Just a Glimpse

Emily's New Hobby

2012-02-12T12:45:00.000-08:00

Emily decided a few weeks ago that she would like to

try to learn to ice skate. She has never been on skates

(other than one time on a field trip...but she never actually

skated) So this is a totally NEW thing for her. She did

a little research and found a place where she could take

lessons. She has had three lessons now and so far, she

is really enjoying it. It's going to take lots of practice.

The first day she must have fallen twenty times.--But she

took it well and learned the very valuable lesson of how

to get up when you fall. :)

The last lesson she had she only fell once! So, that

seems like a nice improvement. This season of

lessons will be for eight weeks. After that, we

may let her take some off and on.

I like to see her getting to do something like this

on occasion. She is having fun, making some

new friends (it's a homeschool group), plus

getting some great exercise.

Emily Gets a Whole New Look

2012-02-11T07:36:00.000-08:00

Okay...Emily gets a whole new look. Does anyone recognize the hair?

Ever since she saw the movie "Tangled" she has wanted

the hair style that Rapunzel had at the end, right after

Flynn Ryder chopped off her hair to save her.

She asked her Daddy then if she could cut her hair that

way and he said it was too short.

So, she talked him into it "IF" she did the same

cut but just a little longer.

Well, yesterday we finally did it.

And she LOVES it! I just hope that

we can get it to look as nice when we style it.

Although, as Emily says it's not supposed to be

perfect...it's that messy-sort of-scrunced-up look anyway.

I think it will be a nice change for her. She has very

thick hair and when it is longer it is very difficult

for her to maintain (keep the tangles out

and do a good job with the whole shampooing/rinsing thing)

She loves her new look. And her Daddy???? Well, you

know how Daddy's are with their little girls hair. He misses

her beautiful, long hair but he is a very sweet Daddy

who understands that this might be easier for her.

(Not to mention that this could even cut down on

shower time--which could cut down the water bill)

lol! Anyway, she's happy with it. I think it makes her look

too grown up. :( It's the first time she has EVER changed

her hair this much. We layered it last year on her 12th birthday

but even then, it was long layers...past her shoulders. She had

her hair chin-length one time--but all one length.

Just thought I'd share...we've been so busy in recent days, there has not been

a lot of new things to blog about.

Prayers for Mom

2012-02-05T05:20:00.000-08:00

Thursday, February 2, was one month since my precious

Daddy left us here to be with his heavenly Father.

While we know that Daddy is the happiest he's ever been

in the presence of his Savior, and we wouldn't want to

bring him back to the terrible suffering he was enduring here in his

last days, we still miss him terribly.

I spoke with Momma last night on the phone

and she has been very sad the last few days.

She is missing him so much...really, when you've spent

the last 49 years with someone...how could you not?

She says that she sees him everywhere she looks...he is

in every room. I know that these things take time, that

the Lord is gracious and will help her to make it

one day at a time. He has promised never to

forsake us, even in our darkest hours, so I know

that He is her comfort. But, I ask if you

have a moment, will you please pray for her?

Just for an extra measure of grace to get through

these days?

New and Interesting Blog to Read

2012-02-02T14:29:00.000-08:00

My cousin's wife just started a new blog to share in their families'
adoption experience. I thought that I would share the blog with you.
They are a very sweet family with a desire to share their love and the
love of God with a child from a foreign land.

To learn more about their story, here is the link
http://www.ourstoryforgodsglory.blogspot.com/

Grace to Do

2012-01-17T06:16:00.000-08:00

Well, I haven't updated in a few days. Hopefully, this

year I will do a little better about my blogging. We do

have internet in the house now so it should be easier.

Just thought that I would take a few minutes to update.

From my last post, you understand that Daddy went

home to be with the Lord January 2, 2012. And I DO

believe that with all my heart. The Bible tells us in

2 Corinthians 5:8 that "...to absent from the body is to

be present with the Lord" and Paul also told us in 1

Thessalonians 4:13 "But I would not have you to be

ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that

ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope,

This passage goes on to elaborate more about the

coming of Christ and how those that are dead in Christ

(believers) and those who remain (believers) will all

be caught up together in the clouds and then we will

all be with the Lord forever. Verse 18 concludes with

"Wherefore comfort one another with these words".

I have always loved these verses. They have meant a lot

to me over the years of reading and study God's Word.

But, I have never loved them and cherished them as

much as I have in recent days. My Daddy left us a

testimony of his faith in Christ. He lived his life in such

a way as to leave those following behind him a firm

and comforting knowledge that he went to be with the

Lord. So, I can rest and know that he is there. It is what

the blessed hope as believers encompasses. I believe

that is what gave us strength ~as a family~ to face watching

our precious Daddy struggle and leave this life. God's grace

carried Daddy and gave him the strength as he breathed his

last and God's grace gave us the strength to just be able to

go through the motions to do what had to be done.

The cancer that Daddy had (bone cancer) that spread

from bladder cancer was a terrible disease. He was in

great pain and he had several broken bones all over his

body where the cancer had just eaten away at it. We don't even

know all the places it had gotten to in the last few months.

But, I thought to myself ( and I sure the Holy Spirit put

it in my heart) as we laid my Daddy's poor old broken body

to rest in the Lewis family cemetary that he is not THERE!

He is absent...from his body...and he is present with the Lord!

What a comfort and joy to know! And incidentally, we buried

Daddy on my sisters birthday. We were worried about it

being a difficult day for her but she told us that she would look at

it like she and Daddy BOTH got to have a birthday...that

Daddy finally got to go to his new home. (Of course, his

actually went home on the 2nd) but to me, that could

only be said by someone who is experiencing the grace of

God in a special way.

Well, all these thoughts may seem a little scattered. But, the Lord

has been so GOOD, He has met so many needs for my parents

as they faced these dark days of cancer...some day I may share

some of them with you. But for now....God's grace HAS been

sufficient...He has given us the grace to face one of (if not THE

HARDEST) thing that we've had to in our earthly lives...and

I am happy to say that the Lord has been there with us through it

all. Yes, we will sorrow...after all, he's our Daddy, and we will

miss him terribly...(it's hard to type with tears streaming down

your face)...Of course, we will miss him, BUT we don't have

to sorrow as those with no hope! we DO have hope! We will meet

him soon...together in the clouds.

Now, my heart wants to pray "Oh Lord, come quickly" but there may be

some in my family who aren't ready to meet the Lord. Some who

maybe have never received the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior...some

who~if they want a reunion in the clouds with Daddy~must finally admit

that they are sinners in need of a Savior! For these...I must pray fervently.

For I do believe...soon, we will meet the Lord!

Heaven's Sounding Sweeter

2012-01-02T08:12:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to take a moment to share. My precious Daddy left us this morning and went home to be with

the Lord. Our hearts are sad but HE is glad....because he is with his Savior. I do desire your prayers for our

family and especially my Mom. She has lovingly cared for him for the last two years as he fought his battle

with cancer. She is going to miss him so much.

Lewis Family Christmas 2011

2011-12-28T07:50:00.000-08:00

Just thought I'd share a picture of our family at Christmas.

We all gathered around Daddy's hospital bed, it was hard to

get everyone in. He had a pretty good day.

I am very thankful that we were able to have another Christmas

with our family circle unbroken...

Family Traditions

2011-12-21T07:13:00.000-08:00

We began a tradition on Emily's first Christmas. We would

get her an ornament that commemorated something that

she loved the most that year. Kind of like a walk down

memory lane. :)

These pics start with this year and move backwards

(because I uploaded them backwards...oopsie!) lol

She loves Superman this year! She even got

to visit the Superman museum in Metropolis, IL.!

She also loves Smallville (which is supposed to be

Superman when he was a teenager***for any who

recognize this show----we only watch it with Clearplay***

we do not endorse it otherwise!)

Last year, she got all into the Mandie book and movies.

We couldn't find an ornament with Mandie on it so we bought an

ornament ball that you could put a picture in. Ta da!

I actually got these next two

reversed. We got her the Disney prncess

castle ornament the year of her ninth Christmas

because we visited Disney World earlier in the year.

She loved the Tinkerbell movie her tenth year.

This was her eight Christmas~ she loved Barbie Island Princess

Her seventh Christmas~ She loved Barbie and The Twelve Dancing Princesses

This sixth Christmas~ she loved Spiderman!

(What is it with this girl and her superheroes?)

And yet another Barbie movie~ her fifth Christmas she loved

the Princess and the Pauper

Her fourth Christmas~ she loved Dora the Explorer!

(now she wants to hide this one and not put it on the tree--but

Mama stands firm! whether or not she likes her now--she

loved her once) lol

Her third Christmas she didn't anything in particular so we picked

out a very cute ornament with her name on it.

Her second Christmas~ She loved Toy Story!

Her first Christmas~ we found a very cute Precious Moments ornament

Booties that say Baby's First Christmas!

And of course, when she marries, she will take all these with her!

Kind of a sweet tradition, we've had so much fun doing!

In the early years, I would be the one trying to

decide what she loved best all year. Now, she has

a blast deciding and then we have lots of fun

looking for just the right one!

And of course, here is where it all began!

If there hadn't been a First Christmas Together in 1984

for a nice young couple named Bret and Tammy,

there would never have been an Emily to begin

with. Just thought that I'd share MY favorite ornament too!

The Greatest Gift of All!

2011-12-16T06:40:00.000-08:00

After reading Tammy's comments on my previous post,

I began thinking about my parents and the legacy that they have

left for me and my sisters. You see, my parents raised us

all of our lives to know and love the Lord with all our hearts.

We were raised to put God first in our lives...there was never any

question on Sunday morning, IF we were going to church today.

We were! They taught us that the Lord should be our priority. They

taught us that if you live your life for the Lord, that the Lord will

always be with us, that He would never forsake us, and He hasn't!

Some may ask, then, why? Why would God allow someone

who has lived for Him and honored Him with his life, to

go through such suffering and pain?

Unfortunately, we do not live in a perfect world. There will always

be pain and suffering here. God has not promised us that

we would never go through hard things. But, He

has promised us that He would never forsake us, that

He would carry us through the hard things. There are lots

of Biblical examples of good people who went through very

diffiicult and trying circumstances. I'll mention just a couple.

Joseph is one of my favorite Bible characters. Josesph's brothers

did some terrible things to him and thus began a whole series

of terrible events, over the course of many years time, and

Joseph was innocent of wrongdoing. But, God had a

purpose for allowing him to face those things. If Joseph

had gotten bitter or angry against God, and turned his back

on Him, the work that God had for him to do (many, many years

down the road) wouldn't have been accomplished.

And Job, Job had no idea about the conversation that

had taken place between God and Satan about his

being a strong, dedicated man. All he knew was

one day he was living for God, and the next day

his world was torn apart. But, the Lord used

this time to help Job to grow and know the Lord

better than he ever had before.

I do know, the Lord has been very good to our family.

He has met financial needs, he has given strength and

help in ways that only He could.

Daddy and Momma both love the Lord. They have

lived for him faithfully for many years.

They have a home prepared for them in heaven.

In this, I have comfort and peace. I know that

a separation here will only be temporary. I will see

them again. One day, we will be together again,

never to be separated. A wonderful family reunion in

heaven....FOR ALL THOSE WHO HAVE ACCEPTED CHRIST!

We don't have to grieve as those who have no hope!

It's not to say we don't grieve...just to say not as them with no hope!

We do have hope! We have a promise to be with the Lord

forever in the home He's prepared for us! But first,

one must accept Him as Lord and Savior!

I have accepted Him, and I believe with all

my heart, that my parents have accepted him.

Their lives have been a testimony of that.

But, if there are some who have not lived their

lives for the Lord, if He has not changed their

hearts ( to where your heart yearns toward Him and

not toward the things of the world-- to where

you have a change of mind...you take sides with

God against yourself, realizing that you are an unworthy sinner

in need of a Savior) then

these can't find hope and peace in looking forward

to a reunion in heaven. Because unless you've accepted

Christ, you won't be there!

This is the Christmas season...a time when we celebrate Christ' birth.

Why do we celebrate the birth? Because He didn't just come as

a babe in a manger! He came to die! Because the human

race needed a Savior! Because without a Savior there would

be no HOPE for any of us to go be with Him in heaven.

In the busyness of these days, the greatest gift anyone could

receive would be the gift of salvation. If you haven't received

this gift, there is no other that matters.

I guess this post was a little scattered...or random, as my sweet daughter

would say. :) But, I just had some things on my heart, and hopefully

someone who reads might understand what I am trying

to say. I would love to hear of someone receiving the greatest

gift of all this Christmas, the gift of the Savior!

Sweet Pic of Daddy and Momma

2011-12-15T13:27:00.000-08:00

I found this picture a few weeks ago. It is Daddy

and Momma before either of them were sick.

These are difficult days for both of them.

Daddy is very, very sick. Momma cares for him

constantly and is exhausted, but she wouldn't have it

any other way. She is taking care of the love of her life

while she has the opportunity. His birthday was

Tuesday. He turned 67. I am thankful for another year

to have my Daddy with me.

My husband is a much better deer hunter than I am!

2011-12-15T09:55:00.000-08:00

I'm Still Here

2011-11-08T16:16:00.000-08:00

It may not seem like it...but I am still here. Life in our family
has been very busy in recent days. What with the homeschooling,
church activities, etc. I've also had some issues with my computer
not wanting to cooperate and so, the few times that I have actually
tried to post something, it wouldn't work for me. Grrrr...

But, I do plan to try to do better blogging soon. Got plans to get
the puter fixed up...soon. Will hopefully, in the very near future
be getting high speed internet at home.

Now, just before signing off... I would like to ask prayers for my
parents. Daddy is very, very sick right now--and has been for the
last several weeks-- well months, really. I haven't updated on his
health, mostly just because I am just don't feel like talking about
it much. But, he desperately needs prayers, and so does Mom,
as she is exhausted trying to care for him.

I appreciate everyone who reads my blog ( if after all this time any
one is still there)

The Ducks I See On My Morning Walk

2011-09-16T05:57:00.000-07:00

Aren't they just adorable? I see these little guys every

morning (weather permitting) when my husband and I do

our morning walk. Getting to see them always makes my day...

Remember...and Pray

2011-09-11T05:11:00.001-07:00

Today commerates a very sad day in our nation's history.

Please take a few minutes of your time today to pray

for the families affected by this tragedy ten years ago.

And, pray for our great nation...that she will be a beacon

of light for a world in darkness...that she will

continue to stand for truth and right....

to firmly stand as

"one nation under God"

Back to School

2011-09-01T08:06:00.001-07:00

Well...it's that time of year! Time to get "back to school".

HOMESCHOOL, that is. :)

Here is a smiling Emily...and don't let that smile fool you...she really wasn't

all that happy at the moment. (She was doing Math) ( and just

for the record, she is GOOD in Math, she just doesn't ENJOY it)

She prefers READING to CYPHERING, so to speak.

We are switching to Saxon math this year, having used

ACE since kindergarten. We are still using ACE in most

of her other subjects (with the exception of Spelling, in which

we use Abeka) She is an excellent student. She does very

well academically, both in her school work as well as on

standardized testing.

I have listened to a lot of arguments concerning ACE versus

other curriculum, and I understand their points. (ACE

DOES start out slowly, progressing much more after say, 5th grade)

That does not bother me, though, because, as I said, Emily does

VERY WELL on the standardized testing...WHICH IS NOT BASED

ON CURRICULUM BUT ON NATIONAL GRADE LEVEL MATERIAL.

So, to put this to rest once and for all...I LOVE ACE, it has

taught my daughter well. It is manageable, as far as it not

taking MY whole day...it being designed for the student

to learn from the curriculum. I just have to oversee her work,

be sure that she is being quizzed properly

and understanding the concepts.

PLUS, it is very affordable, much for affordable than

some of the others.

One of the very nicest things about homeschooling is that

one has the freedom to use various means and methods to teach

their children, to insure the best education for them.

And of course, every parent must choose the method that

best works for them. It's our choice! I guess the

thing that BUGs me, at times, is that

ACE gets criticized...before all the facts are in.

You can't (correctly) make an assumption based

on the early years...one must look at the WHOLE picture.

How well do these students do when they go to college?

Most of the ADULTS that I know (who were ACE educated) that have gone to

college have done exceptionally well.

Anyway, whichever curriculum you choose, it is

a blessing and honor to still have the freedom that

we have in our country to be able to educate our

children in our homes.

(Aside from kindergarten, Emily has never been taught

by anyone else outside our family)

She will be taught to live by our standards and convictions

until she goes to college or gets married. And by then, LORD willing,

she will have grown in the LORD spirtually enough that she can

stand strong in her faith ON HER OWN.

This is our ultimate goal~ that she love the LORD with all her

heart and live for Him all the days of her life.

Wow! I don't know where all that came from...was only planning to

post a pic! lol :)

But, there you have it...

Presenting...Mr. and Mrs. Trent Holman

2011-08-27T05:35:00.001-07:00

Well, they did it! Faith and Trent were married.

Faith is a very special young lady and and

has been a dedicated member of our youth group.

May the Lord bless them as they begin their lives

together.

The entire wedding party

Here comes the bride...look at the smile! She looks
excited to see her groom. (Reminds me of how the church will
one day be smiling and rejoicing to see her long-awaited groom)

The lighting of the unity candle

First Kiss

The lovely Mr. & Mrs. Trent Holman

Mini-Vacation at Surfside

2011-08-19T08:27:00.000-07:00

Our family had the privilege of getting to attend

the Summer Spectacular meeting at Life Baptist Church

in St. Stephen, SC, with Bro. Alfred Willis. My husband

was to preach in the campmeeting, as well as on Sunday

morning. We had a wonderful time. We love that

church and those precious people.

After leaving the meeting, we took a couple

of days to visit the ocean.

We went to Surfside, SC. We've never visited

there so we weren't sure what to expect. In all

honesty, it was a little too crowded for us.

However, we just made the best of the situation

by spending most of our time on the beach during

the wee morning hours and late evening hours.

During the day, we just took it easy and rested.

The view outside our room

Summer Cucumber Salad

2011-07-23T13:52:00.000-07:00

If you have lots of cucumbers right now, here's a delicious way to use them.

Summer Cucumber Salad

A serving bowl of bite-sized cucumbers

1/4c. chopped onion

Dressing

1 c. mayo

1/2 c. sugar

1 tbsp. vinegar

Mix dressing ingredients first then set aside. This will help the

flavors blend together nicely.

Just before serving, toss cucumbers and onions with the dressing.

This makes a deliciously cool summer treat.

What Am I Going to Do with all This Squash?

2011-07-08T08:22:00.000-07:00

Okay, first of all I had WAY more squash than this...but I had already

started the process before I thought about blogging it. :)

Have you ever noticed how EVERYONE'S squash comes in

at the same time? So, it's VERY hard to give away and

everyone comes to church with a bag of veggies, and no one

seems to want to take any?

I DO have a little garden this year, but we got ours

in tad bit late. Thus, we don't have squash yet (ATLEAST

FROM OUR OWN GARDEN)

However, we have had LOTS of folks sharing!

(Which is definitely OKAY with me)

Now, of course, there are the regular ways to eat

summer squash. Our absolute FAVORITE way is

the most fattening way...rolled in corn meal

and fried in individual pieces. Our second favorite way

is stirred fried with onion and peppers in just a little

oil ( much healthier and still very tasty)

But...after so many days of eating squash, even the biggest

fan of squash can alittle burned out...and then what?

I have a couple of wonderful recipes for using summer squash.

I have tried for years (quite unsuccessfully) to freeze it.

As much as we LOVE squash, and I believe that I have tried

to freeze it in every POSSIBLE way, we just haven't cared for

it from the freezer. UNTIL NOW...

Last year, we had an abundance of squash and we needed to

go away for a few days. I didn't want it to waste so I shredded

them all up in my food processor and then bagged them up and

froze them ( never did it that way before)

Sometime last winter, I decided to make a squash casserole

and used some of the shredded frozen squash. IT WAS

WONDERFUL and worked beautifully!!!

So, here is a few pics of what I have been up to this morning.

This winter, we will be enjoying some delicious SUMMER squash. :)

First, chop into hunks that will fit into your food processor.

Shred it, using the blade you use for making slaw.

Shredded squash

The same process works GREAT for zucchini too!

The recipes for squash also taste great using zucchini

(and make for a very PRETTY looking casserole)

Also, it makes a very tasty zucchini bread

(And I have made LOTS of these--a tried and true recipe)

Veggies ready to go in the freezer.

Now I would like to share a couple of recipes with you in

which I use the shredded squash.

Squash Casserole

4 c. shredded squash (take out of freezer, defrost slightly, squeeze ALL moisture out)

1 box Jiffy cornbread mix

4 eggs

1/3 c. oil

1/2 c. onion

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese or 1 c. velveeta, cubed

In large bowl combine squash and muffin mix. Beat together 4 eggs and add to bowl.

Mix in the last three ingredients and stir. Pour into a 13 x 9 cake pan coated with cooking spray

and bake at 325 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes or until light golden brown.

Squash Patties

4 c. squash ( same as above recipe)

1 small onion, minced

Cook w/ 1/2 tsp. salt & 1/4 tsp. pepper in a little water until tender

Cool. Drain. Mash

1 Jiffy Cornbread mix

1/4 c. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. red pepper (optional)

1 large egg, beaten

1/2 c. buttermilk ( can use regular milk)

Mix together, then add squash

Add 1/2 c. oil in skillet. When oil is hot, spoon out by spoonfuls and fry

for 3 minutes per side.

Zucchini Bread

2 c. sugar

1 c. oil

3 eggs

2 c. shredded zucchini

3 tsp. vanilla

3 c. flour

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. each nutmeg & ginger

Beat together eggs, sugar, and oil. Add zucchini & vanilla. Mix well.

Add the rest of the ingredients. Pour into greased loaf pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Cool on rack 10 minutes.

Add glaze.

Glaze

1 c. confectioners sugar

1 tsp. lemon juice

Whisk together. Drizzle over bread.

I also have another use for summer squash. I didn't make

any this year because I still have several jars left but

this is very good. (Very similar to chow-chow) It is

a wonderful complement to pinto beans and cornbread.

Squash Relish

6 large squash, diced

2 large bell peppers, diced

4 medium onions, diced

1/4 c. canning salt

2 1/2 c. apple cider vinegar

3 c. sugar

2 tsp. celery salt

1 tsp. mustard seed

Cover veggie mixture ( first four ingredients) with ice and let sit

for one hour. Drain well. Add the other ingredients to the veggies and

mix together. Bring to boil and continue to boil for 10 minutes.

Pour into clean, hot jars and seal with lids that are

in VERY hot water. (My recipe does not say that you

have to use a water bath canner, and I KNOW that the

recipe works fine if you don't want to use one-- however, at

this time I DO put my jars into a water bath for 5 minutes)

I believe it helps with the sealing process and I figure that

if anything is worth doing, it's worth the extra effort to

try and keep it preserved.

So, there you have it!

Our Summer "At a Glance"

2011-07-06T14:56:00.001-07:00

Well, so much for good intentions! I promised myself I'd be

a better blogger during summer vacation, but I am afraid I

haven't been. So, for a little catching up of what we've been up too...

Emily has recently gotten "into" Superman! Her daddy bought

her the first season of The Adventures of Superman ( the old

tv show made in the 50's starring George Reeves) From there

it has blossomed. She REALLY loves it!!!! So, of course, when

she found out that there is a tiny town in Illinois called

Metropolis that has a Superman statue and museum, she

BEGGED us to take her.

Her daddy was invited to sit on an ordaining council

for a missionary friend heading out to be a church-planter in Montana,

AND since the ordination service would be in Paducah, KY,

just a few miles from Metropolis, IL, we did INDEED take her.

It was really just a tiny little town, but it did have some COOL superman

stuff!

Even Super-Cola's...LOL!

We got to see some props from the tv show in the museum.

Emily with the statue of Noel Neill ( Lois Lane in

the Adventures of Superman)

Emily with a wax figure of Clark Kent--along with some props.

While we were in Paducah for the ordination, a very nice

family in the church invited us and another preachers family

to stay in their lake house. What a beautiful place to stay!

What do you think?

After arriving home on Saturday evening, we then prepared for

our annual July 4th celebration at our church.

We always have a special fellowship dinner to commemorate the holiday.

As usual, Mrs. Barbara decorated everything beautifully.

Decorated table

Bro Don and Sis. Helen Putz

Courtney :)

Getting ready to chow down

Folks fellowshipping...we are aptly named! ;)

Little cutie pie...Micah! He is just such a sweetie!

Guys playing ball in the gym.

The next few pics were taken on Monday, the 4th.

My sister and her husband invited all the family to

their house for a cookout. I forgot to bring my camera

so I had to use my phone. That's the reason the

pics are so icky looking.

Mom and Dad

I was so glad that Daddy was able to be there.

He just finished his second round of radiation

since being diagnosed with cancer again

last winter. He is still taking chemo.

He hasn't felt at all well in recent days

so it was extra special for them to be there.

First cousins...Max and Emily

They didn't plan to dress alike but

I guess "great minds think alike"

They had lots of fun playing together. They live

almost two hours apart so they don't get a lot of

time to play together.

The Brothers-in-Law cooking...they did a great job!

My "little" sister Robin and I

Anyone notice my new hair?

Newly permed and highlighted...I just thought that

I would make life a little simpler this summer. It's actually

been almost ten years since I've had a perm. Takes a little

getting use to...all that BIG hair again...but I have to admit...it's

much easier and faster to fix (which is definitely a good thing)

***And please excuse the bony knees--I wore culottes that day(which I

rarely do in public) and obviously I need a lesson in modesty***

( I am always trying to get Emily to sit modestly and

here I am the one showing my knees) Oh well...

Anyway, we've had a busy BUT fun summer so far.

Can't wait to enjoy the rest of it. I just wish we could

slow it down some...it's going WAY too fast!

The View From My Laundry Room Window

2011-06-17T07:18:00.000-07:00

Finally, after a few VERY hot days, we

had our pool put up. (We thought about

doing it ourselves, but thought better of it)

I am really glad too, because the guys who installed

it are pros, they really knew what they were doing--which

is a good thing since during the installation we ran into a few

glitches. All is well, though, because when you hire someone

who knows what they are doing, they can figure out how to

make it work.

First off, I found a used pool on Craigs List for $150.00. Yay!

Then, I ordered a new liner and some accessories on the

internet. Then, of course, we had to wait a few weeks to

save money to hire the installers.

Here goes...

Going up...

Getting there...notice Emily in the background checking
out the progress...she is getting excited! :)

See my pretty liner? I just LOVE it! It is really a dark blue...darker

than it looks in the picture. I have learned that the darker your liner, the

more sparkly it looks with the sun shining down on it.

What I now see when I look out my laundry room window!

I know, I need to take a picture outside, not inside! lol

Anyway...it IS a little smaller than what we had before.

Our pool at our other house was a 24 round and this one

is 18 round, but since our yard is smaller in back we thought

this was better. But, it is plenty sufficient to cool off on these

hot, humid, east Tennessee days! I expect that Emily and I

will be doing lots of swimming in the days to come.

(Her Daddy doesn't like to swim much, which is even

more of a blessing that he allows us to spend the time,

money, and energy to have a pool--although he will probably

get in with us a time or two this summer)

(When, I get the opportunity, I will post some better pics)

Faith's Bridal Shower

2011-05-20T12:50:00.000-07:00

Our ladies had a bridal shower for Faith this past

Sunday. She got lots of nice gifts. She will be

married later this summer.

Our lovely bride-to-be~ Miss Faith Sparkman

Faith with her pretty cake

Isn't it beautiful? I am sure it was delish too, but since

I am (again) dieting...I skipped the cake and just ate veggies

from the vegetable tray.

I gave a short devotion on

"How I Can Be a Godly, Subjected Helpmeet Who Reverences Her Husband"

Hopefully, my text was shorter than my title. ;)

Faith and her buds

Faith liked this because it "coordinated" with

her outfit! Guess her working at Cato is taking over

her thinking! lol

I told Faith that this KitchenAid mixer would look great

in my kitchen but she didn't fall for it. (She did say

that I could come over to her house to use it) :)

Doesn't she look so cute and "housewife-ee"?

Happy First Day of Summer Vacation!

2011-05-19T14:02:00.001-07:00

We finally made it! Emily took her last test of the

school year today!!!! I celebrated the morning

by letting her sleep in just a little (she only had

to take three tests to be done) and while she

was sleeping, I was bird and squirrel watching.

Isn't this little guy just the cutest?

You can't tell by the pic, but this one is actually
an action shot! This little birdie will get a bite
and then fly up into the treetops to eat it.

My favorite bird, the cardinal! I am
so glad the seeds that I buy attract them.
I get to see them every day. :)

So pretty!

And so, let our summer vacation begin!

Beau~Tea~Ful In Christ

2011-05-16T16:19:00.000-07:00

I promised a few pictures of our Ladies Meeting.

Please accept my apologies for the delay in posting but WOW...has

it ever been busy the last few days! Our meeting was

on Saturday, May 7th, which incidentally was the

same weekend as Mother's Day.

Anyway...the theme for our meeting was

"Beau-Tea-Ful in Christ".

I've always LOVED teapots so I thought

this was a great time to use them as

a decorating theme.

Sister Barbara, who does most of our

decorating and event organizing, did a

fabulous job of "running with" the teapot

idea. She borrowed teapots from several ladies, along

with scarves and doilies, and decorated each table

with them. So, not only did we get to use them

for our theme, we also got to enjoy looking at

some very unique and pretty teapots!

Barbara decorated the fireplace mantile with mirrors, a

lovely doily and fresh flowers from her very own garden.

Here is one of the tables decorated.

Take a look at our door prize table! Our ladies are great

about donating very nice prizes! There was a nice

variety of items, and every lady who attended got

a great gift!

We were very appreciative of Faith, who was able to

do our music this year. ( Last year, we tried using

pre-recorded music--since most of our special music

at church uses male musicians--unfortunately, we

aren't very used to "canned music" and we weren't

satisfied with how our music turned out)

Anyway, she was having a bridal shower later in the

afternoon but thankfully, she was able to "squeeze" us in.

And so, the music was MUCH better this year! :)

A picture of Sister Barbara and Sister Faye...both of whom

are invaluable. They both worked very hard in getting

the decorations and food ready for the day.

Our Theme

I couldn't get a very good pic of this but I tried. ;)

Sister Teresa Francis made this beautiful necklace

for our meeting. It had the words "Beautiful in Christ" embossed

on it with a tiny teapot charm attached. It truly was beautiful.

We used this as a gift to the pastor's wife who brought the most

ladies. ( I actually could have won this--but like a good moderator--

I disqualified myself) But, oh, how I LOVED this necklace! :)

A random picture taken before the meeting started.

Okay...now this one needs to be explained.

One of the skits that we were doing was a "Chocolate Fever", a

Patch the Pirate song. A dear lady in our church was to have

been the soloist on the verses but their family had

a sudden, unexpected, trial come up at the last minute

that caused her to not be able to do the skit. Since I

was the only person familiar enough with the song, guess

who got to do it???? Now, being in the skit would have

been bad enough, but then, the logistics of getting from

the podium, into the skit clothes, doing the number,

and then back to the podium proved to be quite a challenge.

We made it, though, and I have to admit, it was fun!

I am sure that I looked quite silly while I was suffering

from "chocolate fever"! ;)

Emily, Courtney, and Faith were singing the chorus

of "Chocolate Fever" .

Here I am addressing the ladies during the meeting.

We had Sister Peggy and her two lovely daughters Joy

and Kristan to do our special singing. They did a tremendous job!

We loved having them all together for the meeting.

Sister Rebecca Whittenbarger, the pastor's wife from

North Rockwood Baptist Church, in Rockwood, TN

was our special speaker. She gave us a wonderful

and thought-provoking devotion on how to be

a beautiful lady in Christ.

Here is a picture of myself with Sister Peggy and her daughters.

It was a very special meeting. After last year's

meeting being as good as it was, I wondered if we

would be able to be as much of a blessing again.

I heard many, many comments from ladies who

attended and I believe that it did, indeed, turn

out to be just as good. We are so excited. Now, we

have to start praying about next year! (I've already

got the speaker scheduled...and I promise, she will

really be a treat! I am already looking forward to it)

I may have a few more pics to add later. We had

another skit that was absolutely hilarious but I don't have any

pictures of it yet. ( Soon, I hope)

So, be looking for a few more pictures in upcoming days.

Also, we had a bridal shower for Faith in the afternoon

yesterday. I will posting the pics of the shower soon too!

Mother's Day 2011

2011-05-10T07:53:00.001-07:00

I went to visit my mom on Monday, the day after

Mother's Day. I rarely ever get to visit on the

actual day. We live almost an hour and a half away

(and in another time zone) so it just isn't feasible

to be able to get there and back in time for church.

But, she is very understanding, and she and Daddy

raised us to be faithful to go to church. :)

I am very thankful for my godly mother. She

raised us to love the Lord with all our hearts.

I am also thankful that I still have her with me.

2011 FBC Ladies Meeting

2011-05-02T09:58:00.000-07:00

This is NOT to post pics of our Ladies meeting. This to let you know
that our Ladies meeting is this Saturday, May 7th. For anyone who
reads my blog that lives in our area, please consider this your personal
invitation. We'd love to have you! The meeting begins at 10:00 a.m. but
come a few minutes early so we can get you registered.

This is going to be a very BUSY week! There is still much to be done.
( gets me TIRED just thinking about it)
But, our ladies are so excited! We had our first-ever Ladies meeting
last year. It was a wonderful meeting! We had so many positive comments
about it's having been a blessing to folks. We look for this meeting to
be a great blessing as well. We have lots of fun things planned. We
have special music, skits, and a very special speaker~ Mrs. Rebecca
Whittenbarger from North Rockwood. We have a very nice meal planned
as well as door prizes and gift bags for all who attend! ;)

Please pray for us this week as we finalize the preparations. As I said,
there is still much to be done. Most of all, please pray that we can
be a blessing to all who attend. Some of our church ladies have invited
ladies who truly need the Lord to work in their lives ( some for
salvation--others for encouragement while facing difficult circumstances)
Our goal is to glorify the Lord in all we do, and then be a help and
blessing to those along the way.

So, if you have the opportunity, come on out and join us for a
very special time JUST FOR LADIES! It's going to a very
fun day! :) Hope to see you there!

2011-04-08T20:12:00.000-07:00

Our homeschool group went on an interesting field trip today.

It's called "The Minister's Treehouse". It was totally

FREE...which, of course, is great. But, I just

could NOT believe this place. It was amazing! There is

absolutely no way to describe it. On the inside, there

are so many rooms, even a chapel! And, for my

adventure-seeking daughter, it even had secret passage ways!

Fun, fun, fun!

Notice the branches coming in and out of the windows?

It was built around and using six trees, I believe.

What do you think?

And now, I would like to ask that anyone who

reads my blog, to please...

Pray for a dear family in our church who

very tragically lost a loved one today.

Their hearts are grieving and we feel

so helpless to bring comfort. All we can

do is pray for the "God of all Comfort"

to bring peace, hope, and help in their grief.

Spring, Squirrels, and Stacks of Wood

2011-04-07T17:59:00.001-07:00

Don'tcha just love Spring?

Emily and her Daddy got me this little squirrel feeder

for Christmas and I just LOVE to watch the squirrels eat!

They are so cute and so funny! They just climb

all over this tree, and my word, can they ever eat?

I think I am feeding EVERY squirrel in our neighborhood! :)

Now, as for what we've been up to????? I know it's been forever

since I've posted. The truth is, I have been fighting this

upper respiratory/cold/sinus thing for over a month now.

I can't seem to shake it! Hopefully, though, I am on the

upswing now. In between the "croupy cruddies",

we have doing WOOD. We have cut, split, and stacked

a TON of wood. We are going to have lots of

wood to burn next winter ( and probably a few winters)

Yay!

In our estimation, we have approximately 18 rick of wood.

And lest you think, that we went completely overboard,

the REASON that we have sooooo much wood is because

of this....

Remember the trees that we had cut in our backyard?

We had NINE trees cut. Some were leaning

over the top of the house, some were almost

rotten and just needed to come down.

Here is the backyard now...we just need to remove the

stumps, do alittle filling in of the holes, and some

leveling and then the yard will be in much better

shape. We had to let our pool go with

the other house when we sold it, so we have

been on the lookout for another one.

After much looking, we found one on Craigslist.

It was a great deal. Just need to get a new liner

and set it up. But, FIRST, we gotta finish this yard...

Presenting...Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Cooley

2011-03-05T17:19:00.001-08:00

Saturday, March 5, 2011 was

the day Miss Carrie Nelson

married Bro. Benjamin Cooley.

We are so happy for this sweet couple.

It is a testimony of what the Lord

can do when two young people

dedicate their lives to the Lord

and wait for His will in their lives.

Such a cute pic!

Guess who caught the bouquet?????

Emily...that's who! You should have seen

the look on her daddy's face...it was priceless!

Here is Emily with the happy couple...just before they took off.

This is a wonderful couple. I am sure that the Lord

will be able to use them greatly in His service.

Can't wait to see what He has in mind for them.

Youth Sunday 2011

2011-02-27T18:00:00.000-08:00

Today was Youth Sunday at

Fellowship Baptist Church!

On Youth Sunday, the young people

fill in in various capacities. It was

a wonderful day...and such a blessing

to see our young people serving God.

Last week, I promised some pictures so

here we go.

Faith Sparkman filled in for me on the

piano today. She did a great job!

Logan Adkisson led the congregation singing!

Seth Francis did the devotions before Sunday School.

Some of our young people also filled in during the

Sunday School classes...but I didn't get any pictures

of these... :(

Here are some young men getting ready

to receive the tithes and offerings.

The Youth Choir

Skylar Adams accompanying the piano for Youth Choir.

( Our youth choir doesn't use "music" for their

singing, and since I play by ear, I had to

play for them~even though I could not even come

come close to being called a "youth". ;)

Courtney Collins as she sings her verse of

"I Have Been Blessed"

Emily singing her verse of "I Have Been Blessed"

Bro. Benjamin Cooley preached the morning message.

Eli Byrge lead the choir

Eli did a great job directing the choir

Emily played the evening's offeratory.

She played "Let the Lower Lights Keep Burning".

She did a great job! She is really getting good on the piano.

Makes a Momma proud! :)

Bro Jeremiah Cooley preached our evening message.

Notice any resemblance? These two young preachers are

twins! They have preached in our church several times

over the years and they always do a great job.

It was a blessing to have them in the services with us

today. (Incidentally, Bro. Benjamin will be marrying

one of our young ladies this coming Saturday)

What a wondrous day to be in house of the Lord!

The Lord moved in a special way and it

was, I think, the best Youth Sunday we've

had yet. ( Of course, I think that I say that

every year) ;)

My husband made a statement this morning

that sums it up best. We love to go

watch our young people take part

in many activities. From going

to football games, basketball games,

even 4-H speeches...we have tried

very hard to be supportive of them in all

they do. But nothing, and I do mean NOTHING,

can compare to seeing them serve and worship God.

Just sets one's heart to bubblin...

The Edwards Family at FBC

2011-02-20T19:05:00.000-08:00

Well...it has been a while since I have posted.

As usual, we've been very busy around here.

We have been in the midst of Youth Month

at our church. My husband always dedicates the

month of February to our youth. We have

special services and activities all month long

as an encouragment for them. Now, we have

more going on this month but I just

haven't gotten around to posting.

But, today, we had Bro. Skipper Edwards with

us in services. He preached a message this

morning during the Sunday School hour

and his family sang during the worship service.

He was back again tonight, for more

great singing and preaching.

This is a great family. I have had

the privilege of being around the

children on several occasions. They

are very sweet and godly young people.

They are also very talented and and

enjoy using their talents for God's glory.

Bro. Skipper did a great job preaching during

both services.

Here they are "warming up" before church

The whole family pickin' and singin'

Bro. Skipper preaching

The Edwards family

(Sorry~for some reason this

pic turned out fuzzy...it looked

fine on the camera)

Anyway, it was a great day and it has

been a great month. Next week is

Youth Sunday~ a day when the young

people will be doing most of the service

(from teaching in SS, playing the instruments,

leading the music, doing devotions, helping

to receive the offering, and preaching)

We are so excited! We just love these special days!

Look for some pics next week.

My New Kitchen

2011-01-27T17:04:00.000-08:00

Drum roll please...

Here they are! Finally...the pictures of my

new kitchen!

I posted a few of what it looked like before

~just in case you forgot how UGLY this room was~

It had yucky cabinets, some sort of ugly laminate, and

the door was on the side wall.

New look...sorry the lighting wasn't great...but here you go!

We still have to install the new microwave over the range.
This will free up the counter space by the dishwasher.
We got a GREAT deal on the range.
It is a double oven. So, I can bake something at 45o degrees
and another something at 350 degrees, if I want.
How cool is that? And the greatest part....we got
it for the same price as the lower priced models.

Notice the little "cubby cabinets"? I just LOVE these!

I have one in each corner. One, I use for putting

small appliances like my can opener, toaster, food processor, etc.

The other, I use for snack foods and stuff that we eat often

like bread, crackers, and cereal.

Looking in from the hall

Looking out toward the hall.

I wanted an island, but the cabinet man

said I didn't have room. I compromised

by getting a bar on the back side of this cabinet.

In the end, I really liked this better.

Remember this ugly closet ( where the washer and dryer

hook-ups were)

We turned one of the small bedrooms into a laundry

room (pics soon coming) so that

we could use this tiny closet for a pantry.

A look inside

I really love my pantry! This MAY be my favorite part

of my kitchen...

Anyway, my new kitchen is all I wanted it to be.

We still have a few little things to do but

we're getting there!

Wow! New Year's Eve Already???

2010-12-31T08:25:00.001-08:00

I cannot believe the year is over already. I
remember when I used to hear "old folks" say
that time goes faster as you get older and I could
never quite understand what they meant. These,
days, I know EXACTLY what they meant! lol

So, where to begin? First, with an apology for
not having posted any new pics of our house.
It's not that we haven't been working on
and (get this) FINISHING UP, it's just
that we have been so busy, I just haven't taken
the time to take any new ones. Soon, I promise!

I wasn't much in the mood for decorating for
the holidays with so much going on--but you
know how it is with kids, they REALLY love
all that. So, we kept our tradition of putting
up the tree the day after Thanksgiving. This
was also the day we found out Daddy had
now gotten cancer in his spine. So, for me, it
wasn't the happiest day to be decorating and
such, but admittedly, it take my mind off it
for awhile. During December our church has
lots of things going on--just like every other
church, I am sure, so I am not going to "whine"
about that. Just suffice it to say, that with the
busyness of the month, it was hard to accomplish
all that needed to be.

We had hoped to host the christmas festivities
for "my side" of the family at our house this
year~you know, so everyone could see our new
house, but it didn't work out. Daddy had just
finished his radiation and was making small
improvements when he developed a blood clot
in his lung and was hospitalized for five days while
they tried to get it under control. He had just
gotten to come home two days before our christmas
plans would take place. So, we just decided to keep
it at our parents house this year. However, we were
able to have my husband's mother and brother for
dinner on Christmas Eve. It was the first time in a
long time that they have been to our house. (they live
almost two hours away) Anyway, it was a very nice
visit. Then, on Christmas Day, we just kind of lounged
around the house, taking it easy, and enjoying our
"white" christmas, the first one in many years for
our area.

As for an update on Daddy, we still do not have
any REAL answers as far as his condition. Radiation
is complete, there may be some chemo in his future,
we are really not sure. Trying not to be critical of his
doctors~ they HAVE been very good about helping try
to get his pain manageable~ but quite honestly, dealing
with them has been frustrating, at best. Each time
we see them, they tells us something different. My
mom is going to take him to see his regular doctor
next week and we hope that maybe he can get him
in to see some kind of specialist. For now, he is very,
VERY sick. He has lost a lot of weight, and he STILL
has a very painful, hacking, cough that no one has
been able to explain. I do still ask that you continue
to pray for my parents. For Daddy AND for Mom.
She is trying her best to care for him but she is
exhausted too! It pains me to see both them facing
such trials.

And, finally, for the upcoming year? I am soooooo
looking forward to some normalcy in our lives. I
am not even sure I remember what it feels like. :)
Looking forward to things like...doing "regular"
house work, cooking, homeschooling (with less distractions)
and trying to get our new home looking like a
"real" home. Looking forward to being able to
have a schedule that we can really go by, and being
able have normal chores for Emily to get used to
again. Looking forward ( and I canNOT believe I am
saying this) but looking forward to getting on a diet
of some sort ( this building project-- not having a
working kitchen was a challenge--has been VERY
BAD for our waist lines) So, I am looking forward to
getting this family eating healthy, well-balanced meals,
and to all of us getting some exercise. I am looking
forward to spending more time on my blog and actually
posting several times each week, instead of the way
it's been of late. And lastly, BUT PERHAPS I SHOULD
HAVE MADE THIS ONE FIRST, I am looking forward to
having more time to spend in the Word of God, in prayer
and fellowship with my Lord, and just "refreshing" myself
in the things of God.

2010 was a good year! No, a GREAT year for our family.
The surgery on Daddys bladder went beautifully and he
and Mom had several good months before this last bout of
sickness~ and for that, I am thankful! My family was able
to get a "new-to-us" house that I am very much planning
to enjoy FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!!!!!! :)
The Lord has been so good to me, and to all of my family.
There are some who still need the Lord to work in their
hearts! Still praying for them...

I hope you can make sense of my "scattered" thoughts
this morning. I am still here. And hopefully, very soon,
I will have some pics of our "finished" house!

Update on Daddy

2010-11-30T05:25:00.000-08:00

My dad has been doing great since they removed his cancerous
bladder and made him a new one. He has done remarkably well
with the transition. A few weeks ago, he began having some back
pain. First his doctors treated him for shingles, then they said he
might be experiencing a different kind of arthritus than what he
already has, then in the last couple weeks, they said it was a pulled
muscle. During all of this, he got a cold, which left him with a very
bad cough. He hasn't been able to cough much, though, due to the
severe pain in his back. On Thanksgiving night, after all of us kids
had gone home, he had a bad coughing spell, and felt something in
his back "pop". Mom called 911 and they took to the hospital in
the ambulance. It was there that we learned that Daddy now
has cancer in his spine. Yesterday ( which was Monday) we took
back to his cancer doctor. He had his first radiation treatment
and they admitted to the hospital in hopes of getting his pain
under control. They said that the cancer had completely eaten
through three of the vertebrae and that he would have been
paralyzed within a month if we hadn't gotten the radiation
started. It has a 7 out 10 chance of successfully preventing
the paralysis. I am not really sure of anything else at this point.
His future, of course, is in the Lord's hands ~ AS ARE ALL OF OUR
FUTURES ~ It has been hard to see him in such pain, hopefully
this will improve in the next few days. Please pray for him
and for mom as well. Neither of them are resting much at all.

Work continues on the house. We are close to finishing.
Hopefully, I'll have some new pics up soon.

New Living Room

2010-11-13T06:06:00.000-08:00

Finally, new pics of our living room are up.

I don't know why, but for some crazy, nutty reason

this week, I haven't been able to upload any pics.

I had some other pictures I wanted to upload but

I thought if I just did a few it might do better.

We had Bro and Sis Dale Snow and Bro and Sis

Jonathan Snow here helping. Ms Peggy and Becky

did some painting on my new pantry doors while

the men were working on putting up the wainscote (sp?)

Anyway, here is our new living room. All finished except

that it needs the threshold that goes around the tile

in front of the door and the door needs painted on

the inside. It's been a long time getting here but

we are soooooo close to wrapping it up. Just a few

more days work.

Not sure how much we will get done this week. We're having

revival. Bro Andy Wells will be with us Monday through Friday.

And he gets to bring Mrs. Beverly this time. I haven't seen

her in ages. Looking forward to a good time in the Lord.

So, it may be a little while longer before we finish up.

Keep checking in, though. We're almost done!

And....if you live in our area, please come out

and join us for a great revival.

We'd LOVE to have you!

Working on the Paneling

2010-11-06T06:27:00.000-07:00

We have been busy the last couple of days

working on the paneling. First, they needed to be

stained. (one coat of golden oak) Next, we put

on a coat of polyurethane. After several hours drying

time, we sanded them and put on another coat of polyurethane.

Now, we are just waiting on them to dry

completely and thoroughly to put them up.

This may not seem like that big of a job but

this actually took TWO WHOLE days!

But, they turned out pretty!

We rigged up a way to layer them so we could dry them

while still working on the others. Worked pretty well.

Here we are hard at work.

We are getting so close to the end now. Just a few

more days!!! PTL!!!!!

Work on the Living Room

2010-11-03T08:19:00.000-07:00

We began working on the living room this week.

I gotta tell you...sometimes...it felt like we

would never get this far. Anyway, we got

the walls painted tan and the laminate

floor down. We are putting pine paneling

on the bottom on three walls and an outdoorsy

mural on the white wall on the end.

You'll just have to wait a few more days to see it. :)

Hopefully, LORD WILLING, we should

be done with the BIG stuff by the end of next

week. Then, just a few little things along.

Yay!!!!

What do you think so far???
Pretty, huh?

Blessings

2010-10-26T15:19:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, this post has NOTHING to do with the house.
But, I did want to share a bit of good news! My dad went back
to Vanderbilt today to have his first scan since his surgery and
he is doing GREAT. Bladder, kidneys, and lungs all look great!
To God be the Glory! No sign of new cancer anywhere! :)

Working in the Kitchen

2010-10-22T05:39:00.000-07:00

Here goes...laying the tile in the kitchen. Of course, we

are still doing the finishing work in the hall bathroom.

I will have the pics in a couple of days. But, the cabinet

man is coming SATURDAY!!!!!! to measure and I am

so excited! So, getting the kitchen tile down has become

top priority.You can't tell by the pic but we were able

to get the room almost half done last night. We will

finish it tonight. We will probably grout it on Saturday or Monday

and it will ready to seal in just 72 hours. When we finish

the kitchen we will be finished with all the tile

(except for a small section in the living room at the

entry~ about 4 feet by 4 feet) We will have

laminate in there and didn't want a lot of

moisture on it, so we will put the tiles there

when you first walk in.

Anyway, here I am, getting started. My

honey like for me to do the thinset while

he carries in the tiles and all the cutting.

We make a good team!

New Woodstove

2010-10-19T18:53:00.000-07:00

I am just sooooooo excited! We got our woodstove in

tonight. Bro. Harold came over and helped us

get it in. We went ahead and built a fire

to try it out...although it wasn't VERY cold

this evening. In fact, after a little while we

let it die down because we were getting

quite warm! :) This winter is going to

be a cozy one, I can hardly wait!

We are so grateful to Bro Harold for

coming over and helping install it.

Isn't it so pretty? We still need to get a pretty

wood box and some of those stick thingys for

pokin' at the fire! lol...( I'm not too woodstove

savvy) I'm excited to learn, though...just give

some time...and some COLD days!

Stairs

2010-10-19T07:06:00.000-07:00

Last night (very late last night), we

installed the new oak steps. We still

need to do some touch up on the paint

and put up the trim but I couldn't

resist taking a picture. I think the

stairs are my FAVORITE thing about

the house so far. They're just soooo pretty.

They make me smile every time I look at

them.

A closer view of the oak

Side view~ Now we can finish the

trim in the hall...we had to wait until

we got the steps done before we put the trim

up. Hopefully, we will be getting our

wood stove installed this evening.

We also plan to put in the new vanity

today...IF we get done with the other

stuff in time.

Project Pallotta continues

2010-10-16T05:37:00.000-07:00

Work continues steadily on the house. We finished

putting the grout in the tiles laid in the bathroom

but we haven't put up the "trim" tiles yet.

We still need to purchase a new vanity. Hopefully, we

will pick one up today. The painting and wallpapering

is done (mostly~except for a little touchup)

in there as well. BUT, I DECIDED NOT TO

POST THE PICS OF THAT ROOM UNTIL

COMPLETED! Just another day or two

and it will be finished. We have finished

staining and putting polyurethane on the

steps. They are ready to be installed next week.

(They had to dry for 72 hours before being

walked on) They turned out so nice. I can't

wait for you to see them. A friend

of my honey's came over yesterday

and they spent most of the day putting

down the backer board in the kitchen.

We should be able to put the tile down in

there early next week also. So, as you can see,

Project Pallotta IS actually winding down. I

am sooooooo thankful, more than I can say.

This all started at the end of May and has gone

on much longer than I thought it would. I will

be so glad when everything is done and we

can live in a NORMAL house again with

all our things nicely put away in the places

where they belong.... JUST SAYING...

Just the bottom section to finish now; the kitchen,

dining room ( which really only needs to be painted ~ IF

I can ever decide what color ), and then the

living room. Yay!

Bro Grady here putting down

the backer board. He has been

here several times to help my

husband work. We appreciate it so much.

He has been such a blessing to us!

Do you remember Emily's chest of drawers

that we painted purple and lime green?

It has now come full circle. It started

out white (when I was a baby ) (believe it or not!)

and it is now white again!

You can still see a couple of boxes around.

I bought her a nice, big, white bookcase

for her room but I haven't gotten it put

together yet.

***Notice the toy story stickers on her wall?

She originally intended these for the playroom

wall but decided to put them in her room.

Doesn't go with her decor...but she really wanted it

that way. I figured it's her room...

You might remember, too, that I had plans to paint

the old antique iron bed for Emily's room. But once

we got the room done, we realized that a full size bed

would completely dwarf this room. So, we decided on

a nice daybed instead. Doesn't it look so sweet and

"girly"? I think it turned out very cute.

Emily has loved reading the Mandie books this summer.

Now, you have to know Emily to get the significance of

this. She had been saving her money all summer

and one day we went to McKay's ( a used book

store where you can buy or trade ) Anyway,

we went by McKay's and she bought EVERY

Mandie book that she didn't have~something like

thirty books!!!! She spent ALL her money!

That is NOT like Emily to spend it all

on something other than a toy. But, she has so

much enjoyed those books. She also has the

two Mandie movies that is out. Needless to

say, she is on a big Mandie kick these days.

Yesterday, she got dressed up as Mandie~ beginning

with an old-timey looking dress with puffed sleeves,

a bonnet, and even a white kitten named Snowball

(Mandie's kitten in the book) We found the

blong wig at the Dollar General store for

a couple bucks. Emily has loved to play

dress up all of her life. I am so glad that

she still enjoys being a little girl. She is only

eleven, and I think it's wonderful to see her

playing and having fun being a "kid".

Too many parents these days want to rush

their little girls into being teenagers.

***got on my soapbox for a minute there***

That's it for today. Keep on checking...there

will more pics in a few days!

Laying Tile

2010-10-06T06:23:00.000-07:00

We were getting ready to put down tile in the laundry room

when Bro Randal dropped by to see if he would help.

So, he got in on the tiling. He was here for about

half of the room and then I took over where he left

off. This is the first time that we've ever had tile.

Of course, Bret got a little experience working with

it when we built the fellowship hall last year. We had

a man come in and do the floors, and then Bret did

all the trim around the edges.

Here we go...

Going around the vents wasn't too bad... the holes for the

washing machine and dryer were a little more challenging...but

they did it!

Half done...we're getting there!

Tiled laid...just waiting for grout.

Grout in...what do you think about the trim? As I mentioned

earlier, we did the trim in our fellowship hall with the

tiles, and we decided we really liked it! So, instead of

wood trim in the rooms where we have tile, we will have

tile trim! It takes longer while doing the job (the grouting

mostly) but when you finish, YOU'RE FINISHED!

In the other rooms, you just begin to feel that you're done

and then you starting trimming...whew...that takes FOREVER!!!!

Cut the trim...nail the trim...patch the holes...touch up the paint...you

can't believe how long it takes to do that stuff!

Looking in at the finished floor...all that needs to be done

is sealing the grout. Gotta wait 72 hours for that.

Isnt' pretty? I just LOVE it!

On to the hall bathroom...then hopefully, the middle

section of the house will be complete.

Work on the House Continues

2010-09-29T12:58:00.001-07:00

Bret and I have been working like crazy this week, trying to

get the middle section of the house done ( or atleast

part, the tiles for the bathroom and laundry room

will be done later)

Anyway, Emily wanted a mural in her playroom

of an ocean scene. I was told by a lady at church

that these murals are hard to install

and she was RIGHT! They are next to

impossible to work with. While you try

to smooth out the wrinkles, it tears very easily.

After we got it up, it did look nice. But, during

the time we were putting it up, I was sure

getting aggravated. Oh well, it's up and Em

has her mural.

This was before the glue dried completely

The playroom before we started the mural

The hall way after getting it's second

coat of paint and getting the laminate

down. I have been painting doors

and trim for days. They are almost

ready to go in.

That's it for now! I don't have much time

to post~ BECAUSE I AM TOO BUSY

DOING ALL THIS WORK! But, there

will be more to come in a few days.

Eight Questions

2010-09-24T19:12:00.000-07:00

Ok...so I have been tagged by Susan at ByGrace
to answer these eight questions. I am to answer
these eight questions, propose eight new questions
and then tag eight bloggers to answer mine.
It sounded like fun...so if I can figure it out, I'll give it
a try.

1. What is your favorite main dish to eat or cook?
Well...that is kind of a hard one...since I love so many things.
But here goes, TO EAT...I really LOVE bbq ribs, but I
have never quite perfected cooking them. ( My husband
can make delicious ribs on the grill, though, so that works
for me. TO COOK... there is nothing like turkey and
dressing with all the fixin's. I inherited a baking pan
that belonged to my husband's Grammy McAllister, and it
makes the best turkey! I also love to make homemade spaghetti
sauce (Grandma Pallotta's recipe) Emily really loves
this sauce because it has "no lumps". It really is delicious!
It takes all day ( or most of the day) to cook!
CAN YOU TELL I MISS COOKING? WHAT AM I SAYING?
You see, we having been living out the microwave for
over a month now. :/

2. What was your favorite pet, anytime in your life?
I guess the nicest answer would be to say the three
cats that we now have, and we are quite attached to
them, but my husband and I also had a house dog named
Sheena for about thirteen years that we really loved.
She had the sweetest disposition and did so well in
the house. She never had accidents or got into mischief.
She just stayed around where we were and kept us
company. She died when Emily was just a baby.

3. Do you have unreasonable fears?
Yes. I know it sounds crazy, but I am just
about terrified of semi trucks! Before my
husband became pastor of our church, he was
a youth pastor at a church for almost ten years.
Our church was over an hour away and we spent
much time on the interstate driving back and forth
to church. I cannot tell you how many times we
were almost run off the road by trucks!!! Now, I usually
bring a book with me in the car, so I don't notice
the trucks as much.

4. What do you love the most about your spouse?
There are so many things, he is wonderful! :)
But, if I have to choose just one...it would have to
be how much he loves the Lord! He was saved
when he was eighteen years old, and since that
day, he has always lived for the Lord and put Him
first. In all the years that we have been married, he
has been a godly man with character. He is the same
man at home that he is in the pulpit! He has taught
me so much about what it means to be a christian!
He is the most dedicated christian that I know and
I just wish that I could be more like him.

5. Are you more of a follower or a leader?
It depends on the situation. For instance,
in our church, we have ladies that are perfectly
capable of taking care of certain things, and have
been doing them for many years. When my husband
and I came to our church, I did not feel it necessary
to "take over" and do these things my way.
However, when the situation dictates that I need
to lead, I can. I usually just "play it by ear" and do
whatever is necessary at the time.

6. What is your favorite book of the Bible?
It's funny...someone else recently asked me
this question. I have several favorites but I guess
my most favorite would be the book of Ruth.
I love the romance, for sure, who wouldn't???
But mostly, I love how it portrays our hopelessness
and how the Lord directs our paths to get us to
our kinsman Redeemer.

7. Is there a skill or hobby you'd like to learn but
have never done it, for whatever reason?
Well, quite honeestly, I can't think of anything
that I have wanted to try that I didn't try atleast
once. But there are a couple of things that I have
tried a time or two, without much success. These
things I would greatly love to master.
~ Quilting ~ Several years ago, I had a great aunt
who lived near by and wanted very much to teach me
the art of quilting. I was a young married woman and
felt that I was much too busy, what with keeping
the house, gardening, and such, to take the time.
OH, HOW I WISH I WOULD HAVE! She no longer
lives near me, and I think I will always regret not
having taking the opportunity. (Also, she needed
the Lord, and this was a failed opportunity to have
introduced her to the Savior) :(
~ Driving a "stick" or manual transmission
I have tried this on several occasions, but believe
me, I am terrible at it. I remember on one occasion
I drove my husband's car while he was at work, and
almost never made it home because it kept "dying"
on me. So, when Emily learns to drive, she is going
to learn on a stick!!!

8. What is your decorating style?
In all honesty, we've never had a lot
of money to spend on decorating per se.
I have, more often than not, bought most
of my stuff from either the thrift store or
yard sales. This being said, I do have styles
that I prefer, or that just seem to suit my taste
better than others. I am a COUNTRY GIRL
despite what my honey says ( he says that I am
a city girl who just happened to be raised in the
country) and I am a SOUTHERN GIRL!!
So, really, I have to say, that my taste runs to
very simple, country things. I really like some
of the "rustic" things, but it doesn't have to be.
In other words, the more contemporary stuff
is definitely NOT me! Emily loves glass tables
and shiny black furniture, you, know the really
contemporary stuff ~ her taste is REALLY different
from mine. ( She really may be a city girl stuck in
the country!! ) :) I love oak cabinets, frilly lacy
curtains, and comfy cozy furniture that it's okay
to put your feet up on.

Now, for my eight new questions.

1. How old were you when you became a christian?

2. What did you want to be when you grew up?

3. What is your favorite beverage?

4. If you could take a trip anywhere, where would you go? Why?

5. Do you have any special memories with your grandparents? Share one.

6. Who is your favorite author? ( this of course, does not include the Bible ) :)

7. Is there a special hobby that you and your husband enjoy doing together?

8. What is your favorite dessert?

Well...that's the easy part! Now, let's see if I can figure out how to

"tag" someone.

I would like to tag

Becky@mustardseedfaith1720.blogspot.com

Peggy@peggy-mytreasures.blogspot.com

Joy@jboyerfam.blogspot.com

Tammy@helpinggodsman.blogspot.com

Tory@ahomefarfromhome.blogspot.com

Chari@charitree.blogspot.com

Brittany@thefoglemanfamily.blogspot.com

Stephanie@kringangel.blogspot.com

And since Emily wanted a chance to do this, I

am also tagging her and one of her friends.

Emily@ematdisney.blogspot.com

Sarah@smiling375.blogspot.com

If you decide that you are going to take
part, would you mind leaving a comment so
I can read your answers.

House Update

2010-09-18T13:53:00.001-07:00

I cannot believe how long it has been since I have posted. But in
the days since my last post, our family has moved from our old house
into our new one. (actually, we are living in the master bedroom and
bath ~ it's kind of like living in a motel ) LOL! Anyway, we did manage
to get moved. We have been working like crazy, trying to get as much
done as we can, but it just takes time. We've also started back with
our homeschooling, started the Tuesday after Labor Day. This is
the latest we have ever started, but since we were right in the middle
of the move, we had no choice really. This, in itself, makes the work
on the house move at a slower pace. But, in a few weeks ( I hope!!!!)
we will be done, and it will all be worth it.

Earlier this summer, while having her teeth cleaned, our family
dentist did some x-rays on Emily's teeth and found that she
had an impacted tooth that simply had no room to come in.
He recommended that she see an orthodontist to see how
to best deal with the situation. After seeing the orthodontist,
he sent her to an oral surgeon who removed four of her
permanent teeth. It would seem that she had too many
teeth for what space she had in her mouth. With that taken
care of, she has now gotten her new braces (atleast part of
them) She only has them on her upper teeth for now~ later
she will get the bottom ones. He said her overbite is too bad
to put them on right away--said she would be biting the bottom
ones off. She hasn't minded them too much, just had very
minor pain so far.

I thought I would post just a few pics to bring you up to date
on where we have been and what we've been doing. Please
be patient...we are working as hard as we can to try and
finish this project, so I don't have as much time as I used
to have to blog. Soon, things will get back to normal.

Emily's pretty smile...with her new braces!

You can't really tell, but they are purple and lime green!

As always, my Emily chooses vibrant, lively colors!

New outside view of our house. The outside

is close to being done. We just have alittle

more painting to do. Of course, our yard is a mess

but we will get that eventually, once the inside is

complete.

This is my absolute favorite thing about

my new house...the front porch. I just

love, love, love it! I love to sit

out on the swing in the morning,

sip my morning coffee, and read my Bible.

It is so peaceful here.

My honey working the sheetrock in our

new living room

Bro. Jay, our deacon, came over to help my
husband with the sheetrock work. We are
so thankful for the time and effort he has put
in. We have never put in new sheetrock
so we were alittle unsure of how to do it,
but Bro. Jay knows how and makes
it look easy.

Emily's new laminate floor is about
3/4 done. We still have to put
the trim down and paint her door
but then her room will be finished.

Emily's new border, cats!
I really didn't want to use a "theme"
because at her age, she likes a different
thing every week. But, she will always
LOVE her CATS! The room was
just sooooo bright, what with
those pinks...it just needed something
to break it up a bit. I think the border
was just perfect.

A teeny peek in the closet in the master
bedroom. It is amazing how much this
room "shrunk" once we got our stuff in
it! It looked so big before! Hmmm... I guess
we still have too much stuff!

The new master bath. Notice my coffee pot on
the vanity. Since I do not have a working
kitchen, I put my coffee pot in the
bathroom~ you know, kind of like
when you're on vacation in a motel.
It's kind of weird, I know, but it works
for me! As long as I have my morning
coffee, the rest of the day will go fine! ;)

Well, that's it for now! Hopefully, there
will be more pictures soon as we make
more progress. Please keep looking,
even if I don't get anything posted for
a week or two!
I will try to do better, though, I promise! :)

Life Is a Blur

2010-08-21T04:46:00.000-07:00

It's been a couple of weeks since I have posted...not because we haven't

been working on the new house, BUT because we HAVE been working over

there. AND packing, packing, and more packing!!!! I don't have any new pics

right now. Believe me, I don't want anyone to see the way it looks now! The

new house is not ready. We finished the master bedroom and bath to have

a place to move in (because the buyers of our old house need immediate

possession). So, the plan is...move into the two "readied" rooms and complete

the rest once we move in. There is still some painting to be done...the laminate

and tiles to be installed, base boards put in,

and a ton of other details. And then, of course, we begin

homeschool on Sept. 7th. (the latest we've ever started...but couldn't be

helped this year) I'll post more later when I get a chance. Pics will be

posted ( as soon as I can bear to let anyone see them) soon ;)

House Stuff

2010-08-02T04:31:00.000-07:00

Still busy working...

My kitchen is going to be red.

Not that much of the wall will be showing...cabinets will take

up much of the walls

Poor Becky had the hard job of trimming...

Emily took this pic...it's alittle fuzzy..but you can see the color.
As you can see we only painted the middle...cabinets will on
top and bottom.

Emmie's "vibrant" pink room~

Personally, I hate it, but she likes it very much.

I am just glad that I do not have to sleep in there.

I used a cream color~of sorts~ for the hallway and laundry room.

Wallpapering the Master Bath

2010-07-30T16:46:00.001-07:00

Today, I have been busy hanging wallpaper

in the master bath. I wasn't able to finish, it is

about half done. But here is a little sneak peek...

This pic shows the details...the paper has both the dark

and the lighter shades of green that the master bedroom

has on the walls.

I really like wallpaper. Some people think it's too much
trouble to bother with...but it always looks so nice
when it's finished. I plan to have wallpaper
in both bathrooms ( and hopefully the dining
room if I can find the one I want ~ white with
red roses)

A Peek at the Master Bedroom

2010-07-30T04:39:00.000-07:00

Ok...here's a little peak at our master bedroom. I originally intended

to paint the room in all the darker olive green, but

my husband encouraged me (strongly advised !;!)

against it. So, I decided to make an accent

wall with the darker green and used a lighter

color on the other three walls. And as much

as I hate to admit it....he was right! After getting

it on the walls, it was MUCH darker than it looked

on the little card thingy...I just hate when that

happens. But, it does look, OH SO PRETTY, with

the accent wall. For a fella who says he doesn't know

much about decorating...he's not so bad! So, with

paint brush in hand...I admitted to my sweet honey

that "he was right". He replied with a very

gracious "I told you so". Silly man! ;)

Anyway...hope you like it...more to come.

Gonna tackle some wallpaper today.

Progress on Our "New to Us" House

2010-07-28T08:45:00.001-07:00

Okay...they finally started building

the new living room...yesterday...and today they

are already putting the shingles on the roof!! Wow!

Aren't they fast??

Also, we got a contract on our house yesterday. A couple
came to look at it on Friday and we got an offer on Monday.
After a couple of offers back and forth we finally agreed
on a price. Please pray that everything goes well.
The only bad part is that we have to be out
THE DAY OF CLOSING!...which is one month from
yesterday. They are currently in an apartment and
need immediate possession, which wouldn't be
so bad if the new house were finished...but
there is still LOTS to do over there. But, since the market
is so slow...we felt like we should accept the offer
even though we aren't completely ready.
So, we are going to be BUSY, BUSY, BUSY
in the next few weeks! Yikes!

Busy Days

2010-07-24T06:18:00.000-07:00

***For those who occasionally leave comments, I have

now changed my blog so that I have to okay them

before they are posted publically. I am sorry to have

to do this, but, it has become necessary.***

I know, I know...it has been FOREVER since I have posted...and I promised myself it wouldn't be like this. Actually, I have tried a couple of times to post pics of our ongoing renovation of our "new-to-us" house, for some reason the pictures just WILL NOT upload...grrrrr.....but, I refuse to get aggravated. I shall, instead, just share some of our busy days with you. Of course, you remember that we began the summer with a mission trip to Colorado~which was wonderful and I am so glad that we were able to go~ followed by VBS at our church just a week after returning home. We had a very nice turn-out this year...not a great number...but a good number and for that we are thankful. We always look forward to VBS and count it as a great privilege to have the opportunity to try and minister to some of the children in our community. Also, in the month if June, we, ladies, fix a meal for our men...just to show our appreciation for them. Emily is preparing for braces in a few weeks. A few months ago, our regular dentist found that Emily has an impacted tooth (that is lying horizontally at the bottom of her front bottom teeth). He had already mentioned braces to us...but we thought we had a couple more years yet. But, once he found that tooth, he decided we should atleast meet with an orthodontist so we could have a plan about what to do with it. We DID meet with an orthodontist...he suggested oral surgery...which we knew would be the answer. What we couldn't figure out...was how we were ever going to pay for all this...what with the renovation of the house and everything else that has been going on here lately. Anyway....we had gone to one orthodontist in a nearby town...and he told us what our costs would be...but then, I was talking with a friend of mine who works in a orthodontist office in another nearby town, and she suggested that I call her and she might could help us get in with her boss. Well, we were so glad that we did that. Not only was the overall cost of the braces $1000 less, but we were able to get the monthly payments down quite a bit as well. This may not seem like a big deal, but with all that's going on at present, this was an answer to prayer. So, that is one of things that have kept us busy this summer...running here and there to different orthodontists and then to the oral surgeon. She is set to have her surgery August 27th
then spacers and braces a couple of weeks later.

We have been doing LOTS of running here and there taking care of the renovating stuff. Whew!!!! We knew it was going to be alot of work...but we are finding out, we are NOT as young as we used to be...and the Lord willing...THIS WILL OUR LAST HOUSE TO "FIX-UP". It is coming along nicely, and hopefully, we will be ready to move into in a few weeks (maybe by mid-Sept) depending on a few things. So...for the first time since we started homeschooling...we are not going to start school until after Labor Day. I never wanted to do this because we like to finish early in May, but we are now down to the finishing work in the house...painting walls, wallpapering, put down the tiles and laminate flooring, painting doors, cleaning new windows, etc., so you can see, I don't think that we are going to be able to get it all done by mid-August.
Oh well, it will all be done soon, and we will have a lovely, much more roomy house.

And then there is, trying to get our current house ready to sell. We DO have it on the market...just not listed with a real estate yet. We were actually hoping to sell it ourselves first to avoid commission costs. But, it has been on the market for several weeks now, so we may have to list it soon. But, in preparation for the move, I spent a couple of weeks getting ready for and having a YARD SALE! which didn't turn out "money-wise" to be the best one I ever had, but I was able to get rid of some things! I am trying to keep everything spruced up in case we need to show it, but you know how that is...please help us pray that we can get this house sold quickly.

And of course, there is always the summer gardening. You know, it's funny. We've always had a few tomatoes and maybe a couple of squash, but we never really got too serious about it until a couple of years ago. Last year, I was able to "put-up" beans for the first time. ( My parents have always grown a huge garden and always kept us kids in produce) But, I have to tell you, I love being able to go into the pantry, grab a jar of beans, or tomatoes, or pickles, or relishes, that we have grown, harvested, and preserved ourselves, and just eat it whenever we want to! What a great feeling! and it tastes so much better too!:)! So, despite some adverse weather conditions, we did manage to raise some veggies and put some up for the winter months.

And another update to share...my dad went back to Vanderbilt for a followup with his doctor there and was given a clean bill of health. Daddy has just done exceptionally well with his new bladder...and many of the problems we were expecting...he did not experience. He has now been given leave to "resume normal activity". PRAISE THE LORD!!! The Lord is truly good! I appreciate the prayers and kind words during the time of their illnesses.

~~And now one last thing...I have a very old, antique, iron bed that I plan to fix up for Emily. (A picture of the bed is at the top) We have had it for years but it has been loaned out to friends and family for a long time. Anyway...it is a very sturdy bed...and has LOTS of character...but it also has LOTS of coats of paint on it...after all, it is very old and has been used by several different people. I am now faced with the challenge of getting all the old paint off, and preparing to spray paint ( you think??) it. Emily's new room is going to pink and black and she wants all her furniture painted black. She already has a painted dresser ( remember the lime green and purple dresser project?) so now, we'll paint it black! So, if you have any ideas on the best way to go about sprucing up this bed...I'm listening!

Father's Day Tribute

2010-06-20T10:46:00.000-07:00

Today, I want to take a minute to publicly

thank my Daddy for being the greatest

dad in the world. He taught us from our

earliest days to love the Lord with all our

hearts and that serving Him was the best

and most important thing that we could do.

He taught us by example. I can never remember

getting up on a Sunday morning and wondering if

we were going to church. WE WERE!!

I am grateful that I was raised in a christian

home~not just in word~but TRULY a christian

home. So, thank you, DADDY and MOMMA for

the christian heritage you raised us with.

Mom and Dad both have had much

sickness this year, and faced some difficult

things, but through it all, their testimony

is the same~to trust and honor the Lord with

their lives.

I love you both very much!

And of course, I want to thank the Lord

for my wonderful husband. The years that

we have been together have been

so sweet. We have faced lots of different

kinds of challenges. Lean years, leaner years,

and some years that were not as lean.

We went through infertility

for almost fourteen years

~and in those years, we almost despaired

of the Lord ever

granting our greatest desire-to be

parents~
And in the years since the Lord gave us

Emily, he has proved over and over again

what a wonderful dad he is. He has been

the greatest husband and daddy that

a wife and daughter could ever hope

for. Emily and I love

you with all our hearts honey!

So, to these two dear men in my life, I say...
"I love you both with all my heart!!!"
Happy Father's Day!

Soul Survivors on Danger Island

2010-06-14T19:20:00.000-07:00

~First night of VBS~

Theme:

Soul Survivors on Danger Island

My husband welcoming the children to our VBS

Bro. Ryan leading some very fun songs

Seth Francis and Emily in a skit

where they portray a brother and a sister

who have gotten stranded on Danger Island.

Each night they will face new challenges and

gain courage and strength to be victorious over them.

We had a pretty good turn out. About an hour or so before

we were to start, we had a storm and the power went off.

It didn't come on again until about 15 before we started.

Hopefully, we will gain a few more as the week progresses.

We love VBS and count it a wonderful privilege to

be able to share the gospel with the children

of our community.

Homemade Laundry Detergent

2010-06-14T06:59:00.000-07:00

Being frugal is something that I have always had to be.

Early in our marriage, my husband felt led by the Lord

that he wanted me to be a stay-at-home wife~even

many, many years before we were blessed with Emily.

This being said, I have always tried to find ways to

save money. A couple of years ago, I began researching

via the internet a way to make a more affordable

laundry detergent. I have been making homemade

laundry detergent ever since. ( I do still buy

inexpensive liquids for doing my husbands dress

shirts) Anyway, here is the recipe for my

detergent. You can use this detergent for

LITERALLY pennies per load!

1 cup Borax

1 cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda ( NOT baking soda )

1 bar Fels Naptha laundry soap- grated

This batch will last me about 3 weeks!

I find these ingredents at Kroger ( and that is only place )

Your initial expense will be less than ten dollars.

When you do laundry, use 1 tablespoon of detergent

when you start the water. Wait a couple minutes before

adding clothes. It does a great job. I have using

this recipe for a couple of years as well as a couple

of ladies in my church. We are very satisfied with

the results. One lady even makes a batch big

enough that she only has to make it a couple of times

each year!

I apologize for the length of time away from blogging.
We just returned from a mission trip to Colorado
where we helped a church planter distribute literature
announcing the start of a new independent baptist church.
I will soon be sharing pictures from that trip!

Our VBS begins tonight.

And of course, last but not least, work continues
on our "new-to-us" house. Need
to get some new pics of our progress
there as well.
Chat with you again soon!!!

Surprise!

2010-05-28T12:56:00.001-07:00

We bought a house! A "new to us" house!

I haven't said anything because I wanted to be sure

that it actually went through. ( There was one that

we made an offer on first that didn't go through)

Anyway, we are so excited! We love the house

that we live in now, and we REALLY LOVE our

neighbors, but we have just outgrown it.

It is only about a 1000 sq. ft. and it is

getting impossible to fit everything in around

here. I know we should probably just

get rid of some stuff but that is hard sometimes.

So, it is kind of funny actually, but we found

this other house in our SAME SUBDIVISION!

Just around the corner, so to speak.

It is a foreclosure, and it needs alot of

work, but it has great potential.

We love this house because it sits way back off the

road, and even though it is in a subdivision, it has

the FEEL of privacy.

This is the current living room, but we are building on

a new living room, so this will the dining room.

It has a beautiful hardwood floor.

The new room will have an opening where the

windows are now.

The "icky" kitchen. We are having new cabinets built and

taking out the door that goes out the side. We are

putting a back door in instead.

It has some type of laminate in the kitchen, but

not very nice so we are replacing it with tile.

Here there is a hook-up for the washer and dryer, but

we are going to use one of the smaller bedrooms to

make a new laundry room. So this will be my

pantry. Don't you just love it?

I love the lights in this bathroom. Kind of unique, I

think they have character!

This will Emily's playroom.

This will be her bedroom.

This is still Emily's room. She loves the rainbow, but the

rainbow is leaving.

This is the room I am making the laundry room.

Huge walk-in closet in masterbath.

Master bedroom

Master bath

We are so excited about our new house. It needs lots

of work, but we will get it done. Please help us

pray now that we can sell our current house.

I'll be posting lots of pictures as we make

progress.

2010 FBC Homeschool Academy Graduation

2010-05-24T05:50:00.001-07:00

We had our 2010 FBC Homeschool Academy Graduation

on Sunday night. We had three homeschoolers

from our church to graduate high school this

year. We are so proud of our seniors!

Since we have the homeschool academy,

we also honor our younger students at this

time as well.

Emily playing her recital song "When I Survey"

A beautiful arrangement from a Patch the Pirate book

she uses. She did a great job!

Mrs. Becky and Miss Carrie singing "Sheltered"

This song was written by Bro Jonathan Davis of Breaking Ground.

It perfectly describes life as a "homeschooler".

Savannah receiving an award

Emily received an award

My husband gave a gift of appreciation to

Mrs. Cheryl Nelson who is the director

of our homeschool academy. She gives

much of her time and does a wonderful job.

We appreciate her so much!

Bro Daniel Jordan

~Missionary on deputation to Montana~

He has preached to our young people for

several years. He has made a tremendous impact

on their lives. It was only fitting that he should be

a part of our commencement services. To

learn more about their ministry, visit

www.reachingthewest.com

Bro Jonathan Snow playing Pomp and Circumstance

Here they come!

The FBC Class of 2010!

Cory Nelson being award his high school diploma

as well as a new Scofield bible.

Faith had actually already graduated earlier in the week.

She was registered with another homeschool group

that her family had been with before moving

to our area. But, since she is a part of our church

and a very active young lady in our youth group

we definitely wanted to include her as part of the

service. Here she is getting her diploma a

second time ;) and being awarded a new

Scofield bible. (Every graduating senior that

is a member of our church receives a new bible)

Kelly Williams being awarded her diploma and bible.

FBC Class of 2010
Kelly Williams, Faith Sparkman, Cory Nelson

Congratulations, graduates!

We hosted reception afterward.

Here sits Bro Benjamin Cooley and Miss Carrie.

The Jordan Family

FBC Ladies Meeting

2010-05-15T19:16:00.000-07:00

It's been a couple of weeks since I have posted. Our

church hosted it's first-ever ladies meeting a couple

of weeks ago. I would have posted pics sooner but

by some bizarre circumstance-my camera malfunctioned-

and I didn't get any pictures. Thankfully, one of our

ladies brought her camera and I was able to get

a few. I have to say~I was very much expecting a

GREAT meeting, but it GREATLY EXCEEDED

my expectations! What a wonderful day! The

Lord blessed so much. The theme of the meeting

was Reflections. The theme verse was Matthew 5: 16

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may

see your good works, and glorify your Father which is

in heaven". Our goal was to help each one of

our ladies to comprehend how important it is

that we live our lives as a REFLECTION of our

Savior and who He really is. We had a very nice

number in attendance. I am so thankful for

all who attended. It was an honor and a privilege

to have each one.

My opening words

Our first speaker was Sis Melissa Snow

Mrs. Snow has been a blessing to so many

of us. She did a great job.

A group of our ladies did a fantastic job

performing a skit entitled, "Cut it Out!"

written by Miss Maegan Stewart.

One of our ladies groups singing

We also had another of our ladies groups singing

but we failed to get a picture of that one!

Sorry, girls! :(

We also invited a couple of different ladies

groups from the Harriman Baptist Tabernacle

to sing for us.

Our main speaker was Sister Sandra Jones-wife of Dr. James Jones, Jr.

of the Harriman Baptist Tabernacle. Sis Jones was my pastors'

wife for almost nine years. She has taught me so much and in

my mind, is the epitome of what a pastors wife should be.

She did a wonderful speaking to us as well.

The meeting was wonderful. After so much planning, I hated

to see it end, but I am SOOOOO excited for to see what

the Lord has in mind for next year.

That's all for now.

Still got lots of things upcoming. I'll let you know more about

them as they come.

God Bless!

Stuff Upcoming

2010-04-24T05:54:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks have just been crazy busy.
I guess that's good, but it sure is hard to get time
to sit down and post. Beginning with Daddy's
surgery the end of March, getting ready for
all the special church services, achievement
testing in the Homeschool Academy, spring
break, and then, of course, Emily having a
birthday this month....no wonder it seems
like we have just been in a whirlwind. I am
so ready for a little more normalcy ( not sure
I remember what that feels like) Anyway...
we do have lots of things upcoming. Our
church is hosting it's first-ever Ladies
Meeting next Saturday. I am soooooooo
excited, I cannot even tell you. The Lord
laid this on my heart some time ago, and we
have just now been able to put it all together.
We have some very special things planned
and a couple of very special guest speakers.
I hope that it will be a GREAT blessing to
all those who attend, as it has already been
to me just in the planning. A couple of weeks
later, we have our Homeschool Graduation.
We have three seniors! This will be an
exciting event for sure! My husband also
has to preach at a graduation at a christian
school in a neighboring town a few days
later. Three days after that, some of our
folks from church are going a mission trip
to Colorado. Our church supports a family
who has gone there to be church planters.
They are preparing for their first services
so we are going out to help them hand out
flyers, gospel tracts, and New Testaments
to advertise the opening of the new Aurora
Baptist Church. We are so excited to get to
go and be a part of this. ( Hopefully get to
do alittle sightseeing too--see some of those
beautiful Rocky mountains ) My husband
went out and helped them move and get
settled and he said the Rockies are awesome
to see. Then....upon returning home....the
next week is VBS. We love VBS...busy, busy,
busy days...did I say I was ready for normalcy?
Whew! Don't think we are quite there yet!!!!
Maybe during the summer months....
I am planning to do some redecorating in
my house this summer too! Not big stuff,
just maintenance-like painting and reorganzing.
BUT, I promise myself, I do not want to
spend the whole summer so busy that I don't
take the time to enjoy Emily and spending
time with her. Gotta have alittle fun too!
She is growing up so fast...it's just killing me!
Anyway, that's where we are now, I think!
Lots of goings on around here. But, it's good
to be busy...wanna be doing what we know is
right to do...the Lord is soon coming!! What
a glorious thought!

Emily Turns Eleven!

2010-04-22T03:10:00.000-07:00

I find it so hard to believe, but my Emily

has turned eleven! It seems like just yesterday that

we were told that finally, after fourteen years of marriage

we were going to be holding that precious

little one that we had begged God for. It

seems like only yesterday that we brought

home the most beautiful little baby girl that

I had ever seen. Her very life was a miracle

beyond anything that we had ever seen. After

only one year of marriage, we were told that

we would never have any biological children

of our own. So, the fact that she was given

to us thirteen years later truly was a miracle.

And this past Sunday, my baby girl turned

eleven! Where did the time go????? It seems

like she should still be toddling around, the sweet

little chatterbox that she was. She is STILL a

sweet chatterbox, only now, she is a much

taller one. :) In fact, she is only a couple

of inches shorter than me. By her next

birthday, she might even be taller than her

Mom. Oh, how I wish I could slow time down,

JUST ALITTLE....

Anyway, she has been the most precious

gift ever given to us (outside salvation of course)

She has been such a joy!

Emily Talitha Pallotta

Age 11

The birthday festivites started with a trip

to the Cumberland County Playhouse

to see Annie.

She wanted her "Sissie" to go with us.

And...her Daddy was THRILLED to

get to skip going to another play.

This one was alittle too girly, if you know

what I mean! ;)

Emily and her "adopted" big sister, Becky!

( And just a note inserted here~ Emily

has always wanted a sister. Becky has

been as loving and kind to Emily as

any "real" sister would be. My husband

and I are truly grateful to the Lord for

sending this family--including all the

Snows-- to all our church)

Emily and I sitting in the gazebo area outside the playhouse

before the play began.

Emily and Annie

Emily and couple of orphans

In the afternoon, we went to Frozen Head State Park
for grilled hotdogs and birthday cake.
(Thank you, Bro Jonathan, for burning my
hotdogs PERFECTLY. Seriously, I really
do like my hotdogs VERY, VERY well done.)
They were delish.
Emily invited several of her friends from
church and a few from our former
church. ( where my husband was
youth director before he became pastor
of FBC) We still have some very dear friends
there and so Emily invited some of them as well.

Emily got a really cute shirt from her Sissie

Swinging and having fun

It's hard blowing out so many candles!

And now, on a slightly different note, it HAS been a long

time since I posted. (Actually, I did type a very long

post last week in Word, but when I tried to paste

into blogger, for some crazy reason, it wouldn't post)

It was very long, I had tried to bring everything

up to date since Daddy's surgery. And when it

wouldn't post, I just got discouraged and didn't retype it.

Sorry. Anyway, Daddy is doing pretty good right now.

He gets his cath out today. (My honey is on his

way to Vanderbilt today to take Mom and Dad

for his second follow up appointment) Now, I guess,

comes the hard part, teaching the new bladder

to do what the old bladder knew to do. This will

be long, difficult process, but I am sure that

he will do fine. We did learn that he needs

some further chemo. The path report came

back good...no cancer in the lymph nodes,

no cancer in any of the other places they took out,

BUT the cancer had grown outside the bladder walls,

this in spite of having taken three months of chemo

prior to the surgery. So, the doctor very wisely

suggested that since the cancer was a very

aggressive form, that more chemo would

be a good idea. This was a little hard

to hear, since we were hoping he was done,

but we know that all things work together

for good for them that love Lord. So,

we are choosing to trust Him, believing that

He has a purpose in all things.

In conclusion, I want to say that I am so

thankful to the Lord for His strength and

grace in the last few months. It has just

been amazing to see how He has blessed.

That's all for today.

Whew! This was a pretty long post too! ;)

New Update on Daddy

2010-03-26T06:52:00.000-07:00

After two days, Daddy is in a regular room and

doing pretty well. He has that drip medicine ( for pain)

that he can do himself every ten minutes so

that has been very nice for him. He has been up

walking several times a day which is what the doctor

said would help the most right now. His bowels are

"asleep" because they made the new bladder out

of a part of the bowels and the "waking" up process

takes several days. He will not be able to have anything

at all or eat or drink until his bowels are awake and

working normally. ( not even ice chips ) This has been

hard to watch him be "thirsty" but he has not complained.

He is in great spirits and working hard to recover as quickly

as possible. As yet, we haven't gotten the path report, but

at this point everything looks good. That's all we know, I wanted

to post since I know there are some folks praying! Thank you

all, I can't express how much it meansto me and family!

God Bless You All!

Update on Daddy

2010-03-24T17:16:00.000-07:00

After almost six hours, Daddy is out of surgery and in recovery.
The doctor said the surgery went well, the lymph nodes looked
good, and he didn't see anything else suspicious looking. Of course,
we will not know for sure until we get the path report. He lost quite
alot of blood, so they may give him some pints of blood this evening.
We are so thankful he is out of surgery and doing well. I will update
more as we learn more. Please continue praying, as he has a rough
few days to get through.

Prayer for Daddy

2010-03-24T08:53:00.001-07:00

Today is the day that Daddy is having his surgery.
They just took him back to surgery a few minutes ago.
He is to have his bladder removed and a "neobladder"
made. Please pray for him and for Mom as well. She
is feeling very emotional and sure needs some strength
today.

Breaking Ground

2010-03-16T15:46:00.000-07:00

The last Sunday of February, and the last Sunday

of Youth Month, we had Breaking Ground with us all day.

All four of the young men are preachers so we had

two preachers in the morning and two at night.

We just LOVE this group. They are young

people with a heart for God ( who believe

in living Godly and are faithful to their

local churches ) It is always an honor

to have them with us.

Bro Jay Schuler

Bro Jonathan Davis

Bro Matthew Davis and his new wife, Grace.

They are expecting their first baby in July.

( I have known this young lady since the day she

was born~ I just LOVE her, and she is such a blessing)

Bro Jay and his "woman".

Bro Matthew Davis

Bro Tommy Lanning

Bro Jay and Hayden (Bro Jonathan and Mrs Kelsey's baby)

with Emily

Emily and Mrs. Kelsey

(Emily really LOVES this young lady)

Baby Shower

2010-03-16T15:23:00.001-07:00

Our ladies hosted a baby shower for Misty Francis.

We had a good turn-out and it was alot of fun.

I gave a short devotion at the beginning of the shower.

Misty Francis and baby Micah :)

We were thrilled to have Misty's mother with us.

Here we played a game where the girls were blind-folded

and then given samples of different baby food flavors.

The girl who guessed the most right won the game.

There was a lot of gagging and getting grossed out,

but the girls were great sports.

Here they are smiling, AFTER it was over!!

Here we played a game where we melted different

kinds of chocolate bars and then put them into

diapers. Each lady had to try and guess what

kind of candy it was. ( This game is not for

weak stomach's~ when the candy was in the

diaper, it was disgustingly REAL-LOOKING)

But, it was sooooo funny...you should have seen

them holding them out with the fingers all stiff as

if it were really a stinky diaper!!! HILARIOUS!!!!

YUCKY LOOKING, huh?

All in all, it was loads of fun and Misty got many nice gifts.

Bible Club

2010-03-16T15:09:00.000-07:00

As a part of Youth Month, we had our first

Bible Club meeting. We are hoping to get

this going in a big way as an outreach to

the children in the community. We haven't got

all the kinks worked out but we're working on it.

We want to make it a club where they can earn

badges for christian character. So far, we had just

had our own church kids but we hope that it

will grow quickly as we get it going.

We plan to have the meetings every other

Thursday night. We are so excited about

this new effort.

FBC 2010 Valentine Banquet

2010-02-23T12:18:00.000-08:00

We had our Valentine Banquet for our Youth Group

on February 13th. I know that I am late getting

pics on~but~ we were out of town last week

for several days. Therefore, I was unable to

update my blog.

I am sooooo sorry...I know everyone

was waiting and waiting for me to post. LOL!

Anyway, the banquet was for the Junior class

and up. We had a pretty good turn out.

We had a great meal, lots of fun and games,

and a TREMENDOUS devotion by

Bro. Tony Clower.

Bro. Tony Clower speaking

My two girls~ Emily and my "adopted" daughter, Becky

Sis Barbara~without whom, none of this would have

been possible

Bro Jonathan and Mrs. Becky

Emily and Mrs. Becky

Bro Ryan and Sister Robin Sparkman
They were in charge of games and prizes.

They did a GREAT job, as always.

Our family

Bro Tony and Sister Kim Clower

Skylar, Faith, Alyssa, and Courtney

Alyssa and Courtney

Faith and her boyfriend, Trent

Joe

We had several tables decorated

(a special thanks inserted here to

Sis Teresa Francis for decorating

the fellowship hall so beautifully)

but almost all of them ended up

at one day...LOL!

Emily and her friend Taylor

(Taylor is the daughter of

Bro and Sis Clower)

They enjoy getting to spend

time with one another. They have

alot in common and their personalities

are very similar.

Me and my honey ( can you tell how much he LOVES

having his picture taken????)

Bro Tony and Mrs Kim

Westley

Lindsay and her friend

Valentine's Day Treat!

2010-02-11T13:09:00.000-08:00

My husband has been VERY sick this week,

with what the doctors said was a stomach virus.

We have had stomach viruses before, BUT NEVER

LIKE THIS ONE!!!!

He still continues to be weak and hasn't yet

regained his strength. I took him to see our

PCP this morning. He told us that it could

actually have been EITHER a stomach

virus OR food poisoning. ( I had taken him

to the ER Sunday morning because he had become

extremely dehyrated!~ and it was the ER

doctor who told us it was a virus first)

Either way, it has been awful, and I am

so anxious for him to be feeling like himself again.

Yet, even as sick as he has been, he ordered

this for me for Valentine's Day! He was

afraid he might not be able to get out to

shop so he ordered it online~while sick

in bed~on his laptop! Oh, the wonders

of our age! No need to ever leave the house!!

He wanted to get me something special, so

he ordered these. Freshly dipped

~the day they are shipped~

strawberries! They are as yummy as

they are pretty! I just couldn't help

sharing! Aren't they just lovely?

Isn't this a cute picture of Emily?

She was playing in the living room the

other day with her "twins".

Their names are Amy and Adam.

She is a very sweet little girl and so

imaginative. I am sure it won't be

long till she is no longer playing with dolls

so I definitely thought that was

"picture-worthy".

A Great Deal

2010-02-02T10:08:00.000-08:00

My husband had an appointment yesterday

in another town. After his appointment, he

went by a used book store there. Guess what he

found? Several, very nice, Abeka books, and an

8th grade Saxon Algebra 1/2 book.

Using the Abeka catalog which I have,

and the Saxon website, I determined

that had we bought these books

new, they would have cost approximately

$240.00. Instead, we paid $41.00.

Isn't that great? All the books are in

excellent condition, with no writing

in them. All but one, is the most

current editions. We may have to

purchase a few items to complete

the set, but still, this was a great

savings. And, all the books that he found

were for grades above her level now.

Just thought that I would share this

you. It's not often that one stumbles

upon such a deal as this! :)

Playing in the Snow

2010-01-30T07:17:00.000-08:00

We finally got alittle snow. The weathermen were

calling for more, I think. We didn't get what they

were calling for (as usual) LOL!

But, seeing as how we don't get alot of snow

around here, WE'LL TAKE IT!!!

We were waiting until this morning to get

out and play in it because it didn't get

very deep last night. ( But, we probably

should have gone out last night because this

morning it was kind of crunchy)

No matter, we still had lots of fun, got very

wet and cold, and then came inside for some

yummy hot cocoa.

I haven't done alot of posting lately. It seems

like we have been so busy. Emily's schoolwork

has been much tougher lately. Since she is

homeschooled, she is about a half a year ahead

in her curriculum, and so she is finishing

up fifth grade and beginning sixth.

This makes for a lot of busy work.

We are trying some new things this

coming semester. I guess you could

say I am branching out~ or coming

out of my comfort zone. We have

always used strictly A.C.E.

(School of Tomorrow) Mainly,

because that is what we had in the

school and Emily and I were both

used to it, so when we began to

homeschool, we just stayed with it.

This semester, though, I plan to

use Abeka History and Geography.

We have been using Abeka Spelling

for the last two years. We'll see

how it goes. It may be more

challenging, but since Emily

is an excellent reader, I expect that

she will do fine. One thing that I am

certain of, she has always done very

well on her standardized testing, so

she should be able to make the change

fine. ( And using a slightly different

manner of studying is bound to be

helpful, overall)

Anyway, that is the plan for sixth grade.

I am not sure which direction we will go

next year, we are taking it one year at a time.

For news on Daddy, he is scheduled to have

one more chemo treatment, and then he

will have his surgery in March. They

will have to completely remove the bladder.

That is basically all we know for now. The Lord has

been good to him, and has kept his white blood

count good for the most part, allowing him to

be able to get out (He especially

wanted to able to attend his church, and

he has been able to do that some)

Please, keep praying for both of my

parents, if you will.

We have Youth Month coming up

at church. There are lots of activities

planned. Hopefully, I will be posting

more, then. (Maybe...you know how I

am) Anyway, in the meanwhile,

here are a few pics of our snowy fun!

Emily~ Happy to finally have some snow!

She always sits down in it or lays down in it as

soon as she goes out...silly girl!

Mom and Em ( no make up...eew)
But too early in the morning! :)

A good sledding snow, FINALLY!

Even I gave it a try! (Actually, with my
weight, I got going VERY FAST!!! I had
to push off the sled before I fell down our
bank! ) Soooo fun, even for us old fogies!

Bret and Emily

What a perfect picture!

Daddy and his girl!

Aren't they like "two peas in a pod"?

FBC 2009 Christmas Program

2010-01-07T09:34:00.000-08:00

Well, I realize that I am alittle late in getting these on

but, better late than never. :)

Here are a few pics from our Christmas program entitled

Bethlehem Inn.

A few opening words from the pastor

and my honey

Our ladies group sang a couple of different

selections during the play

Aren't these animals so cute?
(A special thank you must be said
here to Mrs. Darlene Edwards who
made the costumes)

Cory Nelson playing his recital piece
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
He played it beautifully!

Bro Wesley and Mrs. Diane Howard sang
O Beautiful Star of Bethlehem

Here are some shepherds

The younger children sang a cute song

and had a few lines to say

Again, the ladies group

We sang O Come, O Come Emmanuel

and Tell Me the Story of Jesus

The Young Ladies group.

We were very blessed to have

Daniel and Brooklyn Sparkman

home for Chrismas break

from Pensacola Christian College.

Bro. Daniel played the piano

before the play and again at

intermission. We love having

them home. Brooklyn also

plays piano and sings so we

really put them to work when

they are home. :)

To keep things as simple as possible, we

served finger foods and dessert for our

"dinner theater".

A picture of the crowd. There was no possible

way to get a picture of the whole group.

We did have a record number in attendance

for our first event in our new

fellowship hall, approximately 125.

We were so excited and blessed

by the great turnout.

Eli, the owner of the Bethlehem Inn. Here he

is talking about the crowds in Bethlehem

and how it makes things very difficult.
(And I simply MUST insert here how

very proud we all are of Cory.You would

not believe how many lines this young

man had to memorize, and he did a GREAT

job. ~And as a side note, Cory is a very

shy and quiet young man-It is amazing how

the Lord blesses him to be able to perform

in the Christmas programs)

The servants of the owners of the Inn.

Emily is the one in the pink head scarf)

Mary and Joseph in the stable

This picture was taken before the play

during rehearsal~that is why the

younger ones are not in costume

We had a great Christmas program. Bro. Jonathan

and Mrs. Becky Snow were the directors and they

did a fantastic job. We are thankful and appreciative

of all their hard work.

We are also grateful for all those who have helped

in getting the new fellowship hall ready.

(sh...there were a few little things that weren't

quite finished...but I won't tell if you won't)

Anyway, we look forward to many, many

years of wonderful fellowship. May we always

use for His Glory and Honor.