Thought Thursday Giveaway

MCC Designs and The Beaufort Lookout have partnered for a giveaway of free personalized items, deadline next Tuesday October 5th.  You can get 6 entries for the giveaway:

1. Become a follower of The Beaufort Lookout which I already was.

2. Become a follower of Melissa's blog - Create the Live you Love. (which I did)

3. Become a follower of my daughter's blog - Pink, Pearls, and a Southern Girl. (which I already was)

(ironically, Melissa's goddaughter & my daughter have the same monogram!

4. Become a follower of MCC Designs on Facebook. (which I did)

5. Post about the giveaway on your blog and let me know you did with a link back to your post. (which I'm doing now) 

P.S.  You must enter comments on The Beaufort Lookout to verify entries.

You can enter too, just do it before the 5th!!!

The Peacemaker

Today is my daughter's birthday.  She is 19.  She was born at a rather tumultuous time for us, only 10.5 months behind her brother.  Irish twins (as they are called) are more difficult in my opinion than regular twins because they are at different developmental stages.  She was trying to hold her head up and he was trying to walk.  She was trying to sit up and he was getting into everything.  What a challenge!!  But we picked the right name for this jewel for our family, Rebekah, which means peacemaker.  She has been one for our family of 5 and for her friends too.  My little peacemaker will have many jewels in her crown one day in glory.  She is such a "JOY" to me...my Rebekah Joy!!!

The SignPost

Today's sermon was about Esther, one of my favorite stories in the Bible.  I've never quite heard it like JD put it but he shined a new light on it for sure.  He had a lot to say about her and what she did but one thing I captured was this, she was a signpost, a signpost to our example, Jesus Christ.  I also drew the conclusion that WE should be a signpost for others to see, pointing the way to Jesus through Holy Spirit of course but notice our responsibility.  Signposts are there to notify people of upcoming things, of changes to come.  I want to be a signpost.

Lesson in Life

This is one lesson I have learned in life and I'd like to pass on to all my friends who have younger children...

Babies Don’t Keep
by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing, make up the bed,
Sew on a button and butter the bread.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I’ve grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,
Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo
The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew
And out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo
But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo
Look! Aren’t his eyes the most wonderful hue?
Lullabye, rockaby lullabye loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
But children grow up as I’ve learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!
I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.

3 Weeks to Go

3 weeks until my fall scrapbooking retreat.  I really can't wait.  D-Town is getting old these days and I am needing a break from the monotony of day-to-day life which isn't so day-to-day.  The routines of the days seem to be handling the fires that come up and fighting off the battles.  It seems to be something from every aspect of life so I really can't wait to get away to that quiet room with no tv, just a sweet roomie, to that giant scrapbooking room full of fun friends all itching to just have fun and be friendly, to that cafeteria full of tantalizing treats sure to make me gain 10 lbs.  LOL  It will be a relaxing ride of only 1.5 hrs (unless we take the scenic route) and then on to unpacking our things and hitting the books.  I can't wait to get started on my memories and the fun of decorating them into beautiful scrapbooks which will bring hours of fun for my family.  The joy it brings my family is worth every cent and every minute it takes me.  I love scrapbooking!!

Again My Heart Breaks

It seems to be a recurring theme for me these days but once more my heart is breaking.  This time it is for my husband and his side of the family.  They are going through such a difficult time these days with his parents; it just breaks my heart.  Watching his heart break everytime he talks to them or about them is crushing me.  Today he visited with them and he decided it would be best if we sent them back to KY and let them have their way even though they can't tend to themselves or their affairs.  He even said the danger of it would be worth it not to see her so unhappy.  So I ask you, which is truly worse?  I am scared to think of what will happen if they return and how it will affect my sweet husband.  I pray that soon my blog will begin to show the happier side of my life until then...pls pray for my family!!

Celebration of Life

I attended a celebration of life yesterday for Joan Francis.  I didn't know Joan very well except through her daughter Rae who is a friend of my daughter.  I learned a lot about this beautiful person during this exercise of love as her family celebrated her life and her accomplishments and her victory in Jesus!  I listened in awe at the words of her husband along with the 800-900 others present at the service.  This man truly loved this woman.  She lived out the Proverbs 31 description for a woman.  I hope that when my time comes such words are evoked on my behalf.  From this day forth, I will strive to become a better person, wife, mother and daughter and most of all woman of God.  R.I.P. Joan Francis.  God bless you, Francis Family.

Full of Tears

My heart and eyes are full of tears as I write this.  Another angel has made the trip to heaven and is rejoicing at the feet of Jesus.  While this picture makes me smile the pain of this loss leaves me speechless.  I  find myself clinging to my Lord and to my own family, wishing my girls were home.  Didn't I just go through this just a couple of weeks ago?  Yes, we experienced the death of a teenage friend recently and I went through similar feelings then.  In March, my grandfather passed away so these feelings are not new to me this year.  Sadness seems to be rampant in my life these days.  I find myself clinging to the Scripture, "Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted." Matt 5:4.  I know my Comforter, Holy Spirit, is here for me, and He is continuing to comfort me.  He has brought me through each of these instances and this one will be no exception.  I am confident in my Saviour for He sent the Comforter and one day He will return for me and I will be reunited with those we have lost who have loved Him.  Joan, I will see you one day smiling with our Jesus!!  Love to the Francis family.

Are You Ready for Some Football?

As the NFL kicks off tonight, IS am surprised to find myself thrilled.  It's not that I'm not a football fan...I just usually find movies far more entertaining.  Is that true??  No!!  You can find many genres of  drama on the football field -- drama (that's for sure), action, adventure, animation (just watch after a good play) biography, comedy, crime(LOL, not really funny), family(this is questionable), history, horror, news, reality, thriller, and war.  The only thing missing is the romance and most folks love their team so I guess that counts as romance.  I am also thrilled bc my son is home until March which means I get to watch the entire season with him and my husband.  So let me say again, are you ready for some football???  I know I am!!!! :-)

A Sad State of Affairs

It is quite sad to realize that one day we all will probably get to the age and state that we can't take care of ourselves.  I witnessed this firsthand today as I sat with my inlaws all day in a cozy little apartment watching the Game Show Network and watching them sleep in between fits of complaining about their aches and pains.  Not that they were complainers, they just couldn't help themselves.  Mom's arms are so arthritic she can't use them and she had a headache and something wrong with her eye and her knee was bothering her.  Dad just couldn't remember things from one moment to the next.  It was so sad to watch that I am crying inside, weeping at the pain we are in.  I call out to my Father and beg for His guidance for us all.  We have some tough decisions to make quickly.  I call on you, my fellow bloggers, for prayer and advice.  They can't stay alone, that much is clear; but what to do with them and where to put them is unclear.  They want to remain in their home in Louisville and they can't without supervision.  We want them here so we can take care of them.  They do not want to be here.  HELP!!!!

See Jesus Above All Else

Zaccheus was a wee little man
And a wee little man was he.
He climbed up in a sycamore tree
For the Lord he wanted to see.

The crowd was full of hypocrites
Who denied him access to
The Savior's gospel on that day
Would the crowd deny you?

But Jesus looked up and saw him there
Just as He sees you and me
Would you persist or would I to
Climb over the crowd into that tree?

Sometimes the only way we can see
Jesus is from that tree
Where our eyes are focused on the one and only
Jesus the Nazarene.

Enuf Said

Bekah is coming home tonight and Caleb is here.  Wish Julie was here.  Enuf said.  :-) <3 <3