Happy Birthday Momma!!

(This is my most recent pic of Momma. It was taken at DD's graduation. She is on the left, Daddy is in the middle and DH is on the right)


Today is my Momma's birthday. She is 60 years old.

She will probably never read this post because she doesn't own a computer. Unless me or my sister were to print it off for her, she just won't get to read it.

But...

That's not going to stop me from telling you a little about my Momma.

My Momma is only 15 years older than me. She was a very young bride...married at 13 and a very young Momma.

She stayed home with me until my first day of kindergarten, when she went to work, and except for a couple of layoffs and the 2 years she took off when my little sister was born, she's been working ever since.

She has been married to my Daddy for 46 years. Sometimes he can be a hard man to live with, but she has stood by his side through thick and thin..I hope he knows what a very blessed man he is to have a wife like her.

Momma has lived a rough life and it's easy to see that she's tired, but she is a strong woman.

She doesn't quit, never gives up. There have been so many times that, had I been dealing with what she's had to deal with, I would have just sat down and refused to get up again.

She's had many surgeries--one very serious one on her kidneys. She was stung very badly once and almost died right before my very eyes--that's when we found out she was allergic to bee stings...both of her parents have died, as has her older brother...and yet, she still gets up every day, trusting that it's going to be a good day, better than yesterday.

In my eyes, she's a very strong, amazing woman and I love her very much.

So...

Happy Birthday Momma!!! Love you muches!!

My Sweet Mother-in-Law

I have a wonderful mother-in-law!

This lady is one of the most selfless people I know.

In my house, our master bedroom is small. I mean, we don't spend that much time in there anyway, so who needs a lot of space? But, even then,it's a small room.

We have our bed, a couple of small bookshelves on either side of the bed that we also use as nightstands, a small entertainment center that holds some more books and a tv, a file cabinet and a way too large dresser.

The dresser was great at the beginning when we first got it. The old one we had was falling apart...literally. We'd had it much of our married life and it wasn't new when we got it.

So, I'd been in the market for a new-to-us dresser. (Don't pay full price folks....way too many people getting rid of perfectly good stuff at little or no cost!! Shop around!)

Actually, I was more in the market for an upright chest of drawers than a dresser. I could still have 5 drawers, but instead of taking up so much floor space, I'd be going up!

I've been looking for a couple of months now and what I found didn't fit what I needed (5 drawers), or the price was too high or it was in incredibly bad shape. So, I just didn't worry about it. I knew God would provide when the time was right.

Yesterday, I noticed that DH was a bit late getting home from work. He wasn't late enough for me to worry..just enough for me to start paying attention to the clock.
Soon, though, he pulled into the driveway and I noticed there was a really big something in the back of his Sidekick.

Upon closer observation out of my kitchen window, I realized what it was....a chest of drawers...and I knew where it had came from.

Ever since learning that I wanted a chest of drawers, my sweet mother-in-law has been on the hunt. She's found several, but not quite what I was wanting. Was I being picky??? A little maybe, but my reasoning was, why trade something I don't like for something I don't like??

She never gave up though and by reason of deduction, found what I was looking for at our local thrift store yesterday.

DH came in the house and said, "Someone loves you..."

I just smiled and said, "Your Mom found me a chest of drawers, didn't she?"

DH: "It's in really good shape. I think you'll be pleased."

One look in the back of his Sidekick and I knew she'd hit the jackpot! This thing was perfect. I may paint it in time, but for now it's great!! 5 big, deep drawers..just perfect.

We brought it in the house and I got on the phone to thank this sweet lady.

She just laughed and laughed and said, "I'm so glad you like it! Just let me know when you want something, I'll do my best to find it."

And she will. She's a very frugal lady....more so than I am even, and I've learned a lot from her in 25 plus years of being in her family.

So, I don't know if this precious lady will ever read this post. The internet gives her headaches...but I just want you all to know that I am totally blessed with a mother-in-law that loves me and treats me like I'm one of her own daughters!!

Love ya Mom!!!

We Celebrate!!!!...again!

So..today is a day of celebration, yet again, in our household.

Today, my baby, my 16 year old son, my last born..became the proud owner of an Alabama state driver's license!!

I'm happy for him. I really, really am. He is a good, confident-without being cocky-driver. He most definitely earned that license. He is so thrilled and has already taken his solo run to Jack's to get a milkshake..and a job application! Oh my...where has the time gone?

Only yesterday he was a tiny baby, completely helpless, needing Mom and Dad for everything. Today, he can drive by himself and while he still needs us, it is becoming less and less.

When Beth got her license and job, it was hard...very hard....but I guess with this one being my baby it is a complete reality check.

I find myself wanting to run up to every mom with kids under the age of 10 and tell them to hold tight! enjoy! don't take anything for granted! this will all be a memory too fast! Would they listen? Probably not. I didn't and I'm pretty sure most of you didn't either.

I'm so thankful that I was blessed to be a stay at home mom. I'm so thankful that I was blessed to be able to homeschool my kids and to be able to spend every single day watching them and having continuous opportunities to join in on everything they were doing. My heart breaks for those Moms who have to sacrifice that time. I pray that they will make the most of the time they are blessed with.

Anyway...celebrate with us!! Our son is legal and our insurance premiums just skyrocketed!!!!

Blessings.....

Suppertime Conversation

I am incredibly thankful for the conversation around our table at suppertime.

The one thing we've always done is eat supper together. As the kids have gotten older and started part time jobs, this has sometimes been a challenge, but as often as we can, we make sure and eat together as a family. If you're not at work, you'll be at home eating supper with the family...that's just the way it is.

At our house, the meal is seldom fancy. Last night it was tacos. The kids (and Beth's boyfriend) sat the table while I finished up the meal and Philip tried to collect himself after a long day at work. For me, it is very rewarding to sit down to the table after cooking a meal~no matter how difficult or simple~and look around the table at your family.

Someone prays thanking God for His wonderful blessings. You can always tell what kind of day the person praying has had. Sometimes the prayers are just blessings on the food~that would usually be our 15 year old, Zack. Sometimes the prayers are thankfulness for the accomplishments of the day and the food~usually me. With Philip and Beth though, the ones that work outside the home, the prayers will reflect their day and after "Amen", the conversation begins. Food is passed around and the conversation is always busy. It can be lively or serious. It can begin with a, "How was your day?"

Last night was no exception. Chris, Beth's boyfriend of 14 months prayed and the conversation turned to his upcoming trip this week to spend Thanksgiving with extended family.

From there it progressed to how Beth should approach her old boss about getting her old job back.

Philip shared about his day and the fact that it was a better than usual day.

Zack shared about his girlfriend getting her permit and needing to go to Birmingham to pick out her Christmas present.

Me...I mostly listened. I listened to the bonding. I listened to my daughter go to her dad for advice. I listened to Chris, who, when he first started dating Beth, thought our supper table sounded like chaos..."So many conversations going at once!"...interjecting his opinions and sharing the plans he has for his very immediate future. In the 14 months they've been dating, he's decided that when he has his own family, he wants it to be open and close like ours~how humbling...I watched as Zack and Chris "fought" over the shredded cheese and taco sauce.

I laughed as Chris pretended he didn't have a root beer for Beth when he came back in from the kitchen to get a napkin.

After our meal, as I was washing dishes, I listened to the rustling of the newspaper as my husband continued to unwind from his day.

I listened to the laughter from Chris and Zack as they cleared off the table and I enjoyed the conversation with my daughter as she helped me clean the kitchen back up.

Sometimes, I feel that we open up the most and grow the closest when we're eating supper. Why? I believe it's because we are all together at one time..not each going their own way. I believe it's a time when we actually are sitting down and we all have each other's attention. I believe it's because the TV is off and the telephone is ignored.

No, it's not as easy as it was to organize supper as a family as it was when the kids were younger, but I am so thankful that it was something we didn't leave optional as a new family. Now, almost 18 years later, we are reaping the blessings of making family..our family.. a priority.

If you don't already, start tonight eating supper together. You may have to eat a little later or a little earlier. You may have to fix something quick because of somewhere someone needs to be..or better yet, drag out that crock pot. You can have an awesome meal with little effort. Whatever you do, put forth that effort to sit your family down together one time a day. You will be amazed at how close your family will become!!

Blessings.....

Christmas Gifts for Mom and Dad

Getting back to Christmas gifts...

For our parents, we normally do purchase gifts. Why? Simply because, more often than not, they don't spend on themselves even though they have no children living at home now.

Usually we get the moms something they "are in to".
For Philip's mom, that could be just about anything. My mother-in-law has a wide variety of things she just loves and she's a very crafty person. We've gotten her everything from yarn to rose bushes to decorative rocks!! She's always been thrilled and put it to quick use.

My mom won't buy herself anything. She really loves pretty things for her house though. We've gotten her clothes to what-nots to magazine subscriptions.

Philip's stepdad retired from John Deere and so I start early each year looking for some kind of unique John Deere "stuff". Amazingly, it is very easy to find!

My dad is a man who like oddities. The wierder (?) it is, the better he likes it. We've gotten him everything from a can crusher to a basket of pickled vegetables to different kinds of hot sauces.

Most of the time, we spend less than $10 for each parent, which is a grand total of only $40. If I'm patient, I can find many things on clearance or at dollar stores which stretches those dollars even farther.

My advice on buying gifts for your parents, whether it's for Christmas or some other holiday, is just to be observant. Now that I'm a parent myself, I fully understand that I don't want my children to go out and spend their hard earned money on me. I am just as happy with a small gift, whether purchased or handmade, that they put some thought and love into.

Next time I'll discuss gifts for our married and single brothers and sisters.

Blessings....