Eighteen Gifts

Still rockin that 80's hair.  What in the world???

1.  He never fails to take out the trash.

2.  He is really good at stopping to smell the roses.  He "slows" me and opens my eyes to things I would otherwise miss.

3.  He has strong, manly hands.

4.  He's a good daddy, a fun daddy, a daddy who listens, a daddy who nurtures, a daddy who recognizes the wonder of this world and opens their eyes to His beauty.

5.  He likes country music.

Callaway Gardens and some high-waisted shorts.  Yeah-baby!

 6.  He likes to work hard and get sweaty.  He has a good work ethic, is honest and loyal.

7.  He talks to me...really talks.  He enjoys telling me about his day.

8.  If I ask him to do a "honey-do", he writes it down and does it.  I rarely remind him.  (From what I hear, that's a great gift!)

9.  He regularly and verbally recognizes God's blessings.  

10.  He is spontaneous.

I used to fish with him.

11.  He's smart and he knows alot of stuff, like how things work and the rules of the game.  If I have a question about something, he usually knows the answer.... but he's not a "know it all."

12.  He is not really "judgmental" ...and he likes all kinds of people.

13.  He genuinely enjoys whatever I cook for him and expresses his appreciation.  (Thanks Nana!)

14.  If he is sorry, he says it... to me and the girls.

15.  He is very child-like in a grown up sort of way... and he still gets excited "like a kid" about life's adventures.

CHEESE-y!

16.  He really loves the Lord, reads His word, and trusts Him to keep His promises, watch over us and sustain us.

17.  He makes me feel special.

18.  He's cute.

Happy 18th Anniversary, Sweetheart.

YOU are the sweetest of God's gifts to me.

Willing to Bend

It was one of those sweet moments.  I was on the way home from the grocery store.  This week has been heavy with the one year anniversary of the passing a dear friend's son and the beginning of treatment for our dear friends' daughter who faces a road of unknowns and waiting.

He reminded me as I just sat and hoped.... 

He is close.  

He is aware.  

He understands.

I surely do not know how anyone faces this life without Him.  How sweet to sit at His feet and leave our burdens there.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7qLNDGTm-E

Humble and human, willing to bend You are
Fashioned of flesh and the fire of life, You are
Not too proud to wear our skin
to know this weary world we’re in
Humble, humble Jesus
Humble in sorrow, You gladly carried Your cross
Never refusing Your life to the weakest of us
Not too proud to bear our sin
to feel this brokenness we’re in
Humble, humble Jesus
We bow our knees
We must decrease
You must increase
We lift You high
Humble in greatness, born in the likeness of man
Name above all names, holding our world in Your hands
Not too proud to dwell with us, to live in us, to die for us
Humble, humble Jesus
We lift You high
We lift You high

Audrey Assad (My fave!)

"Humble"

from Fortunate Fall 

Third Graders

It really only takes two days to fall madly in love with third graders.  I mean, who can resist those cute smiles and precious hearts.  I'm glad God chose to let me share a year with each of them  About two weeks ago, I had only 5 students enrolled in third grade.  I prayed and asked God to give me 10 by the day school started.  

He gave me four more. 

This pic reminds me that I am still a third grader too.  I guess I make ten.

Thanks God. 

Every year these two get further and further from third grade.

Waaah.

Looking forward to all that this year holds for all of us.

Mendota Gratitude

Our drive up through the mountains and the beautiful scenery and seeing the "strip" of rain in the distance....God's handiwork.

Huntin' Club lunch and how we met the Stone family and how she wanted to hug Caroline's neck.  

Meeting Jessie at the quick stop on the way into Mendota.  How gracious and kind he was and how he wanted to "escort" us a better way.

Pulling in to this sanctuary of delight and tranquility and plopping down with Eva immediately for conversation and laughter.

How Rebecca kept her new/old camera attached to her catching a picture at every turn... "This place is so beautiful!"

Driving into Mendota in the sunshine after a day full of rain.

Quilt Square barns.

Oth fishing with Andy and how they talked and talked of hunting and trapping and fishing and all the things they love.

Mary and the Dairy Farm and her country drawl and her darling spirit.

Driving from here to there with Eva... and how she knows EVERYBODY in every house on every corner, on every street.

Cobb Salad, "Place and Bake" cookies, and late night laughter with Seinfeld.

An unexpected girls trip to Tennessee Quilts and stopping for pictures all along the way.  

A breakfast stop at the Rally Mart for biscuits and how everyone already knows each other in this tiny little mountain town and wanted to know who we were too.

How all of us girls wanted to talk at once because there is so much to say when you have so much in common.

How Eva introduced me to everyone as her "cousin" even though I am just an "in-law-cousin-twice removed" by marriage.

Stopping for pictures at the Carter Fold and learning all the stories of the sites along the way.

This fabulous quilt store!

How Eva bought a stack of vintage prints and how we sat in the evening and cut them into squares for her first quilt.

Peachy Teas and Frenchy Fries at Pals.

The drive back through Bristol, by the speedway and hopping into "Short Sheets" only to discover the entire line of the storybook prints for 30% off the already marked down price!!!

How the owners just moved to Bristol from Greenville and have family in Anderson.  Our conversation about quilting.

All the sights and sounds of the mountainside; deer in the apple orchard, fawns frolicking about, skunks and groundhogs, honeybees and crickets...all the squawking birds.... it's delightful!

Mike and Eva and their gracious hospitality and delight to let us enjoy it all at their homestead for the weekend.

Making homemade salsa.

Watching the afternoon rain with a coke and conversation.

Grilling out with grassfed beef and home-grown Yukon gold potatoes.... and homemade peach pie.  Yum!

An afternoon golf cart drive.

The girls sharpening their driving skills....

...this one drives a car in less than a year!  (Yikes!)

All the swinging bridges.

How he waited for the rain to stop so he and Andy could fish.

Riding bikes down the dirt road.

Meeting Neth, Oth's adopted brother from Ethiopia.  His gentle spirit, love for service and obvious heart for the Lord.  His delight to be the first "kill" in the greatly anticipated evening skunk hunt!

Our little guest suite above the garage.  

How the girls suited up to feed the bees.... with excitement and a little fear.

How Eva coached them in and out.

Victory over fear!  (A memorable experience, for sure!)

 Visiting this tiny church on the side of a mountain.... full of history and people who were glad we were there.

 How it just so happened that Laura Cash (Johnny Cash's daughter-in-law) was in town for the weekend and shared some tunes for the service.  As the two time winner of the National Fiddle Contest, she can make that fiddle sing.  What an unexpected treat!

A Sunday afternoon visit with Aunt Barbara (Nana's oldest sister...so dear and sweet) and her boys.

How Jonathan opened his little Sandwich Shoppe just for us and prepared homemade sandwiches and scrumptious tomato soup.  How we sat around and talked for 2 hours(!) visiting and catching up. 

For a weekend filled with memories... that will surely last a lifetime.



Please visit Eva's blog, Rivercliff Cottage, for her words about our trip and pages full of Mendota memories!  She shares lots of "wonderful" here!