? Well, I also believe that the Bible is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. So, since God broke the walls then, I believe he will break them now.

For the next 6 days, I will walk around my home. I will do it quietly. On the 7th day, I will walk around it 7 times and then, SHOUT!!! I know I will see walls brought down.

Now, we had the opportunity to shout yesterday at church. I really felt that I needed this to be more personal and be at our home. I love it that God works individually sometimes. I love having a church family where He is working too.

In todays society, it is all about what you have or can amass. How much property or assets you have. I am telling you now that these are walls that I can live without.

Just exactly how awesome is this life anyway!

I AM RICH!

How do you determine wealth?

money?
chocolate goodness?
the depth of the awesomeness of something?

I recently watched the movie Courageous. One of the parts of the movie that struck me the most is when Xavier figured out that he was indeed "rich".  That struck me so hard. Sometimes, I forget exactly how rich I truly am. Some weeks at this house are great and some are a little tight as far as money. We always eat and we have our needs met. All that aside, we have so much more. We have been through the fire. We have stood together (occationally, we stood on different sides). We are overcomers and we are so much more than we know. I may have woken up this morning feeling a cold coming on. I may have been happy to see the check hit the bank. I may have heard my 2 boys and their friend playing music and a game. I may be about to get up and do all the "things" I need to get done today. In all this, I want to remember how extremely RICH I truly am. I have the

LOVE of my GOD, who never lets me down.

LOVE of my family, who sees my flaws and they still choose me.

LOVE of my dog Bob, who loves me unconditionally and teaches me daily to do the same.

LOVE of my friends, who are so awesome!

I AM the richest person you know!!!

Have a blessed day today.

Drink Your Veggies!!!!

I have learned a lot from my husband.

COFFEE

Coffee is a drink that, when brewed, has a dark, acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant.

It is a legal drug of choice.

I LOVE IT!

Mornings are just better because of it.

The earliest evidence of coffee drinking appears in the middle of the 15th century in Yemen.

Coffee was the top agricultural export for twelve countries in 2004.

Coffee berries and their seeds undergo several processes before they become the familiar roasted coffee.

Which leads me to the begining of this post. My husband tells me that they are actually coffee beans and that beans are VEGETABLES, SO,

DRINK YOUR VEGGIES AND BE HEALTHY!!! My hubby said so!

What I learned about a hot water heater.

We had a 40 gallon hot water heater. My husband had an attachment to it. He just really wanted to hold on to it.  I believe it should have been gone at least a year ago. It had been here since 1992. It did its duty. Now, what I learned from this experience:

A 40 gallon water heater says it holds 40 gallons of water. When your taking a "HOT" bath, it only holds 10 gallons. I would have to run the water. Wait. Run more water. Let some out, while waiting. Run more. You get the picture. So I am completely convinced it only has 10 gallons when you want a bath.

A 40 gallon water heater says it holds 40 gallons of water. When your trying to empty it to get rid of it, it holds 140 gallons. Patrick and I were in charge of emptying the water heater. Normal people would hook a hose to it and let it run out. WE are NOT normal. We (because of circumstances that would take way too long to tell you) used an old plastic Folger's coffee can to empty the water. Patrick worked on it, I worked on it, Patrick worked, I worked, Patrick, me. OK, I'm sure you get that one. Needless to say, I am completely convinced that it holds 140 gallons when you empty the stinking thing.

My husband grew attached to our hot water heater. They had many moments together. Some were, frankly, quite "shocking!!!" He has fought me for over a year about getting a new water heater. I heard: we don't have the money, I CAN FIX this one, I like our water heater and I just don't want to get rid of it. He even mentioned putting it in the front yard so it would still be part of the family. I told him that we would all dress up, hold hands and have words for the water heater if it would help or make him feel better. He asked me to call Pastor Dana to officiate. He now has a new relationship with the new one and forgot the old one QUICKLY. He hasn't even mentioned the ceremony.

Paul is convinced that we have a water heater conspiracy going on. I had been seriously telling Paul for a week that we NEED a new water heater. It was pitiful. The metal was cut on it (where he fixed it) and it was leaking horribly. We went from a towel a day getting a little wet to a bunch of towels being soaked (maybe 4 but it seemed like more). The final showdown: Saturday evening.   Paul had to fix a leak which really didn't help much. Then, he left to go to work Sunday afternoon before we got home. I had taken the boys to church. We had service and then stayed after for drama practice. So, we didn't get home till about 2:30. The stinking water heater was running water, not dripping. I fumed! I called Sylvia. I got more mad. It leaked more. I fussed. I was trying to get dishes and clothes done as quick as possible. It was to the point that I had to shut off the water. Paul made a call to a friend about a used water heater. He was to bring it early the next morning. I called the friend and he couldn't find the water heater. JOY, the angels are SINGING!!!! I started making a plan! Monday morning comes. Paul calls. I am the wonderful wife. He is too tired to drive home, so he will be sleeping on the yard in the truck. OHHHHH honey, that's ok. I don't want you to drive tired. Hang up the phone, get ready and GO TO LOWES! I made the decision to go buy the water heater.  Paul says that God was on my side, it was a conspiracy and that is why the used water heater didn't come through. I kindly reminded him that I spent extra time at church Sunday so that could be true. :)

Putting in a water heater can be refreshing! OK, there are 2 pipes going to the water heater. One brings the water in to it and one takes the water  out to the house. I was being so smart and decided to put a shut off on (what I thought was the one that brings the water into) the water heater. I did an awesome job of plumbing and let it dry. NOW, even though the water heater wouldn't arrive till the next day, I could turn the water back on and at least have cold water. Enter Patrick! I stand there to marvel at the wonderfully awesome job I have done. Patrick slowly starts turning the water shut off to the house on. Guess what happens! I put it on the wrong one. I got splattered with water. He quickly turned it off. More cleaning! I learned that even when you KNOW which one is the in water, you can still be wrong. That was quite refreshing!

LOVE
How can a water heater have anything to do with love??? Yesterday was Valentine's Day. I went and purchased the water heater the day before and they delivered it on Valentine's Day. I told everyone that was what I got. ENTER my honey, Paul. Patrick and I had to run to town to drop off a gift for his girlfriend. I got a call from Paul before I got to town. (Keep in mind that I had the water heater plumbed in and ready to go, we only had to do the electric to finish the job. I was letting the glue dry) Paul tells me that he is home and is going to take us out for dinner for Valentine's Day. HOW awesome is this guy. I hurry home, we finish the electric and wait for the water to heat. I remember that I had a card for my honey. I "run" in the bedroom, move a notebook on the bed and get the card for him. I bring it to him and I get a funny look. "Wasn't there anything on the bed for you?", he says. I was so excited to have a water heater that I didn't pay attention to anything else! I go back to the bedroom to find a rose and 2 boxes of candy!!! I love it all. I just know that him giving up his old water heater for me showed so much love. I am almost moved to tears by the thoughts of it today. (hehehehe) I love him more each time I go by a sink and feel the heat when I turn on the water. NO ONE could ever tell me or convince me that a water heater can't have something to do with LOVE!

That's PART of the water heater saga. Stay tuned, up next, the boat engine saga. I'm sure I will find a way to post about the boat and boat engine. I know you will all be excited. Until then, find love in all the things life brings.

Happy Sunday morning. It is COLD!!!  I love the way the cold makes everything feel fresh and clean. It makes me think of Jesus who did that for me. There is nothing cold about him yet He comes and cleanses me daily and gives me fresh mercies. I have been sitting here being lazy for almost an hour. I have went back and forth, debating whether I want to get up. Truth is I want to stay here in my warm bed and stay warm. I also know that if I do that, I will miss a blessing. So, I am going to get up offa this thing, make coffee and go worship the One that comes daily for me.

Sometimes, it is so neat to just sit here in the quiet and know that my family is right here and we are ok. It just feels good.

I have to finish up a talk that I will be doing in March. I am excited about it. I am doing powerpoint for the first time, so that makes me wonder. I know it will all work out. I just want to hide behind God and let him shine through.

I'm off. Good day to all!!!

Memories and better attitude

I woke up with a good attitude and feeling fine.

A couple of nights ago, my son, Matthew, climbed up in our loft and got some older pictures out. They were of my mom, grandma, Paul and I when we first started dating and even the boys. I took the time last night to scan them and put them up on facebook. It was great to look back and see some happy times with the people that made me who I am today. I had a good life. I was so blessed to have a mom that loved me sooooo much. I was doubly blessed to have a grandma there too. My family wasn't perfect (whos is? :) ), we did have lots of love. I don't ever remember my mom or grandma holding a grudge. I remember them getting their fur ruffled when someone tried our family. The momma lion would come alive. I never saw them violent. I remember seeing them come alive when we did well. They would rejoice like nobodies business. It was awesome to see those pictures and go back in time to remember how totally awesome my life was then. A friend of mine sent me a picture of Little Gray. That is the last picture you see. Little Gray was an awesome horse that made my life a little brighter. I am so grateful for neighbors that allowed this little girl to intrude in their life.

As for waking up with a good attitude, I don't know if it was the trip down memory lane that boosted me or what. I just woke up this morning feeling clear headed and good. I feel like things are good. I got Matthew up for school. I talked to Paul twice. I am drinking coffee and eating a few chocolate covered raisins. Raisins are good for you, RIGHT??? 

I have a lot on the to do list for today. Today is garbage day. I have to mail something for Matt, trade some stuff with Sylvia, help Patrick with school, clean some house, love on my Bob Bob, help clean a boat engine and who knows what else this lovely day will bring. I have heard rumors that it is supposed to snow tonight.  I am trying to NOT get excited and expectant. Snow just makes me smile. On that note, I think I will just smile anyway. Hope everyone has a great day! God and I are going to.