Blessing others.

We had a great Thanksgiving this year. We missed mom terribly, but were able to have a nice diner with everyone there and a very good meal. Anna (aka superwoman) hosted it at her house. They have done a great job remodeling and updating the house. We ate on mom's table, with Anna's china and decorations and our food. Of course the food was not as good as mom's, but I don't think you can ever measure up to "mom's" cooking!

The week before Thanksgiving, my family headed out for vacation. It is the first real vacation we have had since mom got sick. We went to the cabin in Pigeon Forge, TN (see link to Smokies View Cabin for a picture!)We shopped, rode horses, hiked, fished and slept in a little. It was so nice. Then we drove to Atlanta and went to the "world's largest" aquarium. It was fun. The kids love aquariums. They saw beluga whales, 2 whale sharks, and Hogan was even brave enough to pet a shark! They had a great day. Then we drove to see Steve's granny in Mississippi. Sarah spent the night with her cousin Tori and Hogan had a night with just mommy and daddy and Josiah. I got some more shopping in too! Then we drove home for dinner with my sibs.

This weekend we are helping to host a "Free Garage Sale". I read on the Internet about people who have decluttered and then just given the stuff away in a garage sale. I thought about the community we live in and how much need there is here. We feel God has lead us here for a reason (yes, other than just a horse). So we are going to start by blessing others this Christmas. Our small group from church is joining us and we are going to turn it into a block party with inflatable jumpers, cookies, apple cider, coffee and fun. We will wrap things people want to give as gifts for Christmas. We are all very excited about it and hope we are able to minister those who come as well.

My friend from high school, Melanie, who had breast cancer is scheduled for her next round of chemo today. Please pray for her. She had a really rough time after the last dose. Her sister also went in for a routine mammo after Melanie found her cancer. Well, she too had a lump that was cancerous. It was very deep and would not have been found until much too late. But hers is more aggressive than Melanie's. She will have to have a double mastectomy then chemo and radiation. Her name is Kim (for you prayers!) Please consider giving yourself a mammogram for Christmas if you are over 35 and not done so yet! (Am I harping yet?)

I did it!! It came!!! It happened!!!

I did it! I actually went back to the gym! Twice! I so dreaded this day. I was working out 2-3 times a week when mom got sick and that came to a sudden halt. I would take her and walk with her around the basketball courts but that was about it. Then we were trying to move and then had a baby. So now all my excuses are gone. It really wasn't that bad. The worst part of all are the walls of mirrors! They have way too many of these and I think they are totally unnecessary. I can tell if I do an exercise incorrectly by pain it will induce, I do not need to see anything! As it is everywhere you turn, there you are! Anyway, I am back and hope to continue. Now if I can just drive past McDonald's!

It came!! The backpack blower came! It is already dirty, smelly and a little worse for the wear. I have not tried to start it yet. That will happen soon I hope. The great thing about the wear is that I will look like I am a pro! I could blow leaves straight up in the air and an onlooker would think, she looks like a professional so that must be what she means to do! Image is everything! And sometimes that requires a little dirt and grime!!!

It happened!!! Our youngest got sick. Last night he was a little gaggy with the passy and did not eat well. Then this morning he had a fever. I got up early and got my shower since Steve was not feeling well. I was checking on the baby when I heard and say his little tummy rumble. I was frantically trying to get the towel off my head and in front of him when the volcano erupted! Needless to say I had to go back in the shower! Poor little guy had a rough day. He is sleeping well right now and the fever is gone, at least for the moment and the sheets are once again clean. Hopefully tomorrow he will be himself again! I am very grateful he is past the 3 month mark or we would be typing this from the hospital! We've been there before and I don't do well!

Check out Beautiful Mess (blog listed to the right of this post) for a wonderful reminder!

(Becky, I don't have your email address!!!)

New Toy....Hmph!!

Ok Angie is going on and on about this leaf blower, but a leaf blower seems about as much work as a rake. So I am thinking we need one of THESE!!!!!



What do you guys think?

New Toy!

Okay, I just need to write something happy! For those of you who follow my mom's blog I just added a new post. But now I need to focus on something lighter.

I am anxiously awaiting a long desired object. This object is supposed to make my life easier, but I think it will be fun as well. It is big, it is noisy (I'll have to use ear plugs!), it is heavy (I'll have to wear most of it on my back!), it is powerful (Steve says too powerful for me!) it will vibrate me to death. Do you give up yet? It is a commercial backpack leaf blower!!!! I got a great deal on eBay and I couldn't be more excited. I think I ask Steve everyday if it has been shipped. I have always enjoyed coming out to grandma's and helping her rake her leaves. We would take more coke breaks than I think were warranted. But the key here was helping her. She spent a good part of almost every day of her life raking leaves. She somehow kept all these leaves at bay with a single rake and about a gazillion matches. Side note here: Steve said one day he drove up and there were at least three large fires going. He could see smoke long before he got to the house. The road was barely visible because of all the smoke. When he got to where grandma was, there was not one water hose out! He said her reply to his offer of help was that she looked up, smiled and said "Aahhh, your just in time for a coke break!" Well that was grandma! But now I am here and I don't have a good part of every day to spend raking! About a month ago the leaves began to fall. Sarah and Hogan would say "Why is it raining leaves?" Guess what! The trees are still FULL of leaves and I have millions on the ground! So can you see why I am excited?

But not just for that reason. I have a secret desire. I watch trucks go down the road with these big trailers on the back. In the trailers are all sorts of fun! There are these really cool new large lawn mowers that you sit on and steers with funny looking sticks at your side. (I hear you can almost sling yourself off if you go fast enough!) They have nice big weed eaters and edgers, rakes, shovels, loppers, shears, and of course the famous commercial backpack blowers! I think this love comes from my genes and the experience of mowing my grandma's field as a young girl. I had mown our lawn for some time with a push mower. I even mowed the neighbor's yard. Then I was finally old enough to mow with the riding lawn mower. I felt freedom. I was in charge of this machine. I could go where I wanted (in the field). I had time where no one interrupted me. I had time to think, to pray, to sing... to be free for just an hour or more. (I am a terrible singer so the singing thing was fun to me until years later grandma told me they could hear me all the way to the house and would just laugh and laugh! Needless to say I don't sing loudly when I mow anymore!) Any way I think this loosed some sort of yard freak in me! I love to be out in the yard taking care of it. We will see what I think in the next few years to come!

Cuties