Epic Milestones

At least they are epic to us. Chris turned 18 this month, graduated from high school and finished his first semester of college. Epic, I tell you, epic. We now have three adult aged people in the house, and occasionally, one or two of us will act like an adult, but never simultaneously... That would be too dull. Chris registered to vote and got his adult driver's license all on the same day. Epic.

Andrew now has his learner's permit and is working hard towards earning his Mitchell promotion in Civil Air Patrol. This will give him the rank of 2nd Lieutenant, an officer, and will give him the epic ability to enlist in the United States Air Force as an E3, which is the equivalent to being in the Air Force for about two years. They will even register him as having served for two years, thus allowing him many benefits and privileges. Epic and honoring, all at once... at least to me.

Michael finished out his first semester of high school with great success. He is not certain what direction he wants to take later in life, and thankfully, he doesn't have to decide yet. He has really blossomed into a young man lately and is so honoring and respectful to me and Keith. He has such a good heart and still adores James in an epic way.

James is playing rink hockey (I know this is very surprising, especially if you know James) but he loves it. He has scored two goals and has some assists. I think he prefers playing defense, but is flexible and and humble enough to play where needed. We try to all go as a family and cheer him on each week. Epic.

Keith, now well into his 50th year, cackle, cackle, has the plant looking and running epically. He has changed virtually every building, railroad track, vessel, gear and all that other plant stuff over the nearly five years he has been there. If you could see all of the before and after pictures, you would be epically impressed. I am sure I have mentioned this before, but this time it looks more tangible: an expansion is on the books!!! The company has hired an architect firm and some engineers to begin the early phase of expanding. This would be epic, indeed. It would also open the door of opportunity to one or more of our sons to work with their dad at the plant. Epic.

Me? Nothing epic to report, but I do feel in my heart that I am blessed beyond epic proportions. We are all healthy, we have fabulous friends, and we are not hungry. I've made a few quilts this fall and knitted a few things here and there, but mainly I dedicate much of my life to completing this marathon of being a mom at home. Perhaps that is sort of epic, but for now I will simply call it life.

Happy New Year to all of you! I pray for health and wisdom for each of you, and if you are lucky, maybe you will also have an epic year.

WINNER!

I typed in all of the names using random.org's raffle feature. It really was quite easy if you ever need to do something similarly. The winner is Marj Thomas! Marj please e-mail me so I will know you have received this information. I have your address and will ship the quilt as soon as I get the binding applied.... I got it back from the quilter yesterday and it looks fabulous!!! I really think you will love it.

MANY, MANY thanks to all who helped me to multiply the amount I was able to give. It really is a blessing to know so many compassionate, generous people. I give all of the glory to God for equipping each of us in this loving endeavor. Let us continue to pray for this family.

God Bless you all!

Quilt Raffle Closed!

Please do not send any more contributions - the quilt raffle has been closed! We have gathered a total of $530 to bless the Hooker family!! I am so full of sincere gratitude and thankfulness from each of you who contributed! I truly wish I could send each of you a homemade gift, but I think my husband would kill me. I will use random.org to shuffle all of the names and I will announce a winner in the morning!!

Again, thank you so very much! I am overwhelmed by your generosity and kindness!

God Bless each of you!!!

Many thanks,
Elizabeth

Quilt Raffle to benefit local family

Dear friends, our home school community was rocked last month at the sudden death of a dear home school mom to five daughters. Christina was the Proverbial woman in every sense. I only met her a few times, but everyone who knew her echoes the same sentiment about her. She was an adoring wife to Christian, whom is no doubt devastated with her loss. Although I did not know her well, several of my close friends are in deep mourning. I have been praying and praying for all of them and have felt so helpless. I would imagine any monetary help is greatly appreciated and I think a raffle would increase the amount our family could contribute to them. Please consider a $10 donation and you also get a chance to win this quilt. For every $10 you donate, you will get another chance. $50 would be five chances!!!

Here is the quilt:



It would be perfect for any young girl or teen, or any young at heart woman. The blocks contain unique graphics of a girl or princess, and is a 60" square. It is very whimsical and HAPPY!! I pieced this by hand using fabric from our local quilt store, Sew Bee It!, and will have it professionally machine quilted. The quilt will be back from the quilter on December 13th and I will then apply the binding, having it completed in time for a Christmas gift!

I can receive entries up until the 13th of December and will announce a winner on Wednesday, the 14th in the morning. Please e-mail me and I will forward my mailing address so you can send a check, or click the "chip-in" button and pay with Paypal.

Thank you so much for helping this family. 100% of all donation money will go directly to the Hooker family. God Bless you all!

Ps: I will ship the quilt anywhere in the US at no charge. If this quilt is not your style, donate anyway and I will give the quilt to the Hooker family. Thanks!

A Date to Remember

Last night, Keith and I attended "A Date to Remember". It is put on by the same people who organize "A Weekend to Remember". It is just a fun time for married couples to sit back and enjoy a good laugh about marriage. Mark Gungor was the main speaker and he had our cheeks hurting from laughter! He has written several books and has videos out as well. I would say he is best known for his, "Laugh Your Way to a Happier Marriage". Yes, you will laugh, and then you will wonder if he has been secretly video taping you and your husband.... He just knows the male/female characteristics so well and can find the humor in it all. Check him out on the web - he has several little things you can listen to at no cost. I will never look at smiley faces the same way again.... Oh, and please pray for his wife whom was recently diagnosed with breast cancer.

I also wanted to put in a plug for Chick-fil-A. They sponsored the event and went ALL OUT! As you know, they are strong Christians. They put their money and their feet where their mouth is: they want strong Christian families! The president of Chick-fil-A and his brother briefly spoke last night, and offered a prayer. I was most impressed with them and think I may have to start choosing Chick-fil-A over Bojangles.... The kids might not be too happy about this, but we need to support people who are trying to make a positive difference in our society, for His glory.

A big thank you to First Things First and Chick-fil-A for a lovely evening with the hubby. Chris will be thrilled when I take him to get the two free chicken sandwiches that were handed out last night.

I Protest!

All I have to say about those goons on Wall Street are this: you are protesting the wrong people. It was Obama that bailed out Wall Street, go protest HIM. His failed policies are the reason unemployment remains high. I guarantee if we repealed Obummercare, the job market would surge. That MESS of a law has killed jobs and has INCREASED health insurance costs. Our health insurance premiums DOUBLED last year and I am scared to see what they are going to be this year. Obama said our health insurance premiums would go down and we should ask our employer for a raise. What a joke! And these Wall Street people are trashing the place, being lawless and saying such nice things as, "Eat the Rich". Such friendly folks.

EVERY time the Tea Party held a rally, they cleaned up when they were finished and NONE were ever arrested. NONE. I believe in a good protest, but some common sense manners and consideration should be paramount.

Oh, and while I am at it, I WHOLEHEARTEDLY endorse Mr. Herman Cain! He is the real deal!! I've been listening to him on the radio for over five years and he is not only brilliant, but he is a fine man. He is genuine and compassionate. If you have never gotten to know him, please check him out. I guarantee you will like him!

Two Month Blog Hiatus

Hello ya'll! I am guessing nobody really reads this thing anymore, especially since I haven't posted in over two months. It has simply been an interesting period in our lives. Chris began college the first week of August. He is doing amazingly well and I am so proud of him! Dalton State is known for being a "hard" school, and he has risen to the challenge. Chris is a natural scholar and just seems to do well effortlessly. He is also a natural accountant and will be one of the best!

Andrew and Michael are in high school. Andrew is trying to get the credits he needs to enlist in the Air Force this spring, which would put him heading to boot camp in the summer of 2014. He will also enroll in Dalton State next year to get a few college credits under his belt. The Air Force likes you to have a minimum of 15 college credits. Michael is still undecided about his future plans, and that is okay! There is plenty of time,Lord willing.

James is devouring books right now. Who'd of thought that?? He is also partaking in playing some good old fashioned rink hockey. He really loves it, which just surprises us. He is the least aggressive child we have, but he loves the hockey. I am thankful for some fabulous friends that run it and mentor James each week.

Keith and I celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary last month. In some ways it seems like we have always been together and in other ways, it seems like yesterday. I love being married, although it isn't always easy. We do hit many peaks and valleys, but the Lord has blessed us with an unshakable commitment. I am incredibly thankful for Keith and his loving support.

Me? Well, I will spare you the details, but I have been having an interesting time lately. I could group about 10 negative experiences I have endured over the last two months, between sever back pain to teenagers to teenagers and then more teenagers and throw in some bumps in the road and, well, it has been interesting. But the Lord is faithful. His mercies are new every morning. I rest upon Him and begin each day with Him and pray for the best. Teenagers. They are an interesting breed. I hope they don't kill me.