Christmas Time Already??

Can anyone believe that Christmas is right around the corner? I am amazed at how fast time goes by. It seems like we just undecorated from Christmas last year and now we are re-decorating again. Brett spent all day Saturday putting the lights up outside. It looks like a winter wonderland. We got our Christmas tree on Friday. Mason and I decorated it on Sunday afternoon.

On a different note, Mason has a double ear infection. This is his first ear infection ever. I took him to the doctor Monday because he was covered in a terrible rash. He had not complained about his ears hurting and still hasn't. The doctor just looked in his ears as a routine thing and said, "Oh no Mason!" I was shocked. She let me look into his ears. That was really weird. I have always wondered what it looked like and now I know. Anyway, he has had off and on fever for two days but he acts fine. Brett and I are definitely ready for him to go back to school. Hopefully tomorrow.

"Nobody is so far from God that he can't get back to the Lord. Our responsibility is to keep knocking at God's door about that person, to keep believing God will answer our prayers. Thank God for what He will do. Patiently but expectantly wait on the Lord. Renew your hope!" - Thelma Wells

Since it is the day before Thanksgiving, I thought I'd share a few things that I am thankful for. I am thankful for:

* Brett - He is the love of my life, even though he is hard headed sometimes.
* Mason - He is a gift for God.
* Mom and Dad - I have the best parents ever.
* My Sisters and Brothers - THE BEST!!
* My grandparents
* My in-laws - They are all very special!
* Ivette - She has stood by me through many years of living life on life's terms.
* The Flip Flop Club - They are my mixed up blessings.
* My church family
* My home
* My Sunday school teacher - He may not know it but God speaks to me through him in a way that I can understand.
* French Vanilla Coffee Creamer - My coffee wouldn't be the same without it.
* Weight Watchers
* The Faith Home
* My job
* The rain - even though it keeps going and going.
* The freedom of speach
* Publix

I'm sure that I left so much out. We are all very lucky to have so much. I hope that everyone has an amazing Thanksgiving. Gobble! Gobble!

Today I am going to play in my very first golf tournament with Angie and Jessica! I woke up nervous, not because I'm playing but because we will have other golfer waiting behind us. We are likely to slow up the entire tournament. Oh well, I know that it will be tons of fun!

I'm going to make this a super short blog. The main reason that I took the time to do it is to ask that you pray for Vincent. I can't begin to imagine the daily struggles that he must go through especially living in a new place and learning a new profession. I dreamt about him all night last night and every time he was in a different situation with the devil right on his tracks. I think that I woke up at least 4 or 5 times and he was on my heart. Please pray for him. Pray for him even if you don't know him because God will know exactly who you are talking about.

Unfortunately, we had to take Gidget back to Brett's aunt last night. She was not house broken and since she is not a puppy, she would have been really difficult to train. Needless to say, Mason was heartbroken over it. I explained to him that Gidget missed his doggie friends at Aunt Tia's house. I told him that mommy just couldn't have a dog that pottied on our floor. He accepted that but insisted that he send a letter to Santa asking for another puppy. I typed it up for him. These are his exact words.... from his mouth to the word processor.

Dear Santa,

Give me a dog named Gidget. I want her to not pee or poop on our floor. And I don’t want her to have stinky breath and I want her to be the same color and I will love her. I want a puppy just that little. The same size as Gidgets tail and black eyes. I want her to have the same toenails. I want her to have to same black mouth but not stinky breath, please.

Love,

Mason

This picture was taken at the Faith Home the weekend that Bernie graduated. For some reason looking at this makes me think of all the prayers that were sent up for Bernie. Our prayers carried Bernie along the way. We prayed while he was home, we prayed while he was in the Faith Home but we need to remember to keep praying for him now. So take a minute and say a prayer for him! As we all know, prayer works!

Brett's aunt takes in fosters dogs that are taken from abusive homes or from owners that can't afford to feed their pets. This is Gidget. She is a little bundle of prissiness and she is not afraid to show it. She has several dresses and she seems to enjoy wearing them. Brett and I have Gidget at our house now. I am almost positive that we are going to keep her. It's really a test run sort of thing to make sure that she gets along with Ripley and that she is house broken. So far, so good. I guess that the only downside is that she sheds. Ripley doesn't shed so we are not used to dog hair in the house. But besides that she is very sweet and super cuddly. Anyway, I wanted to show everyone her picture. She is actually so ugly that she is cute and her personality makes her even cuter!

Hide and Go Seek

Mason and I play hide and go seek all the time. It's one of his favorite things to do and if you ever stop by my house, chances are that he will ask you to play. Usually he hides in the same spot over and over and we have to pretend like we don't see him. Well, yesterday Mason and I had this big plan to hide from Brett when he got home from work. We waited until we heard his truck pull into the driveway and we both ran and got on top of the washer and dryer. I closed the laundry room closet doors as best I could from the inside. Brett came in and as he was walking down the hallway, he shut the doors all the way. It was pretty dark in there. Mason was giggling silently as Brett searched all over the entire house for us. He looked in the shower and under the beds and in the closets. Mason was so tickled that his daddy couldn't find us! Then we heard Brett say to the dog, "Mommy and Mason must have gone for a walk or to Ivette's house." So, he sat at the computer to check his e-mail. 5 minutes later, Mason and I are still sitting on the washer and dryer. I whispered to Mason that we would have to drink Tide for dinner. Then he looked at me and said, "Mommy, you look like my daddy in the dark." I had to put hand over my mouth to muffle my laugh. He kept looking at me and saying in a quiet voice, "You're the best mommy ever." "I love you, mommy."

We were in that dark closet for about 10 minutes before Mason made a little sound and Brett found us. Of course, we jumped out and yelled, "Boo!" And of course, Brett was so scared. I must say that that 10 minutes were the most precious moments in my day.

Tonight I was given a LARGE dose of the devil's handy work. My feelings got hurt and I reacted. Someone attacked me verbally and I allowed it to fester and turn into a big fat boo boo. I allowed it to eat at me. I questioned friendships. I got a big helping of what the devil can do and I allowed it to happen. I'm sure that the devil was standing over my shoulder smiling. Of course, at that point I questioned my strength as a Christain. I mean, I am walking the walk but am I talking the talk? Someone jumped on me and I jumped right back. I almost let the devil win the battle tonight. I almost sunk into my gloom and allowed him to cover me up. But then....

I opened my Women of Faith Study Bible and it opened to this, "When we see a clown being shot out of a cannon at the circus, we laugh because we know it's not reality. When we're the ones being shot out or shot at, however, it's no laughing matter. It can be a thanksgiving matter, though. Not about what's happening to us, but who protects us in the line of fire. When we take refuge in God, He promises us peace beyond human comprehension. EVERY situation is included. So don't be afraid. There's no battle too fierce for God."

What did I learn from the attacks that the devil threw my way tonight? When someone attacks you, don't allow the hurt to control you. Allow God to control the hurt.

I'm not sure if this post makes any sense but I feel much better having written it.

The Choice to Be Happy

When things happen in my life that make me feel gloomy, I have a choice. Do I sink in gloom or choose to be happy? Life's trials can feel so overwhelming sometimes and it's not always things in my life that make me sad. Sometimes it's things that are happening to a friend or family member. The devil uses every resource that he can to bring us all down. He makes things that are bad look good and he makes things that are good look bad. So, when life seems like it is crashing in around you, what do you do? Do you sit quietly and wait for the storm to pass? Do you snap at people that you love out of spite? Do you call a friend and talk it out? Personally, I have tried all of these things to feel better. Although some of those things make me feel better, it's only temporary. The only thing that I can really do to shake the glooms is "Let Go and Let God". Just take my hands off of the situation and put God's hands on it. That is a hard thing for me to do because I can't stand to see anyone suffer. I want to solve everyone's problems and I want the people that I love to be happy. But that's not up to me. That is God's job. So, my prayer tonight is that God will continue to help me let go. I know that He will do one of the things that He does best..... Answer prayers.

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33

Guess what?! My man is growing a beard! I'm not sure why I am excited about that but I am! Of course, I think that Brett is a goodlooking man. His Italian looks won me over a long time ago. But when I envision him with a beard, I like what I see! I'm being silly, I know. But that's what love will do to you!

Mason has karate tonight and he is really looking forward to it! He has been practicing what he learned at his last class... front kicks and ready stance. I think that karate is just right for him!

Last night I went to Weight Watchers and then Applebee's for dinner with the Flip Floppers. Let me just say that this group of girls is extraordinary. Each one has wonderful qualities that make her special. I love you all!

Halloween Pictures

Pictures from Amy and Billy's Party

Trick or Treat!!

We had so much fun last night at Jessica and Jeremiah's Halloween get together. We had a lot of kids dressed as all sorts of things. A beautiful ladybug, a fierce looking set of Power Rangers, Strawberry Shortcake and a cuddly Care Bear, a munchkin cowboy and a Star Wars guy, a super handsome Superman, a very speedy Ninja Turtle, a dashing pirate and a mini grouchy pirate, a gorgeous fifties girl and a sweet as pie fairy. Is that not a great assortment? Bernie pulled all of us around the neighborhood on a hayride. Some people walked and a few rode. Thanks to Jessica and Jeremiah for hosting the party and thanks to Bernie for pulling us!

Happy Halloween!!

Last night Mason and I carved our pumpkin. He really had fun helping me clean out all the pulp and then washing the seeds. We put the seeds in the oven with a little salt and baked them... YUMMY!

While we were carving the pumpkin, Mason kept looking over at me and saying, "I love you mommy." Then he would reach over and hug me or kiss me. He was so excited to be helping that he was overcome with emotion. He must have hugged me 10 times. I started thinking about how busy I have been lately. It seems like I have something planned for every night of every week. Weight Watchers, church, holiday parties or whatever. When I am at home, I'm busy doing laundry or dishes or catching up on cleaning. I realized last night that I haven't been doing enough fun things with Mason. That's why he kept hugging me. Normally while I'm cleaning or whatever, he is in his room playing. I really need to make a point of going in and playing cars with him or coloring. I'm not saying that I ignore Mason but while I am busy living my life, I'm missing little pieces of his.

It is so easy to get caught up in life and you look up to find that weeks have passed you by. My prayer today is that I can slow down and enjoy my family more. I don't want to look up one day and see Mason graduating from high school and wish that I could go back to play cars with him or color a picture of a Power Ranger. Shame on me for being so busy. Shame! Shame! Shame!

I was reading a book today called "Peace Above The Storm" and I came across a story that really touched me. I want to share it with you.

"Grandpa George had a failing heart. It was so diseased , his doctor had told him he would need a heart transplant or die. So his name was placed on the waiting list for a donor. Each night his grandchildren prayed that if it was God's will a heart would soon be available for him.

Then it happened but not in the way anyone could have guessed or wanted. George's grandson, Scott, was an active teenage, who loved riding his motorcycle with his friends. Scott prayed daily that his grandfather would get a heart.

Then one day Scott became the answer to his own prayers. He was in a terrible motorcycle accident. His friends stood around helplessly as he lay on the payment, his body crumpled at an odd angle.

The ambulance soon arrived, its sirens wailing, and sped Scott to the hospital. Their tests revealed that though his heart was still beating, he was brain-dead.

Scott's parents raced to the hospital in shock. When they heard that his death was inevitable, they knew what he would want them to do. They signed a form releasing Scott's heart to his grandfather.

The surgery was completed within a few hours and in the following weeks Scott's grandfather recovered nicely. He told reporters, "I have a new heart, but it's broken."

Scott's grandfather lives each day to the fullest in honor of the gift his grandson gave to him. "If I waste this life, Scott's gift will have been in vain," he says.

What about you? Somebody died so that you could live forever. That's how special you are to Him. Don't waste His gift."

Bernie's Graduation Speech - Part 1 & 2

Have you ever seen anything as cute as this? Mason is officially a Lil Dragon. He starts karate on Tuesday and he is so excited!! I hope that he likes it because he looks really cute in his outfit or whatever it's called.... a gee I think?

Random Thoughts

Let me start by telling everyone that I bought a pair of size 8 Levis today and guess what..... THEY ARE TOO STINKIN BIG!! I didn't try them on at Belk but was pleasantly surprised when I got to work and tried them on!!

Tonight Sandy and I are taking the boys with us to church. I admit that I haven't been to church in a few weeks and there really is no good excuse.

My Halloween costume should be here any day. Brett and I are both going to be devils. Now, that doesn't mean that we are devils... we are just dressing up as devils. We are more like club devils, sort of punk devils. Our costumes match and I am hoping that they look decent on us. I guess we'll see!

I totally got ALL my hair chopped off today! I look like a different person. It is boy short and I absolutely love it!! Brett is going to be happy because he likes my hair better when it's really super short.

Mason is doing great! He is going to be a green Power Ranger for Halloween. Although lately, he thinks that he is a dog and even barks and crawls around on the floor. I have to tell him every morning that he can't be a dog at school.

I will close with this.... Mason told me that for Halloween, Brett could be the cow and I could be the utter! Isn't that nice??? I'm sure that he heard that from his daddy!

The Faith Home Choir