Snow In the Country

This is just too unreal! Jonathan called this morning and said they have about 4 inches of snow on the ground! So, here are some pictures. I wish I could be there with them and watch the girls make their FIRST snowman and eat icicles! They just stepped out on the porch to feel the snow. You know how kids are when they see that pretty white, fluffy stuff on the ground. I couldn't hardly keep the boys in the house when it would snow like this. Here's their church in SNOW!

Ya'll enjoy it while it's cold outside, and COZY inside!

Brownies Anyone?

Ok, I just couldn't resist! I haven't made brownies at home for so long that I don't remember the last time! Mainly, because I don't need them and Wendell can't eat them, but I just had to be BAD! Here's my reasons: It's still freezing cold outside, no one is home, (my husband is at the office) I've got a fire in the fireplace, it's quiet, I wanted to do something different, I had these in my pantry, I LOVE the smell of brownies baking in my lovely oven, I need to start "eating right" (dieting) and wanted to eat these BEFORE I did, and I JUST WANTED THEM with a glass of COLD MILK! UMMMMMMMM.......they are GOOD!

NOTE: Don't forget the GAME we're doing! Let's see who can get the LOWEST SCORE! (I guess that's what we need to do....LOL)

Why the Game?

The rate of recognition of a moving symbol plus the hand coordination to tag them is a way to test the coordination of the recognition center(s) of the left (and possibly right) side of the prefrontal lobe.

Note: This is all I know at this point. Thank you Professor H.

A Game to Wake Up Your Brain

Here's you a little "game" to get your brain working this morning. I received this from a friend, so I thought I would pass it along for the fun. After you play the game let me know what your score is. I played it, but my brain was still asleep, since I woke up at 3:40 AM and couldn't go back to sleep. I think I'm in a zombie state by now. LOL! This has something to do with "right or left side of brain". Professor Hallford, maybe you could give us some understanding into this.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SCARLET

TWO YEARS OLD! It seems like these two years have flown by. You are a living doll!
Scarlet, Mimi and Papa "love you so much we can't stand it". You are our little sweetheart and we love watching you grow up.
We called and talked to her and sung her "Happy Birthday" and she was so happy!
"Big sister, Savanna" is so proud of you!


Note: Thank you Jonathan and Brenda for sending us pictures so we could have a little bit of "birthday" with Scarlet.

Live Webcasts

I thought I would give you all a couple of links to visit tonight while we are having to stay home. I know how all of us would love to be at church tonight, and nothing takes the place of being in our home church, but here are a couple of churches that I "visit" when I am home when it's time for church. You will enjoy them, I'm sure. I hope you're all having a wonderful day!

Calvary Tabernacle- Indianapolis, IN - their time is one hour later than us, so you will need to log in at 5:30. Go to the menu tab: Calvary Live

The Pentecostals - Alexandria, LA - You will enjoy this service also. It will begin at 6 PM. (our time) Missionary Steve Willoughby is the guest speaker tonight.

Maybe I will see you across the "internet church" tonight. Love you all!

NO CHURCH

Due to the weather conditions and what is suppose to continue,
Bro. Elms had to make the "call" to not have weekend services!
He absolutely HATES making this decision.
Enjoy your family and time at home.

The Calm

I am sitting here at home in my warm cozy robe, and my warm cozy slippers, with a fire in the fireplace as I'm looking out the window into a world that is covered with ice and I'm loving it! It's so calm and cozy when we get "locked in" our houses at this time of year. I know we're all use to going places and being with people, but it's nice to have some "down time". The only thing that makes it uncomfortable for me is my husband "frets" about whether he should or should not have church tomorrow. He hates calling church off, but knows the danger of being out on ice. He loves being outside in the cold winter weather and usually we are out going and seeing the sights but, this time, I'm not wanting to go out in it. I still remember all too well the fall I had a few weeks ago and I sure don't want to go through that again! I hope you are all doing well today. I know some are already experiencing "cabin fever" but just relax and think about all those times you have said, "I would love to stay home for just ONE evening" and realize.....this too shall pass!

Ashlyn Kate

Daddy enjoying his new little bundle of joy.

So tiny in his arms!

Alayna admiring her "little sister".

Friends

I woke up this morning thinking about "friends". When we were at the hospital awaiting our new grandbaby to be born there were several who stopped by to "wait" with us. There was so much anticipation in the air, because none of us knew what "kind" of baby to expect. :) We finally ended up in the hallways looking both directions just trying to see if Andrew would show up to tell us if it was a girl or a boy!

Rita stayed by the nursery window, while Sharon, Carmen, and I waited down the hall! Brenda kept pacing back and forth, from the nursery to the corner, and others stood around just having fun. I'm thankful for friends and family that make life FUN! You are all wonderful!

Note: There were others who were there, but I didn't get a picture of them. I only got the back of Carmen's head! LOL I wasn't nervous or anything....was I? Paula also dropped by until she had to go to work. Anyone else that showed up and I haven't mentioned you...well, you just have to be in my place to realize how "crazy" a Mimi is while all of this is going on. I really do love you!!!! James stopped by on his lunch hour to see the baby and to see how Andrew, Mandy and Alayna were doing. I know everyone would have been there if they could have been. Heaven will be a wonderful place! Then we'll be together forever.

A Little Update

I wanted to say I haven't fallen off the end of the earth! I just haven't had time to sit down and "blog" or "upload" any pictures for all to enjoy! Mandy and Ashlyn are now home and doing well. Everyone is pretty TIRED, but will be feeling fine soon. Alayna is enjoying her little sister and being loved and teased by all her grandparents. Today I was doing fine, still happy, excited, and incredibly blessed, but in the middle of it all I got sad. Sad thinking that my mother would adore our 4 little grand-daughters and I missed her terribly. Yes, there were a few tears. I'm doing fine now, but just had a wave of "memories" and "wishing" wash over me. A friend of mine told me after Keith died, "Linda, you will be going through your daily living and it's going to hit you out of nowhere. You will start crying and you'll wonder where that came from. Don't worry about it, it's alright." I'm glad they told me because I've had several occasions that this happened to me. I'm sorry. I'm not sad, really. Just sometimes a little overwhelmed. It's just life and you learn to deal with it. I don't want to leave you with a heavy heart, but I do want you to stop and think that you are not promised tomorrow, so take time to be with your loved ones, you'll be glad you did. This is one thing I am guilty of , I guess. I love being with those I love and try to make that happen often!

A Joyful Day

Today has been a wonderful day for me. God has been good to us once again! As you all know who keep up with my blog, today we had a beautiful little girl born to our family. Ashlyn Kate is as "pretty as a peach" and we are going to have so much fun when we get her home. I have abundant joy in my heart as my day comes to a close, and I want to give thanks to God for bringing this little one into our lives. Mandy is tired but doing well, baby is resting, and "big sister" is happy to have a "playmate". Tonight, after things had settled down a little and Alayna and I were together, she said, "Mimi, I've had lots of tears today". I asked, "You have? Why?" Her big, beautiful eyes looked up at me and she said, "Because, I'm so happy! I've had tears every 30 seconds!"

It's a GIRL!Ashlyn Kate
7 lbs. - 19.5 inches long

ONE DAY!

Oh my, we are so EXCITED! Alayna called this morning and she almost couldn't contain herself. She said, "Mimi, just one more day! Tomorrow we get our baby!" Ahhhhh....she doesn't know her little world is about to change, but she will love it and so will we!

To have another grandchild to love is absolutely wonderful. When we had Savanna 5 years ago I thought my heart would burst with the love I felt. The family was going through a very hard time, because Mother was in hospice and we knew her days would not be much longer. Savanna was born 3 weeks before Mother passed away. The emotions of being with Mother in the last days of her life, then going home to our new born grand-daughter, to hold her, to sing to her, to pray for her, and to lose myself for just a few hours a day was a blessing from our most precious Lord. He knew what I needed in those days of grief. He definitely "turned my mourning into dancing".

Pardon my reflections today, but so many memories flood my mind.

Alayna came along when things were happening that I had no control over, and once again "sunshine" sent its warm rays through the windows of my world.

August '04, Daddy passed away and the grief and pain was so deep that it was almost unbearable, then Scarlet was born bringing a healing "calm" to my broken heart.

Savanna, Alayna, and Scarlet have their own special and unique personality. They are all beautiful, happy, silly, cute, and so different in many ways. They make me smile and even laugh until I am totally lost in the "moment".

Now, I'm wondering, "who" is this little one that's coming into our world in just a few hours, and what will they be like?

TWO DAYS!

The flu has caught us like a spider does it's prey.
It's held us in its grasp for days.
Somebody please be praying,
so we'll be there to see our baby.

Three Days!

I wonder....just wonder?

Since writing this post, I've been asked some questions. I'm sorry some of you do not have any idea WHY I wouldn't know what the baby is.

1. Andrew and Mandy had this CRAZY idea they wouldn't find out. (really Mandy left it up to Andrew and, MY SON decided this) How could he do such a thing?

2. Mandy went in for her appointment and told the technician to NOT tell them what the baby is.

3. When the tech was doing the sonogram she said, "Ok, if you don't want to know you better turn your head and close your eyes, and they DID! Mandy said, "it was one of the hardest things I've ever done."

4. They then asked the technician to "write the gender on a piece of paper and put it in a SEALED envelope". She did and they took it home and HAVE NOT looked at it!

5. So, in all this huge world, there are only THREE individuals who know what we are going to have, and none of them are family or friends. (the technician and two others in the same office are the only ones who know - not Sharon B. - who works with these wonderful people and is very close to our family)

6. We have bribed with money to try and find out, but to no avail!

7. Everyone has been guessing and "prophesying" but the fact still remains that there is a "mystery envelope" someplace in Andrew and Mandy's house that could tell us what we want to know, but it remains HIDDEN!

Now, you have it. This is why we do not know what the "gender of our grand-baby is"! But, it really is FUN waiting......

FOUR MORE DAYS!!!!!

We'll have our new little sweetheart baby here in just FOUR DAYS!!
I can't wait to know what it is.

What do ya'll think?

Five Things You Don't Know About Me

Wow! This might be a little hard to do. Thanks Gene for your generosity of including me in this marathon! Here goes:

1. I HATED elementary school up until I was in the 4th grade! The first few years of school were torture for me, because I was so SHY! I cried almost everyday! I can still smell the the lunch room, and feel the coldness of the "cloak room". (where we hung our coats and put our lunch bags). Yuck!

2. At age 8 they found out I had rheumatic fever and that's what was causing the horrible leg aches I suffered at night when I tried to go to sleep. I had to sit on the sidelines and watch the other kids play at recess, because I wasn't allowed to run and play.

3. I fell in love with my "future husband" (Wendell Elms) when I was 12 years old! I only went out with 1 or 2 other guys, one of which was Randy Keyes, and he was like a brother to me. The other one....well......we'll just leave it there....You wouldn't know him anyway. The ONLY reason I dated anyone else was because Keith, my brother, made me! He said "You are so stupid to just wait around on Wendell! You need to date some of my friends!" I knew I wanted to marry Wendell so I waited until he FINALLY realized I was alive! And he's GLAD he "found me". (ahhhhh)

4. I love skunks! I think they are the cutest little animal God made. I use to have a collection of them, but when I got married I told Mother to sell them in a garage sale and that was the end of my skunk collection. I had them from everywhere! Now, I guess I have to tell you what brought them to my attention. "At a Youth Convention in San Diego, CA (I was 14 and wasn't allowed to date until I was 16) about 3 car loads of young people went driving around. We were all friends and we had a chaperone with us so all was well. Anyway, I was in the second car and my "dream guy" was in the front car. He loved to show off *smile* so he SAW a squirrel crossing the road and thought, "I wonder if I could run over him?" and sure enough he did! Yay, for him! The only problem was it wasn't a SQUIRREL......it was a SKUNK! We smelled that skunk for the rest of the week! When it was time to go to church "he" would park the car at the entrance of the convention center and everyone had to pass by it as they went to church! LOL!! It was the talk of the convention. So, from that time and for many years to come I collected skunks in memory of that evening on the drive in San Diego! I love you, Wendell!

5. My brother had a '64 Chevy Impala that he had fixed up. It was beautiful! It had a brand new paint job on it and he was so PROUD of his car! He shouldn't have been so proud! lol One cold, foggy morning in Fresno, CA. I went out to my car to go to school and after several attempts of trying to keep it running so I could leave, I got so frustrated and started it ONE MORE TIME and as soon as it started I "stomped" on the accelerator. What I didn't realize was, I was in reverse, and when I put my foot "into the accelerator" my car SHOT out of the driveway, SMASHING into Keith's car parked across the street right BEHIND the driveway!!!!! (what a dumb place to park a car) Needless to say, I didn't go to school that day. Daddy called them and told them I'd had a wreck! LOL! I HAD! The car was almost totaled! It never was the same again. (Keith was so sweet to me even though I had messed up his "pride and joy"!)

Well, many other things come to mind, like "stuffing the spinach I hated so much" into the milk carton at school! If I'd been caught......well, there would have been some consequences! I wish that was the only problems we had at schools today.

I'll let it go at that! Now, I "tag" my sister, Karla Holley, my friends Kassie Dutton and Shirley Buxton to tell us a little about themselves that "nobody knows"! Tag......you're it! I WILL BE WATCHING!

Five Things You Don't Know About Me

Wow! This might be a little hard to do. Thanks Gene for your "generosity" of including me in this marathon! Here goes:

1. I HATED elementary school up until I was in the 4th grade! The first few years of school were torture for me, because I was so SHY! I cried almost everyday! I can still smell the the lunch room, and feel the coldness of the "cloak room". (where we hung our coats and put our lunch bags). Yuck!

2. At age 8 they found out I had rheumatic fever and that's what was causing the horrible leg aches I suffered at night when I tried to go to sleep. I had to sit on the sidelines and watch the other kids play at recess, because I wasn't allowed to run and play. A few years later I tested positive for TB (tuberculosis). We went to church that night and I remember sitting on the altar and Daddy telling everyone, he then anointed me with oil and layed his hand on my head and prayed. I can hear the roar of prayer being made on my behalf by the church! I was healed! I never had a problem with it again! Thank you Jesus!

3. I fell in love with my husband when I was 12 years old! I didn't want to date anyone but him. I only went out with 1 or 2 other guys, one of which was Randy Keyes. He was and still is like a brother to me. The other one....well......we'll just leave it there....You wouldn't know him anyway. The ONLY reason I dated anyone else was because Keith, my brother, made me! He said "You are so stupid to just wait around on Wendell! You need to date some of my friends!" I knew I wanted to marry Wendell so I waited until he FINALLY realized I was alive! And he's GLAD he "found me". (ahhhhh)

4. I love SKUNKS! I think they are the cutest little animal God made. I use to have a collection of them, but when I got married I told Mother to sell them in a garage sale and that was the end of my skunk collection. I had them from everywhere! Now, I guess I have to tell you what brought them to my attention. "At a Youth Convention in San Diego, CA (I was 14 and wasn't allowed to date until I was 16) about 3 car loads of young people went driving around. We were all friends and we had a chaperone with us so all was well. Anyway, I was in the second car and my "dream guy" was in the front car. He loved to show off *smile* so he SAW a squirrel crossing the road and thought, "I wonder if I could run over him?" and sure enough he did! Yay, for him! The only problem was it wasn't a SQUIRREL......it was a SKUNK! We smelled that skunk for the rest of the week! When it was time to go to church "he" would park the car at the entrance of the convention center and everyone had to pass by it as they went to church! LOL!! It was the talk of the convention. So, from that time and for many years to come I collected skunks in memory of that evening on the drive in San Diego! I love you, Wendell!

5. My brother had a '64 Chevy Impala that he had fixed up. It was beautiful! It had a brand new paint job on it and he was so PROUD of his car! He shouldn't have been so proud, because one cold, foggy morning in Fresno, CA. I went out to my car to leave for school and after several attempts of trying to keep it running I got so frustrated and started it ONE MORE TIME and as soon as it started I "stomped" on the accelerator. What I didn't realize was, I was in reverse, and when I put my foot "into the accelerator" my car SHOT out of the driveway, SMASHING into Keith's car parked across the street right BEHIND the driveway!!!!! (what a dumb place to park a car) Needless to say, I didn't go to school that day. Daddy called them and told them I'd had a wreck! LOL! I HAD! Keith's car was almost totaled and my '67 Cutlass wasn't hurt! Keith's car was never the same again. (He was so sweet to me even though I had messed up his "pride and joy"! Oh, how I miss him.)

Well, many other things come to mind, like "stuffing the spinach I hated" into the milk carton at school! If I'd been caught......well, there would have been some consequences! I wish that was the only problems we had at schools today.

I'll let it go at that! Now, I "tag" my sister, Karla Holley, my friends Kassie Dutton and Shirley Buxton to tell us a little about themselves that "nobody knows"! Tag......you're it! I WILL BE WATCHING!

Note: Thank you Bro. Ryan for starting some fun!

A New Year

I wish you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR filled with the blessings of God! We have a brand new year ahead of us, so let's do all we can to BE all we can be for Him. LOVE like you've never loved, LAUGH like you've never laughed, SING like you've never sung, and let the JOY of the Lord fill your heart and mind! I'm thankful for all of you who are my friends and family, and love you all more than I can say.