Thanksgiving Fun

We did go down to Dad's in Charleston on Thursday just for the Thanksgiving Day! It was such a nice, relaxing day for me! Dad, I thank you for all of your hard working in putting together and preparing all the food for such a great meal! Nothing was left out! We actually had to put two TV tray/stands next to the table because we were overflowing with food! Not a bad problem at ALL! Everything was DELISH and we were glad to be able to spend it with you and Kaye!

On Friday evening Dad came back up to Winnsboro for the weekend and we were able to roast marshmallows, grill out steaks, grill out brats (on Sat. after the horrible CU/USC game!), play some ping pong, and just generally have a SUPERB time with our family! I truly had an awesome weekend with my family and was a little hesitant on how today (Monday) might begin for us as we got back into the schooling/daddy-goes-to-work routine. It's always a challenge when Daddy's been with us for 4 full days to go back to mommy is in charge mode. :)

But, I am happy to report that we were able to complete school happily and learned much in our lessons including our verse for the week, "Pretty words may hide a wicked heart" from Proverbs 26:23 and our math lesson began skip counting by two's up to 20. This will lead into (eventually) division, multiplication, and a whole other host of math skills, so we'll be spending a good 2 weeks probably on this skill before moving on to lesson 18. School goes much quicker at home than in public education, so we were able to get a ride in to town to return a video to the library we had checked out and get some Christmas tree branches for one of my crafty, homemade gifts we are making!

I have to share with you a few pics of Emma Grace playing photographer today. She makes me laugh most days with her surprising humor and "acting"...today "The Bear Family" was having their photographs taken in her studio. Here she is telling Mr. and Mrs. Bear where they should sit and which way to face and how to put this arm right here on Papa Bear's shoulder, etc. And then you hear, "O.K. On three....a one, a two, and THREE." Then she said, "Now I just want the children." You can just hear her mimicking the Olan Mills photographer that was at our church doing the church directory photos last week!! So hilarious! I do often wonder what she will become in life---she "plays" many things at home from Dr. to teacher to nurse to artist, but the one thing she remains intent on becoming is a MOMMY. And for that I am forever grateful. May I always portray to her that it is such an honorable and noble job and one she should be thankful to become one day.

Love her fashion sense, don't you?

Making Up the Miles

I guess I'm making up the miles on my low-mileage minivan since almost 3 weeks ago I wrote about our spur of the moment trip to Charleston just for Jason's 10 year college reunion and last weekend I also made the trip with a college friend Lydia to Charleston once again (this time in her car, thankfully) for Girls' Weekend with Lydia and Michelle. What an awesome time being with friends and having adult conversation! Every SAHM needs an outlet whether it be time to work out and exercise daily away from the kids or a trip with girlfriends every 6 months. I am not ashamed to say that I had a fabulous time despite our oldest child's shocking diagnosis of pneumonia just 2 hours after I left town. I won't be winning mother of the year, but I can tell you I came home a much more alive mommy and watched as my hubby showed he can be just as awesome of a care-taker and organizer as I am! I'm so proud of him, and I can tell you our daughter thinks the world of her daddy!!!

So tomorrow we venture into the minivan as a family once again for the day traveling to Charleston to eat a yummy, fattening turkey dinner at my dad's. I am so excited to NOT be cooking for the first time in 10 years!! Usually we gather with part of my family and Jason's parents next door for holiday dinners, but the inlaws are in San Antonio visiting Bubba, their younger son, and his girlfriend. This allowed us time to not feel bad about taking a much needed trip to Charleston to be with family. So I will have to update about our trip later and how the "trip-toe-fan" affected our ability to drive back!!

Prayers for a Sister in Christ

So much has been going on in my mind this last week. I almost hesitate to write anything at all. I mean, I am drained emotionally. It was all I could do to finish homeschooling each day knowing that all I really wanted to do was to sit down at the computer, my refuge, and read updates about a dear sister in Christ, Kelly Rambo. I'll try hard to make it through this post without completely soaking the keyboard.

Kelly and Peter and their 4 boys (who are all under the age of 14) are such precious children of God. They live about one mile away (they actually have biked to my house) and Peter works with my F-I-L at Pope Fun*ral Home. Pete is an ARP Pastor and Kelly homeschools the 4 boys. She's one AWESOME woman! Kelly lost her hands in a skydiving accident in her 20's before marrying Peter while they were both in the Army. So she has lived through much adversity already, but now she is fighting her greatest fight ever.

I will allow her newly created Caringbridge website to speak for her ongoing story. Click this link to read more www.caringbridge.org/visit/kellyrambo . I ask that you add Kelly to your prayer list and not only know her as a name, but honestly lay her at the feet of Jesus. The family hopes to get further information from the CDC on Monday or Tuesday regarding exactly what is attacking her body as she fights in the ICU at Palmetto Baptist Hospital. They are 99% certain it is a very rare type of H1N1. Not even enough cases for them to know how to treat her. Such a sad situation that God alone is being glorified in and through! Praise be His marvelous name!!

Free at Outback (and I'm told Applebees)

Here is a little something free for those wonderful folks serving ( and those who have served) our country —

THIS WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11th – ———As a special thanks to our Veterans, this Veteran’s Day all Veterans and Active Duty Military will receive a free Bloomin’ Onion and Beverage.

Got a Wild Hair?

Friday I became excited as Jason entered the house from hunting (greeted by warm biscuits and sausage gravy of course! I'm such a wonderful wife...ahem....) and then began to tell me how he would regret it if he didn't make the trek down to El Cid (The Citadel, for those of you who aren't familiar with that terminology) for his 10 year reunion. So we got a wild hair (it didn't take much convincing for me to go) and loaded up the kids in the van after lunch.

We had a super afternoon of watching the chorale sing, which Jason even got to sing the Alma Mater with the chorale, and then Twilight Parade followed by dinner with about 12 or 13 of his Alpha Company classmates from the Class of 99. It was just a great time (minus the number of trips I made to the bathroom at Southend Brewery for either Emma Grace, myself, or Jase who seems to have a stomach bug). The food was OH MY GOODNESS delicious. I had shrimp and grits that were to DIE for and Jason and Emma Grace had woodfired pizzas that were worth bringing the extras home for lunch today! We had forgotten how good that place is!

I think more than anything I enjoyed watching my husband walk around the place he knows like the back of his hand and just feel and see all of the vivid sights, sounds, memories that flood his mind from the 4+ years he called The Citadel home. Boy, do I have some memories of my own....Hampton Park, the library, speedy trips back at midnight, countless parades, church services, and football games. The sacrifices I made for this wonderful man are well worth it--every minute of it! He made some sacrifices of his own, yet I know without a doubt He is forever grateful for the time he had at The Citadel. God knows what He's doing and His perfect plan cannot be thwarted even by my poor "planning". Such a comfort to know we sit right in the PALM of HIS hand! Those were trying times, but I would not want to take back a single minute of the memories we made and the ways God used that time to shape and mold us into the parents we are today. What a MIGHTY God we serve!

I hope we can be able to take more "day trips" like that out of spontaneity every once in a while! Sure makes life FUN.