I AM SO EXCITED!

Today we leave for Great Lakes, IL! We are traveling to see Paxston graduate from boot camp. I am the proud parent of a Navy Sailor! It's going to be an interesting trip - 15 hours in the car with a 19, 17 & 6 year old! It will be fun, interesting and tiring I am sure, but the end result will be worth it. I cannot wait to post pictures. My family will be together, I just really hate that my son-in-law couldn't also go, they we would all be there.

I wonder how many times I will hear, are we there yet? Or "I have to go potty"! That is always fun.

So keep in touch, I am sure that adventures are soon to follow, taking the laptop so we can post. Taking a notebook to write down important things. And taking a book to read! Taking Nicolas Sparks - The Wedding and Richard Castle - book, can't remember name. The girls will be listening to movies on the dvd player (with headsets) so that they don't have to listen to the 80's music or the phone calls that now come through the car. Such fun! Loading Ethan down with books, V-tech, and new coloring books and twistable crayons.

Have a great day and keep us in your prayers! Oh, I am leaving the purple shoes behind, didn't want to be posting a story like Amber's where I take somebody down during the fall. Oh, check out the weather channel, they are having the Polar Bear Blunge there on Saturday. Gotta check it out!

Enter to win...

I am finding out that there is a great thing going on about being a follower.... people love to give away things. So head on over to and check it out:

Short Southern Mama at Short Southern Mama is hosting a giveaway and you get to choose your prize from a list of goodies she has selected. Check it out - she's giving away some cool stuff!!!

It's always fun trying to win!

Hey Mom, "When I grow up..."

My thoughts are going back to Paxston when he said, "Hey Mom, when I grow up, I want me and you to be a fireman". This was when he was about 6. Today he is 21 and tonight he is in the second part of Battlestations in Navy Boot Camp. He is learning to be that fireman. We don't seem to realize what the Navy is training for. They have to make sure that ship stays floating. In the event of an attack, they will fight whatever to keep it floating. This could be a fire, leaks in the pipes, rescuing those who have been hurt, and this can all be on the ship they are sailing on.

My emotions have been wild those past couple of weeks. I never imagined in all those years that I would be shaping a young man for the NAVY. I can't even begin to tell you how proud I am of him.

It has been refreshing to hear him say that God put him in the division he is in, no doubt. If he had gone in at a later date, he would not have gotten the Chief that he has. The chief will be leaving for California after this graduation. This chief believes that phone calls are good for morale. I didn't realize that all moms did not get a call like I did every week. And there is also a possibility of boot camp going from 9 weeks to 13 weeks, so Paxston has been blessed.

When your children are small you begin to pray for them and ask God to protect them and bless them. It is awesome to see how God has been working in each of their lives. I was so excited this morning to hear that Amber and Steven have joined a church. I know that they also have many gifts and talents that God has bestowed upon them and now they can get plugged in and do what God has called them to do. I am enjoying watching Crickette grow in her faith, and learning that she can be patient and wait on God! God has a great plan and purpose for each of my children and I realize how Blessed I am each day. This will be an awesome week for me, all my children will be together and I will have lots to post on the blog.

What we learn about Ants....

Okay in doing Friday's Bible verse, I did a little research. I did post it on my other blog, but thought I would share a little more of my comments here:

Ants
* There are more than 12,000 species of ants all over the world.
Much like us, we all look alike but we are very different. Which is probably a good thing.
* An ant can lift 20 times its own body weight. If a second grader was as strong as an ant, she would be able to pick up a car!
It's probably a good thing that we are not that strong, how many people would we have crushed along the way?
* Some queen ants can live for many years and have millions of babies!
This makes me tired, Just give me the first part of the statement. Four children are enough for anybody? Millions, not even able to comprehend. Mrs. Dugger, still can't comprehend that!
* Ants don’t have ears. Ants "hear" by feeling vibrations in the ground through their feet.
Maybe we should be a little more observant in what is going on around us. Think beyond what we hear.
* When ants fight, it is usually to the death!
Stand for what you believe!
* When foraging, ants leave a pheromone trail so that they know where they’ve been,
I guess these we should learn from where we have been and think about going back there! Then again, some odors would be stronger than other and we might remember that we don't want to do that again!
* Queen ants have wings, which they shed when they start a new nest.
Glad we don't have to start over when our dead skin leaves us!
* Ants don’t have lungs. Oxygen enters through tiny holes all over the body and carbon dioxide leaves through the same holes.
Wow, I didn't know this!
* When the queen of the colony dies, the colony can only survive a few months. Queens are rarely replaced and the workers are not able to reproduce.
Don't we think of ourselves as the queen? But we are hopeful that this won't happen to our family if we do die. We want them to go on and maybe not our husbands reproduce but it's okay for the kids too.

So what are you busy doing? If you have a moment head on over to godsjewelrybox.blogspot.com and check out Jan. 22 and see a little more insight. Enjoy

This is why we Scrapbook!

There are moments in this lifetime that need to be captured on film. Of course you have moments that you really should not be picking up the camera, but you do it anyway, because you want to capture this moment. I have so many pictures to finish scrapbooking and that time will come. I thought I would share some that I have captured on film, after making the pages, just to share with you.

Where do these emotions come from?

WOW - most of the time my children say that I am heartless, but if they could see me now... I can't even get on my navyformoms.com site and not get teary-eyed! Some of the cadets have called home, not passed tests, and may not graduate with their squads. Just breaking my heart, and then when I see the pictures of the guys in uniforms! I can only imagine what I will be like next week at this time. Getting ready to see my son graduate from Naval Academy. And next Tuesday when I get my call hearing the words - "I am a Sailor".
I know that my girls will say it is all because it is Paxston but that is not true. I am extremely proud of my other children too!
I just shared a story about Paxston with a lady at church that is having a time getting her child to stay at daycare. I remember the day that we left Paxston in the second grade. He was clinging to the door frame, screaming "Please don't leave me" and the teacher was pulling him inside. We didn't let him see us cry, but Mom and I cried like babies all the way home. Chris could not figure out what had happened to us. Then later I had to remind him that I had to drag him off the steps of Gateway Baptist Church when we dropped Amber off at Kindergarden. He was the one crying that day!
Kids just know how to attach to your heart strings!

But Why? The Bottom Line:

Because you are more than a wife, a mother, a sister, a friend. No one lable can describe everything that you are. Who you are is made up of what you beleive. Your character is defined by your beliefs, your personality and the way you interact with others. So...what do you beleive?

This comes from a book called "Scrapbooking Your Faith". This book is incredible, but not only for scrapbooking but for just realizing who you are, what imprints are you leaving on others? Just thought I would give you something to think about.

I believe:

Mama got a new pair of shoes!!

I really can't believe that I bought these, and I didn't even listen to that little voice reminding me that I was the preachers wife, I heard the one saying - "Go ahead - they will look great". But I just hope I don't hear many voices laughing in case I pull an Amber and take down a group of Sailors. That is where I plan on wearing these awesome shoes. Okay so they may not be cold weather shoes, but with my new outfit, they are perfect! As soon as I get my hair like I want it, I will take a picture in the whole outfit! I am SO EXCITED!!

What I LOVE/HATE

The things I...





I absolutely LOVE my FAMILY - We may be a little different, but God put us all together!



I love the Necklace that Chris gave to me for Christmas, the earrings are really pretty too! Benefits of 23 years.



Oh a Snickers Bar - and you don't just eat it, you truly enjoy it. First eat off all the chocolate (but not chocolate on top) and then the fluffy layer and then the rest. It's awesome! Messy, but Awesome!



Steak - my favorite meal - I really do think I could eat it three times a day! Always wanted to try the Porterhouse, just to see if I could eat it all!



I love it when God gets out His paintbrush and creates something wonderful for me to enjoy!



This is the hardest thing for me to give up! I am truly Southern - I LOVE SWEET TEA!



It's so hard not to love Nicholas Sparks, even when you know that somebody is going to die in the book, you still just keep reading and then you go back for more!
Who let him in to the woman's mind?



I love the fall when my favorite coffee creamer comes out and cappuccino - Pumpkin Spice! AHH...



Yes I am one of those - and to make it ever better I am TEAM JACOB! Eclipse is my favorite book and the movie comes out on my birthday - Happy Birthday to ME!



Enough said!



WAR EAGLE!

Sorry - I see my list is too long so no more pictures. I love to Watch Reality TV with my husband, Dancing with the Stars, American Idol, So You Think you can dance. I love Thursday & Monday night TV!

Now to the things I hate, They aren't so many. But here goes...



Seriously - he looks like he crawled out from under a rock and everybody just loves him - well not me! And you can put Edward in here to, not from the book just the movie - please he was SMOOTH - skin like marble - not Hairy - GROSS!



The man (or woman) should be SHOT for this. I bet they did not have them in their house. Do you know how hard these are to clean? How many nails are broken from trying to clean??



I hate for doors to be left open and drawers. If you open it then SHUT it - how hard can it be?




NO not one of my children, but SORTING SOCKS - how do some just disappear? And always my husband says that I never match them up right! WOW...



Lids off the toothpaste - yes I hate it!

So there it is, I don't like spiders, snakes or rats either. And there have been a few people that I have come in contact with that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up but we won't go into that.
Hope you enjoyed!! Can't wait to see yours!

What does your Sunday Consist of?

Some of you may have noticed the first post, yep - I put it on the wrong blog. I have a blog for daily devotions. I was in such a big hurry this morning, but wanted my devotion posted before my fun blog!

Sundays consist of getting up early to see what I can do to get my husband ready for the first service. After that I enjoy a cup of coffee or two so then I can get ready and get the rest of the house up and running. I have the privilege of teaching the 6-8 grade girls in our youth department. They are the greatest, we have the biggest group.

After church my body just craves a NAP - but since my son has been in boot camp there are not naps - I wait for my phone call. There was one call that he made on a Saturday and I was directing a wedding so I didn't get it. Last week he called on Friday, so that made my Sunday different too. But today is waiting, and one mom said we may not get a call till we hear our "I am a Sailor" call - man I hope not!

Sunday night is AWANA night at church where kids learn lots and lots of Bible verses, it makes learning so much fun for then.

I am usually exhausted and ready for bed when we get home but not tonight, its Afterglow for the youth, so after church - we are headed to Fudruckers. So Sunday for me is not your usual rest day, it's one of the busiest days of the week for me.
Well time to run, my husband has a funeral today and I need to check him out before he leaves.

Have a great Lord's Day! Can't wait to see what you do...

Saturdays....

Why do Saturday's seem to be about getting everything finished from what you didn't do through the week. I am sure as soon as I open the file that Amber sent me on getting organized, I will be able to have a Saturday to do just whatever I want - which will probably include alot of time on the blogging sites and meeting new friends!

Anyway, I really wanted to do my Love/Hate list but I realize that this may take time for me to post pictures and time is not what I have right now...I have laundry that is screaming out to me, but the neat thing is that I hear the wax machine also calling out my name and that I won't mind sitting down to. Now if I could convince Crickette that her scissors are also trying to tame the mane. You know it's time for a trim when your six year old tell you "You look like the Lion from Madagascar". So maybe its time to think about what really needs to be done!

Gotta hit the grocery at some point, why do all recipes call for milk or eggs just when you have run out of both? Weird isn't it.

Okay so here is hoping that you have a productive Saturday. Right now I have a very important task to attend to - Ethan is having trouble collecting all coins in World 3-1 on Super Mario Bros. WII, so I guess right now I need to be the hero....

Taking me back....

I as I enjoyed reading Amber's blog today I got to meet a new friend. An army wife...Katie, http://katiefinn411.blogspot.com/ I am going to really enjoy following her. As I read her blog and Amber's posting on Katies site...I got to thinking about all our moving that we did in the ministry. So instead of military brats I got to raise PK's, who everybody thinks are the worst kids ever.

I am very thankful for my children, now having three that can legally vote, that none of them have never been in jail or in the hospital! I think that is huge! Now each of them (well maybe not Paxston that we know of - ha ha) has eaten a bowl full of stupid before, but really all in all they are GREAT kids! Who hasn't had their bowl full? Oops I can never remember Amber's title but I know she is over the accounting department of the company she works for, and we are waiting to get our call from Paxston that says, "I am a Sailor" - he is currently in Navy Boot Camp in Great Lakes and then we have Crickette, who I am very excited about her keeping me looking so good over the next few years, she is going to Palmetto Beauty School, and does a great job I may add. And then we wait for Ethan...I know that those gray hairs are coming...

I know that we moved so much in the past but there is no doubt that we have all grown from these moves and God has made us all much stronger from them. It fun to think back and see how each move was for different people in our family. Our move to Ohio was for my mom, she was able to see just how God could embrace her through people when she was going through cancer. Amber got to see the benefits of North Carolina, she got Steven and then moving back to South Carolina, Paxston got to find Jordan. We have truly been blessed and I love where we are now. God had been working in ways we could not have imagined and we are thankful.

Well I have to get ready for SCRAPBOOKING tonight. Going back in time, my first scrapbook was for my mom, I kidnapped her book and redid it for her. She loved being able to look at it while going through her depressing days with chemo. Who knows Amber, I just may work on the wedding album tonight. I encourage each of you to scrapbook or at least journal. Keep up with these times. God has great plans for you! Good, bad or ugly they are memories - and memories take us back...

I don't deserve it, but I accept....

My fabulously talented daughter Amber gave me these awards. Thank you very much. Please take a moment to visit her for the best blog you may ever read. http://fabulousyoungandnewlywed.blogspot.com

Here are the rules:
1. Thank the person who gave you the award.
2. Link the person who gave it to you.
3. Keep it going and give to whomever you like…
4. If money were not an issue, what are the top 3 things on your wish list?

1. I would travel to places I have always wanted to visit: Paris, to see the Eiffel Tower and to England, to see the palace and the changing of the guards, I would throw in a tropical place, but since I haven't researched it I have no clue where to go, but you better believe if Paxston gets stationed in Hawaii, I will find a way to go!

2. In the spring I would love to take a trip across the US with my husband on the motorcycle. I have found out this year that it is wonderful riding on the back and just taking in God's creation all around me. What fun it was going to Mt. Mitchell and just soaking in the sights, the views of the leaves changing on the way up was incredible.

3. To be able to buy all the scrapbooking tools, gadgets and goodies that are available along with everything that is in the Close To My Heart book.

Doesn't seem very extravagant but that is me pretty much. I'm just a simple girl.

Mama said I should have been a squirrel.

Well the reason she said this is because of how much I love the outside, really more than that - I love to see the trees changing colors, I love to see the sun setting and even the clouds when the sun is rising. I really think that she was on drugs when she made this comment! You would not believe the photos that I have in my cell phone that are just of nature, well you will because I am sharing them!

You can only imagine how excited I got this morning to hear Ethan say, "wow look at the sky, I see purple, blues and yellows". My heart just did back-flips! When I walked outside this morning, I thought that the lights had been left on at the church, then I realized the pinkish color to the windows. I bet the look on my face said it all when I realized that it was a reflection of the sky and turned to the right and saw the view! I have been told that when it is snowing that I get a twinkle in my eye! Snow - another subject all together!

I was really hoping that more people got to witness this incredible picture that God painted for us! So now I will share some of my pictures with you. I just love it when God gets out his paintbrush and creates a picture just for me. The last two were taken this morning and I love the refection from the lake. God has placed us in a wonderful location for sure!

Blogging...the new journaling

I can say that blogging is the new journaling, but one thing you have to keep in mind is that many people may read it, so when you are very opinionated like me, you may want to be a little careful!

I have even considered changing the names of the characters for their own protection. You see those people who were at our first church probably know exacltly who I was talking about in my earlier comment, but that will be okay.

I have always felt it was important to keep a journal, not that I have been very good at it, but we need to write down the important things, the funny things and even what we struggle with. It's amazing to go back and see what you have written and even be able to recognize just how much you have grown in thought process over the years.

It's a new year for me - this year I became a Navy Mom. I was amazed this past weekend when I heard the song "I'm proud to be an American" sung, the emotions were crazy! It talkes on a new meaning, knowing my son is part of who will be protecting me. Hope you like my countdown banner. That is how long it will be till I get to see Paxston in his Navy uniform. His grandmothers would have been so proud, they bothed loved a man in uniform, funny how one married an Army guy and the other an Air Force guy!

So I hope you are all challenged to journal, and if you don't do it in a notebook, then make a blog! Great memories are to be shared! I also challenge you to scrapbook, take your pictures further, tell their story, so people will know about these stories in years to come.

Fishnet Stockings....

Can I just say that I saw a woman, who had to at least been in her late fifties - wearing these yesterday and my first thought was - I have to have them! They were not just fishnet stockings, they had black roses on the sides. AWESOME! Now I would do just like her, wear them with a longer skirt, so you really don't notice them, unless you are a shoe person. I almost ask where I could find them and then I realized - Wait - you are the preachers wife. Do you know how bad they would talk about you if you showed up in these? And then I came back into reality, so I won't even go looking for them, even though they were fabulous. And if I were to show up to church in them, which I probalby wouldn't do, I know for sure I would hear those words, "you aren't like the last preachers wife..." So now I am thinking, maybe I can get me a pair, to go with the fabolous of shoes that I picked up for FREE on Black Friday, and just not wear them to church.

A Southern Woman...

Okay, just had to check out Amber's blog before I got here, wonder where she gets all that talent from? HA HA. It has be just a very tiny part from me. And I am sure that Steven says there is way more inside of her that is more like me that he would like to admit.

I think that as southern women, we do view life just a little different...

We are passionate about our faith, well you know me, I believe that we should be! I can hear my oldest daughter now, when she made the comment a couple of years ago, "We don't need any convictions mom, you have enough for everybody". OUCH! But that is okay, the truth hurts. The sad thing is about growing up in the Bible-belt is that I think too many bank on being a church member getting to heaven when they need to realize that it is placing your faith in Jesus Christ and trusting Him as your Lord and Savior is what will get you to heaven. It doesn't matter if your grandfather did build the church, he can't get you anywhere!


We enjoy taking care of our men and our children. We would do anything that is possible to protect them and yes there are times that we get extrememly upset with them, but that is okay, but don't you start in about it, then we get even more territorial! It is okay to fix your husbands plate and take it to him, and when he shakes the glass and you hear the ice rattle, that you go fill it back up. No husband or child can ever be given too many hugs or too many kisses!

We are very passionate about life and romance. We want that whole fairy-tale, the knight riding in on a white horse, and make sure you just put me in the carriage! I had the opportunity of feeling just like Scarlet last year. I have to admit, putting on a hoop skirt and my big hat and walking to church down the long driveway seemed a little majestic to me, and I really loved it. Having the audience watch was a little nerve wracking, but that was okay. It was funny to see the people riding by, it's not every day you see a woman dressed like that. I think that Nicolas Sparks would have a blast to be in the room with us, the stories that we could share and them he could write them. I mean, think of all the country songs that are playing now. I know all about them, growing up on the Chattahoochee... I know that it does get hotter than a hoochie-cootchie... And then I have to thank God for allowing me to live through my stupid moments and letting me realize that there was something really worth living for! His name is Jesus.

We have to get beyond knowing that everything that is worth eating is usually deep fried and get back to being healthy so that we can live a very long and happy life with our husband, children and somewhere after the next three years, our grandchildren. And yes life is just better with a glass of sweet tea!

Your not like the last pastor's wife...

Do you know how many times I have heard this over the past years and it make me wonder, it is a good or bad thing?

I just like to think that the past ones were just plain and boring. Surely that is what it was. And it's probably a good thing that there are not too many like me. I know that sometimes I can be a little brassy and yes I have hard times with the gray areas in life, but I also love life! I love my Lord, my husband and my children and I don't mind letting others know!

Now one of the others comments I heard about the preachers wife before was at our very first church. I had a little lady that told me the very first time she saw me, that I was much bigger than the the last pastor's wife. WHAT?? I mean, at that time I was a size 14 - and 25 years ago, a 14 was not considered PLUS SIZE! I am looking forward to being a size 14 again! My comment to her was, "Well she must not enjoy food like I do".

I could have chosen to be mad at her for the rest of my time there but I have learned along the way to just be like a duck. Let it hit you on the back of the head and roll right off the rear! Let it GO! Otherwise you will just be miserable the whole time in ministry!

The good thing that I have heard is that I am approachable. So that makes me feel much better. I want to be approachable. I want to be included and a part of the church. I have made the comment before, I don't want to stand across the street and watch what is going on, I want to be a part of it. We are all called into the ministry and we should all want to be right in the middle of what is going on. And this doesn't mean in the gossip section!

Well it's about time..

Okay so this title has been in my head for over 15 years, and it's not a book but this will just have to do.

I have to admit that I had not clue growing up that I would be a preacher's wife, nor did I ever have that desire to play preacher's wife, but there is a calling and I know that God had me in mind. Now that why part is sketchy but I know that He must believe in me somehow.

This will be things that I remember about the ministry that hopefully will give you insight into our world and hopefully a little humor along the way.

I am not going to try to get my stories in order as I can remember, as I have said - it's been 15 years and I have slept not to mention had another child since then, so my brain cells have been fried, or at least Kelly Rippa believes this too.

So enjoy.. My kids may never forgive me, but I have a daughter who blogs now so this could be payback, or better yet fun....