Bad Dreams

Occaisionally I'll have one of those weird dreams where I am falling, or standing naked in front of alot of people (nightmare for the people) or driving off a bridge.  I hate it.   Sometimes I dream and in the middle of the dream I think, Oh, I've dreamed this before." all without waking up........
NOTHING compared to Wayne's dreams.  My husband is such a mild mannered, easy going guy. Never gets upset, never gets mad, but in his dream world there are some really funky things going on.

We had only been married a few months when I was wakened from my slumber by  him, jumping up, looking out the window and telling me that there was an Indian at the foot of our bed.  I have been shaken awake and then instructed to "be very quiet. They are standing over there in the corner."
Ok so, nineteen years later, I don't even bat and eye, I gently nudge him and say "Wayne you're having abad dream. It's OK."  I've heard it all, sometimes more than once.....there's the flying Coke can in front of his face, or the howling wolves outside.  He once dreamed that I was a intruder and grabbed my arm demanding what I wanted.  Oh, he's alot of fun when he's got a pain medicine on board!

Last night was a new one to add to my list. At 3:48 am he jumped up, looked out the window and said to me "Steph do you see it?, They wrote the number "13" all over the ceiling."
That's it! No more Sci-Fi channel for two weeks for you buddy! It took me a hour to get back to sleep.

Just once, I'd love to be able to see in his dreams, It sounds like alot of fun.  I think he dreams it in psychadelic colors.

Stryper...do you remember them?

these darn kids these days don't know anything about good music. When I was a kid, I loved this song!

It made me laugh.....

...to hear John Denver singing "Take Me Home Country Roads"  while I was frantically shopping with the rest of M'ville at Kroger tonight. I have to say, it's difficult to be grumpy while humming  "....West Virginia, Mountain Mama..."  

About the second chorus, I realized that while I was pushing my cart, and filling it with sale items only that could be matched with a coupon, my mind was a million miles away. John Denver was one of my grandma's favorites.  As I hummed the strains of that old song, I was a little girl at my grandma's house in New Mexico.  Every summer, we would travel out west, and for a few weeks, my sisters and I were real live cowgirls.  Ok, well maybe we fed the neighbor's horses a carrot my grandma gave us, but there is something about the west that makes you feel wild and free.  My grandma lived out in the country. She had a huge yard that was filled completely with rocks.  If you've ever been out west, you know what I am talking about.  She had gorgeous cactus growing everywhere.  We spent many a morning with her, watering plants then going inside to have a lunch of balogna sandwiches, corn chips and coke out of aluminum glasses.  In the afternoon, we'd play Barbies while we listened to my mom and aunt and grandma gossip about cousins and aunts we never met.  The  afternoon New Mexico sun was way too hot to venture outside.  Around sundown, we'd sit on her swing, on her big porch, and dig through big buckets of rocks that my grandpa would cut and shine. The outside of those rocks were dirty and grey, the insides were sparkling with a rainbow hue of colors that glistened.  Amazing to little girls.

John Denver, this afternoon I heard your song and I didn't go home on a country road, but I took a trip down memory lane to my grandma's house.  She was there with her sun tanned wrinkled face, she rubbed my earlobes and of course we all sang for her because she always asked us to.  I miss her.  Sometimes it's nice to visit, even if it's just a memory.

What did I learn this weekend?

1)  Verse 2 of Days of Elijah is the theme song of SBC....Sang my heart out and raised my hands to Jesus!
2)  Chicken noodle soup is the best thing for a cold after all.
3)  Walgreens is the best place to use your coupons....especially on their clearance aisle.
4)  Finding something you haven't worn in over a year to church is like splurging on a new outfit.
5)  Homemade chocolate icing on Duncan Hines box cupcakes make them super delicious!
6)  Casting blame, shame, fear and running from God didn't work too well for Adam, but I still use them all them all in my life with terrible consequences...not bad for a Yankee preacher...you rocked Rich!
7)  I think I have "knitter's thumb"
8)  In the middle of teaching a Sunday school class, sometimes God just wants you to be quiet and listen.
9)  I inheirited my bargain gene from my mother and I always love thrift shopping with the queen of cheap!
10)It's better to be quiet and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.

Freedom

"It is for freedom you have been set free"

Gal. 5:1

once upon a time.....

there was a farmer who had a beautiful wife and two darling daughters.  But between you and me....he loved the tractor the most.

morning rituals

hit the snooze x2 and then double check to time for 6:18 before I get up.
coffee......strong with a side of 2% milk
Colossians in Daddy's big chair
"Leslie, get up, I'm not kidding it's 7:00"
Hey puppy, let's go pee pee
clothes from the washer to the dryer
oatmeal with raisins
can I get away with not washing my hair?
rundown of Wayne's day.....and him asking what is the schedule for tonight.
listen to Ginny putter in the kitchen and make her breakfast

Everday it's the same. Brings me comfort and security. What do you do every morning?

SBC

Look what I saw coming out of Walmart? So glad our Andy our pastor got this great pic of it:

No one likes a complainer.....

....but it's my blog so I guess that gives me the privilege of a grumpy day.  It reminds me of my friend Britt's little boy Alex. He woke up one morning and after about an hour of whining looked at his mom and said "I'm fussy."
Yeah well, I'm fussy today. I didn't sleep well at all. Whichever side I laid on became stuffy.  When I woke up on my left side, it felt like that whole side of my face was ginormous. Sinus congestion....ugh!  I pride myself that I rarely get sick. Maybe that's my problem... too prideful.
I went to bed last night and left a sink of dirty dishes that had to be reckoned with this morning, not to mention the pile of laundry that was still on my couch.  Seriously, my family is getting a steal of a deal on a maid. Last I checked I get paid.....nothing!

I got on the scales yesterday and realized that there is a reason why my pants feel tighter.....I'm steadily gaining back all the weight I lost last spring.  I also realized that I gave away all my "fat" clothes and that I have about 2 months to get back into my spring/summer wardrobe from last year.  I have not run in two weeks.  I think that always makes me feel bad too. Moral of this story.....in your excitement of weight loss, don't give away your fat girlclothes, pack them up and put them in the attic.

Having teenagers is tough. I feel like they are slipping through my fingers.  I want to hold on to them, and they do not want to be held on to.  Do you ever want to hit the pause button?  Knowing that every day brings changes, and while that is not bad, it'll never be the way it is today?

So Alex, this Tuesday morning you are not alone. I'm a little fussy too.  Can't quite put my finger on it. Tomorrow will be a better day.  Thanks for listening to me whine, I feel better.

Things I say all the time that Wayne would NEVER utter.......

1. Do these pants make my butt ( thighs, tummy you fill in the body part....) look fat?
2. Look at that woman in line in front of us, she has got gorgeous arms.. (he gets 2 points for thinking it but not saying it)
3. I don't know why I am crying, I just feel like I need to let it all out.
4. I don't think she ______(fill in the name of another woman) likes me.
5.Where are my keys?
6. Toby Mac is my most favorite singer in the whole wide world!
7. I'm sorry. (Couldn't resist this one...you know it's true)
8. I'm going to take a bubble bath.

Just thinking about him saying these things makes me laugh! Thank God we're opposites!

Happy Valentines Day......

"Many waters cannot quench love...."

I love you Mr. Welch-

You are my Valentine!

Inside and Out

Unlike my sis, Heather, who lives in the winter wonderland of Michigan, I live in Georgia, and snow is a reason to click your heels and celebrate! 

Outside:

It just started, but according to Glenn Burns and Channel 2 Weather we are supposed to get 3-5 inches. Don't put the snow tires on just yet, he's been wrong before.

Seven decided to stay on the porch instead of the woods. He's awful glad Ginny left him a blnaket to snuggle up in.

Meanwhile, inside:

Daddy and " the girls" are on the couch watching NASCAR. Seriously, did you know that you can watch mindless racing around a track virtually any time of the day or night thanks to DISH network and the Speed channel?  What would we do without you?

I, on the other hand, have decided that I will be productive during the blizzard of 2010...knitting.

I am trying to get a Valentines Day bunny finished for my littlest bunny, Ginny before she gets back from skiing this weekend.  L& V and about twenty other kids are hitting the slopes in West Virginia. Fun times!

Oh, and coffee.  There will be lots of coffee this weekend....in my tall cup!

Happy Birthday Dad

Your birthday was officially yesterday, but we celebrated tonight!  Hope the new birdfeeder brings you beautiful birds to watch this spring while you sit on your new porch swing.

I love you, and it seems like I have more appreciation for you every year.

You did a good job raising us. You are a patient man. You treat our mother like a queen.

You taught us the value of being still and quiet, not every moment needs to be filled with words.

Mostly, you taught us to love God.

Happy Birthday!

Prissy was a good dog

Tonight I hit a dog. I feel terrible. When I looked up, all I saw was fur and teeth in my bright lights. Then I heard the sickening thud. If you've ever hit a dog, or cat you know that sound. That thud as the poor animal, or what's left of it, bounces off the underside of your car.

By the time I turned around and reached the crime scene, the owner had pulled up and he and his daughter, probably about ten or eleven year old little girl hopped out of the car ahead of me. By the time I got closer, the sickening feeling became full on nausea as I heard her wailing. As I came up beside her, she looked up at me with tears filling her big ole brown eyes and said "Prissy was a good dog." What do you say? "I'm sorry" was all that came out and it seemed awfully lame compared to her sobs.
By the time her mom got there, we were both a mess.

Her mom assured me that she knew it was an accident. She told me that the dog was really bad about chasing their car, and they knew that this would happen sooner or later. Rotten luck it had to be me.

When you're ten, a dog can be your best friend. You can tell her all your secrets and trust her not to tell anyone. You can count on her to love you and lick you to death, even if you stink at kickball. A dog will snuggle with you even after you have a terrible fight with your sister. I know, I had a wondeful dog named Ruff when I was ten. She got hit by a car and died. I cried for three days.

I'm so sorry I hit your dog. It was an accident. I hope you forgive me. I know Prissy was a good dog and I know you'll miss her.

Tuesday morning breakfast

Ginny is my breakfast eater. Every morning, she fixes herself a nutritious breakfast, like scrambled eggs, waffles, or today for instance, cinnamon toast.  I remember my mom making cinnamon toast. Love it! Love it!  Much better than the pitiful breakfast Leslie partakes of, usually a Diet Coke and whatever she pulls out of the cupboard, which today happened to be honey mustard pretzels.  Just glad she didn't have her usual $1.75 smorgasboard from the Jet gas station.  Yeah I am definatly not the get-up-and-make-you-a-hearty-breakfast mother type. I figure it teaches them the importance of time management to fix their own breakfast.

In honor of my time management and nutrition conscious child.....I present you a time honored tradition from the Welch family: Cinnamon Toast

Ingredients:
2 slices of white or wheat bread
4 pats of butter per slice
1 tsp of white granulated sugar on each slice of bread
3 sprinkles of cinnamon per slice

Assemble and stick under the oven broiler for about 2  minutes
Enjoy with a cup of hot coffee!
Happy Tuesday!

bitterness and forgiveness

bitterness....
....grows bigger. No matter how small it begins, it takes over your heart.
......make you obsess endlessly.
.....is a jail where you are the guard...and the prisoner.
......keeps you from enjoying the goodness of God.
......created ugly frown lines in your beautiful face.
......turns you into someone everyone tries to avoid.

Forgiveness....
..... allows you to move ahead in your life.
......is possible when you realize the forgivness you have been granted.
......is the key that frees you from jail.
......keeps no records of wrongs.
......frees me to enjoy all the good things God has for me.
......means I can stop thinking about it and let go.

Top 10 reasons why I love this day

1. What other day is totally devoted to all out worship?
2. I love playing in praise band with Danel. He is a master on the guitar.  His is teaching us to expand  worship music beyond "the way we've always done it".  Lovin' his Paul Baloche style.
3. My Sunday school class rocks! I love those girls!
4. We are taking Shantal and her doo-waps out for lunch.
5. Andy always has a surprise in his message. Today he is preaching on a passage in Matthew that I never really understood. Can't wait to hear his take on it.
6. It's gonna rain and that means a nice long afternoon nap for me.
7. I love seeing the two prettiest girls in the world dressed up for church.
8. Today is the day I assemble the bunny I've been knitting all week.
9. I have not talked to Lauren in a while and I can't wait to hug her tight.
10.The more I seek Him, the more I find Him.....

I shoulda been a city girl

I love going to the city. There is something in the air that makes you excited.  We had the best time in Atlanta!
The Conference- was really good! I learned alot about dermatology, I've never been too good at rashes, and spent  three hours in a workshop on examining shoulders, ankles and knees.  I really made me realize that I need to spend some time reading those NP journals that clog up my mailbox.
The food- All bets were off on the ole diet. We had PF Chang's, Pappadeaux's, and Cheesecake factory. Fabulousness!  As if we did not inhale enough calories, we polished off a huge bag of M& M's everynight while watching TV in the room.
The Hotel- Rennaisssance Waverly. Sheer bliss! I absolutely love, love, love staying in a place where there is a concierge desk, a Starbucks in the lobby, and a glass elevator to take you to the seventh floor.  Our room looked out over the skyline......
The Body's exhibit was beyond cool!!!! So awesome!  I can't really put it into words. Even Wayne, who gets squeamish over body parts, loved it.  My favorite was the area that showed the heart! Incredible detail when you saw the tiny, blood vessels and the actual chambers of a heart.  I kept thinking about the verse in Psalms that says "we are fearfully and wonderfully made."
The Man- Wayne is not really that romantic, but when we go away, just me and him, he always spoils me. By that I mean, he always lets me pick where we eat, he lets me wander through Barnes and Nobles for hours.  He even took me to Target and let me pick out my early Valentines Day present... a new green purse.  I love that man.  Days away together makes me feel all in love with him again.

Now I'm sitting here, enjoying a quiet house. The girls are all gone to a slumber party, Wayne just called and said he was staying after Upwards, to play some kind of game thing in the gym.  I am going to finish this post, and go soak in the tub.  So much to be thankful for. It's a great life!

Hotlanta and dead bodies

I am on my way to Atlanta tomorrow. Wayne and I are getting ready to spend a couple days in the luxury of the Renassaince Waverly in Cobb Galleria. I have a conference to attend and he's coming along as my body guard, cheauffer, date and escort through.....THE BODY EXHIBIT.  Ok I know it's a little weird but I am totally psyched to see this exhibit. I hear it is fascinating, and since I've watched many  a dead body on the big screen in quality time with him, he's agreed to wander through a display of about 50 dead bodies with me.
Seriously, They have all sorts of spliced and cross  sectioned corpses in this display.  Who knew such a wierd thing could make me so happy?..........
which brings me to my next question........
Would you donate your body to science? I want to just give my remains to the research departement of Duke University.  I guess it really depends on what causes my demise if they will want it, but I figure, it will serve absolutely no purpose for me, why not?  Wayne says he really wants me buried next to him that snowy Virginian mountain top, but I think I'm good with just a marker or tree planted as a  memorial.    It's amazing what you can learn from the human body. Nothing quite like it.... no two just alike.....maybe I'll sneak you a pice from my cell phone at the exhibit.......