On Jenna's Camera

Jenna received a kid's digital camera for Christmas ~ Enjoy!

On Christmastime Gatherings

We enjoyed celebrating Christmas last weekend with my brother and younger sister and their families.

Then we celebrated at my Mom's (again with my younger sister and her boys).




Nathan enjoyed this:

A sewing kit for Jenna:
A swimming Dora for Katherine Ann:
We spent Christmas Day with Greg's family opening presents and playing in the snow. How wonderful to have a White Christmas!

On a Sleepless Night

It's 4:30 in the morning and I'm sandwiched on the pull-out sofa (the sick couch) between my two girls. One whose skin is so hot to the touch, it's like sleeping next to a fire. The other whose cough sounds so yucky it makes me sad for her. I'm thinking about all the sleep I've missed over the past couple of nights caring for sick children...how grumpy I will be tomorrow because I'm soooo tired and my patience is worn. And then I hear a small voice reminding me that I will make it through, because HE will help me.

So, I want to offer thanks for a few things on this rainy day:

- I'm thankful that it is 1:30pm and I have a few minutes to myself.
- I'm thankful for my pediatrician and always being able to call and come right in....I'm certain we would have been in the ER last night had we not seen him yesterday.
- I'm thankful for coffee, children's programs on TV and leftover Halloween candy, especially the chocolate kind.
- I'm thankful for my sweet neighbor who with a quick phone call offers to take my place in bringing a dish to church tonight since we will not be there.
- I'm thankful for my husband who said he will try to be home a little earlier tonight.
- I'm thankful that I'm a stay at home mom. Some of my friends have to work after being up with children during the night, I cannot imagine how hard that would be.
- I'm thankful for the overall health of my family.
- I'm thankful for coffee - oh, did I mention that one already? It deserves double billing I think.

And, I'm thankful that for once I listened to HIS calming voice during the night and was able to quit worrying (at least for awhile) about what tomorrow will bring.

On Couponing - my fav thing

HA! If you've been around me at all you have heard me complain about this couponing mess. Yes, I know it works for some of you and you can feed a family of 7 for something like 25 bucks a month (I'm looking at you Gretchen). But, if you have the love/hate relationship like I do with my printer...well, you would understand my position. Every Wednesday I scour the newspapers as well as Southern Savers making my grocery list and meal plan. I 'clip' my online coupons and it never fails...I cannot get them to print out. Ever. I don't know why I try anymore. I will admit, it may have something to do with the cord from the printer that plugs into the laptop....there seems to be more than one option - but, I've tried all three, unplugged the printer and restarted the computer to no avail. I love a good deal and all, but seriously?
OK...I'm all done with my rant, I feel much better and guess what - I'm sticking with the old school method and saying 'no thank you' to online coupons. Until next Wednesday...

On Labor Day Weekend at Mom's (a late post)

I love going home to my Mom's house in Parsons. I hurt for it when I'm away for too long. It's more than just being with my Mom, it's being in the home that I (mostly) grew up in. It's watching my kids ride trikes around the driveway circle, the same driveway that I rode my bicycle on so many years ago. It's swimming in the pool that I remember being built when I was in high school. It's giving my children a small slice of what it is like to live in a small town...in the country. (But for those who know where Mom lives, yes, I've technically always lived 'in town').

My mom tries to make memories, lasting memories for my children and my sister's kids as we often coordinate our visits. This year she led the kids into the backyard and stated that "we were going to build a fire". Even my 2 year old helped - she followed along and grabbed a handful of sticks to place on the pile. They loved it!

My mom has been having trouble with armadillos digging in her yard. So, my kids enjoyed the treat of dropping worms into the live bait trap buried in the dirt. They were so excited to check the trap the next morning...and thankfully, it came up empty.


I think the hardest thing about these memories for me is that I am acutely aware that they ARE memories in the making. Maybe I'm being overly pessimistic but with my mother's current health issues, I'm constantly reminded of how precious our life is. I'm reminded because she's aware too...she told me this weekend, "I feel confident that if I die within the next year, that all the grandkids will have memories, good memories". Thinking about the loss of my mother and with that, the loss of my childhood home makes me sad beyond words.

Also, it's not only about losing my mom but also the physical place that shaped who I am today...the church where I grew up, where my sisters and I got married...the home where my sisters and I celebrated our wedding receptions....the remains of my parent's store where I spent every Saturday working while in high school and most of college.

It makes me sad and even worse, I can't think of a way for that issue to be resolved. My kids will grow up and Chattanooga will be to them what Parsons is for me...possibly this house we live in now will be the one they cling so tightly to later. Or maybe it's just me...maybe I have a hard time letting go.

Whatever the case, I still miss home but I'm determined to continue to make wonderful memories with Mom and my kids and their cousins. Memories of going to the Beauty Shop to see Miss Joy or going to church (where Mommy used to go when she was a little girl) or riding the pony at the Dairy Bar or just riding a trike around a circle driveway. These are the things that remind me of home and some of the things we experienced this Labor Day weekend.

On a Hot, Hot Day in August

Jenna has been asking to have a lemonade stand. So I finally decided to 'help'. We got our chairs.

We waited for our 'customers' and I listened as my children yelled out "Lemonade...lemonade for sell." I'm sure our neighbors loved the screaming, but hey, for the low, low price of 10 cents they could have enjoyed a tasty drink.


Since we are blessed to live on the same street as many other families from our church, we had a few customers.



We closed up shop after a couple of hours as the natives had gotten restless and began throwing rocks in the road. As well as playing 'hide and seek' with the money. Oh well....we'll try again another day.

On A (almost) Rainy Day

The kids decided to go 'swimming' in the somewhat drizzle of rain we had last week. It lasted only a few minutes but they sure had fun!

On Loving the Quiet of the Morning

This morning, the Lord blessed me with 45 minutes of quiet time between Jenna leaving for school and my other two waking up. 45 minutes of drinking coffee and catching up on 3 days of homework for my Bible Study today. My friend Liana and I have been slowly working through a Beth Moore study on Daniel and since our summer hiatus I've had a hard time getting motivated. But not today...in the quiet of the morning.

On Missing My Daddy

Today is the 6th Anniversary of my Dad's passing. I'm aware of what today is, but I don't necessarily associate today with him. When I think of my Dad, I think of mainly two things: The Store and The Farm.
My parents moved from Memphis back to Parsons in 1970 and bought the Western Auto store on Main Street. Later, Jones Furniture was added which also included hunting supplies - as seen in this great picture. All of us kids grew up working at The Store while in high school and college. I loved it....though not as much at the time. I loved all the people that came in just to talk and eat lunch. I loved all the hunters that came in to brag or talk 'smack'. I especially loved watching my Daddy as he was in his element. He spoke to everyone, knew most by name, he was the ultimate salesman and wise businessman.

I also have many fond memories of my Dad at The Farm, a piece of property on the river that has been in our family for many years. This is where on Sunday afternoons I learned to drive our truck while dodging cows, plowing through mud puddles and traveling where there was no road. I loved the farm because it was the one place that Dad and I went, just the two of us. I learned to shoot a rifle and spent many weekends on the river 'bumping the bottom for catfish'.


This is one of My Favorite Pictures of Dad and myself with Aunt Ruth.

So, as I think about today I'm sad that my children never knew him but I'm thankful that God has given me so many precious memories of my wonderful Dad.

On explaining My Fav Part

If you visit our house during supper, you will hear this circulating around our table..."What was your favorite part of the day?" Even Baby K gets in on the conversation and asks everyone, over and over. Her answer, at age 20 months, was always cow or milk. Today, it was "swimming in the big pool" - we didn't do that today, but I'm pleased to know she enjoys it when we do. I love hearing how my children view the day and decided to use "Favorite Part' as the common thread in my writings of favorite ideas, activities, products, and so on.