80's comparison Father vs. Son

My son was invited to an 80's bday party for a friend of his who is turning 12. Well my husband graduated in 1980 and we decided to see how close we could get to making my son look just like his daddy's senior picture. You tell me what you think???

My hunk of a hubby back in the day :)



and now, my hunk of a son today :)

A Love letter to you....His precious child

Charlotte and Ginger host Spritual Sundays and the Lord directed me to this wonderful blog! These posts are prayers, testimonies, or an encouraging word so please go visit....I know you will be as blessed!
This was played one evening at my home church, it moved each and everyone of us! I pray it speaks to you as well!

This is a video my kids showed me: Enjoy! I'm pretty sure This was also featured as one of the superbowl commercials from Geico.

TAG YOU'RE IT

THOUGHTS ON THURSDAY ~


My bloggy friend NICOLE tagged me today, so here goes ...

8 Things I am Looking Forward to ~

1. Sleeping in and spending the days with my kids
2. Starting my new Bible Study! The daily work leading up to it is sooo good
3. Going to celebrate my anniversary with my husband at our favorite B&B
4. Going to visit my dad & stepmom in Florida
5. Growing and eating veggies from my very first garden
6. going to BigSplash with Nicole the Hottie :)
7. Fridays with my mom and now my kids too :)
8. reading and/or sitting outside on my back porch

8 Things I did Yesterday ~

1. Slept in til 11....wow!
2. Caught up with a friend on the phone
3. Caught up on all of my emails
4. Paid bills and balanced checkbook
5. Watched my husband make homemade laundry detergent and fabric softener :)
6. Wrote thankyou's for all the wonderful meals and things people have done over these past few days
7. Watched a very intense movie "Untraceable" NOT FOR KIDS!
8. PRAISED GOD again for His Love and Strength

8 Things I wish I could do ~

1. Heal my dad from this disease
2. Travel more with my husband
3. Be more creative
4. put a pool in my back yard
5. keep my kids from growing so darn fast
6. learn to like healthier foods
7. SING
8. be more organized

8 Shows I watch ~

This one will be hard because I don't watch much especially in the summer

1. When on....American Idol
2. When on....The Biggest Loser
3. Diners Drive-ins and Dives
4.
5. hmmm, that about does it
6.
7.
8.

I am tagging the following 8 people:

1. Sarah Mae
2. Kim @Homesteaders Heart
3. Jennifer from JRU Studio ~ go check out her UH MA ZING Art! She does BEAUTIFUL WORK!
4. RONA
5. Warren Baldwin
6. Steph T momof3
7. Cindy Beall
8. Girly Muse

If you see your name on this list, you've been tagged!!

For Today...May 26,2009

Outside my window... it is a musical symphony of birds frogs, and my children

I am thinking... How amazing God is....His love for us and how he cares for us in every detail


I am thankful for... The years we had with my mother in law and what a beautiful service she had today. The prayers of friends and loved ones in times like these.

From the kitchen... my friend made us dinner and it is cooking in the oven

I am wearing...shorts and a black top with my new sandals

I am reading...Psalms, 1 Samuel and still Karen Kingsbury's Where Yesterday Lives

I am hoping... that my dad is going to be ok. We received news on the same day of my mother in law, that he has lung cancer. We are awaiting test results. I know God will not give us more than we can handle but this seems to be alot right now.

I am creating... deeper and deeper faith

I am praying... for my dad and family

Around the house... we got soo much work accomplished because all of Brian's family came here to celebrate our mom, mother in law, grandma, sister. It looks beautiful inside and out.

One of my favorite things... the glory of God seen all around me in friends and family right now

A few plans for the rest of the week...rest, rest and rest

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...



This is our flower bed in memory of Dorothy Marie Austin our beloved mom and grandma

She is in the Loving arms of Jesus

She left us early this morning


She had total peace

what a difference a day makes

In his heart a man plans his course,
but the LORD determines his steps


As I type, I sit with our family waiting for our mom and beloved grandma to go meet with Jesus. The Lord allowed her to make the move to the assisted living center here in our home town and we were all here to greet her. She even got to see her precious great grandbaby Rylee and she smiled for the first time literally in days. In our minds we knew we had done the right thing and I believe we all had hope that she would be able to recover somewhat. But over the course of the night she began to decline rapidly. My husband spent the night with her and when I came in this morning to allow him to go to work (which he didn't) I knew this would be her final hours. As of 11 am. she stopped responding to any of us verbally. Thank goodness for Hospice. They are able to tell us what to expect, pray for her and us, and they care ~ they really care.

The scripture above has just been so clear to me because the Lord knew what we would be doing this weekend but we had made other plans, plans to celebrate, yes, but not in the way we thought. We will spend this weekend celebrating her life and her love, and honoring her as we spend time together. I just see how the Lord provided for Brian to already be off of work through next week, since we were planning on being out of town so now he is able to be here with his mom and sisters without any of his work pressures. God is soo good and loves us soo. He works in ways that I'm not sure why because He is God but it still just amazes me, leaves me awestruck! More than that, it just humbles me to the core. His love is extravagant!His friendship...it is intimate ~ He knows, and he is concerned about every detail of our lives and I just praise HIM.

For Today...MAY 19,2009

Outside my window... Beautiful sunshine, everything is green, and flowers are blooming :)

I am thinking... so much joy and sadness right now...joy ~ my husband and I are celebrating 19 years this weekend and how I love him more today than ever.
Sadness ~ the doctors have told us we have a very limited time left with my mother-in-law, she is sooo tired and it just breaks my heart watching her like this.

From the learning rooms... counting down the days till schools out ....4 more to go WOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I am thankful for... MY husband! He loves me and has soo become the man I prayed for in our early years of marriage. He leads us spiritually, loves me like Jesus tells him to and is a wonderful father and provider! His works so hard, accepts new challenges and knows that only with God can he tackle them and win. He is the most precious "PAPA" you have ever seen and I am just so blessed to be his wife!

I love ....THIS WEATHER....spring has sprung, birds are singing and the yard in coming alive

From the kitchen....easy this week

I am wearing... capri jeans, pink tshirt and my new "legal" flip flops

I am reading... 1 Samuel, Psalms, and Karen Kingsbury's "Where yesterday lives"

I am hoping... that this summer will be one of our best to date. We only have 2 left til my daughter goes off to college. I am cherishing every moment indeed!!


I am praying... my mother-in-law, marriages, friendships

Around the house... fun, planning for summer :)

One of my favorite things... The sunshine and being together with my family

A few plans for the rest of the week... running errands today seeing Dr T., getting my hair done :), and then headed to Hermann missouri with my wonderful groom for the weekend! A much needed and longed for break to be together and celebrate our marriage!

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...



yet another awesome pic from my daughter! I so badly wanted to put the WILD TURKEY
that landed in our backyard the other morning but he ran to fast for us to get a good picture ....heehee...can you imagine....A WILD TURKEY?? we never know what we will see in this backyard. God is awesome!

WAHOO!!! We are in our last full week of School! Bring on the Hot Days of Summer!I am so looking forward to no schedules and just having my kids at home :) I know this week will fly by and I can't wait because my husband and I leave this weekend to celebrate our 19th Anniversary! We found a beautiful place in Hermann Missouri last year and fell in love and will most likely return there again and again!

I spent the night with my MIL at the hospital last night. We found out that they had started giving her some medication for dillusional patients. They claim it was to CALM her. So, we told them to discontinue and will have someone with her at all times. I just sat with her, praying and watching her gasp for air. This is a horrible disease... As time goes by you literally have to choose between eating and breathing and it is so sad to watch. My sweet MIL has come to that point and it breaks my heart because I know we are on the downhill of time with her. She had an overall good night but the nurses just won't let a person alone, they are continually checking, prodding. I know they are doing their jobs but we as a family just want so badly to be able to move her to the assisted living so she can be a nice and comfortable atmosphere and not be given any medicine that will just make her act crazy and even feel crazy. Please pray for her today? Thankyou.

This week will be easy in the kitchen and before we know it....It will be Friday.

Monday ~ Blackened Chicken Alfredo, Salad, breadsticks
Tuesday ~ taco salad
Wednesday ~ grilled cheese and tomato and/or chicken noodle soup
Thursday ~ paninis & chips
Friday ~ OUT OF TOWN, KIDS TO NANNY AND PAPAS :)

Thanks to you Mom and Papa for taking the kids over this memorial day weekend, for making wonderful memories with your grandchildren. We appreciate you both so much for letting us go and celebrate together :) Your da beeest !!!! Love you xxxxoooo

Assisted Living

I just LOVE how the Lord works in our lives and when we can literally see the tapestry being made right before our eyes is even better! A couple of months ago I blogged about my son (and his class) making a blanket for an alzheimer's patient at school and how he and I ended up meeting her on the day she was to receive her gift. It was a day I will never forget!

Well life has gone on and since then my mother-in-law has been in the hospital twice with COPD and we have almost lost her twice due to her oxygen levels going so low. It is funny how the Lord "allows" things to bring families together. My mother-in-law has lived with the oldest of the 3 daughters for the past 10 years now and only the last couple of years has her health gotten worse continually. I am married to the baby of the family AND the ONLY son. :) Yes, he was spoiled and NO he isn't much of a talker ...they threatened all sorts of evil when he was little if he EVER told on them so after 19 yrs (married to me) he has gotten over some of it but not all ;) JUST KIDDING ...sort of. Anyway.... We have all rallied together and tried to figure out what was best for our sweet Momma and bc her daughter works during the day and bc she truly needs skilled nursing we found a place that she can go to live her final days in a home environment, where all of her kids/grandkids can come spend time or even the night with her. It happened to be where we met Glynna, the alzheimers patient. Although, Glynna lives in a different wing at the Home I could so see HOW the Lord had already "connected" myself and my son with this facility and so when I heard that this place was an option already having been there and seeing the Director and her nurses work so lovingly with their patients gave me such a peace in knowing they would do the same with my mother-in-law.

We met with them as a family last night and will be moving her in "Lord willing" this next week. So after our meeting with the director and the nurses my son asked if we could go see Glynna so we did and all the "alzheimers patients" were just finishing dinner. I see my husband talking to a lady in a recliner and she is just all SMILES, holding his hand, and the nurses at this facility tell me that she is their "resident flirt" hahaha still flirting at 80 something :) I love it! We spent some time talking with Glynna, and Shirley and Becky (my husbands new friend) and as we were leaving my husband went over to tell Becky goodbye and she grabbed his hand and kissed it, then we he walked away SHE SWATTED HIS BEHIND!!! omg TOOO FUNNY!

She is the true to her name I guess :)

If you read this post today please pray for my mother-in-law. Her name is Dottie and we are not even sure that she can make the move. She is tired and her breathing is getting worse every day so pray for her won't you...Thank you

Etiquette

My son....He is sweet. He is charming. Truly, I tell people all the time that he can put his daddy to shame when it comes to kind, sweet acts towards me. He has been known to give me a foot massage after I had worked a long day at the salon, builds me a fire or brings me a warm corn bag for my aching legs and oh ya there was the time that he took me out back to "dance" with him under the moonlight! I am in awe of the Gift the has been bestowed upon me in the form of my children....truly I am blessed. But my son is my baby and I tell him quite often I don't want to discuss his growing older bc let's just face it, we don't want our babies growin up!

Well, his class at school this year was the one able to participate in the "Etiquette course" and they received special training and then were able to have a dinner to practice all they had learned. They were all asked to "dress up" and they would have to escort someone as well to the dinner which was a candle light with soft music playing. Oh how I wish I could have been a fly on the wall! My son asked me if he could wear a suit or a tuxedo! EXCUSE ME???? seriously a tux? Yes mom, others are going to wear one. Well, I couldn't go that far but we did decide to let him wear a suit! Let's just say my son isn't one for dressing up very often ~ we are definately a casual dressing family if I had to be honest so this was really a treat and a special occasion for him.

After his big day he had alot of family asking him what he learned most in his etiquette class. His answer.....It's hard to be proper and etiquette with plastic knives and trying to cut up chicken fried steak and eat corn on the cob! OH MY how times have changed :) Just thought I would share this story and give a smile.

Here is my boy growing into a young man

Prizes, Fabulous Prizes

Its a PARTY over at Sarah Mae's, "Like a Warm Cup of coffee blog!" She is celebrating her first blogaversary and I would encourage everyone to go check it out! She has wonderful prizes, fun trivia, and other exciting things to do throughout this next week and I know you will be inspired long after the party is over! She will make you laugh, think, and I am pretty sure her transparency will encourage all who read her blog! I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I do!

Just click on the link and join the party, maybe you will win one of her fabulous prizes! You can also click on my side bar button to meet her and some other bloggy friends :)

For Today ~ May 12, 2009



Outside my window... The Sun is totally teasing us, it shines then hides but at least it is warm today



I am thinking... how happy I am that school is almost out and how happy I am to be celebrating my 19th anniversary in just a couple of weeks! :)



From the learning rooms... ONLY 10 MORE DAYS OF SCHOOL WOO HOOOOOO!!!



From the kitchen... my husband is away on business this week so nothin fancy



I am wearing... shorts and a soccer tshirt with my hat



I am praying ... for my mother-in-law who is in the hospital again and the doctors tell us it isn't looking good.


I am reading... 1 Samuel and the book of Psalms, and Karen Kingsbury's "Where Yesterday Lives"



I am hoping... that I am not getting sick



I am hearing... the ticking of the clock


Around the house...garage sale stuff is everywhere since it was delayed for a couple of weeks so I will be putting that all out in the extra garage and out of our way. Hoping to get a front flowerbed in SOON :)



One of my favorite things... spending time with my chidren this week



A few plans for the rest of the week... Lunch with my friend today, J has to go to the orthodontist and I will be doing hair some this week and hopefully will be spending time with Nicole since both of our husbands are out of town. We will be taking the class at Home Depot together and I truly can't wait for that and then Brian will be home on Friday! I hate it when he is away!



Here is a picture thought I am sharing...

Jen and I spent a mother/daughter day together this past weekend and instead of going to see a movie we went out to places and she took lots of pictures. She has a beautiful eye and hopes to one day be a photographer professionally. Here is just one of many pretty pics she took....Springtime in Oklahoma

TEENAGERS :) GOTTA LOVE EM'

I just had to share a smile and a laugh. I can just hear Jeff Foxworthy saying
"You know you have a teenager when... instead of a Mothers Day Card you get "tagged"










OH HOW I LOVE MY DAUGHTER :)

SarahMae has asked us to post our schedules as a means of motivation this week and I have to be honest while we as a family don't have a schedule per se we do have our weekly "family meetings" because my kids are much older so they are not home during the day, my daughter also works and is an athletic trainer and her schedule changes daily :)

So as a family on Sunday afternoon we sit down with our schedules, bibles and each other and share what the Lord has said to us and the things that we could pray for one another that week and then we give each other our schedules to input into our phones and/or calendars. If we miss a week of doing this it brings chaos and even the kids notice, not just my husband and I, so we try to stay very committed to doing this.

For myself I have learned so much from the bloggy world about schedules and Nicole had a tip one day that I have definately put into my daily schedule that I will share with you. In my quiet time as I sit reading the Word or just listening to what the Lord might be saying that particular day I use a notecard and put down the things I need to do on that day (ie; grocery list, errands to run, etc) but I also know that the Lord will put things in my path that are of HIM and not MY own plans Proverbs 16:9 :) (People may make plans in their minds, but the Lord decides what they will do. NCV) I enjoy at the end of the day when I am able to mark off the things on my list, but more than that I am more fulfilled when I know that I have accomplished what the Lord has given me to do on that particular day. Time management brings peace and order and God is a God of order and we learned that as a family, we are a team. We plan the meals together and help with all of the housework as a team and for us it has really worked and we all appreciate each other and the things that we do and none of us feel overwhelmed. If we have a special event that we are planning on we know that before we go we must have all of our work done so that we are free to relax and truly enjoy without thinking we have to go home to get work done. Sometimes when life gets crazy we fall off the wagon but we know that at that point we just have to regroup and pull back together. And when we do that and ask God to help and forgive us HE Does and we ask ourselves what it was that we did to so that next time we are aware and can stop it before it gets out of hand. We have learned that God cares so much even about the little things in our life and when we commit those things to Him, He will guide us step by step and day by day.

My second favorite household chore is ironing. My first being hitting my head on the top bunk bed until I faint."
-Erma Bombeck-

"A man's got to do what a man's got to do. A woman must do what he can't."
-Rhonda Hansome-

"The phrase " working mother " is redundant."
-Jane Sellman-

"You see a lot of smart guys with dumb women, but you hardly ever see a smart woman with a dumb guy." - Erica Jong-


"I'm not going to vacuum 'til Sears makes one you can ride on."
-Roseanne Barr-

"I try to take one day at a time, but sometimes several days attack me at once."
-Jennifer Unlimited

Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission." -Eleanor Roosevelt-

"If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning."
-Catherine Aird-

"Things are going to get a lot worse before they get worse." -Lily Tomlin-

"Every time I close the door on reality it comes in through the windows."
-Jennifer Unlimited-



For more funnies go here and I hope everyone has a most WONDERFUL
BEAUTIFUL MOTHERS DAY WEEKEND!

For Today... MAY 5, 2009 Outside my window... Raining again, I think this is 10th day in a row!

I am thinking... How blessed I am to be able to stay at home with my children and now my grandaughter too

I am thankful for... my parents who have given me the opportunity to see Dr T, whose gifts and talents, encouragement, prayers and medical advise have literally changed my life! and the lives of those around me.

From the kitchen... not alot going on in there this week HA...when hubby is away I tend not to cook

I am wearing... velour warm up pants and jacket with a muscle shirt and flipflops

I am reading... Where Yesterday Lives by Karen Kingsbury, 1 Samuel, Psalms and Deuteronomy

I am hoping... that this rain will STOP!

I am creating...Order in our home

I am praying... for marriages and friendships and balance for my husband in his new job AND for the health of my Mother-in-Law. She has COPD and is in the hospital.

Around the house... worked all week for our neighborhood garage sale which did not happen because of the rain and none of us had power that morning so I am hoping it is rescheduled soon because I want to get rid of this stuff!

One of my favorite things... seeing my husband operate in his spiritual gifts and my daughter too....takes my breath away A few plans for the rest of the week... taking care of Rylee, she gets to spend the night with us and Mothers Day this weekend Jenna asked me to spend the entire day with her on Saturday WOOHOO! On Sunday~WHATEVER my Mom would like to do :)

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

If you're like most women we NEED motivation, especially on Mondays. My house typically has laundry to do and straightening up that needs to be done. Today I would say I was in extreme need of motivation, but enjoyed every minute of the reason I am so very tired. It seems that my sons school decides during the last 3-4 weeks to cram in quite a few VERY LARGE projects. (ie: morrocas, writing an 27 page hard bound book of their Life or autobiography) It has proven to be quite the task but also so much fun and we have all learned so much about our family tree. He had to do subjects like....Talents, accomplishments, Life Timeline, Future Plans and our family tree. I had to write a letter on the day of his arrival.(sniff, sniff, can I get a kleenex) So to say that we have taken a trip down memory lane would be most accurate. We literally worked together for over 10 hours NON STOP. We knew this would be a very busy week and also my mother in law went into the hospital so we wanted to be available for her and whatever she may need from us. So with my husband out of town, it was clear we needed to have all of the projects done and ready to be turned in this morning and we did it. My son was oh so very appreciative and expressed this over and over! As I looked back over his short but oh so fast twelve years I couldn't help but see Gods hand on my sweet son and our family. He has loved us, provided for us, blessed us beyond measure and we have all grown in Him. When J was born I did know the Lord and we lived for Him. Not all people do, I was not raised knowing the Lord or anything about Him so it overwhelms me to see my children not only KNOW Him but LIVE for Him, WORSHIP Him, and point others to Him. Sometimes it is even me that in their kind sensitive way they allow me to see my Heavenly Father and His uncondtional Love, Encouragement and Joy Unspeakable.
So when we feel overwhelmed by all the things we as women do, allow yourself to see through the eyes of Jesus when you look at your husband or your children. Invite the Holy Spirit to allow you to Hear the thoughts that He has for them. I think it will movitivate you and overwhelm you with HIS LOVE.


SarahMae over at likeawarmcupofcoffee has quite a few people who join in to help motivate us all so go check them out.

After such a serious post. We need to laugh & Kim over at Homesteaders Heart has just the site for that, she does Friday Funnies. After I had a few laughs I decided to join in on the fun! Our family LOVES the Bananas Comedy show and here is just ONE of our favorite comedians: Enjoy :0)