Life with my sister

I love the weekends that include a little bit of everything. I cleaned the house from top to bottom on Saturday. By 9:00 Saturday morning we had eaten at Cracker Barrel, been to Walmart, Home Depot and on a Sonic drink run. So, I kept up the energy and got tackled the house. I do it about every 2 weeks. I wish I could do it more but my time is stretched so thin. I decorated for Easter, finally. I put out all my bunnies and such. This year I pulled one of my Christmas trees out of the attic and decorated it with Easter eggs. It is much cuter in person, I must say. Randall assured me it did not look old ladish. I am trusting him. I love the joy and happiness Easter brings. We hosted our supper club at our house Saturday night. It was great fun, food and fellowship. I thank God for our new friends and the comfort it brings to have a group to call our own (and a group that LOVES Jesus). We got a wild hair after church today to buy a Wii so we could have Wii Fit. Insane, I know. It is a ...

Thursday was a big day for Miss Anna. She got her first Build A Bear Workshop bear. She drug Nana into the store, looked at her with sad eyes, told her that she was the only one that didn't have a bear from this store. And Nana fell for it hook, link, and sinker! Welcome Lucy Kathryn to our family. She truly has a face only HER mother could love. Julie

It all started 2 years ago ... Happy Blogiversary to us! Tell us what posts you have really enjoyed and what you would like to see more of?

Just a friendly reminder, it's that time of the year again. Please raise your big toes and repeat after me: As a member of the Sandal Sisterhood, I pledge to follow The Rules when I wear sandals and other open-toe shoes: I promise to always wear sandals that fit. My toes will not hang over and touch the ground, nor will my heels spill over the backs. And the sides and tops of my feet will not pudge out between the straps. I will go polish-free or vow to keep the polish fresh, intact and chip-free. I will not cheat and just touch up my big toe. I will sand down any mounds of skin before they turn hard and yellow. I will shave the hairs off my big toe. I won't wear pantyhose even if my misinformed girlfriend, coworker, mother, sister tells me the toe seam really will stay under my toes if I tuck it there. If a strap breaks, I won't duct-tape, pin, glue or tuck it back in to place hoping it will stay put. I will get my shoe fixed or toss it. No matter how much it hurts. I will...

I really wish I had a picture to post. Tonight was Anna's first T-ball practice. I bought her a cute black Under Armor type shirt and black shorts with a white and pink stripe down the sides to wear to practice. I thought she was going to be so cute in it and she did not disappoint. She was the cutest thing out there. The. Cutest. Thing. There is one other girl on the team. But she is 6 and much taller so the cute factor is really in Anna's favor. But when that other little girl puts her hair in pigtails with cute little barrettes Anna is going to have some stiff competition! I'm sure Anna will be playing left field since in t-ball no balls will be hit out there. But I don't think she will mind. She is just going to be the cutest thing on the field. I can't wait until her first game. I will probably have to video it and post it on here. So, stay tuned. I'm sure you won't want to miss that!!!! ...

Blondes do have more fun...especially when they are wearing the "Classic Abby" and hanging out in East Texas with their grandparents! Yes, I am sporting the Paula Young "Classic Abby". My Mawmaw is wearing the "Collette". We had great fun wearing the wigs. Even Randall and UD got in some pictures while wearing the "Abby". UD looked like a surfer dude and Randall looked like a creepy hairy dude. I chose not to embarrass them by posting their pictures. So, you can use your imagination. Mawmaw let me have the "Classic Abby". We have laughed so hard about it being Paula Young's best seller and Mawmaw had it in the top of her closet in a box. Priceless. The catalog says, "Abby is a tried and true classic that looks great with just a shake!"...and I sure like to think so! The "RWMOVAC" turned out perfect. We have given it this code name. We labeled the freezer labels this way. (If I die before it gets eaten, remember ...

I get to hug this sweet man's neck tomorrow. I have not hugged him since last June. Way overdue, I say! We are heading to east Texas to see Mawmaw & UD!!!! There will be lots of laughter, funny faces and cooking going on this weekend. Mawmaw has a new oven and I can't wait to bake our Ruth Whitson's Mother's Virginia Applesauce Cake in it! (She will kill me for posting this picture! ha ) I best get off here and get my bag packed! Abby

Ash, Jen & Me headed to the beach St. Patrick's Day makes me think of my friend Ashlea... and our wedding. She LOVES all things Irish. She backpacked in Ireland after her graduation from UCA. I have a Celtic ring I wear from time to time and Irish ankle socks that she bought for me on her trip (ankle socks are my fav!). Anyway, I had so many friends and not enough spots for bridesmaids, when we got married. So, I had my 3 girlfriends from UCA (we were all communication majors) read or sing...I had them communicate! Ashlea read this blessing (below) before we were pronounced husband & wife. I just LOVE it. When I read it I can hear her soft voice and the special way she read it. She and Jenny both read and they read their pieces so wonderfully...not sing songy, but just perfectly. It was most special. (Jenny read Bride to Be after Daddy walked me down the aisle.) May the road rise up to meet you May the wind be always at your back May the rains fall soft upon you and the w...

My weekend started in Leachville with a visit to one of my dearest friends. Mrs. O was my confidante, cook, friend, mentor, counselor, and hostess. I was able to spend about 2 hours with her. Catching up on our lives over the past years. She sent me home with cookies. I love her! Next I went to Abby’s. We went shopping and ate supper. We love to eat. It will be our downfall! After kicking her out of my room, we both got a good nights sleep. We woke up way to early but I had a big day ahead. Abby fixed me coffee and cinnamon rolls. I wrote in her guest book (it kinda reminds me of something you would do at a funeral home) and I hid something from her. ( I hid a picture frame at Christmas and she never found it. I took it out of hiding this weekend and put something else in hiding! Sisters are such fun!) I then met Jill in West Memphis. I left my car at Walmart there and picked it up the next day. I thought that would be the safest place to leave it since they are open 24 hours and ther...

As many of you know I went to a conference for ministers wives that Beth Moore led this weekend. My dear sweet friend Jill went with me. We had such a good time reconnecting with each other and worshipping together. (more about Beth Moore in weekend recap part 2) I have been the wife of a minster for almost 16 years. There have been times during those years that I wished Stephen did anything else but this. But overall I wouldn't trade these years of serving the Lord beside Stephen for anything. Nothing. At all. I feel blessed of the Lord to be the wife of a preacher. God called him to the ministry all the while knowing that I was going to be his wife. This is exactly what God wants for my life. I say that to say this- There are many ministers wives that are hurting. The alter at the conference was filled with hurting women. So I'm asking you to do this. Go to your preachers wife, your student ministers wife, your music ministers wife hug her, tell her you love her, tell her tha...

This morning we got up, ate cereal, watched the news and then decided to head to Augusta to get garage sale stuff out of Randall's parents attic. Molly was nice enough to donate stuff to my garage sale in May. I took a picture of our bonus room after we unloaded everything. It is a real mess but I hope it will help us all be less cluttered and have a little extra change in our pockets. Today I also inherited Molly's Christmas tree that matches the one I currently have. She bought them both at the same time a few years back. She has decided she wants a smaller tree. I am most excited about having 2 of the same...1 for the den and 1 for the living room. I hate to say this but I actually may need more ornaments. I know, I know, not possible, but I actually think I will need more. Funny stuff. It gives me a small headache to think about it. I best focus on Easter eggs right now. The ole boat has made it home. Molly & I encouraged him to haul it home today as we packed up all ...

I got the idea for a guest book from my friend, Lindsey. I went to her house one time and she had a journal on the nightstand in her guest room with a pen. She had written a message in the front of the book welcoming her guests and inviting them to write in the journal. I loved the idea. I went home and bought a cute journal that matched my guest room décor. I wrote a “welcome” message in the front, got a pen and put it on the bedside table in my guest room. Julie was the first and only person to write in that particular book. It was Christmas time and she and the rest of her clan were at our home in Byhalia to celebrate the holiday with Daddy & Connie. When I went to Fort Smith for Christmas, a few weeks later, she had a special handmade gift for me. It was a new journal for my guest room. It was the sweetest thing! I took the same “welcome” message out of the other one and used it in the new journal. I did not have any visitors in Byhalia after she made that book because we mov...

We are having a slumber party in J'Town tonight. This is a self portrait of us I took for this post. Randall is in Minnesota, so it is just us girls. Jules is headed to Nashville in the morning for a Beth Moore Pastors Wives Convention. So here we are laughing until we cry, shopping because she had a coupon and she can't resist a coupon, eating because the S sisters love to eat, looking at peoples pictures on Facebook and commenting to ourselves, and now she is folding my clothes...what a sister! Abby

Clay with his girls at a kite festival Thank you for continuing to pray for our cousin, Clay. He is still very ill and needs much prayer. We appreciate your praying without ceasing and ask you to keep getting on those "Camel knees". He has made some improvement, yet it is still a long road to recovery. Pray for his sweet wife, 2 precious girls and his mother. It is a stressful time for all of our family, as we wait to see him recover. Clay is the sweetest ray of sunshine and I loved it best when his wife, Deborah said she missed his voice (on her Facebook status). If you know that voice, you know what she means. It gives me goosebumps to type that. Thank you for lifting him up in your prayers.

I won free registration to this online conference. Yay for free!!! Julie

It's 1:00 AM and I'm awake. I don't want to be awake. This is becoming a habit and I don't like it one bit. For the last several weeks I have either woken up in the night or not been able to go to sleep. So, I'm up for 2-3 hours in the middle of the night. Sometimes twice a week. I need sleep. I require great amounts of sleep. I got my babies to sleep by 6 weeks by force feeding them and waking them up by putting cold towels on the heads just so I could sleep all night every night! Go Babywise! So here I am reading blogs and writing a blog, I'll go watch TV in a few minutes. I've already mopped the floors and folded the clothes today or I would be doing that. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not anxious or excited about anything. Nothing is on my mind that stresses me out. I don't know what the problem is. I just know I don't like it. It's 1:03 and I'm still awake. ...

This weekend Mama and our Aunt Janet came to visit me in J'Town. Aunt J wanted to see the new pad and we were so happy to have her company. She took us to eat BBQ at our favorite spot on Friday night. Saturday morning I made breakfast and then we headed out to Peterson's. It is always a treat to go to Peterson's. (It is like the old Triple R Freight ,with a touch of AtoZ, for those of you from the Fort.) Mama had built up Aunt J's excitement for 50 cent Dayspring cards. It was much fun. Mama won the award for spending the most. She found a great deal on Altoids and toothpaste. I am telling ya, it was exciting. We got lots of good deals. We 3 girls then went and ate sushi for lunch. It was Aunt J's first time to have it, so it was fun. Aunt J then went to Sonic and got me a Diet Coke with lime and Rand a peach SWEET tea...she is the best, I tell ya. (Mama did not want a drink...in case you are wondering why she was not included) I love you, TBEO! My Aunt J watching...

Anna got to have a friend over today. I had told the kids some time ago that they could each have a day when someone came and played with them. Today was Anna's day. She was so excited! She had not had a play-day with anyone in so long, it was long overdue. Jane Ellen is a friend from church. We love her and her family. The girls had such a fun time playing with Barbies and playing outside on this beautiful day. Julie

We had a fabulous time on our trip to Washington D.C. last week. The things we saw were incredible. I could talk about it for days, but I won't make you suffer through that. I will refrain from boring you. I have loaded pictures here . (You will need to log in and create a password to view them. It is super easy to do and very safe. I do hope you will read the captions under each picture and enjoy!) Below is our itinerary. As you can see, it was full of fun. Our feet were sore and blistered. We walked over 3o miles in the 5 days we were there. Whew. Thurs: We arrived at lunch Visited Arlington National Cemetery Walked over the Arlington bridge (Potomac) Visited the Korean War Memorial Visited the Washington Monument Walked down the entire Mall and back to our hotel at 10th and New York in downtown DC. Ate at Acadiana's for $50 and then headed straight to McDonald's. (Don't eat at Acadiana's...moral of that story.) Fri: Went to the top of the Washington Monument V...

3/5/09 Thank you for continuing to lift up Clay in your prayers. He is still in critical condition. Clay with his girls, Caly & Lillian Our 2nd cousin Clay, who lives in Denver, is very ill with a rare type of flu. We are all very anxious and wanting to see him get well as soon as can be. Please help us pray for his body to heal.Clay is our Mom's "baby" cousin and adored by everyone who loves him. When I look at this picture of him it makes my heart smile. Thank you for remembering him in your prayers. P.S. Yes, I am home and had a FABULOUS time. I will recap the trip at another time. Abby