Memories of Summertime

So my plans to paint this summer have fallen by the wayside. Blame it on the creek and the swim hole.
The kids and i have been enjoying the water almost every day, whenever the weather and schedules have permitted. While most people work in a garden i work on the creek, trimming branches and cutting weeds. My efforts have been rewarded with a beautiful place to spend many hours and make many precious memories with family and friends. I cannot complain.
My watercolors are in the same exact spot i left them earlier in the spring. They will be there when the time is right and i can start painting. Maybe then i can paint from memory butterflies, dragonflies and lazy days on the creek enjoying God's creation and the company of loved ones.
Those will be the best paintings because they will remind me of what awaits me next year and fill me with hope during winter's cold.

A Thank you for Mother's Day

I just have to brag on and thank Jeremy, Rachel, Brogan, Reece and Sawyer for making my Mother's Day extra special. They spoiled me real good by giving me the new Francine Rivers book, "Her Mother's Hope", taking me out to eat and cleaning the van out.


I appreciate all they did for me and all they do for me day to day.


God has truly blessed me with a loving husband and children.


I love you all so much!

Gratitude Beats a Bad Attitude

For over a week now our Internet access has been spotty, to say the least. Most days we have had no service at all. Other days it has been extremely slow.

My first reaction to this issue was to become frustrated, then to get upset. None of this accomplished anything so i just learned to accept it though i still didn't like it. The thought finally occurred to me that things could be so much worse.

I still had my health, a roof over my head and a loving family. To let something like the lack of Internet service get me down was just ridiculous. I was being spoiled and ungrateful. The truth of the matter is my blessings far out weigh my petty inconveniences and gripes. How pathetic that it takes insignificant matters such as this to make me realize the significance of God's grace toward me.

Jeremy called to find out what the problem was and it turned out to something with our tower. He can explain it much better than i can. I just repeat what he tells me. Since talking with the right people the situation has improved though there are times when it is still problematic.

Well, we have done all we know to do at this point. For now there is nothing else we can do. But there is something i can do about my attitude and that is to take my thoughts captive and submit them to the authority of Christ and stop worrying about things i have no control over.

Maybe it isn't always the easiest thing to do but it is the very best thing to do and something i will be working on this week.

She's Growing up!

It doesn't seem long ago but according to the calendar it will be ten years tomorrow. Tonight my little girl went to bed a nine year old, in the morning she will awake a ten year old!

As we all sleep the hour will strike midnight and at eleven minutes past the midnight hour, Rachel will enter her tenth year of life. While we will not stay up to commemorate the exact hour we do plan to enjoy the day and the rest of the weekend.

Tomorrow night we will celebrate with friends. Slumber party!! So we could possibly be up tomorrow night. You know how girls can be when they get together...

Saturday night we will celebrate with Jeremy's parents. Of course her cousins will be there and Gigi will be making the cake.

We hope to make it to my parent's on Sunday. I'll be making the cake then and there will be more cousins to visit with.

The next few days look to be busy ones but i know a certain little girl (who really isn't so little anymore) who is really looking forward friends, family, ice cream and birthday cake. I also know a certain mama who is looking forward to watching her daughter enjoy her big day and there may be some tears in her eyes as she remembers the little girl and anticipates the future of this beautiful ten year old while savoring every moment God gives us together...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RACHEL!!!

I LOVE YOU!

Thank You

If i were to list the names of friends and the many ways they have encouraged me these past few weeks i could go on and on. God has blessed me with a great group of ladies who have prayed for me, supported me and hugged me when i needed it most. He has surrounded me with His love inside the home with a loving, supportive husband and children. They all share my excitement in this new endeavor and let me know they are praying for me everyday. There is not a day that goes by that someone doesn't send an email or speak to me personally to say they are praying or that they are proud that i am following what i truly believe to be God's will for me.
I only wish i knew how to show my friends and family how much i appreciate all that they do for me. One thing i can say, i thank God for you all and i pray for you too.

Twenty Years

It has been almost exactly two weeks since Uncle W.L passed away unexpectedly. Until last week i hadn't seen him, my aunt and cousins in over twenty years. Many things were said about my uncle at his funeral. Much was said of his contributions and accomplishments, all of which made me very proud. I know i was not the only one who felt this way. Because of the soft-spoken, gentle man he was, i believe Uncle W.L. would have been most touched by what was shared by his children and nephew who spoke of the man i remembered. They are the ones who shared accounts of the loving husband and father and Godly man. They also remembered his sense of humor. These were the very things i appreciated most about him. As i listened to everyone share i was so impressed with the legacy that this humble man left his family. I hope and pray that i will be able to do the same when my time here is done. Another thing that struck me is the sad fact that it took my uncle's passing to bring our families together again after all these years. Upon hearing the news of Uncle W.L.'s death my thoughts turned to Aunt Sue,Linda,David and Michael. Because of the distance between us; we lived in Alabama, then Tennessee while they lived in Florida, we didn't see each other a lot but when we did see each other we always enjoyed our time together. Pretty soon we grew up,had families of our own and moved in other directions. Before either of us realized it, twenty years had passed. Our time before and after the funeral was too brief and then it was time to go our seperate ways again but not before promising to keep in touch. It is my sincere hope that we all live up to our promises before another twenty years passes us by.

What the Sunrise Taught me

I have a very busy weekend ahead. Rachel's slumber party is tonight, we are going to a picnic tomorrow afternoon, friends are coming by tomorrow evening and family will be visiting on Sunday. Though i am looking forward to the times of fellowship with friends and family i am also intimidated by my "to do" list for the coming days. This morning as i was going over my mental checklist and pouring my heart out to God i noticed an orange glow coming from behind me. I turned to see the sun rising above the hill down the road from the house. Though it only took a couple of minutes to rise above the hill and the trees there was never a moment where it seemed rushed. My eyes were on the sun that whole time but before i knew it it was illuminating the sky. In this moment i was assured that the same caring Creator who orchestrates the sun's ascension in the morning also lovingly directs my steps throughout the days. That knowledge fills me with such peace as i once again review my to do list and anticipate the weekend ahead.