Potpourri of Praise

Fall Carnival.....

2011-10-31T06:56:00.000-05:00

Each year, our church hosts a fall carnival as an outreach to the community (and also to serve our own children). It has been prayed and fasted over...that MANY...young and old..would be reached by a smile, a kind word, a hot dog served or a hay ride offered. Many attended and many connections were made. Bruce got to work at the hay ride...I worked the toilet paper toss..and Abigail wanted to work this year, using her artistic ability to paint faces. We were so pleased that she was eager to minister to others, even though she is still learning what this means (but aren't we all??)

She decided to dress up though..and wanted to be a Japanese singer..a very specific one. When she brought me the photo, I knew we would not be finding this costume ready made anywhere. But, she and I put our heads together and with some thrift store shopping and creativity....we came up with a pretty close likeness :)

A blessing....

2011-10-24T21:01:00.000-05:00

God is SO faithful and kind :) One blessing in my life recently has been the opportunity to work at LLCA, where Abigail attends school. She is attending 6th grade there and has adjusted so well....that easy adjustment has truly been a "God-thing" in so many ways. But, for me, I have had the opportunity to work with students in various capacities as a substitute teacher....children as young as 3 and as old as 18. From the time I arrive until the time I leave, I enjoy myself....am filled with joy and laughter and truly enjoy spending time with every age group/class I go into. It was my desire to work in a part time capacity.....so that I could be more flexible and available to Abigail as she transitioned to a new school situation. But, it is apparent that she is into the routine now...and I know what I need to do to assist her...so I am ready to be more available if the school needs me in a more 'consistent' role.
I am so excited to see what opportunities the Lord will have for me in the future. This school has truly been a blessing, and I am SO grateful to be able to spend many days a month with such precious students, co-workers, support staff and administrators :)

Great time with some great ladies!!

2011-09-26T06:12:00.000-05:00

Two weekends ago, I had a wonderful opportunity to sit under the teaching of Beth Moore via a local simulcast. Some other ladies from our church hopped in a van and we headed to a nearby church to soak up the Word and join in worship :) What a great day it was! I enjoyed getting to know these ladies better and I truly felt that Beth's message was directed right at my heart.

Summer Camp

2011-09-14T07:31:00.001-05:00

One of the FUN things that happened this summer, was that Abigail got to go back to Camp Ponderosa with a few friends from church. This is a wonderful camp in Mentone, Alabama. The children left on a Sunday afternoon and returned on a Friday afternoon. Bruce and I were doubly blessed with a date night during her absence AND by being able to pick up all the boys and girls who attended from our church, take them to lunch and return them to Huntsville. The children get to do crafts, outdoor activities, swimming, and much more all while having many opportunties to experience worship in various styles and formats. She is pictured (second from the left) with her cabin mates. With the exception of the third girl from the left, the first six are from our church. There were also three boys from our church as well. They are the 2nd and 3rd from the right on the first row and #11 shirt on the back row.

A few highlights.....

2011-09-14T07:19:00.000-05:00

No...life did not STOP at the Aquila household on June 17, but I did not take a lot of photos after that time. The summer got busy with camp, going to back to school preparations, and then school actually starting. Since then, we have had a birthday and a few other things thrown in, all while I have been working several days as a substitute teacher and while assisting Abigail in making the transition from homeschooling to traditional schooling. But, now we have reached September 14....and maybe things are going to balance out just a bit??? Maybe????

More posts coming soon...I promise!!

22 years....really!?!?!?

2011-06-19T20:31:00.000-05:00

How can it be?? Twenty-two years ago on June 17.....we said "I DO". We had a wonderful anniversary...Grandma kept our sweet daughter...and we had the evening to ourselves. So, we enjoyed dinner at Connor's, exchanged cards, looked thru our wedding album (and had a few laughs at the hairstyles and clothing of the late 1980's), and enjoyed a bit of tv time (what WE wanted to watch). Of course Saturday was spent doing housework and yardwork and laundry.....but still...we enjoyed our evening and day together :) Yep...we are pretty simple people.....but we are very grateful for the years God has given us together...the blessings and even the lessons He has taught us through the trials. I think we would both honestly say..we love each other more today than we did on that steamy humid June day at Shiloh Baptist Church in LaFayette, Georgia :) And....we are looking forward to the next 22 years!!!

PS--June 17 is a pretty special day in our family. We chose to get married on my mom's 46th birthday..and six years later (on our 6th wedding anniversary and mom's 52nd birthday) my brother and sister in law got married :) Needless to say, mom will never forget her children's wedding anniversaries--LOL! Every now and then, Father's Day ALSO falls on June 17.

Mother's Day 2011

2011-06-09T09:15:00.000-05:00

Every year, we take a picture of ourselves in front of this door..just to see how much Abigail is growing. As you can see, she is getting pretty tall...she is now only about 1.5 inches shorter than I am, though it is a bit hard to tell in this photo since I am leaning in and she is standing extremely tall (and up on her toes just a bit ). Don't be shocked if she is as tall as I am when I post next year's photo!!

Banana Car!

2011-06-04T07:35:00.000-05:00

Each year, we end the AWANA year with a grand prix race. Each child designs a car...whatever they choose..and with help from Mr. Richard and Mr. Steve..the creation become a reality. This year, Abigail chose to make a banana!! Her car won third place in the most creative category :)

putting the car on the track for a race...

Abigail and buddy, MacKenzie with her "scroll" car (it was an honorable mention)....

part of the TNT group...MacKenzie, Julie, Abigail, Sarah, Andrew, Corey...at the awards ceremony

One Month Ago, Today.....

2011-05-26T17:14:00.000-05:00

one street south of us....broken trees...one was on her car I think..but the bulk of it landed just behind her car....and only the smaller branches landed on her vehicle....not ONE scratch..she was giving glory to God for this

one of many trees uprooted on Stovall Rd., just across Wall Triana from us

some of the utter destruction where the tornado touched down on a road about 200 yards from our neighborhood--this WAS a hosue

one street south of us..our back yard-kittycorner neighbor...both of her trees were uprooted like this..but they have re-rooted them

this piece of bark was sucked off a tree and thrown into the street near our house...we were fascinated at how the holes were there...maybe the bark was pulled off after the branches..or pulled off over the branches?? We saw all kinds of things...

another sight on Stovall (where Yarbrough comes in)....the stop sign had been totally upright before the storms...and the house in the background was damaged badly as was the one just west of it

yet in our own yard, we only lost a single branch?? wow!

another one of our neighbor's lost a tree..very common sight in our neighborhood...as well as a lot of flood damage..

huge tree down in the Ford's Chapel UMC cemetary..they also lost a part of their building and steeple

a 'glob' of hail that fell during the 11:30 a.m. storm....when we lost our power (it was not restored for 7 days)

rescue workers keeping order at FCUMC..if you look closely you will see the steeple in the left....the remaining part of the brick building just to the right of that and a 'gap' where the building fell. The new building is still intact...but the church did have a lot of damage to it.

a truck just outside our neighborhood...a utility pole fell on it during the storm...the ridges in the lower part of the photo are the downed utility lines

the fence at the south entrance of our neighborhood..blown down by the storm..just behind that is the remains of the treeline along our creek

...was a field across the road from the entrance to our subdivision....flooding was pretty bad the day of the storm and a few days after

One month ago today, we had tornadoes come through our area. These photos were taken the day of and the day after. They were taken in my neighborhood and on the street just across the road where the tornado touched down. We are grateful that we were not hurt, though we have just discovered some possible damage to our home as a result of the storm (possible crack in water pipes/cracks in exterior wall) that we are dealing with now. We survived seven days without power :) and even learned to like it (a little bit!!).

Proud Mommy!!

2011-05-24T11:49:00.000-05:00

As I looked over my daughter's final assignments for the year and graded them, I did so with a bit of sadness and a bit of pride as well. She has finished FIFTH grade...has demonstrated Christlikness throughout the year (as recognized by others such as coaches, leaders/teachers in other arenas of her life)...has scored above average on her SAT's....has finished the year with a 97 average on her core subjects including Latin. She has learned a lot, and has the skills to transition into a wonderful school environment next year! I am very proud of my elementary school graduate....she is now ready for the middle school years. This photo was taken on her last day at school at Wall Highway Christian Academy, as she participated in the watermelon eating contest. She did not win..but she surely did have fun :)

What a wonderful man!!

2011-05-23T07:36:00.002-05:00

At 83 years of age, he really does not look all the different than he did when I first met him back in the 1970's as a sixth grader. Yes....my elementary school started band in sixth grade, though some got to start in fifth grade, and I was a very eager learner. I wanted to play sax, but he needed more clarinets at the time and he said I could easily switch later. I never did :) While I learned music theory, music skills and counting under his tenure as a director, more importantly, I learned confidence and I learned that I should never give up and that I should practice until my skills were honed to perfection (or pretty close) . He had high standards...and pushed us individually and as a group to be our best. First chair was my goal and I fought to earn it. I practiced a LOT, attended a lot of festivals and even earned numerous medals for individual and small group performances at competitions in addition to attending all district band a few times. One of the highest honors I got, was a scholarship to attend a honor band at the University of Georgia one summer to hone my skills along with a few other LHS students. Mr. Lamborn had chosen ME as a top student. I was honored and humbled to get to attend. At one point, I even auditioned for a college scholarship in clarinet....and was offered an opportunity to pursue that, and I am certain that it was because of the love of music and the skills HE taught me. However, I chose to pursue an academic scholarship and go into early childhood/elementary education instead.....not so far from what he did, but a bit more marketable degree for a single (at that time) young lady :) I still found that music worked its way into a LOT of my classroom ventures though!! And still, to this day, I teach private music lessons.

He had very structured classroom procedures (but with 150+ kids in a class..you HAVE to) and I liked it then (deep down inside--LOL!) and I like it now...so much so, that I use many of the same concepts in my own classroom teaching.

He had SUCH an impact on so many..such a kind heart...giving to those who needed (but doing so in a way that no one knew..just NOW the stories are pouring out)....giving encouragement to students who except for band probably would not have finished school...giving a place to ALL students...in band it did not matter if you were rich or poor, black or white, straight A's or a struggling student..EVERYONE was important!! We all worked together :)

This article is a nice one...and long overdue...however.....he did serve 28 years (not 23 as it states)...for a total of about 30 years in public education! What a difference he made during this time!!! Teachers, be encouraged! You CAN and DO make a difference!!!!!

This article (below) appeared in the Sunday, May 22 Chattanooga, TN paper. Enjoy!

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/may/22/lafayette-band-director-has-earned-enduring-respec/

God's Beauty...

2011-05-21T14:38:00.000-05:00

Bruce was recently in Canada for a business trip. After working daily for 1.5 weeks...often until 1 or 2 a.m.....he and his co-workers were able to stop by Niagara Falls on the way back to their hotel after the final day with the clients. Isn't God's creation beautiful? Please pray that their hard work will pay off and the contract will be won, as it will really help his company.

Changes ahead.....

2011-05-17T08:20:00.000-05:00

As many of you may know, our family has big changes ahead. This photo of Abigail, her fifth grade class photo, was taken at Wall Highway Christian Academy in April. WHCA is a school that serves homeschoolers...we meet together for classes and do things that children normally do in a traditional school setting, but on a less frequent basis. (Weekly classes vs. daily ones for example).

However, after six years at WHCA and six year of homeschooling, the Lord has made it very clear that we are to move away from homeschooling for now and move ahead to a different type of schooling. So, beginning next year, Abigail will be a part of a traditional school body as she moves into sixth grade. We are excited that we have found such a wonderful school...a private school that is focused on good education, building character, building relationships, and having respect for everyone. She will get opportunities in art, music, pe, writing and many other areas in addition to the basic core subjects. Since she is fascinated with learning Japanese and possibly with learning electric guitar, we will provide those opportunities outside the school environment (as it does not appear her school will be able to offer them at this time). We will keep you updated on her progress..but we are sure she will do just great! We have already met the principal and teachers and we know that she is truly blessed to be going to LLCA!!!

Soccer girl :)

2011-05-10T22:48:00.000-05:00

What fun Abigail has had playing UPWARD Soccer this spring! Though she has done this many seasons before, this has probably been her best season ever. Coach Kuhn has done a WONDERFUL job of teaching the children some fundamentals...but also being a great encourager and Christian leader. Abigail's confidence has grown and she has learned to enjoy playing the position of goalie. She has only one more year of eligibility left. We will request that she be put on Coach Kuhn's team again next year!! Her last game will be this Saturday, followed by an awards ceremony...then we will hang up the cleats once again. Seems like the season just started!!

Easter Weekend.....

2011-05-09T09:02:00.001-05:00

What a blessing it is to serve at West Huntsville Baptist Church! On Good Friday and Easter Sunday morning, we were able to participate in a very moving drama called "Bow the Knee" for the second year in a row. Bruce was "Marcus"..a pretty nasty guy. Abigail was in the crowd scenes and sang along with the choir and I was a crowd extra, sang with the choir and had the honor of singing a solo called Via Dolorosa. This picture of our family was taken just before the Sunday morning performance.

This very moving photo was taken during the crucifixion scene. You could not watch this or participate in it and not be moved.

Mom and Dad came over for lunch after the Sunday performance :) We are so glad to have a visit with them.

This was during the beginning of the Via Dolorosa scene...as Christ is being made to carry his cross..and as he falls. Our crowd is visibly reacting..and I have to be honest...it was very hard to see and hear what was happening and still sing through it...but what an honor to do so!!

I did it!!!

2011-04-27T11:15:00.000-05:00

Yes! I did it!! I finally did a camera dump so I have LOTS of photos on the computer :) And, I am ready to create blog updates. Why is is that I get lazy and just fail to hook the camera to the computer to show you what's going on in our lives???

Well, here is one update....Abigail got NEW glasses. Her vision has changed a great deal since her last eye exam a little over a year ago. At that time she was about 20/80, but now she is 20/150. She is pretty near sighted!!! So, we got NEW glasses and she can watch tv and play her wii and read street signs without squinting!!!

Wait!?!?!?!

2011-03-03T08:50:00.000-06:00

I thought I had posted at least 2-3 times in 2011...only to find the first two months of this year have slipped past me without a post at all :( Where did the time go?

Well, in January we had snow...and it was nice because we never lost power. We also managed to plug away at school, so our calendar will still allow us to end at mid May as originally planned. I also had my annual Crop Til You Drop retreat..getting a lot of pages done in my own albums. Most of the ladies got a lot done as well. Each year I learn more about how to put together a retreat that works well for those who are in attendance...and many of the 'repeat' attendees commented that it was the best yet as far as their productivity.

In February, I turned 44 years old. The years just keep ticking away, but God is faithful and I am grateful for that. Overall I feel that I have good health and a caring family and friends as well.

During this time period, I also learned that we'd be having a reunion to honor our high school band director. I am very excited about this, as he was a very influential man in my life on so many levels. Going back to my hometown to join many former classmates in late April is something I am already looking forward to.

We are praying about schooling choices for Abigail next year as she enters sixth grade..and there is a good possibility that she will attend 'traditional' school after 6 years of being homeschooled. We are trusting God to open the doors to the right school as well as to part time employment for me to pay for her tuition. Trusting and waiting is not always an easy thing for me...so your prayers would be appreciated. There are so many good options out there....but we want HIS best for our family.

So..those are just a few of the things going on right now with us......Happy new year..a few months late!

ICE--a fun tradition

2010-12-24T10:23:00.000-06:00

The nativity at ICE (near the Opryland Hotel in Nashville, TN)

Abigail and Bruce before entering ICE

Abigail and Laura with Kris Kringle and Jessica (young Santa and Mrs. Santa before they were married)

Abigail at the beginning of the exhibit

Bruce and Abigail..soon after Baby Santa was found by the elves

We enjoy visiting Nashville each year around the holidays. This year we visited ICE again. The theme was Santa Claus is Coming to Town. The carvings were incredible..and boy was it cold..about 17-18 degrees!!! They issued us parkas to wear as we toured the exhibit. As usual, we had fun..but it was nice to exit into the balmy 30-something degree weather :)

Happy Birthday, Maddie!

2010-12-18T08:53:00.000-06:00

Most of the family--front row--Maddie (the birthday girl), Abigail and Ben; back row--Laura, Bruce, Grammy and Vincent (dad of birthday girl)

Grammy with the three grandkids

three silly grandkids...waiting for everyone to arrive so they could order and eat :)

Maddie turned 10 years old this week. We enjoyed a nice dinner at the Olive Garden with most of the family. These children are growing up WAY too fast. Happy birthday sweet Maddie!!

Adult One Sunday School Party

2010-12-12T15:44:00.001-06:00

Tony, Cindy, Sharon (background) and Joe look on as Loly opens her 'dirty Santa' gift....

Mike and Debbie wonder what could be in that package....maybe some more Santa shorts or a hat??

Bill, Scot, Kitty and Steve are watching poor Cheryl choose another gift..she held the record for being stolen from the most at the party that night....

What will Chris get????

George, Cindy and Suzanne.....

Bruce loved his hat..until CINDY took it :) but here he must be telling a story.....

...or opening another gift....

We had a wonderful time at our annual party! Thanks for hosting us Bill and Kathy!!

Running....

2010-12-11T09:24:00.000-06:00

Back in late September, Abigail attempted her first one mile "fun run". Considering that she did not train one bit, we were very proud of her for finishing the race :) Next year, we plan to train a bit beforehand..and I hope to run with her also.

Before....

During.....

Finish time...and getting a drink of good cold water :)

a few special memories...

2010-12-10T16:45:00.000-06:00

Our first year with Abigail......

The "kitty" ornament is the first year we were married....We finally got our tree decorated last Saturday....and as we did, I photographed a few special ornaments. Our tree is not 'themed' like so many beautiful ones that I see in magazines or on other blogs....and while I admire them, I doubt we'll ever imitate them. Our tree is beautiful to us because it is totally full of ornaments...and the vast majority of them have a story behind them. So, I guess our theme is 'sentimental' which works for us..... Our tree won't ever grace the pages of a magazine..but that's okay. It will always hold a special place in our hearts anyway.

Sick House.....

2010-12-06T09:23:00.000-06:00

Ugh...we have ALL been battling sinus/allergy stuff for the last several days. Abigail was first. She saw the doctor TWICE and walked away with an antibiotic, inhaler, decongestant with cough suppresant and nasal spray. She was pretty much laid out from Tuesday thru most of the weekend. The cough is lingering, but thankfully is not too bad. Bruce started feeling rough on Saturday. He has the same allergy/sinus induced symptoms. He is hoping to get in to see the doctor today. I am dealing with just sinus stuff and have been fighting with everything in my personal arsenal to keep it at bay. The oil of oregano and nasal flush is helping me..and I am trying to get extra rest. Thankfully I don't seem to feel quite as bad as either of them because SOMEONE has to be the nurse. At least we are not contagious...just feeling icky :(

Thankful Thursday.....

2010-11-25T08:14:00.000-06:00

Well, another Thanksgiving has arrived. It does not seem like it could possibly be November 25, 2010. Where has this year gone!?!?!?!? As I sit here typing, my 20+ pound turkey is finishing up in the oven, my potatoes are ready to go into the pot to start cooking and I still need to mop the kitchen floor..but, it's only 7:45 a.m.....so I have a little time :)

I cannot adequately express my thankfulness....words fail me miserably. But, I am thankful to God for giving me life and a family, friends and a wonderful church family that are such a blessing to me and give me great places/opportunities to serve (which I love to do).

I am thankful for a husband who is caring and understanding. He is supportive and a hard worker....and Godly man who cares for our family. He has had to deal with a lot and overlook a lot since my recent surgery as I have not had an easy recovery...and I am still adjusting to life with artificial hormones. But, he has handled it (and me) with grace when so many spouses would not not have done so.

I am thankful for our daughter, who is really becoming quite a young lady. She is eleven and plays the part well (for better or for worse), but I have seen her mature in so many ways in recent months. I am proud of her and thankful for her kind and helpful spirit when that shines through. Her sense of humor is incredible...and I am SO glad that God gave her to us.

I am grateful for my health. It's not perfect...but at one point this year, I was concerened about a mass. We were relieved to learn after a LONG wait from pathology that it was not malignant. And, even with another recent procedure...even though we were not too concerned about a blockage/tumor causing the symptoms I was having, it was nice to get that 100% confirmation..again nothing of that sort. Yes.....I am facing some challenges that still have to be ironed out....but nothing that is life threatening...and for that, I am grateful :)

I am thankful for my parents and my mother in law as well as other family members who are so kind and loving and supportive.

I am thankful for the freedom to make a school choice...and at this time, we have felt led to homeschool Abigail. I am also grateful that I am blessed to teach two outside classes (American History and Latin) of which Abigail is a part....as well as teaching piano and voice lessons to several children. I love teaching in various capacities and working with such WONDERFULLY sweet children.

I am thankful for friends near and far...and for things like Facebook and email that have allowed me to reconnect or simply help me stay closer to those who are my friends when I cannot always see them in person due to schedules that just don't mesh as often as we'd like.

I am grateful for scrapbooking...my most favorite hobby and part time business as it has brought me many friends and an opportunity to relive many memories as I commit them to the pages of a book. It also allows me the opportunity to set up 'memorial stones' (Joshua 4:7) for my child and future grand children/great grandchildren....to share what God has done in our lives as a family.

I could go on and on....but my turkey needs to be tended to as do other lunch duties.......so I will stop for now.

But, I will say, that I am grateful...so grateful for God's love for me...and all that He has done for me and through me.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!!!

lazy bones.....

2010-11-04T18:01:00.000-05:00

Two weeks have passed since my surgery (well actually two weeks and two days)...and I still feel like a big old LAZY BONES!!! I returned to the doctor for my post-operative visit on Monday (a bit earlier than scheduled..because I thought an incision was infected). While the incisions were healing pretty well to the outside... I learned that the stitches that were supposed to be dissolved were not cooperating...thus causing some issues..not really an infection, but an inflammation. So, Dr. Purvis removed those stitches and that problem was solved :) I also had been battling a secondary infection since just after the surgery (unbeknownst to me). It was fairly mild until last Friday...but enough to make me feel a little icky and finally escalating to a point that I was having some pretty notable symptoms.

Now I am on antibiotics for the infection and meds for the spasms....and if I can just get over this allergy/sinus stuff, I think I will be feeling almost normal again!

At the visit, I got my pathology report and praise the LORD!!!! the mass was not malignant...though it was large (half the size of the ovary) and the type of mass it was is known to be quite painful.

I will return for a follow up visit two weeks from today...and we'll discuss my next round of treatment. Every case is different....and in my situation (because of age and family history) I have decided to follow the protocol until I reach my 50's unless there is something that pops up along the way to let us know that is not wise.

My advice to anyone reading....listen to your doctor...but also know your body and do your homework..then prayerfully make the choice as to how you will proceed.

Happy Birthday, Grammy!!

2010-11-01T13:58:00.000-05:00

Today is Grammy's birthday! (Bruce's mom) I won't say how old she is....but I will say that she seems WAY younger than her years!!! We love you and we are blessed to have you as a part of our family :)

It's almost here....

2010-10-18T08:34:00.000-05:00

Well, tomorrow, Tuesday (October 19) is the big day--LOL! If you don't mind saying a prayer for me around 8:30 am central time, that is when my surgery will be taking place. Bruce will be calling the church and posting on my facebook page when the surgery is over....so you can get updates there. He will also call the house and tell my parents/Abigail the lastest so they can field a call from anyone who cannot get it from the church or facebook. As soon as I am able, I will update here as well.

I think I have tended to most of the little details...at least the ones I can think of :) Some very gracious friends have offered to provide meals for 3 different nights...and mom will be cooking another night too (before they return home). I have stockpiled a few meals in the freezer as well.....that is one benefit of having a little bit of advance notice on a surgery. With that help, Abigail and Bruce assisting with cooking and household chores and other friends who have offered to help if needed, I know we will get through the recovery without any problems.

But mostly, I am completely overwhelmed by the number of people who have told me that they would be praying.....that is more special than anything.

Through a special set of circumstances at church yesterday, a friend of mine shared her testimony as a part of the morning service. She invited some of those instrumental in her care (who were nurses at the hospital employees) got to be there to hear it. The Lord used that as an encouragement to me...because one of them will be working tomorrow morning and will get to be my recovery room nurse. She is a beautiful believer too :) And, I think God gave me a little 'hug from heaven' in getting to meet her ahead of time and let her know to be looking for me. And, I learned that upon arrival I can request Sherry....and I will.

Thanks again for your prayers.

Looking ahead....ugh...

2010-10-05T17:25:00.000-05:00

While I am glad that the pain will be gone (at least once I pass the recovery phase), I am not really looking forward to Oct. 19. The reason..I am facing surgery (BOS) . These are the initials of a really long string of scientific words that basically amount to one thing....I will have both ovaries removed..so in essence, my hysterectomy of 6 years ago will be more or less 'completed.'

With this surgery, I will face some choices...as I have learned that there are risks with choosing to take hormones and with refusing them as well (due to my age). If I were 50 or older, it would not be a factor.

So, please pray for wisdom in decision making, the least invasive type of incision, and the quickest/best recovery as well as a clear report from pathology (you know everything removed during surgery goes there..it does not mean the doctor suspects anything bad).

If everything goes as planned, I will be able to come home the same day and I will have a few small incisions with only about a one week ban on driving and hopefully not too much longer after that before I feel back to normal.

Also, please pray that I will remember all the details I need to tend to before surgery and that they will be taken care of easily :) I am making my list and checking it twice...but somehow it seems to be growing...how does THAT happen???

Thanks in advance for your thoughts and prayers!!

Birthday Fun..the Slumber Party

2010-09-25T11:32:00.000-05:00

all of the attendees.....M, Mac, S, J, Abigail, A and E.....

Abigail requested banana pudding as her birthday dessert for the party with her friends. We also had dominos pizza for dinner.

This was taken around 8 a.m. on Saturday morning....when they were actually sleeping. I suspect some of them had only been asleep for a few hours.

"Craft Time"...we each made a scrapbook page to go in Abigail's scrapbook. They got to tell something special about Abigail or something they like about her...or simply how they met her/their first impression of her. I also took a photo of each girl with Abigail at the party to add to the page. They left a spot on the page for this as well. I know this will be very special.

Abigail got many wonderful gifts from her friends, one of which was this shirt.

What else did we do at the party?? We had a scavenger hunt (in teams). We decorated pillow cases. We played Mad Libs (Shrek version). The girls ate and ate and ate...and talked and giggled. They also watched a dvd and made up their own games...and just had fun :)

A few snapshots from our eleven year old's big day...

2010-09-23T20:52:00.000-05:00

So sweet and pretty too :)

I just love these photos....taken on Abigail's eleventh birthday.

Happy birthday, Abigail!

2010-09-12T21:05:00.000-05:00

Yes! Today, Abigail turned eleven years old! I have LOTS of photos to show from her slumber party with six buddies on Friday....to her family gathering on Saturday.....to some great great GREAT photos taken today of just her being HER!!! But, alas, I have not dumped my camera yet. So, for now, I will say, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Abigail and a huge thank you to a wonderful young lady who so graciously chose LIFE when she could have chosen an abortion when she had an unplanned pregnancy. Because of her choice to give life to her child, we now have the joy of being the parents to a wonderful young lady whom we have parented since she was one month old.

We pray that we will be the parents God wants us to be..and that Abigail will grow up to be a Godly young lady.

School is in session...

2010-09-07T10:10:00.000-05:00

Abigail before she went into class on the first day at Wall Highway Christian Academy...

just before leaving home on the first day of school...

..on a field trip with our group from Wall Highway....

..being silly at Cook's Museum....

...standing by the golden eagle (whose Latin name is AQUILA)...

..group shot outside Cooks.....

Back to School...

2010-08-13T07:56:00.000-05:00

Yes...We are back at it. For us, school never really ends. Our calendar runs from June 1 through May 31. So, between June first and July 31st we got in 14 days...but this week, on Tuesday, we start our first 'real' day of fifth grade with the new textbooks and such. The previous 14 days were mainly just continuing the math curriculum (which was already 5th grade stuff) and reading/science/health.

We have cracked the new books and we have begun classes at one of the two schools we will be attending this year. Latin and American History will be part of the curriculum at this school...classes taken with other children.

Unfortunately, due to an unexpected problem at the school facility, we did not get our traditional picture at the brick wall by the school sign. The roof at that facility collapsed and we cannot meet there :( so we are meeting in another part of the building. But, I do have some photos to post.....if I ever get them downloaded. My fifth grader is getting taller by the day!!

A month in review......

2010-07-10T07:57:00.000-05:00

I know...I have fallen down on the blogging lately, so let me see if I can bring you up to date on our last month or so....

1. As of yesterday, Abigail was released from the care of the orthopaedic doctor. He feels her foot has healed sufficiently. She is to hang onto her brace and use it as needed (when doing LOTS of activity).

2. As of Thursday, we got a new heating and cooling unit installed. We upgraded to a Carrier 3.5 ton unit (from a 3.0 ton) and we are pleased so far. Unfortunately, the wrong thermostat was installed, so we are awaiting the fellows to come back and replace that as well as do some painting where the ceiling was damaged by leaking when they drained the old unit. It was FULL of dirty water....as the drain was going 'uphill'.

3. Abigail is recovering nicely from 'walking pneumonia'. I had NO idea that one could get such a thing this time of the year, but thanks to a mycoplasma type of bacteria.....she did. The bacteria is leaving thanks to a great antibiotic...but the cough will likely linger for a while....maybe as long as a month. Many at church and in our community have or have had this and it is contagious.....but since it is often misdiagnosed as just a symptom of allergies.....it is spread a good bit.

4. In the process of being diagnosed, Abigail had blood drawn from her arm for the first time ever. She handled it okay....but was not too sure about the whole process. I guess it is scary if you only ten years old and see a rather large needle coming towards you. The lady who drew her blood was good with kids thankfully and talked her thru the process.

5. Tomorrow, Abigail will be leaving for Camp Ponderosa in Mentone, AL with some other friends from church. She is very excited. I have already begun making a list of the many chores I need to tackle in her absence. MUCH lesson planning, touch up painting, room organizing.... will be tended to during the week. Please pray for her to draw closer to the Lord and to be safe and healthy while away from home. She will return on Friday afternoon.

6. We celebrated the Fourth of July with family ( a day early) with a cookout. Bruce's family came over and we grilled and 'chilled' (as he would say). Then on the actual fourth, we went to a big church event....hot dogs, pool time and fireworks. It was a LOT of fun!!!!!

7. Bruce was able to take a week off at the end of June. We basically just relaxed and we did go see a movie (Toy Story 3) as a family. We did not take any trips or do anything along those lines this summer.....but we are hoping to do a nice trip to Washington DC/Virginia/Boston related to our country's history in a few years since it is of interest to all three of us... once we have finished our two year course of US History and when our finances allow. For now, we'll enjoy more low key stuff...staying at home types of things :)

8. Abigail went to VBS at Wall Highway and had a great time. She was also able to visit with Granny and Granddaddy and her Georgia cousins.

9. On June 17, Bruce and I celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary. We were had dinner out at Connor's which has become our 'tradition' as of the last few years.

10. Abigail and I both joined the summer reading club at the public library. Yes...there is an adult club this year as well. We spend time reading every day....together and alone as well. We are reaching our goals and most of all, we are enjoying a LOT of 'reading together' time. It gives us great opportunities to discuss things and actually has given us a head start on a series of books I wanted us to read for school that relate to health/Bible and relationships and 'girl' issues in general....so it has been a great way to accomplish several goals at once :)

I think that is it for now.....basically, we are enjoy the summer....getting in a few school days here and there so we don't forget our math (much to Abigail's chagrin)....enjoying lots of play time....

I hope you are enjoying your summer as well!!!!

Carrots and Cars

2010-06-08T17:36:00.000-05:00

Yes! A carrot can be a car..and actually win first place in speed in the AWANA grand prix :) Abigail's brain never ceases to amaze me....she had eaten carrots at Grammy's place one evening in the spring, so when she came to church that evening, she decided her car should be a carrot. You can click on that photo for a more close up view. Well....her carrot won the race..thanks to Mr. Steve and Mr. Richard who helped her design, cut out, prime and paint it :) She had a lot of fun making the car, but even more fun during the year in AWANA, learning about so many wonderful things about God's Word.

Yes, GOD still does miracles!!

2010-05-10T18:20:00.000-05:00

Well over 21 or maybe even 22 years ago, a dear friend of mine was in a car accident on her way to teach her classroom full of children. She never made it to see those children....and she never saw life the same way again. When Bruce and I married, she rolled down the aisle to support me as a bridesmaid and her husband was the minister who married us. They have always held a special place in our hearts because they introduced us....then later they became adoptive parents....and we followed them in that path as well.

Cindy was told she would not walk.....and she has been in a wheel chair for well over 20 years. BUT, God has other plans it appears. After not walking for a long time, click below to see how God is using a new therapy to change what the doctors told her.

To GOD be the glory!!
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=115963271776221

Happy birthday, Bruce!!

2010-04-21T08:32:00.000-05:00

Today is Bruce's 51st birthday! That does not seem possible...considering we met when he was only 28 years old.... Where have the years gone?? HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRUCE! I love you :)

Where have we been??

2010-04-19T07:41:00.001-05:00

Where have we been? Well, since the end of January we have been practicing for a drama/musical called Bow the Knee. Bruce played a 'BAD' guy named Marcus. He is shown below with two of his 'soldiers' (Drew and Zach). Some of the cast is shown in the group photo. And the three of us are shown below as well. Abigail and I were part of the crowd..she as a child...me as a crowd person, a 'gossip', and part of an angry mob at times and later with a small solo part who finally figured it all out and gladly realized who Jesus was :) We had a LOT of fun, but spent a lot of time in practice between January and April. But, given the opportunity, we'd do it again in a heartbeat! A hats off to ALL those who participated, directed, worked in costumes, lighting, sound....It all came together and in the end, God was honored.

Two Hundred, Already!!??!!

2010-04-17T14:37:00.000-05:00

When I started blogging a couple of years ago, I did so to let those both near and far see what is going on inside our little family and sometimes in our 'schoolroom' or even just inside my head from time to time. Sometimes my random posts are pretty random, but I do enjoy sharing. But, 200!!! Wow...that's a pretty big number.....so I'll celebrate that by sharing a ~~200 thoughts~~ let's do 10 percent of that and say 20 thoughts or things you may never have known before.

1. In the last year or so, I have almost become a vegetarian. I do eat a little bit of chicken and bacon or ham every now and then, but I truly prefer veggies and fruit. I will eat dairy products though, so I am not a vegan.

2. If I had nothing standing in the way, I would most likely have some type of animal rescue and would have LOTS and lots of pets in my home/on my property...but lots of things prevent that from happening currently.

3. I never ever dreamed that I would have an only child....Bruce and I always wanted a large family. We know God must have a very good reason (and I'll put that on my list of things to ask Him).

4. That being said, we LOVE our daughter....and she is truly a joy. If we had more than one child, we'd probably be totally exhausted.....because between her activities and ours, our lives are very full.

5. The older I get, the more I realize that I still have SO much to learn!! I thought I was pretty smart when I was younger....but I am seeing that I was wrong!!!

6. I think I am at the point in my life where I am not young but I am not old either. But, depending on who I am with, I may be considered one or the other at any given time. And that is a strange place to be.

7. I LOVE books and it pains me greatly to get rid of them...but I have had to do so lately. Yes, even old college textbooks that are no longer useful should find a new home...but it hurts me to let them go..especially when I see the price tags still on them!

8. I am truly a 'nerd' and if money and time were no object, I'd be back in school getting my PhD right now. I enjoy learning THAT much!!!

9. I really really hate disorder and dirt...but my house does not always reflect that.

10. Homeschooling is the most rewarding thing I have ever done...though I vowed I would never do it...and at one point in my life, I was VERY opposed to homeschooling. I now believe that there are good public school, private school and homeschool options available....and each parent must carefully consider what is best for her child in any given case. I have taught in all three :)

11. I did not live in a neighborhood for the first time until I was 29 years old. I am still learning the dynamics of how that all works.

12. The more I do it, the more I enjoy and prefer online shopping. Even if I am going to shop for an item in a store, I usually compare prices online first.

13. Even though I am the teacher and I really do love school and learning, I am ready for this year to be over. When we do SAT's and have that pressure behind us, my brain tends to say that it is break time!! Strangely, I am excitedly looking at 5th grade curriculum and thinking ahead.

14. Even though I love to scrapbook and I am pretty much up to date on my family scrapbooks, I still don't have Abigail's baby book completed. And...she'll be 11 years old in September.

15. I am very excited about the ministry opportunities the Lord has opened up in recent times!

16. In our recent Easter musical, I got to be a part of a 'gossip' group...and part of an angry mob....two things I would not do in real life......it was SO strange to play these roles....but someone had to do it. If that helped to make the play more realistic, and ultimately led someone to God, then I am glad I could do it (even if it was hard for me personally).

17. I don't have a favorite food.....and I really don't like chocolate all that much.

18. I used to be painfully shy. Most people don't believe that....but I am still very uncomfortable in large groups...and have to force myself to work the crowd and talk to people.

19. My nails will not grow without breaking and splitting. I'd love to have long nails...but unless I do acrylics....it just won't happen :(

20. I enjoy cooking so much that I collect cookbooks :) But, even though my family enjoys my meals, after 'slaving' over the stove for hours....the food does not appeal to me by the time it is cooked...and I'll often just want a salad or some fruit instead.....strange???

Purple....

2010-03-24T07:54:00.000-05:00

Abigail and her friend M were enjoying a playdate after church on Sunday afternoon. They had been doing the wii, but I guess after a while, it just got tiring to them. So, after I retreated to the bedroom to work on some ironing, they retreated to Abigail's bathroom...with the cat. The door shut....and the cat inside. Of course, I was ironing and did not realize this....just thought someone (just ONE person) was in the bathroom.

So, after a bit, I did not hear the normal silly girl giggling....and I noticed that Midnight had not wandered through to check on me and it seemed strange. I heard Bruce asking the girls what they were doing and I could tell he was at the bathroom door. Hmmm...

So, I ask him...and he really does not give me a reply, but tells me that I need to ask. So, being ~~nosy~~ curious, I ask and get a very honest answer. I learn that they are in the midst of painting the cat's nails!

Now, just in case you don't know much about cats, their nails retract. So, the girls were polishing a nail, holding it out until it was dry, then letting it go back into place. They had gotten one front paw complete and were working on the second one when they were caught.

Midnight did not seem too happy about the pedicure! Purple nail polish..on a boy cat!!

Needless to say, we did not torture him further by using polish remover on him. We figure it will wear off, eventually.

Poor Kitty! I guess he'll hide the next time he sees a playmate coming over...or the next time he smells nail polish.

And, I guess I really should not share any more stories about the time I painted the dog's toe nails with my daughter....should I?

A walk down memory lane

2010-03-12T07:39:00.000-06:00

When one of my face book friends (the teacher's daughter) posted this photo a few days ago, I could not believe the memories that flooded back....first grade....1974....Mrs. Crews...and these classmates!! I don't remember everyone's names...but I do remember most of them. As best I can recall, two of the classmates and my beloved teacher have passed away.

The school is no longer there (at least not as a school), and wow! many of us are parents and even grandparents now.

But, I have to say that the one memory that comes back is that in the little classroom at Armuchee Valley under Mrs. Crews' teaching I learned SOOO much. She was a wonderful teacher...and because of her, I am now a teacher. As a matter of fact, when I decided to teach and finished my student teaching time but still had to do observations, I sought her out and observed her teaching and I was STILL as impressed as a young adult as I had been as a child.

The neat thing is...she not only taught me in first grade..but I had her for reading in second grade....and then she moved up to third grade and taught third for the rest of her days of teaching. She died prematurely shortly after her retirement.....I believe it was a type of leukemia. She will never be forgotten.

Me? Which goofy kid was me? Well, I am on the top row...second from the right. Yes, I KNOW I look like a boy....thanks to the easy to care for hair cut :( But, I promise, it is me...and I am a girl....

Thankful Thursday.....

2010-03-04T07:13:00.001-06:00

I am thankful for so many things in my life! And these photos represent just a few of them. I am thankful for my family...my dear husband of almost 21 years and our precious daughter, brought to us by God after over 10 years of marriage. I am thankful for our pets which include a sweet stray kitty that joined our family this year (Midnight) and two dogs, Princess and Allie. I am thankful for good friends for my daughter...even if they are really silly together. She has so many good friends between church, school and the neighborhood (as do I)...in that we are truly blessed. I am thankful for my good health.....no it's not perfect, but all in all God has blessed me and provided me with good doctors when needed as well. I am grateful for the seasons.....the snow has been nice..and I'll enjoy the spring weather we'll soon be having too :) I am grateful for a nice warm home that's not too large and not too small, but just right for our family. I am thankful for God's provision of EVERY single thing we need and many things we want...and most of all I am thankful for His love and care for me.

Will you be my Valentine?

2010-03-01T17:45:00.000-06:00

This picture was taken a couple of weeks ago.....before we went to a Valentine Dinner at church. We had a wonderful time....seated with two other couples. The food was great (I just passed my meat off to my dear hubby since I am not a big meat eater these days) and the fellowship was even better! After almost 23 years together (and almost 21 years of marriage), he is still the love of my life.

A tradition......

2010-02-27T09:05:00.001-06:00

So... what do we do on New Year's day? Well, this year we had a slumber party with Abigail's buddy and of course, I served our traditional meal...pintos and crackling cornbread...with a BIG side of mac and cheese just for the girls. They were tickled pink that we let them stay up until the new year rolled in.

My 43rd......

2010-02-25T07:27:00.000-06:00

Well.....the day came and went....and I really don't feel any different. Yes, on February 4, I turned 43 years old. Our little family of three went to Connor's, one of my favorite places, for a nice dinner, then returned home to open a few gifts. I had also had dinner with another good friend a few nights earlier that week and got several phone calls, cards, Facebook messages and personal greetings to help me celebrate the day.

And..I promise...I shared that strawberry shortcake with everyone!!!!

a new look for Abigail.....

2010-02-24T10:33:00.002-06:00

Several months back, while at the peditrician's office, a vision screening showed that Abigail needed to have a further check on her vision. So, when the new year rolled around and things slowed down a bit, we scheduled real eye exams for Abigail and myself. Wouldn't you know..she is a bit near sighted? No wonder things have been a little blurry to her at a distance for some time. Her vision was actually at the point...that had she been old enough to drive, she would be required to wear glasses to drive. But because she is homeschooled and is always close to the board, this is not something we picked up on as early as we would have otherwise.

Me.....well...considering my age....reading glasses are in order.....no shock there. And the Walmart ones really did not work for me because one eye is slighly weaker than the other. So, here is Abigail sporting her NEW look.....

last day of 42.....

2010-02-03T16:57:00.002-06:00

Wow! I look back and have to wonder...where have the years gone?? I remember hearing my parents and others older than myself telling me that as I got older, time would fly. Now.....I believe them.

Well, this is my last day as a 42 year old. Tomorrow..I will start a new year of my life....as a 43 year old. Really, I don't feel as 'old' as that sounds. Sometimes the mirror betrays me and I see those wrinkles, laugh lines, gray hairs, .... the signs of my true age.

But, I am happy to be the age that I am. God has blessed me and my family with everything we need and so much more. I have good health, a wonderful family, great friends, a wonderful church family and so much more. God has given a little bit of wisdom with this age (LOL) and He allows me to share it with other younger women...and what a blessing that is too!!

So, I won't complain that I am getting older.....I am glad in fact! I'll proudly tell my age.....just don't ask my weight!!

a new car....a blessing

2010-01-27T13:07:00.003-06:00

Back before Christmas, our van which is almost ten years old, starting acting up. When Bruce took it to the shop, the verdict was not good. The cost of repairs was more than the value of the van. So, we knew that we needed to purchase another vehicle. Bruce wanted to get something that was better on gas and after much research, we settled on a toyota camry. Trying to be careful with our spending, we looked into several options. God miraculously provided the finances we needed to make this work into our budget, and with his help and careful spending, we hope to have it paid off in a short amount of time.

..Abigail in the trunk...one reason we chose this car is because it had a very ample amount of trunk space..a MUST with my scrapbooking retreats and such....
...me in the driver's seat.....
..and behind the car....
..and in the front....

..and the trunk...yes...even an ADULT will fit in there!!! LOL!!!

Christmas Eve.....

2010-01-19T08:02:00.003-06:00

Iknow Christmas is LONG past, but I never really posted photos of what we did on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day...so I'll do it now :) On Christmas Eve, we go to Grandma's house (Bruce's mom) around lunch time. She prepares a big Italian meal...then after eating we open gifts and visit for a while. Usually we head home in the late afternoon so that most of his family can go to Mass and we can return home to unload our stuff, open stockings and prepare to head out of town sometime the next day....part of the wonderful Italian feast Grandma prepared :)...
...Abigail and Maddie, her cousin..after opening gifts....

..Grammy showing off a game that she got from Ben and Maddie.....

..Ben with his Bama pillow.....

A room makeover.......

2010-01-01T19:37:00.004-06:00

As part of Abigail's Christmas....she got stuff to 're-make' her room. She is currently into "Tinkerbelle" along with many other 3-6th grade girls in our area. Go figure!?! SO....I decided to repaint the whole room...three walls in "angel ivory" which is a beige/off white with yellow undertones...and one accent wall which is an official disney color from the Tinkerbelle line at Home Depot.

She was THRILLED...and I told her that she owes me like 100 back massages!!!! because I worked ALL day...moving furniture, cleaning/prepping, painting, cleaning up, rearranging and then reorganizing (with her help). We removed a small book shelf and added the small entertainment center which gave her TONS more shelf/storage space. We also relocated a lot of stuffed animals that she still loves but no longer plays with..they are still here, but in the attic in secure containers.

I am tickled that she loves her 'new' room....and so glad that it is DONE!! If I have done my job right....you can see the room as you enter it..the move around in a counterclockwise fashion.
This is the view you get from the hallway...as you enter the room. You can see the side of the entertainment center in front of you.
As you enter the room and close the door, just behind the door is a little area to hang purses and things..then her closet.
This is the straight on view of the entertainment center. I was thrilled to find this for only $20 at a local thrift store.....did I mention that already?!?!? Abigail spent a great deal of time organizing these books (which are only a SMALL fraction of the books we have) by topic and then by size. She IS her mother's child-LOL!!!

You can see the bed in greater detail here...we went with a plain spread..and accented with a couple of tink throws and sheets as well.

As we turn the corner, you can see the a few more of the decals....and the curtains too. She likes these a lot.
As we turn this corner, you can see her very neat :) bin area, her clean clothes basket and a bit of the south wall of her room.

I love this old dresser. I used this growing up....and now Abigail gets to use it. It's pretty old. I am thinking I may get a little stool or small chair so she can use it as a vanity or even a writing desk of sorts.
..Just another photo of the same wall...but moving down a bit more. By the way, this cat is FAKE!!

As we turn the last corner to the east wall, you see the toy chest my mom built and a very old chest of drawers (again, I had this growing up)....the room is filled with stuff, but in spite of its size, it seems to have a good amount of room.

Midnight...enjoying the new room too....he likes the rug and also enjoys climbing on the entertainment center....

December moments....

2009-12-24T08:13:00.004-06:00

We are SO grateful for all the memories and moments of the season. God has TRULY been faithful to us all year round, and I can honestly say, that during this Christmas season, we have been reminded of it time and again. These pictures, taken during the last few weeks, are just reminders of how blessed we truly are...Bruce sharing the Christmas story with Abigail and ten of her friends at our Happy Birthday Jesus party on December 23...
..some of the children playing "Freeze Frame" during our Happy Birthday Jesus party (where the kids do silly motions as long as the Christmas music plays but they must freeze as soon as the music stops, no matter what position they are in)...
...me in our new 2010 Toyota Camry..a true answer to prayer when our van's repair bill exceeded its value a couple of weeks ago (I'll do a post on that another time)....
...Abigail and me at church on Sunday after our musical, just outside the Heritage Room....our decorating committee is SO talented and did a wonderful job on the tree....
....Abigail and her buddy, JAM, at the same location....
...Abigail with a gift from Kim, her sitter, who is a true blessing to our family...she is a very mature and responsible young lady..who loves and cares for Abigail when we need to be away or just want a date night....
..another car picture.....we HIGHLY recommend Bill Penney Toyota here in town....they have been SO so nice and Tommy Terrell our salesman is also a joy to work with even if he is a Tennessee fan.....
..Abigail has such a pretty smile..and Bruce and I are so grateful for such a precious daughter....

..friends..ten of them (plus Abigail) celebrated Jesus's birthday with us....we are so grateful that she has good friends at church, at school and in the neighborhood as well....having good and Godly friends is so important!!

I have to laugh.....

2009-12-11T13:04:00.003-06:00

I really do consider myself much more of a 'dog' person, but this little guy has truly stolen our hearts!!! He does some of the funniest things and truly keeps us on our toes. Midnight is a sweet cat, and while he tends to want his own space and really does not care if he pleases us or not (which is SOOOOOO unlike our dogs who wish to be right in the middle of things and they truly like to make us happy), we love him all the same.

These photos were taken over the last couple of weeks...with Midnight finding interesting ways to entertain himself....and us just laughing at his antics!!

..Midnight visiting my Creative Memories Open House.....looking thru and eating some of the papers......
..Midnight stretching out in one of the boxes as we were trying to decorate the tree.....
...Midnight found my apron hanging up and decided to play with the strings...this kept him busy for a while.....
...Midnight became very attached to my favorite duster....began carrying it around...the fighting with it...I think he's decided this is his special friend....he loves it. I guess I may have to buy him a clean one for Christmas ????

..Midnight starting to chase his tail in the Christmas decoration box....so funny!

Grammy's birthday

2009-12-03T07:57:00.006-06:00

On Sunday, November 1, 2009 we had the pleasure of celebrating Grammy's (Dolores Aquila's) 73rd birthday with her. She is such a vibrant and youthful woman...who loves her Lord, her family and her friends! With the exception of her second child and his family (who live in Texas) the rest of the children and grandchildren were present for the special lunch at Connor's. This is one of her favorite places to eat...and I have to say, they do know how to make a special day truly special there.

..Grammy opening a card..
...one of Grammy's gifts.....
..special homemade pumpkin ice cream....Connor's special treat to the birthday girl.....
<..but GRAMMY wanted a whole serving of strawberry shortcake.....her own piece and would not share with Mary...so she ordered her own...ate it ALL and then finished Mary's as well. As you can see, the portion size is quite ample. We have STILL not let her live this down !!

...just a little late.....

2009-12-02T07:11:00.003-06:00

I finally dumped all the photos from my camera onto the computer and realized I never posted Abigail's pictures from the fall carnivals at her school and our church...I am just a little late :)Abigail at the church carnival with two of her best friends....spider girl and gangster.....
...Gangster and Abigail....
...Abigail just before we left for her school carnival...

We were so tickled to find this Twister costume at Walmart. It was so unique, and though 'mass produced' we did not see anyone else wearing it. She won best overall costume at her school costume contest :) She enjoyed wearing it three times...for her school party on the 30th, trunk or treating at her school on October 31, then wearing it at our church carnival on November 1.

Botanical Garden Walk Thru

2009-12-01T10:43:00.004-06:00

On November 13, we had the opportunity to visit the local botanical gardens for a walk thru of the Christmas lights. Abigail enjoyed doing this with a special friend! The drive thru will be fun too...and we plan to do that twice in December. While walking we even met up with some of Abigail's classmates, and you'll see them pictured below as well. We always enjoy looking for the newest lights/displays...it's a game to spot what was added since last year :)...this is our FAVORITE display...the real meaning of Christmas....
...Abigail with her peace sign face painting.....
..and "J" with her Christmas tree....The girls got these done as we started the walk thru.
..the girls trying to decide who was on Santa's nasty and nice list....
....from left to right....."L", "S" (Abigail's classmates), Abigail and "J"

Thanksgiving 2009...

2009-11-28T14:50:00.004-06:00

Each year, our Thanksgiving is a bit different. We never know who will be with us..some years a lot of family can come; some years, not quite as much.....some years, a special guest....some friends....some years just family. This year we had 12 people in all, a rather good sized group for us. The food was probably the best I remember ever having....and the company was awesome. We are truly blessed as a family, a church, a country, and a community..me with our special guest, Mrs. Teresa...
...Maddie, Abigail, Grammy and Ben in the kitchen after the feast......
....Abigail with Granny and Granddaddy just before they headed back to Georgia......
...Vince, Mary, "Mom" and Bruce...three of the four Aquila kids.....
..our little family...not sure why I was distracted.....
...the bread and deviled eggs..Mom's homemade rolls (on the back row) were a HIT.....
..the turkey before it was carved....he looks a little pale, but was more brown in real life....
..the turkey once he was sliced.....

..the dressing....it turned out really good this time.....

Scarecrow Trail

2009-11-05T09:23:00.004-06:00

Over fall break, Bruce, Abigail, Abigail's friend "J" and I all went to the scarecrow trail at the local botanical gardens followed by a yummy meal at the Olive Garden. This was the day after a 'slumber party' which we always seem to work in over a school break since "J" is in a traditional school setting.

The girls (as well as the grown ups) had a blast seeing the creative 'crows' and also visiting the butterfly house during the trip. These are just a few of the scarecrows we saw.

It's hard to believe we'll be returning in a week to see the Christmas light members only 'walk thru.' BOY, does time fly!!...walk like an 'Egyptian'.....
.....for some reason the girls walked around talking with very southern accents all day, so the 'southern belle' was their favorite scarecrow......
...not quite sure...is he juggling?????
..hmmmmm....

..they thought the hippies were funny.....this was THEIR hippy pose....

Beach time.....

2009-10-31T08:47:00.005-05:00

At the beginning of October, we were able to go to Orange Beach, Alabama for a few days for a wedding, but also for a mini vacation. We have already decided to plan for another trip there next year around fall break time, if at all possible.

Because the wedding was associated with someone from our church, there were others from our church there, including a family which includes one of Abigail's buddies. So, she enjoyed playing with her buddy some while there. We enjoyed the condo stay...just having some extra space and the kitchen well stocked was wonderful and unexpected (we have never stayed in a condo before.)...me after getting up from being knocked over by a wave....swimwsuit/coverup and all...we all thought it was funny :)
...taken after dinner at the first place we ate....it was a great place to eat.....
....Abigail 'netting' for shells.....she collected a lot which we have displayed in a neat glass vase in one of our bathrooms at home.....
..riding on the luggage cart....she always has to do this....
...Abigail and her buddy MacKenzie on the beach just before the wedding started....
..the living room of our condo.....
...Bruce in front of our condo...the Phoenix V...
....Bruce and Abigail on the beach just after sunset...
...our family at the wedding.....

...Abigail on the beach our last morning there...she had been shell hunting one last time :)

We have a winner......

2009-10-30T17:25:00.002-05:00

Today, Abigail won the "best overall" costume at school. She was dressed up as a "Twister game board." She also got an honorable mention in the craft contest for her decorated pumpkin. A friend who teaches third grade gave us the plywood pumpkin...already painted. She decorated it with a sharpie :) I took this photo just as we were leaving school today....so she is wearing 'normal' clothing under her costume. She has her backpack on and her craft and prize in hand..so it's hard to tell exactly how she looked at the time of the judging. I'll post her really dressed up photo after I take it tomorrow. She plans to go to Publix (they do a special event for the community tomorrow) and then we'll go to her school for a trunk or treat event afterwards. Hopefully the rain will hold off :)

Ugh....

2009-10-21T10:57:00.003-05:00

I realize I have not posted in a while....not because we have not had lots going on, but because I have felt like "ugh." I think I have been battling something for almost two weeks really.....at least a full week and a half for sure. Taking OIL OF OREGANO capsules really helped, but towards the end of the week, something extra in the air just sent me over the edge. I woke up Saturday morning with a very sore throat and feeling like a truck had run over me. Just in case it was the flu or strep, I went to a walk in clinic to be tested for both. (wanted to get on that tamiflu/antibiotics ASAP if needed)

Thankfully both tests were negative...just sinus crud...not even an infection....just lots of congestion.....so I am taking extra oil of oregano, some vitamin C, some mucinex D and trying to rest as much as I can between my normal activities. (But, do moms ever really get to rest?? LOL?)

I will try to post some beach photos soon, as we did have a good time there at the end of fall break, and I also have some awesome botanical garden scarecrow trail photos.

In the meantime, please pray that I'll get over this "ugh" soon. I would surely appreciate it :)

Midnight....our newest family member

2009-10-04T15:10:00.003-05:00

We certainly did not MEAN to get a cat!! But, he came to us....TWICE and we could not say no.

He first showed up in our neighborhood about three weeks ago. One young man said he thought he might have been left behind by a family who moved away. We don't know that for sure, but he seems awfully friendly and well cared for. We saw him on the street just south of ours, going into our friends' garages, using their cats' food and water bowls and even using litter boxes if available. He then made his way to our street and made himself at home in our next door neighbor's cat's food/water bowl, but wandered over here and meow-ed like he was starving. Me, being such a sucker for strays, fed him tuna. And, he returned the next evening, and I fed him again. So, Bruce said, if he was indeed a stray, we could at least feed him. As soon as he said the words, Abigail was thrilled, but alas, Midnight seemed to vanish.

Almost a week passed, and we saw no sign of him. We kept his bowl out with dried food and water for him and had a collar for him should he return to us. Later we learned he 'lived' at three other houses one street north of us before coming back. At the third house, the people carried him in arms and started walking around until they got here. He jumped from their arms and ran to Abigail who happened to be in the front yard, then ran to his bowl. We put on his collar and brought him inside. Until he has his shots and is fixed, he'll definitely be an inside cat. Once he's grown, we may let him go out some if he likes....we'll see.

He's probably about 4 months old (my guess, but the vet will probably have a better guess when he sees him on Tuesday). He's friendly, curious and well behaved. He already knows how to use a litter box and seems to be healthy and have a good temperament. He is very scared of dogs...but loves to be held and petted. His purr is quite loud and he meows a lot.....he loves to "talk." He makes us laugh...just watching him explore his 'world' is funny.

...exploring the laundry room....
..exploring Princess's kennel where she sleeps each night....
..just looking at me as I take his photo....

...being held by Abigail which he does not mind one bit.....

..and last but not least....game night...

2009-10-03T11:55:00.004-05:00

The last of our ten birthday events was to choose ten games (she only chose one...a new game she got for her birthday called "Trouble") and we'd play as many as we could. I remember having this game and playing it as a kid. Grandma also has it at her house and Abigail plays it with her cousins there, so she requested it for her birthday. We had a lot of fun :) Abigail asked me to hold up my game piece since I eventually won. (which is a story in and of itself since it took me between 10 and 15 tries to even leave the starting block--LOL!)

the ninth part of the birthday special...opening 10 gifts....

2009-10-03T07:32:00.003-05:00

We thought it would be neat, if Abigail could open ten gifts. Now, we don't 'spoil' her, so keep in mind, some of the gifts were very inexpensive like a little journal to write in or a deluxe box of crayons she had asked for. Each item was wrapped separately. I think the total spent on gifts was about $100 or maybe a bit less, which is a typical budget...but it seemed like more to her because she opened ten gifts :)

..the eighth treat of the birthday...a special dinner

2009-10-03T07:31:00.000-05:00

For our special dinner, we used our fine china and crystal (which never gets used) and had a candle light dinner. Abigail got to choose the menu which had to work around the fact that Bruce could not grill out (he was only a couple of days past surgery) and our oven was not working (only had a toaster oven, microwave, crock pot or stove top to use). This is the menu she chose: ham slices, cheesy broccoli casserole, sourdough bread, green peas, mashed potatoes and oreo dessert (a boxed mix). She filled her plate twice I think :) We had sparkling apple cider to drink...and she thought that was funny. We had a nice and special dinner....the set table....
...daddy and Abigail enjoying the meal...

..Abigail is READY to eat.....

Last stop on the birthday train with our friends.....feeding the ducks

2009-10-02T07:21:00.005-05:00

After eating ice cream and walking around Bridge Street, we drove downtown to the art museum area to feed the ducks. I had stashed a loaf of bread per girl in the back of the van....just for the part of the trip. Thankfully the weather held up, and we were able to feed the ducks. They are used to being fed and are pretty friendly, er uh, agressive. The clue read, "Will these little critters gain weight while are here feeding them? At least TEN pounds I'd say..with all the bread we have on hand!!"

The girls had a lot of fun as we finished our day here..then got a quick drink at Sonic and met their parents to hand them off around 3:30 p.m. so that Abigail and I could head home to prepare dinner and do our last 3 activities..making it a total of 10 things on her 10th birthday. Keep watching....I'll post those soon.

....as soon as we got out of the van, we were met by hungry critters...
..once we were done with feeding them...the girls posed for one final picture....
...the girls hard at work..
..this duck was interesting to me because his beak was sage green and he had a purple stripe on his side...though the colors did not come thru as true here....

Our next stop.....Ice cream..

2009-09-28T08:13:00.004-05:00

After spending time with the puppies, kitties, hamsters, mice, gerbils, birds, fish, frogs and various other critters, we headed to Bridge Street to get an ice cream cone from Maggie Moos. The clue there said this...Don't you just love ice cream? Especially when you get to choose any topping you like...from over TEN choices??" They did enjoy making their choices...and it was hard. We walked around afterwards while eating the ice cream...then headed to our final stop of the day.

Our next stop on the birthday adventure train....

2009-09-21T17:35:00.002-05:00

Abigail is an animal lover..no doubt about it. After lunch we headed to Pet Smart to make a donation to their animal charity of the week, which happened to be the Limestone County Animal Shelter. Each girl made a $10 donation, then petted the puppies they had available for adoption. They all picked out one they wanted to take home..but fortunately, I was able to dodge the bullet on that one :) We went inside and visited the cats as well as the fish, hamsters, and other critters for a while before heading off for our next adventure.

..Abigail petting the puppy (a lab mix) she had picked out, if only she could have taken one home....
..the girls posing in front of one of the many tanks of fish they enjoyed viewing.....
..Abigail and another dog...maybe THIS was her first choice...

....Abigail with "my" little black and tan puppy..the one I would have taken home if I had gotten one--lol

Next stop on the birthday train..lunch

2009-09-17T08:04:00.004-05:00

After getting their nails painted, the girls were starving (and so was I)! So, we headed towards the other side of Madison. Hoping that the pizza buffet would be spread(and finding it isn't on Saturdays), we stopped at Pizza Hut. Thankfully the girls were quite pleased with a large extra cheese pizza and I enjoyed the salad bar. While stopped here, we also opened gifts. Abigail was thrilled with her treasures..but most of all, with time spent with two of her special friends...."J", Abigail and "M"...
....two silly girls who love each other a lot....
..Abigail and her buddy "M" who have been close for several years....I think they'll always be good friends....

..It's a book and it's Pokemon...DOUBLE points for that :)

The third part of our birthday journey

2009-09-15T11:32:00.003-05:00

We quickly applied our blindfolds and headed over to the nearest nail salon to get our nails painted. This is the clue the girls read upon our arrival there. "Just what will your TEN little fingers look like when we leave the salon? Will they be shiny and green or yellow or pink or purple?? Let's go see just how they will turn out!!"

Part two of Abigail's birthday trek

2009-09-14T18:03:00.006-05:00

After leaving The Dollar Tree, we quickly buzzed over to Lowe's. As we got close, the girls put on their blindfolds and then, once parked removed them. This is the clue Abigail read aloud there. "With just TEN whacks of a hammer, what can you build? Let's go inside Lowe's and see!!"
..silly girls riding the lawn tractors....
...MP on the toilet.....
....after the class....
....JM on the potty.....
....all three girls in the shower stall.....
....Abigail on the potty.....I am SURE the employees were wondering what in the WORLD we were doing and WHY I was taking pictures of this....
...the girls just before we started building the drums.....
...MP is working hard on hers....
....here we are....

Abigail's birthday trek--part one

2009-09-14T07:20:00.004-05:00

Because of Bruce's surgery (and fearing that he might be in a great deal of pain), I did not want to do a typical party here at the house. So, we decided to do a different type of celebration to honor Abigail's tenth birthday. I chose TEN special 'tasks' for her to complete/experience during the day, many of those with friends. Each task had the theme of "ten" in it as you will soon see. In order to keep a LOT of factors in check (time, budget, dietary preferences, ability to transport everyone safely..), I only allowed Abigail to choose her two best friends to come along.

We met the girls at 9:30 a.m. and they put on their blind folds. We then took a short drive to Dollar Tree, but parked slightly away so they would not know where we were until after Abigail read the description aloud. This is what she read. "With just $2 each and TEN minutes to spare, what will each of you girls end up buying? Let's go into Dollar Tree and see!!" They were thrilled with their shopping spree. Each ended up with a stuffed animal and a pack of mechanical pencils.
before our shopping spree......

...and afterwards.....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ABIGAIL!!!!

2009-09-12T07:47:00.003-05:00

Today, Abigail is TEN years old!! Tune in later to see pictures of her great adventure!! In honor of her tenth birthday, she will get to do TEN things (all with a 'theme' of ten in them). I'll post the clues and pictures after the fact.....just in case she sneaks on here before we head out in a bit.

Happy birthday sweetie! I love you!!

Since Bruce had surgery, we did go out to dinner to celebrate before her birthday. She chose one of her favorite places, Red Lobster. These photos came from there ...Abigail....being silly and acting like she is 'in love' with the cheesy Red Lobster roll....

..Abigail and Daddy....

Bruce's Shoulder Surgery

2009-09-11T13:45:00.005-05:00

Only a really strange wife would take a camera into the hospital and document the surgery..right? Well, I do plan to scrapbook this event....as I have many/most of my surgeries :)
..at the waiting room in the hospital before we were called back...
..third floor of the main hospital.....
..now he's in his hospital gown...I LOVE the bear paw (looks like a pediatric one to me...but it was huge!!!! TWO of Bruce would have fit into it)..still pre-op.....
..just after coming out of surgery and getting dressed.....he's still pretty sleepy, but he sure is slurping down the sprite....
..at home...and in his comfy clothing...now you can see the dressing....
.....all bandaged back up and dressed....

Family Birthday Fun

2009-09-08T10:35:00.004-05:00

Each year, usually on Labor Day weekend, we celebrate Abigail's birthday with our family. More often than not, we cannot gather everyone, but we enjoy those who are available to come and have a good time. This year was no different. In the end, only one of her five cousins could attend, but all her grandparents were able to make it, as well as one aunt and one uncle (two of Bruce's siblings). Abigail chose the menu (grilled hamburgers) and we even had a pinata. She got some really neat gifts and gift cards and money too. All in all, we had a nice and relaxing day. These pictures tell a little more of the story.
Mommy and Abigail, before the party begins....
Aunt Mary, Abigail and Daddy, ready for the game...after the party is over....
Abigail, Maddie and Maddie's cousin, Abby enjoy the loot from the pinata.....
...Abigail whacking the pinata...the kids hit it for a solid 10-15 minutes and it NEVER broke!!! Finally, they knocked it down, Abigail jumped on it, and then I ripped it apart and threw candy everywhere...it was quite funny.
..Abigail opens a gift card...she got lots of gift cards, money, some movies, a wii game, some clothes and some books too.
..blowing out the candles on her 'oreo no bake' dessert....my oven part is still back ordered...but thankfully this dessert was a big hit :)
..part of the day's lunch.....
..and the other part.....
...Abigail, enjoying her hamburger :)

Trying something new.....Archery

2009-09-01T21:03:00.004-05:00

ARCHERY!!!!!!!!!!!

Abigail enjoyed helping a friend celebrate his tenth birthday. He had an 'archery' party....so she got to shoot a real bow and real arrows. At first she was not too sure about it..but ended up enjoying it and said she wants to return to the range and try it again. Unfortunately, I have NO clue about how to help her. Her friend's mom was the 'pro' in the pictures. The only thing I can 'shoot' well is a camera :)

TWO lost teeth in a week?!?!?!?!

2009-08-29T08:35:00.002-05:00

Last night, Abigail pulled another tooth. This one was not even loose or mentioned by the dentist when we went in for a cleaning a couple of weeks ago. And, according to the 'order' he gave me of how they normally fall out, this one is out of order :)

This is on her upper left side...the first molar. She has not lost the 'canine' tooth nor the tooth behind that yet. But this first molar was bothering her, so she kept wiggling it until it came out. It had no signs of decay or disease, so I am not sure why it was bother her.

So, she is another $5 richer. But, this time she wanted to find the money under her pillow. Since she pulled it right at bedtime (MY bedtime even) she suggested that I just "get up really early and put it under her pillow before she gets up at 7:55 a.m. to watch Pokemon this morning." Thankfully I did wake up before she did.

another lost tooth

2009-08-25T10:12:00.004-05:00

It's been a while since Abigail lost a tooth...but today she finally lost another one. She also has a second one that is loose....the 'mirror' to this one. She has been wiggling it for over a week, but this morning she was ready to get it out....and she wanted me to pull it for her. One quick yank with my fingers took care of it. She had $5 in her hand within minutes....as we are going out later today and she wanted cash just in case she wanted to shop :) She knows all about the tooth fairy and did not want to wait until she came tonight--LOL!

Here's the spot where the tooth came out.
Here's the tooth just after I helped her pull it.

And, here's the new and improved smile :)

..and finally...the videos.......

2009-08-17T12:55:00.002-05:00

The children did such a wonderful job with the musical. Finally, I think I figured out how to post the little video clips I took. The first one is the last part of the girls' trio. The second one is the Abigail's solo. Can you tell she was QUITE nervous? All of the children did a wonderful job.....and the director was awesome! Having been in her shoes before....I know the hard work that goes into doing a musical like this, especially when you have everything from little kindergarteners to sixth graders in one group!!!

Enjoy......

School Days....

2009-08-17T10:55:00.005-05:00

Like most children, Abigail started school recently. Since we homeschool, she has really been doing some school off and on all summer. We started fourth grade 'officially' on Friday, August 7th. Then, on the 14th, we started our "Friday classes" at Wall Highway Christian Academy. Each year, we take a photo by the school sign. It is neat to see how much she grows from year to year..... ....first day of FOURTH grade......even though the camera angles are different, the signs have not moved.....look at where her head is on the lettering of the sign in each picture to get an idea of how much she is grown....she is standing in pretty much the same spot both years!!!!
...first day of third grade.....

Life School Musical

2009-08-16T21:21:00.003-05:00

The children at church, under the direction of Mrs. Amy Madison, did a musical called "Life School Musical". Here are some photos from the performance. Abigail did a good job on her solo...but she was SO nervous.
....three good friends and Abigail...... ...just before her solo began....so nervous...... ...the trio....... ...waiting for the next scene to start.....

Wonderful Lab Results :)

2009-07-31T16:16:00.002-05:00

Today I saw Dr. Kolb and we discussed my lab work that was done last Friday. I was SO tickled at the numbers. Only one thing, chloride, was a bit out of range(only one point though)...but in looking at the overall pattern of this one element, it was not out of line really as it was always at the high end of normal...so nothing to be concerned about.

My Hemoglobin A1C, a measure of my overall diabetic control over a three month period, was 5.7. For a NON diabetic it should be 4.0-6.0....so I almost scored like a non-diabetic. Yea!!!!

My cholesterol was 98 (should be under 200....maybe 150 for a diabetic). My triglycerides were 73 (should be under 150), my HDL was 49 and my LDL was 34 (should be under 100).

My iron looks good (yea)!! as it has been low a lot in the recent past.

I have lost 21 pounds on her scales since I was there in March....and I was the lowest weight I have been in I don't know how many years?????

I am coming off my diabetes injections (remaining on the pill only) and also coming off of my two cholesterol meds as well. I will go back for follow up labs in 3 months, and if the numbers still look good, we may decrease those remaining meds a bit unless they are closer to getting too high.

I am excited to be on this journey to better health...and when the results keep coming in good, then it motivates me to keep on going :)

Thanks for your support and prayers. I truly do appreciate it.

below 100

2009-07-29T21:15:00.002-05:00

Princess, our precious yellow lab, somehow ended up with an ear infection. So, on Tuesday (7-28-09) she went to the vet to be checked and to get meds for it. Well, as a standard procedure, they decided to weigh her...and yea!!!! She is now 99.4 pounds :) So, we only have 9.4 more pounds to go until our ideal weight is reached!!!

She loves going to the vet by the way...riding in the van....showing out by sitting and doing "down" and getting a tummy rub...visiting with other dogs and cats. She is by far the best dog we have ever had..so sweet and even tempered...but a bit hard to hold onto at that weight.

Her ear is already showing improvment...she'll be on antibiotics (oral and ointment) for about a week.

Summer fun.....

2009-07-25T19:55:00.000-05:00

We have had a busy and fun summer..not so many organized activities as usual, but lots of different things going on. These pictures will tell a bit of the story :)Ben Aquila's 11th birthday at Connor's at Bridge Street...Abby, Abigail, Ben and Maddie
Abigail and Mary M. at the "tea" party at church...she does not dress up....so the hat was about the extent of it :)
Abigail and her cousins Ben and Maddie for the fourth of July at our house
Abigail and her swim teacher, Ms. Cassie at Redstone Arsenal Pool on Goss Rd.
Abigail and some of her friends who took swimming lessons at the same time
Abigail and a few of her close friends from church who came for over last weekend, along with Mrs. Jennifer who was their camp counselor
Four of the five girls who went to church camp as they loaded into the van...
Abigail, my little swimmer :)
Abigail's first visit to the doctor this summer about her sinus infection...it took two visits and some strong antibiotics to get rid of it.
Abigail and Bruce on Father's Day this year at the McDonald's in Scottsboro, AL where we met Mom and Dad to pick her up after she got to spend a few days with them in Georgia

Bruce and his new luggage...he ended up keeping the first set I bought him as an anniversary gift and returned the second one :)

Before and after....

2009-07-25T13:39:00.003-05:00

We have been very blessed to have built our home in 1996....as a matter of fact, we were in the midst of building this time of the year 13 years ago. Well, over time, things do wear out and need to be replaced. We have been wanting to replace the flooring...and recently we were able to get one room taken care of thanks to a gift as well as the money we had already set aside.

Poor Rascal, who has been deceased for two years, often got sick and when we moved furniture, we could really see the damage his multiple sicknesses had on our flooring. Ick!!!

It is sort of hard to tell the new color and such, but it is a slightly more solid color....still very neutral though. Abigail loves it and wanted her picture taken just lying on it :) The pad is a nicer one...so it feels a LOT softer.

Weigh in time.....

2009-07-24T07:54:00.002-05:00

Just a quick little tidbit of info.....

Princess and Allie have been on a quest for better health for a few months. Yesterday, they had a weigh in and showed some very positive results. Allie, the beagle, has lost 9 pounds since her last weight check. She is now pretty much at her ideal weight. Princess has lost anywhere from 15-25 pounds depending on which day the scales were correct..LOL! She now weighs 101 pounds and is only 10 pounds from her ideal weight.

I had another weigh in yesterday, and have lost a total of 42.8 pounds. I am still eating right and exercising regularly with a bit of jogging sprinkled in there. The rate of loss has slowed, and I have been on this trek for a bit over a year now. I feel good, and will be having labs done today, with a visit to the doctor next Friday to go over the results and with the suggestion to her that we make some changes/deletions in a medicine or two since nothing has been adjusted since I have lost weight. I am probably still at least 10-15 or maybe even a bit more from my goal....not sure what that really is, as I will keep on eating right and exercising and when my body stops losing, I will know that I have reached my goal :)

I am very grateful to the Lord for His help in this process. Without a lot of prayer and the support of my family and friends, this would not have been possible. But this time, God provided just what I needed and took away the distractions that made it more difficult for me in my past attempts. I am glad to be on the path to better health, so I can serve Him and my family and my friends much better.

Kid's Camp in review

2009-07-20T07:16:00.002-05:00

It's hard to believe that three weeks have passed since Abigail left for Kid's Camp....and 2 1/2 weeks since she returned home. These are a few photos to give you a bit of an idea of what went on.

On Saturday, the girls who went to camp came over to our house to make a scrapbook of their camp memories....then their parents joined us for cookout/potluck dinner, along with Mrs. Jennifer (the camp chaperone) and her hubby. What fun we had :)

The girls...sporting a 'fun' attitude and lots of green since they were on the green team(which won the last day )
..green hair....notice Abigail's hair..she has her back to the camera
...being silly.....she is SO much like her daddy...
...hanging out on the bunk bed....these girls are good buddies..and they had a wonderful time :)

lots of things.....

2009-07-15T08:26:00.002-05:00

I promise, I HAVE been taking photos....and soon,I will find time to upload and blog about some of them....

but.....for now....a few things that are going on in our neck of the woods

**Abigail is taking swimming lessons. She will finish this level on Friday (July 17), then we'll be done with the majority of our 'structured' stuff for the summer.

**Our new carpet will FINALLY be installed next week. I'll be sure to post before and after photos. Due to some production hold ups (evidentally, the carpet I chose is very popular), it took a LONG time to get the carpet made and delivered.

**I am still in the midst of teaching kids' scrapbooking classes. I have four remaining to teach. They are a blast. The children are having LOTS of fun and their books are just beautiful.

**Abigail is just getting over a nasty sinus infection and finishing the last bit of a ten day round of antibiotics. Hopefully she will not have any further relapses.

**In the midst of everything else, we have gotten in about ten school days since June first :) That is great! Because, we are going to need that insurance policy it looks like since our fall may get a little crazy...because just yesterday we found out.....

**Bruce will be having surgery in September on his right shoulder. The MRI showed damage more extensive than we had expected, and he'll be in a sling for 4-6 weeks with a LONG time of rehab to follow. He has to fulfill some work obligations/trips that will require him to set up booths and such at a trade show. Since that requires lifting and a range of motion he won't have for a while after surgery, we have to wait for the surgery. Unfortunately, the surgery will be two days before Abigail's tenth birthday :( I am sure we will have to shorten some school days to get him to doctor's appointments and therapy.....and I'll also have to think of a special way to celebrate her big day that is quite different than what we originally hoped to do because Bruce won't be able to help and probably won't be able to even participate. :(

SO....these are a few of the things that have been keeping our family on the go lately......

Kitchen Service

2009-07-07T07:28:00.002-05:00

I have been participating in a Bible study at church based on a book called "Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World." It is a great book....one that has truly opened my eyes to a lot of different ideas about Martha and Mary..whom I used to always view as completely wrong and completely right before.

One of the chapters is called "Kitchen Service". There is a lot of background needed to explain that title....and I won't even try in the interest of space and time.....but I will say that one of the points of the chapter is that our lives should be lived in such a way, that when people see us, they know WHO and WHOSE we are, because they see our Lord and his love in us.

This one thing struck me really hard. "It's easy to fall into the hypocrisy of talking one way and living another--or to get so involved withour religious activities that we neglect to reach out to those around us."The bolded part.....GUILTY!!!! A little over a year ago, the Lord brought several different things into my life all at once that got my attention on just this matter.....and I had to really step back and look at things...say NO to some things I was doing 'for Him' and focus only on what I was truly supposed to be doing.

A quote from Dwight L. Moody follows this in the chapter...."Of one hundred men, one will read the Bible; the ninety-nine will read the Christian." Now, isn't that telling?

And, another reminder from the story of Mary and Martha....when Jesus rebuked Martha, He wasn't rebuking her act, but her attitude......for allowing it to irritate, agitate and absorb her. And, I had to ask myself, how many times had I tried to give SO much, that my attitude became wrong? How many times was I doing the right thing, but it was not what God wanted me to do (I failed to seek Him before jumping in to help?)

So, going back to a previous chapter, I will close with these thoughts from author, Joanna Weaver. "I realized then, that while there are many things that need to be done, things I'm capable of doing and want to do, I am not always the one to do them. Even if I have a burden for a certain need or project, my interest or concern is not a surefire sign that I need to be in charge. God may only be calling me to pray that the right person will rise up to accomplish it. What's more, I may be stealing someone else's blessing when I assume I must do it all."

That's a lot to think about, isn't it? To say "NO" when something needs to be done? And I can do it? And I want to? And others expect me to? Hmmmmm.....

She's gone.....

2009-07-01T12:30:00.003-05:00

I can hardly believe my 'baby' is old enough to go to church camp/Kids' camp for the first time...but alas....she is. On Monday, I took her to the church and put her on a van with some other very giggly girls and one very brave chaperone.

This year the group was small...only five girls...but in a way I am very excited. These girls are the core of our youth group 'to be'..at least the 'female' core group in years to come. This is a great opportunity for them to begin to bond now...in a way that they'd never get to otherwise. They are in various grade levels...various parts of town...various schools...so this is a really awesome opportunity on top of the fact that they are getting some great teaching and having lots of fun.

Here is a photo of them checking in...well four of them anyway. The fifth girl was meeting them there a bit later on as she had to come over from a family function in Atlanta.

The photo is sort of dark, but Abigail is the third from the left. The people at camp took this photo and posted it on a parent site so we could log on and see our children. We had to dig thru hundreds of photos to find it..but I am pretty determined :)

If you think of the girls...say a prayer for them. They are scheduled to return Thursday afternoon...full of stories, giggles, and hopefully more full of things the Lord has taught them....and probably QUITE tired too.

Green Peas....

2009-06-27T19:37:00.004-05:00

Lake Winnie and cousins and other things were a fun part of our time at Granny and Granddaddy's house, but June 18 arrived....and it was time for me (Laura) to return home. But, Abigail was scheduled to stay with my parents for a few more days so that Bruce and I could have a couple of days alone to recharge our batteries and celebrate our anniversary.

One of the fun things Abigail got to try was shelling green peas. Granny picked them from the garden that morning..then they shelled them together. Granny cooked them later that day and they had them for dinner that night. I think Abigail enjoyed her first attempt at shelling peas. And, I KNOW she enjoyed eating them along with some of Granny's homemade mashed potatoes :)

..here's a pea in its pod....
...I'm working hard......
..this is fun.....

..TWO peas in a pod....

A day at Lake Winnie

2009-06-23T17:11:00.004-05:00

June 17 is a pretty special day in our family. Bruce and I got married on June 17, 1989....which also happens to be my mom's birthday...then six years later, my little brother and his wife got married on that day as well. So, my mom can never forget her two children's wedding anniversaries, can she??

Well, this year, when our 20th anniversary rolled around, Bruce was out of town, so Abigail and I decided to visit with my family in Georgia for a few days. And, on the 17th, we went to Lake Winnie along with my parents and my brother and his family.

The cousins had a great time....just look below to see a few highlights of the day....except for the temps in the mid 90's, the day was wonderful!!!!

The cousins all enjoyed the Frog Hopper...a bouncy ride. Abigail is on the far left..her three cousins are the three children on the far right.
The girls loved the Scrambler. It was a bit too much for my tummy right after lunch....so I just watched!!
Granny prepared us a nice picnic lunch. We enjoyed that....especially the COLD drinks!!
Abigail and Davis were SO happy to have new Pokemon toys won by Uncle Kevin and his great throwing arm. Only $5 and he knocked all the blocks down twice to win the cousins the toys they desired. Abigail has slept with Pikachu every night since.

Abigail with Granny and Granddaddy....just as we entered the park around 10:15 a.m. We got to play for about 2 hours before cousins arrived...so Mommy got to ride a lot of things with her while Granny and Granddaddy watched and photographed us.
Kayla driving the old timey cars....doesn't she look serious??
Davis takes Abigail for a ride....
..and Emma drives me around....
..and Davis drives me....and it keeps on going...the kids rode these LOTS of times...alone and paired up....they loved driving each other and me too :)

..Abigail and I rode the caterpillar roller coaster..about the only one I can handle (wimp that I am)...and since she was in front of me...this is the photo I got of her the first time we rode it.

Twenty years and counting....

2009-06-20T10:21:00.003-05:00

It is hard to believe that 20 years have passed since that very hot and humid day in Georgia at Shiloh Baptist Church when Bruce and I exchanged our wedding vows. June 17, 1989 at 2 p.m. was the official time of the ceremony.....and now, twenty years later...we love each other more than we did then. Until we look in the mirror and see the gray hair and wrinkles, it really does not seem like twenty years at all.

This is Bruce with part of his new luggage set...my anniversary gift to him. He needed a new set....and actually picked this out himself (as he travels a lot and is very particular about what he wants). But, at least I know he likes it :)
Bruce got me a pearl necklace!!! He almost never gets me jewelry, so it was a shock!! I love it, and will always cherish it. There are also a few diamonds on it. This will be a special piece that I will pass down to Abigail one day.

Just a big of trivia...this is the Pizza Hut in LaFayette, Georgia. The first time I met Bruce Aquila was here. Tony Tucker (my pastor and Bruce's old college buddy) was meeting Bruce here for dinner before a church revival and I joined Tony and his wife Cindy for dinner, mainly to keep Cindy company. Well, that was the beginning of the end I guess....

a busy week.....for all......

2009-06-13T19:06:00.004-05:00

What a busy week this has been for us. I have not taken photos in quite some time...I have not had a chance....or really even thought to do so when I did have an opportunity. But, at least I did remember to get one picture of Abigail at the end of VBS. She was able to attend Wall Highway's Boomerang Express (this is also where she attends school). She dubbed it the BEST VBS ever!!! She had a lot of fun...learned a lot and made some new friends too.

While she was there, I prepared for and held two kid's scrapbooking classes in addition to my normal music lesson schedule and a LOT of other things. The week seemed to be unusually busy. We enjoyed a swimming play date with Julie, a friend from church and ended the week by celebrating a birthday with a friend from church on Friday. Who knew that friends ranging in age from 9 to 65 could enjoy charades so much?!?!?!?!

Here is the one lone VBS photo I was able to get :)

playdate....

2009-06-05T20:57:00.002-05:00

Princess had a playdate with Sandy, a friend from the next street over :) Allie, our beagle had to stay inside as she does not play very well with others. Princess is on the left and she is a purebred yellow lab. Sandy, on the right, is also a yellow lab, but due to the length of her fur and her size/shape, it appears that she may have another breed mixed in. She really looks like a golden retriever to me :)

The two girls get along nicely...they enjoyed chasing each other and then lying down and resting during the four hours they were together.

If you look closely, you can tell that Princess is doing well with her weight loss plan. I am not sure exactly how much she has lost, but she is definitely slimming down. We'll have to go for a weigh in again soon.

Kicking off the SUMMER!!!

2009-06-03T06:14:00.003-05:00

We officially kicked off the summer on the 23rd of May, the Saturday before Memorial Day, with a family cookout. That's when these photos were taken, but I have been slow in downloading and posting them. All of the Aquila's except Jeff and his family were able to attend.

We grilled out chicken and polish sausages, made my 'famous' BBQ beans, and threw together some fiesta dip and shrimp cocktail. The rest of the family brought delightful side dishes....broccoli, pasta salad, chips, rolls, cake, creamy graham cracker and pudding dessert, garden salad, and much more (I cannot remember it all). Let's just say that the kitchen counter and our tummies were very full!!!!

As an aside...Today is Vincent's birthday!!! He is 46 years old!!! June is our busy month as far as holidays. Every one of Bruce's siblings has a June birthday. Then we have my mom's birthday, our wedding anniversary, father's day and Princess's birthday (not that we celebrate the dog's birthday really:) But still, it is a pretty big month for us. SO, if you are reading this...HAPPY BIRTHDAY VINCENT!!!!

Grammy and Aunt Mary are eating...we get tickled because Grammy usually ends up making a bib out of her napkin :)
...Grammy's head, Aunt Mary, Uncle Vincent and his lovely wife, Aunt Julia...
Abigail, Maddie and Ben (Vince and Julia's children) are racing after the meal......
...the kids are eating and visiting....they usually end up at their own table....we just don't have room for everyone at one table in our house, but they like having their own place :)

Happy Birthday, Princess!!

2009-06-02T07:40:00.003-05:00

It is hard to believe that our 'baby' dog is now five years old. We were not even looking for a dog when we got her....but my brother had a litter of purebred labs, and she did not have a home.....and we (especially Bruce, who is not a dog person by nature) fell in love with her. So, we added a third dog to our home. Since then, Rascal has passed away, and we only have two....and we plan to keep it that way.

Princess is such a sweet and kind dog, despite the fact that she weighs in at over 100 pounds. She is even tempered, sensitive and loving. She loves to be inside and loves to get attention. In reality, she thinks she is a lap dog....but at her size, she does not quite fit. With the lab in her, she LOVES water, and will try to fit into any container of water she finds, no matter how small. We keep a wading pool on the patio for her to enjoy :) She loves to play fetch and catch or just to curl up with a rawhide and gnaw on it while being close to us. She lives both indoors and outdoors. She does well with our family, but since she IS so large and is still pretty excitable, we put her out when we have guests over.

Happy FIFTH birthday Princess! We love you!

A new baby on the way.....

2009-05-31T07:08:00.005-05:00

For the last eleven years, we have been blessed to be a part of the lives of two very special young ladies, Keisha and Reisha Carney. We first met them when they lived at the Tennessee Baptist Children's Home in the Franklin/Brentwood area. They were thirteen at the time....and we were childless, but strongly desiring to pour ourselves and God's love into the life of a child. And, we got a double blessing..twins!!

Well, fast forward all these years....and Keisha is now married to Tim Davis and is expecting her first baby...a little girl....Rihanna Benton Davis. So, yesterday, I was able to go to her baby shower along with another long time friend of the girls. They got so many nice gifts and I think they are ready for the baby :)

Keisha (on the left) giving instructions while Reisha (on the right) takes photos....there is nothing new about this......these have been their roles since we've known them--LOL
Keisha says cheese and shows us her belly..what is amazing is that she has LOST 63 pounds during this pregnancy!!! She was a big girl before getting pregnant...and while she eats all the time, her body just cannot seem to get enough food. The baby is growing and is very healthy. She jokingly said she'd be wearing a two piece bathing suit after the baby is born!!!
Keisha opens a special little 'security blankie' from Abigail. She was so proud of herself for picking it out.
me with the girls...the lighting was bad...so we look like aliens or something ??? This was taken on the deck at Reisha's apartment.

Don't Laugh

2009-05-25T06:57:00.001-05:00

Breast Cancer Ribbon
Originally uploaded by justclaire

Abigail and I have a goal....yes...I know you won't believe it, but we are going to run a 5K race this fall. The race supports breast cancer..those who have survived it (including my mother in law and many others I know) and those who did not.

Now, here's the funny part....at the time of the race, I will be close to my 43rd birthday and I have NEVER run a race before. I have been walking a lot for 2 years and have hit the 35 pounds 'lost' mark recently. I still have about 20 pounds I would like to lose and will be working diligently on that this summer...by eating a lot of fresh fruits and veggies that are in season and ramping up my exercise.

So, yes, I have set a goal....one that seems impossible to me.......because even as a young person, I could never run...it always hurt too much--LOL! But, this is a goal we have...so my nine year old (well, she'll be newly ten at the time of the race) and I will be training and working hard to run with a huge group of ladies.

Be on the lookout for more updates....I am sure there will be some funny stories to come out of this :)

Now.....off to get the needed supplies......I don't even have running shoes (only walking ones)...and there is more....but I won't mention that here.....

Busy, busy....

2009-05-21T09:47:00.002-05:00

We are here....I have not forgotten my blog...just busy trying to finish school and keep Abigail healthy :)

We will finish school on Friday, May 22. We have slowly dropped subjects off as she has completed her requirements in each subject, but we're doing math, reading and writing until the end :)

Abigail is sick with allergy/sinus stuff. We ended up making a doctor's visit yesterday since she was complaining of ear pain. She SO rarely says that anything hurts, so when she does, I know we need to investigate. With the huge amount of congestion she's had lately, I was thinking that we might be dealing with an ear infection, but thankfully we are not. The congestion itself was causing hear pain. So, he added another medicine (decongestant/asthma type medicine) to help her on a short term basis. Hopefully the grass pollen will drop off soon and she'll be back to normal.

We are looking forward to the summer...it will be more relaxed than some in the past we are hoping. We will be doing the library summer reading club, church camp, VBS at the church where she attends Friday classes, and swimming lessons....and LOTS of play time with family and friends we hope. We intentionally did not schedule any sports camps, sciquest camps, or other things along those lines this year. I think we just need some down time. Plus, I will be teaching several children's scrapbooking classes here over the summer at various times, and I need time to prepare for that as well as the Alabama History class I will be teaching this fall. And, I will still have a few piano and voice students during the summer.

Of course, I have a 'to do' list that is a mile long....and I will try to tackle that in between other things, but most of all, I hope to enjoy time with my little one who won't be little for many more years. And, hopefully Bruce will have some down time on the weekends and will actually get to take and enjoy a week off during June as well so that we can have some family time together. Believe it or not, we will be celebrating 20 years of marriage in June!!!!!

Our concerts......

2009-05-12T08:22:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite things to do is to teach music lessons to children, and even to adults and teens. I have done this off and on for years...really since I was a teen myself. Last summer, after taking a break of a few years for a variety of reasons, I found that I was ready and able to resume teaching piano and voice lessons again. So, by word of mouth and some emails sent out to various homeschoolers that I knew, I started growing my little group.

Today, we had some little concerts....a very informal recital of sorts. The children played/sang a few songs they chose and worked on in recent weeks. Even Abigail, who has not consistently taken lessons in a while, played a couple of songs. I think she was motivated by what the others did....and she's ready to start back to regular lessons this summer :)

These are not all of my students...a couple did not participate for various reasons. Also, the young lady in yellow and the young lady in black/white stripes, do both voice and piano. The rest of the students pictured do piano only. The other two students who did not participate today do voice only.