special wishes.....

Yesterday was a special day around our house, Bethany turned 13. She has finally made it to her teenage years. At church I teach the Teens Sunday School class and for months Bethany has complained about being in the Juniors class and having no other girls in there because the other girl(s) moved up over a year ago so now she is an official student in the Teens Class with all of her friends and her big sister....Congratulations Bethany! Bethany, like me, is a book lover and she has been crazy over the Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer so I made her a little something special for the celebration on here. Her cake will look like this as well.

I am proud of you, I love you, and it is a true blessing to be your mom.

Happy 13th Birthday!!

Love,
Mom

celebrating another year of life.....

Good morning Blogland! I can't remember a day that has started out so great in a long time. Most mornings I am grumbling as I pull myself out of bed but this morning Mr. B woke me when he slipped his arm around me, kissed my neck and whispered "Happy Birthday Beautiful". Wanna talk about making a girl feel special!

My opinion on birthdays differ from a lot of people's opinion. A lot of people look at it as doom and gloom because they are getting older but I just can't do that. I feel it is a time to be thankful for living another year. I am not saying everybody should gather around you shower you with gifts, cake and all of that and make a big deal out of it. Instead I think we should all celebrate the past year of life and start praying for the best in the coming year. If you have had a hard year then celebrate the fact that you made it through, learned from it and start looking for a better year this time around. I am simply saying it sure beats the alternative if you know what I mean.

With that being said, today I am thanking God for the last year. The year may have had some small bumps in the road as each year usually does for every breathing human being but I feel that those valleys we go through help form who we are. Wouldn't the perfect, burden free life be boring? Think of it this way, if we all lived perfect lives we wouldn't have mistakes to learn from which make us stronger nor would we have the friendships that we form while going through life's troubles. God never promised that the hill would be easy climb, He did however promise that He would only put on us what we can handle and that He would be there always and that includes getting older. Age has really never bothered me because I feel that we are only as old as we want to be and I do know and understand that the body doesn't always agree with the mind but if you keep your mind in a positive field then those times when the body isn't what it once was things go a lot better.

I am not only thanking God for another year of life but also thanking Him for all the wonderful people, you included, He has put in my path, I am truly blessed to have the family and friends that I have.

With that...y'all have a beautiful day and at some point today I ask that you stop, take a look around you, count your blessings and thank God for them. Sometimes doing this will put a different perspective on things and we see that it isn't so bad even if we are getting older every year.

Before I go, I want to thank Mona for the beautiful birthday post she published in honor of my birthday. Thank you!

takin' a trip and birthday wishes...

My baby girl is 16 years old today and I am wondering, once again, where the time has gone. It seems like only yesterday that she came in to my life. We have to be at the DMV at 7:30AM for the driving test and I am hoping that she passes because if not then it will be a bad day for all of us in this family, I do expect her to pass because she is a good driver and we have been over what goes on during the driving test.

We were supposed to leave last Friday on a little family trip but Mr. B had to stay and take care of some things for a client of his so we leave tomorrow after my son's doctor appointment to have his stitches removed from the bridge of his nose. We will return sometime Thursday because Mr. B has business on Friday that couldn't be put off. I am excited to take this trip, short though it may be, because the only thing we have really done since starting construction on the house in December of 06 was our summer beach trip that we take without fail every year, we are way past due on a family get away in my opinion.

In my previous post I asked all of you to pray for my best friend and her husband and I will once again ask you to pray for them. I got a report last night and things aren't really looking as good as they thought. It is amazing at what people will do for others that are in need. There are people from coast to coast praying for my friends and I find that comforting. Thank you!

Well it is time for me to sign off and start my day. Y'all have a beautiful day and God Bless! Also to my daughter I would like to say.....


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a thankful celebration...

I feel like I haven't been on here in forever but it has only been since Friday. So far this week has not been the best that I have had. Monday morning my best friend called me and told me that her husband was in the hospital and they didn't think he was going to make it, I am not going to go into particulars here but they need your prayers. She lives two counties northwest of me and even though it is a long drive I felt like I needed to be there with her so I jumped in my van and went to her. My heart is breaking for her, they did get some news today that added a tiny sparkle of hope to the situation but it could still go either way. I wouldn't have cared if she lived 300 miles away from me, I still would have went to her.

Tuesday was a busy, exhausting day. Part of my exhaustion came from lying awake crying, worrying, and praying for my friend and her husband all night then the day was just a blur because I was so busy. I was supposed to be the adult supervising one of my daughters Girl Scout cookie booths and my husband had a meeting at church at the same time so our oldest daughter and son were at my moms. I had just arrived at the cookie booth when I got a phone call from my daughter telling me that Mr. B was on his way home so that he could rush our son to the hospital to get stitches in his face. My son walked into a piece of eve dripping (very thin piece of aluminum that goes on the fascia board before installing guttering) that was hanging out of the back of my dads work truck. It cut him to the bone across the bridge of the nose where forehead and nose meet, put a one and a half inch long gash under his right eye, and scraped the skin off of his left temple. By the time the doctor saw him the gash under his right eye had closed up on its own. Yesterday morning his right eye was getting black (which the doctor told us to expect) and his poor little nose is swollen but the good news is that the bad gash on the upper nose shouldn't scar that badly and if it does scar the doctor said that most people will think it is a natural crease. He is lucky he didn't lose his eye in this accident. My parents felt terrible because it happened over there and I told them not to feel bad because it could have happened anywhere to any one of us.

Now for the thankful celebration....
Today is Mr. B's 36th birthday and I am thankful that I have him and that he is not in a hospital fighting for his life, instead he is here with the kids and me. He never makes a big deal out of his birthday but I think that everybody should celebrate their birthday. I believe that when your birthday rolls around you need to thank God and celebrate another year of life that you have been given. Age has never bothered me because I also believe that you are only as old as you want to be and I do know that sometimes the body gives out on you but in your heart and soul is where I am talking about. I hope that this is just one more in many that I get to spend with Mr. B. I also want to say to Mr. B....thank you for all that you do for me, for being there when I need you, for being a wonderful father to our children, and for being you, I love you!

Y'all have a beautiful day!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

Special wishes ......

I feel really terrible because I couldn't get this up earlier but I am just glad that I am here now.

Today has been a special day around my house. It is my son's 10th birthday! On each of our birthdays we get to choose the place to eat dinner and my son chose a local pizza place. We had a nice dinner filled with sports and arcade games.


Happy 10th Birthday Ty!
I love you!

I've got to quit this!

It seems these days that the time between my posts keeps getting longer and longer. I need to take fifteen minutes each night to post even if it is just something silly. I also need to take a few extra minutes to read or at least come comment on all of the blogs in my blog roll. When I don't have time to read and comment the blogs on my blog roll I feel guilty about it, do any of you ever feel that way? Kind of like you are neglecting your friends. The bad thing is that I can't promise at this point to do better. By the time I have free time at night I am too tired to sit down and get on the computer. I will try to do better.

About the job interview that I had last Monday, I was the one they wanted until someone else showed up wanting the job and they were kind of hard pressed not to give it to her considering her mother has major "pull" around there. No big deal because the lady that interviewed me knew of another position that was open so she put me in touch with the supervisor over that department, I had an interview Friday and I should hear today or tomorrow whether I have the job, my chances are very good at this point. The new position I was interviewed for is still in the medical imaging department, the new position is a full time position instead of a part time but that is okay to. Now the ball is rolling I am not going to stop it because I am ready to work outside of our home again. I think working here and just being here a lot is part of the reason for my "cleaning" problem, I see it all the time so the house never looks clean to me even after I have just cleaned it, ladies you know what I am talking about.

The office I will be working in, if I get the position that is, has a beautiful view of the Tennessee River. The good thing about the office is that it is on the first floor and that is good because I am afraid of heights and often times I can't look out of windows when I am above four floors or I start freaking out. I am really excited about it and ready to start if I am hired.

There is no denying that August is finally here. Our temps have went up along with the humidity. You can't walk outside without getting all sweaty and feeling sticky and gross, thank God for air conditioning! This is the time of year that I refuse to wear foundation on my face because it just melts off, rather I sweat it off but you get my point. I am not a bad sweater either but during August it seems that is all I do. I will admit that I am ready for the crisp cool air and beautiful multi colored leaves that fall will bring.

One thing I should have done Friday was sign in and post some special wishes to a special girl in my life. My middle child, Bethany, turned 12 Friday. She finally received the IPOD she has been asking for since Christmas, if you were around her you would think that we presented her with a bar of gold instead of an IPOD. So with all of that being said I would like to say....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY GOD BLESS YOU BETHANY,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!
I LOVE YOU!

Y'all have a wonderful Monday, be safe and take care!

Update

I just have a quick update on the house. First of all, it is ours now! We closed Friday morning about 10:30 AM. Our painters came in Friday and finished up with the priming that needed done so tomorrow(Monday) they will come in and put the first coat of color on all the walls, second coat on the bathrooms and utility room. My husband will be installing our hardwood flooring Tuesday and getting the first two coats of finish on it then my painters will come back in sometime during the week and put the last coat of paint on the walls. Our carpet will be installed on Thursday or Friday and the tile will be installed after all that is done. Sometime this week we have a guy coming out to dig the other 123ft of fill line that we needed done so that we can get that passed and get the power turned on. Once the power is turned on I have to call to get a Letter of Occupancy which consists of an inspection and once that is passed we can move in. We are looking at a week and a half to two weeks before we move in if everything goes smoothly and according to plan which it has thus far.

I have posted a pic! This is of the his and her sinks in the master bathroom. I have several other pics of various rooms in the house but it is taking too long to download so this is what you get for now. I am going to take more pics tomorrow to get the most recent updates which will include our mirrors, switch covers, light fixtures, heating and air unit and our front and back door painted however, y'all are going to have to wait until we move in and I am up and running with a cable modem before I post anymore pics. Once I am up and running I am going to do a post from beginning to end of our building process. It will have every pic I have taken of the entire thing on it.














I also have some birthday wishes to throw out to a special someone. Today is my daughters 15th birthday. Happy Birthday Chesney!!! We will be going Tuesday to get her drivers permit. This makes me a little sad because it is one more step to freedom for her. I am so proud of who and what she is thus far and I enjoy watching her grow and learn but there is always a voice in the back of mind saying "she will be out and making her own way before long". All of you that are parents know exactly what I am feeling. It isn't that we don't want our kids to grow up, it is just that it is sad while it is exciting too. If I were to write Chesney a letter it would go something like this......

Dear Chesney,

You are 15 now and I am wondering where time has went. Where did my little girl with chubby cheeks and pigtails go? It seems just yesterday that I held you in my arms for the first time and now here you are more than half grown.

When most people find out that I was only 16 when I gave birth to you, the one question that they always ask is "has there ever been a point that you have regretted it"? My answer to that has always been no. I have asked myself many times if I had the chance to go back and do it over would I change anything and my answer to that is also no. It has always been important to me that you know and understand that.

I miss you being small and snuggling with me all the time and looking to me for all the answers to your questions. Now from time to time you still snuggle with me on the couch or you come crawl in bed with me when Dad is up watching tv. You still come to me for answers but more times than not you want to figure it out on your own and you do a good job of it too. It also means more than words can say to me when every now and then you say out of the blue "I hope I am as good a mom as you are and have been".

I have known for a couple of months that all you wanted for your birthday was for you and I to go see Dierks Bentley in concert on April 12th. I knew this because you have told me five times a day since hearing the announcement that he was coming...LOL! I want you to know that it was a very hard decision for me to make to buy those tickets. What made me decide to buy them was the thought that if I didn't purchase them some day I would regret not sharing the experience of your first concert. I want to be a part of that and I will be a part of that on April 12th.

You are such a beautiful, intelligent, young lady and I am blessed that you are mine.

I want you to know that if you ever need a shoulder to cry on or an ear to listen to you, mine is always free. I know that there will be times when I am the last person you will want to talk to but I hope that you come to me anyways. The one promise that I made when I found out I was expecting you was that I never forget what it was like growing up and how things that really mean nothing to an adult means the world to a teen. I try to understand and hear all of your feelings and I have always tried to never tell you that you didn't feel that way, I hope that you feel that I have kept this promise thus far.

I could say so much more but I will stop here. I hope your birthday was all that you wished it would be and I can't wait to go see Dierks Bentley with you. I hope you are not too mad at me for having them play the drums and cause a big loud scene over your birthday at the japanese steak house we went to last night.

I am proud of the Christian that you are and how you stand up for what you believe in. Thank you for being such a wonderful daughter!

I am proud of you and I love you!
Love,
Mom


HAPPY 15th BIRTHDAY!!!!

I don't know when I will be back online because things will be hectic until we move in the new house so I guess I will see y'all when I see ya. In the meantime y'all take care and be safe and know that I am thinking of you and missing you!

To my husband...

Before I go into birthday wishes and all that I want to ask a favor of you all.

Sunday evening, here in our county, the body of a male in his early to mid 30's was found down an embankment on the side of the mountain. This body was found by a tourist who stopped at a pull off to get a better look at the beautiful view. The tourist got out of his car and was looking around when he looked down and saw the body.

The authorities said the body had been there for a few days. They took the body to The University of Tennessee Medical Center (U.T. Hospital) to do an autopsy. We were watching the 6 o'clock news last night when they said the body had been identified by his fingerprints. The news anchor gave the name of the man and I watched my husband turn white as a sheet. It turns out it was my husbands cousin that was found.

The news report didn't give any other information and my husband immediately called his dad to find out if he had heard anything about this. My father-in-law hadn't heard and was going to make a few calls and see what he could come up with. By 10 PM my f-i-l still didn't know anything other than what the news report had said and none of the news stations even mentioned the body on the 11 o'clock news.

My husband is really upset about this because he and "S" were really close growing up. During the teenage years, like most, my husband and his cousin "S" tried a few drugs and drinking and continued to do them for a while. My husband grew out of most of this by the time I met him and he drifted away from "S" because of the drugs and drinking. Five or six years ago we read in the paper about "S" getting caught with some drugs and spending some time in prison over it.

We ran into "S" about three months ago in Wal-Mart and it really bothered Mr. B because even though S was only 35 he looked 60 from the hard drugs.

Today is my husbands 35th birthday and one he will never forget because of this death. He is trying to put on an "I'm okay" front but I can see through it and I know that he is hurting. Mr. B has prayed and prayed for S since seeing him three months ago and now he is just torn to pieces over this. Mr. B and I were driving down the road last night and he was basically thinking out loud. He kept saying things like "this is bad because I know that he was probably killed over drugs" or "I hope somebody didn't take him up there on that mountain and beat him to near death then throw him over while he was still alive and he laid there for days alone" or "I hope it was a fast death for him".

I am sure the same thoughts are going through a lot of minds tonight because there was no vehicle or anything else found at the scene and the authorities obviously expect foul play because they are being real tight lipped about it which is normal in cases such as this. I just pray that they release more info later today about it. Mr. B and I will be going to visit S's parents today and I hope that they can tell him more because right now his mind is running in every direction trying to figure out what happened.

Mr. B said tonight that the sad thing is that S was such a smart, tender hearted, talented person who had his whole life in front of him and now that life has been snuffed out because of bad choices.

With all that being said I would like to ask all of you to remember my husband in your prayers and the rest of the family. I pray that I can be a ray of sunshine through the clouds for him as he has been for me many times.

Now for birthday wishes.....

I am so blessed to have such a wonderful man as a husband and a father to my children. When I asked Mr. B a month or so ago what he wanted for his birthday he told me that he wanted our new home completed so that we can move in. His wish didn't happen before his birthday but it was very close because we close on the house in a couple of days and then we should be moving in by April 1st, depending on how fast the power company is about getting our electric turned on.

Mr. B,
Thank you for always being there when I have needed a friend. There are no words to explain my love for you. After 16 years together you still cause me to get butterflies in my stomach when you walk in the room , sometimes it is when you walk through my thoughts during the day.
HAPPY 35th BIRTHDAY, I love you! I hope to share many more birthdays with you!

Love,
Heather