Thankful Thursday!

Tomorrow is my last day of school. I'm ready to start my summer vacation. I'm thankful to be traveling 3 weeks this summer. We will be going to South Carolina for a week. We will be celebrating our 10th Wedding Anniversary in South Carolina. Then we will be going to the Happiest Place on Earth, Disney World to celebrate Maggie's(my neice) 1st birthday. For another week this summer, we will be going to Creation College with Answers in Genesis in Kentucky. While there we will have unlimited tickets to visit the Creation Museum. I am excited to see the museum and learn more about the Bible through creation. Another treat this summer will be when our friend, English Dave and his family will be coming from Brazil to visit. Can't wait to have tea! This summer will be busy, but I'm thankful for the opportunity to be able to do all of these vacations.

Today was Weight Watchers too! I gained 0.4 this week. I'm not complaining or disappointed because this week was Memorial Day as well as my birthday. So gaining .4 wasn't too bad. I did go for long walk/run today, so I'm hoping that will help me for next week.

The verse for this week is Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

Get rooted in God's Word this week!

Happy Birthday to ME!!!

Today's my birthday and I'll cry if I want to, cry if I want to. . You would cry to if it happened to you. You know. . .working with children all day and all night. Don't get me wrong--I love my job and going to church, but I'm ready for school to be over! Teachers are ready for summer vacation too!

Happy Birthday to ME!!!

We will always remember!

Thank you for your service to our country so that I can celebrate my FREEDOM!

Freedom Is Not Free
- Kelly Strong
I watched the flag pass by one day.
It fluttered in the breeze.
A young Marine saluted it,
and then he stood at ease.
I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud,
He'd stand out in any crowd.
I thought how many men like him
Had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mothers' tears?
How many pilots' planes shot down?
How many died at sea?
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?
No, freedom isn't free.

I heard the sound of TAPS one night,
When everything was still
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.
I wondered just how many times
That TAPS had meant "Amen,"
When a flag had draped a coffin
Of a brother or a friend.
I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.
I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea
Of unmarked graves in Arlington.
No, freedom isn't free.

Show Us Your Dining Room--Friday!

I was excited when it Kelly announced that this week was Dining Rooms! I don't have a formal Dining Room, so I'm posting about our kitchen table and hutch. These were passed down from my Dad's family. I remember going to my Great-Aunt's house when I was little and sitting at the table that is now in my "Dining Area". I couldn't tell you how old the table, chairs and hutch are, but OLD! One fascinating note, is that I also have a napkin holder that matches them. I love changing our table decor for the holidays. This is what my table looks like for Memorial Day. I have two different red, white and blue sets that I change for Patriotic Holidays. The hutch stores all our Christmas china (Yuletide Holiday by Fitz and Floyd) as well as hand painted china from my Great-Aunt. I want to display my Aunt's work around my house, but I'm too afraid that it will get broken, so it stays in the hutch.


My favorite part of my table is the napkins and the napkin rings.

Here you can see just a few of the handpainted china. (Yes, everything in this picture was handpainted!)


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Yesterday was Thankful Thursday and I was busy with school. Next week is the last week of school and I have so many projects and last minute things to do---So, my BED is what I was thankful for yesterday. My bed is very special to me. My parents gave us the bedroom set a few months after we had been married. It used to be there's and they brought it to us one piece at a time. Another reason it is special to me is I remember praying at the foot of the bed on my knees for Jesus to come into my heart when I was seven years old. I am reminded of that almost every time I sit near that corner of the bed. I also remember sleeping in that bed(different mattress, of course) when I was little. When I would get scared my mom and dad would let us sleep between them. Last night I couldn't wait to get into the bed. I'm so thankful that the Lord provided a bed with so many comfort thoughts and precious memories. The verse for the week I Thessalonians 5:11 "Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing."

Weight Watchers update for Week 8: I lost 2 pounds yesterday and that is a grand total of 11.8 pounds! I hope I do well this week: Memorial Day and my birthday!

Show Us Where You Live--Friday!

This week Kelly is having a parade of guest bedrooms and I'm thinking mine needs work just like her's. (I thought her guest room looked beautiful and I'm sure in a couple of weeks she will blog about what changes she has made.) I am hoping to make some changes to my guest room in the near future. So my pictures aren't great, but I love our house and I'm waiting to find the perfect accessories for that room. You know how that goes!?! Any suggestions would be great!

This was my husband's dresser from when he was a little boy. On top is just some odd's and ends. (I teach 2nd grade and for Valentine's Day, I received several-3 to be exact-Webkinz.) I don't know what to do with them right now, so there they sit.

Shhh--here's my hiding places. I was cleaning out and found some Wii boxes that we need to get rid of and they just happen to be in the picture. My husband enjoys playing golf, so you never know where the clubs will be hiding next. I have my very own Mickey bear that gets used when children come to play and for a teddy bear to sleep with at night. That is a victrola that Mike's parents gave to us when we moved into our new house.

This is the twin bed. Matress, box spring, headboard all given to us. The comforter is a Tommy Hilfiger that I fell in love with. It is reversable, the other side is yellow with blue and green stripe. The bookcase is full of books, scrapbooks, and Bible Study books. The stand beside the bed is a plant stand that has been in my family for many years. I need accessories for this room as you can now tell. I'm open to ideas and suggestions! This might be my summer project!

Thankful Thursday!

Here we are again at Thankful Thursday. The week goes by so quickly. That's my Thanksgiving for this week. I'm sooooo glad it's already Thursday and I only have to go to work one more day this week. I only have to get up 12 more mornings before I can sleep in!! I can't believe that my 10th year of teaching is almost over. I have been so blessed to teach at the same school, in the same classroom and 2nd grade for ALL 10 years. I love St. Petersburg Christian School. I'm thankful for the students who appreciate their teacher, parents who are supportive, and a staff that treats you like family. I can't imagine myself teaching at any other school. I'm so thankful that 10 years ago SPCS gave me a chance to make a difference and I hope I am still doing that today, one child at a time.

Train up a child in the way he should go;
even when he is old he will not depart from it.
—Proverbs 22:6

Thursday is not only when I blog about what I'm thankful for, but my Weight Watchers check in(get on a scale) day! Another good week, considering I didn't journal what I ate this week. I still lost 0.6 lbs. I'm sure I would have lost more had I wrote down what I ate. I just returned home from a long walk before the rain comes. I'm hoping to exercise some more this week. Thanks for cheering me on!

Almost--Wordless Wednesday

Reedy River Falls in Downtown Greenville, SC Can't wait to go back to SC in June!

Lots of News

It's only been since Saturday that I have posted a new blog, but I have many things that I want to share with you. This past week, Mike has been busy getting everything ready for him and friends and family to put in a new chain link fence for our back yard. He even talked with our neighbors who we share fence lines and they all came out to watch. One neighbor had even put up chain link fence before, so he was a real big help. He came over to help both Friday and Saturday. Everyone worked hard on Friday afternoon and again on Saturday. It was finished by 5pm on Saturday! I was amazed at how well they all worked together and got the job finished.




Cooper was helping Mike clean up the yard after everyone was gone. He loves his new fence! Can't you tell?

Sunday was Mother's Day and to be honest I was not looking forward to the day. It was a hard day, but several things helped me through. . . I got a sweet note from Cooper on Facebook from a friend (since Cooper can't type, you know). I prayed for others that I know that might have felt the same way I did. I talked with my mom and today I got a sweet e-card from her. That e-card was special and brough tears to my eyes. I had two sweet students today give me home made Mother's Day cards and they told me why they love me as their teacher. I enjoyed my day by eating at our favorite little restaurant after church. The owner even gave me a brownie. It was yummy!

It has been a week and a half since Mike was diagnosed with having a wheat allergy. So I have been busy trying to come up with new recipes that he will like. I was on Kelly's blog (If you haven't been to here blog, you need to check it out. What a great woman that God is using in mighty ways.) and she has an extra recipe blog and I found a recipe for Artichoke Chicken. I fixed it tonight and Mike liked it. He liked it so much he is taking it for lunch tomorrow. And if you know Mike, you know he doesn't like leftovers, so I know it's a hit when he wants it again the next day! Thanks Kelly! If any of you have recipes without wheat, I'll be glad to try them for you!

I fixed brown rice and Mike grilled asparagus. It was a delicious dinner. Here's the recipe.
Ingredients

* 1 (15 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
* 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
* 3/4 cup mayonnaise
* 1 tbls garlic salt--maybe not quite that much--
* 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the artichoke hearts, Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, and garlic salt. Place chicken in a greased baking dish, and cover evenly with artichoke mixture.
3. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until chicken is no longer pink in the center and juices run clear.

So Show Us Where You Live--Living Room Edition!

The first piece of nice furniture we ever bought was the amoire. It holds our TV and some of our DVD's in the bottom. I bought the two large pictures at an outlet store that was closing. I think I got them both for $50. Several weeks later I was at another furniture store and saw the same pictures for over $100 each! What a deal!!!


We bought the sofa and plaid chair to match my Thomas Kinkade picture. We had a Kinkade gallery at our local mall and I found out that they would allow you to use the mall gift cards in their gallery, so I bought a picture. At the time when were were buying the picture, they had lay-away and told us if we had it paid off in 3 months when Thomas Kinkade was coming to the area, he would sign it. We paid it off and his signature is on the back. When we moved into our new house 3 years ago this month, we needed some more furniture. I was on the hunt for a chair for my husband. Well, I found the perfect chair. It's leather and is very comfortable and fits most people. I say that because my husband is 6 ft. 4 in. tall, so he needed a chair that would fit him. This leather chair is actually a recliner! He loves it. I got a picture without him in it only because he is outside putting up a new fence today.




The china cabinet is an antique that is from my dad's family and has been passed down for many generations. The dining room table and chairs match. (Cooper wanted his picture, but then he got camera shy.)

Thankful Thursday!

Day One--Mike is just beginning to inspect the old fence and start to tear down.

Day Two--Mike is carrying the last bit of fence to the big pile to be carried off to the dump.


It's Thursday again! I so look forward to Thursday's. I'm amazed to see how in just one day there are so many things I am thankful for. I will just share a few that have stood out to me today. I have to back up to last Thursday to explain some things. Last week, we had a local company come out and measure and talk with us about putting in a new fence around our yard. We had a fence, I should say fences. We had chain link, 6 foot wood fence and a cute-starting to mold-white picket fence. We decided that we would take everything down except for the chain link--which is actually our neighbors. Last Thursday after the funeral of Mike's Grandfather, Mike and his Uncle were talking and they came up with a new plan. The new plan is to put the fence in ourselves. Well, here we are 7 days later and boy have we (well, I should say Mike) been BUSY this week! I have been taking pictures each day to show the progress we are making. Only the pictures tonight don't show any progress, just playing around. Mike's friend, Pat, came over to help and brought his dog, who is a lab/pit bull mix. Kingsley and Cooper had lots of fun together. Pat is coming back tomorrow and Saturday to help with the fence. I don't know if Kingsley is coming, but he is welcome to come. :-) With the decision to do the fence ourselves, we have enough money to get all our trees "beautified" and one even needs to be cut down. Just with the old fences down, our yard looks much different. It's hard to imagine what it will look like next week.

Day Three-Pat came over to help Mike and brough a play mate for Cooper, Kingsley.


Thursday's are also my weekly update on my Weight Loss. Good News, one more pound gone! That is a grand total of 9.2 pounds in 5 weeks. Now, how many more pounds do I have to lose? I'M NOT COUNTING(or telling)! I'm working at it one week at a time.

The verse I want to share with you today is Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." The Lord showed me this verse today. I was so excited about it that I am even using it at my memory verse next week with my class. (It even goes along with our lesson.) God works in mysterious ways.) This may be a busy time for you, just as it is me, so I was reminded today to be still and KNOW that he is still God today and tomorrow and forever.

What are you thankful for today?

Wonderful Moments

I have lots of pictures from our weekend to share with you! Cooper had a birthday, so presents were a must. He got an egg and a new red and white rope.



Saturday was a busy day for us. We traveled with Mike's parents and Grandma to Sarasota to eat at Yoder's. When we arrived we noticed the billboard and once inside we found out that Adam Richman from "Man vs Food" was going to be there in about one hour. We never saw Adam, but we did see some of his crew! He was filming in the kitchen when we were there. He was going to be in the dining room for dinner! We were soooo full that we couldn't wait, so we headed to a Living Word Christian Bookstore to walk our lunch off! What a great bookstore. I can't wait to go back!




On Saturday Mike and I went to a surprise birthday party for my friend Brooke. She was very surprised. Her birthday is actually today! HAPPY BIRHTDAY, BROOKE!


TWO NEW RECIPES!!!
We found out last Wednesday that Mike has an allergy to wheat and that might be the cause of all his stomach issues. We have been busy cleaning out our refrigerator, freezer, and pantry to seperate the items that have wheat or flour in them! WOW is all I can say. Most things in my pantry had wheat, so they have all been put on the top shelf for now until I can give them to someone more needy (and who doesn't have an allergy to wheat)! I made these egg muffins that I saw on a friend's blog to have a hot breakfast every morning. I was able to make 12 muffins last night! If you want the recipe let me know and I'll send it to you!


Tonight I made a recipe from a book that a friend loaned me. (It was easy, no flour or wheat and only 7 Weight Watcher points.) It was Herbed pork chops with vegetables (carrots, onions, potatoes). It was very yummy! I'm happy to send the recipe if you would like!

I'm hoping to make another Weight Watchers dinner tomorrow night--salmon!

Show Us Where You Live!

I've been inspired by Kelly's blog(www.kellyskornerblog.com) for many months. I thought I would join in this time for the pictures of our house. I was excited to see the kitchen being the first room! We recently updated our kitchen and I love my new kitchen! The man that built our cabinets did many extra touches, including making the cabinets 13 inches deep. The pantry has pull out drawers. I have lazy-susans in the top and bottom corner cabinets. The trash can has its very own cabinet. I have a drawer at the sink that keeps my brushes and scrapers. One of my favorite things about the kitchen is the double oven that I found! It is very handy when having people over to keep food warm or to use as an extra oven! The color of the cabinets are based on the warm brown Longaberger Baskets!

Happy Birthday, Cooper!

Happy Birthday, Cooper!!!
Cooper is two years old!

He loves to ride in the car and be with the family!

No, I Didn't Forget Thankful Thursday. . .

I didn't forget about Thankful Thursday, it was just a busy day and I wasn't home to blog about my day. Thursday was a beautiful day here in Florida. I spent most of the morning outside at Mike's Grandfather's Memorial Service. He passed away on Sunday, April 26 and is now in the presence of his Savior. As I reflect about the service, I am thankful for the hope and assurance I have of eternal life. I was seven years old when I asked Jesus into my heart. That night is as clear to me as if it happened last night. I'm thankful for my parents who showed me God's Word that night. The time with Mike's family for the last several days has been wonderful. Tomorrow we are heading to Sarasota to go to Yoder's Amish Restaurant! Yipee!!

This picture was taken shortly after Grandpa went to live at The Gardens. We took Cooper up to meet Grandpa and they were good friends.


These were the gorgeous red roses that were on Grandpa's casket. Grandma put the flowers directly into some water when we got home.


Becca, Shawn and Mike love having their picture taken by a blog addict--NOT!

I also am thankful for another week of being determined to lose weight. I lost 2 pounds this week at Weight Watchers. After 4 weeks, I have lost 8.2 lbs!

On Thursday afternoon, I went to my oncologist for my monthly bloodwork. I have gone for two months, so only ten more to go!!! I will call on Monday to find out the results. The staff is so nice and encouraging. I enjoy seeing them each month and catching up. Going only once a month is much different than once a week! I will go at the end of May for more bloodwork and then I will see the doctor at the beginning of June.

I Thessalonians 5:18 "Give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."