Great Shopping Day! September 13, 2009

I am not what you would call a shopper. I don’t really enjoy shopping. One thing is I never find anything I like when I am actually looking to buy, and another is I find things I like when I don’t have the money.

I am a clearance rack shopper when I do need to buy new clothes. Since I am starting a new job in a couple of weeks, I decided I better go shopping for some new clothes. I am working overtime for a couple of weeks, so I decided I could use that money to treat myself to some new clothes. The job I have now I don’t have to dress up since I am the only one in the office. However, my new job is at our church and I need to dress more professionally. My new title is Administrative Assistant to the Minister of Students.

While I was on my way to the mall I prayed and asked the Lord to help me find some clothes that I would actually like and for some good bargains. That is exactly what He did. I started out shopping at Sears since my husband works there and we get 20% off. I found 3 pair of pants and 2 tops here all of which were 75-90% off. I then got 20% more off. WOW!! It was only $58.00. Then I went to JC Penny’s and found a pants suit on the 75% off rack. After that I went to Macy’s to look at some perfume I have wanted since last Christmas. My friend Kim works in the perfume department. She told me that they were having a huge sale on the perfume, for the same price as the perfume only I got the perfume, lotion, and bath gel, also a little bag with another bottle of perfume, lotion and bath gel. I went ahead and splurged. I thought I could give the second gift set as a Christmas gift. That way mine was “free”. I was so excited.

I started feeling guilty since I hadn’t bought for anybody but myself. So I checked out the men’s clearance racks at Penny’s. I got Randy a pair of suit pants that were $100 on sale for $19.97….amazing. I found Dustin a pair of dress pants that were $50 on sale for $9.97. I went back to Sears to look for a shirt and found Dustin a shirt that was reg. $42 on sale for $7.99 and I got 20% off.

I may become a shopper after all. It felt so good to get some new clothes and to save $430 at the same time. I didn’t even spend $200 it would have been $636…..can’t beat that. I give all the praise to God for hearing my prayer and answering it.

I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!~ Isaiah 65:24

Remembering 9/11 September 11, 2009

I can remember 9/11/01 like it was yesterday. I was teaching a class at the Department of Human Services. That day I was going to show a video, so I turned the TV on to put in the video. As soon as I did there was a news flash with breaking news from New York. They were showing the first tower after it was hit. As we looked on the next plane flew into the second tower. We sat their in stunned silence. I was horrified. I didn’t know what was going on. I thought maybe we were at war. I also thought the end was near. We continued to watch as both buildings collapsed into a pile of rubble. Then, to our disbelief another plane was hijacked and flew into the Pentagon.   Even though I had a government job, I began to share the gospel with these grief stricken mom’s. I dismissed the class for the day. I went back to my office and called Randy and the boys to make sure they were ok. I told them to turn on the TV and see what was going on. All day I felt shocked. As news continued to follow about the many men and women who lost their lives I was saddened even more.

I was also proud of the men and women who worked diligently to rescue the survivors. Thank you to our President for his quick response in defending our freedoms. Thanks to the policemen and firemen who risked their own lives, and to the many volunteers who worked hard to help bring any relief they could. Thank God for His sovereignty and peace during a time of pain and suffering. Father may you continue to comfort the ones who lost loved ones on that horrible day. May you bring your peace to America! 

II Chron. 7:14 Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and forgive their sins and heal their land.

A Week of Change September 11, 2009

Saturday: MOVING DAY!!! We loaded up the Uhaul trailer with all of Dustin’s stuff for his new apartment in St. Louis, MO. We headed out for a four hour drive. As you can see in the picture we couldn’t add one more thing to that trailer. I rode in the car with Dustin while Randy and Tanner followed behind us in the Suburban pulling the trailer. We get almost into St. Louis when we drive into a huge rain storm all of a sudden. The traffic that was going 75 mph. came to a sudden halt. We were about to crash into the car in front of us. Dustin slams on his brakes and we began to hydroplane. He was able to get us off the side of the road before Randy, who was hydro planing behind us rammed us into the car in front of us. Needless to say we were all a bit shaken up. It was a very close call. We were praising God for coming to our rescue and guiding our cars safely. We get to Dustin’s apartment I was a bit overwhelmed with the big 17 story building and the fact that it was so busy. His apartment building used to be a grand hotel that was built in 1928. It is charming. The ceilings , chandeliers and trim work are beautiful. On the top of the 17th floor is an outside sitting area and overlook. I got nervous being up here. Dustin’s apartment is on the 9th floor.  This made moving a bit challenging. We had to use a freight elevator.Kandace comes over to help.  We get his stuff moved in. We are all hungry so we go downtown to Union Station and eat at Landry’s. Union Station is a beautiful old train depot. It was a fun place to visit. We make pallets and crash for the night.

Dustin's apartment building

On top of Dustin's building.On the 17th floor.The Terrace on the 17th floor.

Sunday: We unpack some boxes and put his new dishes in the dishwasher. We eat breakfast and lunch at this quaint little cafe in his apartment building called 2Schae Cafe. The owners were a great christian couple. After lunch we go into a community area in the building and play ping-pong and pool. Then we go to the zoo. I love the zoo. Kandace joins us. We enjoyed watching the sea lion show. The hippo exhibit was also a big hit. We closed down the zoo. We got free hot dogs and corn dogs from a stand that had cooked too much. We went back to the apartment for the night.

 

2Schae Cafe owners

 

Monday: We grab some breakfast at 2Schae Cafeand then hit the town for some sight seeing. We toured one of the most beautiful Catholic Basilica Churches I have ever seen. It was indescribable. My pictures didn’t do it justice.  Check out the website and watch a tour of it http://cathedralstl.org/intro/ . We left here and went to the ARCH. On our way, we were driving down the road, I was looking at pictures on our camera from the zoo. Randy, not noticing a side street light that is RED, SLAMS on his brakes. I sling forward like a crash dummy and hit the dashboard, hard. I cut my knee, bruised my arm, and feel sore all over. We get to the arch.  I toured the museum while Randy, Dustin and Tanner went up to the top of the arch.I am a chicken when it comes to heights. I enjoyed all the history about Lewis and Clark and the westward expansion.  When they get back we go over to the old historic court house. This was disappointing because it was under construction. We go pick up Kandace and go to eat at Pie Pizza a St. Louis speciality. It was great pizza. Then we went to Ted Drewes for frozen custard. This was a famous place in St. Louis. It was delicious. Finally we gave each other big hugs and I loves you’s and me, Randy, and Tanner leave Dustin and Kandace standing in front of the hotel. We are all crying. Randy starts out driving, but after we get out of St. Louis he let me drive because he wasn’t feeling well. I was fine driving until I remembered the bridge I had to drive over from Missouri to Tennessee. I got sick at my stomach thinking about it. Tanner said mom remember, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength”. Well, I couldn’t pull over and let Randy drive across the bridge after that. I had to trust God to give me the strength to drive over it myself, and HE did!!! I felt such peace as I drove over that bridge. Thank you Lord for growing my faith. We get home about 1:00 a.m.

 

The Old Courthouse from ontop of the Arch.

Tuesday: I go to work from 9:00 – 12:00. This is usually my day off but I am covering for the other secretary while she is on an Alaskan cruise. I left work and went to Birth Choice where I am a client advocate. I got a call while there to come to the church to meet with the pastor about my new job. I ran over to meet with him. It was so awesome. He welcomed me on staff and said he was excited to have me. The youth minister I am going to be working for kept saying he was super excited to have me. The best part was when the pastor prayed over me about the job and for my family. It was special. I went back to Birth Choice and met with my director to tell her I would have to change my schedule there because of my new job. I got that worked out. I did paper work until 7:30. I went home to find no groceries. So, we go to eat some Mexican food at like 9:00…not good. We run to the grocery store for milk…yeah right. We got a buggy full. I talk to Dustin to find out that he had a bad day. He was upset that his two jobs schedule collided. He was also down about us leaving. Cody had a fight with his room mate over the weekend so I called to make sure they had made up. They had. That was good.

Wednesday: I go to work and I have to tell my boss I am resigning. I was not looking forward to this at all. I prayed hard about it. God really came through for me. He gave me the courage and the words to say. My boss handled it very professionally. He even said I had done a good job for him and helped him get things caught up….whooo..that was over. I worked until 5:00 got to church by 5:30 for Bible study. Met with the youth minister afterwards about me starting to teach next Sunday. I go home and cook a late supper. As I was finishing up Cody walked in the door. He came to pay some bills and put money in the bank. He ate with us and then was off again. He told us he got a speeding ticket coming home. Yikes. It was good to see him and give him a hug even for a brief moment. I talked to Dustin and he had a much better day. He got his schedule worked out and he was in better spirits. I thank he is going to be fine.

 I miss my boys, but I have resolved to put them into God’s hands. He loves them even more than I do, and He wants what’s best for them. I am thankful for the ways of communicating we have…phones, Facebook, chats,email, etc. They didn’t have these in the olden days, when their kids left home and moved west, sometimes they never saw them again and only had letter writing that came onlyonce in a while. I have to remind myself to be thankful for the time we had and the time we will have. God has truly blessed me with a wonderful family. I am love all of them.

A Busy Week! September 5, 2009

This weekend was spent having some good ole family fun. Friday night me, Randy and Tanner decided to go to “Chuck E. Cheese”. We had a great time playing games and challenging each other on the basket ball shoot out, ski ball, and Deal or No Deal games. It was a blast. The pizza was great too. By the way if you are planning to go to Chuck E. Cheese go to their website and print off a coupon for extra tokens and cheaper pizza. Saturday night me, Randy, Dustin, and Tanner went to play goofy golf.  It was a close game. We had a 3-way tie for a long time and would go back and forth for the lead. Finally, going into hole 18 me and Randy were tied, but he beat me by one stroke. It was fun to laugh and play together. Sunday was spent in worship and rest. I went to ‘Mission Jackson” we had a great turn out. We had about 50 kids. This ministry is really booming. We had one 10 year old girl to receive Christ as her savior. That is worth it all.

Monday: I was at work and got a call from Tanner that my parents had made a surprise visit. He was trying to keep it all under wraps and let me be surprised when I got home, but I could hear my mom talking in the background. When I got home we cooked up a good ole southern meal. Mom had brought corn, okra and tomatoes from the garden. I made a meatloaf and mashed potatoes to go with the other veggies. It was a good meal. Of course we topped it off with warm and gooey chocolate chip cookies.

Tuesday: This was Dustin’s 22nd birthday. We all loaded up in the suburban and went to see Cody at Murray State. He wanted to show us his clean apartment. He had cleaned all day on Saturday. We hung out there for a little while and played  ”Rock Band” . Cody, Jessica and Preston joined us and we all went to Patti’s 1880’s Settlement to eat. This is one of my favorite places. There were 9 of us in all. We had a great meal, and spent some time walking around Patti’s. I want to say that I am so proud to be Dustin’s mom. I am proud of the man he has become. I know God will do some amazing things in his life. I love you Dustin and I am so blessed that God chose me to be your mom.

Wednesday: My parents got up and headed back home. I went to work and then straight to church for my Bible study. This week Priscilla challenged us to be willing to follow God into the wilderness, trusting that He knows what is best for us. She told us the wilderness would not be easy but worthy it.

Thursday: I spent the morning cleaning and doing laundry. I met my friend Leslie for coffee at the “Green Frog”coffee shop. We enjoyed some good coffee and conversation. While I was there I got a call that I was offered a job at church to be the assistant to the youth minister. I have been dealing with this job opportunity since July. I am praying for guidance and direction as to whether to take it, since the salary will be less than what I am making now. I went to the library and got me some good books to read. I love to read. I read several books at a time. Then me and Dustin spent the evening shopping for his new apartment. His church had him a kitchen shower, so he got lots of great gifts for the kitchen. He was also given a gift card to Target and Bed, Bath, and Beyond. We used his gift cards and got most of the things he will need to fill his apartment. He will be moving to St. Louis this weekend.

Friday: After work we will get Dustin packed up. We will load up the Uhaul truck and head to St. Louis for the 3 day weekend. I am looking forward to spending some time in St. Louis. Of course we will visit the zoo, arch, and Science Center where Dustin will be working. The good thing is it is all FREE. I just hate to leave my baby behind. I know he will be fine. He is looking forward to living in St. Louis and being out on his own and close to his girl friend. I pray that God will open up some great opportunities for Dustin to use his gifts and talents. I pray that God will make a way for him to get into Washington University for his masters if this is what God has for him. He is yours Lord. Thank you for lending him to me.

New Bible Study August 27, 2009

I am so excited to be starting a new Bible study. The study is One in a Million by Priscilla Shirer. I can’t wait to delve into this study and discover the truths God has waiting on me to learn. This study is a journey with the Israelites from captivity in Egypt to the promised land of Canaan that flows with milk and honey. I want to reach my promised land that God has for me, a land that offers life (milk) and life more abundantly (honey). I first have to leave my Egypt behind before I can begin the journey to the promised land. I pray that God will give me the courage to leave whatever sin has me inslaved, so I can pack my bags and start my journey for the promised land. I am sure it will be an exciting adventure, but not free from pain and obstacles, but well worth the ride.

John 10:10 “The thief comes to steal and kill and destroy; I cam e that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

One In a Million – Priscilla Shirer from Kris Seidenkranz on Vimeo.

Candace Cameron Bure August 21, 2009

We went to hear Candace Cameron Bure speak in Memphis, TN about two years ago. She had given her testimony of how she became an actress on Full House and how she became a follower of Jesus. We were really impressed with her desire to live for Christ. My son, Tanner, was so excited to meet a TV star. He couldn’t even speak when we met her during the autograph time. I asked her if we could take Tanner’s picture with her and she said sure. We got a couple of pictures of her.

Tanner then added her to his myspace page and she put the picture of him and her on her fans page. Later he added her to his facebook page and twitter. He has kept in touch with her this way for the past two years. She has even commented back to him and chatted with him.

I said all of that to say this, last night we drove to South Haven, MS to hear her speak again. It was about an hour and a half drive. Tanner could not wait to meet her again. He took the pictures we had taken of them before to get autographed. We arrive a little early and sat on the front roll. This time it was more of an interview type setting. She did a great job of sharing her life as a child actress on Full House and other shows she’s been a part of like her new series, “Make it or Break it”. She also told about how she had been saved at age 12, but didn’t really feel like she had changed. She had tried to be a good person all of her life. She said she thought that was good enough. Later after she was married to hockey player Valerie Bure and started her family she felt like something was missing in her life. Her brother, Kirk Cameron, shared a book with her by Ray Comfort called, “The Way of the Master”. It was after reading this book that she realized the seriousness of her sin and that by the ten commandments standards she was not good enough on her own to get to heaven. It was then that she understood her need of a savior and put her trust in Jesus. From that moment on she has had a desire to live for Christ and to let him guide her steps. She shared that her husband was not happy about her desire to live for Christ at first. She shared her faith with him, but he was not receptive and told her to quit talking to him about God. She honored that request, but continued to pray for him daily. Two years later he gave his life to Christ. They now want to raise their three kids in a godly home. She said that being an actress and having fame and popularity is not the most important thing in life. She stated that following Christ was the most important decision she ever made. If you want to hear her testimony you can check out her website @ www.candacecameronbure.net .

After the interview she signed autographs. We got in the long line to wait our turn. Tanner was on cloud nine. It is our turn. Tanner lays down the picture of him and Candace. She looks up and says,

“Hey, I remember you!”. She said “I see your posts on facebook. I am so glad you came to see me again.” We could not believe she remembered us. She signed Tanner’s picture and without any of us telling her his name she wrote, Tanner…Hi…Candace Cameron Bure. He was so thrilled. It made his night. He was able to say a few words to her this time. It was a great night. Many people came to the alter to pray.

Thanks so much Candace for sharing your life and love for the Savior with us. Thank you for making Tanner feel so special.

Flown the Coop August 17, 2009

My middle son, Cody, moved out on his own on Saturday. We loaded down our suburban and his car with all of his belongings and headed to Murray, Kentucky. Cody and his best friend Preston rented an apartment close to Murray State. It was a nice apartment. They have a living room, kitchen, laundry area, and two bedrooms and two baths. They were so excited to be there. They unpacked the vehicles and started unpacking their new kitchen dishes and cookware. Cody ran a sink of water and washed all the dishes while Preston dried. It was so funny to watch them be so particular about where they wanted to put things. We stayed and helped unpack for a while. We got to meet Prestons parents. We all went to lunch at AppleBee’s. They left after lunch, but we stayed until later in the evening. We took them to Wal-Mart to get the last minute things they needed to make their home complete. It was hard to drive off and leave Cody behind. We hugged and kissed and said our “I love you’s”. I was proud for him since he was so excited, but I knew our family life would not be the same as it once was.

I pray Lord that you will watch over Cody and keep him in your capable hands. You love him even more than I do and want to do great things in and through him. Lord guide him in his studies and help him to be able to discern the truth and not be deceived in any way. Thank you for choosing me to be Cody’s mom. He has a special place in my heart. I pray that you will keep us close even though we are apart.

Relay for Life August 14, 2009

 

I can not believe that it has been a year since the last “Relay for Life”, which also means that it has been a year since I began blogging. I remember that one of my first posts was about my dad’s cancer and the “Relay for Life” event. I looked up my first post and it was on 8-2-08….Wow, I have been blogging over a year.

This year my sister, Melanie, was the Co-Sponser for Lawrence County’s “Relay for Life”. She worked hard all year raising money to help fight cancer. She inlisted my help on a few occassions. I did very little compared to her hard work. I helped work the Old Time Picture fundraiser and I helped work the games for kids at the “Relay for Life Rally”.

We got involved with “Relay for Life” last year when our dad almost died from kidney cancer. Thank the Lord he is now a cancer survivor. It was great to watch him take the victory lap along with the other survivors.

Melanie had to stay from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. She got up early that morning to get the stage ready and make sure all the preparations were ready for the big event and stayed until it was over the next morning. I arrived about 5:00 p.m. and stayed until about 11:30 p.m. My parents came for the opening ceremony and because of their health were not able to stay very long.

It was a good turn out from the community. The candlelight ceremony is one of my favorite parts of the whole event. It is a time to reflect on the ones who have lost their battle to cancer and to celebrate the ones who have won their battle of cancer.It is a quiet and surreal time as you walk a lap and look at the bags with names of those who have been affected by cancer. I chose to pray for the families that were represented by each bag. Not only was our dad affected by cancer but both of my grandfathers died of cancer. Melanie had made a bag to represent each one of them.

The event was a huge success. There was lots of good food to eat, and games for the kids. We were entertained by several local bands and the St. Johns Methodist Choir. One of the funniest moments of the evening was when the men came out on the stage decked out in their dresses and make up to compete in the Womenless Beauty Contest.  I will say that men do not make pretty women. The men worked the crowd to see who get the most donations. It was a riot. I think the ugliest man won…he had a full beard…yuck! Michael Jackson and Madonna also made an appearance. My nephew, Matthew, was Michael Jackson and he did a great job representing Michael and the moonwalk. All in all it was a great event and we raised $65,000 to help fight cancer.

Thanks Melanie for your hard work and dedication.

What a Bargain!!! August 3, 2009

This weekend my sister Melanie and my niece Mikayla came for a visit. We planned to shop all weekend. That is exactly what we did. We went out to eat @ Los Portales as soon as she arrived, and then we hit our first store on the list, Khols. They were having a sale. I got a deal on panties, they were regular 3/$24  they were on sale for 3/$4.99. I would call that a bargain. Melanie bought her some panties and Mikayla got some school clothes.

Saturday morning we got up and headed to the mall. We ate a cinnamon roll and coffee at Cinnabons for breakfast. We went to JC Penny because they were having a sale.  They gave you a coupon for an extra 15% off of the entire purchase. I found the deal of a lifetime here. I have been looking for new bedding for years. I always check out this department for bedding or sheet sales. Well I found an 18 piece bedding set originally $400.oo on sale for $99.00 with 40% off that and with my extra 15% off it cost only $50.00. …WOW!! I debated on whether to buy it or not. I am so glad I did. It is the most comfortable bedding I have ever owned. I also bought new pillows since they were 50% off with an extra 15%. They were the down alternative pillows. I got both pillows for $16.00 and they were regularly $40.00. I had the best nights sleep ever.

We left the mall and took my bedding home so I could put the sheets in the wash. We went to eat at Olive Garden for lunch. Melanie had recently painted her bedroom and bought new bedding so she was looking for pictures and lamp shades. We went to Kirklands and she found several pictures she liked. We checked our Hobby Lobby for some picture frames. We shopped at the Dress Barn and Melanie bought her two new dresses. We were both looking for shoes so we went to the Rackroom Shoe Store but didn’t buy anything. We treated ourselves to Maggie Moos Ice Cream. We went to Wal Mart where Melanie bought two lamp shades and I got groceries. After a long day of shopping we had decided to go home, but we decided to try Shoe Carnival first to see if we could find somes shoes to go with our new dresses. I had bought my dress at JC Penny a couple of days ago during a special customer appreciation sale,  it was reg. $70 and I paid $20. We were in luck. We both found shoes and they were buy one get one half off. So we paid $13.00 a piece for shoes, they were reg. $30.

Sunday we went to church and I cooked our favorite dish, Hamburger Corn Casserole. After we ate we went back to Kirklands to purchase the pictures Melanie had found the day before. We then grabbed a treat at Starbucks and Baskin Robbins.

Melanie had to leave for home. Tanner went home with her and to visit grandparents for the week. I am going to miss him. He keeps me company. We had a great weekend of shopping and we both found some great bargains.  I have to admit I am not a shopper normally, but I enjoy spending time with my sister and niece Mikayla. Mikayla is 8 years old and she LOVES to shop. She is so funny to watch. She is very into styles.

The Good Ole Garden Days! July 25, 2009

This morning I got up and went to the farmers market. As I walked from stand to stand looking at all the garden fresh produce I was reminded of my childhood. As a child my mother and grandmother would plant a huge garden. I remember griping and complaining when I had to get up early and go to the garden to gather the produce to be canned. We would spend the whole day breaking beans, shucking corn, or shelling peas to be canned. I hated it . The worse chore of all was digging up the potatoes. My granddaddy planted a huge potato crop and we spent the whole day in the dirt picking up potatoes. The only reward we got was we would get to go swimming in the creek afterwards. That would be so refreshing after a hot day in the sun and dirt. I also can remember one summer day that we gathered cabbage heads and made over 100 jars of sour kraut. We also canned vegetable soup, beans, corn, peas, tomato juice, stewed tomatoes, pickles, jellies, jams, and relishes. What I would give to have those days back.

Now as my grandparents are passed on and my mom is down in her back we no longer have a garden. Now I have to resort to going to the farmers market and pay $4.00 for a small mess of green beans. I have thought about the good ole days I spent working in the garden with my mom and grandma. Those are days I will cherish always. I learned so much from them. I learned to work hard and enjoy the simple things in life. I also learned to cook like a good ole southern county girl. I can make the best biscuits ever. I learned standing beside my granny and watched as she mixed the dough and patted them out, she would let me cut them out and put them in the pan. Later she taught me how to make biscuits just like her and mom.

It is funny how things can trigger our memories. My granny has been dead for 12 years and I still remember her like it was yesterday. I pray that I will be an example to my children and grandchildren, and teach them about the important things in life, like God and family.