Springtime

Last night, Wayne came running in the house and yelled at me to hurry up and get outside, he had something to show me. I envisioned something glittery and sparkling........

Did it ever sparkle....it took my breath away......

Hey Stephanie What's for supper?

Chicken pollo rosa

(Breast filet stuffed with pruschetta ham and provolone cheese)

served over angel hair pasta

with lemon butter sauce

Green beans

Sweet tea

Dessert- kisses from mama

Received mixed reviews

Wayne wants to know why the spaghetti sauce is yellow

Leslie is passing on dessert

Ginny ate it all.

Yum Yum

Torture Trail 2010

I am ready to run! Just filled out my application and sent it in.  Hardest race I've ever run, but so much fun!  Used to be called the "Tar Baby" but I guess to be PC it's now the Torture Trail.

Today begins the training to get me through this thing in under and hour. 

Happy Birthday Ginny

If  I could freeze time.......

 They day I brought you home from the hospital, and wondered how we were gonna keep that bald head warm.

The day when you dressed up and ran around the house in dress up high heels and a tutu, carrying your baby by the neck.

The millions of times I've heard you yell "Sissy!"

Seeing you sit on the porch loving your one of about 15 animals around this house. They just know you are a sweet soul.

Watching you do your hair.

but then if I froze time I would miss........

seeing you learn to drive,

Talking to you about where you are gonna go to college.

Watching you walk down the aisle.

Yeah, the best days are still ahead. Fourteen is the wonderful in between.

I love you baby girl!

We're goin' shoppin'

Big Daddy put some money in my pocket this mornin' and me and the girls are goin' to the big city of Macon as soon as school lets out!  Will probably spend it all on them, but I think I may manage to get a little "sumpin', sumpin' " before the days over. Thanks Big Daddy! You are the best!

Time for groceries

You know it's time to  break down and go by groceries when.......
1) You have spaghetti and sauce, no meat, and tell the fam it's better for them.
2)Your husband pays double the price for coffee at "Terry's"( the corner gas station) so you'll have enough for in the morning.
3) You threaten to remove your childrens arms if they use the last few glugs of milk. It is reserved for your coffee in the morning. They can drink leftover tea with their poptarts.
4)The kids inform you that there are no poptarts, granola bars, toaster struedels,  Breakfast in the morning may be reduced to a scrambled egg! It's a shame to not have anything processed to start the day!
5)You hijack toilet paper from the camper.
6) Your kid asks you if Dawn dishwashing detergent will work in the washing machine.
7)I may have to wear Wayne's Old Spice deoderant covered up with baby powder. Hey I'm just keepin' it real folks!

If you see me at Kroger tomorrow, I will be the lady that looks like Mrs. Duggar with the overflowing cart, and don't rush me in line while I'm finding all my coupons!

singing alto

Ever since I can remember I have sang alto.  I remember being a little girl and hearing my sisters sing with my dad, and copying the tune until I could hear it in my head.   I grew up singing. Mostly Southern gospel.  Our little church in the country taught me "I can tell you now the time"  as well as the old hymns of the faith.  All the while I was slowly learning how a harmony part sounds.

Today, I hear in alto. When someone sings a song, my mind plays the harmony part.  I am glad that my Dad's love of music was passed down to me and all my sisters.  Today I went to my old pastors church in South Carolina.  I sang with some really great friends, whose voices are far better than mine.   We sang some of my favorite old songs. "Beulah Land"  and " The Blood Will Never Lose It's Power"  Yeah, I belted out the alto.  There's nothing like tight harmony.  But the best part was my friend Worth. She sang a song that makes me cry....every time.  "Every Need Supplied"
As she was singing I thought, I cannot think of a single need I have that has not been, or will not be supplied by my God.  Praise Him. I tried not to cry.  I bit my cheek.  I took deep breaths through my nose. Then I remembered, this is the last song. I don't have to sing again. I can just sit here and cry and totally enjoy this song.  So I did. Cried like a baby.  Raised my hand. Told Him I would never doubt Him again. It was good.

aesthetics vs. activity

I have made a discovery about myself. I guess I've known this for  while, but it has become more and more clear to me.  I don't care too much about my house.  What I mean is, I'm not a decorator. I'm OK at crafts, but mostly enjoy DOING the craft vs. DISPLAYING the craft. Big difference.  Sometimes I feel bad about that. When the girls at work, who by the way are fabulous decorators and have impeccable taste, talk about granite vs. silestone or sage vs. celery green, my eyes glaze over.  I only am interested in new furniture when the old is broken.  Wayne put down wood floors, because we have dogs inside.  Don't get me wrong, I like a clean neat house. Can't stand clutter, but on our recent camping trip I looked at Wayne in my sweet littel camper and thought, "I could live in here with him!"

That is not to say that I am not materialistic.  Who isn't? I could spend a fortune on good food, and running shoes (interesting combination)  I literally could house a library with all the books I buy.
But if Wayne and I were to come into a tidy sum of money we would DO something vs. ACQUIRE something.  We are doers. I love  a new experience and we both love to travel.

It seemed funny that I bought two new things this last week to put on the wall.  I was laughing as I put them up. About time there was some new scenery around here.

What about you?  Are you a "do"er ? or a "be"er?

He's back.....

If you read my blog very much, maybe you remember my post dedicated to the neighbor dog that makes me crazy.  For the longest time, his goal in life was to taunt and torment me on my nightly run.  Then like magic, he was gone.  At first, I kinda felt guilty that perhaps the unspoken curses I placed on the dog had actually come true.  Then I decided to just enjoy fate and soak in the carefree joy of an evening run and only my ipod.

He's back........ Not sure where he's been but tonight, from nowhere, as I rounded the curve and was groovin' to the fine sounds of Cold Play, I heard a spine chilling growl. I looked to my left and all I saw was teeth, drool, and the lurch of a dog that is solid muscle.  Thank God the chain held him from destroying my  leg.

Is this a preview of my beautiful spring evenings?  Am I going to be forced out of my own neighborhood, to endure a treadmill in such "meant-for-running" weather? No way Jose, I've dug around the junk drawer and found my pepper spray.

Bring it on puppy.  I may not be able to out run you, but I can outsmart you!

Kenya

I found a childhood friend, Rebecca, on good ole Facebook a couple weeks ago and as I nosily

snooped through all her pics, I saw this album of pics on her recent trip to Africa.  I totally ripped this precious picture off her page because it made my heart beat faster.

I am going to Kenya in July. I.CANNOT.WAIT.  We are taking a medical mission team and spending about 10 days outside of Kakemaga in a place called Sabatia. 

I have always loved mission. Truth be told, I feel like I should have ended up somewhere overseas, and I pray that one day I will.  In the mean time, I love every opportunity God, and my generous husband allow me to roam.  It makes you so much more aware of the bigness of God. it makes you realize that my little church in my little corner of the world is only a small part of the master plan. God is at work all around me, in every language, in every skin color.  He wants all the nations to know Him.

Can you just imagine what heaven will be like?  Shoulder to shoulder with brothers and sisters of every nationality, every tribe praising God.  In one voice, all His creation will celebrate His love.

Contentment

Remember when all it took was a sippy cup of juice and a good thumb?

What does it take now?

The stuff memories are made of.....

Some of the best times memories you make in life are those that are made with friends.  We just made some really good memories this week.  Leslie caught on camera some memories that made me smile.....

Spring evenings on the lake

Dowdell's Knob

Air warm enought to be barefoot, water cold enough to make your teeth chatter

Learning young...This baby spent all afternoon casting

Lazy days full of coffee, reading,

exploring

and friends......

 Times like this remind me that the best things in life......aren't things

Easter Greetings

I woke up early this morning to get to our church's "Son-rise" service.  As a girl who has never liked sunrise services, I was really happy I went.  Our church's soccor field is situated towards the eastern sky.  We had such a beautiful service.  As the sun came up like a ball of fire, the sky lit up in a million bands of blue, yellow, pink and gold. Breath taking. As Andy talked about the risen Savior, three deer came bounding across the field and geese flew overhead. I could feel my eyes welling up with tears. I was thinking about how all creation, his people, his deer, his sky all came together on a spring morning to celebrate His resurrection.

Mean while, Wayne and the other men were in the kitchen, fixing a HUGE breakfast that we all devoured.  Funny, how sausage and pancakes cooked at church, taste tremendously satisying, but the coffee was the best.

Our service this morning was wonderful.  The choir did a musical that up until this weekend, I really had my doubts. It was a little sketchy.  Today went really well, and my favorite part was when my pal Worth belted out "I Stand Amazed"  Made me cry. 

Mom had a huge ham cooked after church, and I have just now decided that there is a few afternoon choices. The nap is winning, and then a little knitting when I get up.

Oh yeah, I almsot forgot....look at these beauties!

Good Friday Thoughts

When you consider the actual significance of good Friday, "good" seems grossly inadequate in describing how huge the love of God is for us.  I think this song expresses it beautifully:

In Christ alone, who took on flesh

Fullness of God in helpless babe

This gift of love and righteousness

Scorned by the ones He came to save

‘Til on that cross as Jesus died

The wrath of God was satisfied

For every sin on Him was laid

Here in the death of Christ I live

Spring break

I am

camping with friends

eating anything the men cook on the grill

knitting on an afgan

reading books books and more books

not wearing any makeup

going on long walks in the woods with Wayne and the girls

watching the sun rise from my camp chair with cup of coffee in hand

setting priortities

leaving my cell phone off