Beaufort Bombers

Well, I am so proud of my daughter, Jessica. She tried out for teh Beaufort Bombers Traveling Fastpitch Softball Team and made it. We had our first meeting Saturday. This is going to be a very exciting time for her. I am excited that she is going to get awesome training. She loves playing softball and she now has the opportunity to play against some really great teams in this state.

She will have practice twice a week and Saturdays. She is going to have to work very hard but she says that she is willing and ready to do this. So, now the fun part...raising the money to play. We are selling advertisements for our ad book. We already have several businesses that are going to get an ad from her. This is really teaching her the value of a dollar. And I am really going to make her work just as hard as me in rasing this money. Kids these days don't realize how hard us parents work for them. Maybe now she will see.

So good luck Jess, Mom is very proud of you! We all are! I love you baby girl!

Happy Father's Day!

My Daddy....where do I start? I love my daddy and admire all that he has accomplished in his life (and mine). He has been married to my mom for , I think almost 5 years. I bet you are wondering about that one? Well, my parents divorced when I was about 11 or 12 and then remarried 20 years later. I love to tell that story. People are truly amazed that it is true, perhaps because you never hear of that kind of happy ending. But it is true, absolutely true!

My daddy has come a long way in his life. He was a well sought after man in his younger years, sought after by the game wardens and whoever else. But he has made full circle and is now a minister. He volunteers at the hospital as a Chaplain. I have seen so many good things come from him. I am quite proud to say that he is my daddy. He is a commercial fisherman. He has his own, very large shrimp boat named "The White Horse". He has been a shrimper since before I was born. That is all I have ever known him to do! He is a very hard worker!

My dad and I may not always agree on everything, especially about my life but I love him more than any little girl could love her Daddy Goat! So, Happy Father's Day Daddy Goat! I love you even though I may not get to tell you everyday!

Graduation Day!

Today was graduation day for Jessica. She is officially a 6th grader. I am so very proud of her and I am looking forward to be a witness to all she accomplishes in life, because she an over-achiever. I am not sure if she gets that from me or not. I like to do well at all I do, so perhaps she is.

After her "promotion ceremony", I took her to lunch, just the 2 of us. We went to Jade Garden (her fav restaurant). Although, now I am completely stuffed and I really didn't eat all that much! I think it is just what they put in that type of food that makes you feel as if you will explode.

Today is also the last day of school for this school year! Jackson will be going to 2nd grade and Jordan will be in the 4th grade. Ryan still has a couple more days of school left, but he will be a Junior in high school. I absolutely can't believe that! I can't believe I have a child who is going to be a Junior in HS. It seems like I just graduated myself....about 19 years ago. whoa!

Jordan had her piano recital last Thursday night. She did so well! I am quite proud of her too! She wants to go practice with Mamaw and play a hymn at church one Sunday morning! Love.it!

This is going to be a very busy summer for us. We pretty much have plans all the way through July, even into August! First, Jackson will be turning 7. He is going to have a pirate birthday party. He is very excited about that. His b-day is June 21st, but his party is going to be June 23. We have a dolphin water slide booked for him. He loves that! My baby will be 7, yikes. You know they grow up so fast....

I have adjusted my hours at work so that I can come home earlier than noon while the kids are out of school. I will be going to work around 6am and getting off at 10 now. Of course, about that time the kids will be getting up out of bed, lazy bums. But it's summer time! Let 'em enjoy it, right?

Friday night we are going to be having another girl's dinner out at Outback. But this time, it is a sad occasion. One of our fellow Flip Floppers, Carla, is going to be moving here in the next couple weeks. She is only moving to Georgia but we are all still very sad. We have all become so very close to one another. It will not be a good bye, just a so long, until we see her again. But as we always remind ourselves and her...once a Flip-Flopper, always a Flip-Flopper. We love you Carla!

That is about it for now, I will try to keep you updated on our summer fun, for now I am gonna go take a nap. That food makes you quite sleepy too! ZZZZzzz!

"Go Faster!"

Over Spring Break a couple weeks ago we were able to go out in the boat with a friend of ours. We live with water surrounding us from all angles, but my kids had never been on a boat (besides my daddy's shrimp boat). We go to the beach...all of 'em! But when we went in the river in the boat, they thought it was THE COOLEST thing ever. We went to a sandbar and the kids ran all over until it was almost completely covered with water as the tide came in. Then we made the loop around so the kids could enjoy a real boat ride. Jackson did not get to go with us on this trip because he was on a camp out with church. (He had fun too!)

This is a picture of the docks at Port Royal.

Me and Jess taking a picture of ourselves as we are going about 30 MPH down the river...i.e.. Jess' eyes.

I love this shot. They thought it was so cool that we went under the bridge that we go over all the time!

Lizzie, Grace, Jordan and Jessica

The girl's hangin out!

We had a great time that day...it was a great memory for the kids! Hopefully we will have many, many more this summer! Just a few more weeks of school left and we are out for the summer. I hope to make lots of new memories with my children this summer too!

Oh yeah, I do still have a blog...

...I almost forgot. Until recently some friends of mine reminded me that I never blog anymore. Well, here I am. I have been so busy lately doing all kinds of Mommy stuff along with work stuff.

Jackson started his 3rd year of T-ball, thank God it is his last one. I am ready for the next level! Jessica is playing softball. And I am one of her coaches along with a great friend of mine, Shelia, and my sister-in-law, Diana. I have never coached anybody, much less girls' softball. The only thing I know how to do is break my leg in 4 places being a catcher (another story, another time). But I am helping and I have learned so much from Shelia and Diana. We are really having a great time! We won our first game last night after playing a month. It was great! The girls did so good, I was quite proud, as was Shelia.

I have not been going to Weight Watchers lately because of softball, but as soon as it is over I am right back at it. I realize that I need to go. I have done alright on my own, but I really am not following the "plan". But I did still wear a 2-piece to the beach. I was a little nervous but I did it anyway. No one booed or shooed me off the beach, so I guess that is a good thing!

I finally have my spring line up on my web-site, I did that a few weeks ago. I have been pretty busy with that too. I am still working for the title research company too.

So between all of that...kids, sports, working (all the time), and house work, I realize that I just need to start making time for me. So, I am doing that! And I am starting with this first blog. So now that you know what I have been doing, what have you been doing? I miss all my blog friends! I also have been missin' all of my friends, friends. It seems like I have been so wrapped up in the kids stuff that I haven't spent enough time with my "girls". I have missed dinner out a couple of times now...hate that! Saturday night I did get to go to a surprise party for a very special friend. We had a luau...it was so much fun.

Saturday was a weird kinda day too. We went to my cousin's wedding, which was absolutely beautiful. It was at the boat landing at Seabrook Point. The day was gorgeous, as was the bride. The wedding was at 4 pm. Going on at the same time was the Beaufort Air Show featuring the Blue Angels. We even saw them during the wedding several times fly over. Then when we got back to my aunt's house we heard the news that the #6 plane had crashed about 3 miles from my house. I was so shocked. I could not believe that that had happened. In fact, the neighborhoods that it crashed in was my cousin, who got married. She had to show ID to get home that evening. She said that their was debris everywhere. It was unreal. It was also in Sandy's neighborhood. She couldn't even get home that night. As she said, "things hit real close to home". So all night we were all a little dismayed by what had happened. The pilot did not survive. It was so sad! So my thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends, along with the rest of his Blue Angels team. They are a close-nit crew and this had to be devastating to them too.

So, now that I am back in the blogosphere, I will be back soon....very soon!

Friday's Feast 133

Appetizer: What does the color pink make you think of? Pink is my favorite color....I.LOVE.PINK! Pink makes me think happy and fun thoughts.

Soup: Name something you thought you had lost, but later found. A few months ago my MaMa gave me a ring she had promised me since I was a little girl. A couple days later I realized I had misplaced it (never wanted to say "lost it"). I found it a little later in the bottom of my bottom dresser, it must have fallen off while I was digging for clothes. Good thing!

Salad: In 3 words, describe this past week. Busy, tired, precious

Main Course: What are you obsessed with? I am obsessed with keeping my house clean. It drives my kids crazy...me too sometimes.

Dessert: What kind of perfume or cologne do you like to wear? I don't wear perfume...gives me a headache.

If you wanna play along go to Friday's Feast.

Hey ya'll

Geez...it has been forever since I blogged. I have been so busy with life that I just haven't had the time. I have been coming home from work just about everyday going right to the sewing machine getting ready for my spring line. I am very excited about the new fabric patterns that I found. I promise to post them just as soon as I get them on the website. You just can't wait can ya?!

Besides working I really have not had much going on. The kids are getting ready to start ball. Jess has softball assessments tomorrow morning. Jackson will start coach pitch baseball too in a couple of weeks. I love ball season. This time of the year is so much fun. I get to watch my kids play their hearts out doing something that they both enjoy. Jackson is also the bat boy for the JV Baseball team at our high school. So we are going to be pretty busy with that too.

Tomorrow night I am hosting the monthly Flip Flop Club dinner party here at my house. I am really excited. We like to have themes at our get togethers, just to have one more little bit of fun. This time it is Crazy Hat Night. I have to go tomorrow to find me a crazy hat. I will be rewarding the prize for the craziest hat! This group of girls are the best. We are always there for one another. We always have so much fun together. And laugh...I get side cramps I laugh so hard sometimes. So, obvoiusly I can't wait.

So this is about all for now. Dinner is almost ready, better get to it! Hope all of you (if you are still out there) have a very blessed and great weekend....I know I will!

TGIF

Thank God it's Friday! For whatever reason, this week has seemed to last a lot longer than normal. But then again, it is already January 26th. This month is almost over. It has blown by. It is time to sign Jessica up for softball and Jackson up for baseball. This is my favorite time of the year. I love watching my kids play ball. LOVE.IT!

Jessica has her first REAL babysitting job tomorrow. She is excited. I can't believe she is getting old enough to do that. She is so mature for her age. I am very proud of her. She has been quite moody lately, I am kinda wondering what that means. Actually I reckon I kinda do know what that means. Soon her poor little body will be going through some pretty significant changes. Of course we have talked about it, she knows what to expect. But she is still my girl.

Tomorrow night is our monthly Flip Flop Club dinner party. This month it is at Ivette's house. I have been pretty excited about it all week. We really haven't done alot together since before the holidays. I miss all my peeps! But unfortunately I may have to miss it. Jessica is going out of town with her Nana Saturday night and my Mom is going out of town too. There goes all my sitters. Maybe something will work out. I really do need time out with the girls, but it'll be OK! Next month I will be hosting the dinner party. I am a little nervous because these girls have had such fun parties, I am not sure I can top any of their parties. Just trying to think of what to cook has been kinda stressful for me. But I will get it all figured out, I am sure.

I kinda feel like I am rambling away with this post. I really have nothing exciting going on so I am just typing some random thoughts. Hope that is OK! Well, I hope everyone has a great weekend. Remember to stop and smell the flowers, relax, slow down, enjoy life to its fullest. Take a bath (I took a long hot bath last night...it was awesome...I highly recomend it!), enjoy friends and family, praise God for everything He has put in your life.

Like mommy like son....

This morning when we woke up it was rainy and pretty cold...about 34 and with the wind chill it was 28. I was so bummed. I had planned on playing golf with my sister, Lori. Obviously, that did not happen today. I feel like we haven't done anything together in a really long time...just the two of us! I miss it...hint...hint...hint!

Anyways, I turned up the heat and got the kids up so they could get ready for school. Lately Jackson has been gettting his own clothes ready for school the night before. But let's face it, he is a boy. He would much rather wear T-shirts and blue jeans everyday, which would be fine if it was summer. But it was 34 d-d-degrees out. So, I got him a sweater out to wear. Well, that just about thru him over the edge. We finally settled on a sweatshirt. Then I got his big jacket out so he would be warm. And oh my goodness, you would have thought I had asked him to wear a dress to school. He proceeded to through a major temper tantrum, which I then walked away from so I could get ready for work myself.

I am getting ready to drive them to the bus stop and he absolutely refuses to put on his jacket. So, we walk out to the van...with me carrying the jacket. We get to the bus stop and I try to explain to him that he has to wear the jacket because it is really, really cold out and we southerners are just not used to this cold weather. But sometimes we have to bring out our big jackets for a day or two. He then gets a very hard-headed moment. "Mom, I don't need to put it on because I am in the van and it is hot." "But Jackson the bus is coming and you need to have your jacket on before it gets here so you don't hold everybody else up." Then the bus comes, I struggled to get the jacket on him as he fights me every step of the way! I get it on. He was quite mad at me, but I won...he had his jacket on...my baby was warm whether he liked it or not. But, come to find out as soon as he got on the bus...yeah...you guessed it...off came the jacket and stuffed in his bookbag which is where it stayed all day long! ---that little turkey head!

Moral of this story.....My sweet little baby boy is just as hard-headed as his Mommy, go figure!

Some pictures from the holidays...enjoy!

Anybody need a dryer repair woman?

Well, I guess it has been a while since my last post. So, here goes. I have slowed down soooo much since the holidays. Although now I am trying to get together my new spring line. I love finding new fabric patterns. I always want to make me one of each. But we all know that wouldn't be very cost effective. I am thinking about having an Open House in February to introduce the new Spring designs. I try to do that once a year or so. I am really into the brown and "sea foam green" color right now...not sure what it is. You know that everyone has a color that makes them relax and feel good....well, i have come to the conclusion that sea foam green is that color for me. It is kinda like a "spa" color. So, I have a couple of fabrics with that color in them on order.

The kids went back to school on Monday. They were all ready to go back, Jackson especially! He loves his teacher. Don't most 1st graders have a crush on their teacher? I think he does!

Last week my dryer broke.. Yeah, what a bummer. The laundromat is not a fun place to spend your Saturday and Sunday afternoon, especially with the amount of laundry we have. So I got frustrated and went and ordered the part I thought it needed. The "guy" told me a couple of other things to check before I put that part in. The heating element had no broken coils, so I knew it was not that, which is the part I ordered. Well, after spending about an hour and a half knee deep in lint and yuck, I figured out that the thermostat was the problem. So I called someone from church to come look at it. He came over and sure enough it was the thermostat. Yea! He even went out to his van and reset it so I didn't even have to get another one. I actually made money on this project because I found $21.50 in the back of the dryer. Kinda funny, dontcha think? I totally could have replaced the heating element though and now I am pretty sure I can fix the thermostat if it happens again. The things that single Moms learn to do when they have too, sometimes it is amazing. Now after cleaning out all the lint from the back of the dryer and the coil going outside, it works better than it ever has. Hopefully my electric bill will go down now! So, if you need your dryer fixed then call me before you call a repair man. I CAN DO IT! Now if I can figure out how to fix my lawn mower by Spring I will be doing real good! Don't dare me!

I have a baby shower cake to make tonight for a very good friend's daughter. (I still can't believe she is gonna be a grandma!) So, I am still keeping busy. I am slowly getting my house decluttered since Christmas. I redid my bathroom last night....you guessed it...in brown and sea foam green. I may even take a candle lit bath tonight...and relax!

Poor Jess!

I am back at work today after 4 days off...ugh! Actually, I am a bit thankful. Sounds weird, I know. I was so busy over the holiday that I never even got to breathe until Christmas evening. I went to bed that night around 11 pm and I slept until 12 noon. Can you believe that? The kids all slept in too. I was supossed to get up early and go shopping with my sister, Lori, but the alarm went off and I turned it off. It just wasn't that important to me to get the after-Christmas deals. My sleep was much more important!

We did indeed have a great Christmas. The kids got what they wanted. I gave them a limit of one or 2 things and that was it. It made it much nicer for me and Santa! :) We went to my Mom's at around noon and let all the kids (11) open gifts, then the adults opened after we ate dinner. Dinner was really good. I am a bit scared to weigh-in this week. We are weighing in Thursday this week since Monday was Christmas. I really tried to do well, but we will see.

Yesterday my Mom watched Jordan and Jackson so Jessica and I could go get a manicure and a pedicure. She got a gift certificate for Christmas and was dying to use it. So we dropped off the kids and headed for the shoe store to exchange some shoes. When we got there she slapped her entire thumb in the van door. She is not a crier so when she started to cry I knew that it was really bad. We went and exchanged the shoes and then went straight to the pediatrician's office. Dr. Karen took a look at it and decided she need to put a hole in her nail to drain the blood building under her nail. She took a heated thingy and burned a hole in her nail. The blood started to pour out. Jess cried really hard. I hated it that she was hurting so bad. We went for X-rays and thankfully it was not broken. She put a splint on it. Needless to say she could not get her manicure, but we did go get a pedicure. It was nice. I really had to gear myself up for it because I really don't like people touching my feet. I told the guy that he was the only man I ever LET touch my feet. He just smiled and said "I lucky man". So, as soon as her hole in her finger heals we will go back so she can get that manicure. To make up for it we went and ate Chinese...her favorite.

I am so thankful for such a wonderful Christmas season. I was so busy, which was really good. I hope that things stay kinda busy with my bags. I am already on the look out for some great spring designs. I have come across 2 so far. I can't wait to make mine, maybe I will do that this week. So, thanks to everyone who placed orders this year and I hope you enjoyed your Carolina Rags bag. I hope to hear from you again this upcoming year! God bless!

...Checking it twice!

What a busy week this is. I am sure it is just this busy for everyone this time of the year. I totally have not even put a dent in my shopping list! I have the list but just can't find the time to get out and go! I think that I am just gonna have to go to Wal-Mart after midnight one night this week. I think that that is the best time to shop.

I have been staying up til all hours of the morning trying to get all of my Christmas orders finished. Thanks to everyone who helped to support my business this year. I have truly been blessed and amazed at it all! I am still amazed that you guys actually love my creations. I enjoy making them and it is even more of an enjoyment when you guys love them too!

I am taking tomorrow off from work so that I can finish up with the orders and maybe run out and get some shopping done. I promised the kids that I would give them each $20 for shopping money. So we may do that too. I also have 4 orders for the "Happy Birthday Jesus" cake. This is the coolest cake ever. Every part of it is symbolic of Christ! Ever Sunday morning before Christmas the pastor at SHBC cuts the cake and reads about what each part means. Then one of the kids sing "Happy Birthday Jesus". This year it is going to be my nephew, Mason and my Jordan. It is always such a sweet part of the Christmas service.

Friday night is my brother (Bernie) and sister's (Amy) birthday (they will be 30...shhhhh!)! So we will have a little (big) family party for them. Then we are all going to go Christmas caroling. We have never really gone caroling. I think it will a fun, memorable experience, especially for the kids!

Sunday night we are going to a candle light service at the beach. That is going to be pretty neat too! The kids are quite excited about that! And of course they are excited about Christmas morning. I think we should add a few extra hours to Christmas Day. We are usually running around all day that day, and we never even have to leave town.

So, I hope that all of you have a very Merry Christmas and a very blessed New Year!

Blessings

This time of year is always so hard on me the past few years. I get very stressed out about what to get the kids and I am always afraid that I will not be able to get them what they really want. Unfortunately, when Buddy was here we really went a bit over board. I truly regret doing that now. I talked to the kids a few weeks ago and explained to them that "Santa" was going to bring them the one thing that they really wanted and that was it. So I stressed about that too. Quite honestly a few weeks ago I truly did not know where the money was going to come from. I am pretty much living paycheck to paycheck, which is fine any other month of the year.

We were not able to even afford to get a Christmas tree yet. Then yesterday a sweet lady brought us over a large 7 1/2 foot artificial pre-lit tree that someone was giving away....giving away! I haven't had a chance to put it up yet, maybe tomorrow night. But it is so amazing to me how God is always there to take care of us. He sends the right people in our path all the time. Now I don't have to worry about getting a tree EVER!

Then I met another sweet lady this week. She had purchased some bags that I made the first of the week. And she called and wanted more so she met me at my office downtown and got 3 more. First of all, that was a blessing in it self. I am still amazed that people like my bags.

Then later that day I get a phone call from a local guy who had talked to this lady. She was trying to get him to get some bags for his wife and daughters (which he is). But he said that he had someone who wanted to help a family this year and asked if he could help out my family. I was very taken back and surprised to say the least. 3 1/2 years ago when Buddy left I really had a hard time accepting anything from anybody. I was determined to do it own my own. And for the most part I have but God sends these angels my way when He really knows I need them. I had a really big pride issue. But my Mom explained to me that when people do things for us that it probably blesses them more than it blesses us. Which is hard to believe because I feel SOOOOO blessed right now. Words truly cannot describe how fortunate I feel.

So this year for Christmas my kids are definitely going to get that one thing that they really want. And I may even be able to get them something from Mommy too. I also got an anonymous check from someone at church too. God takes the worries that I have and over shadows them with such blessings. I know that I am not supposed to worry about anything and I should give God my worries. But sometimes it is really hard to do that! You would really think that it would be an easy thing to do especially with God's track record. He never ever fails us no matter how we treat Him.

So to say the least, I am feeling very blessed this Christmas once again. My business is booming, especially right now with Christmas orders. The word is getting out about Carolina Rags. My children are all very healthy. My family loves me unconditionally. My church families are always there for us. God is just good! Please know that I am so thankful for everything that God has blessed us with.

6Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that
he may lift you up in due time. 7Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares
for you. 1Peter 5:6-7

Cooper

Yesterday was a pretty rough for the Bennett household. One of our boxers, Cooper, was hit a car and they could not save him. This is the first real pet that my kids have lost. They were devastated.

Cooper had never been out of the yard. He used to be an inside dog with his momma, Harley, but he eventually decided that he liked it better outside and would not come in anymore. Cooper was the most beautiful boxer I have ever seen. The day he was born I fell in love with him instantly. He was the only male in the litter. He was fawn colored with solid white all the way around his neck. He was mine. He was a good dog, just very, very hyper as we did not get him fixed. We had kinda planned on studding him out, but never did.

The kids were very upset to say the least. Jessica started crying immediately, I told her first. Then we went out and told Jordan and Jackson. They were outside playing with friends. Jackson just kinda looked at me and stared really hard. I could tell he was fighting back the tears because his friends were there. Then he just let it go. I picked him up and carried him in the house. I talked to him about Cooper going up to doggie heaven with my sister's dog, Buster. He kinda thought that was cool. "At least Cooper would have a cousin there." Jackson eventually cried himself to sleep on the couch, bless his heart. he woke up and maybe thought it was a dream, because he came and asked if Cooper was really gone. I told him yes and he cried a little more and all night he kept talking about things Cooper would do that were silly.

Jordan actually handled it pretty well. She is my tender-hearted child, I kinda thought she would take it the worst. But she was comforting the rest. My brother, Bernie, came over last night to patch up the hole that they were getting out of under my deck. Thanks Bern, I love you!

I did try to explain to the kids that this is part of life. This is just the first of many heart breaks that they will have throughout their lives. We did not get to bury Cooper in the back yard because I really wasn't sure how to do that by myself.

Harley (the momma dog) moped and cried all night to go outside and I would get up and let her out and she would wonder around the yard just waiting on Cooper to come out to ponce on her. She knows that something is not quite right. She actually looks sad. I guess she will be ok.

Ok..ok..here I am...

We have been so busy these past few weeks. I reckon it is just this time of the year. I have had tons of shows, which is a great blessing because I am pretty worried about Christmas coming up. Here it is the 11th of December and we have not even gotten our Christmas tree yet...not real sure we will be able to get one, but that is ok. I haven't had anytime to even decorate the house with all of my pretty decorations. I even have new ones that I bought the day after Christmas last year and have been waiting all year to bring them out.

I thought that I would be able to decorate this week but I am gonna be even busier this week. Last night we had the Christmas Pageant at our church (SHBC). All of my kids were in it. I am one proud Momma. They all did so well. ALL of the kids did well. It was a real miracle that it all came together. Although I really should not have doubted it would come off without a hitch, my Mom was the director. She did an amazing job. She may have a new job calling in directing. She paid attention to every detail, and I mean EVERY detail. It was really good!

Friday night my 2 girls were asked to sing at a live nativity in Port Royal at the tea house called 'Lil Peace of Heaven. They sang for about 45 minutes or so. They did so well. The live nativity was so cool. They had a real donkey and pony and goats. They even had a real live 'baby Jesus'. But he didn't last long because it was so cold out. So once again I am a very proud Momma.

This coming Tuesday all 3 of my little ones are performing in the school Christmas program. Jessica is the choreographer for one of the dances they are doing. She has worked very hard. She loves to do things like that. She must take after her Mamaw with the directing gene. Her music teacher thinks that she hung the moon. She calls her her little administrator. So I can't wait to see this performance too.

Friday night is my Christmas party for my office that I do title researching for. We are all going out to dinner. I am not real sure when things are going to slow down. I was up until about 4 am working on purses and it looks like I will be doing that quite a bit this week. I have to get all of these orders out this week. I am do it, I just wish that I could buy me some real energy somewhere. Anybody got any for sale...cheap? On top of it all I got bronchitis last week. I have been coughing my lungs out. I am tired of coughing. But today I feel a little it better, not 100% yet. But definitely on the mend.

I guess this is just an update of what has been going on in the busy, hectic life of a single parent. It never ends! It is so hard to forget the reason for this time of year. It's not just programs and gifts and shopping. It is ALL about the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Sometimes we get so busy we tend to forget all about that. I guess that is just the devil working on us. So don't forget. We would not even have Christmas if it wasn't for Him, some people just don't truly realize that! I know it. Even if we don't get that Christmas tree this year or the kids don't get everything that they want, we still know that Jesus came to this world to save us all and it all started on that first Christmas all those years ago. It is important to keep that thought in the front of your mind at all times. Happy Birthday Jesus!

Giving Thanks!

On today, the day before Thanksgiving, before it gets all crazy and wild tomorrow (cause you know it always does!) I am gonna reflect on many reasons I am thankful.

I am thankful for Jesus Christ. I am thankful that He died on the cross for my sins and yours. It is in Him that we can have a new life. I am thankful that He can forgive us of ALL of our sins. I am thankful that I grew up in a family that taught me to love the Lord!

I am thankful for my kids. I am thankful that they love the Lord. They are the light in my life everyday. Maybe there are days when they absolutely drive me insane, but I am thankful that they CAN drive me insane, that means I am not there yet all by myself!

I am thankful for my parents. Although it was a rocky road to where you guys are right now, I look at you and see hope for all the rest of us! I am thankful that you guys love me unconditionally, because I am sure that I give you reason not too sometimes! :) I love you both so much!

I am thankful for my sisters and brothers. I am thankful that we are all so close now, Lord knows we weren't when we were younger! I am thankful for your friendships and your support. I always know that I can call on you no matter what! I love you big goobs!

I am thankful for all of my friendships. I am so blessed to be surrounded by so many wonderful people that actually claim me as a friend. :) I am thankful for the Flip Flop Club! You girls have put a light in my life that I thought had gone out. I feel so blessed to be apart of the most wonderful group of ladies ever. I am also thankful for all my blogging friends. You may not know it but you have all encouraged me so much through your kind words and your own posts. Thanks for that!

I am thankful for my health and the health of my children.

I am thankful that God let me go through some really tough times because He knew that I would grow and become the strong, independent woman that I am. I am thankful that He gave me a talent that I could use to provide for my family (and enjoy it!). I am thankful for all of my customers throughout the years, all of your support has made it all worth while!

I am thankful for my church family both CBC and St. Helena. You know what I need when I need it. I am thankful for J-Miah for making me cry every single Sunday morning with your lessons. I truly think that God has blessed you with a great gift. I am sure that you are speaking to me and only me every Sunday.

I am thankful for our home and our freedom. I am thankful for the rain and the sun. I am thankful for fun times and bad.

I am so blessed! Happy Thanksgiving! So, what are you thankful for?

Thanks

I am so thankful for all of your prayers the past couple of days. I have felt a real peace. I am still not sure what that means but I will take it and run for now. I had forgotten how much better I used to feel after blogging about things. You guys are a great bunch, real prayer warriors! So thanks!

I am waking up kinda tired this morning because we had some pretty bad thunderstorms here last night. I slept but it was not good, sound sleep. I could hear the wind blowing through the trees. I am always afraid when it storms at night because what if a tornado or something develops. We live near the Marine Corps Air Station and I kept listening for the tornado alarm to start sounding, it was that bad. My yard, which I raked and cleaned up this weekend, has pine cones and pine straw all over. It even blew my flag down. My chairs out front are blown over. I even think I heard hail falling for a second (hope my van is alright!). So, I laid in my bed last night with Jackson snuggled up beside me and prayed for our safety. And it felt really good to pray and feel it. They are saying that we are going to have more bad weather this morning.

For lunch today I am going to my kids school and have a Thanksgiving Feast with them. This year I am eating with Jess. I have to alternate every year to be fair. The kids always love it when I come to their school. All of the kids know my name so my kids think that I am famous at their school. It's kinda cute! So, off to work I go with a hat on my head (the rain makes my hair frizzy). Hope you all have a great Thursday and Friday. Tomorrow I am in a golf tournament on Parris Island with my sister, Lori, and our friend Jessica. It is going to be a lot of fun. Then tomorrow night I have a small show. Saturday night the flip flop club is having dinner at my other sister, Amy's house. We are going to start working on the float for the Christmas parade. That is my weekend wrap up so far. Have a blessed day!

Tough Times

I have been going through some "stuff" lately. I am having a really hard time dealing with my situation in life. I have been second guessing some big decisions I have made in the past. Which has in turn brought out a lot of very old feelings that I had pushed way deep down inside. Things that I really didn't want to remember, things I thought I had forgotten. And there is a lot of hurt down there.

Tonight I went and had dessert with a really good friend (oops...shhhh) , she helped me out a lot. She asked me, of course, if I had been praying. I said yes, but I had felt very distant. It is like I start to pray and I feel empty, so I stop. I have always tried to do the right thing by everyone else and in everyone else's eyes. That is just the person that I am! And it hurts me really bad when I feel like I have let other's down. But I am only human. I have always tried to do what everybody wants me to do. Maybe that is my problem. I tried it their way and I am still not happy. I really am not sure what to do next.

I am a much stronger person now than I ever was before. I have come a really long way! Ask anyone who really knows me! But these struggles are not going away! They are right up in my face 24/7. Maybe I still have a ways to go. I am hurt and disappointed and I am tired of feeling like I have been walked all over! This is hurt that I thought I had buried a long time ago. Perhaps I just tucked it away, not too sure! But now I am trying to take a step back to look at the big picture. I will get through this time and come out on the other side with my feet planted firmly on the ground. I have really great friends that I know pray for me. I have an awesome family that I know I don't spend enough time with. Sometimes it is just easier to hide than to face the ones you feel like you have let down and disappointed. So I am gonna pray more and I am not going to stop until I can hear Him talking back to me. I am gonna pry the devil's hands from my ears.

On a much happier note.....I lost 4.8 pounds this week in WW. I am down 36.2 now. I do feel really good about that! I am getting compliments everyday! That really keeps me going. My kids tell me all the time that I look nice and that I am skinny! I never ever thought that I would be called skinny EVER!

A quickie post....

I am sitting here and thought I would try to do a quick post. Things just have not slowed down for me lately and I think that they are only going to get busier till at least Christmas. I am very thankful for that but am just so pooped.

We are planning a float for our hometown Christmas parade...a Carolina Rags float. It is going to be too cute. We have lots of god ideas. All of my really good friends, also known as the Flip-Flop Club, are helping to put it all together. Have I told you guys about our Flip-Flop Club yet? Well, these ladies are the best friends I have ever had. Their are 9 of us. We all do WW together and we all hold each other accountable for everything. We get together once a month at one of our houses and have an awesome time. The one hosting cooks us all a WW friendly dinner and dessert. Then we play games and just act silly! We also go to Applebee's (WW menu) once a month after our Monday WW meeting. We are always getting together for whatever reason we can come up with...ie...shopping, golfing, shopping, golfing...oh and trick or treating. I am so thankful and blessed that God brought all of these ladies in my life (well, 2 of them are my sisters so I guess they have been in my life since the beginning).

Anyways, back to the float...it is going to be really classy, cute. Since we are the Flip-Flop Club we are going to have lots of flip-flop decorations. I can't wait. Plus, I hope to get my business name out there a little more. It's not all about the fun...it's about business too...a little. I will be sure to post pictures of the parade and float after the 3rd of December.

Oh, and in WW I have lost a total of 31.4 pounds so far. I feel so good about myself now. I have some of my skinny sisters' hand-me-downs. Sunday I wore Lori's size 10 gaucho jeans to church. Did you hear me...I said size 10. I was a size 18 (probably bigger, though I would not admit it!) when I started this the end of June! Mostly though I am wearing 12 and 14's. I never though that losing weight would be so much fun. These girls have really made it FUN! Thank you guys...you all know who you are. (Aren't you proud of me...I am finally blogging!)

But I am afraid that for now this is all I can do. Lots of work to do. I am supposed to be going to lunch with an old friend. Then to the gym, then back to the home studio to sew, then church tonight, then back home to sew...you get the picture, right? But I love it! I really would not have it any other way. The busier I am, the better!