Blessings!!

Blessings!!
Seventeen blessings that make growing older worth the effort!!...and 2 more blessings since this picture was taken!
Welcome



Wouldn't it be wonderful if your family were the envy of all your neighborhood? Not because your family had the biggest house, the fanciest car or the very best interior decorator.

The reason isn't that you are the parents of the most beautiful children, you have a "to die for spouse" and you command a 6 figure income.

The fact of the matter is, you don't own a fancy house, your car is a CarMax reject, and your interior decorator is the local Goodwill Store.

Is all of that important? No! What is important is that your family is "The Happiest Family on the Block"!

I will be sharing our secrets that worked with our 6 children, 6 sons and daughters-in-laws and 19 grandchildren! I will share secrets and ideas that we did do and wished we hadn't, things we didn't do, but wished we had, AND things we did do and are glad we got something right!! Hindsight is 20/20 you know!

The "happy family" revolves around:

Marriage

Raising children

Faith

Schooling

Discipline

Childbirth

Hobbies- cooking, sewing, crafts, decorating

Making money

Finances

Being friends with your grown up children

Being the best grandparents you can be

Etc, etc, etc

Grab a cup of coffee, sit down, relax and let's visit!

My Darling Grandaughter

My Darling Grandaughter

Monday, May 31, 2010

Memorial Day

On this day when we take the time to honor our men and women in the Armed Forces who have and still are serving our country, let us do so in a practical way by giving to the Fisher House organization.This non-profit organization is offering a wonderful service to our wounded heroes!
Copied from the Fisher House website: http://www.fisherhouse.org/

"The Fisher House™ Program"


"The Fisher House™ program is a unique private-public partnership that supports America's military in their time of need. The program recognizes the special sacrifices of our men and women in uniform and the hardships of military service by meeting a humanitarian need beyond that normally provided by the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs.
Because members of the military and their families are stationed worldwide and must often travel great distances for specialized medical care, Fisher House™ Foundation donates "comfort homes," built on the grounds of major military and VA medical centers. These homes enable family members to be close to a loved one at the most stressful times - during the hospitalization for an unexpected illness, disease, or injury.

There is at least one Fisher House™ at every major military medical center to assist families in need and to ensure that they are provided with the comforts of home in a supportive environment. Annually, the Fisher House™ program serves more than 10,000 families, and have made available nearly three million days of lodging to family members since the program originated in 1990. By law, there is no charge for any family to stay at a Fisher House operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs; and Fisher House Foundation uses donations to reimburse the individual Fisher Houses operated by the Army, Navy, and Air Force. No family pays to stay at any Fisher House!

In addition to constructing new houses, Fisher House™ Foundation continues to support existing Fisher Houses™ and help individual military families in need. We are also proud to administer and sponsor Scholarships for Military Children, the Hero Miles program, and co-sponsor the Newman's Own Award."

You can go to their website and give online: http://www.fisherhouse.org/
Or, you can mail a donation to:


Fisher House™ Foundation, Inc.
111 Rockville Pike, Suite 420
Rockville, MD 20850-5168

Make checks payable to: Fisher House™ Foundation

Thank you for your support and thank you to each and every service man or woman to is serving to protect our country!

Saturday, May 29, 2010

To All of Our Servicemen ~ In Honor of Memorial Day

To All Our Veterans That are Serving and Have Served!




It is the

VETERAN,

not the preacher,

who has given us freedom of religion.



It is

the VETERAN,

not the reporter,

who has given us freedom of the press.



It is

the VETERAN,

not the poet,

who has given us freedom of speech.



It is

the VETERAN,

not the campus organizer,
who has given us freedom to assemble.



It is

the VETERAN,

not the lawyer,

who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is

the VETERAN,

not the politician,

Who has given us the right to vote.




It is the

VETERAN who

salutes the Flag,

 



It is

the VETERAN

who serves

under the Flag,


                                                          We can be very proud of our young men
 and women in the service no matter where they serve.

God Bless Them All!!!








Thursday, May 27, 2010

Responsibility

Responsibility? My child is too young to try to teach him to be responsible!!  He is only two years old... he won't understand that.
Think again. At a very young age you can begin to instill a measure of responsibility in him. When you tell your child to pick up his toys you are teaching him to be responsible for his belongings.
Helping him learn to dress, eat, bathe and groom is teaching him to be responsibile for his own health and well being.
Expecting obedience and disciplining your child will teach him to be responsible for his behavior. If you ignore misbehavior or excuse it, your are letting your child know that ther are no consequences for his behavior and he does not have to take responsibility for his actions. That is disaster waiting to happen!
The foundation for responsibility starts at a very early age.
We will talk more about this soon....

Saturday, May 22, 2010

To All the Kids Who Survived...

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED THE

1930s, '40s, '50s, '60s and '70s!!

First, we survived being born to mothers who may have smoked and/or drank
while they were pregnant, not that we recommend it.

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes or strep.

They had their babies on the babies schedule, not the doctor's.

Then, after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies

in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints.

We were fed strawberries and peanut butter before we were one or two years old and lived.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, locks on doors or cabinets,

and, when we rode our bikes,

we had baseball caps,

not helmets, on our heads.

As infants and children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, no booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, bald tires and sometimes no brakes.

Riding in the back of a pick- up truck on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle.

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle, and no one actually died from this.

We ate cupcakes, white bread, real butter, and bacon. We drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar. And we weren't overweight.

WHY?

Because we were always outside playing...that's why!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.

No one was able to reach us all day.

--And, we were OKAY.

We would spend hours building

our go-carts out of scraps

and then ride them down the hill,

only to find out we forgot the brakes... After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Play Stations, Nintendos and X-boxes. There were

no video games, no 150 channels on cable,

no video movies or DVDs,

no surround-sound or CDs,

no cell phones,

no personal computers,

no Internet and no chat rooms..

WE HAD FRIENDS

and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut,

broke bones and teeth,

and there were no lawsuits

from those accidents.

We would get spankings with wooden spoons, switches, ping-pong paddles, or just a bare hand, and no one would call child services to report abuse.

We ate worms, and mud pies

made from dirt, and

the worms did not live in us forever.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls, and

-although we were told it would happen- we did not put out very many eyes.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them.

Little League had tryouts

and not everyone made the team.

Those who didn't had to learn

to deal with disappointment.

Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers,

problem solvers, and inventors ever.

The past 50 to 85 years have seen an explosion of innovation and new ideas..

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all.

If YOU are one of those born between 1925-1970,

CONGRATULATIONS!

You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good.

While you are at it, show it to your kids, so they will know how brave and lucky their parents were.


Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it

Friday, May 21, 2010

Too Cute!


I was with my daughter and her two little girls the other day. Her little two year old, Margaret, loves anything hot and spicy, and was eating "hot fries". She had been munching for a while when she declared,"I all done now." After a short pause, she looked up at her mom and asked, "Mommy, why is the sun in my mouth?"

Thursday, May 20, 2010

The Three R's by Example

You know, I have been talking about the three R's... Respect, Resourcefulness, and Responsibility. These are all important traits for our children to learn as they are some of the basics of living a productive life.
This will not happen if we as parents do not set an example of being respectful, resourceful, and responsible.

How can our children learn to be respectful if they see us showing disrespect to other people around us? If we are lazy, or act as if we are owed a living, how can our children learn to be resourceful? If we blame others for our mistakes or excuse ourselves when we have done something wrong, will our children learn responsibility? CHILDREN LEARN WHAT THEY LIVE!!

More later!

Sunday, May 16, 2010

What is Our Country Coming To?

On the news yesterday, Wednesday, May 11....
A third grader in a Texas public school was put on a one week in school suspension for having a "controlled substance" in her possession. Oh my! That is your first thought... where are our children headed? Well, listen to this! The controlled substance was one Jolly Rancher piece of candy! Yes, you read that right... one piece of Jolly Rancher candy. The school policy is that there is to be no candy or gum on school property.Okay, so she did violate school policy, but one week suspension and "controlled substance"? She was given the candy by a friend at school and then she was caught. What is our country coming to?

What to you think about the increasing control our local, state and federal governments are using on us in regard to our children? Do you agree or disagree? Do you think they should tell us how to discipline, how to feed, how to educate, how to care for our children? Do we as parents have a God given right to control these aspects of our children's lives?

I am not talking about the obviously neglectful, abusive parents that are out there, but the responsible, caring, nurturing parents that are wanting to raise responsible, well behaved children in today's society.
Give me your thoughts!!

Friday, May 14, 2010

There is No Charge for Love

A farmer had some puppies he needed to sell.

He painted a sign advertising the 4 pups and

set about nailing it to a post on the edge of

his yard. As he was driving the last nail into the

post, he felt a tug on his overalls. He looked

down into the eyes of little boy.

"Mister," he said, "I want to buy one of your

puppies."

"Well," said the farmer, as he rubbed the sweat

off the back of his neck, "These puppies come

from fine parents and cost a good deal of money."


The boy dropped his head for a moment. Then

reaching deep into his pocket, he pulled out a

handful of change and held it up to the farmer.


"I've got thirty-nine cents. Is that enough to take

a look?"

"Sure," said the farmer. And with that he let out

a whistle.. "Here, Dolly!" he called.


Out from the doghouse and down the ramp ran

Dolly followed by four little balls of fur.


The little boy pressed his face against the chain

link fence. His eyes danced with delight. As the

dogs made their way to the fence, the little boy

noticed something else stirring inside the doghouse.


Slowly another little ball appeared, this one noticeably smaller. Down the ramp it slid. Then in a somewhat awkward manner, the little pup began hobbling toward the others, doing its best to catch up...

"I want that one," the little boy said, pointing to the

runt. The farmer knelt down at the boy's side and said, "Son, you don't want that puppy. He will never be able to run and play with you like these other dogs would."


With that the little boy stepped back from the fence,

reached down, and began rolling up one leg of his

trousers.

In doing so he revealed a steel brace running down

both sides of his leg attaching itself to a specially made shoe.


Looking back up at the farmer, he said, "You see sir,

I don't run too well myself, and he will need someone

who understands."


With tears in his eyes, the farmer reached down and

picked up the little pup.

Holding it carefully he handed it to the little boy.

"How much?" asked the little boy.

"No charge," answered the farmer, "There's no charge for love.."



The world is full of people who need someone who

understands..

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Great Site!

Have you checked out this site?
http://www.ready.gov/
This is a great site for information on preparedness for natural disasters ( hopefully no "unnatural" disasters).
You can download an emergency supply kit list, view a video, and look at many other resources. There is a very kid friendly children's page to help your children understand the importance of being prepared at home and at school.
Also check out this:
Find out how to keep food safe during and after an emergency by visiting:
www.foodsafety.gov/keep/
It is good to be prepared but let us all remember that God has also promised to take care of those who love Him and that is our ultimate safety!

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Guest Blogger -Same Sweet Girl: Memoir of a Southern Belle

I would like to welcome a guest blogger who so graciously allowed me to post this article from her blog, Same Sweet Girl: Memoir of a Southern Belle.  Please take the time to visit her @ http://sweetsoutherncupcakes.blogspot.com/ .

This article goes along great with the second of the three R's....Responsibility

Succeeding on Your Job- (or, I would say, Succeeding at Living!)
When it comes to having a work ethic, "Go to the ant, consider it's ways and be wise." These tiny giants of industry teach us valuable principles for living. Observe three things about them: 1) The ant "has no commander, no overseer or ruler" (Pr 6:7) Nobody has to get it out of bed in the morning or coax it to get moving. Nobody supervises it's work or enforces quality standards on it. Nobody needs to micromanage it's time on the job or make sure it starts punctually, puts in a full day, pulls it's weight and doesn't quit early. It's self-motivated and driven by it's own high standards, not by rules, regulations or the fear of being fired. 2) It "stores it's provisions in summer and gathers it's food at harvest" (Pr 6:8) While everybody else is complaining about the heat (weather, economy, politics, etc.), the hard-working ant just keeps preparing for the future. 3) The ant is no haphazard, disorganized drifter wandering around aimlessly, looking for something to do. He knows exactly what he's there for and where and how to do it. He's goal-directed, focused, determined and unstoppable. "But my job's a dead end," you say. As long as you're in this job, do it "heartily, as to the Lord" (Col 3:23). Prove yourself where you are and God will promote you to better things.

That last sentence is my favorite and I always go back to it. I tend to get lazy and think that it doesn't really matter because I don't like my job anyway or I won't be here long...well, we can't think like that. We must work hard in whatever we are doing and do it to the absolute best of our ability. God will take notice and bless us with better things eventually. Remember this when you start to get lazy or careless in your job. I wish ya'll the best in whatever you are doing and I hope ya'll have a wonderful week!

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

"Excuse me", "Please", "Thank-you"

Three simple expressions and yet we don't hear them enough.... "Please", "Thank-you" and "Excuse me". Why is it so hard to teach these to our children? It really isn't, it just requires commitment and consistancy. When the children are very, very young take the time to start teaching them to say these appropriately and very often. It is amazing how fast they can learn. Yes, you will be reminding them for the next 18 years, but that is okay. Learning is not an overnight process!!
Start at a very young age. When a young toddler is reaching for a cracker or a toy, say," Johnny, say "please"." This may seem usless at this age, but believe me, it is instilling a habit into your child and it will stick! The same goes with saying "Thank-you'. It alway does my heart good when, after dinner at our house, my little 2 year old granddaughter comes to where I am sitting and says,"Gwamma, fank you for the dinner."Aww, how sweet! Yes, it is true that her parents had to remind her to say it, but it will pay off in the long run. You are teaching a child to be respectful to those who are caring for them, who have supplied their needs,or who have given them something special. They are being taught to think of others. This is also helping them to learn to be thankful to the One who created everything in this world... our God. This is something none of us can do too much of.. being thankful to the Creator of the whole universe.

Have you ever been standing with a group of people and suddenly one or more children come running right through the middle of the group? Did they say "excuse me", or go around the group? Nope, right through the very middle! Chidren need to be taught very early that this is not acceptable. If there is no other way around, they should slow down and quietly but clearly say "excuse me" and then walk, not run, through the crowd. Children should  be taught to asked to be excused when they leave the table after a meal. They should asked to be excused if they have to interrupt a conversation. Each and every time you teach these simple acts of politeness to your children, you are teaching them to respect others.

Respect - Part 1 of the 3 R's

This is going to take more than a day to cover, so I am going to divide it into parts.


Respect is something that so many children don't even begin to comprehend. Why is that, you might ask? Well, one big reason is that the children of the last few generations have been and are being raised in an "all about me" society. Parents give, give, give and let their whole life revolve around their children. Children are being programmed to think that they are the most important creatures on earth and everything should rotate on its axis around them. If they say jump , their parents ask,"How high?" How can they respect another person, when it all revolves around them?

Even when children are very young they need to be taught that they are to respect other people, their possessions, their feelings, their thoughts and their time. They need to understand that they are the children and you are the adult and others, are or will be the authority in their lives. You and the grandparents, the aunts and uncles, the babysitter, the teachers, the minister, the policeman, etc...They are all people that your children need to learn to respect and be respectful to, because they are also an authority figure in their lives. How, you say do I teach them this?

Children can begin, even at a very young age, to learn to respect their parents and the fact that they are to always pay attention to their parents, but it will not alway be reciprical. You will not always give them the attention they want. By instilling this into your child, at a very young age, you are teaching them that your time is going to be shared by them, with others.

When "Johnny" pulls on your skirt and demands your attention, you say," No, Johnny, I am busy right now and I cannot pick you up."

Or, You are feeding your new baby and Johnny wants to go outside.. you say," I cannot take you outside, you will have to wait." You are teaching him to share his time with others and that will in turn teach him to respect others.

As soon as a child learns to talk, it is important to teach him or her to speak in a respectful manner. They should be taught to say, "Yes,ma'am", "No, sir", or at least say clearly and politely, "Yes" or "No". When they are speaking to adults especially, don't let them get into the habit of saying, Yeah, or some other noise that indicates yes or no. They should look people in the eye when they are talking to them, not at the ceiling or the floor. When an adult speaks to them, they should acknowledge that adult and respond to them.

I cannot emphasize enough that children have to learn that there will always be an authority figure over them in some capacity. If an adult tells them to do something, or NOT do something, again, they should be taught to respond in an appropriate manner and to do it respectfully. (I am not talking about strangers)

Children can be taught at a young age not to interrupt. I have seen children run to their daddy and tugging on their daddy's pants, say," 'cuse me, Daddy, 'cuse me, Daddy, 'cuse me, Daddy....", all the while, Daddy is trying to carry on a conversation. I am sorry, that is not being taught to be polite or respectful. That is disrespect clothed in a form of politeness. The parent should not feel that they have to end a conversation just because Johnny wants to be pushed on a swing. A child should be taught to come to their dad or mom, touch them on the hand or leg in order for the parent to know they are there, and then wait quietly until the parent can talk to them. Now obviously, if little sister was just flushed down the toilet, then there is a place for interruption.

More on respect later.... If you have any questions, please let me know.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Oh Happy Day! from The Virginia House

This is from my daughter's blog, http://www.thevirginiahouse.blogspot.com/

As you can see, she has a great writing ability, a rare sense of humor and is a great blogger! She is a wonderful daughter, wonderful wife and wonderful mother to 2 incredibly darling little boys! Do I sound like a proud mother and gramma?
She has a fantastic blog about decorating with a very unique twist. Go check her site and follow. You will be glad you did!


Oh Happy Day!


Hey to you and hey to me
To all the mothers (we're so happy to be!)
I hope the day is full of fun
Some great burnt toast and some eggs well done
Perhaps a flower to rest on your ear
Some sticky hands and a happy tear
Stay in bed till your back is sore
You deserve it after scrubbing them floors
Lets not mention that pile of clothes
The dirty faces and the snotty nose
A Mothers work doesn't ever end
When it does, then we just start it all again
So take a moment to pamper yourself
Or better yet, just let someone else
Don't forget to give your own mother a call
Or she won't let you forget it till sometime next fall
If no one is there to give your back a pat
It's ok to reach around and slap that old back fat


HAPPY MOTHERS DAY TO ALL!!!

http://www.thevirginiahouse.blogspot.com

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Baby Book Giveaway Winner!!!

 Congratulations go to Traci66!!! She is the lucky winner of my beautiful "Guess How Much I Love You" baby book. I know she will enjoy it!
Please check back! I will be hosting more giveaways in the future! Who knows what it will be!

The Three R's of Life

 The three R's in life.... we all know what they are don't we? We all learned them in school...reading, 'riting and 'rithmetic!!
No, those are not the three R's that I am talking about. The ones I am talking about incompass those three R's, but if you don't have what I am talking about, you won't get very far, or be successful even with the other three R's. Am I getting confusing?? I will explain.
The most important Three R's in the world are....
Respect
Resourcefulness
Responsibility
These three elements of our lives are the foundation for successful living.
Come back tomorrow, let's sit down and start talking about them!

Monday, May 3, 2010

Too Old For Yard Sales?

You might be wondering where I have been all weekend?..... I was hosting a yard sale! Ugh!!! I really don't mind, but the preparation just wore me out. I was so tired after it was done that I could hardly move. Now I have a truckload of stuff that I still have to get rid of.
I really did okay, but maybe my expectations were too high.... I didn't sell near as much as I was hoping I would sell. The weather was beautiful and people came, but there were numerous other tings going on in our area that were big attractions. Oh well, we did it, got rid of some stuff and now I have to dispose of the rest!

I will be back this evening or tomorrw morning to pick the winner of the Mother's Day basket. I will let you all know the winner as soon as I do!
See ya soon!

1 Precious Daughter, 2 precious Grandaughters

1 Precious Daughter, 2 precious Grandaughters
I am blessed!