Life with my sister

We got this email this morning from our cousin Sarah (or "Sa-Sa" as we affectionately call her). Her little Princess Gracie is full of personality and so cute. Enjoy and Happy Halloween! Note to reader: Words in all caps indicate shouting and italics indicate quiet drama. A Pumpkin Halloween Story Once upon a time, long, long ago there was a little bitty pumpkin who was all alone in the forest and couldn't find any of his friends. Then, out of nowhere , POPPED out a WICKED, WICKED WITCH and she GRABBED that little bitty pumkin up and she took him home to her house in the forest. When she got home she TIED that little pumkin to a stick and she COOKED HIM and GOBBLED him up. Well , that little bitty pumkin was soooo sad to be in that witch's yucky tummy so he waited and waited till the wicked witch fell asleep. And when she was sound asleep that little bitty pumkin climbed OUT of that witches mouth and rolled out of her wicked house and lived happily ever after. THE E

We sisters go from not posting real often to posting all at one time. I love the lack of consistency, really. I think it is a reflection of life. It comes and goes in waves. I am learning a lot about people through my line of work and especially at my new job. One thing I am learning real quick, is that everyone needs to see a smile. Smiling comes easy for me but some days I would rather not force it if I don't have to. But I am learning to force it anyway. It is a reflection of our attitude . Our attitude is all we have control over. Sometimes that is a tough thing to hear, but it is the truth. We can't control the wind, waves or the storms but we can control how we act when they come upon us. My boss used a great analogy with me when referring to one of our co-workers who has not yet learned this attitude lesson. Here is the analogy (From the Covey book, for those of you who are fans): Relationships are like a bank. We make deposits so we can make a withdrawal when we nee

I read blogs of moms with young kids and hear about their wonderful loving moments together. I even reread mine and remember all the memory-making times we've had together, all the laughs, trips and great stories. But can I just tell you that all of my memory making times aren't always memories I want to have. For instance, in January, I stopped buying diapers for Anna- now 9 1/2 months later she is STILL not potty trained. All of her friends are and most started after I started with Anna. It is the most frustrating experience of my lifetime. I've tried everything I have ever heard of except putting her in day care. I also have one child that is a thumb-sucker. That is such a fight! The poor thing gets in trouble everyday for it. It boggles my mind. I just wanted to let those of you that struggle with being a mom somedays to know that I struggle too. At times I feel beat up and beaten down. I have to remember that Jesus knows all that is going on in my life and has put his

Because of my limited computer time and Abby's fall break at the beach (how do those two things go together?) I was unable to post on Samuel's birthday. He turned ten, yes 10!!! Thursday the 11 th . Ten years ago the dream of my lifetime was realized. I became a mom. I always dreamed of becoming a mother but that dream and the reality of the dream were two completely different things. I remember at a baby shower someone asking me what kind of bottles I was going to use. I looked at my mom and said "there are different kinds?" I was clueless. But boy did I ever jump right into it! I had him 10 days early because of my blood pressure (and because of that Stephen still calls me hyper- tensive , when I get a little stressed!), so we were caught quite unprepared. No clothes had been washed, no bottles (I finally picked out a kind) had been washed. Nothing had been done, but putting the bed up. We drove from Leachville to Jonesboro and I remember all of that 30 minute dri

This is from a Dress Barn ad I saw in a magazine and I love it. I don't just love Dress Barn so much, but I loved this ad and felt as though I needed to share: Let yourself glitter from the inside out. Let yourself celebrate the possibilities. Let yourself glow in your radiance. Let yourself feel the joy. Let yourself jingle all the way. Let yourself shine. We changed the page layout because everyone and their mama had our page. Since I want to glitter and glow, I decided we best change it up a bit. Abby

What a wonderful beach vacation! Rand took me to Cancun for my fall break. We had the best time sunning on the beach with large topless British ladies all around us, bartering with the Mexicans at the market, walking 3 miles from town in our flip-flops so we wouldn’t have to get back on the dreaded city bus, eating the best French fries ever made while sitting on the beach in the afternoons, drinking 3 of the best fruity drinks ever concocted, Losing our beach pouch in the ocean with our safety box key in it and then finding it six hours later,our waiter at Senor Frogs making Rand wear a butterfly balloon get-up while he ate, Rand dressed for pictures on the beach while looking like a RIU maintenance man and someone waving him down for help, Having a Julia Roberts/Pretty Woman moment at the restaurant our first night while entering in my bathing suit cover-up, walking on the beach at night and listening to the waves, sitting on our balcony admiring the blue waters and the beautiful pa

Were all in our places with bright shining faces. Good Morning to you! Good Morning to You" I rolled over this morning, looked at my alarm clock and thought I saw 5:46 glaring back at me. I normally rise, shine and give God the glory at 5:30 and Rand repeats the process at 6:00. I ran into the bathroom to partake in a speedy morning ritual of dental care, hair care, facial color, putting on my clothing and accessorizing myself. I then opened the bathroom door and thought, “Why is Rand still lying there with no sign of life?” I looked at the clock and it was 12:14! I woke him up and said “Did the power go off?” He was not yet giving God the glory and said “No! What is your deal?” I said, "Dude, I am SO dressed for work and it is only 12:14?!” He laughed at me as much as he could, being half asleep. I then went through my evening ritual to get ready for bed again, minus the shower. I am in awe at myself. It was so weird. I felt a bit insane for about a half hour until I fell of

I was reminded at church Sunday morning of how difficult friendships are. Laura Ann is a beautiful high school senior, captain of her cheerleading squad, a Christian leader at school and at church and she is being treated badly by a handful of her "friends". These girls have been friends for years, but as what usually happens in high school, popularity becomes more important than moral and right behavior. My friend is being mistreated because she doesn't party or hang out with the people who do. She is being gossiped about and honors are being withheld that she deserves. My heart breaks for her. Instead of naming names, gripping, and whining , she asked me to pray for her. I usually pray for her each morning, but I will start praying for her more fervently . If you feel called to, pray for her also. I'm sure we "older girls" can remember high school and the ugly things we said about each other and did to each other. We know that it happens to everybody, bu

Rand and I had a wonderful visit to the Lone Star state over the weekend. Visiting my grandparents in their home makes my soul smile. We always love going and being with them for three or four days. My Mawmaw cooks our favorite foods and tells us how "perfect" we are the whole time we are there. She is a bit bias I know but who can't love that kind of royal treatment? Last night I laid in my bed and thanked God for my family. Our special bond is so unique and it defines who I am and I like it. Here is my Mama's birthday cake. Mawmaw and I made it together in her kitchen. After many runny roses, I made a few that were presentable. It was a fun experience for sure. They all thought my "Specialty A Country Rose Garden" looked like the cake on Paula's magazine cover and of course my Mawmaw thought mine looked better than Paula's (I wish I could carry Mawmaw in my pocket!). So, we took a picture and sent it to Paula. We are hoping to receive tickets to P