I need a performance review!

The three stooges......the three amigos........the three musketeers........the three ? whatever.....the three of us found each other in 2006 and then became friends while we worked on a women's conference. Yesterday we met to catch up with K's pregnancy and life in general. K recently quit her job to prepare for her baby boy and to rest while waiting. We talked about putting your career on hold and the impact that has on your inner desire to be a success in the business world. I was reminded of my departure from corporate America and after being home for 6 months, my husband came home to find me reduced to tears. He asked me what was wrong and all I could think of to say was, "I needed a performance review". Why? Because I needed to hear I was doing a good job and that I was very valuable to the success of the team!

I know that makes me sound like I am a very needy person , but don't we all want to think that we have something of worth to contribute to our families and society? After raising four sons...well I still have a seventeen year old in the house...I realized I have contributed to society by giving them four wonderful men! My sons are 36, 34, 22, and 17! So I have been a mom for a long time and I know that it is hard work but oh' so worth it. I worked full time when the first three boys were young as a banking center manager, so I know what it is like using every minute of every day to the max. Then I became bedridden while I was pregnant for my last child and I consoled myself by cross stitching and reading and keeping the little one inside!! But after his birth I never went back to my career in banking.

So I have experienced being a full time mom and career woman and a full time mom working at home. Both were fulfilling. I believe it is a choice to enjoy life; although I have had some major downs, I have had some amazing ups! I try real hard to remember that in God's economy when He gives me a performance review and disciplines me, it is so I will change for the better. I will always stack up because Jesus has taken all my shortfalls upon himself and so the Father only sees His Son in all I do. Knowing that makes me want to do my very best so He will be glorified!

My Interpretation:

At my final performance review I pray I will hear, "Well done my good and faithful servant."

Shopping with younger women makes me feel younger.

SM, my new friend who just moved to my state, and I went to the big city today to meet my lovely daughter-in-love. KD colored my hair and gave me a quick trim then we joined my son for lunch. It was easy conversation among us and that's not always the case when you just meet someone and know nothing about them. The younger generation all have something in common; job hunting in this economic crisis. JW has a degree in economics and SM in music, going for her Masters in Special Ed...they are having difficulty finding work. KD is a hairstylist and well...everyone needs to get their hair styled so that industry is recession proof. Bottom line is that it doesn't matter how many degrees you have but what you have to offer that others need.

This generation may not realize the life lessons they are learning with not having everything so easy to come by. No money makes you figure out what your needs truly are and it forces you to shop wiser. Also, you have to be creative with fun times that don't cost money; like playing cards with friends or playing soccer as a family team at the local league. My three sons all play on the same soccer team and since they have to have at least three girls on the team, KD gets to play. Hopefully they won't get hurt...two of them are over 30!

I remember the 70's and how I had to pinch pennies (I can still make them squeal). When things got better I had already established a frugal lifestyle. Hopefully this younger generation will do the same and be the better for it. We don't always get what we want and we seem to really want what we do not need.

My Interpretation:

Enjoy what you have and worked hard at keeping it....good relationships, contented lifestyle, and your faith!

Life is so fragile...that's why I'm glad God is in control.

After dining with our new youth pastor and his wife, my husband and I went home for our Sunday nap outside by the pool. It was a beautiful day and we wanted to take in some sun since it is the beginning of spring and our faces needed some color. We had planned visiting an older couple from our church and even though we knew they had just received some terrible news, we took our time getting there, as we had plenty of time.

Time...you think you have so much of it and you don't use it wisely until you spend time with someone who has little time left. Our friend Clyde, was told last week that cancer has spread throughout his lower body. There is no treatment the doctors can use as he has already received the maximum amount of radiation and chemotherapy. His wife, Joanne, told us the details while he looked at away, sometimes staring off into space. I wondered what was going through his mind.

Clyde has a special place in his heart for my husband and tells us so every time we see him. We aren't sure why...it's a God thing. But you can see it in his eyes, like a father looking into the eyes of a son. Maybe since my father-in-law has been gone so long, Clyde feels like a surrogate father; a Christian example to encourage my husband. You could also see the strong love that he has for his bride of 59 years. There is a twinkle in his eyes, a sparkle, a look that says, "I love this women. She is my soul mate, the reason I want to live; to take care of her."

What is it like to know you are dying and soon you will have to say goodbye to your wife and children? I guess we should all look at life that way, since we are here only for a little while and death is inevitable. Clyde told us he has lived 25 years beyond his first bout with cancer, and that he was thankful. Both Clyde and Joanne are true followers of Jesus and they carry inside the Spirit of the living God. Even though they know they have hard times ahead, they choose to be positive and enjoy the time they have left with smiles on their faces and joy in their hearts.

My interpretation:

Use my time wisely everyday, every moment. Not on stuff to make me happy but on things that really matter...family, friends and telling others that Jesus loves them!

Our first Spiritual Spa in 2009!

God is so wonderful! We had seven ladies join us at the spa today and each one was a blessing. The sun was out and the rain was gone...although the ground was a bit soggy. The crisp air made us cuddle up with blankets as we looked over the Roanoke River but still it was so relaxing. A goose ( I guess it was a goose) was playing in the water and showing us God's message of His ways. Some ladies gave their impression of what He was saying while the rest of us were in awe of how He spoke to them. He is like that, you know, what He displays through creation can make such an impact on one in a specific way and another person an entirely different way. Yet we all enjoy the same beautiful sight.

Laughter is such good medicine for our souls. When we take in so many toxic emotions we have to release them or they will harden like cement in a form. So we wash them down with laughter and joy until they run out of our bodies. Tears have the same effect on me... but sometimes the tears dont't flow as easily as the laughter does. I love to laugh and today we had a good balance of both!

It was a good day to be alive...alive in Christ!

Dress Up is Fun ...for grandma or the kids?

Let's dress up like princesses! Brianna thought it was great but you can tell from Hayden's look that he didn't think to much of having the feathers on him. That's ok. We were there eating dainty little sandwiches and cute sweet cookies. He was happier when he was with his daddy eating at Chik-Fil-A.

I have had so much fun being a grandma and yet I am ready to enjoy my autumn years. Learning how to blog expanding my computer and Internet savvy has been so invigorating! At 56, I want to push myself to keep my mind active. It has been fun going to the community college and being around people who are willing to open their minds to new things that will make us soar in the future.

My Interpretations:

Keep active, eat right, take your vitamins....
love more and fill your days with God thoughts!

Make new friends but keep the old...

Recently, I was able to enjoy an afternoon tea with a very dear friend. I still consider Caroline a new friend, as we have only known each other about 3 years. When I think of the Girl Scout song I learned when I was just a wee little girl, I thought my friends then would still be my frineds 50 years later. WOW! Does that make me sound old or what? I still remember their faces, some of their names, but after moving away from my home town 15 years ago, I don't see them at all. Not even when I go home for a visit.



My son on the other hand, who is 34, still keeps in touch with his friends from kindergarten, and they all live in different states. Even before Facebook, MySpace and email, they called each other and went on vacations together. They were in the forefront of networking. He teaches me alot about friendship.



I love making new friends but I miss some of those old ones...and now they are actually old!



My Interpretation:

Make new friends but keep the old,
one is silver and the other gold.

What a nose!

Could you imagine having a nose like this? I wish I could tell you what kind of bird this is but I really don't know. I took his or her picture when I was at Sylvan Heights. What I do know is God made that particular bird exactly how He wanted him to look. There must be a reason for his beak to be bright orange. I wonder if the other birds make comments about how his beak is large and bulging. Or maybe they comment about the color ...I mean it really is such a contrast to it's body making it the first thing you notice.

Well I remember in my younger days how kids my age, would make fun of my nose. Yeah it has a wierd bump and it is a little long, but it is my nose, the one God gave me. I hadn't heard any comments for many years until my youngest son was in kindergarten and his teacher, who was a big fan of plastic surgery, gave me some advice. I was having problems with my sinuses and she gave me the name of her doctor who she said, "could fix my nose while I was under." Wow...she told me like she saw it! All I could do was laugh.

My husband disagreed with me getting my nose fixed and said that is what makes me unique.... and I want to believe him. I have grown accustomed to this thing in the middle of my face; at least it isn't orange! Now I am not going to put anyone down for improving their looks, it's just that I have no desire to do so. I do wish I could breathe better but I am too much of a wimp do go under the knife.

My Interpretation:

God gave me this nose for a reason....not sure what it is. In Psalm 139, it says that we are wonderfully made. I choose to believe that too!

Birthday Wishes..

Me and my three beautiful sisters. Happy Birthday Carla!!

I can't believe we are all over 40...well three of us are over 50....But we don't look like it, do we? Please say no. Not that I have a problem with being over 55, but geez....I always thought that women over 50 were suppose to be tired and and worn out. There are days that I feel a little tired but I try to eat right and take my vitamins and let's face it good genes from my father's side has really helped.

We have all had trials and yet we have a joy that is beyond comprehension. Our faith, individually and as a family, holds onto the hope of Jesus. Hope, in Hebrew means a cord, and our hope is like holding onto a lifeline floating in the sea, with our knuckles turning white from such a tight grip. Our assurance is knowing He holds the other end and will pull us to shore.

Love you three and our brothers!

Remember When...

Remember when life wasn't so complicated and a man's "yes" was "yes" and his "no meant "no." You didn't have to be a mind reader to really know what people were saying to you. Remember when your dad would hold you on his lap and tell you everything would be alright. Remember when your mom told you how to save money and be a shopper because we didn't need so much stuff and it kept us from becoming greedy. Remember when the man you loved, loved you back and life couldn't get much better than that!

As I sat with a young woman who was struggling to understand how she got where she is and wanted answers to know how to get out of the tangled web she had fallen into, memories of the tough times in my life came flooding back. It felt as if the waves were trying to knock me over again, but this time I was more aware of the devils tricks. I have changed and thank the Lord, my life is not what it was 30 years ago. But I do want to remember some things so I can help my young friend realize that life can be overwhelming and yet we can learn to swim when the flood waters rise around us.

How can I help her in a practical way? As a Christian I know God loves me and He cares about me, she know that too. She is a believer in Jesus and yet her life hasn't changed. She keeps going back to the wrong cistern for water and walks right on by the well that can refresh and renew her. I did that for years, but I don't want her to miss out on the peace God provides. It all sound so fake, doesn't it? But it's not. I remember when I thought a lot about God, wrote Him love letters before I realized that was called journaling, and yet my life didn't change. It wasn't until I met Him face to face. How is that, you say? Well it would take more pages than I have available here to tell you my story, but I will tell you I did meet Him in the most unusual way and from that moment on I totally knew that He is alive!! That is what changed my life. I pray for a face to face meeting for my friend. Face in Hebrew also meant presence. So I pray she will be in His presence and know that He is alive.

My Interpretation:

God allows us to go through trials in order that we can help others as they go through similar circumstances.

Photos of Winter Wonders!

I may not have a fancy camera, but I sure love the pictures I get from my little digital. It was so awesome to wake up this morning and see this view from my window especially since I live in the south! I knew school would be cancelled which meant my grandchildren would be coming over and my son, TD, would be home for the day...well as a junior I knew he would be home for awhile. He took his first solo drive in the snow. That's another blog!

In the background of the picture below you can see the Roanoke River. This is the same river bank in the Canal Trail pictures in an earlier blog. There is just something about looking at landscapes. I don't know if it is because growing up I lived on the edge of a stone quarry and my sister and I rode our horses all through the woods. Many times it felt like we were in another world, one where the stillness was almost freaky. The horses were friskier in the winter and that made it exciting...I had to hold on tighter though! You could see the horses breath as they snorted and reared their heads.

Today was also a special day with the little ones. It was so fun to see baby Hay make a snow angel, and even better to capture it for the future. It makes it so easy to take photos and videos on the same camera...and I need things to be simple.

Simple is me...when I reviewed this video I realized how simple and stupid I must appear. I had to improvise with the plastic bags as boots. Like I said we live in the south and Hay had outgrown his boots from last year and this was our first snow so why get new boots. The snow will be gone by tomorrow and it's suppose to be 70 degrees on Friday! So anyway....I put plastic bags on his feet to keep his shoes from getting too wet. Call me crazy and wierd but ....it is quite funny! When we got cold and had to come in the house, Hay was real concerned that I was throwing away his new boots. Silly boy!

My Interpretation of this wonderful day:

God has given us a beautiful world to share with our loved ones. And yet...heaven will be even more amazing!

"Twirl and Wink!"

Beautiful long hair...sweet little smile....innocence... looks like an angel....THEN...she turned 4 and got a cute little hairstyle...sassy!
Bri was in her uncle's wedding and right before she went down the aisle she decided she was not going to wear her shoes. It made her look even cuter.


Her mom agreed to keep her hair long for the wedding but soon after the long locks were shortened. At first I thought, "NO," but then when I saw her short hair and how she loved it, I couldn't help but love it. In this picture Bri was getting ready to go on stage for her very first dance recital. I love how she twirled around making her hair dance too! Even for little girls it is important to feel good about yourself and you can see from her wink, she does!


My daughter-in-love is a great hairstylist and is always up on the latest fashions. I on the other hand have given up with keepin' up and yet I still don't want to look like an old person. Kendall does a great job of covering the grey that grows right down the middle of my head. Yep! Right down the middle...if I didn't get it colored I would look like a skunk. I remember when I first noticed the grey and I thought I would just let it go. Well my college son called me one day and told me that "they make stuff that could color that grey away." My kindergarten son told me, "Mommy, why are you the only mommy with grey hair?" Well, guess what I did....I got my hair colored. And I felt great afterward. I felt younger and, well...it gave me some spunk and I felt sassy! My husband could even tell that I had a new outlook. It's strange how changing your hair can make you feel so good about yourself. And when I feel good about myself, I want to make my husband feel good. And he loves that!!


Even now when our economy is on a downhill slide, women are still going to want to look good. Hairstylists are in an industry that is recession proof. I remember when I only had about $30 a month to freshen up my looks. That's really difficult. That included make-up, clothes, haircuts etc.! When I was down and out...I had my sister color my hair. When I felt dumpy and frumpy...I got my hair cut. When I felt unloved...I polished my nails. Women like to feel pretty. Yes, they like to look sexy for their man but let's be honest...we want to look in the mirror and be able to smile at ourselves. I am not saying we have to be knock out beautiful, but we want to feel at least "put-together." Even if we don't receive a wink from anyone else, we can give ourselves a wink.

My Interpretation

If you don't receive a wink today, think about how much

God loves you.

He's wild about you. That's even better than a wink.