300th Post and a Common Theme

Can you believe this is my 300th post?! I am soo excited!! I started this blog almost two years ago and have loved every minute of it. Stay tuned for the next 300 posts. You'll might just learn something new. If you don't, well, don't worry about it! LOL

Our church is doing the Beth Moore bible study called "A Woman's Heart - God's Dwelling Place." This past week, we were looking at God's provisions for the Israelites while they were in the desert as described in Exodus 16. We read the verses about the manna and quail He gave them. They didn't have to worry about their food running out or their clothes wearing out. God took care of their needs and showed Himself to the His people over and over again.

On Sunday, January 24th Ernie continued his sermon series on PASSION: A Life on Fire for God. His topic this week was "Manna in the Morning: God's Diet of Spiritual Growth and Health" and referenced Exodus 16, the same chapter as in the bible study. Each day God is sufficient to provide what we need for that day. Instead of becoming Spiritually Malnourished, by gorging physically but starving spiritually, we need to follow the three principles of God's Spiritual Diet: 1) Eat God's Word daily 2) Eat what is fresh and 3) Digest what we eat by taking what we are learning and living it out. We are spiritual people and we must be fed through the spiritual Word of God.

Then, on January 27th, I was looking at the perpetual calendar we keep in the hall bathroom. The scripture for the day was this: "So I tell you, don't worry about everyday life - whether you have enough food, drink, and clothes. Doesn't life consist of more than food and clothing? Look at the birds. They don't need to plant or harvest or put food in barns because your heavenly Father feeds them. And you are far more valuable to Him than they are." Matthew 6:25-26

Do you see a theme here?! I am still working it all out and praying for God to show me EXACTLY what it is He wants me to see. But, what I've come up with so far is God wants me to read His word, mull over it, think about what He is saying then live it out. I don't need to worry about what to say to people He brings across my path. I just need to listen to His still quiet voice instead of ignoring it and step out in faith. God will provide what I need when I need it.

Sonic Drive-Ins Dilemma

Sonic is one of my favorite places to eat.  I love eating in my car or on the "patio" when it is warm.  The extra-long chili cheese coneys are awesome, as are their chili cheese fries.  Their chocolate banana shakes are wonderful with small pieces of banana.  One of my favorite times to go is during Happy Hour where I can get a cherry coke for half price.  YEAH! 

Okay, I need your help. Well, actually, I just want your thoughts on tipping at Sonic. Should you or should you not tip the carhop that delivers your food? It seems that most of the time I'm there I'm low (or have no) cash.  In that case, I use the debit machine there on the stand.  It does not ask if you want to tip.  But, it seems like they are considered waitresses because they bring your food out to your car. 

Sometimes I tip, but, I have to say most of the time I don't.  I don't want to seem rude.  Does anyone else have this problem?  I would love to know what you do.

We Love Books!!

This year, Hannah received quite a few books for her birthday.  Dick and Daphne bought her "Liberty Letters - The Personal Correspondence of Elizabeth Walton and Abigail Matthews   The Story of Pocahontas, 1613" and "The Lost Nancy Drew Case Files."  Melanie bought her four books in the Little House series - "The Little House in the Big Woods," "Farmer Boy," "The Little House on the Prairie," and "By the Shores of Silver Lake."  Hannah had also gotten "Violet's Perplexing Puzzles -  A Life of Faith" book from Mike and me and "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" (I can't remember who got her that one) just before Christmas.  I read two of Hannah's Little House books and remembered how much I loved them.  As a young girl, I read everything I could get my hands on regarding the adventures of Laura Ingalls Wilder.  I loved all her stories and even found some she wrote of her move to Missouri and her visit to San Francisco.  Hannah is enjoying them too.  I am thankful all my kids have a love of reading.  The boys love to read too, especially at night when they are suppose to be in bed.  Andrew will climb into Will's bed and they try to read by the light of Will's night light.

I've also been busy reading.  Tommy Tenney and Mark Andrew Olsen have a book called "The Road Home - A Modern Retelling of Ruth's Ancient Story."  It is awesome!!  I highly recommend it to anyone who loves to see stories of the bible come to life.  The authors also wrote "Hadassah," of which the movie "One Night With The King" was based.  It is another great book.  I've also read "Unto Us   Son of God Series - Book 1" by Sharon Lindsay, "Mom's Trapped in the Minivan" by Cynthia Sumner, and "Shadow Warriors  - Inside the Special Forces" by Tom Clancy with General Carl Stiner (Ret.) and Tony Koltz.  I'm still working on the last two, trading off reading them in the car rider line and crocheting.  I also have three books coming to do blog tours on that should be here soon.  Can't wait!

Andrew's Third Birthday!

Andrew turns three years old today.  Where does the time go?  It seems like just yesterday I was in the hospital having him.  Now, he is in preschool, doing more and more things on his own and growing very quickly in his speech and size. 

Happy Birthday Andrew!!  Momma, Daddy, Hannah, and Will love you very much!!

Andrew on 12/13

Andrew in the snow on 1/8

Party at Build-A-Bear Caps Off A Busy Day (plus a few thoughts thrown in)

We are home after a long, exhausting, and busy day.  On the way to church this morning (we were running late as usual), we saw a familiar van in front of us.  It was the Berryman ladies on their way to their church.  Even though they live about 1.5 miles from us, they also attend church in Collierville (their church is not too far from ours!).  Bettie (Mama Berryman) is the Nursery Director at their church.  Her girls, Breanne, Brandyce, and Brittney, were with her.  Carey (Papa Berryman) was at the fire station, I'm guessing, because he was not with his girls.  Brittney is one of Hannah's best friends.  They have known each other since their first day of 4 year old preschool and became the best of buds. 

After hearing a very interesting discussion on the latter part of chapter 6 and the first part of chapter 7 in the book of Revelation in Sunday school, Mike and I went to the second service.  Ernie did a great job preaching and teaching us about having passion in our lives.  Not physical or emotional, but discovering what you are passionate about and serving God and others in that area.  It was really good.  One of my passions is studying God's word, looking at the original Greek and Hebrew meanings and words to get a better understanding of what God says to us through His servants, the writers of the Old and New Testament.  I am not a scholar by any stretch of the imagination but I find it exciting to see what is actually conveyed through the original languages.

The family went to Carrabba's for lunch.  As usual, everything was delicious.  Our waiter, Jared, was great.  When Hannah told him her birthday was Friday and that Andrew's was this coming Saturday, he brought both of them a free birthday sundae with a candle on top.  Jared even brought an extra bowl for Will to share their dessert.  In the bag of extra bread he packed for us, he included a small packet of olive oil and the seasonings they mix with the olive oil.  In all the times we have eaten there, I've never had the oil and seasoning included in my take-home bag.  I was very pleasantly surprised.  I LOVE their bread and oil to dip it in!!  Now, I get to have some at home.

The party was a great success.  Hannah had a good turnout: Brittney, Gracie, Layne, Jonas, Samantha, Will G., Kara, Seth, Will J. and Andrew.  Instead of making an animal, we had a Make-Over Party where each child picked out an outfit and/or some accessories for their animals.  The only one who didn't already have a bear or other animal was Jonas, so his mom Donna bought him one to have.  Afterwards, we went to The Great American Cookie and had cookies.  Hannah had loads of fun and so did the others. 

Mike and I are exhausted after trying to keep up with everyone.  But, all in all, it was a good day.

Happy Birthday Hannah!!

Today is Hannah's 9th birthday!!  It's hard to believe she is already nine!!  Happy Birthday to my sweetie!!  Daddy and I love you so much!!

Report Cards and Speech Accomplishments

The kids got their second nine weeks report card this week.  Both Hannah and Will made all A's!!!  I am so proud of them.  Way to go Hannah and Will!!!

Will has also made fantastic progress in his Speech Therapy class.  At the end of the school year last year, I meet with Will's Speech Therapist to discuss his progress through Kindergarten and the plan for the next year (1st grade).  Ms. Rockett said he would work on his L words, practicing the letter L at the beginning, in the middle and the end of a word and using it in a blend (like in the word blend).  She thought it would take him all year to complete his objectives.  We also discussed how long he would need therapy.  Ms. Rockett thought that Will would be through either by the time he was in Third grade or by the end of that year.

This year, Will's Speech Therapist, Mrs. Huffman, worked with Will on his L words twice a week.  At the beginning of January, she phoned me about Will's progress.  He has done so well on his L words, she wanted to show this objective as being complete.  She also wanted to start working on the letter R.  Mrs. Huffman was very pleased with Will's speech progress.  I am tickled pink!!  I can tell a difference when I listen to Will talk.  He has come a long way.  There are still some things he will need help with, like his TH blends, but I am more than happy with his attempts so far!

Kids and Food

What is it with kids and food? Does anyone else have this problem with their kids? You make something you think (and are pretty sure) they will enjoy and it takes an act of Congress to get them to take just one bite. Most of the time it's not anything new. It's something they have had numerous times before and even liked but, for some reason, they won't touch it now. Then, you just throw something together and you think it tastes just okay but they rave about it.

One day this week I was in the mood for soup. The only meat I had available was smoked sausage so I cut it into small bites, sautéed it and made vegetable soup. The kids gobbled it down and raved on and on about it. Mike and I thought it was okay but not as good as what the kids made it out to be.

Yesterday I cooked a pot roast in the crock pot, made loaded mashed potatoes, and heated up a can of green beans. I also cooked a can of biscuits (Hannah refuses to eat ones I make from Bisquick) and made a gravy from the liquid left over from the roast. Hannah and Will both gave us a fight about eating. Andrew ate pretty well but it took some time (nothing unusual). At first, Hannah ate okay and raved about the potatoes. Then, all of a sudden, she turned into Ms. Hyde, refused to eat her meat and gave us a fit. Will, on the other hand, took very minute bites and took forever to eat half his plate of food (he didn't have a lot to begin with).

This morning, I made a homemade Orange Coffee Cake, the same one I made for Dick and Daphne while at their house. When I made it the first time, the kids all ate a bite and seemed to like it. What they didn't like was that it was called a coffee cake. No matter how many times I told them that it didn't contain coffee but you traditionally ate it with coffee, they did not believe me. I figured they would eat it (it was still hot and fresh from the oven) but they wanted frozen waffles instead.

UHGH!! It would be nice if they were consistent with their likes and dislikes and try new things without complaining. One thing I do, and generally have good results, is to bluff them. If we are eating something new or if they are giving me fits about something they don't like, I tell them they ate all of it the last time I made it, they loved it and asked for more. Something else I did was to tell Hannah that her friend Layne liked a particular meal. Most of the time, if not all, she would eat it all and ask for more. That tactic worked when we were eating a lot of Homemade Gourmet meals since Layne's mom is a consultant for the company.

SNOW!!

Today we had some snow!!!  Granted, it was not the 1-4 inches the weather forecasters were predicting at the first of the week (in all actuality, it is probably about 1/4 inch) but it's snow.  School was closed today due to the road conditions in some of the rural areas.  Hannah, Nathan, Will and Andrew went out about 9 this morning and made a small snowman and had a snowball fight.  They were getting snow from wherever they could find it: on top of the trampoline deck, trampoline cover, play set, slides, patio table and the deck to name a few.  They had a blast.  The sun is out now and quite a bit of the dusting we received is gone. 

Listening to those who grew up in areas that receive a lot of snow, they are amazed that schools are cancelled and that we get excited over a little bit.  But, coming from someone who grew up here, ANY amount of snow we get is treasured.  Sure, it is silly that just about everything comes to a halt.  But, since we don't get enough snow each year to practice driving on, can you blame us?  The only opportunity we get to have snow is usually accompanied with ice, something NO ONE likes to contend with, much less drive on.  So, those of you who get way more than your fair share of the white stuff, please let us enjoy the little bit we get.  To some of us, it's like Christmas morning all over again.  Especially me!!!

I took some pictures and hope to get them downloaded off my camera today.  The last set of pictures I downloaded off my camera was just after Halloween.  I have 335 pictures to take off or delete.  About one hundred of them have already been put on the computer; I just never deleted them off my camera.  After I get them fixed up, I plan to post them here on my blog.  We'll see!!

As a side note, my friend Susan just started a blog called "That's Whack!"  Go by and check it out!

Hannah's room and Happy New Years!!

On Sunday, December 27th, Mike and Hannah started cleaning Hannah's room about 2:30 p.m.  They finally finished about 8 p.m. with a few short breaks mixed in.  They filled both a 55 gallon trash bag and 33 gallon garbage bag with trash.  Mike also filled one box with toys for Andrew's class at school.  They cleaned out the plastic bins under her bed; cleaned up all the junk, toys, clothes and dolls in her floor and in the corners of her room; cleaned up her closet and bookshelf; and cleaned up the storage unit and boxes in her room.  Everything looks wonderful!!!  Now that we are back from our trip to Chattanooga, I plan to get Melanie's old daybed and change out Hannah's bed.  The daybed Hannah has now is a heavy wood frame that is more suitable for a boy.  I bought it for my guest room when I was single.  I don't know what we will do with it, probably sell it.

Happy New Years!!  I know it is now the third of January but I did not have access to the computer while we were gone.  We left for Chattnooga on December 30 to celebrate Christmas and New Years with Mike's dad and step-mom and returned today.  While there, we got to see Mike's brother Rich and his family; spent a couple of evenings with Brent, Jennifer and their boys, Ethan and Blaine; celebrated Cody's 18th birthday (Brent's nephew); celebrated Christmas with the family; and went to the Creative Discovery Museum with the kids. 

The Creative Discovery Museum is very similar to the Childrens' Museum of Memphis.  It has a ton of hands-on exhibits, things to do and play with and interesting things for parents.  We were there about two hours.  My favorite was the water exhibit when you first entered the museum.  You could play with the dam trying to redirect the water, open and close locks and dams, and generally have loads of fun.  The kids had a blast!  I don't know what their favorite things were but I'll make some educated guesses.  Mike seemed to like the area where you could make a toy car that would run using an electrical charge on a special track.  He made two cars: one for Hannah and one for Will.  Andrew seemed to like the musical area where he could play the drums.  Will's favorite seemed to be a machine that would help you get a basketball into the goal using a bike, skate, kiddie pool, double-ended kayak paddle, two shovels, a tube of fabric and a clothes basket.  Sounds weird, I know but you had to see it.  It was neat.  I'm not sure about Hannah.  She was everywhere and participated in just about everything. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful God-filled year. May Adonai bless you as you seek to know and love Him more each day.