A Sunday To Remember

This Sunday was a great day for our family. Brandon got saved and was baptized!! We are so excited for him and I know the Lord has many great things in store. Brandon has a tender heart for the things of the Lord and I pray he will continue to honor and put Him first in his life. There are many paths Brandon will face in the near future and being a parent in this day and time can be very challenging, as I am sure you will agree. When my children get older and more independent this is where, as a mother, I want to continue to control their choices and decisions but I have learned to let go slowly (in certain areas) and watch. There are many days I want to yank my little birdies back in my nest and say, "No, no, no, now that's not the way I want you to fly. Come back in the nest and stay a little longer!" However, I cannot do that. God gives us a free will to obey Him and our choices reflect the condition of our heart. So, I pray for all of my children's heart to be soft towards their Savior. Then I pray, pray, and pray some more ;-) Down he goes....Ahhh, a new man in Christ! That water was COLD! The heater for the baptismal pool was broken and Florida has been unusually cold this winter so that made for some freezing cold water. Pastor Tony said Brandon would be sure to remember his Baptism!God is so good! Yes, I am a very blessed mother and wife....and a very blessed Nonna too!

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

Now somebody has done my Baby Girl wrong!! Just look at that little face!! I can see real tears!! All I can say is it's a good thing this Nonna (Grandma) wasn't around. If you look closely you can see a tiny earring in Reese's right ear. Yep, Mommy went and had my baby... errr....her baby's ears pierced. Brooke has been talking about doing it for a while. I thought this picture sums up Reese's opinion of the whole ordeal. Actually, she only cried for a minute and then she was fine. I really can't complain too much. After all, I did the same thing to Brooke when she was 3 months old. Funny how time changes things though. At my age now, I wouldn't be able to take my baby to get her ears pierced. I just couldn't stand it. I guess that means I am "mellowing" doesn't it? That is the great thing about Grand-parenthood. Monroe and I don't have to do the discipline. Brooke and Ricky are awesome parents and they do not shy away from correcting their little ones. Luke, however, loves a good challenge and somedays (I think Brooke would say most days) Mom and Dad are so happy when bedtime rolls around!

It will be okay Reesie Cup. Nonna will take you out for an ice cream and make it all better!!

A Few Thoughts For The Day

I had my camera with me at church a few weeks ago and got some really cute pictures of my grandbabies. Here is Reese looking all grown-up. I think these little sandals are about the most adorable things I have seen! Too cute!

And Nonna just happened to have a couple of lollipops in her purse for these two sweeties!

I wanted to share is a few thoughts for the day. These thoughts come from Don Wildmon, founder of The American Family Association. I receive his monthly magazine and in the January issue his employees wrote down sayings they have heard Mr. Wildmon quote frequently. I thought they were very encouraging and I want to pass them along.

1. If you don't have anything to say, then don't.

2. Love the little ones in our lives with reckless abandon! (This one is easy to do!)

3. Hold earthly treasures with an open hand.

4. Dispense much grace to others, much has been dispensed to you.

5. Time to go home; the work will be here tomorrow.

6. God never called me to be successful, just faithful.

7 Give people a chance, even when there may be no reason to do so.

8. The goal of life is not happiness but holiness.

9. Make sure you have the facts right and then tell the truth.

10. Expect the unexpected and deal with it with grace.

And last but not least!

11. Nursery duty is ministry, not drudgery. (Hmmmm... I found this one rather interesting coming from a male-very observant!)

I think Mr. Wildmon is a wise and Godly man. We are very fortunate to have him in our society fighting for the good of the American family. I pray for his health as he has been battling encephalitis since August of last year. I am sure he would appreciate your prayers as well.

Have a blessed day and remember: "The goal of life is not happiness but holiness."

My Guys in Camo

This is a rare moment. I just had to make them pose for me. As you can tell, Bradley (with his head turned) is none too happy to be caught wearing camo! That is why it was a rare moment! This is damaging to his skater- dude reputation so don't tell anyone...chuckle, chuckle. In the end, he had to obey his Mother and face the camera. I think I forgot to tell them to smile! Aren't they handsome Southern Gentlemen-well except for Bryce with the banana hanging out of his mouth!
Yep,we have our work cut out for us with the youngest.

And here is my little princess, Reese. WHAT? Is she in camo too? Shhh....don't tell her MOTHER!

Now that Uncle "B" will have her in camo AND out hunting with him soon. We are going to have to keep an eye out on those two.

If At First You Don't Succeed.....

Okay, this may not look like much to ya'll but my kids thought I had lost it when they heard me hollering in the kitchen recently. After running in the kitchen to check on me they soon realized what all the commotion was about. Finally, I made a loaf of whole wheat bread that I could slice for sandwich making!! I just had to get a picture of it and show it off.

Trust me, my poor family has had to eat many unrecognizable loaves of my whole wheat bread. They didn't mind too much because the taste was good but the texture and shape just wasn't right. But now I think I have got this figured out...




except for this pitiful loaf. It went through exactly the same process as the above loaf. In fact, it is the other half of the bread recipe. I let them both rise in the same place and baked them at the same time. I can't figure out why it is so bumpy and one end actually caved in a bit. Can any bread makers out there give me some advice? Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

Then I made the most wonderful recipe of strawberry butter. This is probably one of the most delicious things I have ever put in my mouth! I got the recipe from a dear friend. If you would like to try strawberry butter go here.
You will find the recipe on the right side of the blog page under "Farm Kitchen". Be fore-warned though, ALL of Julie's recipes are delicious!

This delicacy is so easy to make! Brandon smeared it on his slice of bread and devoured it. After he was done he told me how good it was and asked where I got that strawberry cream cheese! It is that light. He couldn't believe it was butter. Hey that sounds familiar. Isn't that a jingle?

I'm thinking this may not be such a good thing for ME however- strawberry butter and fresh homemade bread-hmmm...anybody heard of fat free, low calorie butter :-)

More Prayer Requests and Praise Reports

The devastation and destruction in Haiti is far more than we can imagine as we sit in our living rooms and watch this horrible catastrophe unfold before our eyes. Brooke is staying in touch with our missionary friends that are here in Florida. She is learning of so many deaths of the children and friends she came to know in Haiti.



Below is a picture of another missionary's home. This family was currently living in this home but by the Grace of God they were not harmed. They probably were not home at the time but I do not know the details.

This is/was a very popular place called The Caribbean Supermarket in the city. It was a very busy place as everyone went here for shopping. Brooke says there are many still trapped in this building and some of them she knows personally.

This home is a home Brooke stayed in while she visited. There is good news to report from this home. The father was trapped in the rubble here at his house for 2 days. Our missionary friend here in Florida was on Facebook, texting, doing whatever she could day and night to get the message out that this gentleman was alive and injured. She gave his address and pleaded with anyone in that area to go and help. We all were praying that he would be rescued. We got news that someone did go and rescue him, Praise the Lord!!

There is another answer to prayer to tell. The director of the orphanage (she was an orphan raised there herself) couldn't locate her husband after the earthquake. He works in Port-Au-Prince and was on his way home when the earthquake occurred. We just received word yesterday that he was located and he is fine.

These are just two stories with happy endings. The Lord is faithful! However, please continue to pray as this is not the normal ending for most situations. Please lift up this missionary family in prayer. Their name is Murphy. They are having a very difficult time as they are constantly receiving news of dear friends and orphans they have raised that are dead.

Also please pray for Mr. Murphy. He and his daughter have left for Haiti and they will be carrying baby formula and water filters by backpack from the airport in Port-Au-Prince to the village in the mountains where they have served. This will be about a 30 mile hike in very treacherous terrain and that is BEFORE an earthquake! My heart swells as I feel the love and compassion this family has for the people of Haiti. Please remember them in prayer. Pray for this father and daughter's safety and strength to reach the little community that so desperately needs their help.

I know we are all praying for the people of Haiti but if you are aware of certain needs then we can all pray more specifically. That is why I feel I must share these requests.

Also, I have another request for prayer. Brooke is in the hospital with pneumonia in her left lung. She began running a very high temperature Thursday evening. We went to the ER and they admitted her that night. She is doing better but for some reason her heart rate it spiking very high while she is lying in bed resting. The Doctor was concerned that there might be a blood clot in her lung as well and he is ruling that out before she is able to go home. Brooke has been dealing with so many health issues lately. Please remember her also in your prayers.

I am sorry this is not a more cheerful post. I love to be encouraging and uplifting to my friends and family. One thing is for certain, we serve a Sovereign God and He is faithful and on-time!!

Please Pray

We went to bed last night with heavy hearts for the people of Haiti. If you haven't heard on the news, this small, impoverished island has been hit by a large, 7.0, earthquake. As you can probably imagine, much of the tiny country is destroyed.

Brooke called me last night to ask me to be praying for the people of Haiti. I already had been praying but, you see, she has personal ties to this little island. A few years ago she was able to go to Haiti on a summer missions trip to photograph a summer camp. She knows a missionary couple that lives in and operates an orphanage in the mountains just outside Port-Au-Prince. When she left Haiti that summer she unintentionally left something there.....her heart. Brooke knows first hand how these people struggle daily just to survive and that has left a lasting impression with her! She wanted to bring all those orphaned children home with her. I would have made a place for them somewhere!


Thankfully, the missionary family is in Florida right now but they have been trying desperately to contact loved ones and families in Haiti. Many of the orphans are missing. Please take a moment today to pray for this country. Also, please pray for this missionary couple and the work/people they have been involved with for more than 20 years. Their hearts are torn wanting to be there in Haiti with the people they love so dearly.

Thank you for your prayers.