Unplugged

We are going on a 40 day fast from most electronics. No Facebook, no video games, no iPod, no forums. It was simply necessary in our home. We have become disconnected from each other and the competition on the gaming systems has been driving me mad. Everyone, of course, wants to be able to go first and they always seem to go over on their turn, thus infuriating the next guy in line for a turn. There was sure to be a battle every day about it, often several times a day. Madness.

Now, miraculously, we are reconnecting with each other and that joyful silence I hear is quite medicinal. Let us hope and pray that we can continue bonding with each other and having fun playing many other games that have collected some dust. If your family seems hairy and disconnected, perhaps some unplugging is a solution for you, too.

Have a blessed day and enjoy the people in your life more than the electronics!!!

The Big Chill...

...waiting for the big thaw. Ok, I love winter. I love snow even more, but days on end of sub-freezing temperatures? Not so much. I feel like I am in Pennsylvania again, or maybe Maryland again, but not Georgia. The 9 inch dumping of snow was fabulous. I haven't seen that much snow in 20 years. But, I am a southerner now, and I like the here today, gone today kind of snow. This is the first time we have had snow last this long (I can hear my sister Becky laughing hysterically right now). I am by no means, ready for spring, nor am sick of the beautiful white stuff, but can we at least get above freezing? Even the chickens are staying in the coop. I guess they don't want their tail feathers to get icicles on them...

On the bright side, the snow has reignited my cooking desires, and I have made several yummy meals this week. Pecan crusted chicken, homemade bread, and potato soup. Winter is just a time to cook and snuggle under blankets and sip coffee all day.

I'm going to try and dig out the van today, with the hope of going to Costco tomorrow. I think I will need a very large ice pick and an even larger shovel.

A Time to Mourn

I dread the first week of January, now more than ever. Keith's gramma passed away last night. She was 90 years old. We all hold a very special place in our heart for her and will never forget her. She made the best gumbo and pralines on this earth! I am so glad we got to see her last month, on Thanksgiving. Rest in peace, Maw Maw Dee!

Monday marked the two year anniversary of Matt, our nephew, and the tragic car accident that took him and a half-brother. Matt was only 23 and full of life and love for the Lord. Keith's sister, Becky has to live without him and I know that is not an easy thing to do, every day.

And today marks the 21st anniversary of my mom's death. You have no idea how much I miss her. I miss her every day and wish I could have had her a little longer, but honestly, I don't think it would ever have been long enough for me. I have so many things I would have loved to share with her, especially my kids. Nobody loves you like your mother, and I have never stopped longing for that feeling, the feeling that left abruptly 21 years ago and will never return. People, if you still have your mom, please go easy on her. She's been through a lot to raise you. Love her as if this was the last day you will see her, because you just never know when you will get that phone call.

All that aside, the Lord promises he will comfort those in mourning, and He does. Today, I plan on meditating and praying these Bible verses; perhaps they will comfort you as well:

I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow. Jer 31:13

Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.
Psalm 126:4-6

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Matthew 5:3-5

...weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
Psalm 30:6

God does not want to only focus on the pain of death, but the joy of life eternal. Is your heart right with God?

Oh no, not another rant...

Here I go again, I just can't leave well enough alone. But enough is enough! I am so sick of the unprovoked war on Christians. I would venture to say that most Christians are rather peaceful, and really don't want to engage in warfare, but select groups who are so darn offended by us, are launching an all out war, especially on Christmas. Granted, I don't believe Christmas is a scriptural holiday, because there is not one mention of it in the Bible. Oh, the blessed birth of our savior is mentioned, but you will not find the word Christmas. Christmas is a man created holiday that happens to celebrate the birth of Christ. With that said, I find it to be an enjoyable holiday, especially for children.

But why, oh why, are we allowing this tiny percentage of people to bully us into putting away our nativity scene, Christmas tree, and not saying Merry Christmas? I would speculate these same people still gladly receive their Christmas bonus, turkey and day off. If they really wanted to be a believable group, they should go to work on Christmas day, donate their Christmas bonus to charity and give the holiday turkey to a needy family. Oh, wait, I think these same people also don't believe in charity - that is what the government is for....

Remember, Honor, Teach

That is the motto for Wreaths Across America. WAA raises funds for our national cemeteries and lays Christmas wreaths every December. All across our nation today at the national cemeteries, thousands of wreaths were laid by the Civil Air Patrol. A ceremony is then held where veterans, active duty and survivors gather to remember our fallen and honor them. We are supposed to teach our children about the people who have lost their lives for our country. It is always a very touching experience and I often have to choke back a few tears. It was so lovely this year to not be in the 20's!!! We also managed to stay dry!

Andrew was honored to serve in the color guard, along with our longtime friend, Journee. They did an excellent job and I was so proud of them. Michael had the honor of handing wreaths to some distinguished military members that will lay in honor of each branch of our military. Chris guarded the colors during the ceremony.

Several speeches were made, and one of them in particular really stood out. It was made by an active duty army soldier, who will be redeployed to Afghanistan after Christmas. His words really resonated with me, especially when he spoke so boldly about our freedom and how our nation was founded not only on Christian principles, but also founded on prayer. His speech was powerful and compelling and made me feel a little more hopeful.

Enjoy the pictures!

Giving Thanks, in all things!

We are back from our Louisiana tour. It was really a fantastic trip and couldn't have been more perfect. Looking back, I can even smile about Daddy waking me up at the ungodly hours of 4 & 5am. It wasn't funny at the time, but it is now.

Some of the food highlights were the fried turkey (YUM and thanks, Daddy, for spoiling me), and Aunt Lynn's coconut cake!!! Without a doubt, it is the best cake you will ever eat and after a 5 year absence in my life, it tasted like it was baked in heaven's oven. Mama made us a shrimp soup that would have won a blue ribbon in any contest. SO Good!!! Gail made a very delicious cornbread dressing! We even got to stop at my favorite German restaurant for a reubin. But, it wasn't all about the food for me, and I managed to thwart the food pushers and eat reasonable portions, and have returned with two less pounds of lard on my body!

The people highlights were the best! We got to see 90 year old Maw Maw, several aunts, uncles and cousins and a couple of friends. We were very limited in our time, so a couple of friends I would have loved to have seen, I am sorry we couldn't make it happen. BIG HUGE thanks to Michelle, Connie and Pennie for the hospitality! Although it was a quickie visit, it was so fulfilling! Please tell Todd thanks for the venison - I may cook some today!

There was a lot of football watching, visiting and memories being made. Aunt Becky spoiled the guys with yummy breakfasts every morning and lots of video gaming. I fell in love with her dog, Lucy. She is a spunky little thing and so smart! I can't wait until Becky brings her to visit!

It felt great to be with family again. Although at times, the guys were rather bored, I am certain they will look back on this trip and smile.

Brief and to the point

Hi there! We are still here, safe and sound. I am just in a place where I can't really sit long enough to rub two thoughts together and actually have them sound coherent. I am certain you can relate, especially if you are raising the kids and tending the home, etc. My next few thoughts may not be coherent or even relevant, but sometimes you just have to write it down, if nothing else, just so you can move on. I promise it will be brief and to the point...

Fall: This has been the strangest fall since we moved here. It seems to have lasted forever (not a bad thing) but has been lacking the vibrant colors we so look forward to seeing. Most of the mountainsides have simply turned brown. Oh, there were a few spectacular specimens that got to dazzle and compete for our attention, but on a whole, it has been a drab fall. There's always next year.

School: I feel so blessed, because this school year seems to be going quite well. Seamlessly well, dare I say it? It's not perfect, so don't envision this fantasy picture of our school life or anything, but there seems to be less blood and screaming this year. For all of this, I give the Glory to God, and Him alone!!!

Home: I love keeping the home - it is what I was created to do. I love organizing and redecorating and trying new recipes and creating new things. Our home feels so homey, at least to me, anyway. I have never been great at creating a show home, but I feel like we have always lived in a home that is warm and welcoming. You can put your feet up and relax, and for that I am thankful.

Marriage:  Keith and I have really been having fun dating each other again. It's so much fun, we try to go out every week. It's always something simple, but we are alone together and there are no kids complaining in the background. God is so good to create such a beautiful relationship he called marriage.

Friends: Without fail, the Lord has blessed us with some of the most awesome friends on the planet. Some of them drive for hours to come visit, some we see every week to study God's word, some are phone friends, some we play board games with, but ALL of them are very special to our hearts! A true friend is the most valuable treasure you can have!

Family: We are heading to Louisiana next week for Thanksgiving. Being on a tight (very tight) budget, traveling is a pure luxury to us. I would really rather spend the money on utilitarian things and practical things, such as clothing or food. Do you have any idea how much money it takes to clothe 5 men, all wearing mens size large? And feed them? Egads! Anyway, we really do need to nurture the family relationships and we are all looking forward to seeing the extended family and friends next week. What a blessing to be able to go for a holiday!

The Guys: Chris is a junior and is driving some. He continues to be my left arm when Keith is at work. You have no idea how much I love and appreciate this guy! Andrew continues to excel in Civil Air Patrol and is no embarking on his first musical band venture. He plays electric guitar with four other guys and they are writing their own music. Michael is doing great in school this year. Who would have thought that? I am so proud of him getting A's in some very difficult subjects, including chemistry! James is a mini me. He's happy-go-lucky and so easy to please. I love going shopping with him at craft shows and festivals. He is so FUN! Thank you, God for these four wonderful guys! They are the light of my life!

Spiritual: I save this for last, because it is the most important. Spiritually speaking, I think we are doing well with our daily family Bible reading and prayers and conversations. Unfortunately, we are still without a church home. We have been absent from church since May. This is a first for us. In Louisiana, we had to be near death to miss a service. I know some of you can relate (because we have talked about it), but those of you who can't, consider yourself richly blessed. There is nothing more challenging than to deal with being without a church home for this long. We have tried all the pep talks you could imagine to get us to stay at a church, to visit a church or to continue visiting a church. Simply put: we are misfits. Some of you already know this, intimately, I might add. But we are not aliens or lepers or stinky or.... Anyway, cutting to the chase, we are searching again. You can say we are too picky or too strict or too whatever, I don't care what you say about us. Finding a church home is vitally important, and we would relish your prayers as we embark once again seeking.

Ok, I feel better now. Off to school! Have a BLESSED day!!!