Christmas Fun!

Our celebration began on Christmas Eve at 4p.m. in church worshiping together and loving each other. During the service I was happily surprised when a 10 year old friend of mine walked onto the stage and sang the first stanza of "Away in a Manger". It was beautiful and I immediately teared-up! I've known her mom for about twelve years and we sit close to each other every Sunday in church. Could it get any better....oh yeah....I had the pleasure of sitting with my two little Granddaughters in church....a very special time I will never forget....Addi was squirmy but interested in what was going on....at times it was a bit like wrestling an alligator trying to keep her legs down, but I loved it. Juliana was busy and ended up in the foyer with her Granddaddy and then her Daddy.

Christmas day was different.... my husband and I spent the day alone and listened to some good Christmas music....I cooked....we ate and then we watched t.v.....on the 27th we loaded up Hub & Christy's car and headed south....we stopped in Signal Mountain to visit my husbands sister and his mother....then we headed to Georgia to visit my oldest son and his family. My youngest child, Hannah, had flown into Chattanooga on Christmas day to spend some quality time with her oldest brother and his wife and two sons....she loves them and couldn't wait and neither could they....on Christmas eve the 7 year old said he wanted to hurry and get to sleep...normal, however then he said, " so I can see Aunt Hannah faster! ".... no mention of the big fat man in the red suit! It was so great to see them all...it was busy ...ages 9,7,3,13months and all of the aldults....what fun...a little crazy at times but we all took the time to enjoy each other....the cousins played, opened gifts, ate and then went outside to play....we drove home in the dark and were all very tired but happy. Having Hannah at my house is always great....she and I have a wonderful relationship and we spend our time talking and just being together....she's just fun! On the 28th we were together again with Hub, Christy and the girls....Addi and Granddaddy took a hike, we played outside and Addi rode her plasma car with Aunt Hannah, Juliana rode her Tommy Turtle....we laid around playing and just enjoying each other. They came over again last night because it was Aunt Hannah's last night here. I took Hannah to the airport this morning and she is home in CAlifornia now....I will sure miss her but I cherish the time we had together.

Well, that's what we did for our Christmas celebration! CAn't wait for all of us to be together again making family memories!

How Can that be?

How can it be that I grew-up in a home with a mother, step-father, grandmother, & brother but without JESUS?
How can it be that we never went to church on CHRISTMAS EVE?
How could I not have my kids in church during their younger years learning about JESUS?
What were we celebrating on Christmas day....santa claus....gifts galore, a beautiful tree, good food, family, friends....well, all of that is really sweet....but why weren't we celebrating JESUS?
The good news is that GOD has given me another chance to get it right....HIS mercy and GRACE gave us all the greatest gift and the biggest reason ever for celebration.....JESUS!!! Celebrate HIS birth, HIS death, HIS resurrection........share HIM....CHRISTMAS is the time to be bold and tell those that are leaving HIM out of CHRISTMAS what they are missing and will miss.

Dear LORD,
I pray for boldness to share JESUS with those that don't know HIM.
I pray that those reading this blog will also be bold in sharing.
Thank you for loving me....for giving us JESUS who is the ultimate gift and paid the ultimate price.
I Love YOU...
In JESUS name I pray.

YUMMMMMMMY!

Lovin' me some Peppermint Hot Chocolate...yummmmmmy:)
Just read on another blog that someone is lovin' the Gingersnap Latte...
What's your favorite???
Let me in on what to get next time I travel the 20 miles to town and treat myself to Starbuck's...
In warm weather I always get a Java Chip Frappachino....how about you??
My California friend gets the White Chocolate Frappachino with Caramel on top:)Yum....makes the drive worth it:)

THE REASON FOR THE SEASON...

Last night I attended the Christmas Music program at my church. It was incredible...the adult and youth choirs sounded like angels....the orchestra was magical.....everything was just perfect....and then....they showed a short film clip of a man on the street with a microphone asking random people, "What is the meaning of Christmas?".....I cried....it broke my heart that so many people completely left CHRIST out of CHRISTMAS....here are some of the answers they gave: gifts
getting together with family and getting gifts
lots of gifts
seeing family i don't see too much
don't believe in it...it's a manmade holiday, all commercial
gifts

there were more, but these are the ones that stuck with me....isn't that sad....it sort of lets us in on the state of our world....the name of the program last night was "IMAGINE".... here are some quotes from the handout regarding the program...

**IMAGINE...darkness....void....hopelessness.....sin....desperation....longing....searching!
**IMAGINE...A Master Plan...A Prophet...A Message...."For Unto Us"
**IMAGINE...A census...a journey...an Inn....a Star....a Birth....A BABY!
**IMAGINE...Brilliant Light....an Announcement....an Invitation....to Worship!
**IMAGINE...A GOD who would journey through time and space to bring you home! A GOD who calls today....speaking....whispering....COME AND WORSHIP!

I pray that the real reason for the season, JESUS CHRIST, is center of your CHRISTMAS!
HE is, was and always will be the ultimte gift.....share HIM!!!!

SLEEP...OR THE LACK OF...

Not feeling particularly Thankful on this Thanksgiving Eve....I can't sleep....it is so frustrating to know that I don't have to be up at any certain time each and every day, but sleep evades me...it runs...it hides...it's a thing of the past. Even with sleeping pills I'm lucky to get 4 hours straight! CAn you believe that....4 hours straight ....that's terrible....no wonder I'm grouchy and everybody makes me mad!!! Better stear clear.....no energy, no gumption, I'm pooped! I fall asleep in no time at all....two hours later, I'm done...then I toss and turn allnight, seeing every hour as it ticks by....finally I get out of bed for sunrise....I deserve at least that!
WAIT....WAIT....WAIT....WHAT AM I THINKING....??????? the last time I complained about not getting enough sleep, GOD took care of that and I slipped into a coma for two weeks! What's wrong with me....complaining about sleep....get over it....I'm just gonna put on my big girl panties and deal with it and tomorrow I will start with a thankful heart for all the blessings in my life and look forward to a day of relaxation (well, maybe not) family, football and food....so to all of my friends I wish the greatest Thanksgiving ever!

Friends

Yesterday I had the priviledge of enjoying a luncheon with my bible study class. We are a group of 18 women, all around 55-60 with the exception of one who is in her early 30's. It was a wonderful time of fellowship and prayer. We studied Genesis for a year and a half! We are moving right into Exodus in January. We are dedicated to our studying and we are getting closer personally as a group. It's hard not to build a relationship with these women. We share our joys and our sorrows and we know that if prayer is needed we will all be there for each other. I am so comforted by the fact that I have become friends with so many wonderful women of different denominations that will be my friends forever! Friendship is not something to take lightly...it takes work, trust, honesty and love. I love these women....I love them, they love me and most of all we love JESUS! I can't wait to dig into the WORD of Exodus with these girls and see what GOD has instore for us. GOD is good all the time!

Summertime and the Living is Easy......kind of!

The first day of summer 2008 is almost here....the longest day of the year! What a year it's been so far, sure hope the remainder of this year is eventful in a really fun and exciting way.

If you know my family, you know that we are accident prone! It's almost become comical....through the pain, the injured family member has to laugh. Hub and I both had broken arms and wrist earlier this year and the trend continues. Hannah got hit on the bridge of her nose with her surfboard in early May and a few weeks later, CB slipped using a power drill and drilled a hole in his thumb. Every weekend we just wait around in anticipation of who is going to get injured and how....I know the in-laws are wondering if this is going to rub off on them...beware, it could.

During the past month my husband and son spent three weekends in a row building a swing/play set for our three year old grandaughter. It was really hard work and it was really hot....I had flashbacks watching the two of them laboring so hard for a great cause in the 98 degree heat...I think my husband, my sons and my daughter had the same flashbacks....we absolutely refer to those as the good ole' days. The days when the kids really wanted to be doing something else, probably sleeping, but their dad had them up and at it, helping with some project for the whole weekend. My husband is a really hard worker and likes to finish the job. He hasn't really had any home projects over the past five years...we sold our family home about five years ago and the home we bought was never really "Home" to him, so he showed no interest in caring for it and he had no pride in it. So working in his son's backyard, sweating and miserable with a bloody, swollen thumb was like old home week and he worked his rear off. He even put the neighbor's kid to work just like he did when our kids were little....if you came to visit our kids, be ready to work. It truly was like a step back in time...kids playing all around, mommys busy, grannys helping, lunch delivered to the sweaty men in the yard while they worked, lots of gatorade, tired daddy and grandaddy, happy squealing kids when they took that first slide down the new slide.......yep, Summer Time and the Living is easy...just not injury proof!

BLINK....AND IT'S GONE!

Last Thursday I visited with my daughter-in-law and three of her college friends and their children...all together there were four mommies, six kids under the age of three and one grand-mommy, ME! Needless to say it was a little loud...but on the most part happy....there is something to be said about all that commotion....it's gone in a blink! When you are right in the middle of it, it sometimes seems like tomorrow will never get here....but when this stage of your life is over, you realize that most of what you thought was important then, doesn't even register on the importance scale now. So thanks girls for letting me share in the joy of that day.

Three weeks ago we celebrated our 32nd wedding anniversary. Shame on me for not posting this sooner...We were married on March 20th 1976....the first day of Spring is a great day to get married....every year we celebrate the beginning of another year together...we have been so blessed to have made it through difficulties and storms and have lived to experience the new beginings each year. As we get older, our time together seems more and more important...we will live together forever in eternity and that is a very comforting thought. Just a touch on the hand or a special look shared goes straight to the heart. He still drives me crazy...you know, leaving the cabinet doors open, not ever really understanding how the dishwasher works, all those man things....but....I'm madly in love with this crazy, hardworking, living on the edge man and I'm forever grateful to GOD for putting us together.....so here's to another 32 years! we still have time for that, I'd be 88 and he'd be 89!

Life as I Knew It...Almost!

Wow....the playground, ice cream at the Dairy Queen, spit-up, diapers, swinging, sliding, climbing, happy sounds all around....what could be bad about all of that...absolutely nothing! The only thing that makes me unhappy is little Juliana's tummy ache....she is having a really hard time and it breaks my heart when she is screaming in pain....hopefully they can get a handle on all that and that precious little angel will not have anymore trouble. I've thrown myself back into the swing of things and am rebuilding relationships that went astray during my wierdness over the past couple of months. Life is too short for all of that and with God's help I can maintain a life of helping others and enjoying the fruits of my labor.

Recently I was asked to pray for the sister of a friend of mine.....I have only met the young woman once...in the same week I was asked to pray for a young man in Oklahoma that is suffering with cancer....I have never met this young man.....I tell you this to say that it is awesome to be asked to pray for others...it is a responsibility I do not take lightly....the most awesome part is that I serve a living God that I can go to in prayer and intercede for others as Jesus intercedes for me.....you see, I am totally convinced that God kept me around because of all the wonderful people that interceded for me in prayer....sleep at my age is interesting...sleeping late is gone....I'm happy to make it to 7a.m....sleeping without waking several times doesn't happen....I've decided to turn those awake times into prayer time for those that come to mind....it is incredible to be laying in bed, in the quiet dark and go to God in prayer...if I dose off in the middle of the prayer I know that God knows who is on my heart...God is good all the time!

Pain! It hurts and makes you CRAZY :o(

Well...it's been a couple of weeks since I've really felt like sitting here and using my brain for anything but pain control. So now the doctors are telling me that I have CRPS I ...o.k., so now what....the pain in my arm has been hanging around continuously for almost three weeks....today I see some improvement...the pain is still there, but much better movement today, why I even used both hands to hold my plate and wash my hair....that is a big step,...until last Saturday I hadn't touched my face with my left hand since two days before Christmas. I was supposed to go to therapy this morning, but it was snowing and around here a little snow flurry causes chaos....so I'll go to therapy tomorrow.

Through all of this I have found it most comforting to really get into my bible study....it takes me away and occpies my mind with a sense of excitement over what I am gleaning from it. I have to continue to be positive and move forward and focus on what's important and that is being the best I can be because God has chosen me as HIS!

I have missed out on two months with the most precious little Grand-daughters in the world and I can't wait to have some pain free days to enjoy with their little arms wrapped around my neck.

So, what am I thankful for today.....a diagnosis of what is causing the pain, without that we couldn't move forward in a treatment for it, new medicines to treat the nerve pain, steroids to attack the inflamation, a good friend who listened, encouraged and cooked for us, and my bible study that kept me busy.

Whiney Butt!

Today is a tough day....I know I've been through so much tough stuff over the past three years, but I'm having a hard time finding anything to be especially thankful about today....I'm just being a whiney butt and I know it! My "main squeeze" is headed to London today and I'm at home, with a broken wrist and elbow and not feeling particularly pretty , since I can't even fix my hair and have to wear eleastic waist pants since i can't pull them up if they aren't......so....I guess today I'm thankful for: elastic waist pants, orange colored cast, "GO BIG ORANGE" takes on a whole new meaning, cell phones, sober pilots and this computer!

Being Thankful

My original purpose for starting a blog was to have a place to list at least three things I'm Thankful for everyday....It is also to keep me from being whiney and make me be a little more focused on the good in my life. Of course I could say the same three things everyday, and I will start with those , so just know that I am incredibly thankful everyday for the following:

My sweet, handsome adorable and loving husband of almost 32 years who has put up with more than his share of me, especially over the past three years.


My oldest son and his precious wife and kids.....Chris has grown into a wonderful person, a great husband, a terrific father and after many difficulties between the two of us when he was in his teens, a loving , precious son.


My middle child, Hub and his family....Hub was nothing but trouble, in a good sense of the word, when he was a kid....always into something, always in the emergency room, and spoiled rotten by his dad, brother and me. Plus, he was the cutest kid in town and everytime we were out somebody from the newspaper took a picture of him and put it in the paper!


My sweet, precious Hannah. The third and last child, and the only girl and her husband Jeff. The two of them fit together like two parts of a puzzle....I find myself jealous of the life they lead...so free spirited and happy. Hannah seems to have that special something that lights up a room and definitely lights up her mom and dad's hearts.

My four gorgeous grandchildren, Henley, Carter, Addison and Juliana....they are definitely a gift! Trust me, there will be more to come about those 4.

Most of all I am Thankful to God....can you imagine knowing from the beginning that all of his creation would sin and he would have to send His Son to earth to be crucified on the cross for our sins. God has worked out all the details, most of which I do not understand, but I sure am thankful for my blessings!

Peanut Butter and Honey????

Yep....that's me....when I was in my early twenties I worked in personnel for a company and they called me "Peanut Butter Patti", so that's where the Peanut Butter came in to play....then 9 years ago I was blessed with my first Grandchild. Everyone said, what is your Grandmother name gonna be.....while others said, "oh you should let the child name you"....well my thouhgts on that differ....you see, this little boy has grandmothers, greatgrandmothers, step grandmothers, you get the point, plus, I'm the only one who doesn't live within 15 miles of him.......needless to say I did not want to be a granny or memaw, (I have nothing against those names) but since little man wouldn't see me everyday or so, I thought I needed to be different! That's where the "Honey" comes in.........Our family has grown in 9 years, and I feel very blessed to have three sweet little voices calling me Honey and the 4th will in about a year. Hence the name of my blog!