a movie worth watching

I watched this Hallmark movie Sunday night. John Corbett was the star and I have always liked him. So, I was sure to make time to watch it. I'm glad I did!

It is an inspiring story about a teacher believing in and advocating for his students. It retells the true story of how the very first special education class was allowed to attend Space Camp in Huntsville, AL.

It showed how important teamwork is and how much someone can accomplish when just one other person believes in them.

Reminded me of the value of co-operation and encouragement. The Lord tells us to live in peace with others and to exhort one another. He knows that will bring joy to us and to those we encounter.

If you missed this airing, there will be encore broadcasts on the Hallmark channel.

I recommend it! :-)

a daughter who serves

For eight years, in a former church, I served as church hostess. I was responsible for organizing any church event or family need that involved food.

My sweet girl is now part of a church that includes many young couples. So, there are lots of opportunity for baby showers and meals when those new blessings arrives. She is involved in helping to organize both of those and is always ready to "whip" up a dinner for someone on short notice.

It brings me great joy to see her servant's heart at work. She loves her God and His people. And that's the way it is suppose to be! :-)

"By this all people will know that you are my disciples,
if you have love for one another."
John 13:35

treats for the troops

I can't remember if I have mentioned this before, but last summer four other ladies and I felt the Lord leading us to start a military ministry in our church. We live in an Air Force town, so the military is a big part of life here.

One part of the ministry is packing care packages to ship to our troops overseas. We call it Treats For The Troops. We assigned three or four items to each adult Sunday school class and provided a container to place the items in. We have been overwhelmed by the generosity of our church family. Since Sept, we have packed 40 boxes!

We have been shipping them since Oct. Tomorrow, I will ship 8 more. Because we believe this is God's ministry, we expect Him to use these boxes to make a difference in the lives of the young men and women who receive them. We put a letter in each box introducing ourselves. It tells them that we are grateful for their service, that we have prayed over the box and that we are praying for them. We also tell them that though we packed it, the package is really from our Heavenly Father who knows them and loves them.

I love packing the boxes! It's fun to think about the one who will receive it and the surprise it will be for them to get a gift from (for the most part) complete strangers. It would be great to see their faces! I am so grateful for the opportunity God has given me to be involved in this ministry. I would certainly rather have our men and women out of harm's way, but as long as they are there, I want them to know that we care.

of mice and boys

Our grandson's other grandparents, Papa and Nana, took him to the pet store because he loves looking at the animals (no surprise!). Papa picked him up so he could see the cage where the mice were. There was another lady there holding her daughter so she could see the mice, too. So, the boy says, "We have mice at our house." The lady says,"Oh, do you have pet mice in a cage at home?" "No," he says."They're under our couch!"

The lady laughed so hard she had to put her child down and catch her breath. Nana was quick to explain that they live in a mobile home in the country. The lady responded by saying, "Oh, we have mice, too. But the way he said that was hilarious....so matter of fact. No embarrassment, no apologies."

One thing is for sure... the old saying is still true..."Kids say the darndest things!"

confused

Here in the deep south, our winters are not very severe. We may have snow for a day or an ice storm that last a couple of days. We will have 30 degree weather for a week and then two or three week of temps in the 60' and 70's. So far, this winter we have only had a few nights where the temps dipped below freezing and no days that have been that cold.
So every year, the same thing happens...the azaleas that are on the sunny side of our house start to bloom way to early. Those warm days confuse them...they think it's spring!

The blooms are sparse, but they are there...full and pretty!

I'm sure we will have a freeze that will confuse them
even more and they won't be as pretty when spring comes.

But, it is still a nice reminder every time
I pull in the driveway...
spring will come!

out with the old...

...and in with the new...dishwasher, that is! My old dishwasher finally bit the dust. It was 20 years old, so I don't think it owed any service. :-) However, it had developed some aggravating habits over the last 3 or 4 years. First, the wheels on the bottom rack would fall off. Then the door wouldn't stay up unless you latched it as if you were ready to run it. The Hubby, ever the handyman, solved the wheel problem. But the door issue was a different matter. Several fixes lasted for a short time, but about a year ago, I gave up and just kept it latched. A few months ago, it started holding water in the bottom...after a wash, all the water would not drain out. So, we had to run the rinse cycle often to keep the water from...well, you know...getting yucky!

Last week, Hubby took it out of the kitchen to his workshop and after a couple of days, signed the death certificate. Here she is awaiting her not so happy future. I appreciate all her hard work and the time she saved me, but I am not at all sad to see her go!


So, it was off to the stores to comparison shop. We bought the new one that day and Hubby installed it a couple of days later. It looks so nice and has some great features. Oh, and the door stays up without being latched.... I am very happy!

Do you think it will last 20 years?

Made me think..... I wish it was that easy to replace old habits and attitudes. Just haul the old ones to the dump, buy some new ones, have them installed, and voila! everything is new and works just like it is suppose to. But, if it were that easy, it wouldn't mean much. II Peter 1:3 says "His divine power has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who has called us to His own glory and excellence." Knowledge of Him...that requires some time and effort on our part. He has provided all we need, but we have to know Him in order to know how to take possession of it...to appropriate it.

The song "Knowing You " says:

"All I once held dear, built my life upon,
All this world reveres and wars to own;
All I once thought gain, I have count as loss,
Spent and worthless compare to this.

Knowing You Jesus, knowing You
There is no greater thing.
You're my all, You're my best,
You're my joy, my righteousness
And I love you Lord.

Now, my hearts desire is to know You more,
To be found in You and to be known as Yours,
To possess by faith what I could not earn
all surpassing gift of righteousness.

Knowing You, Jesus, knowing You
There is no greater thing.
You're my joy, You're the best,
You're my joy, my righteousness,
And I love You Lord."

"Now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God,
how can you turn to the weak and worthless
principles of the world."
Gal. 4:9

Yes, how can we and why would we?

baaa....

...is what our grandson's newest pets say and this is where they live,

though not quite finished.

The Hubby, our daughter, SIL, Little E and I went to visit them today.
Can you guess what they are.... goats!
Ned, Red and Myrtle.
Myrtle is the white one without the horns,
Ned is the other white one and Red, well,
he's the red one! :-)

Myrtle is the youngest and the sweetest one. She likes to be held
and to give kisses.
Our son has always been an animal lover...

and so has our daughter

She has a special way with them. Red had not let anyone
get near him until she came to visit.

Her daughter, on the other hand, wasn't so sure she
liked these strange creatures! :-)


They have a regular barnyard...
roosters and hens (the hens were shy so
I couldn't get a picture)...

...two dogs and these guineas who are
the real guard dogs! :-)

This"country boy" got a 4 wheeler from his other grandparents for Christmas.
It comes in handy when you have a "kingdom
of dogs, chickens, guineas and goats" to take care of!

It was a nice way to spend the holiday. After homemade soup and
cornbread, we headed home. The weather was perfect
and so was the company!

some "grand" bowling!

The second trip to the lanes included three of the grands. Our grandson had never been so it was a new experience for him. The computer recognizes the children's names so when it is their turn, the bumpers come up automatically. That way, children and adults can bowl on the same lane. They also have a special ball that won't harm the bumpers. They did well and had a great time. It was fun watching them get excited when those pins would fall!

The ball is almost as big,as she is!

He was pretty good at rolling the ball down the center of the lane!

She got two strikes and a spare!

For a while now, the favorite place has been Monkey Joe's (an indoor inflatables playground). I think maybe bowling will be taking it's place! :-)

miracle at the lanes!

I mentioned that we went bowling during the holidays, but I didn't give any details. There were a couple of very important things that happen during our two trips to the lanes. The first time it was just me, Hubby, our older son and his fiancee. None of us had been in years and so we were pretty rusty. With dropped balls, unexpected slides to the floor and gutter balls, we spent a lot of time laughing.... I mean really laughing!

The almost newly-weds.

The already oldy-weds!

Our son making sure his feet are lined up.

A few balls actually got where they were suppose to! :-)

Now, my Hubby has always been a very good bowler. He has a smooth approach and release, his ball glides down the lane spinning and hits the pins hard knocking them all over the place. But he injured his thumb last spring in a fishing accident. And though, it looks much better than we ever thought it would, it is a little mis-shapened and a little sensitive. So, he had a hard time finding a ball that allowed his thumb to slide in and out of the hole. Needless to say, he was off his game. I, on the other hand, am pleased if I break 100. So, as you might guess in almost 40 years of dating and being married, I have never outscored him in a bowling match. Well, history was made....

The 107 is his, the 111 is mine. Our son won the match with 120, but I didn't care....a miracle had happened....and I have witnesses, pictures, and, now, a blog post to prove it! :-)

We took the grands on the second trip...pictures of that next time! Hope you have a wonderfully blessed weekend!

tea party

My very good friend (and the office manager where I work) celebrated a significant birthday last week. You know the one where you become a "card carrying member"! (in the US anyway) :-) We acknowledged this milestone by having lunch at the British Pantry Tea Room. A special guest...and her mom...surprised the birthday girl!



She was really the center of attention. Everyone in the place was "oohing and ahhing" over her. She smiled and cooed...I think she enjoyed her first tea party! :-) And I think it made my friend a little less sad about turning......another year older. :-) That's all I'm saying! Happy Birthday, K!

my, look how's she grown!

I can't think of a better way to commemorate my 300th post
than to celebrate the gift of our Little E.
She was really sick the week before Christmas and had us all concerned.
She has bounced back and is thriving once again.
Just look how she has grown!

One day old!

Two weeks old!

One month old!

Two months old!

So grateful she is happy and healthy!
Gran loves you Little E!

she's nine

I went to Tenn this weekend to celebrate grandgirlie # 1's birthday...her ninth! It was back to Chuckee Cheese again this year. What can I say...she loves the place. It was a fun (if noisy!) time of family, food, arcade games, and gifts!

Here she is waiting on her guests.

And opening her gifts...
something to keep her warm from
her aunt and uncle to be.

Pretty clothes from her soon-to-be grandparents
who are already Granna and Papa.

A family game from our daughter, our SIL and Little E.

And sparkly shoes from Dad and his fiancee.

Just before going home...the birthday girl, her dad,
her sister and her cousin (the one with pigtails) who rode two hours with her mom to
come to the party. That was very sweet!

After church and lunch today, I headed home in dreary weather. It rained for 2 1/2 of the 3 1/2 hour trip. I was worn out when I got home, but grateful for a safe trip and a sweet visit. Sure love those grands!

who's jerumbo?

A couple of folks asked to hear the story behind the nickname. It's not exciting or funny, just a part of our family history. But here you go. About two weeks before I met the Hubby, I attended Explo '72 in Dallas, Texas. It was a huge week long Billy Graham Conference for High School and College Students. About a dozen of us went from my college and we picked up about that many more from another college on the way west headed out of the state. It was along drive so we had some time to befriend each other. Somewhere between Georgia and Texas, we started adding "Bo" to everyone's name......Debbie-Bo, Cheryl-Bo, Paul-Bo, etc. Silly, but I guess you could call it a bonding thing.

Well, that was fresh on my mind and still being used by the group from my school that went on the trip. So, after a few dates, I added it to his name...a term of endearment, as they say.( After we were married, my dad even called him that!) Somewhere through the years, the Hubby decided to "country" or "southern" it up a bit and it became "Jerumbo". When the kids came along, I started calling him "dad" most of the time, so I rarely use the nickname. But he calls himself that often and signs notes and cards that way. So, there was no question whose shrimping team it would be....

"Lil' Jerumbo's" !!

the tale of the cap

Thank you for your kind comments welcoming me back. Here's the story I said I would share. Every summer our family goes to the beach for a week. We spend a lot of time on the beach...playing in the sand and in the water. The guys also seine for shrimp.... something they look forward to all year. They enjoy working together...especially when the net is full!
Well, last fall our two sons and our SIL went to the National Fair that is held near here every year. In the commercial bldg where businesses sell their wares, they saw a man who sold embroidered caps. Something he had gave them the idea to have some made for their "shrimping team" and surprise Dad for Christmas. Our younger son found someone locally and had 10 caps made. I knew he would be surprised and very pleased....and he was!

"Jerumbo" is a nickname from our dating days that has hung around all these years!
The designer did a great job...look at that shrimp!

Their first year to seine on Jekyll Island was 1998.

Father and son....a great pair!

The whole team...well, almost. We girls pitch in to harvest the shrimp
from the net and we got caps, too!
But the guys are the ones who get in the water (sometimes at night!)
and pull the net.

It was a great idea and it made Dad's Christmas special.
We are gonna look really cool

on the beach in July! :-)

catching up...

When you get this far behind, it's hard to decide whether to try to catch up or just start where you are. Since the holidays is what I missed posting, I am going to do a quick overview. I will warn you in advance, thee are lots of pictures but the text is brief.
I brought our youngest Tenn granddaughter home with me after being there for the play. We enjoyed her so much! We spent one morning at the park.



The rest of the family was in and out from Tues night until Sat when we had our family meal. We played, watched movies, ate..... even went bowling! But mostly we took turns holding our Little E!

Her uncle...they share the same birthday...30 years apart!

Her uncle from Tenn...this was the first time he saw her since her birth.

Her aunt loves her! She will be holding her own baby girl in March!

Her aunt-to-be loves her, too!

Sweet cousins!

Then it was Christmas! The girls with their new bedding.

The boy with one of his Mobigo games. He loves them!

New shirts...he looks like he likes them! :-)


He asked for a rolling tool box. In an effort to fool him, we wrapped one drawer!


The soon-to-be newlyweds asked for dishes.
They chose some lovely ones.

Our daughter and DIL visiting. Probably talking about babies!


Little E celebrating her first Christmas! She had been sick earlier in the week.
We were so grateful she was better!

Our daughter, SIL, and Little E!

Our younger son, DIL, and grandson.

Our older son and his family.

Our youngest granddaughter doesn't like sleeping in a toddler bed anymore.
She wanted a big bed (twin) like her sissy! She didn't quite understand why her bed
was in our kitchen! :-)

I went to visit the grandboy (and his mom and dad) New Year's Eve eve.
He rode his new bike for me!

The grandgirls stopped in for the night on their way home from their visit in FL.
Holding the baby one more time was a priority!

At two months, she heard her first bedtime story at Gran's house. It was a cute scene and made for a sweet memory! Well, that's about it. There's one more Christmas story but it deserves its own post. Hope you all had a wonderful holiday...sorry I missed most of it. Glad to be back and am looking forward to getting caught up with you!