Innocence

 

I had a beautiful moment yesterday.  The girls were playing and posing and then I snapped this candid shot.  The sweetness flows from their eyes right into my heart. 

Sleep Deprivation

Anyone else find themselves getting only 3-4 hours of sleep a night?  I am personally feeling the physical strain from lack of sleep.  I go to sleep with good intentions only to wake up 2 or 3 times a night.  Usually at 3:00am I am totally awake.  I'll try to convince myself that it is ok to rest, whatever needs to be done can wait til sunrise, etc.  Today I was up by 5:00am.  I made coffee, connected online, shopped online and now blogging.  Wow, what would I do without the internet?  For those of you that say read a book it will help you sleep...true.  I will fall asleep after about 4 pages, wake up, read, fall asleep....get the picture? 

Ugh, I'm frustrated.  But, the good news is today I will get to hear the first song at worship....lol.  We usually run about 5 minutes late and almost always miss that first song.  So, that's my bright side.  Hahaha I'll take it.

Speaking of worship...go do it.  It's good medicine and Jesus really loves you just like the song says.  I'll be at Grace Community Church at 8:30, 10:00 and 11:30.  Yep...all 3 services...I'm cool like that cause I don't want to miss you.  :D

ricearoni.com

Something for my leftover rice.

ricearoni.com

A Kingdom Minded Church

My branch of God's church is called Grace Community Church (GCom).  We meet at Rossview High School and fill all 3 services with enthusiastic people.  This last Sunday they made the announcement that GCom would begin a second campus at Kenwood High School after the first of the year.  It's not another church but another opportunity to worship.   Gather, Commit, Serve is the purpose of GCom.  So here we go...we're gathering, commiting and serving in a whole new neighborhood.  I'm excited to serve with a group of believers that want to build up God's kingdom.  Jesus command us to "go and make disciples of all nations".  That's it....our great commission.  Join us in His work...Jesus is always recruiting new hires AND rehires. 

Theresa

Busy is not always good

Ever been super busy but not really accomplishing a whole lot?  I do that often.  My mind becomes disorganized and my actions show it.  Sometimes we simply have to slow down and gather ourselves.

Be still.  Listen.  Breathe.  Ok, you're dismissed. 

A day at the park.

We drove to the big city today (Nashville) to pick up my sister from work and ended up have an inpromptu field trip to Bicentennial Park. The amphitheatre is beautiful with its marble staircases and grassy green alcoves. The kids really enjoyed hopping up on the stage and discovering the joys of a resonating voice. There's nothing more fun than belting out Ralph's World's I Wanna Be a Puppy Dog.

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Theresa's Summer Reading List

       



I take a lot of pride in running my home as efficiently as I can with 3 kids at home plus an in home daycare.  It's my job and like any job I get up, get dressed and attempt to look as put together as possible.  I've gathered a very large stack of books I plan to read this summer though knowing me this may stretch into winter...;P  Most of the books are meant to inspire my thirst for knowledge in homemaking and life.  I chose to be a stay at home mom shortly after Larry and I were married.  I had stints of jobs here and there but I was never as satisfied as when I was at home taking care of my family.  When we decided to get pregnant with Katie I knew that I did not want anyone else raising her.  Keep in mind I am not bad mouthing mommas that choose to have their kids in daycare.  That would be a bit hypocritical considering my line of work.  This decision was easy to make for us.  We did not need two incomes.  Through faith in God and His ability to provide whatever we needed we simply made the cuts of unnecessary "wants" and commited to our goal of parenting.  This doesn't work for everyone but by being at home I am available for my children for encouragement, support and discipline.  I have time to cook from scratch rather than spending money on convenience.  I manage my home like Larry manages his office.  Same titles just different staff, assignments and end results.  I will add to my list of books as a gift to you as well as a reminder for myself to take a little time to digest knowledge so I can grow as a wife, mother and woman.  Enjoy~Theresa

A Repurpose Giveaway

I love finding new ideas to repurpose items in my home.  Last week I made a no sew shopping bag out of an old t-shirt, staples and black duct tape.  Today I used old applesauce and jam jars to organize my crafting notions and also some small snacks in my kitchen.  I like the clear jars because whatever you store in them instantly becomes decorative.  Along the lines of repurposing I am giving away 2 books from my evergrowing library Covenant Child by Terri Blackstock and A Time To Dance by Karen Kingsbury  .

To enter the giveaway you must answer the following question:

What are some of your repurposing ideas?

In your comment list which book you are interested in.  A winner will be announced on May 24th.

I'm looking forward to reading your ideas!  ~Theresa

Simply Amazed

Like most of Tennessee I have been riveted to the TV watching the coverage of the flooding.  How many times have I heard "I can't believe this", "I've never seen anything like this" etc.  It truly is incredible.  The footage shows whole subdivisions submerged in muddy water.  Fish swimming down Gallatin Road?!?!?!  Unreal.  Interstates closed.  Friends stranded on the side of the road because roads are overcome with rushing water.  I expected the Governor to close the downtown State offices so employees could stay at home and avoid the downtown area.  But, he didn't. Employees were advised to use their discretion, to not put themselves in harm's way.  Translation:  stay home if you want but it will cost you your valuable annual leave.  Nice, really nice.  So, my State friends, thinking about you. 

Just in, Mayor Dean says that Nashville residents are being asked to use water for drinking and cooking only because only 1 of 2 water stations are working.  WOW.  Lots of prayers to Tennessee.

Am I Doing Enough?

I recently had a conversation with a good friend of mine.  During the conversation it came up that her husband was surprised at one of my Facebook postings that expressed my faith in God.  I was very surprised...actually I don't think surprised covers it.  Maybe, shocked?  Taken aback?  I'm not sure what I felt but here I am days later and it's still on my mind.  I've pondered and analyzed my life and kept coming back to the same question.  Am I doing enough?  The answer is no.  I can't be identified as just another nice person who does nice things for people.  Being nice is, er, nice but it's not the end all be all.  I want to glow with the light of Jesus.  Matthew 5:15 says "Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house".  I think I've put the light of the world under a bowl.  For clarity to all my social networking friends:  I believe that Jesus is the Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary.  I believe He lived a sinless life, healed sick, raised the dead and walked on water.  I believe He was crucified on the cross, was buried and rose again on the third day resurrected.  I believe that His sacrifice of death allowed me to be forgiven for my sin burdened life.  I believe He ascended to heaven to be with our Father and will one day come down to earth to judge those who have not accepted His gift of salvation.  I may believe it down to soul but if I don't share it and pray for others to believe it then it's just words and I have forsaken my Father in heaven.  So, to my friends, I'm sorry I let you down by not telling you how much Jesus loves you.  He wants you to spend eternity with Him.  He wants you to walk away from your sin and walk towards Him and the safety He provides.  Jesus doesn't care if you declare your salvation from the rooftops on inside your car as you're commuting to work.  He is your friend, your brother, your creator, your father.  He is everything you need and He wants you to believe in HIM.


You are loved and I will pray this message has touched someone whether you're born again, born again and again or simply want to hear a little bit more about this guy named Jesus.


One of His,
Theresa

My Heart is Full

"I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink." [Matthew 25:35 NIV]

This is my heart.  To provide.  To anyone. Of any race.  Of any income.  Of any faith.

I was introduced to Mana Cafe Ministries on Sunday.  Check them out here http://www.mannacafeministries.com/index.html  I have always felt the calling to provide for those who need it.  Whether it be through church, my home, at Walmart, anywhere.  Do you?  Today notice those around you.  Look into their faces and try to see where they are at in their life.  Do they need you?  To buy a meal?  To buy formula?  To buy diapers?  Gas? 

Just notice.  "Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength."  Act 9:18-19 

Thinking of you.

When all else fails...

What do you do when your day is not going as well as you would like?  I bake.  I love to cook but baking makes me feel all warm and cozy which is my idea of what momma's should feel like.  I baked banana muffins the other day.  Everyone liked them and it gave me a feeling of accomplishment.  You know what I mean...when you watch someone grab a muffin out of a basket as they walk by?  There's just something about cooking from scratch that makes me feel more like a mom.  Oh don't get me wrong there are plenty of times I cook and the kids don't like it.  Larry will eat whatever I cook and will usually say "That's a keeper" if it's really good.  If I don't hear it, then I know.  It's our form of easy conversation.  Works better than "Bleck!  This is disgusting!" hahaha  I hear "That's a keeper" alot so I must be doing something right.  :)

Latte to Say

I'm a huge fan of coffee.  In Clarksville we have several venues to appeal to the java minded.  There's Lasaters, Starbucks, Borders, Books a Million and a few other places that claim to have good coffee.  I love all of these places for different reasons.

Lasaters-When you walk in to their St. B location you're instantly greeted by the barista, the music is at a non-invasive level and it's a nice blend of contemporary christian music.  The seating is comfortable, the lighting is relaxing.  This is my number one favorite place to have coffee.  Their syrups are sweet enough and the coffee blend not too bitter that there's nothing to do to the coffee when you leave, just drink it.  In other places I have to add splenda because it's too bitter or not quite sweet enough.  The have a few drive thrus but sadly not the one near me.

Starbucks-Well, as some of you know, they employ my favorite coffee dude.  The atmosphere is more energized and for the simple convenience factor, they have a drive thru.  This is the 2nd reason why I frequent Starbucks.  At any given time I have 3-4 kids in my car and it's just not managable to unload, load, wrangle kids while ordering a venti double cupped stirred caramel macchiato with 3 splendas.

Borders-Bookstore and located inside the mall.  One out of two ain't bad.  I love bookstores, quiet ones even more.  I can't stand going to the mall.  Just not my thing.  Borders serves the Seattle's Best brand which I like.  The cool thing is as infrequently as I go in there (maybe 4x a year), the head barista remembers that my favorite at Borders is a large triple stirred caramel latte with 3 spelndas.  I mean as soon as I walk up to order she looks at me for a minute and then asks me if this is right and then spouts it out.  That's amazing.

Books A Million-Bookstore...a quiet bookstore with magazines in the back of the store far away from registers.  Coffee is a little strong, baristas not so engaging but I love the layout of the store.  The kids area is really cool and I can sit, sip coffee and watch Katie play with the train set.

Enjoy your coffee today regardless of where you had it brewed.

I love...

I love these collector edition's of Jane Austen.  They're smaller but very pretty.  Oh, I just love Jane Austen.  :)  If you haven't read one of her books, try it out. 

Where I come from...

I love my southerness.  It's who I am.  Sadly, having moved from southern Georgia to Tennessee my wonderfully charming accent has somewhat degraded.  I miss the sweetness that eminated from me when I said things like Sprite, Gawga, warsh, warter.  Oh I still have those long drawn out "I's" but there was something unique about my accent. I grew up po' not quite as white as you trash.  But you know, it never crossed my mind.  I was happy in my own skin.  I didn't mind walking everywhere I went because I didn't have a car.  I was cute enough to hitch a ride with whatever boy I was friends with.  Friends mind you, not boyfriend.  In the South if you had a boyfriend with a car then your transportation was never an issue.  Even in high school, a true southern young man who loved his girl, treated her like a queen.

I am blessed to have married a man who grew up mostly in North Carolina/Virginia.  Let me tell you ladies...there's nothing more pleasing to me then to hear my husband call me babydoll in that hint of old Virginia drawl....sigh...okay back on track.  :) Enjoy your southerness folks...make it a point to say bless your heart at least 3 times today, men hold the door for a lady, ladies expect a man to hold a door for you.  Thinking of all of you and hoping you have a delicious day!


Southern women know their summer weather report:

Humidity

Humidity

Humidity

Southern women know their vacation spots:


The beach


The rivuh


The crick



Southern women know everybody's first name:


Honey


Darlin'


Shugah



Southern women know the movies that speak to their hearts:


Fried Green Tomatoes


Driving Miss Daisy


Steel Magnolias


Gone With The Wind



Southern women know their religions:


Baptist


Methodist


Football

Southern women know their cities dripping with Southern charm:


Chawl'stn


S'vanah


Foat Wuth


N'awlins


Addlanna


Southern women know their elegant gentlemen:


Men in uniform


Men in tuxedos


Rhett Butler


Southern girls know their prime real estate:


The Mall


The Country Club


The Beauty Salon

Southern girls know the 3 deadly sins:


Having bad hair and nails


Having bad manners


Cooking bad food



More Suthen-ism's:


Only a Southerner knows the difference between a hissie fit and a conniption fit, and that you don't "HAVE" them, you "PITCH" them.


_____


Only a Southerner knows how many fish, collard greens, turnip greens, peas, beans, etc., make up "a mess."


_____

Only a Southerner can show or point out to you the general direction of "yonder."


_____

Only a Southerner knows exactly how long "directly" is, as in:


"Going to town, be back directly."


_____


Even Southern babies know that "Gimme some sugar" is not a request for the white, granular, sweet substance that sits in a pretty little bowl in the middle of the table.


_____

All Southerners know exactly when "by and by" is. They might not use the term, but they know the concept well.


_____


Only a Southerner knows instinctively that the best gesture of solace for a neighbor who's got trouble is a plate of hot fried chicken and a big bowl of cold potato salad.

If the neighbor's trouble is a real crisis, they also know to add a large banana puddin'!


_____


Only Southerners grow up knowing the difference between "right near" and

"a right far piece." They also know that "just down the road" can be 1 mile or 20.


_____


Only a Southerner both knows and understands the difference between a redneck, a good ol' boy, and po' white trash.


_____

No true Southerner would ever assume that the car with the flashing turn signal is actually going to make a turn.


_____

A Southerner knows that "fixin" can be used as a noun, a verb, or an adverb.


_____

Only Southerners make friends while standing in lines, ... and when we're "in line,"... we talk to everybody!


_____

Put 100 Southerners in a room and half of them will discover they're related, even if only by marriage.


_____

In the South, y'all is singular, all y'all is plural.


_____

Southerners know grits come from corn and how to eat them.


_____

Every Southerner knows tomatoes with eggs, bacon, grits, and coffee are perfectly wonderful; that red eye gravy is also a breakfast food; and that fried green tomatoes are not a breakfast food.


_____

When you hear someone say, "Well, I caught myself lookin'," you know you are in the presence of a genuine


Southerner!


_____


Only true Southerners say "sweet tea" and "sweet milk." Sweet tea indicates the need for sugar and lots of it -- we do not like our tea unsweetened. "Sweet milk" means you don't want buttermilk.


_____


And a true Southerner knows you don't scream obscenities at little old ladies who drive 30 MPH on the freeway.

You just say,"Bless her heart"... and go your own way.


_____


To those of you who are still a little embarrassed by your Southerness: Take two tent revivals and a dose of sausage gravy and call me in the morning. Bless your heart!


_____

And to those of you who are still having a hard time understanding all this Southern stuff....bless your hearts, I hear they are fixin' to have classes on Southernness as a second language!


_____
Southern girls know men may come and go, but friends are fahevah !
Now Shugah, send this to someone who was raised in the South or wish they had been! If you're a Northern transplant, bless your little heart, fake it. We know you got here as fast as you could.

Accessorizing

I have been searching for the perfect toilet paper holder.  After redoing bathrooms a few years ago we never bothered to buy replacement holders so the roll has been placed in various spots in both bathrooms.  Oh don't gasp in shock.  I'm sure there's at least one of you that's doing the same thing.  I wanted one with a magazine holder because afterall, it's the perfect place to hide and regroup.  I'm a fan of getting your business done and no dilly dallying but when someone always needs something from you....where better to hide and justify an extended absence?  I plan on stocking the magazine holder with People, Organic Gardening, Cross Word puzzles, etc.  I thought about an attachable iPod to drown out the constant knocking and "mommy" that I always here but I figured for safety purposes I should be a responsible mother and be able to yell "knock it off" from the um, lavatory with hearing unhindered.

Laundry

Love this softener

Love Stories

Truly my favorite movie ever.

Rusty Muscle

Meet Rusty Muscle.  We bought him about 4 years ago for a restoration project.  He is so awesome.  Our inaugural drive was nostalgic to stay the least.  There's no automatic transmission, no CD player, power windows and brakes?  haha no, Rusty is classic.  He has 3 speed on the column and a 390 under the hood.  Basically, he rocks.  When I sat in Rusty for the first time I took in the aroma of old car.  Oil, gasoline and years on the road.  It took me back to times of riding around in an old beat up trucks.  I loved it.  I snuggled up to Larry and we just took in the sounds of his engine and the wind rushing through his window vents.  We weren't grown ups that for sure...we time traveled to a time when there were no responsiblities and Jack and Diane was playing on the radio. 

Sadly, the time has come for Rusty to bring joyous memories to someone else. You see, Rusty was bought to give my husband a restoration project.  In 2008 we started another project...Katie.  As Larry points out below, he was ready for another investment.

From Larry's Ad:

1969 Ford F100 Step Side Pick Up

390 CU Engine 3 Speed
Re-furbished fuel tank; new tires; 18” Akuza wheels

$1200 firm! Don’t mean to sound like a smart aleck but I don’t need to sell it so trying to talk me down won’t work.


Truck runs great! I bought it four years ago to fix up and we decided another baby was a better investment. Now I definitely don’t have the time to work on it.

Larry and I will continue to have many adventures and embark on crazy projects that may or may not see completion.  One thing is for sure.  Marriage is adventure in itself and continues to be refreshed and satisfied being with Larry.  He is my world and I adore him.

Birthdays

I turned 39 on Sunday.  Not much pomp or circumstance which is my preference.  It was a nice low key, and surprisingly quiet day.  I didn't have to do dishes or housework.  My family lovingly left that for me to do on Monday morning.  It was a thoughtful gesture.  I say that tongue in cheek because even though I love having help sometimes it's just easier to do it yourself.  How many times have your children washed dishes and then when you reach in the cabinet you find not so clean plates, silverware or glasses?  I don't worry about my husband doing that. He is a meticulous dish washer.  His only flaw is that he puts things where he thinks they should go rather than where I need them to go.  Just an FYI, he's much taller than me.

I was thinking about next year when I turn 40.  Some people stress about that particular milestone but I am really looking forward to it.  Aside from minimal crows feet and not so minimal dark circles I don't really look 39.  I feel healthy and young.  So, I'm of the mind set...bring it on.  I have a young family, I can keep up with who I choose to keep up with. 

This is going to be a good year.  Lots of adventures, changes, celebrations.

One of the things that I am trying to learn is how to neatly fold a fitted sheet.  For some of you this might be the most ridiculous thing ever but I think maybe a few of you are slightly curious.

I have never been able to get a sheet to look like it does when you open the package.  Who cares?  Me.  They stack so neat in the linen closet when they're not all bunched up. 

C'mon, admit it...you roll 'em up and shove them in the closet or drawer.

Today I practiced on crib sheets...less intimidating.  I don't think they look too bad. 

So I'm a little impressed with myself.

Simple Mom

I've been reading the simplemom.net blog and love it!  They have now added Simple Organic, Simple Bites, Simple Homeschool and Simple Kids.  There are an amazing amount of ideas throughout all of these blogs.  Check them out @ http://www.simplelivingmedia.com/the-blogs/

Saying Goodbye

I said goodbye to my son today.  He graduated Marine Boot Camp on Jan. 22, came home on leave and then departed for his school today.  It was hard when he first left for boot camp.  Oh don't get me wrong, part of me relished the fact that his bed was made, his clothes were put where they belong and he was getting up really early.  But, letting go of your child is truly hard.  Today when he left it was a feeling of wow, he's REALLY leaving.  Like, no reason to come back except to visit.  What if he doesn't want to visit?  What if he can't because he's in another country?  Today I took a new step into motherhood...letting him go so he can do it on his own. In May I have to let another one go in a matter of speaking.  He'll graduate high school and attend college while living at home.  Some of you might think that's not really letting go but it is.  He'll respect our house rules but I am no longer responsible for his choices.  The buck stops with him, not me.  Mind you, I'm not a control freak but it's change, ya know?  Now I have two girls that require a more hands on approach to rearing them up.  One entering 9th grade in the Fall and one potty training.  Yep, you read it right.  I love every minute of it!  My blended family includes my lovely 24 year old daughter who is brilliant and is thriving beautifully as a married momma. 

My life is a complicated, noisy, blessed mess but its mine and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Time Management

Being that I haven't blogged AT ALL since August 09 time management is quite obviously a, um, challenge. I actually logged in and looked at the date on my last blog and thought Wow! It's been that long? I'm sitting on the couch watching Julie and Julia and listening to the snoring of two boys. It's quiet, I can hear the fish tank gurgling. Gurgling, hmmm, doesn't sound right...well, whatever you know what I mean.

I've been on this cooking adventure for a while. I tumbled across a wonderful blog that has the most delightful recipes. Annie takes pictures of all the finished products so you know what to expect. I've made wheat bread, hamburger buns, recipes with butternut squash, etc. I really enjoy it. Makes me want a much bigger kitchen. Don't you wish youcould have one of those "houses of the future" they used to show on Saturday morning cartoons. Just push a button and presto! instant counter space...need more spices..no problem just tell the replicator what you need. HA that would be awesome.

I'll try to be more disciplined in my blogging. I enjoy it and it's a nice outlet for me.