MANY GOOD THINGS

I read in my devotions this morning about how God has put boundaries on the sea. Using the sand to do this. Jeremiah 5:22-25. (Look it up it's awesome) I was intrieged by verse 25 as it says your sins have kept you from many good things. The whole passage is interesting. God has boundaries for everything. Evil coming against us has limits as God instructs. Storms that we go through are only going to last for as long as God allows. He is in control of all things and He has a reason for us to be going through hard times or trials. But we can be assured that they cannot exceed God's boundaries just as the sea which is massive cannot go beyond the sand unless God gives it permission. God has blessed us with so many good things in our lives. Do we honor and respect Him? Are we living within the boundaries God has given us? If not, then God will notice and withhold blessings. If we do, God will give us many good things. ( I want good things from God, Don't you?)

Happy Halloween

BOO!!!!!

Fear

So I was driving back to work from my lunch yesterday and I saw and accident right in front of me. A girl was turning left out of a shopping center and a few cars in front of me they stopped to let her go to turn left, as she was turning she forgot to look at the second lane and a guy had no idea she was turning and kept driving and she t-boned him. It was so emotional for me. As Alisha was just in a collision last week and it has been such a hard thing for me to feel like she's safe. After I saw this accident so closely and was so emotional about it, I realized that I have no control over anything! I KNOW that God is in control but I am still trying to control so many things in my life. (It was an epiphany for me.) I have given my life to Christ. He is in control and I can trust Him. It doesnt mean things will always be easy and good, but He has my best interest at heart. I immediately had peace that passes my understanding. No more letting fear control me. God is in control and He loves me.

Life changing moments

Alisha was in a car accident this weekend. The whole situation makes me think about life and how each moment can change the next forever. How interesting that this is true but we dont really think about it as we travel along our life's road until we come to some kind of set back or tragedy. Yes, her car was demolished and it has created issues and financial setbacks for her and us.....but when you look at it compared to her life, it just isnt such a big deal. You hear of accidents everyday, some not so bad ,some fatal. It is just not a life changing moment until it happens to someone you know. Alisha could have been killed. She could have broken bones. She could have had internal damage to her body and been hospitalized for weeks. She could have hurt someone in the other car. The list goes on and on. I know that God protected her and all this is for a purpose that we dont understand. God orchestrates our lives that everything may bring Him glory. That is a pretty amazing thought.

A man's heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps. Proverbs 16:9

Joy

The Joy on Alisha's face is so evident. I think that all born again believers should look and feel like this all the time. Oh that we would, huh?!!

A day of sunshine

A day of sunshine and I am not talking about the sun in the sky but the sunshine in my granddaughters smile and eyes. Tom and I took a day trip to see her yesterday. We were having Olivia withdrawls as we had not seen her in almost a month. A 3 month old changes a lot in a month. We just had to see her. ( We also were excited to see Sheila too of course.) We went for a walk, to lunch, hung out and had dinner together. It was a wonderful day. Being a grandparent changes your actions just a bit, whereas we used to take a Burger skip day to go to the mountains and see the leaves and have lunch, now our choice is the little town of Roxboro to see a beautiful smile just for us. Of the two choices that smile wins every time.

coffee

What makes coffee so special to some people every day. There was a time when I wasnt a coffee drinker, but I always appreciated the smell of it. When I was a young girl my mom would drink coffee pretty regularly but hers was usually instant and not quite as wonderful as when we would have a party at our house and she would make real coffee with a perculator. The smell was amazing. I also remember dipping toast or cookies in her coffee. (She let me) It was soooo good to me. Some times I would dip it too long and the cookie would fall off into her coffee. It didnt matter she never got mad at me. As an adult I never had coffee until, as a stay-at- home mom I would get together with girlfriends and their kids every two weeks and we would hang out and eat. One particular day it was kinds rainy and chilly and we had cookies that were homemade and we made coffee and it just warmed me to the core and I loved it. I was hooked from that day on. Not everyday but at parties in the evening, I would love coffee with my dessert. Or with my Tom sitting around in the evening we would have decaf coffee with creamer. I have to have cream and sugar and particularly flavored creamer.
As I began to work more outside the home we started making coffee at work. I started looking forward to going to work in the morning just so I could have my special little cup of coffee with creamer. I would reheat it many times because I dont like cold or lukewarm coffee, but just holding it in my hands and feeling the warmth of it gives me a WARM FUZZY!
With the coffee craze in the world today, I fit right in. Gloria Jeans was Tom and my favorite, but since they are no longer in this area we have given our loyalty to Caribou Coffee. White chocolate mocha decaf is my favorite. My girls even managed to get me hooked on the coffee coolers in the summer. I do always seem to get a brain freeze with the coolers though.....they are very addicting. I guess I am a bit addicted to coffee, but I guess there worse things I could be doing!

Get aways

We went to Boone for homecoming at App state this weekend. We had a good time. The weather was actually very warm and beautiful. We had great seats at the game thanks to Richard Campbell's parents. "Thanks Emily and Richard for making that happen"! Alisha was this past years homecoming queen so she was in the parade and out on the field at halftime. It's always fun to see your daughter being applauded. We swam at the pool the night before at the hotel and hung out with Emily and Alisha and Richard. We got to eat dinner after the game with them too. It was a fun get away and the only thing that would have made it better would have been to have Andrew, Sheila and Olivia with us. I love weekend get aways.

Proud

I am a proud mom. I think about my girls alot. To me they are the best, most beautiful, creative, funniest, loving, caring, compassionate girls I know. I may be a bit bias, but I could not have picked greater girls myself if I'd gone to a store,and chose. God has been so good to Tom and I in giving us three of the best. They have made their mom and dad proud and continue to do so by their choices and paths they are choosing. They made parenting easy and make us look good when we have not done very much in making them who they are. It is all God.

Sheila is a wife, teacher, and recently, stay at home mom. She is adjusting to one income and learning how to pour her life into the precious gift God has given her and Andrew, Olivia Grace. It has been a pleasure to see how wonderful of a mom she is becoming. She is so patient and willing to give up so much to stay home. She loves Olivia passionately and wants her to grow up to be a woman of God. She is trying to figure out how to save money and make money without giving up too much of her time with Olivia. She is so talented that I know God will show her what she needs to do and will bless her abundantly.

Alisha is a recent college graduate and new second grade teacher. She had a tough summer wondering if she would ever get a job and trying to remind herself that God is in control and He will provide for her. Well He did and in a big way. She landed a second grade job at a wonderful school, with very supportive staff. She loves it. When she shares with me about teaching and her class, I can see the passion in her eyes. Not only that, she has incorporated her faith in her teaching and I am so amazed at the way God has gifted her in ministering to these kids in a public school. The kids in Ms. Burger's class are so blessed. They hit the jackpot! She is living at home with Tom and I right now and we love it. She is so respectful of us and fun to hang out with. We will miss her when she gets her own place. Some day there is a man who will sweep her off her feet and boy is he going to be blessed.

Emily is our baby and she is so special to us. She is in her second year of college and is doing very well. She is a good student and such a wonderfully refreshing personality. She is growing up to be a beautiful woman of God who has not even begun to discover her leadership qualities that will cause many to look to her for wisdom and direction. She has strong convictions but is such a caring,loving girl. She is my cutie. She is a RA in her dorm this year and I know the girls on her floor are loving having her as their leader. I am quite certain that God has a marvelous future in store for her......who knows which direction God will lead but it is going to be marvelous to watch it unfold.

So that is my blog today. I am a blessed woman with three now grown girls that I call my friends.

can't sleep

do you ever have those times when you know it's time for bed but don't feel sleepy. You go to bed and toss and turn, your mind is on a million different things. You just can't shut it down. The more you try the less it works. I am having one of those nights. No, I didn't have caffeine of any kind. It's just one of those times so this is where I get up and blog in hopes that in 10 minutes my eyelids will drift shut and the next thing I know the alarm goes off and YEP it's morning and now I don't want to get up. I hope so cause there is nothing good on TV!

Minnesota my home

No matter how many years it's been since I moved to North Carolina from Minnesota, when I go back to Minnesota, it feels like home. Time changes few things there, the only thing changing is we are all getting older. Tom and I took Andrew, Sheila and Olivia to see her great grandparents and Uncles and Aunts. They all loved her so dearly, it was just such a special time. The weather was cool and sunny and the company next to none. I will share a couple pictures from our trip.

How you live

I have recently heard a new song on the radio by Point of Grace, called How you live. It is just one of those songs that makes you think about what is important in life and whether you are doing the important things and letting some of the rest of it go. How fitting today on the anniversary of 9/11 to rethink what's important. Check out the music video on the Point of Grace website @ www.pointofgrace.net/index.html

Changes

Changes are a part of life. I like them and I am fearful of them. I start out fearful and then as I adapt, I usually end up liking the change. Well changes are rampant in my life the past few months and weeks. I became a grandmother in June. Alisha graduated college and is now back in my empty nest as a full fledge adult. Hmmmmm very difficult at times.( I still see her as my high schooler under my care) My sunday school teacher quit so I have to choose another path on sunday mornings. My wednesday night 2nd grade class got changed and now I am going to be teaching with 3 other teachers sharing 2nd and 3rd grade. I quit my current job of 13 years and now am moving on to something totally different. Wow! It makes my head swim just thinking about it. Some changes I have no control over. Some changes I made. I am in a state of flux right now (whatever that is). I have been really tired and am getting over some sickness that has clamped onto me and wont let go. Sometimes I just want my old life back, but sometimes I am so excited about what the future holds that I feel euphoric. Today I am neither. I am enjoying a three day weekend with the man I fell in love with 27 years ago. We have finished our kitchen makeover and are enjoying the beauty of that change. I got my hair cut and that always feels good. I am complete in Christ. Knowing, that no matter what changes come, He never changes.

Sick in August

Being sick is no fun for the most part,(unless your not really sick but just feel like you might need a day to rest and watch movies or read and blow your nose a little). Well unfortunately I am sick, the real one where you dont appreciate being home. I started feeling daggers in my throat a few days ago and then the whole stomach isnt just right feeling yesterday and then the hot and cold feelings and today I just have the whole head thing and throat closing up and drainage in my throat that makes me cough. I hate being sick but when it is nearly 100 degrees out it is all the worse. I dont know why but it makes you feel sicker. I would rather be sick when it is 32 out and I can put a blanket around me and not feel foolish. Or lay by the fire. What should I do now, lay by a pool? I dont think so. I hope tomorrow I will feel better.

My mom makes me smile

I spoke with my mom today and just had to smile. She is 85 years old and as sweet as can be. She laughs about things and talks about how her and my dad go on dates. They went to take things to the fair. My dad likes to enter his farm crops to be judged for prizes and money. My mom said that" dad took me out for lunch,I had a hotdog and dad had a hamburger and then we each had a piece of pie. And not a small little sliver of pie, it was a big piece with ice-cream. We sat outside in the shade and there was a little breeze and we just rested and had the best time." She also said that her and my dad play cribbage pretty much every day. My mom proceeded to say that "our grandchildren are just all so special and our great grandchildren too. They are just the best". What a wonderfully beautiful woman my mom is. It made me smile talking to her. She is so positive and loving. Oh that I can be that way at 85.

Fun things

Tom and I went on a really nice date. We are a couple that tries to keep up the dating in our relationship. Now we have been married for 26 years and I sure do love to think back on all the nice dates that we have had. Memories are something that noone can take away. We just made one of those special memories by going to a very classy restaurant, Mortons. Now I am talking very nice. When I came back from the restroom they had refolded my napkin on the table. The menu was basically brought out on a cart. And the service was incredible. They very much catered to our every need. I dont know if I would want to live like that all the time but for a couple hours it was fun. We then went to the Disney play Lion King at the Blumenthal. It was a very interesting play and very well done. The music was incredible and the artsy displays of creativity were amazing. I really had a wonderful night.

Then because Charlotte has had a heat wave going through our area and there are not alot of options to stay cool, we went to the matinee movie NO RESERVATIONS. It was so cute and a very enjoyable couple hours escape. I highly recommend the movie. I highly recommend dating your spouse and doing some spontaneous things. Good memories can get you through some really hard times.

When Emily leaves for college

Today we took Emily back to college for her sophomore year. I am still hardly believing that it can be. We took her and fixed up her room, It is incredibly cute in spite of what she had to start with. She is such an organized woman. She had everything in a place and didnt have too much fluff to carry up. She made some really cute art for her room to match her bedding and it was amazingly incredible how cute it was in a matter of an hour. She does not have air conditioning but with a great window breeze from the mountains and a nice fan it was quite comfortable.

Now it was hard to leave this time because I am leaving my baby for the first time at college alone without one of her sisters. When we left Sheila alone it was hard but she was a first-born and they are just prepared to be on their own. Alisha only was alone after a couple years with an older sister and then had Emily coming to be with her in her senior year. But now after only one year with her sister she has three left with no one in the family to help her or keep tabs on her. I feel so sad!

I love the fact that my kids are incredibly good and independent, but at the same time it hurts my heart that they dont really need me anymore and things just arent ever going to be the same again. Like this summer we couldnt work out a family vacation because of everyones individual schedules. It hurts but is also a part of life. I know it will make the times we are together more memorable and special. So tonight the house seems emptier without Emily's beautiful smiling face. But I know that she is in good hands. Thanks God!

some summer fun

Tom,me, Andrew, Sheila and Olivia went to the beach last week. We had a relaxing time at Garden City.

My cute little Olivia

can i love anymore?

Can I love anymore than I do this cute little grandchild of mine? I dont think so, but I bet as she grows and does more fun stuff I will love her more and more than I do now. I miss Olivia Stover. I havent seen her for a week now. It is like I am reaching out and there is nothing there. I go through my daily routine and try to forget how much I miss Olivia, but it doesnt work most of the time. I MISS HER! Tom does too. The other day he was walking around the house looking like he lost his best friend. He came back to me as I was reading and handed me a note. It said...I wish we were going to Roxboro. I miss my Olivia! (Or something like that) It was so cute. We are both new at this grandparenting thing. I would say we are smitten with the grandparent bug. Or is it the love bug, cause we sure love that little bug Olivia.