It's Beginning to Look Alot Like Christmas!!!!!

It is looking a lot like Christmas at our house. I absolutely love this time of year. I love the hustle and the bustle. I love doing all the fun things with my girls that have become traditions in our house this time of year. Yesterday we baked 3 batches of homemade cookies from scratch. My daughter loves to cook and I have developed a love for baking.

Tomorrow we are making three pecan pies, two butterfinger pies and more homemade cookies. All of the pilots at David's new job have to fly on Wednesday so I thought I would make several batches for them to take on their trip.

Almost all of the presents are wrapped. All of the stocking stuffers are bought and ready to be placed in the stockings. I can't wait until Christmas. I get that from my daddy you know. He was just like a little kid, when it came to Christmas. And so am I. I am always the first one up on Christmas morning. I always get up and start the Christmas music playing, hoping to wake the girls up.

I hope the girls will wake us up this year. Tonight we went looking at Christmas lights with the girls and my mom. She might have to have hip replacement surgery after Christmas and right now she is on strong medicine to help with the pain. So we do not want to leave her by herself. She is supposed to use a walker or a wheel chair if she needs to get around. She is staying at our house tonight. I am so glad to have her here to serve her like she served me so many years growing up. Christmas is all about Jesus, family, friends, and love. Lots and lots of love. And sharing it with your loved ones.

One of my favorite things that we do is go to church as a family on Christmas Eve. So mom, if she feels up to it will go with us tomorrow to church for Christmas Eve service. I love that being together in church on Christmas. I just love it. Then we are going to go to her house and help her prepare things for Christmas dinner. We will have sandwiches and chips and dips for supper. I just love the holidays. Did I mention that already?

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas this year. There is just something special in the air isn't there. I think it is the Spirit of the Lord getting ready to do something miraculous, hopeful, joyous. I can feel it can you? If you can't, spend sometime alone, just with Jesus, then let Him whisper into your heart. I bet you will be able to feel it then.

It sounds and feels like our heavenly father reaching out to us in love. Holding His family in His arms. Comforting them, giving them peace, filling their hearts with matchless love and unending joy. Walking with them hand in hand and whispering sweet nothings into the ear of His bride. Telling us to draw nigh to Him. For redemption is near. Telling us to rest in the arms of His perfected love. Telling us to look at the greatest gift ever given. A priceless gift . His Son.

His perfect Son. In a manger, a babe.

O Holy Night the stars are brightly shining, this is the night of our dear Saviour's birth. ......
Fall on your knees, oh hear the angel voices, oh night divine, oh night, when Christ was born oh night divine.

Happy Birthday Jesus!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Monday, Monday.....

i am sitting here in my class waiting for tonight's elementary christmas program. can you believe how fast the year is going by? it simply amazes me. it is hard to believe that the holidays are already upon us. wasn't it just the first day of school yesterday?

at the end of the day sometimes i just sit in my room and listen to the silence. when you have 19 little ones, silence in a priceless commodity. i like to be in my room alone at the end of the day and just sit with nothing going through my mind. when i first moved in here several years ago, i prayed over it. there is a very peaceful feeling in this room. there was even before i moved in here. the teacher who was in here is also a christian. she is a person who is larger than life. she is the life of the party no matter where she is. it is fun teahcing with her even though she is not my partner.

david gets to come home for the week, maybe even the weekend. Yea!!!!!
this job is turning out great. i hope it stays that way.

BOY church was incredible yesterday, and evening. the annointing was just flowing from the service. what an incredible worship time we had. and the preaching was so good.

ttfn..........

yea!!! i get to go pick up my baby today!!!

today i get to pick up my hunny in llano. (believe me that is the only reason that i am awake this early on a saturday morning. ) he is flying into llano which is only about 2 1/2 hrs. away. so i am going to pick him up around 9:00. then i have to take him back in the late morning for a 1:00 flight back to addison. so i probably will not be in church tomorrow. but i will be with my hunny!!!!

yea!!!! the girls are so excited to have their daddy home. so am i.

we are going to have a wunnerful day.

happy saturday

ttfn

Yea!!!! Just Five More Days!!!!!!

well that just about sums it up right there. i am so ready for Christmas break!!!!!

Adjusting....

i am learning to adjust to life without david here all the time. i have to be honest, it is easier than i thought. (all the credit goes to the big guy upstairs.)

the girls and i have found a routine that we follow daily, or most of the time. i try to get everything done on the weekends, but invariably, something else pops up, and we just adjust.

i am amazed, i shouldn't be, but i am, how i feel like God has been preparing me for this particular time in my life for a long time. maybe my whole life. i feel stronger than i have ever felt in my whole life. like every step i have taken before was ordained for this moment in time. i know i keep talking about this on my blog. many years ago i would not have responded to the well to recent developments.

i have always felt so weak, so insignificant, so unimportant. most of my life i always tried to measure up. always feeling like i never made the mark or even came close to it. always trying to get the approval of someone, anyone, just anyone. working so hard just to be good enough. don't get me wrong, i had glimpses of glitter. i had moments of shining. i had times that were good even great. but then the moment would fade, and that old feeling would come back to me.

but something is different now. something is new now. i have know Christ for so long. or thought i had. i know i was saved. but now it is different. i know what it is like to walk with Him, talk with Him, sit at His feet where nothing else matters. everything fades away. i know that it doesn't matter what anyone thinks of me. i do not get my joy from anyone else but Christ. i have learned that when we get our joy from Him and totally lean on Him. it doesn't matter what else is going on in our lives, we can be at peace and rest in the One who created us.

but i keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. and something deep inside me says it won't. i feel at peace, in Him. i feel strong, in Him. i feel safe, in Him. i feel amazingly full of joy, in him. my cup runneth over. i am complete, in Him. how can i ever say thank you? thank you, Jesus.

i am so happy for my hubby. every time i talk to him, his radiance just comes pouring through the phone. he is so excited. for the first time in my life, my happiness for him precludes any feelings that i thought i would have. it is an honor to be his wife and the mother of his children.

i feel like a new bird learning to leave the nest. soon to soar with the eagles.

every step i take, i take in You, You are my way Jesus. every step i take i take in You.
every breathe i take, i breathe in You, You are my way Jesus. every breathe i breathe in You.
waves of mercy..........

i don't know how, i don't know where, i don't know when....

as the news of our moving has gotten out, i have had so many people ask me how i feel about it. for a first time in my life, i truly understand what it talks about in scripture when it says, be anxious for nothing, but by prayer and supplication, make your requests know to God and the peace which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds forever. i can truly answer people and say that i am at peace.

do you notice that the word doesn't tell us that the peace sits in our mind and hearts, or lays in our hearts and minds. that would be passive peace. but God's peace is pro-active. His peace GUARDS our hearts and minds. a guard stands watch over who he is protecting, always looking, always ready to do battle for his comm rads. i am a living example of this. Please do not mis-understand, i am not being braggadocios, or conceited, i just feel like for once in my life, i have a grasp on one verse, or principal from the word. IT IS ALL GOD. my normal fleshly nature is to freak, panic, try to control everything, worry, fret. and i am not saying that i won't have periods of this, sometime before we move. i am not saying that i won't shed tears or look at my precious family and feel incredibly sad. or be sitting in church on a sunday morning and feel so lonely, i want to just run out of church, because i know soon i will have to look for another church family. but for this time, and this place, i am at perfect peace. God is truly in control. i feel as if He is holding my heart and my mind in the palm of His hands.

i also believe that because He is helping me be at such peace with all of the changes that are taking place in my life, that my girls are at peace too. they seem to be excited.

i don't know where we will move, or where i will teach, or where my girls will go to school, or where we will live. i just know that there is nothing i can do about it today. so i might as not allow the enemy to have any ground and try to ruin any part of my life. God is strengthening me. i can feel it. daily as i sit with Him, He gives me such peace. i asked Him the first night that david was gone to be my husband, to sleep with me during the night so that i could rest. i so want to be an awesome mommy and daddy to my girls when david is gone. i felt His presence in the room more than i usually do. thank you, Jesus.

i may not know what is going to happen today, tomorrow, but i know God is holding my hand and helping me take my life right now, one day at a time.

Peace, Peace, wonderful Peace, coming down from the Father above. Watch over my spirit and love me i pray, in fathomless billows of love.

The Bible says that we are to pursue peace. Jesus help me to continue to seek You above anything or anyone else.

i don't know how, i don't know where, i don't know when. BUT I KNOW WHO!!!!!
and for now that is all i need to know.

Up, Up, And Away.....

david left for addison last night at about 5:45. the girls wanted to have lunch with him, so we did. they wanted to go to zoo-kinis. so we did. it was actually pretty good. or maybe it was just the company. well anyway, david is in addison at flight training school. he is learning first to fly the citationIV, i think. anyway i know it is some type of citation. he will be in training today and then tomorrow he has his first flight. he was supposed to have three days of training, but they scheduled a flight at the last minute. don't worry, he will be flying left seat so, he will not be in control of the airplane.

there is a saying for left seat pilots, that david taught me a long time ago. it is gear up, flaps up, shut up. that is his job for the next couple of days, months, or a year. until the cheif pilot thinks he is ready for something more. (HEY, do you think david taught me that saying for a reason?) he he he he........ anyway it is more complicated than i made it sound.

he will practice on a simulator all day today. he sounded so excited last night when i talked to him at 11:00 p.m. that is when he got to mckinney. he will be staying with his bobby and gina ( my brother and sister in law) when he is up there working. it is so sweet of them to let him stay there. thank you so much!!!!!

he will be up there for a while i think. i really don't know. i am hoping he will get to come home sometime next week, but i don't know for sure. anyway, i am so excited for him. he has waited so long for an opportunity like this. i could learn a lesson from him about patience.

so my thought are up in dallas with him today. praying for him, hoping that he is having the time of his life. i can't wait for all of the stories he will have when he comes home. they will be great. they always are.

love ya, sky king.......

ttfn......

the world according to kim......

* my daughter made the fourth grade U.I.L. poetry team. she is one of 10 that tried out. the
team is 4 people. i am so proud of her. she tried out for music memory and number sense
and missed the number sense team just barely, her coach said.

* i am tired of my throat hurting. it is hard to teach when your throat is all scratchy.

* my daughters seem to be adjusting to the news of the move. there are sometimes that they are actually excited about it. it is funny how before you are a mom your prayers are always
about you or your spouse. but when you become a mommy, you spend your days and
nights praying for your children. so you entrust your children to God, knowing that He
loves them more than you ever could. even though that is hard to imagine. knowing that
He can see tomorrow when you can't see past the end of your nose. knowing that He already
has the perfect church, the perfect house, the perfect school, the perfect friends, just waiting
for their arrival. they are after all, your children so nothing less than perfect will do. but He
is such a loving God, He gives no less. and so trembling, yet trying to be strong , in faith, you
step out. step by step, small at first, but then as you feel His presence in every step you take,
your steps become bolder. finally knowing that He is guiding you on this perfect path that He
created just for you and no one else.

* we are still waiting to find out if david leaves Fri. Sat. or Sun. for his new flight school. i am so
excited for him. he is just beaming. i love him so much and it is so fun to watch his face light
up when he speaks about his new job. he is almost hopping around the house. he is renewing
his passport.

* i sit in my classroom, thinking what an honor it has been to teach in the school that i have
taught in for 10 years. i have so many kids that i truly love and will miss, when i leave. i
hope they still carry the piece of my heart that i gave to each of them when i was guardian
of their learning. each room has a piece of my heart, where i shared a part of who i was
with them. i hope that each student that i taught, will remember that there is a teacher
out there that truly loved them and prayed for them. my first students are sophomores now.
i hope they remember my smile and the times of laughter that they shared with me. i hope
they remember the times of struggle that they faced in my room and how they came out with
success shinning down on them. they too, have helped me become the person God created me
to be. i will never forget them.

* i love that old school. i grew up there. i learned how to be a christian and stand up for what
i believed in there. i dated my first boyfriend there. went to my first homecoming dance there.
i was a cheerleader there. lettered in sports, held a boys hand, had my first kiss, learned what it took to be a friend in that little rural town.

* i had dreams of my girls growing up there. experiencing some of the "firsts" there, like
i did.

* but the one i call Master has a better plan. i know that. i trust that. i am excited for that.

* i am ready for christmas. i absolutely love the holidays. i love being with my family and
friends.

ttfn...................

And The Adventure Continues..........

i knew when i married david 18 years ago that my life would never be boring. he often sayes that about me, but my life is not the one who has the potential for change. most teachers stay at their school, the one that hires them, until they retire. we only leave for one reason. our hubbies get a new job.

well that is our situation now. when God closes one door He always opens another. david got a call as we were coming out of wed. church one week ago. he went for an interview last saturday. this is why i was in the house all day last saturday waiting on the phone call, to see if my life was going to change forever. we found out this last monday that he was hired. he will be flying out of addison starting nov. 30th. the name of the company is rkk management. they fly for two men that own an oil and gas company in dallas.

we will be moving at the end of the school year. david will commute back and forth for now. we did not want to uproot our family in the middle of the school year. i am so excited for my husband. he so deserves this. it is a good company with a good future. even though we know our future is in the hands of God. just as the preacher said last sunday. we do the possible, God takes care of the impossible. this company is going to allow my husband to further his career with out sacrificing his family. God always knows best.

as i am sad to be leaving friends that have SO been a bright and shining part of my life, i am thrilled for my hubby. i am thankful for our blogging community that stretches across the miles. it knows no boundary. so now we will carry our friendships through the miles. what God has brought together No Man, No Job, No Distance, will tear apart. girlfriends are not something that i take lightly.

i will continue to call on you for your unconditional love and support, as you have so generously given to me in the past. i love you. you are apart of God's richest blessing in my life. i take none of you for granted. our hearts are bonded together with gentle cords that have been woven by the master weaver. and as pastor always says a three cord strand is not easily broken.

a new adventure begins. i am exited, sad, joyful, hopeful, and at peace. for my constant companion is ever with me. with His hand holding my heart. leading and guiding me. taking me to places that provide new opportunities. new opportunities that provide us to soar like eagles.

know that you are forever in my heart, my mind, my soul.

ttfn......

MM!!!! Can You Smell The Turkey And Dressing?

we are out for thanksgiving and i am so excited. today when i got off work david and i and the girls went and looked for a wall oven. we found one at lowe's and we are ordering it tomorrow. we had to come home and remeasure to make sure we were ordering the correct size. we got a great deal on it.

our home was built in the sixties, so our oven doesn't have those vents at the top or bottom like a lot of them do now. so our oven size will actually be a little smaller. but that's ok. they will deliver it in ten days. i am excited to have one again. we have been living with out an oven for four months. but my sister was sweet enough to lend us their counter oven thingie. and for us it was quite big enough. maybe it is a toaster oven? however it is bigger than a toaster oven. can you tell i am not a Master Cook?

this may sound wierd, but one of the things i do at the beginning of every vacation is clean my house. i just enjoy the holiday better, if my house is clean. so me and the girls and david started cleaning at 4:00 and we finished at about 6:30. the girls are really becoming a big help in helping keep the house clean. and just cleaning the house. then we had supper. thank the Lord for hamburger helper. my girls love it.

tomorrow, we will go get all of the groceries for thanksgiving. i always make the pecan pies, one with chocolate chips, one with out. i also make pistachio green salad. it is so good. sometimes hannah and i will make an apple pie. it is a recipe that hannah got from la, and ang. when they were holding that princess class on sunday nights up at the church. by the way thanks.

then tomorrow night, we will go to my sister lisa's house and bake. we have been doing that for many years. the girls really enjoy it. so do i. i love my big sis. thanksgiving is going to be at her house this year.

friday her and i and my sister in law will go shopping. it is going to be a great weekend. it's going to be cold. YAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ttfn.......

OK SO I AM NOT AN IDIOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

well as you all know my wonderful, fabulous, incredible, amazing, loving, shall i go on, friends bought me an i shuffle for my birthday. so i decided to put some c.d.'s on my play list and place them on my shuffle. to begin with, i realized that alot of my c.d.s were scratched. i have to admit that i am pretty bad about placing them back in the case. i know, i know.

after i found some c.d's that were not scratched, i tried to place them on my shuffle. now for those of you who do not know these ipod thingies are not the most user friendly pieces of technology. so i got my husband to try to download them on my shuffle. he couldn't figure it out, either. now i must say for me not to be able to figure something out is not that much of a stretch. i am just a little blond under all the unnatural colors that have been applied to my head. well he could not figure it out either. he became really frustrated. this is not his character at all. after all he lives with me and two other women so his natural level of frustration has been raised just a little over the last 21 years.

so we go to church last night and i spoke to rdm, computer wizard extraordinare, and she told both of us how to get the songs on the i pod. i asked her to tell both of us how to do load the music, not trusting myself to remember. so we were ohhhhhhhhhhh, that's how you do it.


we get home and try to load. aslrkty poqseotha;welr!!!!!!!!!!!!!! we still cannot get it to work!!!!!!!!!!!!!! even after we were given such WONDERFUL directions!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So my BRILLIANT husband thinks that maybe, just maybe, it's the mouse!!!!
Today, he bought a new mouse. I got on and became a play list creating junkie.


HA,HA,HA, SO I AM NOT AN IDIOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please if you feel to the contrary, i give you permission to keep that to yourself! ( he he he he he he he)

I wish there was some great moral to give you at this time, but as typical, with me there is not.
I can't even tell you to look more carefully at the directions, there weren't any.

Anyway, I now am enjoying my shuffle SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!!!!
Music is so much of who i am.

AWWWW !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday David had to work. So for lunch we went to a friend's house for lunch. In the middle of lunch Bekah just bursts into tear. When we got home, I asked Bekah why she was so sad. She said I just really miss daddy. I rocked her and told her that she could call daddy. She said no. Today when we got home she told him she cried yesterday. He asked why? She said i hurt. David asked, "What hurts?" She looked at him with the most pitiful eyes and said, "My heart daddy, my heart." I literally had tears rolling down my face.

Christmas Time Traditions.....

Yes this is my favorite time of year. I absolutely LOVE the holiday season. It was my favorite time as a child and it is my favorite time as an adult. I think I love it more now because I get to experience Christmas through the eyes of my children. This is long do not feel obligated to read it.

* One of the most fun ways we start off our Christmas is, me and all of my sisters get up at 4:00 a.m. the Friday after Thanksgiving to go shopping. I have saved some BIG money doing this. We start off the morning with hot chocolate and off we go. I go pick up everyone because I have the biggest vehicle. Then after we shop, we go to Ihop for breakfast. Sometimes we go back out after breakfast, and sometimes we go home and take naps. The boys go hunting in the evening or sometimes in the morning while we are gone. My nieces spend the night to watch the girls. It is so much fun.

* We watch EVERY single Christmas show together that comes on the 25 days of Christmas on the family channel. They show all of the old shows that I used to watch when I was a kid at my grandma's house on Christmas Eve. I sit with my kids and we watch them together on the couch. My girls take turns sitting in my lap.

*We listen to All types of Christmas music on our 30 minute trek to school everyday. Our favorite is Manheim Steamroller.

* We decorate our Christmas tree on the first Friday in December. (But this year I think we are going to try doing it the Saturday after Thanksgiving.) Do ya'll have any pro's or con's to that. Any ideas. We watch Christmas movies while we are putting the decorations on the tree.

* The girls get a new ornament every year. We have alot of Hello Kitty and Disney and Princess' on our tree. I have ornaments that my students have given me that always go on the tree. I have some that are 12 years old. When I was growing up my mom put toy ornaments on our tree. Nobody else in the family wanted them so they are now hanging on our tree. Some of them are 35 years old. I love that thought.

* The girls and I always make cookies and pies and treats for the holidays together, and you guessed it we are watching Christmas movies while we are baking.

*When I was a little girl, my grandma used to have Christmas on Christmas Eve. Now that she is with Jesus, one of my aunts on my dad's side of the family, has a get together. We get together with all of my cousins that can make it at my aunt's house. It is nice to do this with extended family that we don't see very often.

* David and I go on a Christmas date to finish up the girls Christmas shopping. We take a whole day on a Saturday. We have lunch and go shopping and go see a movie and sometimes we even pick out things for each other. We have so much fun.

* We always take the girls the night before Christmas Eve to see all the lights and then we go have hot chocolate at Ihop. A lot of times we will also do this with another family. We have so much fun.

* On Christmas Eve my whole family goes to church together. We rotate what church we go to. After that we always come to my house for a lat Christmas Eve supper. We started this tradition because I have a brother in law that never got to come to Christmas with us. He was always working at the fire department. He has been with the f.d. long enough now that he gets to have Christmas with us, but we just kept the tradition up. Hannah and Rebekah also write a letter to Santa and they leave it out for Santa to respond to, which he always does. (With milk and cookies and carrots for the reindeer.) The girls wear new p.j.'s to bed on Christmas Eve. Last year I found matching p.j.s for all of us. We were all in Dallas Cowboy p.j.s. David had blue and me and the girls had pink and blue.

* On Christmas morning, we always have hot chocolate and cinnamon rolls for breakfast, after we open our presents. Santa always leaves one big present unwrapped, because he is way to busy to wrap them. Santa also leaves our stockings full on Christmas morning. We open those first. David plays santa and hands out all of the gifts. We put them in a pile by each child, and then they open them one at a time, from youngest to oldest. David and I participate too.

* After we have our little family Christmas we go to either my parents house or my in-laws, depending upon whose turn it is. We usually do Christmas Day with my mom and the day after or day before, with David's parents since he has family that lives out of town. Usually the day after. This allows them to have Christmas Day with their family with out having to travel on Christmas Day.

Well I told you it was long.

my heart.......

*well i have not fallen off the blogging wagon, i just haven't had much to say. can you believe it is november? i love the fall. it is my favorite time of the year. i love thanksgiving, christmas. i love the crisp air as i walk out to get into my car in the morning. tomorrow it is supposed to be very cold. i like that. i love wearing bulky sweaters and smelling other people's fire places. i love mounds of leaves that are all the shades of fall.

*i am so proud of my children. bekah is learning to read and takes great pleasure in reading to me at night instead of me reading to her. she is so funny. she keeps us laughing. one of the small pleasures that i get to delight in is, that i get to watch her everyday on the playground. i get to watch her interact with her friends. she comes everyday to the "teacher bench" to get a drink from my tea glass. it is awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

* i am watching hannah turn into a young lady right before my very eyes. now don't get me wrong, i know she is only nine, soon to be 10, but the change in her is taking place slowly. she is getting to that stage where she is beginning to take care of somethings on her own. she is slowly becoming confident in who God has created her to be. i can see her beginning to enter that cocoon, where she will emerge one day as a beautiful butterfly.

*i am blessed to have these two precious beautiful creatures in my life. what a privilege it is to be a mother. it is better than anything in the world. i love my babies. i had a wonderful weekend with them. we went to a tea party, went shopping, went to eat at pizza hut, and took a trip to watch volleyball. i love spending time with my girls. thank you Jesus, for the richest blessing you have placed in my life. lead me and guide me as i help them become the women you have created them to be. let me lead them straight into your arms. help them live a life of extraordinary purpose. allow them to feel your sweet presence in their life. be the lover of their soul. walk with them hand in hand everyday.

Gal Pals!!!!!!

Gal Pals- what would we do with out them. I surely don't know. I wanted to thank my gal pals for such a wonderful birthday night.

To my peeps: You are bright and shining stars in my life that burn brightly. I am so thankful for your tenderness, your love, the laughter and tears that you share with me. Thanks for laughing with me, singing with me, and walking with me hand in hand on this journey we call life. I am so thankful for all of you. I love you. So to RW, REE, K, Marmie: Here is my thank you wish just for you.

May you be filled with the love of God that compares to none. May His richest blessings be yours. May your life be filled with joy unspeakable, peace that nothing can take away. May happiness find you at every corner. May you be surrounded with people that will always be there for you. May you be blessed in everything you do. May your children rise and call you blessed. I pray that you are surrounded be people who pour into your life just as much as you have poured into mine. I pray I am one of those people for you. I pray that you know how much you are loved by not only me , but by our heavenly father. I love you all so dearly. I pray that you see God's hand in your life as I see how you are being used by God.


Thank you so much for making this years' birthday the best.


You are the melodies in my life.

I Love You,
Kimmie

I've Been Tagged!!!

O.K. I'v Been Tagged by Meems......

Here are seven different, wild, crazy things about me.

1. When a was little, I wanted to grow up to be the Avon lady. I have no idea why. It is not like I knew someone who sold it.????????

2. I always pretend that David and I have won $ 52,000,000 in the car while I am driving home from work. Never on the way to work, just on the way home. And i think about all the ways we could spend the money. It is always that amount. Never more never less. Like who would need more???????

3. I have a special trick with safety pins. Sometime ask me about them and i will tell you????? How about that, does that drive you crazy?????????

4. I always wanted to be a doo- op girl from the 50's. I love all of the oldies music.

5. I love to play the football game with the sugar packets when you are sitting at a restaurant waiting for your food. I have hit many a stranger in the back of the head while playing. I have never gotten anyone mad at me. They just look at me with delight in remembrance of playing the game or sheer PITY.

6. I absolutely love John Denver music. You don't hear that every day do you?

7. When I have a picture taken of me I take my tongue and suck it to the top of the roof of my mouth and it pulls my turkey waddle up, so I think it makes it look a little smaller in pictures.


I tag Angela and Jenny.......

A Quiet Conversation......

Father,
You have romanced my soul! Consume me, Jesus! You have restored my soul like none other. In Your presence you take me from a small child and while I am in the midst of Your grace I am changed. Your tender touch reached the deepest part of me where no one else can see even when they look. You make me want to be more like You! You draw me closer to You and I am not the same. In Your presence I become who I am supposed to be!
My love for You grows and grows. And I realize that I desperately need You. When I am with You like now, a completeness of soul floods me. The journey with You is full of joy, peace, tears, struggle, fear and finally restoration and a wholeness that words cannot express. There are no shortcuts with You. And I often beg You for one. But in Your wisdom, You gently decline. For You love us so much,that You are more concerned with our character and not our comfort. But my how You comfort, when we surrender to Your gently loving hand. It is there in the midst of solitude that we most often find ourselves in, that Your complete presence is found. And if we will take the time to sit at your feet but just a moment, we are ministered to.
It is Your greatest desire to spend time with Your children. I am so sorry that so many times I do not make real time for You. Because I know the insurmountable blessing that You give when I make You a top priority. I love You Daddy. And so long to be with You. Forever be with me. Take me by the hand and lead me through life. I love You Daddy.

I Am.... i hope it is ok that it is late.

i am joyful and full of life.
i wonder about my real mother and how she could choose to leave us.
i hear the flutter of angels' wings in a gentle breeze.
i see heaven as a grassy meadow.
i want to be everything God intended me to be.
i am joyful and full of life.

i pretend that i can sing like the angels.
i feel things very deeply.
i touch the rays of heaven and dance with the moon beams.
i worry that i won't do a good enough job as a mom.
i cry when i feel overwhelmed.
i am a joyful and full of life.

i understand that i cannot be all things to all people.
i say i love you to someone everyday.
i try to mend the world.
i hope when i die Jesus sayes to me as He takes me in His arms, well done faithful
daughter.
i am joyful and full of life.

WOW!!!!!!! They Still Fit....

Does it amaze you when you pig out for a few days and your jeans or new jeans that you just bought still fit?

Let me explain. It is the Halloween Season and from now until after Christmas my kids will be bringing in all sorts of treats for me. Which is so sweet. Many times I have the will power to not eat any of it. But after several days of not eating, a person's will power begins to slip away.

So for the last three days I have had more chocolate than any one human should have, in said three days. Well today I went to target to get a few things. I decided to try on a pair of jeans, as a way to force myself into submission again, thinking there is no way I will be able to fit into that size. And wouldn't you know it, the same size still fits. Now don't get me wrong, it is not like they are a tiny size, but none the less they still fit.

Wow! Now for all of you ready to give me some advise, instead of laughing with me, don't get me wrong I know this pattern can not be continued. I just thought it was kind of comical.

Anyway, just a thought.

dancing with my daddy......

i danced with my daddy yesterday. what happiness filled my soul. i was filled with sheer delight. i felt like a little girl in the arms of her father. what freedom and what bliss i experienced with my heavenly father on Sunday. to be in the presence of the Lord with complete abandon, and know that he is delighted with you.

do you remember being in a beautiful dress that was a whirly twirly dress. well i wasn't in a dress, but i certainly was whirling and twirling with my daddy yesterday. as we twirled together, hand in hand, i remember the warm sunshine on my face just a few short weeks ago. even though there was other people in the room, i was in my secret place with my daddy. He ministered to me love, peace, grace, mercy and sheer and utter joy. He smiled at me, and i smiled at Him the way a little girl smiles at her daddy. in that secret place i felt safe, loved, not judged, worthy, appreciated, adored and so full of love that i could have burst out of my skin.

there are no words to describe how i felt. i remember dancing with my earthly father at my wedding. how safe i felt in his arms, even though i was 22 years old. i remember looking into my father's eyes and feeling so loved. i knew he was so proud of me, even though there were no words spoken. just the way he held me let me know that he approved of my life and my choice in my mate. my father's loving gaze told me of his acceptance.

that's the way my heavenly daddy made me feel yesterday. like i was once again in my wedding dress, dancing on my wedding day. and even though there were 200'ish people at my wedding, while i was dancing with my father, it was just me and him, swaying to the music. the same took place yesterday. just me and my heavenly father dancing with delight in each other. what peace flooded my soul. i just long to stay there with Jesus in our secret place.

just like i kissed my earthy father on the cheek for dancing with me at my wedding, i humbly bowed down to kiss my heavenly daddy's feet. thanking Him for His sweet, sweet presence.

i love you daddy.

just some ramblings.......

it has been a good week, but i am tired. wow! i am 41 who would have thought? didn't i just graduate from high school just a few short weeks ago. didn't i just have my first baby, no wait, my second? boy life flies by fast.
it is the end of the first six weeks, wow where did the time go. does anyone else just collapse into bed the way i do? you fall asleep and then the next moment it is time to get up again. i have come to realize that the older we get the faster the nighttime flies by.
i don't really know much. we watched the twins play their first jr. high game tonight. travis caught an interception. our family shot up like he had just won the superbowl. you should have seen their mom bursting with pride. it was so exciting, even though we lost the game.
i am looking forward to a nice relaxing weekend. you have a great one. take time to sit and enjoy the weekend. have a cup of coffee, read the paper, or your favorite magazine. talk on the phone with a friend. take time to smell the roses.
set some time just for you and your maker to reconnect.

ttfn.......

The Best Birthday Ever.......

I am so blessed. I truly have had the best birthday ever. On Saturday, my family gathered at my mother's house to have lasagna for mine and my sister's birthdays. We had a nice relaxing time.
Last night the girls wanted to give me my gift early, and of course I didn't object. They gave me a beautiful jewelry armoire. It is truly beautiful. Then my girls gave me three pair of earrings and some lotion. I was so surprised by the armoire. The girls were so excited.

This morning, I was called by a dear sweet friend, K, who called me at 6:55 to wish me a happy birthday. It was such a sweet delight. Then when I get to work my secret pal left me a wonderful gift . When I walked down my hall, my teacher partner and friend gave me some body gel that smells heavenly. Several of my students gave me gifts. The sweetest gift was a little boy who gave me five of his trading football cards. I was SO touched. It was so precious. Another little boy gave a football that he had won during our spirit week last week. There are no words to describe how I felt. I also got an apple and a bag of gummy bears that a little girls had brought for her snack that she had purchased last week with her tickets that she had earned.

As we were lining up to go to music, my husband shows up with flowers and 4 w.w. snack cakes with candles in them. Later that day Hannah walks in and gives me pink flowers that David had previously brought out but were in another room. While I am tutoring, David calls to say that some friends have invited us over to eat fajitas. Thanks T &D, I will take you up on it at another time. I am a bit of a hermit, when I get off of work during the week. Especially on Monday. Kids also go to bed by eight during the week. I can't wait to see the new place.

When I get home I find messages from my family, wishing me a happy birthday. David tells me to sit down and pulls up my blog where I see my bright and shiny face. WHAT A TREAT TO HAVE A BIRTHDAY MESSAGE ON MY BLOG FROM MY DEAR, DEAR, SWEET FRIEND, RW. Yes, I do remember the day we met and the 2 hour conversation that we had at that restaurant. You were an answer to my prayers. And you will always hold a part of my heart that belongs only to you. You are such a blessing to my life.

As I read all of your birthday wishes, I am so filled with love for you. You all have so richly blessed my life in so many different ways. You are the bright stars that fill my life with love and light. My world is brighter because of you. May God's richest blessing be yours. May God's face always shine on you. I dearly love you.

Thank you Jesus for your richest blessings. May I grow in your wisdom and grace and love and mercy. May I always bless others the way they have blessed me.

Happy Birthday Kimmie

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIMMIE!!!!!!

this is rw i have hijacked kimmie's blog (with permission of course). i thought it would be nice for kimmie's blogging friends to post her a happy birthday comment or even a funny story to help make her birthday extra special. so lets get to posting.

was still in the secret place......

today i found myself at school, teaching my students, but not really there. my heart was still in my secret place with my Redeemer. i found myself under the tree, gazing out into the lake, with the gentle breeze moving my hair across my face. i found myself taken away with Jesus, just singing a love song to Him, that only He could appreciate. i found myself still feeling His gaze upon me. i can still see the ripples on the little pond. i see the butterfly that blessed me, as i sat on the bench. as the butterfly fluttered around me, i felt as if God was winking at me. i saw the little frogs jumping from spot to spot.

i felt the presence of the Lord more than i have ever felt Him before.

did i actually teach today? my body was present, but my spirit was staring into a sky full of stars, and a moon that was unbelievably bright.

i wrote before we went on the retreat that i envisioned Jesus and i sitting underneath a tree and sharing together. there was no way to imagine what an life altering experience this encounter would be. what i shared with Jesus in our secret place was nothing short of miraculous.

You overwhelm me. Why You love me so much i will never understand or comprehend. You amaze me. Thank you for your kiss.

in the secret place.....

as You pick me up, You dust me off and offer Your hand to me! Oh how I am desperate for Your love and companionship! i want to sit at Your feet and have You lift me up into Your lap! You meet me where I am, and offer Your love to me and i am refreshed, redeemed, and revived.

in my secret place, where i sit in your lap and You hold me as a father holds his child, i ask You to be my best friend- and You said "I am!"

Hold on to my hand and walk through life with me- and You said "I am!"

Be my constant source of joy and peace- and You said "I am!"

Be ever present with me- and You said "I am!"

Be my shield and fortress- and You said "I am!"

Be my redeemer, my healer- and You said "I am !"

Be my keeper and my life giver- and You said "I am!"

Be my father and protector- and You said "I am!"

Be my comforter- and You said "I am!"

Be my Mother- and You said "I am!"

Be my energy, strength, hope, joy- and You whisper sweetly and tenderly in my ear, holding my face in Your hand, oh sweet daughter, "I am!"

Wipe the tears from my face and You said daughter, not only do I wipe them from Your face, I count them!

May I spend my life trying to please You! As the daughter of the King. As it is time that He is pulling me away from everyone that I was so dependent on, I realize I only need depend on Him! I am free to release the prisoners that I have kept in my heart and realize that I to, have been released to become the woman that I was meant to be. Be free my precious friends and family who have carried me for so long, as Jesus teaches me to walk on my own two feet. He whispers in my ear that when everything else is striped away that is where, in the quiet place that we truly find Him. He wants me to find Him in the still places of my life. Just Him and I, as He teaches me the dance, that He intended only me to learn. As He pulls me away He tells me that soon I will soar like an eagle, free only then, to soar with wind beneath me.

i love....

* i am still here

* i love my class even though they are a tough bunch

* i have some very funny students in my class

* my girls are doing great in school

* both of my girls made a's on their progress reports

* my girls love their teachers

* i AM SO EXITED ABOUT THE RETREAT

* i have a idea, of God and i going and sitting under a big tree, with a soft
breeze blowing just having sometime alone. just sometime to reflect on
the goodness of God. how blessed i am. the sun shining brightly in the sky.
walking in the woods with Him and just being in His presence in a natural
setting. i am a country girl, so when i think of being in heaven, i don't
think of streets of gold. i think of meadows and pastures and trees with a
gentle breeze. a brook babbling in the distance and birds singing. Jesus
and i are under a tree just looking at the beautiful sky. sometimes talking
and sometimes just enjoying the cool of the day. hand and hand, just being
together, exchanging ideas and Jesus telling me He looks down on me and just
smiles. that is my idea of heaven.

* we are adjusting to the idea of not moving and we are at peace.

* i love my girls being with me everyday. i love that i get to walk with
wonderful teacher friends daily as we encourage one another and share the
days events with each other.

* i love that i have a job that i have been called to do and that Jesus
considers me worthy of the calling. even though sometimes it is really
challenging, i have a career that i truly love and know that i am called
to be there.

* i love that i am in the most peaceful time in my life and have discovered
that the way to stay there is to stay continually in the presence of Jesus.
reading scripture and allowing them to plant themselves in my heart. writing them not only in my mind but also on the tablets of my heart. they bring forth life. i have learned not to sweat the small stuff. i have learned to let go and just
focus on Jesus and the things of this world grow strangely dim.

* i have learned that i have made plenty of mistakes and will make plenty more
but, that is what makes us what we are, and who we are to become. it is in
mistakes that we build character if we allow Christ to use them to teach
us. all things work together for good, for those that love the Lord and are
called according to His purpose.

* i love the way my students look at me when they are grasped a hard concept.
it is like i have added to their life in someway. sometimes they tickle me
so.

* i love my families, church and natural, both of them. i blessed by them. how
they lift me up.

* i love my life.

My Baby Is Growing Up....

tomorrow is a special day. my baby hannah, who is in the fourth grade, is running for student council. wow! where does time go? just yesterday i was rocking her in my arms and singing to her. just yesterday she was learning to sip from a sippie cup. just yesterday she was singing kikkle, kikkle, little star. and asking me to hold her. she used to be so shy. she would stand tucked around my legs if someone came up to her and spoke to her. now look at her. doesn't God know i want her to stay with me forever?
she drew posters and made bookmarks and even wrote a speech. she gives her speech tomorrow. she is very excited. this is right up her ally.
i am so excited for her. i am so proud of her. i am so proud to be her mommy. i look at her and know there is a God who full fills our dreams beyond anything we can ever hope or imagine. she is such a bright and shining star. my, how she shines. my heart is filled with all kinds of emotions when i look into her soft brown eyes. what a precious gift from God she is. no one ever tells you all the emotion that goes into to raising a child. the emotion that i feel for her could run the brightest moonbeam for centuries. make the sweetest hummingbird sing a song so sweet, it would soothe any ache.
all i can say is, wow. i love you baby "grill."

My Little Ambassador and 4 H Club Member......

this weekend was a busy time for us, but it was so much fun. it was the 30th annual
miles cotton festival. boy did we have fun. i got to spend time with my family and a lot of old friends. i love being from a small rural town. i have friends that i have know for over 30 years. i love the fact that my girls are going to school at a small rural school. so many of our small towns have dried up, but miles is still going strong.
we started off the day with a parade. both of my girls were in the parade. bekah was a little ambassador, and hannah was on the 4-H float. then we walked around the park where there were about 30ish booths there. then we spent most of the day at the camp

of my old youth pastors camp. boy can this man cook. we just sat and visited all day.
the girls played with all of their school friends. they had a part of the park roped off for the jumbo bouncy castles, and wall climbing. the girls had a blast. we ate ribs , brisket, little deabloes, and german potatoes. oh my goodness, it was fabulous. charles, (my old youth pastor) enters his brisket every year, but he never wins. i don't know how he doesn't because it is fabulous.
later that night there was a cotton queens contest, where bekah escorted her contestant. here are some pictures.

before the parade, bekah with a friend


bekah on the last years queen's float


hannah saying her 4h pledge

hannah on her 4H float

bekah with her cousin sarah


bekah with her queen's contestant


bekah with her friends at the queens contest

So Sorry....

so SORRY. this is what happens when a computer illiterate person tries to change things on the computer by herself. one of you more computer illiterate people will have to physically come over and help me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I LOVE MY BLOGGING SISTERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I WOULD NEVER WANT ANYONE TO GET HURT AT THE EXPENSE OF MY IGNORANCE..............

PLEASE FORGIVETH ME!!!!!

AFTER ALL I'M JUST A THIRD GRADE TEACHER.

sorry it has been so long...

i know it has been along time since i have posted, but i am afraid this year i am going to earn my money. i have 19 very busy , energetic, active, did i say loud, unattentive class. if i could give a ritalin salt lick as they entered my class to help them focus on the task at hand, i would. for some reason that is illegal? hmmmmm don't know why? those of you that are teachers, you know what i mean. some of you others might know too.
i am the math teacher. now math lends itself to playing lots of math games during my lesson to get across what i am trying to teach them. so it is not like i am lecturing my class for the math time. we are busy, actively learning. but i have seen attention spans longer in an infant.

on the flip side, i do really enjoy the personalities of the 37 students. they are funny, witty, and sweet. there are some very endearing students in my class. and most of them are still eager to please at this age. which is why i love third grade students.

so by the end of the day, i am just a little tired. my legs aren't hurting quite as much as they were as last week. sometimes after my children go to bed all i want to do is sit and veg. but i promise as the weeks go by i will do more posting.

oh, by the way i changed my blog so everyone can read it, i will just have to approve the comments.

bye for now, i love ya.

your room just smells so good.....

i promised you that once school started that i would have some funny stories. well here is the first of many.

our building is a metal building that was supposed to be a temporary building, but because of small school finances, it has been up for about 15 years. anyway when it rains we get water in areas of our rooms because of leaking. so for many years i have bought plug-in to help with the smell. we used to use candles, but because of fire hazards, they asked us not to use the candles anymore.

any way, my homeroom class has 19 students in it, as i have previously stated. they are a great bunch of kids, but they are VERY busy and up all the time. they are an active bunch.

so i get ready to teach a math game and i look around the room and notice that one of my students is not in his chair. i look to see if he had the bathroom bear in his chair to signal that he had gone to the bathroom. after a few seconds of looking around the room i finally call out his name.

he suddenly pops his head up and gets off his knees and replies,"what?" "where were you," i asked. he said,"i was down there on the floor smelling your plug ins. ahhhh they just smell so good."

i was laughing so hard inside. what do you say to that????????

my heart hurts for my dear sweet husband....

today we found out that david did not get the job that he so wanted. i am so hurt for him. david is such a upbeat person who is larger than life. my heart aches for him. he is hurt and disappointed. and i am hurt and disappointed for him.

he is quiet tonight and i understand why, i just want to do something for him to cheer him up. i know he has to work this out for himself and with God, i just ache for him. he is my partner, my lover, my best friend, my soul mate, the father of my children, and my truest confidant.

i know that all things work together for good for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose. i know that david's faith is strong without waver, he is just hurting right now.

i ask that you lift him up in your prayers, please. as of course i will do the same. i pray that the peace of Christ richly dwell in his heart and mind forever. i pray that he realize that God a has a purpose and a destiny for him that is better than his wildest dreams. i pray that he knows how much he is dearly loved, and valued, and cherished, by me and the girls. he is such an awesome dad and husband. i pray that Jesus wrap His arms around him and that He fills his life with unspeakable joy.

what an awesome man you are david and i am so proud to be your wife. i have loved our 18 years together and the years that we dated. God will provide, He always does, He always has. He has a job that is better for you than you can imagine. a job that will fit you better than this one would have. we can't see into tomorrow, but He can. He is probably protecting us from something that we can not see right now. He must not be finished with us here. we still have work to do here apparently.

i love you davey,
kimmie

first day of school.....

here are some pictures of the first day of school.





today was the first day of school. the girls were so excited. rebekah was so nervous. she kept asking does mrs. hoelscher make hard things easy? this is her first grade teacher. hannah was excited but not really nervous.

my class was busy and full. i ended up with 19 students. for a small district that is alot of kids. but we had a great day. i have conference in the morning, so it makes for a long afternoon. all went off with out a hitch.

a new place, a new time.... (maybe)

now i can speak about this, so my husband says. he is in dallas tonight preparing for a job interview with a new company. we have been praying about this for about two years. it is flying jets for a company out of dallas. the name of the company is flex jets. it is a job where he will be gone ALOT. he will be gone for 6 days and nights and home for 4 and then the rotation starts over again. we have been approached with this job, before, but i was not ready to have my soul mate and best friend gone from my life so much. i was not ready. and to tell the truth neither was he. he has become concerned for his job here and he is just not happy at his current job. airplanes are expensive and they are usually the first thing sold if cut backs need to be done.

God has had to do a tremendous work in my life to be able to support and be excited for the possibility of this job. God has gotten rid of a lot of baggage in my life. but when i hear how excited david gets when he speaks of this job, there was no way i couldn't support him in this endeavor. i love him so very much and want him to be happy. one night in bed i began to pray for david, and God began to say that i have created david for more than this. i known this for a while, but was afraid to allow God to take it where He wanted it to go. this would mean that i would truly have to rely on God for so much more than i already do. learn to stand more on my own two feet.

david is an awesome husband and father. i know this will be hard on the girls as they love him so. we have not told them about this yet. so i would ask that you not say anything to them either. his interview is tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. there are three parts to the interview. an oral, written, and a simulator flight. there is a chance we will be moving by december. or if they hire him and allow me to complete my contract, then we will move in the summer. we will tell them at the end of the school year, if we get to move then. of course we will tell them sooner if we leave around christmas.

i ask for your prayers. i know God is in control. we want His perfect will for all of our lives. i will keep you posted. thank you for your thoughts and prayers.

notes from a country school....

here are some pictures from my classroom. i hope you enjoy them. this is my little spot in the world where i try to make a difference.








well my classroom is finally set up and we are ready for kids. i am sorry i haven't blogged in a while, but we had meet the teacher last night and i left for work at 7 a.m. and did not get home until 9 p.m. i was a tired little camper.

anyway our classrooms are set up and our lesson plans are all ready for next monday. we will have two thirds grade sections with 18 kids a piece. i might have already told you that. our meet the teacher night went very well. we met alot of our students and their parents. the kids always come in shy and timid those first few days, but then true personalities really start to emerge soon enough.

our campus is buzzing with excitement. we are all just busy little beavers anticipating the new school year.

tonight we are just chilling, hanging with the kids, enjoying the last weekend before the school starts.

a joyful heart....

i have been listening to some tapes given to me by a wonderful friend. they are fabulous. they are teaching tape of joyce meyer. these tapes are old, i think, but God had so ministered to me through them. isn't God amazing!!!! His word is timeless. anointed messages are timeless. i was given these tapes a couple of months ago and God is just now having me listen to them.

the tape i am listening to is how God prunes christians. it is phenomenal. one of the things that sticks out in my mind the most, is that birds fly in flocks, but eagles soar alone. we all go through those times of pruning, in my life, those times seem to be the times that i am pulled away unto Jesus, himself. but after those times, i feel like i can soar like an eagle.

the tape also talks about trees and the seasons of pruning they go through. how God not only cuts off dead branches, but also branches that are alive. she states that when you go to by a peach, you buy big luscious peaches, not small ones that don't satisfy. she talks about the oak tree and how it is most often found standing alone. she says this tree can withstand years of drought because its roots are so deep and long, that they reach to a source of water that is unknown. but that it has to dig deep to find that source. the source sustains its life when others are dying. wow!!!

i like the thought of being an oak tree or an eagle. thank you Jesus for the joy that is in my soul. your joy is priceless, matchless, and no one can take it away. thank you Jesus for this peaceful place in my life. it has been for me a breathe of fresh air. thank you for all your blessings. thank you for friends that pour into my life. You are an awesome God.

thank you Jesus for a joyful heart.

BORING.. BUT THIS IS WHAT I DID TODAY!!!!

today we spent the majority of the time on curriculum alignment. this is where we make our plans for the whole year. and then we get all the teachers together and make sure there are not any gaps from grade to grade.

it took us all day just to write down what we are going to teach for each six weeks. tomorrow we will make sure we cover all the gaps for all the grade levels.

we still don't have our schedules or our class lists. there is never a win-win situation for these two areas of teaching. all of us want to teach our core subjects in the morning, but someone has to have music and p.e. at that time. our principal will probably lock herself in her office when she hands us these things, so that we don't all stampede her office at one time.

debra( my other 3rd grade partner) and i are going to have large classes this year. we both are going to have 19. that is large for us. i know that is very small for some of ya'll, but it is large for us.

i am ready for school to start. since we are starting later, the state has moved the TAKS test back. my students will not take the math until April 29. that is about 10 days later than usual.

this was kind of boring, but i know once school starts i will have better stories to tell. just getting my classroom ready. i will try to get some pictures so you can see what a small country school classroom looks like.

anyway i am ready for a nap, but i won't take one, so i can sleep tonight.

a great night and a fantastic movie......

last night we celebrated my brother's birthday. we had a shrimp boil. it was great. my family had never been to a shrimp boil and they loved it. my mother kept asking me where is the silverware and where are the plates. and are you really going to put butter and cocktail sauce all over the table? yes i said, there is wax paper covering the table.

my family really enjoyed the corn on the cob and the shrimp. i have a sister that doesn't like shrimp that much and even she really enjoyed the food. my other sister brought cobbler and my mom made a chocolate cake. hannah that day also made brownies, so there was plenty of food to go around. we had only 15 people in our family show up, so there was some food left over. everyone took a baggie home with plenty of food. it was alot of fun because after dinner we just sat around for about an hour and visited.

then my niece mo-mo said that becoming jane was on at 10:30 so her and i went to see it. and boy did we get wet running into the theater. oh my goodness i thought it was a wonderful movie. there were parts that i actually caught my breathe. i can't wait to talk to ya'll that went today to see it, and discuss it with ya'll. i love anne hathaway. i thought she did a fantastic job playing the character. and the guy was kind of cute too.

ttfn....

with deepest gratitude!!!!!!

Dear A,
I just wanted to thank you So very much for today. My hubbies job sometimes leaves us in a pickle when I have to back to work. They absolutely had a blast with you. Thank you, Thank You, a million times over thank you. I am so blessed to have a great friend like you in my life. I look forward to returning the favor anytime.

It was great to see you again today. I just love hanging out with you. May God's richest blessing follow you all the days of your life. May He make His face to shine on you. May outrageous joy be yours always.


Once again thank you!!!!!!!!

back to the real world....

tomorrow we (the teachers) start back to work. we have in services. i have been trying to get my body into the groove of getting up earlier. does getting up at 8:30 count if all summer you have been waking up at 10:30? i don't think so.

well i have to be at my school at 8:00, yes that's a.m. so that means i will be getting up at 6:15. wow! it was even hard for me to type that. i know that all of you are boo-hooing for me. i know you have young children or have been working all summer. i feel the love and sympathy flowing through the computer. anyway i am kind of ready, because i do love my job. it will be nice to get to meet the two new teachers that are going to be working in our building, as 4th grade teachers.

reading the bible twice a day is going good. i actually have begun trying to memorizing scripture. i am now at psalms 130. i have been here a few days. i do that sometimes. i stay on certain scriptures sometimes for a long time. i have been on this particular scripture for three days. here it is.

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in his Word i put my hope,
My soul waits for the Lord,
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than the watchmen wait for the morning.
Psalm 130: 5

o.k. o.k. i actually missed 6 words, but hey that's a great start.
i was reading back over my journal this morning and found one of my favorite scriptures. i think it bears repeating.

You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace
because his mind is stayed on You,because he commits himself to
You,and leans on You,and hopes confidently on You.
Isaiah 26:3

higher level.......

this summer has been a wonderful summer for many reasons. summer always provides me with an opportunity to spend more time with the Jesus in my bible studies. last year i wanted to go to a new place with Jesus. so Jesus called me to get up at 5:30 and read the Word before i go to work. now i didn't always get up exactly at 5:30, but i did get up and read every morning.the blessing and the peace and the growth that took place are for another blog.

tonight i was about to go to bed when i felt the Lord prodding me to read His word again. i am really trying to grow more towards the mind of Christ. i am reading this wonderful book. and in this book it discusses the only way to have a mind of Christ is to spend more time in the Word of God. to meditate on it, study it, think on it, and learn it. to keep your mind constantly on what Christ is saying in His Word.

now i realize that school is starting for me on thursday, so while i was reading i was wondering how i would keep my mind on Christ's word while i am teaching 3rd grade. i felt God speak to me a good start would be to start and end your day with the Word.

so that is my new venture, my higher level in Christ. i know that the peace of God will reign supremely in my life. maybe you would like to join me? i am sure that many of you already do this. sometimes i am a little slow.i know i might not be perfect at this, sometimes my life gets in the way. or should i say i allow my life to get in the way. i thought it would be fun to blog or not all of the wonderful things that come out of this. (just a thought)

love you guys......

brand new grand nephew......

bekah and i went to san antonio for a baby shower for one of my nieces. she is a nurse and her husband is a fire fighter. we went with my sister lisa and my mother. we had a really good time. misty, that's my niece had another little boy. he was born 9 weeks early. he is doing very well, but i ask that you would pray for him. he weighed 4lbs and 5 oz. he will stay in the nicu for 6-8 more weeks. i would have pictures, but only the parents and the grandparents can go in to see him. he has been moved to the "feeder" section. evidently this is a step in the right direction. i also ask that you pray for misty and her husband greg. they also have two other little boys that they have to split their time with. that can be difficult in the best of situations.

mom said his little head was about the size of an orange. mom and lisa(or what they call her nana) got to hold him this morning. of course lisa and royce were there when he was born. that was a week ago.

misty's shower was very nice. alot of his family came, so it was nice that we got to see them again and even meet some of his family members that i hadn't met before. we ate at cracker barrel today and got to have a wonderful visit with each other. everybody is so busy, we don't get to do that very often. bekah and her cousin had a great time playing together. it was nice to have bekah all to myself.

i really don't know much else. anyway, please pray for my new great nephew.
thanks

they're never too old to be rocked......

when my girls were babies, one of the things i loved was rocking them and then having them fall asleep on my lap. even when hannah was a baby she covered most of my lap, because she was 24 inches long. i would sing to her an old song, i love how you love me. she would hum along when she got older.

when rebekah was a baby, i would rock her and sing to her, you are my sunshine. now bekah wouldn't sing with me, but she would take her hand and place it in my hair and rub my hair until she fell asleep. there are no words to describe how i felt rocking my babies to sleep. david would often say, kim, you can put them in bed now, and i would tell him, i am not ready yet.

as a woman who struggled with infertility for 7 years, the last thing i wanted to do was to put my baby down. i remember there were many nights when i would just sleep while i rocked them, never laying them in the crib. especially when they were first born. there came a time when both of them would stop asking me to rock them, like i knew it would, but you never expect it to come quite as soon as it does.

you never know when God is going to give you the pleasure, just one more time. last night bekah came out and said, mommy will you rock me i can't sleep? she knew i would, having seen the big smile on my face at her request. i cherish those times.

ever great once in a while hannah will even ask. especially when she has had a hard day. i relish those times and thank God for the special little remembrances of their infancy.

with each new development they gain a little independence. and you are excited for that. but with each new development they are becoming more and more self-sufficient. we want that. we want our children to grow up to become strong and independent and able to take care of them selves. but before we can snap our finger, they are grown.and yet i am still surprised when it happens.

thank you girls for still needing your mommy.

nick names.....

here are my family nick names:

David: davie, dave, hunney, my little bach la-va, sweetie

Hannah: boopie smoose( it comes from monsters inc.) hannah banana, hannah montana, david calls her g (her middle name is gail) when she was a tiny baby -boobies, darling, precious, angel, my sweet girl

Bekah: reba- that is david's nickname for her; sunshine, angel, bekah-boo, honey, boobies- when she was a baby, precious, my sweet girl

today i still call both of them: my little grills

Kim: my nick name for years, especially when i was growing up was: kimbo, david and a few of my friends call me kimmie,

i thought we had a lot more. i guess i just don't remember.

special playdate.....

i just wanted to thank a. for having a wonderful play date today. it was such a relaxing time just sitting under your beautiful tree and visiting. that is one of my favorite things to do is just sit outside and visit. we did that when i was growing up, so it brings back very fond memories. my girls had such a great time playing with all of the kids there. they love to play. there was such a fantastic breeze that was constantly swaying, which made it all so nice. the brownies were delicious. (i was so proud of myself, i only had one.) yea me!!!!

it was nice to sit and discuss everything from education to being moms. thanks all you gals for allowing this oldie goldie to join in. you made me feel very welcomed and i look forward to many more times with ya'll.

once again thanks for you awesome hospitality.

New Do??? Maybe....

well i don't really have anything to write about. some pretty uneventful days. so i guess i will write about my hair appointment tomorrow. (just in case you are like me and have trouble spelling tomorrow, i always want to put two m's, but it is just one. i remember it like this. i can only handle one tomorrow at a time, so, one day at a time = one m at a time.) remember i am a math teacher and not a spelling teacher.

anyway i am getting it highlighted. my roots are way too long. about an inch i measured. does that tell you how uneventful my days have been. trust me it is different when your kids get older. they discover the friends across the street.

but when i am at the beauty shop i may end up with a new doo. i like to do different things with my hair.

told ya i didn't have anything to write about. i sure i will be full of stories when i start school in the fall.

ttfn......

greeted with big hugs.....

today the girls had mini cheer leading camp at school.

so while they were at camp i went to my campus (not that it was very far away from the high school, across the street) and decided to get some work done in my room.

i wasn't there very long before one of my very dear friends came and gave me a big hug, hello. we walked together the work room to check our mail boxes. we excitingly talked about the summer and our children and various things. while were walking there we saw two more of our co-workers. each of us gave each other hugs. you know the kind you give some one when you haven't seen them in a while.

we have a very small elementary staff, so we are like one big family. over the course of the three hours kelly and i saw two more of my teacher bench friends. big hugs were exchanged. ( a teacher bench friend is a friend that you get to have lunch with and playground duty with. this is the bench where all the worlds problems are solved( or so we think so) and we can't wait to talk about the last episode of grey's anatomy. it is a wonderful band of sisters that have worked together for a long time. there is nothing off limits during the conversations of the bench. we discuss everything. we have been through babies being born new marriages, divorces, death, religion, husbands, recipes and a host of other topics.)

most of my teacher friends are empty nester's there is only two out of the six of us that have children at home. the youngest one had a baby last year. her oldest will start kindergarten next year. we are all different backgrounds.

how blessed i feel, to not only to have wonderful friends at church (or should i say thru our blogging community) but at my school as well. i am a very blessed woman. God you are so good.

p.s. by the way our high school principal told us that our elementary got an exemplary rating. YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

scriptures to uplift the soul....

Forgetting what is behind and straining what is
ahead. I press on forward the goal to win the prize
for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Phil. 3:13



This one was not in psalms, but in a book that i am currently reading. it is wonderful.
You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant
peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he commits himself
to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently on You.
Isaiah 26:3

Here is what I read today in the Psalms 143 that ministered to me.

When my spirit grows faint within me, it is You who knows
my way.

i got busy.......

so after my good cry, i decided to get busy. remember i said i am a planner. every year before school we clean out the girls rooms and closets. i started with rebekah's room. i was getting a little with bekah playing with everything, i guess david could tell because he stopped doing what he was doing, to come and help me. i know, i know, i am INCREDIBLY spoiled. don't matter he will be repaid. here are some before and after pictures.

a little anxious and antsy...

today is two weeks before school starts, i find myself a little anxious and antsy. do you ever get that way? i do. we have alot of new things happening at our school this year. we have a new principal, new teachers coming in and i never know what grade i will be teaching. our enrollment varies every year. so we never know if we are going be moved.

do you ever feel like everything is closing in on you? i do. sometimes. with everything that comes with a new school year and getting everything for the girls that they need for school and getting my classroom ready. i guess if i had to tell you a little about myself, is that we were very poor growing up, i find that i get anxious when it comes to money. we rarely ever got anything new and i want my girls to have such a different life than i did. not only in the temperature in the house, but also in every other way too. i had a good cry today.

i made david sit down and listen to me. sometimes i find my emotions so raw. i just told him everything that i am anxious about. wow he said i didn't realize all that goes on in your mind at once. i am nervous in writing this. i don't know why. have you ever noticed that you can help others with their crisis, but when it comes to your own, you can't even take your own advise. aren't we all supposed to have everything together all the time? i feel like that sometimes. not that anyone ever made me feel like that. it is the pressure i place on myself. do you ever feel like you are becoming everything that you didn't want to become? i want to be such an awesome mother. i know at the bottom of my soul that everything will be alright, it just seems like i have to have a good cry before my soul can get that across to my flesh.

i am working on that with several interventions. God and the word are among the first. this is one of my areas of my life that i am growing in on my spiritual journey with the Lord. i have discovered that i am a worrier. i used to not be. i wonder if that is because i am a mom. i have made incredible progress, but i still have set backs, as we all do.

i am also a planner. i like things neat and orderly. i used to not, but now i do.teaching has had that affect on me. things have to be in order at work or you find yourself with a lesson that was supposed to be 40 minutes lasting only 20. we came up with a plan. at least it is a start.

i guess that is why God has had me studying Philippians. none the less i will trust in the Lord and allow His word to soothe my raw emotions. thank you God for listening. sometimes i just feel better writing things down and talking to you.

ttfn......