27 Dresses

Ok, so not really!  But Sid did take me shopping for some back to school clothes and look at all the dresses I got.  Six new dresses and one new skirt, plus I have a few old dresses to go with thi pile.  Dress you say?  Yes, dresses! I know I'm not one to ever wear dresses, but the ones for this season are just so cute and they are comfy and best of all they flatter my figure. haha! 

Speaking of new clothes, I have several new things (one of which is pictured above) that will be discussed in my upcoming give away next week.  So don't forget to be checking back.  The give away will be on my review and giveaway blog.  But there will be more on that later next week.  The blog is there but there's nothing posted yet.  You can go ahead and bookmark it, though, so you don't miss it!

The Neshoba County Fair Family Pictures

Well, I have lots and lots of pictures from fair week.  So, I have to start somewhere.  I decided I'd start with  a few pictures of me, Sid and Bailey.  And add in a few of the our little monster that the Midway created.  If you aren't familiar with Mississippi's Giant House Party you should do a little reading.  Anyway, here we go!

This is jut how hot it is after you've been out and about!!! 

Right after bath, just before we were walking out the fair cabin door, way past bedtime, and someone needs a haircut! ha!

It must have been stripe day!

Still lookin' a hot mess!

Do you see "the look" from both of them???

Wish these weren't so blurry but couldn't help including them...too sweet!!!

Are you getting the "feel" for how hot it is?  And this was at night time, it's just a sauna at the fair!

And now for the Midway Monster...

You don't see the monster in that grin?

Still don't see it?

How about now that the ride is over and we had to get off???

Oh carousal, how do I love thee???

Like I said, I have tons more to put up and I'll try to get to that sometime between now and Monday morning.  As I type, Bailey has ridden her last fair ride of 2010 and is on the way home, asleep in her dad's truck.  She slept until 9:30 this morning, if that's any indication as to how worn out the little girl has been this week. 

I have an upcoming review and giveaway next week that you won't want to miss.  So stay tuned for that, too!  All you lurkers who don't comment, get to figuring out how, becuase if you don't leave a comment, you miss the opportunity to win the prize.  Be on the lookout!

And The Award Goes To

There are lots of people who deserve jewels in their crowns for putting up with me this past week, or, ok, myabe the past few years, or, ok again, my entire lifetime.  But tonight, I'm giving credit to my sweet husband who is nothing but loving and helpful and the best daddy I know.  When he took our wedding vows "for better or for worse, in sickness and in health" he meant them.   He has shown that to me over and over again and especially the past 8 days.  I'm the luckiest girl for God to have chosen him just for me.

Sid, I know I may not show it, in fact I know I don't always show it, but I love you more than I could ever write here in this journal.  Thank you for not giving up on me, for being patient, for being honest, and for loving me.  We make a great team and we have the most beautiful daughter who keeps us on our toes all day long .  What more could we ask for?

I couldn't ask for one thing more.  I love you!

Healing Is In Your Hands

The Neshoba County Fair Kicks Off

Once again I'm without sleep and it's 1 a.m.  But I wanted to share some pictures from tonight.  My mom and dad and sister and brother and law are here.  Unfortunatlty, for many reasons, this fair could be a better one of me, but in the scheme of things it could be worse too.  I'm making the best of it, but here's some friends and family we've fellowshiped with so far.

Sunset Strip:  It's where our fun begins and ends!

A few daddy's!

One of the fry queens - the chef we couldn't live without during fair week!

And when it's all said and done she looks pretty relaxed.

I'm not sure who this crazy man is:

But thinkthis crazy woman claims him:

At least between the two of them, they do have some pretty children (one is not pictured):

Sweet Mason!

Mammie!

Without further ado, Maggie and Bo made their way into town just in time for some great food and fun!

Ben, Kylie, Mason and Brady.  A rare treat at the fair to see Brady's smiling face!

A little playing in the rain!

A little ice eating!

Well, maybe she played in the rain and ate some ice!!!

What's the fair without homemade ice cream, which is right up Dad's alley!

And finally the view of the front porch on this wonderful Saturday night!!!

Somewhere along the way, this picture got out of place and cut Kylie out.  So here it is again with her in it!  Sorry Kylie!

Torn Hearts

Joel 2:12-14   Turn to me now, while there is time!  Give me your hearts.  Come with fasting, weeping and mourning.   Don't tear your clothes in your grief, instead tear your hearts.  Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and mericful.  He is not easily angered.  He is filled with kindness and is eager not to punish you.  Who knows!  Perhaps even yet he will give you a reprieve, sending you a blessing instead of this terrible curse.  Perhaps he will give you so much that you will be able to offer grain and wine to the Lord your God as before.

God wanted the people of Judah to come to him with torn and broken hearts, admitting their guilt and helplessness, instead of responding to his judgement in the usual way of tearing their garments.  The people needed to commit themselves to God, examine themselves, and let God change them. Since God is gracious and merciful it makes sense to commit our life to him rather than to the objects of this world.  He wants to change our pain into joy and send us a blessing.

So, how do go about tearing our hearts before God?  Admitting to him our wrong doing and begging him to get us through the not so pleasant times in life?  Here are a few things I've come across in reading that make sense to me.

1.  Go to God with your torn and broken heart.  Let God know that you feel broken.  He already knows you are broken, he already knows I am broken in ways, but we must go to him and let him know we need him to help us heal our broken hearts.

2. Admit our guilt.  Something has caused us to have a torn and broken heart.  What is it for you?  What is it for me?  We must admit it or else we pretend it doesn't exist.

3.  Admit our helplessness.  Without God, we are nothing.  Without God, our hearts will always be torn and hurt.  He is the ultimate mender.  But if we think we can heal our broken hearts ourselves, let me tell you my friend, there's nothing further from the truth.  If we are broken and helpless, we have to have God. along with any other professionals, friends and family to get through the helplessness.

4.  Commit ourselves to God.  Not just in a time of need, in a time of broken ness and torn hearts, but fully committing to God.  All to often we go to God when life gets rough and then we forget about him when the going gets good.  That's not the kind of relationship God wants from us.

5.  Examine ourselves.  Why are we torn and broken?

6.  Let God change us.  Change will not come, our broken ness will not heal if we do not want it.  But we can't do it on our own.  We have to have God in order to have a true change in our self from the broken ness.

7.  He will change pain into joy.  Pain hurts and it may last for the night time, but joy always comes in the morning.  Thanks be to God!

8.  Send us a blessing.  If we go to God with our torn hearts, admit our faults, our helplessness, want the change, allow God to change us, the pain will change to joy and ultimately, God will bless us.  But he cannot bless us if allow ourselves to remain broken.  The cycle just keeps going and going.

So, if God is loving and merciful, why does he allow suffering?   This is my conclusion at the moment.  Through suffering, God lets us know that we need to make changes in our lives.  If we never had any suffering from our bad decisions, or sin, then we'd never stop to realize we need to change our ways.  God allows us to suffer the consequences of our sin to wake us up from the same ole day in and day out of our sinful ways.  He gives us comfort and he doesn't allow it to destroy us.  (If the torn hearts and broken ness destroy us, it's because we've let it and not turned to God. )  But rather, God allows this suffering to bring about the process of our restoration. 

The mighty thing about God is that he has gone before us.  He has paid the price of our sins with the blood he shed.  And because of this, he forgives us for being broken.  God wants our hearts, not just pieces of them when the going is good, but our whole hearts all the time.  And the best news of all is that God forgives.  God is with us in our time of need.  We might feel abandoned, but he hasn't gone anyway.  He pours out his help and power to us through the Holy Spirit.  But we must have those hearts torn wide open in order to receive, to heal the hurt and pain. 

You see, we can try and save ourselves from our sin.  But we simply cannot.  Only God can rescue us from ourselves.  Do you want to be rescued?  I know I do! 

Victory Over Myself

Tonight I'm tired!  But the sleep likely won't come.  So as I read a things out of the Bible, I wanted to journal some scripture that I'd like to remember.

I am poor and needy, yet the Lord thinks about me. Pslam 40:17   Isn't it a wonderful feeling that sometimes we have nothing, figuratively speaking, but God still thinks about us as and gives us mercy!

If I do what I "will" not to do, this is the sin that dwells in me.  Romans 7:20  We know right from wrong, we "will" things in our hearts and head that we WILL NOT do, but when we then turn and do them, for then we have sinned.  If we "will" ourselves not to do things, then why do we do it anyway?  Any answers on that one Pap-Paw?

Have mercy on me, for I am weak.  Heal me, for my bones are troubled.  Pslam 6:2  God's mercy is an amazing thing and they are new every morning.  He heals us when we are broken if we only allow him inside to do so.

In my distress I called out to the Lord and cried out to my God.  He heard my voice from the temple, and my cry came before him, even to His ears.  Pslams 8:6  Do you hear that friends?  Our distress, our  need for healing, our cries for help go straight to the ear of God himself and he does not turn away. 

I have come as a light into the world, that whoever abides in my should not abibe in darkness.  John 12:46  What an amazing gift God has given every one of us.  He gives us His light to outshine the darkenss.

Of course this didn't come out of the Bible, but note worthy none the less!  I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies, for the hardest victory is the victory over self. -Aristotle

You  know,  when we forget we are loved and we forget that Christ himself has gone before us to atone for our sins, when we think that we are bigger than THAT, we've done nothing but give into our own desires and our self and forgot all that HE has blessed us with.  But when we remember that we are not alone, we are loved and that God loves us so much that that blood was shed, we can overcome ourselves and "self" desires.  Did God say it was easy?  I'm not sure what he actually said on the matter, but I can speak from personal experience that it is not easy.  The road in life, no matter what your road, is bound to have a few sharp curves, steep hills and road blocks along the way. Nobody's life is perfect, and if someone tells you their's is, they are lying.  When we try to act bigger than God and handle these things ourselves, it's not good.  I don't know about you, but I for one need to remember how loved and blessed I am and how much has been given on my behalf so that I can look to the Jesus who breathed the very life into me to help me over come my worldly desires and victory over myself!

I think I just might be able to catch a little sleep now!

There's A Lot On My Mind

But first I thought I'd post the photo shoot from before church this morning.  Bailey and Sid sort of matched so I was gonna get a few pictures.  Yeah, well, here's how it went!!!

I'm pretty sure she was counting with me, in fact in one of those pictures you can see the "1" finger held up on both hands.  That's how she counts.  But I was done trying to get her to look at the camera, so we were done with it! 

And then we got to church and decided we'd start the nursery in a few weeks when things were back in full force because we will miss it the next few Sundays because of the fair and such.  So we got there, found our regular seats, all the old women oohed and aahed over my cutie and then fear set in.  Bailey has started this thing just over the weekend where she growls, not yells or demands, but growls MINE!!!!!  And I could just see her doing that right in the middle of the sermon.  So I looked at Sid and said  you want me to take her on to the nursery and he, without hesitation, said yes, so off we went.  And we had a great service and Bailey had a great time playing with her friends. 

So, it's been a quiet and peaceful weekend.  It started out Friday with me and Bailey visiting with Kylie and Mason, having lunch and doing a little shopping, as Kylie was looking for a new purse.  She is now the proud owner of a Hobo International.  We got a late afternoon nap, had supper with Daddy and then went to Nana and Pop's to visit everybody.  Saturday, Sid and Bailey got up and headed out to Nene's for breakfast and for Sid to do a few chores.  I stayed at home and read some of my book, I'm in the middle of reading two right now, and rested.  Bailey came home after lunch for a nap and I rested some more.  We then headed to the fair ground for some supper.  It was a nice, somewhat cool night and great food!  Good times visiting.  We headed home and to bed around 10.  Bailey let us sleep until 8 this morning and then is was up and at 'em to get ready for church.  After church, we had lunch and came home for a nap.  Bailey didn't end up falling asleep until about 2 this afternoon and I think I slept with her.  I must say this is the most rested I think I've ever felt. 

And it's a good thing becasue the rat race will soon begin.  I have a few workshops to attend next week and the fair starts on Friday.  We all know how I feel about the fair, but I guess it's growing on me.  I'm still not up for spending the night, but the more I talk to people (in the family) I realize I'm not alone in the spending the night issue.  I hear some voicing their thoughts of not spending the not every night out there. 

I'm so sad that the summer is about to come to a close and we did not get to go on a vacation.  I am so ready for our family of 3, and any other members who might like to join us, to pack our bags and go somewhere we all want to go, out of Neshoba County.  Obviously that won't happen this summer. Maybe over Christmas Break, Spring Break, or for sure next summer.

My Pap-paw has been facilitating a series on Heaven at my home church in Oneonta.  I'm so sad that I didn't get to attend them. He wasn't preaching on Heaven per se, but instead facilitating with questions and leading the discussion.  I did get to talk with him some about it the last time I was home and I intend to do a whole post with the qeustions the group was going to look at.  I think it would be the ultimate to listen to the greastest man that I know on earth talk about our home in paradise. 

My heart has been so heavy the past two days for a family in Idaho that I came across their blog by someone asking for prayer on another blog I read.  The blog world is a mighty thing.  You can read about the family here and the accident.  But basically, the family had one child, a little girl who was born about 5 day before Bailey.  She feel into a canal in the back of the grandparents house, (I think), and floated up the canal 2 miles before someone found her and started CPR.  She had been on the ventilator for about week, but died two days ago.  I just can't imagine where these parents are in their minds or what they are going through.  Nor do I want to imagine.  I mean, one minute they have a happy, healthly, blonde hair, blue eyed little 18 month old, and the next minute, through a tragic accident, she is gone.  This should make us all question.  But in reading the father's words, he said that some people were saying "why us" but he instead said "why not us." Because they knew where their daughter would spend eternity and they would indeed see her again someday.  But still, the heartache, I can't imagine.

This goes back to the topic of Heaven and God that Pap-paw was facilitating this month and it makes my heart long to have heard the discussion, becasue I am one of those people that has a hard time wrapping my mind around how a loving God can cause such a tragic thing to happen.  As my baby girl sits behind me right now playing with my hair telling me "love you", I have a hard time wrapping my mind around such pain and sadness.  All these sick children I read about with inoperable terminal childhood cancer or these kids I read about with a rare skin disorder called EB for short, You can read about some here and here.  You won't be sorry you took a few mintues to look at their stories.  But I just have a hard time wondering how God can allow children to suffer in such horric ways.  And then I ask myself, Does God allow this suffering.  My mind just keeps going and going.

Lately, my heart and mind has been burdened with the topic of adoption.  I feel my heart aching to look into adopting.  But I don't think Sid really wants to.  It's something I pray about and something I pray that will be stirred in his heart if it's meant to be for our family.  We both are pretty adamant that we will not have any more biological children.  The main reason for me is I had no fun growing or birthing Bailey.  Otherwise, I'd have a house full.  Sid's main reason, other than it was no fun to be with me while I was growing a baby, is the money invovled with having a baby.  Of course, our views of that are a bit tainted, as we are still paying NICU and PICU bills.  So, I see his point!  Recently, I stumbled across this blog of a family who adopted a Baby from Africa.  I think the thing that drew me in is I found it at the time the mother was actually there getting the baby boy to bring him home.  It's been neat to see that part of it.  You can click here to see the "gotca day video" where the mom made a slide show of everything leading to the day she got her son and then bringing him home.  I rarely cry at things I read or see online, but I just sat and let the tears stream down my face as I watched this one. 

It's been a prayer of my heart for some time now that God would use me to further His kingdom.  That he would place some type of calling upon my heart, lead me in his ways.  And I'd think up these crazy things like wanting to adopt or go on mission trips (if you know me, you know how crazy that sounds), or start a bible study group, but this weekend God spoke.  Sid got a phone call with someone from the church asking to speak to me.  And when I finally got back in touch with her, she wanted to know if I'd be interested in helping teach the preschool class called Mission Friends, where the preschoolers learn about missions and such.  I didn't have to think about it very long because clearly this is God's answer for now.  Not adoption, not a mission trip itself, but teaching and learing along with small children about what it means to be a missionary.  So I will go, I will learn, I will do some behavior management, but I can assure you I will not be the teacher in the room.  For God is speaking and he will teach.

  I've been frustrated the past week or so because Bailey was ill with the hand, foot, mouth junk and I felt like it was a lost cause to try to keep my house in order as I cleaned one mess, she was making another.  I was frustrated, I wanted out of the house, I wanted a vacation, I wanted her to listen and mind and not make messes and not stress me out.  But at the end of the day, I realized I'd take all these messes over none at all.  I'd take her fits over silence in my house.  I'd take being home alone from sun up to sun down because Sid had 3 funerals, becasue it meant he had a job.  I'll take my living room looking like Toys R Us vs. not having a reason to have toys out in the first place.  I'll take things such as going to the fair in 110 degree heat because it means we are well and can get out and do those things. 

So you see, lots on my mind.  I don't want it to sound like all I do is read the internet and get depressed that's not the case.  But there are some things I've come across lately that have made me thankful for my baby, my family, our health, the roof over our head, jobs, and the Holy Spirit stirring in our lives.

Is he stirring in your's lately?

One Guess!!!!!!!!

As to where we are???

If you guessed the doctor you are 100% correct.  And no, this is not Dr. Carron's visit from yesterday.

Long story short, I noticed Bailey feeling warm yesterday and then by last night, she was ill as a hornet, hot as a firecracker, had lots of saliva and would not eat or drink.  This morning she was not any better, a little worse maybe and even pulling and pointing at her mouth.  So, we loaded up and went to the doctor. 

The diagnosis - Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease. 

Say what?  Blisters on her hands, feet, and all in her mouth that causes extreme pain and severe fussy-ness, along with alot of drooling.  I guess we'll be stuck in the house for the next 5-7 days as it just runs it's course. 

Down By The River

I'd like to preface this post by saying "I was hot" and "I was hot", AMEN!!!  I did enjoy myself, other than the being hot part and the part where Bailey ran out into the street with her Sprite and then threw it at me when I reached her, all while I was hot.  Yeah, that didn't set well, and I might have demanded to go home shortly after that.  But nobody listen, I was ignored, as I should have been, and the night carried on.

So, what did we do?  Well....

We rode a bicycle!

And we looked sweet....

And we got excited about something...

Sid and I rode the jet ski for awhile, but there are no pictures of that because what sense does it make to take the camera on a jet ski.  It was nice.  I wish we could ride it more, but I don't know how to get it in and out of the water, so we don't. 

After a lot of food grilling, that I don't have pictures of, and eating, which I dont't have pictures of either, because this or may not have been in my pouting stage, we went out on the boat.  Sid's cousin, Shelia, and her husband, Heath, have a boat.  I really wanted to see what Bailey would think of the water.   Ben and Kylie decided they would trail behind on the just ski. 

Here are a few pictures of all of us as we were waiting to get the boat and the jet ski in the water....

Brady...

Ben, asking what I was doing and looking at me all crazy because I was taking everyone's picture.  Doesn't he know I have a blog and I need pictures.  Afterall, that's the only reason why dad, I mean some people, come here....

The Cooley Boy's...They belong to Heath and Shelia and have a new brother or sister who will be here in about 6 or 7 months......

And last but not least, my little fishy and her daddy....

She really enjoyed it.  She kept pointing at the water and saying "wah wah" for water.  Thankfully she didn't try to jump in or anything but as Ben and Mason were trailing behind us on the jet ski, she'd yell "Bin, blah blah blah blah blah blah, I ride!!!!"  We may or may not have let her ride.

Just as we were all in the water and about to pull out of the dock, this happened....

As Kylie drug herself back into the boat, swearing at the jet ski, she said "are you going to put that on your blog?"  At least someone has learned...haha!!! 

Ok, now take a look and see if you can figure out who this is...

You can't tell?  Look a little closer....

Why, yes!!! It's Nene and yes, she's skiing!!!!!!!! Who knew?????????

She didn't stay up long, but she did get right up.  She just wanted to show us she still could!!!

This is for you Mimi and Poppy T.  All I can say is she throughly enjoyed her little ride around the river with Bin!!! 

No, that's not how you spell his name, but Bay doesn't say "Ben" like a Mississippi girl.  She says the "i" with a true short "i" as in "igloo", thus the spelling of Bin.  I don't know, call me crazy!!

I don't have any pictures of Mason.  I guess he wasn't still long enough.  That's not true.  I do have pictures of him, on the jet ski with his dad, but they were blurry so I didn't post them.

And one last picture...

Mammaw, Jerry and Shelia standing at some building watching us go up and down the river.  Too bad they couldn't see the dock from there because it would have been a sight.  I mean, with the jet ski inncident and all.  I'm just saying!!!!!!!!!!