Unexpected Surprises!!!!

No, I didn't fall off the face of the earth, I've just been in Mississippi, for a week! And it was FABULOUS! I love the holidays! It nearly broke my heart to come back to Ohio. But my friend Datha, made it all worth it! Let me tell ya'll- she and Mark were watching over our house and getting the mail for us right. - Well, their washing machine broke down, and she came over to wash clothes, (which is so alright with me because she's practically my sister- my house is her second home.) And she decides to surprise me by doing the rest of my laundry (that I didn't get to before I left.) It was folded neatly on the couch when I returned. She also striped the beds and washed all the sheets and made them back up again - and did a load of dishes for me. WOW - what a friend!-what a beautiful, blessed friend! She is such a doll. I mean we do nice things for each other, like surprise each other with coffee, or cook dinner for each other's families, but this was above and beyond. Don't get me wrong, I didn't leave my house a total wreck, but it was my first extended trip away with two small children. And she made coming home so much easier. Thank you Lord Jesus, for blessing me with such a sweet and considerate friend in Datha! The Thanksgiving holiday was wonderful, and I have so much to write about, but first, I must unpack and get my children settled back into their routine- so blog ya later all about it!

Moments in the Word

I came across some heartwarming scriptures in my quiet time yesterday, and it just all seemed to fit the "Thankful" theme of this month! So, I wanted to share them with you, whoever you may be reading this... may it be a blessing to you too!

EPHESIANS 5:19-20
Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

PHILIPPIANS 4:4-9
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer, and petition,with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think on such things.

1 THESSALONIANS 3:12-13
May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.

COLOSSIANS 3:12-17
Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And overall these virtues, put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace, and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

COLOSSIANS 1:9-14
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Veteran's Day

Melvin John Scott, Army Veteran of WWII and the Korean Conflict


His burial flag and army photo.


My Daddy!


Veteran's Day is set aside as a time when we reflect on and honor the heroism of those who have served and given their lives in the service of our great country. It is a time to share with them our gratitude for our freedom! So today,I am honoring the remembrance of my favorite veteran, my daddy. He was a proud American. He believed the Bible, in his family, and in the United States of America. He proudly displayed the flag outside our home every Veteran's Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, and 4th of July! Last night, I was thinking back to when I was in college. My mom sent me a newspaper clipping of my dad attending a Veteran's Day ceremony. He stood among a hundred or so other veterans proudly with his hand on his heart. I still have that article, and will keep it to show my children years from now when they are old enough to understand who he was and what he did for this country. I hope that everyone who reads this today will stop to give thanks for these men and women (past and present.) Thank a veteran, if you know one. Pray for a soldier that is serving our country, and don't let this day pass without thanking God, with true gratitude in your heart, for the freedom with which we have blessed!

Five Things I'm Grateful for!

Ok, so I was watching my DVD of Oprah's 20th anniversary collection, (It was a "happy" my husband gave to me last year.) for like the seventh, maybe eighth time. I do that you see, I can watch my favorite movies over and over again. It drives Hugh crazy. When he can start quoting lines from whatever I'm watching or listening to , he says it's time to put it away! Any way, Oprah talked about how she writes down 5 things everyday that she is grateful for, and that it has changed her life. So, here are my 5 things for the day!

1. I'm grateful for my new blog life! (hee-hee) No, but seriously, I'm glad my sister (we decided to drop the in-law thing), Demetria talked me into doing this. I really believe it's brought us closer together. We talk almost everyday, now, and I sooo look forward to it!

2. I'm grateful for a husband,who still holds my hand, especially when we pray in church. It makes me feel so close to him. And it makes me feel safe-(I don't know if that makes sense to anyone but me, but it does.) And ya know what, I still get butterflies when he reaches out to hold my hand, when we're riding in the car, or when we're watching a movie. It's a nice surprise!

3. I'm grateful for friends and acquaintances that have crossed my path, (actually- that the Lord has put directly into my life) that have blessed me in ways both small and large, even if they don't realize it. The Lord has used them to show me His love and His mercy and grace.

4. I'm grateful for the beauty in this world, be it art, music, nature or whatever that reminds me God's awesomeness, and make life more enjoyable.

5. I am grateful for my babies' kisses and hugs. They make everything so worth it, even on frustrating days.

Runy Noses

My poor honeys are sick! They started out with the sniffles, and now Anna Grace has a runny nose and Trey is pouring. On top of that, Trey is cutting five teeth. Yes, five! He has three upper molars and two lower canine teeth coming in, all at the same time. He couldn't even eat his favorite cereal (Honey Bunches of Oats) this morning, without pressing on his soar gums and whimpering. And, that was after the milk had made it soggy. Anna Grace was refusing to eat at all, this morning. She is running a low grade temp., and just wants momma to hold her. She snuggled up in my arms earlier and feel asleep, so I put her down for a nap. I've been giving Trey Tylenol (for his teeth) and Benadryl (for his nose), and pumping him full of O.J. and water. I'm going to go to the store this evening and get him some gummy vitamins to start him on. Hopefully that will help! Thank goodness he has already had his flu shot. He's just not his boisterous, playful self, today. I gave both of them a warm bath this morning to soothe the achy ness, but it looks like we're in for a quiet day at home. We are getting our first snow flurries of the season, so it sounds like a good time for a warm cup of my favorite Tazo,chai tea!

Our Halloween Pictures

Our "little monkey" and daddy hard at work.

Daddy and his "lil' punkin'"

We are taking mommy trick or treating!

A Happy Halloween!

We had a wonderful evening. I'm not into the blood and gore part of Halloween, but I do love to see all the little ones dressed up! This year, Trey was a monkey, complete with a real banana and all. Anna Grace was a cute lil' pumpkin for her very first Halloween. They were adorable! I'm telling you, adorable! I know, I say this as their mother, but everyone thought so! I let them spend the day in their costumes. They wore them everywhere, around the house, to the store to buy our last minute candy, and in the front yard as we played with our neighbors' children in their costumes. I even took them up to the hospital, to see their daddy. Yes, Hugh had to work, but there will be other Halloweens. Besides, I'm sure all the crazies were out in full force. There was standing room only in the E.R., when we went through to see Hugh. Mark and Datha, our neighbors, had calling hours for someone from their church who had passed. So, Anna Grace and I sat on their porch and passed out candy, while Trey played with Mikayla, Ben and Owen between our two front yards. Mikayla (8) was an ice cream cone, Ben (6) was a fireman, and Owen (3) was a cowboy for Halloween. Alot of the the kids' friends and parents came by and our street was a buzz with trick or treaters for at least two hours. We saw a prince and princess, butterflies, doctors, cheerleaders, a kangaroo and a turtle. There were a couple witches and ninjas and even a little boy who told us he was Bon Jovi. When Mark and Datha came home, we all went trick or treating together, through out our neighborhood. The kids were so excited. They kept running up the street ahead of us. They couldn't wait to see what the next house had to offer. Trey wanted to share something from his bag with everyone who gave him a treat. (Bless him!) He was also very excited about getting to walk in the road. When we play in the front yard, he knows that he is not allowed passed the driveway. I think he told every house we visited that "we go in the woawd!" The kids asked to go by Miss Anne's house. Miss Anne is the neighborhood "grandmother." She is a spry seventy-five year old lady, who walks her dog, Tippy, everyday. She comes by to visit, share recipes and let the kids pet Tippy. She also drops off a bag of freshly baked cookies every now and then for the kids. She is so Sweet! We pretty much wrapped up the night with her house. We had so much fun. It reminded me of when I was little. My mom and dad always made the holidays special. Every holiday. I have memories of my mom making my Halloween costumes and painting my face. We had parties, and cupcakes, with streamers and music. Later, when she had her day care, she and my dad did the same for each of the children they took care of. But, it is because of them that I anticipate the holidays with wonder, a child like wonder, even today.