Christmas 2011

We're still recovering from Christmas around here. It flew by. We were so busy that it crept up and before we knew it, it was here.

It can't be Christmas without a photo in front of the upside down tree at church, so here it is. This is one of the few pictures I took this year:


My brother-in-law came to Georgia for Christmas. He moved out to California and it had been a few years since he'd been home. It was good to spend time with him. Of course, the boys were smitten by him and are already asking when he's coming back.

We usually go over to my parents house for breakfast and gifts on Christmas morning. Since Christmas fell on a Sunday this year and my parents' church had service, we had Christmas morning on Christmas Eve morning. My mom cooked a delicious breakfast and we opened gifts. It was loud, hectic, and wonderful- as always!

Later on that afternoon my parents and my Aunt Rita came to watch Shaun sing at the Christmas Eve service at church. It was nice to be in church with them, and Chris and I were able to be in a service together, so that was nice too. I never went to church on Christmas Eve until we came to Free Chapel, and I'm so glad it has become a tradition with us. I look forward to it every year.

The choir was amazing, of course. Jordan was a little bummed that he wasn't able to take part this year. He was a cow during the nativity scene in last year's service, but couldn't make it to the rehearsal this year because we were spending time with Uncle Jeremy. Jordan said his time with Jeremy was worth the sacrifice, but when he saw all of his "barn yard" friends up on stage he sat up in his chair and whispered (loudly), "Hey! I'm supposed to be up there!"

There's always a funny moment, right? Ha ha! There's always next year!

Here's a picture of Shaun and some of the other boys in the choir before the service. Jordan was there, too.

And here's a shot of Jordan in his new boots from Susie and Papa. He insisted on wearing them. I think they were his favorite gifts.


After church we went back to my parents house for my family's Christmas get together. We ate too much, laughed a lot, played Dirty Santa, watched all of the kids be spoiled with gifts. Both of my boys were given Star Wars items from my Aunt Jenny. I'm pretty sure she's their favorite aunt after those gifts!

Speaking of favorite gifts, here's mine:

My Aunt Nancy made all of pillow cases out of my grandmother's old shirts. I couldn't love anything more.

Before the boys went to bed we put out a treat for Santa on the fire place...Aunt Jenny's famous fruity Jello dessert dish. I'm not sure what its called but she's been making it on Christmas Eve since I was a child. It is delicious, and Santa was really pleased to have been left something besides milk and cookies. The boys fell asleep in record time, so Chris and I went to bed early too. We slept in until about 8, when the boys woke up and wanted their presents. Jordan's favorite gift was his new scooter. He'd been wanting a bigger one for a long time. Shaun liked his iPod Touch best. It was already loaded up with his favorite music and movies.

We went out to Chris' sister's house for Christmas lunch with his family. We had a nice meal and got to visit for a long time. We were all spoiled (again) with too many presents.

We headed back to North Hall for Christmas dinner with my grandparents later on that night. More food, more laughter, and togetherness. We all had a good time, ate too much, and opened more gifts than we deserved.

When we returned home that night we were exhausted and everyone slept really well. It was a great Christmas!

my boys rock

Last weekend Chris asked Jordan if he wanted to play his guitar during the KidPak Jr service on Sunday. Jordan looked up at his dad with an expression of utter disbelief on his face and said, "Not with your band, Dad. I'm starting my own band. It's gonna be me, Christopher, Myles, Benjamin, and Elijah. And we're gonna rock, too!"

I guess Jordan's "real" band couldn't get it together on such short notice, because the next morning he did indeed play his guitar with his daddy and the rest of the KP7 band.

He was great! Even though he's just started with guitar lessons and wasn't allowed to play "plugged in" until he gets a little more practice, he still rocked it.

Later on that same evening we headed to Lula for the AMPED service. The hubs and his other band, Ambered Stripes, have the honor of ministering here one Sunday night each month. We have come to love this church and all the people in it. Chris asked Shaun if he wanted to help him lead worship. Have I mentioned lately that Shaun has a beautiful voice? Before long he'll be giving Chris a run for his money! He was glad to be able to worship on stage with his dad. And of course, he rocked his songs too.

Jordan was allowed to go up with his guitar again as well. This was the first time my three boys had been on stage ministering together. What a sweet sight it was. I'm so proud of them all.

Before service started, Chris had a talk with the kids and told them that they could only stay on stage for the praise songs. When the worship songs began, they had to come down in the audience. Because, let's face it. They're so stinkin' cute no one would be able to concentrate on worshiping because they wouldn't be able to tear their eyes away from all of that anointed adorableness. They both said they understood. But when Jordan came back down to sit with me he had tears in his eyes because, "Dad said I could play three songs and then he only let me play two! Wail, wail, siffle, sniffle".

I snuggled him up and he whimpered for a few more minutes before falling asleep in my arms. I guess he was a little tired.

I was sort of tired too, but it was a good tired. It was a good day.

oops! he did it again!

I'm pretty sure the Hubs is trying to start an off the wall Christmas tradition.

Remember this post from last year? This year's tree excursion was a little different. We still didn't manage to get a tree until 2 weeks before Christmas, but we did all go together to get our tree as a family.

Here's a shot of the boys in front of the tree they picked out.


And here's a shot of my three manly men carrying the tree back to the tree shaker thing.

The kids and I teased Chris all day long about last year's tree incident. As we turned onto our street that night with our tree I decided to get one more jab in. "Chris", I said. "Don't forget to park the car before you make it to the car port. We don't want any holes in our tree this year." In response, I received a murderous glare and these words: "Alright, Erin. You've been doing this all day. Would you just shut up about it already? I'm not going to mess up the tree again!"

He was really beginning to get angry at me, so I let it go. And then when we got home, he promptly drove the car (and our tree) under the car port. Again. I burst into laughter and yelled, "You did it again!"

Chris looked at me in disbelief and said, "Holy crap. I can't believe I just did that".

I couldn't stop laughing. Even when I got out of the car and saw that this time, he'd actually knocked the tree off of the car. I am, however, happy to report that there was no damage to the tree this year. Thank goodness.

dreams

I have recurring dreams. Several of them. I frequently dream that I'm at the bottom of the ocean. My lungs are about to burst and I put my hands over my mouth and, in desperation, take a slow deep breath. Much to my surprise, I can breathe under water as long as my hands are over my mouth. That's all I can ever remember. I've always wondered what happens next.

As a child I would frequently dream that I was being chased by a stranger. I run and run and then finally get into a car to drive away. Only I don't know how to drive because I'm about 7 years old... and the inside of the car looks more like the cockpit of an airplane. Lots of knobs, meters, and dials. And that's all I ever remember. I've been having this dream for at least 20 years, and I've never gotten to the end of it.

Another dream I have all the time is that I'm home alone and someone is breaking into my house. I get the phone to dial 911 and I keep getting the numbers wrong. This dream has changed over the years. It actually reflects the type of phone I currently have. When I was first married my "dream phone" was our cordless phone. Now, it's my iPhone. Strange, huh?

The dream I have most often is this: I'm back in high school, junior year. I go to English class with Mrs. Clendenning. I haven't been to class in a while. I'm not sure why. Maybe I was skipping. But I'm there, and as soon as the teacher walks in she announces that it's final exam day. I begin to panic because I haven't been to class in weeks and weeks, so I have no idea what this test will cover. And if I fail it, I'll fail 11th grade. I've been having this dream since I was actually in 11th grade, and once again- I never get to the ending. Now here's the really strange part: a few months ago a friend of mine sent out an email announcing that she was putting her house on the market and needing to get rid of some things. She said that she had tons of homeschooling books and whoever wanted any of it was welcome to have it. I told her what I was interested in, and she came to co-op with a huge garbage bag full of curriculum for me to take home. In that bag I found, among other things, the same English book from my 11th grade English class.

Creepy.

I keep asking myself if this means anything significant. I asked a few other people too. Most of them just laughed. One asked if I'd done anything bad to Mrs. Clendenning or anyone else in that English class. In case anyone's wondering, the answer to that question is "no!". Chris says I worry to much and that when I stop worrying these crazy dreams will stop.

I am curious though. I haven't really studied dreams since Psychology 1101 back in college. I think I'm going to do some research on my own. Maybe the Holy Spirit's trying to tell me something though my subconscious. Or maybe recurring dreams are just little quirks we all have to keep us guessing.

on the time Generation Praise sang with Mac Powell

Today was a big day at church. Mac Powell was there. Yes, Mac Powell from Third Day. Not only did he sing, but he sang a song with Generation Praise. We had a lot of excited children on our hands! Us adults were pretty excited, too. I mean, it's not every day that your kid gets the chance to sing on stage with Mac Powell!

Shaun had been looking forward to this for awhile now. It was really easy to get him out of bed this morning, despite our late hours last night. We got to church super-early, warmed up, had a sound check, and then I watched from back stage as our kids ministered alongside the one and only Mac Powell. They were great, as usual. Even if they had to have a lecture after first service about proper stage decorum. You know. No picking your nose, biting your nails, staring at yourself on the big screen, or asking Mac Powell for an autograph on your way offstage. Ha ha!

I didn't get to watch the sound check because I was downstairs getting attendance reports together, but my friend Kendra took this shot. I love how all the kids are looking up at Mac in adoration. He was so good with all of them! They sang Children of God. This was the first time Mac Powell had ever sang this song with a kids' choir. Pretty awesome!

I got this photo from my friend Melissa.

I snapped this one myself. This is actually a picture taken of the screen from backstage. I think it's pretty cool, anyway.

It was a great day to be at church!

sam and pam

Today was another one of those hectic days. One of my nieces had an appointment, so the other two came to stay at our house. My sister got caught up in town and the girls wound up staying with us a lot longer than we had planned. Not really a big deal, but it didn't leave any time for school work. Before they came over, the boys completed one assignment each... Jordan did phonics and Shaun some math. But that was it.

After dinner I told the kids that they would have to finish some more work before bed. Shaun did his reading and spelling and Jordan finished his math. Shaun did really, really well with his reading tonight. Maybe we should do it in the evening every day? I'm not sure what that was all about, but he was more focused than he's been in a long time and he was able to read his entire selection with just 2 helps from me... and he knew all the answers to the questions without having to go back and look anything up. I was proud, to say the least.

Jordan's reading is also coming along. I took a good friend's advice and started Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons with him a few months ago. I was surprised at first, because it turned out to be the same method Shaun's teachers used to help him learn to read in kindergarten. It looks really strange, but it works. Here's a sample page I found online:


I figured that if it worked for Shaun, it would also work for Jordan. I seem to be correct so far. The lessons are short, which always works best for my children and contain lots of review. Jordan has responded really well. He read his first book a few weeks ago, which was really exciting- even if the pages each contained only one word.

The other day I was boxing up all of the K12 stuff I need to ship back and going through all of the materials that I get to keep. I found a whole set of paperback phonics readers that are mine to keep. I browsed through them and thought I'd give them a try, even though Jordan might not be quite ready yet. And then tonight, Jordan and I curled up in my bed and he read aloud the riveting story of "Sam and Pam at Bat". This is the first "chapter" of the level one phonics reader. He worked so hard and was so proud of himself. And of course I was proud, too. Even when he stumbled, he kept at it with fierce determination and when he was finished he looked up at me, grinned from ear to ear and said, "I'm good at reading now!".

We called Shaun in so that Jordan could show off his new skill. And then something happened that I never dreamed would take place: my children began fighting over who was going to read a story to me first.

Voluntary reading time. Not something that happens every day around here.

why I'm thankful, day 25

Tonight I'm thankful for our uneventful Black Friday. Chris had to go into work this morning but only stayed 2 hours. He came back home and played with the kids while I laid around in bed and watched season 1 of The Vampire Diaries on NetFlix. No, I'm not joking. We didn't shop. We didn't clean. We didn't put up Christmas decorations. We just laid around for the whole entire day. And it was wonderful.

We did go to see my parents this evening. We ate dinner and the kids played for several hours. It was nice to spend downtime with mom, dad, and my sister. The cousins were all very well behaved, with only a few "incidents". It was a great day.

why I'm thankful, day 24

I'm thankful for my friends. The "old" ones I've known forever and rarely see but who are the first ones to call or visit when something bad happens. The "new" ones who have recently come into my life. My homeschooling friends who keep telling me that I really can do this homeschooling thing. My sisters in Christ who pray with me, cry with me, sing with me, and laugh with me.

They are all so different, but they all add such joy to my life. God has blessed me, indeed.

why I'm thankful, day 23

Well, I was so proud of myself for doing so well with posting my "thankfulness" and now I'm behind two days. We've been busy the past few days. Here's Wednesday's post:

I'm thankful for my parents. My mom and dad who have loved me unconditionally even when I'm a huge disappointment. They sacrificed so that my sister and I always had not only what we needed, but what we wanted. They both worked outside the home, but I never had to worry about being the last one picked up from Campfire Girls. My dad always coached my basketball and softball teams and my mom never missed a game.

My mom would take vacation days from her job to chaperone our school field trips and come to our class parties. My dad was a fireman, and his station was right next door to my elementary school. My friends always thought he was the coolest dad ever because he'd walk over and have lunch with me in the cafeteria. And the dancing. Did I mention the dancing? He would dance with my sister and I... throwing us and spinning us all around.

They put up with me through my crazy, rebellious, teenage goth years. Even though they were bewildered and furious at my actions, they handled me with grace and love. They prayed me through eating disorders, heavy metal music, car accidents, tongue rings, tattoos, horrible boyfriend choices, and phone calls from my principal when I was caught skipping school.

I am living proof of Proverbs 22:6:

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.

I'm so thankful that even when I was bad... when I was horrible and disrespectful and willful, defiant, and disobedient...through it all they prayed continuously for me and insisted that I go to church. Even when I resented them for it and told them that they were wrong, they never gave up on me.

When Shaun was born and Chris and I fell apart, my parents were strong when we couldn't be. They parented my child when I couldn't do it myself. They've prayed for my children, taken them to church when I was running from God, and bought countless clothes, shoes, and toys when Chris and I were broke and didn't have the money.

They have seen me though mental breakdowns, unnecessary emotional outbursts, tears, fits of rage, and sheer stupidity... and they still love me and come back for more!

Mom and Dad came to church with me Wednesday night for our Thanksgiving service. As we worshiped God together my heart ran over with gratitude for them. I'm so, so thankful that they are mine.

why I'm thankful, day 22

I had intentions of posting about my grandparents all at once, but I guess they're just too good to all fit on one page! So tonight I'm thankful for my other grandparents, my Pawpaw and my Granny.

How can I put them into words? I'll start with Pawpaw. Most people call him Doc. I'm not really sure why. I was his first grandchild, and he spoiled me profusely. Not just me... he spoiled all of his grandchildren. My grandparents are frugal people. They waste nothing and spending money has never been their favorite thing. As a child my sister and I would sometimes go home with them after church on Sundays. Usually, if a race wasn't on television, we would go out for lunch and then to Rose's. How many of you remember when Rose's was at the mall? Inside the store, Pawpaw would walk around with us girls while Granny did her shopping. She would always tell us before we entered that we would not be getting toys that day. Pawpaw, however, would whisper for us to both pick us out "a little something" and pay for it himself before Granny made it back to the front of the store. She would just shake her head and smile.

Pawpaw had slicked back hair. When I was really little I would mess it up during church. He hated that a lot! Once, during a game of hide and go seek, he climbed up a tree to hide from us. I'll bet we searched for him for thirty minutes before we finally heard his laughter up above our heads. He could also do one magic trick, which he perfected over the years: he would swallow a piece of paper and make it come out of his ear. Good times! He would always let us kids choose what to watch on TV as long as his "race" wasn't on. During my basketball playing days I wanted to go to camp and my parents said no because it was too expensive. The next thing I knew, Pawpaw was signing me up. He came to all of my ball games and would give me constructive criticism on how to improve my game during the ride back home.

He loves to go to gospel singings, but hates "canned music". I never thought he had a serious side until one day he rode with me to pick Jordan up from preschool. We were waiting in the carpool line and he started talking to me about Shaun. I don't remember exactly what he said... something about how he wished Shaun was able to do something or another... it was something about the disability. My Pawpaw has never been the most tactful person in the world, and I just didn't feel like talking about Shaun that day. I got all offensive and turned to look at him and let him have it, but he had tears in his eyes. And that meant the world to me. He knew how I felt. He knew I was hurting, he just didn't know what to say to me or how to say it. He's always making me laugh. He loves me and my children. He loves his garden, fishing, and his tractor. And he loves his wife.

My Granny is something special, too. As I mentioned above, she is frugal. My mom told me once that Granny went to a store to buy new furniture. Rather than paying with cash or a check, Granny had several weeks worth of paychecks in her pocketbook, which she just signed over to the store. One summer she was teaching me how to freeze green beans. At the end of the day she sent me home several bags of the frozen beans. One of the bags had been reused over and over since the 1980's. I kid you not. My mom, sister, and I used to race to the kitchen after family dinners so that we could throw away the plastic plates and cups before Granny would start washing them.

My granny loved me tirelessly through my rebellious teen years and didn't bat an eyelash when she took me Christmas shopping and I asked her to buy me bright red Doc Martens. She did, however, have a thing or two to say when I dyed my hair pitch black.

I used to sit with her every Sunday at church and listen to her alto voice singing along with the hymns. She would always let me go through her purse. I was always amazed that she had lots of cash in her wallet. I would start counting it and she would shush me and tell me to put it away. She used to do the motions to "Here is the church" with me all the time. When she would "open the doors and see all the people" she would laugh and say, "Go home with me, go home with me!" the way all southern ladies do after church. I would always beg to go home with her. She could usually talk my mom into it. She used to let me take her egg beater out to the sand box. She was the first one to tell me that I was getting boobs.

When Shaun was born she kept him once a week to give my Mamaw a break. She would take him everywhere. To the grocery store, to Wal-Mart, to get his hair cut, fishing, you name it. Now that she's getting older, it's hard for her to keep all of the kids at once, so they get to go by themselves. They love it, and so does she. No matter what time of day it is when we visit, she asks Shaun what he wants to eat... and then cooks whatever he requests. Usually he wants peas, fried okra, and macaroni. I've been told that nothing I cook can compare to Granny's food.

She's always been there for me. When my uncle suddenly passed away, I was able to be there for her. In a way, we were suddenly equal with each other. We hadn't went through the same things with our children, but there's always a kind of common ground between parents of kids with special issues and kids who have died. A "club" of sorts. We began talking about our struggles and comparing our anti-depression medications. I'm so thankful I have her.

Neither of these posts have done any of my grandparents justice. There's so much more I could write. Years of memories and smiles and laughs and tears. But for now I will just end by thanking God for my wonderful grandparents.

Celebrating 60 years of marriage!

review number 6: What Janie Found

What Janie Found
by Caroline B. Cooney

• Publication Date: January 11, 2000
• Genres: Fiction
• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
• ISBN-10: 0385326114
• ISBN-13: 9780385326117

Summary from Teenreads:

Janie and her two families are back in WHAT JANIE FOUND, the fourth and last book in Caroline B. Cooney's Janie series. Each of the characters is looking for closure of the kidnapping nightmare. Will they be able to find their way home?

Stephen Spring, Janie's older brother, is a student at a college in Boulder, Colorado. He's not sure what he wants to do with his life, but he knows he wants to be as far away from his family as possible. He wants to forget his whole life, which has been lived in the shadow of Janie's disappearance.

Reeve, Janie's boyfriend, isn't sure he wants to stay in college. He loves Janie, but after he told her story to his radio audience, he doubts she will ever love him again. Brian, Janie's younger brother, is getting used to living separately from his twin, Brendon. Janie's sister Jodie will start college in the fall. Everything seems to be going well for all of them.

Janie's life also seems to be moving along smoothly as she adjusts to her two sets of parents and learns to love her brothers and sister. Then her Connecticut father suffers a stroke, and Janie must handle the family finances. While going through files in her father's desk, she makes a startling discovery. This discovery takes her, Reeve, and Brian to Boulder to try to find the reason why Hannah Javensen took Janie away from her family so many years ago.

Finding Hannah could mean betrayal and hurt for both of her families. Is it better to forget revenge and leave the past buried, or to try to locate Hannah? The decision she makes will affect both of her family's lives forever. Can they handle any more? Moreover, can Janie handle dredging up the past, or is it time to forgive?

Cooney has written a thrilling and thoroughly satisfying conclusion to her Janie series, consisting of THE FACE ON THE MILK CARTON, WHATEVER HAPPENED TO JANIE?, and THE VOICE ON THE RADIO. Though each book stands alone as a complete story, I recommend reading them in the order they were published, so you will get the most enjoyment out of each of them.

The ending of this series was neither thrilling nor satisfying to me. Again, I was disappointed. Like the one before it, What Janie Found was slow. I really expected the ending to be different. I wanted more action, more confrontation. More drama, I guess. I did love the fact that Janie and her boyfriend were able to work things out... I always thought they were great together. I was also mildly interested in the annoying nosiness of Stephen's girlfriend's morbid curiosity about Janie and her family. Other than that... not impressive. This book also only earned 1.5 Stars from me, and I wondered again if I would have found these books interesting if I had read them 15 years earlier. Maybe I am finally growing up after all.

review number 5: The Voice on the Radio

The Voice on the Radio
by Caroline B. Cooney

• Publication Date: August 10, 1998
• Genres: Fiction
• Mass Market Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Laurel Leaf
• ISBN-10: 0440219779
• ISBN-13: 9780440219774

Summary from Teenreads:

As if Janie didn't have enough problems trying to juggle two families, trying to love both, and trying to keep her story private, her boyfriend, Reeve, who is now a college freshman, tells Janie's story over the air on WSCK, the student radio station. Reeve is suddenly famous. He tells more and more Janie stories, basking in the glory of being a star. All of Boston is listening to him.

Everything is cool. Reeve knows he can quit at any time. But the Janie stories are an addiction. Instead of quitting, he tells one last story, gives one last episode. This time it backfires. First, someone claiming to be Hannah calls. Rather than face talking to Janie's kidnapper, he hangs up. Then he finds out that Janie, Brian, and Jodie have heard the broadcast.

"He could destroy all the tapes in all the radio stations in Boston...if Hannah decided she wanted airtime, somebody else would give it to her. He had no control. For the first time in his life, he was standing in the middle of a situation that would do whatever it wanted."

What will happen to Reeve? Most importantly, can Janie ever forgive Reeve? THE VOICE ON THE RADIO, the third book in the Janie series, is just as full of suspense as THE FACE ON THE MILK CARTON and WHATEVER HAPPENED TO JANIE? Caroline B. Cooney explores betrayal, love, and the power of words in another page-turning thriller.

Okay. So, I read the first book from this series, The Face on the Milk Carton, way back in middle school. My sister, who was still in elementary school at the time, checked it out from the library. I saw it laying on the table, read the back cover, and was hooked. The plot sucked me in. It involves 15 year old Janie, who sees her own picture on the back of a milk carton one day during lunch. Turns out she was kidnapped from a shopping mall by a cult member and then was raised by said cult member's parents, who thought Janie was their biological granddaughter all along. Except she wasn't. She had another family in New Jersey who hadn't seen her in 10 years and wanted her back. She met her "new" family and was court ordered to go live with them. It didn't work out. Janie missed her "real" parents too much and in the end, her birth family let her go. All of this happened in book number 2, Whatever Happened to Janie. I was fascinated by this story. I loved these books. Thought they were awesome.

I just discovered that there are 2 more books in this series a few weeks ago. I ordered them on Paperback Swap right away and prepared to sink my teeth in. Maybe it's me. I'm older now. Maybe I have higher expectations. But I was really disappointed in The Voice on the Radio. I read it, just to see what would happen at the end. It was a quick read- less than 200 pages, so I finished it in a few hours, but it was so slow. I did enjoy the way Janie and her birth family came to terms with each other and finally became a family. Janie still irked my nerves though. I always thought she was a spoiled brat, and she hadn't changed much!

I gave this book only 1.5 Stars. But this makes me curious... were the first two books this bad as well? I almost want to re-read them to find out, but I'm afraid to ruin a good thing! I'm 30 years old now... maybe it's time to finally steer clear of middle grade reads.

why I'm thankful, day 21

Tonight I'm thankful for my grandparents.

My Grandpa Clifton, who passed away before I was even born. I've always been told that he was excited about me. I wish I would have been given the chance to get to know him. From the accounts of my mom and her sisters, it sounds like he was quite a character. He was a preacher and a hard worker. He was a snazzy dresser and his favorite place to pray was in the woods. He would do without himself if someone else needed help. Once a new family came to our church. During a conversation, she found out that I was Clifton Wheeler's granddaughter- she knew who I was by word of mouth about my grandfather who had passed away 20 years ago!

Before she died, my Mamaw told me about how excited she was to get to see him again in Heaven. I never knew him, but I'm thankful that he loved my mom and for the things he taught her. He taught her about Jesus. And she, in turn, taught the same thing for me.

My Mamaw, who passed away almost 4(!) years ago. I can't believe it's been that long. I miss her like crazy. Sometimes I still find myself picking up the phone to call her when I'm in the grocery store... that was our "thing". I'd call her while I was grocery shopping and we'd have an hour long conversation about everything and about nothing. Mamaw was special. One of a kind. She never put herself first. She was hardworking and unselfish. She quit her job so that she could stay home and keep me while my mother worked. She opened up her home to countless children and showed us all the right way to live. She taught us about the Bible, how to pray, how to love one another. How to turn the other cheek.

She also taught me how to use a rolling pin to roll out dough, how to make an Italian Cream cake, and she gave me a love of Soap Operas (much to my mother's dismay).

When it was my turn to have babies, she stayed home with them so that I could work. She spoiled Shaun rotten. He can still name most of the singers in The Gaither Homecoming videos. One of my most cherished possessions is a card my Mamaw gave to me on my first Mother's Day. She traced Shaun's little hand prints inside and left a message telling me that I was a wonderful mommy. She should know.. there was never a better mother/grandma/greatgrandma than her!

She was with me when I went to my last OB appointment with Shaun. I was back in the exam room and the midwife was concerned about Shaun's lack of movement. I made the nurse go get Mamaw from the waiting room. I was all in a panic when she finally found me and she managed to calm me down. She went with me to the hospital and when Shaun was born so sick she prayed and prayed for his healing.

I'll never forget the time I made her go with me to Jordan's doctors appointment. He had reflux badly and threw up all the time. I had taken him to several appointments before this but the doctor was reluctant to prescribe any medication to help. I came home from work one afternoon and Mamaw told me to "call that place and make another appointment" because she'd been "thrown up on all day long and somethings needs to get done". She rode with me to the doctors office and came back to the exam room. Our doctor at the time began giving us his reasons for not wanting to put Jordan on any medications and my sweet little Mamaw pointed her finger at him and said, "Now you listen to me. I've kept babies for over 40 years and this is not normal!"

Doctor E looked at her and then he looked at me and said, "Well okay. Grandma has spoken". Mamaw hmmphed and said, "Greatgrandma"!

How she made me laugh!

I remember when she was diagnosed with cancer. And then when we found out that it wasn't going to go away. Our life was shattered. My sister and I were sitting by her bedside one night toward the end of her life. She was sleeping and we were whispering how much we loved her through our tears. My mom walked in, put her arms around both of us and whispered, "Hasn't she been a good one?". Indeed. I couldn't have asked for more.

With my Mamaw on our last Christmas together.


Shaun and Mamaw in their Christmas clothes.

why I'm thankful, day 20

I'm thankful that my cousins were at our Thanksgiving meal today. The whole family hadn't been together in a long time, and we had a nice visit.

why I'm thankful, day 19

I'm thankful for Ted Dekker for proving that it's possible to write scary, strange, suspenseful books without the all the smuck. I began reading Immanuel's Veins today and I can't put it down.

why I'm thankful, day 18

Tonight I'm thankful that I found Shaun's Generation Praise shirt. He needed to wear it tomorrow and I thought it was lost for good. I'm also thankful that I was able to pry Jordan out of that stupid punching bag thing. Again.

why I'm thankful, day 17

I spent the evening with these ladies tonight:

Just in case you can't tell, we saw Breaking Dawn Part 1 tonight. The movie was great, but the company was better. I'm so thankful I have these fellow Twilight fans in my life!

why I'm thankful, day 16

It's raining today. We really need it around here. We drove over Lake Lanier yesterday and Shaun said, "Um... shouldn't there be a lot more water in there?". It's getting really low again. So today I'm thankful for the sound of rain on the roof.

why I'm thankful, day 15

I listened to the kids sing "Beautiful Things" in the car yesterday. They kept asking to hear it again and again, and they got more into each time. I'm thankful for their sweet voices and that they love to sing about Jesus.

green beans

Me: "Jordan, we need to clean your ears tonight."

Jordan: "Okay! I'll go get an ear tip."

Me: "It's called a Q-tip, Jord."

Jordan: "Okay, I'll go get a Q-tip."

He runs out of the room and comes back with a handful of Q-tips. I begin to clean his ears.

Me: "Ew, your ears are dirty!"

Jordan: "I know. I hope there's not a green bean in there."

Me: "Wait... what?!?"

Jordan: "Maybe if I ate one, it would come out my ears. Ha. Ha ha ha! Never mind!"

This was the best conversation I had all day. I'm glad I have funny children.

why I'm thankful, day 14

I'm thankful for Twitter. It's almost as good as being in L.A. for the Breaking Dawn premier!

why I'm thankful, day 13

Although it's technically day 14, here goes. Better late than never!

I'm thankful for the soul that was saved tonight at church. We had a great service, and we serve a great God!

why I'm thankful, day 12

"...and God began making the necessary arrangements in response to what she had asked."
1 Samuel 1:19 MSG

I'm thankful for this scripture, which I came across and really read for the first time last week. It's been on my heart ever since.

why I'm thankful, day 11

Veterans Day. Today I'm so thankful for our veterans. May God bless them, as well as all the soldiers currently fighting for our country.

why I'm thankful, day 10

I'm thankful for my sister, who is not only my sister but also my best friend. I heard all my life that we would grow up to be the best of friends in spite of our differences, and I'm so glad everyone was right! Our friendship was a long time coming, but well worth the wait.

She really is the best sister ever. Here are a few reasons why:

*She lets me use all of her coupons.
*I can always count on her to accompany me to the grocery store.
*She keeps my kids for free when I need a sitter.
*She doesn't laugh at me when I want to watch old reruns of Gem and the Holograms or Hey Dude.
*She has seen me through multiple emotional breakdowns and still agrees to hang out with me.
*Only the two of us can completely understand our mother.
*She introduced me to Twilight.
*She loves my kids, faults and all.
*She held my hand during my traumatic amniocentesis before Jordan's birth.
*Only she could make cleaning an office building be a fun time.
*She has beautiful babies.
*She usually laughs at all of my jokes.
*She's an excellent judge of character.
*She's the first to tell me that maybe I need a medication adjustment.
*She's a "messy", just like me.
*She lets me borrow her stuff.
*She does a mean Scuttle impression. (Scuttle = the sea gull from The Little Mermaid)
*She always lets me cry on her shoulder.
*She's a constant source of encouragement.
*She's my friend.
*She's my sister.

A sister is a gift to the heart, a friend to the spirit, a golden thread to the meaning of life. ~ Isadora James

why I'm thankful, day 9

I gave Shaun a writing assignment today. A standard creative writing exercise that required him to brainstorm some topics, pick the one he wanted to write about, and then create an "idea web" so that tomorrow he'll be ready to write a paper.

I wanted him to do this by himself. He wasn't happy about that. Like most boys, Shaun doesn't like to do anything that requires him to sit still and think- but I made him do it anyway. His brainstorming list included pirates, XBox, God, and... something else. Star Wars, I think.

He chose to write about God. Heaving a huge sigh, he wrote GOD in big capitol letters and then started listing the main points for his idea web. He sat at the dining room table while he did so, while I got lunch ready in the kitchen. As usual, I walked by to check to make sure he was staying on track. He asked if I wanted to see what he'd come up with so far, and of course I said yes.

I looked at his paper and felt like shouting... his first main point about God was simply: He Wins.

Oh, how true this is. And how encouraging to know that my kid knows that God wins.

You see, I've been a little panicked lately. Lots of things are happening in our family. How many of you know that I don't do change well? And to top it off, I can practically feel Satan trying to beat down our door. I really hate it when he does that.

But, at the end of the day... GOD WINS. He's got this. As we sang in church tonight, "He holds it all together". How thankful I am for this truth, and that my Lord used Shaun to remind me.

why I'm thankful, day 8

Tonight I'm thankful The Crockin' Girls. I love cooking in the Crock Pot...throwing a meal in after breakfast and then smelling it cook all day. Even better, coming back home after we've been gone all day and being assaulted by the amazing smell of crock pot chili as soon as we've walked in the door.

I never knew exactly how much one could make in a crock pot until I found these girls and their web site.

I absolutely love to have dinner waiting on us at the end of the day, whether we've been home or not. Evenings around here tend to be a little hectic and there's not always time for cooking, ya know? Yesterday I even had two crock pots going at the same time: pork tenderloin in the small one and black beans in the large. Tonight the family and I enjoyed Crock Pot Ravioli. Yum yum. And so easy.

Next on the list is Crock Pot Corn Bread.

why I'm thankful, day 7

Tonight I'm thankful that we were able to get Jordan out of this punching bag thingy.


You see, instead of going to sleep tonight my youngest "monster" thought it would be fun to wedge himself inside this punching bad cover... or whatever it's called. I actually thought he was asleep and then I heard both boys calling me. I walked into their room and saw Shaun pointing to the floor with a horrified look on his face. When I looked where he pointed I saw Jordan laying inside this thing, face down on the carpet.

He was stuck.

I couldn't help it. I laughed. And then I went and woke Chris up so he could see this for himself. Then, finally, I tried to pull Jordan out... to no avail. I thought maybe my strength was being compromised by my fits of laughter until I realized that the poor guy was stuck in there with his knees bent. He wasn't going anywhere!

We pulled and pushed until finally Chris decided we should just cut some of the padding out from the inside of the bag. And now all is well.

Yes sir, it's never boring around here.

why I'm thankful, day 6

I'm thankful for my pastor


and my church.


It may be a little different from the church I grew up in


but it's home.

what I'm thankful for, day 5

Today I am thankful for the Gladiator Reading Program. So are the kids. Reading three books earned them free tickets to a hockey game. We all had a great time.

We homeschooling moms have to stick together.


He was trying to decide which team to cheer for.



Sweet Shaun.

why I'm thankful, day 4

Today I'm thankful for my husband. When I said I'd marry him 13 years ago, he said he'd always make me laugh. And he has. Even during the rough times, at the end of the day, he can always find some way to make me smile. He keeps me grounded. He challenges my faith by refusing to worry. He is our family's spiritual leader. While I may be the kids' academic teacher, Chris teaches them the really important things- to love the Lord, to serve Him, and to worship.

He works very hard to make sure our family has what we need. He is faithful. He prays over us and he anoints my head with oil while I sleep when my depression gets the better of me.

We balance each other out nicely...his exuberant zest for life is the perfect compliment to my quiet awkwardness... and vice versa.

God was looking out for me even during my rebellious teenage years when he allowed our paths to cross. He knew what I'd need in a life partner. My Abba Father even used my boyfriend to introduce us way back then. I love that God has a sense of humor!

Here he is. The man I married. I think this picture captures his personality perfectly. I'm so thankful for him!

why I'm thankful, day 3

Today I'm thankful for my friend Claire and her sweet spirit. I had a really stressful day today that included lots of tears. She took time out of her busy day to sit with me while I cried and somehow just knew I needed to hear the song How He Loves by The David Crowder Band.

And so she sang it to me before she prayed.

What a blessing she is to me.

why I'm thankful, day 2

Today I'm thankful that I was able to sit on the couch with this little boy while he read his first book to me.

why I'm thankful, day 1

These people.

I don't even know their names, but they blessed me today.

Shaun and some friends were given the chance to minister at The Guest House today. The Guest House is an adult day care center here in town. I had never been there before, but hope we get to go back. At the end of our "program", a lady took hymn requests from the audience. Everyone was singing away and Jordan was getting antsy so I took him out into the front room to sit in some rocking chairs.

The precious lady on the right was giving it her all, belting out the words to the songs. Sometimes she was a little mixed up, but it didn't matter to her at all. I just sat there and took her in as she sang about one day getting her robe and crown, and then she got happy! "Whoo! That line gets me every time", she said.

Here sat an elderly woman who was losing her memory and probably her sanity as well. She was obviously unable to care for herself while unsupervised... but she still had her Jesus.

How thankful I am that even on my worst days, I still have Jesus- and that He cares enough to remind me no matter how many times I forget.

The Twilight Saga- Stephenie Meyer

I love to read. Always have. I've been wanting to keep track of exactly how many books I read in a given year for awhile now, and figured this blog was as good a place as any to do so. And I don't want to wait until January, so I'm starting now.

Actually, I'm starting back in September. That's when I started reading The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer again. I became hooked on Twilight 2 years ago, right in the middle of the craze. My sister is to blame. She rented the movie and told me how good it was. I think I made fun of her just a little bit for being so trendy. A few days later I was in Books a Million with the boys and saw that Twilight was on sale. So, I bought it. And I read it in 2 days. The day after I finished reading it I was in Wal-Mart with my mom. She's anti-vampire, so I tried to sneak a copy of New Moon into my cart without her noticing. No such luck. I received the "roll of the eyes" that she's been giving me since my childhood days when she's frustrated with me. I finished New Moon really quickly, as well. And then I became thankful that I didn't read these books as they were being published because it would really stink to have to wait for the next one to go on sale.

By this time, the Hubs had started in on giving me a hard time. He's never understood my love of reading. We were out running errands and I told him I needed to stop in at Wal-Mart for a few things. With a knowing look, he asked me what I needed. I listed things like toothpaste and toilet paper and he said he'd wait in the car with the kids while I went inside. When I came back out to the car he pulled Eclipse out from the bottom of the bag and said, "Are you kidding me?". I just snatched the book back and began reading it in the car.

Eclipse is a long book, so I thought it would take me longer to finish than the others. It didn't. I finished it at 10:00 p.m. one night. Chris was pulling an all-nighter at work and the kids were in the bed but not sleeping. I debated for five minutes whether I should just wait until the next day to go purchase Breaking Dawn before I called to the kids that we were going on a little trip. Late-night trips are just one of the perks of homeschooling! Jordan was ecstatic. Shaun just gave me the "Are you serious" look that he had learned from his dad. I promised them each a small treat and we bundled up set out for Wal-Mart. Thank goodness the new Wal-Mart in Cleveland had opened up a few months before. The Cleveland Wal-Mart is a lot closer and less scary than the Gainesville Wal-Mart.

So we bought Breaking Dawn and came back home, where I stayed up all night long reading. I seriously could not put it down. I really thought it would take me a while to read this book. It's huge. But I think it actually took me less time to finish than the others had. After I read the last line I just sat there for a minute thinking "Wow!". Then I took a little nap! Then I re-read the entire series, taking my time this time to catch anything I'd missed during my speed-reading routine.

I now read this series once a year and my family has come to love Twilight, too. Not as much as me, but they do really like it a lot.

For all my friends who think I shouldn't be reading or watching anything pertaining to vampires, I have to say that I honestly do not feel one bit convicted about The Twilight Saga. These books and movies are some of the cleanest that I've ever read or watched. They present values such as abstinence, self-control, and unconditional love. This is the way I feel. And it's probably not going to change, so we just need to agree to disagree. Can you tell I've taken some scoldings? :)

At church the other day someone asked me what "we" were going to do next year when Breaking Dawn Part 2 hits theaters and Twilight is over. He was including himself in "we". I just laughed and said that it would never be over for me. And then he asked, "What are we going to get into next? Harry Potter?". Wink, wink. I think I'll have to draw the line at the one! I don't really know too much about Harry Potter, but I just can't get addicted to another series again.

And there you have it... 4 books!

our low-key halloween

Halloween was tonight. I used to love Halloween. The dressing up and being scared... I got all into it. I haven't really been feeling it the past few years, though. The Hubs and I even agreed that we would pass up trick-or-treating and go to a friend's house for a get-together instead. At the last minute we realized that he was on-call tonight and that our friends lived more than 30 minutes away from the hospital, so we stayed close to home.

To take the sting out of missing the party, we took the kids trick-or-treating. My mom blessed the boys with their costumes for the Fall Festival at church last week. Shaun was a ninja and Jordan was Darth Vader. They both loved their costumes, so I was quite surprised when the time came to get dressed and Jordan told me that he wanted to be a chef instead. He had made an apron in his art class before our co-op broke up (that's a post for another day!) and his teacher brought it for him today when we met with our new co-op for lunch and a planning meeting (again- that's a post for another day!). Jordan fell in love with this apron and wanted to be a chef. I gave him a spatula from the kitchen and he was set.

Then Shaun informed me that instead of being a ninja tonight, he wanted to be "himself with a sword". He's eleven and beginning to go through changes, if you know what I mean. Maybe he thinks he's too old to dress up. I remember being that age and feeling too old for some things and not old enough for others. Eleven is a hard age, so I didn't push the issue. We were only making 3 stops, anyway.

We went to visit my parents, my grandparents, and Chris' parents. We all had a nice time at each place. The kids wracked up big-time at Nana and Papa's. Shaun scored a twenty dollar bill and some Fuzzydoodles. Jordan got a few bucks and some Bendaroos. After that, we had dinner at Wendy's.

As I said, very low-key. I liked it.

And no- I didn't even take any pictures.

what was said at Party City...

My sister and I were in Party City last night. She was looking for decorations for my nephew's birthday party when we passed an end-cap full of Eclipse party favors on clearance. Since we just happened to be getting ready for our annual Twilight party, Lori stopped to check it out. We weren't planning on going all out with decorations for this party, because we both are on tight budgets. The main purpose of said parties are to laugh, eat, and get together with our friends... we just use Twilight as an excuse to get together. But Lori just couldn't pass up these deals. Everything was 2 dollars or less- table cloths, banners, plates, you name it. Since the theme of this year's party is actually Breaking Dawn, we wondered if Party City had any other stuff in stock. Not that it really mattered... Twilight is Twilight, to us anyway. But we were curious, so when a store employee walked by, we snagged him and had this conversation:

Lori: "Excuse me. Do you guys have any Breaking Dawn party stuff in stock?"

Party City Employee: "Um... I don't know what that is."

Lori (with a shocked expression on her face): "It's the new Twilight movie!"

P.C.E.: "Oh. I thought there were only going to be three of those movies."

Me: Oh, no. There's actually going to be five!"

P.C.E.: "Ugh. I actually think I just threw up a little in my mouth."

Lori: "You really need to know more about the products you're selling. Do you have any?"

P.C.E.(while looking at us as if we're "special" and then glancing down at our buggy, which was overflowing with merchandise stamped with Edward Cullen's image): "Uh. No. No, we don't have any."

And then he gave us another "look" and walked on down the aisle.


Classic!