Friday, May 27, 2016

Once again....I am so ready for school to be OUT.  Ready for the Summer to begin and for all the kids to be home running around with me.   

The only drawback is that in just 34 more days..{July 4th}..Tyler will be leaving for bootcamp!  :(

My greatest joy...some of my greatest strengths come from my family.

                ****

Memorial Day has a deeper meaning for me this year.  

With this being said....Memorial Day takes on a whole new meaning for me.  Please do not get me wrong......I have always had the utmost respect for our Military men and women.  I am extremely thankful for the Freedom's that we have and I do not take it lightly that this freedom comes with a cost.  

Many, have given their lives in order for us to be free!!  I have always acknowledged Memorial Day as a day to Memorialize the fallen, to Honor each of them....but I honestly have not ever felt the way that I do this year.   


Our family has never celebrated Memorial day with cookouts, swimming, spending time at the lake, or doing a lot of activities.  Sam has always worked on Memorial day and I suppose, for that reason....we have never done these things.  

My flags are always out and I love seeing Old Glory, as it sways in the wind.  A beautiful sight indeed!!  

Such a great day of remembrance for all those who have given their lives for our freedom...  

In all honesty....I must say that I'm a wee bit emotional this day. I am so PROUD that Tyler has made the decision to serve our Country, but on days like this...I can't help but think of the reality that comes in knowing that along with serving, he could and probably will face many dangers! 

Faith and Trust!!!  Faith and Trust!! 

Blessings to each of you on this Special Day. God Bless America!!

Shug  

Monday, May 23, 2016

So many things have happened around this place, since I last posted!  We have had Birthdays....As in a New Teenager around this place!   Trey turned 13 on May 14th....and he already looks like he is about 18. He stands about 5'9" and weighs a good 205 lbs!! 


This picture of Trey was taken a couple of years ago...He has sure changed a whole lot since then!  He is our grandson that likes to shy away from the camera!  Hard to get a picture of him!!

Tom (our SIL) just finished his "Free Throws for Souls" event....and what a great accomplishment!!  The Lord uses him in a mighty way.   Tom shot over 21,000 free throws in a twenty four hour period and he made close to 15,000 of those shots.  All money goes to "Gods Open Hands" and to "Project Transformation." This is a project that allows the youth and their leaders of two of our area churches, to go out and help build wheelchair ramps and other needs for the elderly.


I have had some work going on here at the house.  A new Tile floor put down in the extra bath...and oh my, it looks beautiful.  

I am so happy to get this done, and  tomorrow...I get to spend time putting that space back together...

Sam and I helped organize our 45th High School Class Reunion...It was held on May 14th...same day as Trey's birthday.  WOW WOOZA....lots of fun was had!

So nice to see old friends that we had not seen in a while. There were a couple of classmates that came, whom I have not seen since we graduated!!!  LOTS OF CHANGE!!!

I am so ready for school to be OUT!
Love it when my kiddos are out for the summer...

What has been happening in your part of the Country??

Shug


Sunday, May 8, 2016

On this beautiful Mothers Day.... I am truly Blessed.  My family loves me and the good news is that it doesn't have to be Mothers Day for me to feel all of their Amazing Love!

I want to wish each of you a Happy Mothers Day!   I have had the opportunity (through each of your blogs) to meet your precious families.  God is so good...     What  is great is that we all are like a big family.  When one family needs prayer, we all pray..... We watch each other's kids grow and are able to see the changes in their growing up.   I've been blogging for a long while now and I have watched many of your children go from their Jr. High years, all the way through graduation.  This is so neat.

I do hope that each of you have enjoyed a wonderful day.

Shug

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Measuring Up...

Measuring Up......

Something we do around this place!  As a matter of fact, I have one wall, outside on our back porch, where I "measure up" on a regular basis!!



I know....from your view, this looks like a total mess.  It's really not!  This is only a small portion of all the measurements that we have taken for the past 20 years!

It all started out on a 4 ft. board and has now expanded to this side wall.   

The four boys and Tori have all passed me up in height.  But...I still have a couple of years before MJ catches up to me.

What about measuring up in our everyday life?  Who is it that we have to measure up against?  

So often, we compare ourselves to those that we believe are smarter than us...prettier than us....more successful than we are, and perhaps more Godly than we believe ourselves to be.

We allow this thing called "Measuring Up" to Rock our world!!  Our attitude can drastically change when we allow ourselves to place marks on the measuring board that fall below where we "think" we should be.    

Lack of confidence, insecurities, guilt, and negativity can shorten the yard stick by which we are measuring. 

What can we do?  First of all....understand that God loves you!  

Psalm: 139:14      

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

 Don't allow yourself to settle for less.   Find your strengths and work hard to build these strengths.  

Be committed to pursuing the Good Works that God has given you.  Step out strong each day....following in the footsteps that HE has ordered for you.   Confirm in your mind the Promises that God has given you..... 

When we focus on God's promises....we are able to clearly see that God has bigger plans for us....   we no longer need a measuring stick!!!!

hugs, 
Shug

Monday, May 2, 2016

Full Weekend...

Good Morning....Glories!

It was a GOOD, but BUSY weekend around here.   Not only did we have STORMS, but it was also "Prom" weekend for one of our High School grands, and "Formal" night for one of our Jr. High grands. 


                                                         
                                                                     Tori.....8th grade Formal


Tucker and Carley......2016 Prom


Fun times for all these young people.   

*****

How often do you find yourself saying: "What if?"

I find myself asking this "What if" question.....much more often than I should.   My sweet hubby says that it comes from and underlying fear that I have of life not being perfect or just the way "I" think it should be.   

It's TRUE!!!

I know that it is......I have a fear of something bad happening or a fear of things not turning out the way I think is BEST.

In my 49 years of living....{oops..there it is again...the #49}
I can honestly say that I have experienced a few situations that could easily merit the privilege of having fear.   {??}

Fear of losing another loved one....
Fear of the unknown....
Fear of never being healed.....
Fear of losing a grandchild to leukemia...
etc, etc, etc........

These things passed, but  deep fear can sometimes resurface and it leaves me feeling afraid.

Just last evening, I was having a "Text" conversation with one of my very Best Friends.....We were in a deep conversation about a certain situation and I kept saying....

"What if??????"

At this point, I even felt the need to cry! {Because crying relieves stress}

But.....Praise God that I have a Lord and Savior who loves me beyond measure!!!

The words just came to me....

"What if......I give all of my fears to the Lord, and TRUST HIM?"

Folks.....it really is that easy!!!  God is waiting for us to give him all of our burdens....HE is longing for us to Trust HIM!!

"Peace, Peace, Wonderful Peace!!"

Will I have more "what if's?"  Probably so....
but I am extremely thankful that I know the Lord and HE
can and will......shelter me from any fear that may try to come my way...

hugs to all my friends....  











Sunday Thinking

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