P.S.:If you ever visit Chattanooga, be sure to eat at Sticky Fingers- the ribs are great!
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Chattanooga
Last weekend we took a short trip to Chattanooga with Travis's sister Shavona, her husband Will, and their four adorable children. We all had a great time visiting the city, Ruby Falls, Rock City, and riding the Incline Railway. The weather was nice and the surroundings were beautiful! We all had a great time watching an old tear- jerker movie while eating dessert in a cozy hotel room. We all enjoyed the tour of Ruby Falls and the hike up through Rock City. Personally, the Incline Railroad was awesome- a little scary at times, but nonetheless- very entertaining! The views were amazing! Will post pictures of Ruby Falls a little later. Enjoy!
P.S.:If you ever visit Chattanooga, be sure to eat at Sticky Fingers- the ribs are great!
P.S.:If you ever visit Chattanooga, be sure to eat at Sticky Fingers- the ribs are great!
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Sweet reminders
I got the following story in an email foward this morning and thought I would share. I'm sure that many of you have read this before- but it's a sweet reminder of the power of prayer. Enjoy!
In September 1960, I woke up one morning with six hungry babies and just 75 cents in my pocket. Their father was gone.The boys ranged from three months to seven years; their sister was two. Their Dad had never been much more than a presence they feared. Whenever they heard his tires crunch on the gravel driveway they would scramble to hide under their beds.He did manage to leave $15 a week to buy groceries.Now that he had decided to leave, there would be no more beatings, but no food either.
If there was a welfare system in effect in southern Indiana at that time, I certainly knew nothing about it. I scrubbed the kids until they looked brand new and then put on my best homemade dress, loaded them into the rusty old 51 Chevy and drove off to find a job. The seven of us went to every factory, store and restaurant in our small town. No luck. The kids stayed crammed into the car and tried to be quiet while I tried to convince who ever would listen that I was willing to learn or do anything. I had to have a job.Still no luck.
The last place we went to, just a few miles out of town, was an old Root Beer Barrel drive-in that had been converted to a truck stop. It was called the Big Wheel. An old lady named Granny owned the place and she peeked out of the window from time to time at all those kids. She needed someone on the graveyard shift, 11 at night until seven in the morning. She paid 65 cents an hour, and I could start that night.
I raced home and called the teenager down the street that baby-sat for people. I bargained with her to come and sleep on my sofa for a dollar a night. She could arrive with her pajamas on and the kids would already be asleep. This seemed like a good arrangement to her, so we made a deal.That night when the little ones and I knelt to say our prayers, we all thanked God for finding Mommy a job. And so I started at the Big Wheel. When I got home in the mornings I woke the baby-sitter up and sent her home with one dollar of my tip money-- fully half of what I averaged every night.
As the weeks went by, heating bills added a strain to my meager wage. The tires on the old Chevy had the consistency of penny balloons and began to leak. I had to fill them with air on the way to work and again every morning before I could go home.
One bleak fall morning, I dragged myself to the car to go home and found four tires in the back seat. New tires!There was no note, no nothing, just those beautiful brand new tires. Had angels taken up residence in Indiana ? I wondered. I made a deal with the local service station. In exchange for his mounting the new tires, I would clean up his office. I remember it took me a lot longer to scrub his floor than it did for him to do the tires.
I was now working six nights instead of five and it still wasn't enough. Christmas was coming and I knew there would be no money for toys for the kids. I found a can of red paint and started repairing and painting some old toys. Then I hid them in the basement so there would be something for Santa to deliver on Christmas morning. Clothes were a worry too. I was sewing patches on top of patches on the boys pants and soon they would be too far gone to repair.
On Christmas Eve the usual customers were drinking coffee in the Big Wheel. There were the truckers, Les, Frank, and Jim, and a state trooper named Joe. A few musicians were hanging around after a gig at the Legion and were dropping nickels in the pinball machine. The regulars all just sat around and talked through the wee hours of the morning and then left to get home before the sun came up.
When it was time for me to go home at seven o'clock on Christmas morning, to my amazement, my old battered Chevy was filled full to the top with boxes of all shapes and sizes. I quickly opened the driver's side door, crawled inside and kneeled in the front facing the back seat.Reaching back, I pulled off the lid of the top box. Inside was whole case of little blue jeans, sizes 2-10! I looked inside another box: It was full of shirts to go with the jeans. Then I peeked inside some of the other boxes. There was candy and nuts and bananas and bags of groceries. There was an enormous ham for baking, and canned vegetables and potatoes. There was pudding and Jell-O and cookies, pie filling and flour. There was whole bag of laundry supplies a nd cleaning items. And there were five toy trucks and one beautiful little doll.
As I drove back through empty streets as the sun slowly rose on the most amazing Christmas Day of my life, I was sobbing with gratitude. And I will never forget the joy on the faces of my little ones that precious morning.Yes, there were angels in Indiana that long-ago December. And they all hung out at the Big Wheel truck stop....
In September 1960, I woke up one morning with six hungry babies and just 75 cents in my pocket. Their father was gone.The boys ranged from three months to seven years; their sister was two. Their Dad had never been much more than a presence they feared. Whenever they heard his tires crunch on the gravel driveway they would scramble to hide under their beds.He did manage to leave $15 a week to buy groceries.Now that he had decided to leave, there would be no more beatings, but no food either.
If there was a welfare system in effect in southern Indiana at that time, I certainly knew nothing about it. I scrubbed the kids until they looked brand new and then put on my best homemade dress, loaded them into the rusty old 51 Chevy and drove off to find a job. The seven of us went to every factory, store and restaurant in our small town. No luck. The kids stayed crammed into the car and tried to be quiet while I tried to convince who ever would listen that I was willing to learn or do anything. I had to have a job.Still no luck.
The last place we went to, just a few miles out of town, was an old Root Beer Barrel drive-in that had been converted to a truck stop. It was called the Big Wheel. An old lady named Granny owned the place and she peeked out of the window from time to time at all those kids. She needed someone on the graveyard shift, 11 at night until seven in the morning. She paid 65 cents an hour, and I could start that night.
I raced home and called the teenager down the street that baby-sat for people. I bargained with her to come and sleep on my sofa for a dollar a night. She could arrive with her pajamas on and the kids would already be asleep. This seemed like a good arrangement to her, so we made a deal.That night when the little ones and I knelt to say our prayers, we all thanked God for finding Mommy a job. And so I started at the Big Wheel. When I got home in the mornings I woke the baby-sitter up and sent her home with one dollar of my tip money-- fully half of what I averaged every night.
As the weeks went by, heating bills added a strain to my meager wage. The tires on the old Chevy had the consistency of penny balloons and began to leak. I had to fill them with air on the way to work and again every morning before I could go home.
One bleak fall morning, I dragged myself to the car to go home and found four tires in the back seat. New tires!There was no note, no nothing, just those beautiful brand new tires. Had angels taken up residence in Indiana ? I wondered. I made a deal with the local service station. In exchange for his mounting the new tires, I would clean up his office. I remember it took me a lot longer to scrub his floor than it did for him to do the tires.
I was now working six nights instead of five and it still wasn't enough. Christmas was coming and I knew there would be no money for toys for the kids. I found a can of red paint and started repairing and painting some old toys. Then I hid them in the basement so there would be something for Santa to deliver on Christmas morning. Clothes were a worry too. I was sewing patches on top of patches on the boys pants and soon they would be too far gone to repair.
On Christmas Eve the usual customers were drinking coffee in the Big Wheel. There were the truckers, Les, Frank, and Jim, and a state trooper named Joe. A few musicians were hanging around after a gig at the Legion and were dropping nickels in the pinball machine. The regulars all just sat around and talked through the wee hours of the morning and then left to get home before the sun came up.
When it was time for me to go home at seven o'clock on Christmas morning, to my amazement, my old battered Chevy was filled full to the top with boxes of all shapes and sizes. I quickly opened the driver's side door, crawled inside and kneeled in the front facing the back seat.Reaching back, I pulled off the lid of the top box. Inside was whole case of little blue jeans, sizes 2-10! I looked inside another box: It was full of shirts to go with the jeans. Then I peeked inside some of the other boxes. There was candy and nuts and bananas and bags of groceries. There was an enormous ham for baking, and canned vegetables and potatoes. There was pudding and Jell-O and cookies, pie filling and flour. There was whole bag of laundry supplies a nd cleaning items. And there were five toy trucks and one beautiful little doll.
As I drove back through empty streets as the sun slowly rose on the most amazing Christmas Day of my life, I was sobbing with gratitude. And I will never forget the joy on the faces of my little ones that precious morning.Yes, there were angels in Indiana that long-ago December. And they all hung out at the Big Wheel truck stop....
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Another post about Elbie.....
Elbie loves ti sit on the back of the couch and watch tv.....
Until she realizes that she has absolutely no idea what in the world she is watching and that she really has no idea what they are saying, and that there is no way she ever will understand. That is when she decides to just go on to sleep.....There's no need to waste any time!
By the way, I promise to get some pictures of me and Travis up here SOON! ( or something other than the puppy!)
Monday, November 5, 2007
Make sure to check the other posts...
I just wanted to make sure that everyone knew...under my long post below there are a few shower pictures...I will try to post some more later! Have a great day!
God is Going to Take Care of YOU...
Saturday as I was coming home from getting last minute things done for the baby shower, I was listening to our David Phelps CD, if you've never heard him sing, you've got to check him out- his voice is incredible. Anyway, as I was getting closer to home a song came on that I have always liked, but never let the words sink in. This song must have been written for me. It's called God is Going to Take Care of You. It's like every single word of that song was written for me and not meant to be understood until now. Although Travis lost his job, it is truly becoming the best thing that has ever happened to us. As devastated as I was when he called me last Tuesday morning and asked me to come get him and told me what had happened, it's all making sense now. Everyone told me that there were better things in store and that God was going to take care of everything. It's hard to believe that when you think about getting the bills paid and the thought of using our "Just in case something happens" funds- I was scared to death. It was all I could do to not fight back tears, to appear happy and to believe that everything was really going to be okay.
Halloween night, after visiting my princess sister and scary- masked-brother, we went to my Aunt and Uncle's house. My little cousin and sister were selling there Halloween candy for 5 cents a piece....smart- wonder why we didn't think of this as kids?...You all know Travis and he had to contribute to their business...so out with the pocket change and in with the treats! My aunt told the girls to stop asking Travis for money because he had just lost his job and would be needing that money to pay the bills and buy groceries. Mind you, it was only the day after he lost his job. They went on asking other people. Then dissappeared. Soon they were back to Travis with a plastic bag. They handed it to him and it was all the money that had made plus some of their own money. They told him that they wanted him to be able to pay his bills and buy groceries. Oc course, Travis did not accept the money. But the next day, I got to thinking. Was this God's way of telling me that it was going to be okay? I believe that he used the precious love of children to show me that he was handling everything. It showed me that as a child of God, if I can fully rely on him, without a doubt, He will take care of everything. I now believe that COMPLETLY..
Last week, Travis began working for himself, and he has come across some really nice Contractor's and it appears that he is going to be doing better than we could have ever imagined. So many things were waiting for him. We just had to trust that everything was going to be okay. And it will be.
Here are the lyrics to the song by David Phelps....
You don’t say a word, but I know you’re so afraid
Trying hard to take a step of faith
You’re so confused and you’re so alone
Standing face to face with the unknown
Every need you have God already knows about it
Still He longs to hear from you
I believe if you put your trust in Him
That is where the road of faith begins
Cause if His eye is on the sparrow when it comes to me and you
There is no place He wont go
And nothing He wont do
Like a mother cradles a child
His grace covers us somehow
So whatever you go through
God will take care of you
Change is never easy; its just part of living
There’s so much more that we can see
A higher place so far above it all
Is ours when were faithful to His call
Cause if His eye is on the sparrow when it comes to me and you
There is no place He wont go
And nothing He wont do
Like a mother cradles a child
His grace covers us somehow
So whatever you go through
God will take care of you
We don’t know
we don’t have to understand
the how’s, the why’s, the when’s
Just give it all to Him
Halloween night, after visiting my princess sister and scary- masked-brother, we went to my Aunt and Uncle's house. My little cousin and sister were selling there Halloween candy for 5 cents a piece....smart- wonder why we didn't think of this as kids?...You all know Travis and he had to contribute to their business...so out with the pocket change and in with the treats! My aunt told the girls to stop asking Travis for money because he had just lost his job and would be needing that money to pay the bills and buy groceries. Mind you, it was only the day after he lost his job. They went on asking other people. Then dissappeared. Soon they were back to Travis with a plastic bag. They handed it to him and it was all the money that had made plus some of their own money. They told him that they wanted him to be able to pay his bills and buy groceries. Oc course, Travis did not accept the money. But the next day, I got to thinking. Was this God's way of telling me that it was going to be okay? I believe that he used the precious love of children to show me that he was handling everything. It showed me that as a child of God, if I can fully rely on him, without a doubt, He will take care of everything. I now believe that COMPLETLY..
Last week, Travis began working for himself, and he has come across some really nice Contractor's and it appears that he is going to be doing better than we could have ever imagined. So many things were waiting for him. We just had to trust that everything was going to be okay. And it will be.
Here are the lyrics to the song by David Phelps....
You don’t say a word, but I know you’re so afraid
Trying hard to take a step of faith
You’re so confused and you’re so alone
Standing face to face with the unknown
Every need you have God already knows about it
Still He longs to hear from you
I believe if you put your trust in Him
That is where the road of faith begins
Cause if His eye is on the sparrow when it comes to me and you
There is no place He wont go
And nothing He wont do
Like a mother cradles a child
His grace covers us somehow
So whatever you go through
God will take care of you
Change is never easy; its just part of living
There’s so much more that we can see
A higher place so far above it all
Is ours when were faithful to His call
Cause if His eye is on the sparrow when it comes to me and you
There is no place He wont go
And nothing He wont do
Like a mother cradles a child
His grace covers us somehow
So whatever you go through
God will take care of you
We don’t know
we don’t have to understand
the how’s, the why’s, the when’s
Just give it all to Him
Sunday, November 4, 2007
It's a Girl!
Today I had a shower for my cousin Rachel. She has two adorable little boys, and a girl on the way! I think everyone had a great time, and Alaina Claire definately racked up! Here are a couple pictures from the shower... Travis' aunt made the cake...it was almost competely gone. Her cakes are beautiful- and delicious! I made the punch that everyone loves...I think that's why we go to showers---to drink the punch! Rachel has picked out a pink and green theme for Alaina Claire's room, hence the reasoning behind the pink and green shower! For my first attempt at hosting a shower of any kind, I think everything turned out great!
Fun shower games look sick in the FREEZER!
Okay, So I was trying to come up with some unique shower games...and UNIQUE is what I got! I read online about a game called "My water broke!"...Sounds good so far...everyone gets a small plastic baby that has been frozen in an ice cube and placed into a small plastic cup...the object of the game is to melt the ice cube enough so that the baby is freely floating in the cup. Constestants are not allowed to take the ice cube out of the cup. The sick part of this is this- Imagine if you will, being my husband and opening the freezer to find this...
Knowing that I was getting ready for the baby shower...all he could say was "I hope no one investigates our house or anything."It turned out to be a very fun game, I don't know if anyone had ever played before.
Guess who the winner was?
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