2014 in review

This picture sums up my life in 2014.

January

14 things about 2014

1.  Addie sung a lot.  Owen picked a lot.

2. We chased things....geocaches, crabs at the beach, sunsets, each other, balls, laughter, dogs, and dreams.

3.  Lots of new places visited.  Legofest, Outer Banks, Red, White, and Blue Festival, 4-H Camp, Winterjam, camping at Homeplace

4.  It snowed 14 inches at our house!!

5.  Addie got rid of the pacifer, learned to potty, fell in love with painting, made lots of people smile and laugh, and had major dental surgery.

6.  Owen got SAVED AND BAPTIZED and learned all his multiplication tables, played basketball and soccer, won a blue ribbon at the Surry Fiddler's convention and played at Merlefest, shot his first deer, and gave $700 for water wells to Compassion for his birthday.

7.  Matthew built a playhouse mansion! It's awesome.

8.  Great music was heard live - Nickel Creek, Balsam Range, Flatt Lonesome, The Duhks, Scythian, church bluegrass, The Steel Wheels, Blue Highway, Frozen on Ice, Alan Jackson, Merle Haggard......

9.  We suffered loss.  

10.   We prayed hard.

11.   We worked hard.

12.   We played hard.

13.  We hung out with family and friends and cherished all our minutes together.

14.  We loved BIG!

December

2014 was amazing....I truly stand in awe at the blessing of it and say thank you to the 

Lord above for all the happiness and the lessons it held.

a look back at 2011, 2012, 2013

We look forward to the adventure of 2015.

reach

it's that time of year

the most wonderful time of year

the busy time of year

you're going to have to reach for it

stretch those arms out and hold on to it

what might you ask are you reaching for

peace

happiness

the greatest gift EVER

Jesus came and dwelt among men

but they had to reach for Him

the shepherds went to Him

the wise men searched for Him

You have to reach for HIM

and in Him alone will you find

peace

happiness

the greatest gift EVER

Thankful Thursday 2014 {week 4}

76.   thanksgiving with my husband's family

77.  cousins

78.  Owen got his first deer this morning (8 pointer)  the smile on his face warms my heart

79.  cleaning the playroom out

80.  online shopping

81.  2 days with my family of memory making

82.  my moma and daddy

83.  holiday plans

84.  clean drinking water

85.  watching addie and my daddy take selfies

86.  a week of no school!

87.  Psalm 100: 4-5
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
    and his courts with praise;
    give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
    his faithfulness continues through all generations.
88.  Owen playing at church 

89.   my freedoms

90.  hair bows to keep the bangs out of her face

91.  my church family

92.  chicken stew

93.  Thanksgiving service

94.  dancing in the kitchen

95.  the friends in my life - i have the very best friends in the whole world

96.  my amazing husband!  i love him so much

97.  where i live

98.  Jesus's birth that was for everyone

99. hearing what my kids are thankful for

100.  another year of thankfuls.......i blessed beyond measure

Thankful Thursday 2014 {week 3}

51.  travel coffee mugs

52. owen got top seller at his school and i did no work in this, he did it all by himself

53. mexican thanksgiving at work...yummy

54. text messaging

55. day trips with jessie

56. painting with watercolor 

57. a new scarf made by one of my students mom :)

58.  fun things coming next week and the next week!

59.  tomorrow is FRIDAY!!

60.  running in to an old friend

61.  knowing God holds the future and everything is going to be alright

62.  151 shoeboxes made by the hardworking people i go to church with - i stand in awe at their hardwork and giving hands

63.  the smell of clean - clorox, soap, laundry detergent

64.  8th graders - Lord bless them!

65.  missionaries

66.  a warm house

67.  supper with my children at the table every night this week

68.  beautiful sunsets

69.  peppermint ice cream

70.  the gift of learning

71.  christmas shopping :)  

72.  google translate

73.  pencils with erasers

74.  that God made us so our teeth fall out - sometimes on the same day as our best friend and cousin

75.  Psalm 103 
Praise the Lord, my soul;
    all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the Lord, my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits—
3 who forgives all your sins
    and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
    and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Thankful Thursday 2014 {week 2}

26.  Thankful that God made all this amazing stuff.  http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2014/11/12/4126840.htm

27.  THIS Shout for joy, you heavens; rejoice, you earth; burst into song, you mountains! For the LORD comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones. Because I stand in awe. Literally brings me to my knees.

28.  Owen having good friends at school.  As a parent you want to, but you can't choose friends for your kids, but you are so thankful when they choose good ones.  

29.  When instruments lead to singing, and singing leads to songbooks, and songbooks lead to worship.  God has put such amazing people in my life.

29.  COFFEE!!!!! (no explanation needed, i must confess friday night i went to a friends and on the way i was passing a starbucks so i of course had to stop, but then on the way back home, i stopped again....how many times a day would i go if i lived close to one????)

30.  Martha - so thankful we meet at NCSU and that our friendship continues to grow

31.  warm weather on a day off

32.  homemade chicken stew

33.  laughing with other moms

34. hunting stars with the church youth

35.  students who laugh with you, not just at you

36. God's mercy, Lord knows I need it

37.  co-workers who get your jokes

38.  the constitution of the United States of America  (yes i'm a nerd)

39.  teachers who share cool ideas and lessons

40.  bluegrass music

41.  nick jr.

42.  tastefully simple and that i started selling

43.  a nice soft,warm bed to sleep in

44.  frozen pizza because sometimes that's the best ya got

45.  this girl!!!

46.  New clothes in the mail box 

47.  living in the country, i'm not sure i'm cut out for full time city life

48.  that i wrote this  a year ago today- we have so good and complain so much

49.  basketball

50.  Matthew coming home early :)

10 Ways to Thank a Veteran, Besides Shopping the Sales on Veteran's Day

1.  Shake their hand, look them in the eye, and say thank you.  Don't assume they know and don't think they don't appreciate it.  

2.  Be a good citizen.  If they are willing to give years of their life for you to enjoy the freedoms you have, the least you could do is be a good citizen. Know what's going on in your government. VOTE.

3.  Send a card.  Snail mail still matters.  There is just something about holding words in your hand versus reading them on facebook. 

4.  Even better than a card, spend time with them. You get the day off, not because you did anything, because they did.

5.  Don't forget about them the other 364 days of the year.  They deserve much more than a day.

6.  Pray for them.  There is no greater gift than you can give them.  

7.  Do something in their honor or memory.  Donate to a good cause, run a race, do something.

8.  Don't be ashamed of your country.  Be proud of those who gave time and life for it.  
 More than 48 million Americans have served in times of war and peace since 1776.

9.  Recognize that they are near you and say thanks.  Their are around 25 million living veterans in the U.S.  They are your neighbors, your coworkers, your employees, your friends, the people you park beside of at wal-mart, acknowledge them.

10.  Teach your children to honor veteran's.  Take them to the parade.  Tell them to pay attention at the memorial service.  

Thankful Thursday 2014 {week 1}

1.  scripture

2.   positive emails from parents

3.  driving through falling leaves

4.  new computer at work

5.  hugs from friends that turn to tears because you missed them so much

6.  text from my bestie that say i know your off next tuesday.  i'm coming to see you :)

7.  cma music awards that make you laugh and cry and cause your daughter to play her 'tar and dance and your son wear his cowboy hat to school for hat day

8.  my youth girls

9.  coming home to homemade soup on the stove from my mom

10.  POTTY TRAINING SUCCESS - woohoo

11.  a christmas present early from my awesome sister jessica
{Unwrapping the Greatest Gift by Ann Voskamp} it's beautiful

12.  my chair

13. pomegranate

14.  pot luck lunches at work

15.  owen's love of music

16.  theology discussions -  do you think there was more than one tree of good and evil?  did it have seeds and reproduce? what was it's fruit?  do we eat it?

17.  pictures

18. laughing with my children

19. funny constitution videos

20. plants from grandma's who say don't say thank you for it 

21. counting down to christmas

22. time change!  i love going to work in the light.

23.  He heals the brokenhearted
          and binds up their wounds.
4      He determines the number of the stars
            and calls them each by name.
5      Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
            his understanding has no limit.  Psalm 147:3-5

24.  learning new things/teaching new things

25. another year of thankful thursdays!  [year 4]

31 Days of Random Writing: Day 31

I have my own punky brewster!

31 Days of Random Writing: Day 27

We live back in the hills
where we hold on to the past
one of the stories we hold on to is Tom Dooley
My grandmother taught 3rd grade for many many many years and loved local history
Her cousin, whom she was good friends with, also loved history
And actually wrote the song Tom Dooley that Kingston Trio recorded
So I grew up hearing these stories all the time

This week at school Owen sang the song Tom Dooley with his class
and then he came home and learned it on his mandolin
I know there are two ladies in heaven smiling down
That the legends have been are carried on

31 Days of Random Writing: Days 25/26

Heard these guys last week!  They are awesome and I love this song :)

The things I find....

Don't you just love this time of year!!  (He's shooting pumpkins)

31 Days of Random Writing: Day 23/24

we sit at the kitchen table coloring the bats and ghosts for the halloween decorations she asked for
when she suddenly drops her crayon and says UT OH
(i'm thinking she's gotta potty or she's colored the wrong color)
she looks up at me and says "i gotta dance" in the most serious tone ever
music had been playing from the computer 
a song she had never heard came on 
and the urge to dance came over
she immediately jumps from her chair and starts moving
she danced and sang words that weren't the song and laughed and completely let go
my heart aches that one day she will will push away the urge to dance and sing even if it's not the right words or others are watching 

31 Days of Random Writing: Day 20/21/22

life is too busy....................................

31 Days of Writing: Day 18 & 19

watch it......more than once.....everyday perhaps

love them so much

i love my job.....teachers who share....books that lead to action

31 Days of Random Writing: Day 14-17

it's been a long week 
you ever say that?
but was it really a long week?
how as it any longer than any other week?
it's not the time that makes long weeks.
it's the many, many things piled into the time.

soccer games, soccer practice, homework, mandolin, meetings, supper with the team, work, laundry, lunches, playing with my kids, reading, writing, singing at the top of your lungs driving in the car praising Jesus......but what would you stop doing??


at the end of a long week....what do you wish you didn't have to do?

i would do not wish i didn't do a thing i did this week, i just wish i didn't have to do it all this week

31 Days of Random Writing: Day 13

some days it rains

some days are bad, no good days

but a rainy day doesn't mean a bad day

and a sunny day doesn't mean a good day

even on rainy days you have friends who carry the umbrella for you

and sometimes on sunny days you have to get out of the cloud you are in

but the secret is to make the best out of everyday

31 Days of Random Writing: Day 12

His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 1:19 - 20

So often we try to bring God to a level we understand.  

But he is so much more than we can ever comprehend.

I pray that this week I will relish in the truth that He is all powerful, all knowing, all understanding.  

How can I pray for you this week?

31 Days of Random Writing: Day 7/8/9/10/11

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

From the early morning sunrises

to the late night adventures

to the hard work and the long hours

the soul becomes weary.  

But we must find rest, comfort, and grace.......................

and it can only be found in the Lord.

 Truly my soul finds rest in God;

    my salvation comes from him.

                             Psalm 62:1