Happy Birthday Matthew !

Happy Birthday to my baby boy !


~ 15 years ago you brought even more love to our home and hearts and you do each day !

Things I love about Matthew :

He is a Christian and loves Jesus !
He loves his family.
He is such a quiet, gentle soul.
He can carry a conversation on with a child or adult and has always been able to do so.
He is very intelligent.
He loves history and his father and I learn so much from him.
He loves to fish and we enjoy fishing together, he caught more than I did yesterday ! ( this seems to always happens :)
He enjoys video games, being outside, hunting, fishing, he is such a well rounded kid.
He loves nature and outside and is an awesome boyscout, working to become an Eagle scout one day.
He loves his big brother and looks up to him.
He is a great uncle to his new sweet baby niece.
He exercises everyday, wish I had his will power to do the same.
He loves to watch movies and we love to watch them with him.
He is a hard worker, helps with household tasks and keeps his room spotless.
He is always organized, neat and details must be perfect ( he did not get this from him mom :)
He loves to read, he reads novels that would take months, and he finishes them in weeks.
He loves his dogs and takes great care of them, Rocky his pug is his best friend !
He does anything we ask him to do without hesitation and does it right !
He is a teenager that I couldn't ask more from !


Wow, I could go on and on, because Matthew you are the best :)

Happy Birthday, we love you sooo much !

"Childhood goes like paper in a fire.
You cannot get those years back,
even if you search for them with tears."
~Renee Ellison

Time is going by too quickly and soon you will look back and say where did my childhood go ?
It is a blessing, a privilege, and a joy to be your mom !

Good Friday and Happy 1st Easter Mady Rose !

The apostle Peter said we are redeemed by" the precious blood of Christ’ (1 Peter 1:19.).
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble,
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

Being a mother, you have to think of Mary as she watched her precious son give his life. Her baby being nailed to the cross. No words can convey how she must have felt that day.

Thank you dear Jesus, I am so undeserving but I praise you today and everyday and thank you for my many wonderful blessings you have so graciously given me.

Humble, EVERLASTING, unconditional pure love!

Madelyn Rose Howell , Happy First Easter, I love you so very much !

Thank you for the joy you bring to our family.

Thank you my son Josh and dear sweet Chambliss for being the parents you are to dear Mady.
When children see their parents are truly in love, they gain a sense of security and well being. Thank you dear Lord for this sweet family and extension of mine and Timmys love and most of all the love from God.

The first moment I learned you were on your way, I loved you. The entire time I waited for your arrival, I loved you. The first time I saw you, I loved you. The first time I held you, I loved you. Grammy loves you more and more with each passing day.

Yes, grandchildren are truly “GRAND”!!!!


Easter Blessings to you my family and friends !

I'm so excited !

I'm So Excited
I'm so excited and I just can't hide it
I'm about to lose control and I think I like it
I'm so excited and I just can't hide it !!!

Excited ?? Why ??

Because tomorrow is my birthday and I am praising God for another blessed year !

Yes, I will be 44, wow, cant believe that, sometimes I still feel like the little girl in this picture of me celebrating at " 6 " years old, where does time go ?

"One today is worth two tomorrows.
Lost time is never found again.
Time is money.
Dost thou love life?

Then do not squander time, for that's the stuff that life is made of.
You may delay, but time will not."
- Benjamin Franklin

This is my first birthday as a " GRAMMY "

Being a Grammy was something I looked forward to but

never dreamed it would be so

AWESOME !

My sweet little Madelyn Rose

is so precious beyond words and a pure delight to my heart !

Looking back on the years, there's been a lot of hard and difficult times in my life and I know there will be days ahead that will be just as hard and challenging. There are many things in life that still break my heart every day. But through it all, God has woven something so beautiful in my life and that beauty is simply HIM! Without him, I am nothing.

So with him, I am filled with JOY today for yet another birthday !

"the Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy!" psalm 126:3

Birthday Blessings

Instead of counting candles,
Or tallying the years,
Contemplate your blessings now,
As your birthday nears.

Consider special people
Who love you, and who care,
And others who’ve enriched your life
Just by being there.

Think about the memories
Passing years can never mar,
Experiences great and small
That have made you who you are.

Another year is a happy gift,
So cut your cake, and say,
"Instead of counting birthdays,
I count blessings every day!"
By Joanna Fuchs

So for yet another I thank you my dear sweet Lord for blessing me in so many ways.

So many blessings to share ~

Love, Salvation, Grace, Faith, Hope, Timmy, Matthew, Josh, Chambliss,Mady Rose, Sisters, Brothers,Cousins, Nieces, Nephews, Aunts, Uncles, ALL my huge family through blood and marriage, Health, Home, Education,Church, Friends, My dog babies....soooo many more.

He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Psalm 24 : 5

Thank you my dear sweet friends for stopping by today.

I pray that you have been blessed and will be a blessing to someone today :)

Somebody Special calls me Grammy !

It has been sooooo very long since I have been on my blog, " time to fly back " !! I come back to my blog as a new " GRAMMY " as the shirt says, someone very special now calls me " Grammy " and I couldn't be more proud !

My beautiful grand baby girl " MADELYN ROSE " born 12-21-10 in Oxford MS

As you can tell, I have fallen in LOVE again !! Mady Rose, I love you so very much !

Dear Lord you are so incredible and awesome, I stand in awe at the works of your hands.

Dear Lord, thank you so much for this precious, tiny dark-haired beautiful blessing ! Thank you for her soft chubby cheeks, her lovely dark eyes, her little ten fingers and little ten toes for her precious heavenly baby scent, she is so perfect... thank you so much.

Josh and Chambliss are such wonderful new parents. This is the beginning of the greatest adventure they will ever undertake. They have received the most valuable gift, the gift of a new life. They have been entrusted by you to take care of this tiny child. There will be challenges and frustrations ahead but most of all their will be love, joy, and cherished memories.

" Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. " Psalm 127:3

As Mady grows, sweet memories of home will be her strength and comfort in her storms of life.I pray that this precious child will grow to love her creator with all her heart, mind and soul .

Her creator loves her so !

I thank you precious Lord again and again for this Special Gift you have blessed us with !

One of my favorite quotes :

" Children will not remember you fot the material things you provided but for the feeling that you cherished them " ~ R.L. Evans

Happy Anniversary, my love.

US NOW..... US THEN....Today we have been married for 26 years over half of our life. Timmy and I married so very young, we actually grew up together.
I know the boy my husband was and I was there, holding his hand, as he became a man and he held mine as I became a woman.

Timmy and I have worked on our relationship over the years, we both had to do a lot of dying, crying, and have weathered many storms together.We have also done a lot of caring, loving, celebrating and enjoying each other.

~ Our wedding was many years ago. The celebration continues to this day ~
We have two amazing sons, that we love so much and are so very proud of. We also have a beautiful DIL and a precious grandbaby on the way, due Christmas.
It seems like only yesterday and it seems like so many years ago that we had our babies !

We have been truly blessed , thank you dear God.

1 Corinthians. 13:4-13
Love is patient, love is kind.

It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

It is not rude, it is not self-seeking,it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

And now faith, hope, and love abide, but the greatest of these is love.

~ I LOVE YOU, Timmy ! ~~~~~Happy ANNIVERSARY !

I Love You
I Love You,Not only for what you are,but for what I am when I am with you,not only for what you have made of yourself,but for what you are making of me.

I love you for the part of me that you bring out.

I love you for putting your hand into my overflowing heartand passing over all the foolish,weak things that can't help,dimly seeing there, and for drawing out into the light all thebeautiful belongings that no one else had looked quite far enough to find.

I love you because you are helping me to make of the dreams of my life

not a thought but a reality,Out of the works of my every day not a reproach but a song...Yes, a Love song.

~ Roy Croft

"The great blessing of a happy marriage I think,is that a man and woman have time to discover each other and cherish each other more as time goes on."

Happy Birthday to my baby boy !

Today is a day of celebration, why? because,14 years ago today, God sent me another beautiful baby boy that we all fell in love with the moment we saw him !
~Happy Birthday Matthew !

You give the gift of peace
and tranquility to every life you touch.
You are precious to me.
You are blessedly reliable, dependably good,
pleasant, loved
and treasured by all who knows you.
You are sweet, responsible and a great teenager !
You are a gift of peace and tranquility in my life.
Happy Birthday!

Cooking in a box ~

My peach cobbler I cooked at the lake. This was our first time to try cooking in a box and it worked great !! It got much hotter than I expected it to, the cobbler turned out delicious. Of course, eating by the lake added to the goodness !

The outdoor oven is just a box cut with one side that folds up for the door. Inside for the rack are about 6-7 coat hangers stuck through from side to side and they make a sturdy rack. I used an aluminum pan for the cobbler and put about 10 hot charcoals on the bottom. It would have been better to put the coals in an aluminum pan. I just used a pan that rolls came in for the cobbler and will use one for the coals next time. The box has to be completely covered in foil, no cardboard showing inside and out.

My recipe, you could also use this recipe in your oven at home. Enjoy !
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 stick butter
1 can peaches
1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 cup milk
It took about 45 minutes to cook in my outside oven. It was delicious !

A great day at the lake with family, I am blessed !

HAPPPY BIRTHDAY !!!

To my dear son, Joshua. I love you !

You Are A Gift
Some people give the gift of peace and tranquility to every life they touch.

They are always who they really are.

They are blessedly reliable,dependably good,predictably pleasant,

loved and treasured by all who know them.

You are one of those people.

You are a gift of peace and tranquility in my life.

You are a blessing.
Happy Birthday!

Congratulations Matthew and team, # 1 soccer team, all wins a great season !!

Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. Psalm 127:3

Matthew holding his precious sweet little cousin Emma.

Thank you dear Lord, for our precious children. In times of hardship, cradle them in your arms, in times of joy, let them give you the praise and glory. In grief, surround them with your comfort and love. Fan the spark of their faith that is gleams bright and cover their failings with your forgiveness. Amen.

"Children will not remember you for the material things you provided but for the feeling that you cherished them."
~ Richard Paul Evans ~

Happy 1 Year Anniversary !

To my dear son, Joshua and his lovely wife Chambliss ~
I love you both and pray you have a wonderful anniversary.

“Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away. If one were to give all the wealth of his house for lov e, it would be utterly scorned.”

Song of Solomon 8:6-7

Scouting

Congratulations to my dear son Matthew, I am so very proud of you !

He received his tenderfoot badge and moved up in rank in boy scouts. These are pictures taken from the court of honor, he loves scouting and will now be working on his next rank.

We love you, Matthew !

The Boy Scouts of America provides youth with programs and activities that allow them to
Try new things.
Provide service to others.
Build self-confidence.
Reinforce ethical standards.

Great job boy scouts !

In memory

In Loving Memory....may we never forget.

September 11, 2001.....a day I will never forget.

I pray for our country....the United States of America.

God Bless America....My home sweet home !

Hugs to all !

Giving Out Saturday Hugs to my family and friends.

Have a blessed weekend !

My Grandpa Russell, my moms, father.

He was born Aug. 25, 1909 and lived to be 94 yrs old .

On his birthday, my dear sweet Aunt Geraldine

another of his children, went to be with the Lord.

Aug. 25, 2009.

She will be so missed as is he and my mother.

Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 4: 7

Here comes the sun....

How beautiful is the rain ! After the dust and the heat,

In the broad and fiery street,

In the narrow lane,

How beautiful is the rain!

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
We've had rain here all week.
I love the rain but am ready for a little sunshine.
Yesterday we had tornado warnings and severe storms in the area.
Praise God he watched over us !
The sun is trying to peak through the clouds today,
such a beautiful sight !


Have a very blessed weekend dear family and friends !

This is a picture of a beautiful spider lily that bloomed yesterday in our front yard. I am amazed everyday at Gods work.

"God writes the gospel not in the Bible alone, but on trees, and flowers, and clouds, and stars."~ Martin Luther

The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; Song of Solomon 2 : 12

Dear God,

I am impressed by all Your ways! When I think of things You have done, I am awestruck. When I contemplate Your nature, I am humbled at my inability to comprehend You. So I embrace what I cannot fully understand.

Lord, I thank You for the salvation You have given me as a free gift. I have done nothing to deserve it. This gift was freely bestowed upon me the moment I turned from my sins and believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not by my works or efforts that I am forgiven, saved, and born-again, but by Your grace.

I praise you today ! Fill me with Your Spirit today that I might glorify You, I pray, in Jesus' Name, Amen.

" A man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh”. Genesis 2:24


Twenty five years ago we stood, looking like children, pledged our dear vows to one another. Little did we know how time would fly by so fast.We are so very thankful to the Lord for all these years He has allowed us to share .... in His will, may there be many more.

This is our little wedding party, my two younger sisters, Sara and Susie.

My nephew Hunter,and nieces Penny, Amy and Amber.

All of whom are now all married with families of their ,except for my niece Amy.

Weren't they just the cutest and of course, the sweetest !

Happy 25th Anniversary Timmy, I LOVE YOU !!

A good marriage is the union of two forgivers.--Ruth Graham
There is nothing more lovely in life than the union of two people whose love for one another has grown through the years, from the small acorn of passion, into a great rooted tree

- Vita Sackville-West