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Today is Hunter's 6TH Birthday and it's hard to believe. He's been such a blessing and we thank God every day for him!
Please remember my Father In Law in prayer today. He's having Surgery this afternoon and may have to stay overnight. Thanks for your prayers. Have a great day and God Bless!

New Table

We finally got a new table for our kitchen and LOVE it! We saw this table a couple weeks ago and decided to think about it, check around for other items and different prices. This, by far, was a great price, good quality and has the coolest feature. It has a butterfly leaf that is stored underneath the table. We can pull each end of the table out and the leaf folds out, making the table MUCH bigger. This will great when we have company. We were sold as soon as we saw that! The nicest part was we paid CASH for it, The Dave Ramsey way =)

More pictures to come. In the next couple weeks, we'll be removing wallpaper, painting and hanging new pictures and curtains. Can't Wait!

Good Friday

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life"
-John 3:16

Amazing Love

Our little boy, Hunter told us this weekend ALL about how Jesus died on the cross so that his sins would be forgiven. He told me that they put him in a room and put a big rock in front. But it didn't stop him. He came right through that rock in three days and he's alive and he loves us all. He said they put nails in his hands and they made him bleed. But he did it for us all. We were so proud of him! Then, we read a couple of chapters in Genesis in the bible and his daily kid Devotion. He said his prayers, like every night, but this time, he asked Jesus to come into his heart. He told Jesus he loved him and he wanted his help to make good choices. WOW...he is only five and he asked Jesus to come into his life. From this day forward, he will have good days and bad days. But the difference is that he has hope for his future, and a love that will never end.
God's Amazing love and grace....

Our Precious Granny

Our Granny passed away Saturday, March 20, 2010. We will all miss her SO much but I know she is in a much better place. She is free from pain and hurt. She is walking with Jesus, all her family and rejoicing in his presence. The funeral was beautiful and very sad, knowing she is no longer on this earth with us. But I know she is in Heaven, just waiting for us, when we will see her again. Our aunt once told Mike something very true and he has never forgotten it. The hard part isn't losing someone. The hard part is learning to live without them. I want to share a story the pastor shared that was really very beautiful and reflects just what we have to look forward to.

A young woman had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and was given 3 months to live. As she began getting her things "in order" she called her pastor and asked him to come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes. She told him which songs she wanted sung at her service, what scriptures she wanted read, and what dress she wanted to be buried in. She also requested that she be buried with her Bible in her left hand.
Everything was in order, and as the pastor was preparing to leave, the woman suddenly remembered one final request that was very important to her. "Please, Pastor, just one more thing," she said excitedly. "Sure, what is it," came the pastor's reply.

"This is very important to me," the woman continued ... I want to be buried holding a fork in my right hand."

The pastor gazed at the woman with a loss for words. "That surprises you, doesn't it?" the woman said. The pastor replied, "Well, to be quite honest I am puzzled by the request." The woman explained, "You see, pastor, in all my years attending church socials and potluck dinners, I remember after the main course and the dishes were being cleared somebody will inevitably lean over to me and say .... 'keep your fork' .... that was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming, like the velvety chocolate cake, or deep dish apple pie. Something wonderful to add substance to end the great meal."

The pastor listened intently as the woman continued, "So, you see Pastor, I just want people to see me there in my casket with a fork in my hand, and I want them to wonder ... 'What's with the fork?' ... then I want you to tell them: 'Keep your fork ~ the BEST is yet to come!"

The pastor's eyes filled with tears of joy as he hugged the woman goodbye. He knew that this would be one of the last times he would see her before her death. He also knew that this woman had a better grasp of Heaven than even he did. She KNEW and trusted that the BEST was yet to come.

At the funeral, everyone who walked by the woman's casket saw her wearing a beautiful dress, with her Bible held in her left hand and a fork in her right hand.

Over and over the pastor heard people ask, "Why is she holding a fork?" and his smile began to get larger and brighter each time. During his message, the pastor told the people about the conversation he had had with the woman shortly before her death. He explained the fork and what it symbolized to her.

So, the next time you reach for your fork, remember ~

THE BEST IS YET TO COME!


John 10: 28
"And I give unto them eternal life;
and they shall never perish, neither
shall any man pluck them out of my hand."

Happy St. Patricks Day

Today would have been our PaPa's Birthday. He passed away last January and we are preparing ourselves to lose our Granny. Hard times but I know God will help us get through. We are so lucky to have had them in our lives but I don't want to see anyone in pain. They have been such a BLESSING to us all. I pray for God's grace and mercy during these times.

Amazing Love

God's Love is so amazing. We sang this at Church Sunday and I really wanted to share it, to enjoy it again. It's awesome. We can't say it enough....

I'm forgiven because you were forsaken. I'm accepted, you were condemned. I'm alive and well. Your spirit is within me because you died and rose again. Amazing Love, how can it be, That you my king would die for me? Amazing Love, I know it's true. It's my joy to honor you. In all I do, I honor you. You are my King. Jesus, you are my king.

Prayer Request Update

This is our Granny and our Aunt Ellen on Thanksgiving this past year. Granny hasn't been doing so well after having a Stroke a couple weeks ago but Thursday, she finally came home. She's had a hard time eating but hopefully, she will be able to get some rest and get better. Please remember in your prayers, if you don't mind. We love her SO much!

My Prayer Everyday

"Search me, oh God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way, everlasting" -Psalm 139:23-24

Valentines Day Pictures

I took Hunter and Hannah to get pictures taken while Mike had an appointment with the Sears guy Tuesday night. I wasn't sure I'd get any perfect pictures but I was very happy. The kids were great but extremely playful. They laughed, they played but sitting down was not an easy task. They just had so much fun together. I was glad to be home, though. It was a cold, rainy night but the only night I had to get them done.

So, Happy Valentines Day from Hunter and Hannah =)

Fun in the Snow

We had LOTS of fun in the snow, although, it did take us 30 minutes to get dressed for it =)

The kids are waiting for Daddy to clear off the steps...they can hardly wait!Hunter, jumping in the snow
Hannah, wondering what this is but looking more like she's surfing or trying to not fall down

(she was like the kid on A Christmas Story...COULDN'T MOVE!)Hunter, being SUCH a wonderful big brother and helping her get her gloves back on

Attemp One at a picture of me and the kids

Hannah is DONEMy Sweet Love Bug No, sh'e NOT a pole dancer...she's holding onto the shovel so she doesn't fall =)
My House, covered in snow

Financial Peace University

Monday was our first "Financial Peace University" class by Dave Ramsey and we love it. We've listened to a couple of the CD's and Podcast before the class began and really liked what he was saying.

It definitely makes you change your priorities, change the way you look at things. We already have, since January 1st. I'm excited about what this class will bring us for the New Year =)

And As Dave Ramsey says, "If you will live like no one else, later you can LIVE like no one else"

Cake Icing Clowin

Nothing fancy but my first "creation" in my Cake Decorating Class =)

More Vinyl Words

This one was actually a REDO but I did a larger size font and added ... and the verse. I like it much better!
On the kid's bathroom DoorThe wall in their bathroomAnd our laundry room door
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It's been a good day. I'm home for the weekend, inside because I have Strep Throat. Great. I knew my throat was sore but had NO IDEA it would be Strep until I developed a fever and chills with it. Glad I went to the Doctor and got it checked out. I still went home and cleaned house since I had taken off Friday to take care of some things. Today we've played Wii, played in the floor with some toys and I got to do my Vinyl words while they took a nap. I'd like to do two different sayings in my living room and one in my bedroom. If time allows, I want to do one in the kid's room too. (I love you to the moon and back) I just found a place online, Expressions Vinyl, that has awesome prices and selection. I got some Transfer Tape from them and it was a fast, smooth transaction. We're trying to cut back on our spending so I was very pleased with them
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Hope everyone has a great weekend and God Bless!

A VERY Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday, Granny!Today is our Granny's Birthday and we're having Dinner with the Family Saturday at Golden Corral. She is such a blessing to our family and we love her so much!!

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I just started Wilton's Cake Decorating Course 1 at Michaels and I love it already. It's exciting to see what you can do with this hobby. Just hoping I can do it but I think it will LOTS of fun trying. My new kit...lots of stuff. Underneath I have the cake leveler, 2 spatulas and there's room for my cupcake decorater and Cookie Press. Very neat. Mike has to work Saturday but I might practice a little while the kids take a nap. I have some homework for next week =)

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

New Year, New Resolutions

With the New Year, comes LOTS of New Year Resolutions. My Top ones? Saving Money, spending more time at home, and keeping my house CLEAN. We stayed home and watched movies the last couple weekends and I tried to pull my camera out when I remembered. Hannah crawled up and rested with Dad while we watched The New Tinkerbell movie.

I cleaned our our hall closet and the kids found a new fort. Even after I put our vacuum back in, they still have some room. They had alot of fun...stayed in for a long time before I put the doors back on. Who needs toys??

And look what we got last week? SNOW! Just enough to look pretty but not enough to stay home :( Hunter got to go in two hours late, though.

Anyway, have a GREAT Thursday. I have an early meeting this morning but I get off at 3 to take Hannah to the doctor for a checkup. Take Care!

Play Time

Just wanted to share some playful pics of the kids. They LOVE to play together. I had just given them both a bath so they were having some fun before bedtime. Hannah likes to crawl up in his recliner. Of course, she couldn't wait to get down once I got my camera. And Hunter was pretending to be Buzz Lightyear. (To Infinity and Beyond)

These will be fun to scrapbook. Have a wonderful Thursday. Hope we can get some SNOW tonite!!

In Memory of Katie Puckette

One year ago today, I lost my grandmother. What a wonderful person she was. Words can't express how MUCH I miss her. Her smile could light up a room and it usually did every Sunday while we visited with her. Every Sunday after Church. I'm not sure if it was her or us that enjoyed it most. I certainly didn't want her to be in pain so I believe God answered our prayer and called her home. It still hurts, though. I still miss her. I still love her. She will forever be a part of my life.

A New Year and a New Me

I guess we all make New Year Resolutions but I'm hoping to make several of them I think will really help my life. I want to be a better wife, a better mom, a better friend, a better person. I'm hoping to spend more time at home with my family, more time enjoying life instead of always being on the go. I hope to save more money, work on home improvement projects and take some instructional classes that I'm interested in. I'm praying about some decisions we have to make as a family and hoping God will lead us in the right direction.

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We started this weekend by enjoying each other's company at home. From the time I got home Thursday afternoon, the only place we went was Church, lunch and then to visit our Granny and Aunt. We got the Christmas decorations down, organized in new Rubbermaid containers and put away in the attic. We decorated with our Winter snowmen and snowflakes. We watched movies. We had yummy snacks to celebrate the New Year. We played in the floor with the kids. We laughed. We rested. We took lots of pictures. It was wonderful.

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I cleaned and organized my Scrapbooking area too in my den and was excited to be able to make 3 cards. Afterwards, everything went back to where it belongs and it's clean again. Mike hung my new Embellishment Center and I think it will really help my organization. I just love the way it looks.

My little scrap space. Hunter and Hannah use the table and chairs that fit perfectly under my work table.

My New Embellishment Center and Clip It Up

LOVE all my embellishments I get to play with now

My Clip It Up my SIL picked up for me at Archivers.

If I don't see it, I won't use it.

My New labels I made with my label maker to categorize everything.

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That's all I have for today. Hope you have a great week and God Bless =)