Happy October Friends!

Been so long since I've checked in! Times flies, what can I say? Emerson is huge! 8 and a half months old already! Crawling, pulling himself up, "walking" on his Leap Frog walker, has 2 teeth, says 'Mam Mam' and 'DaDa', belly laughs like it's his job. We are so blessed with such a happy baby! SMILES ALL TIME!

Life has been good to us! Brandon has had a lot of OT at work, which is totally a blessing for this one income family! He is leaving me tomorrow(ugh that sounds horrid) to fly to Reno, NV to help his best friend move back to PA! They are driving back together....40 hours in a truck together! :) He's a good friend! He is excited to have his buddy back!

Branson is doing well! Month and a half into school and he has not gotten one cold or a flu! A miracle in my opinion. He is doing really well in spelling! Four 100%'s in a row on tests!! He was brought to tears when we told him that we would be studying every Thursday night for Friday tests! Oh the stress's of a 2nd grader!

I am doing well. I started teaching a class at church again. It is call DC4K (Divorce Care 4 Kids), which is basically a fun support group/class for kids 5-12. I love it! The kids are precious and so many are hurting and it's great to take my life lessons as a child of divorce and put them to a good purpose! I am loving being a stay at home mom! I am daily reminded how blessed and fortunate we are to be able to do this! God has provided abundantly! No, I don't go shopping and I can't remember the last time Brandon and I went to a movie, but we have all we need, bills are paid and food is on the table every day! I am also getting so excited for my sister's baby to arrive! Due date is 11/19 and I can't wait to meet my first niece or nephew!

Well, there's a small update on US. Nice to be back!

Wordless Wednesday

Yes, those are Pooh Bear slippers and Yes, they have to be the most ridiculous thing for a baby, but THEY ARE SOO CUTE!

What's in a nickname?

Emerson is only 7 and a half months old and my family has already bestowed upon him a handful of nicknames. I love them and they are quite fitting!

Aunt Bekah has two for him. Both after animal characters in cartoons.

Franklin - I love this one - as it is Emerson's middle name and the fact that Franklin the Turtle is cutest show. The show is on the Noggin channel and it's so cute.



The second one, I'm not so sure about, I mean it's a cute name, and it fits Emerson somehow, but.....it's after a rat....Templeton, from Charlotte's Web, you know the gluttonous one......oh my....still to be decided.

My Mom, Emerson's Marmie, calls him 'The Freshness'! Sounds sassy and royal! And sassy fits Emerson! :)

Yea, SASSY!

I call him 'Bubbers'. Don't know why, or how, but I just started calling him my bubbers and it's stuck!

Daddy calls him Mr. E. Which he thinks is cute because we did not find out the sex when we were preggers, so Emerson was a 'mystery' or 'Mr. E!'

Oh yea.....last and yea...Least, Uncle Everett thought MRSA sounded liked a good shortened version of Emerson. We squashed that one right away!

What do you think?

I am the woman at the well.

And this is why I love Jesus with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength.

A modern day monologue. John 4.

by Chris Kinley & Drew Francis

I am a woman of no distinction

of little importance.

I am a women of no reputation

save that which is bad.

You whisper as I pass by

and cast judgmental glances,

Though you don’t really take the time to look at me,

Or even get to know me.

For to be known is to be loved,

And to be loved is to be known.

Otherwise what’s the point in doing

either one of them in the first place?

I WANT TO BE KNOWN.

I want someone to look at my face

And not just see two eyes, a nose,

a mouth and two ears;

But to see all that I am,

and could be

all my hopes, loves and fears.

But that’s too much to hope for,

to wish for,or pray for

So I don’t, not anymore.

Now I keep to myself

And by that I mean the pain

that keeps me in my own private jail

The pain that’s brought me here

at midday to this well.

To ask for a drink is no big request

but to ask it of me?

A woman unclean, ashamed,

Used and abused

An outcast, a failure

a disappointment, a sinner.

No drink passing from these hands

to your lips could ever be refreshing

Only condemning, as I’m sure you condemn me now

But you don't.

You’re a man of no distinction;

Though of the utmost importance.

A man with little reputation, at least so far.

You whisper and tell me to my face

what all those glances have been about, and

You take the time to really look at me.

But don’t need to get to know me.

For to be known is to be loved and

To be loved is to be known.

And you know me.

You actually know me;

all of me and everything about me.

Every thought inside and hair on top of my head;

Every hurt stored up, every hope, every dread.

My past and my future, all I am and could be.

You tell me everything,you tell me about me!

And that which is spoken by another

would bring hate and condemnation.

Coming from you brings love, grace,

mercy, hope and salvation.

I’ve heard of one to come

who could save a wretch like me

And here in my presence, you say

I AM He.

To be known is to be loved;

And to be loved is to be known.

And I just met you.

But I love you.

I don’t know you,

but I want to get to.

Let me run back to town

this is way to much for just me.

There are others: brothers,

sisters, lovers, haters.

The good and the bad, sinners and saints

who should hear what you’ve told me;

who should see what you’ve shown me;

who should taste what you gave me;

who should feel how you forgave me.

For to be known is to be loved;

And to be loved is to be known.

And they all need this, too.

We all do

Need it for our own.

My Boy is crawling.....

Life as I know it, has just rapidly increased!

My day......

Yup, backed the car into the dumb drainage township hole.

The blessing and a curse - we live directly across from hubby work.

Blessing - Everyone could see and came to help.

Curse - Everyone could see.

Felt like a royal idiot! Talk about beating up your pride.

But luckily they were able to jack it up and slide some boards underneath and slowly get the van back on the driveway. Now we are just hoping I didn't do any damage. Brandon doesn't think so, but had to go back to work, so he is gonna check it out when he gets home!

oy...I'm gonna go stare at the wall...

Do it again, Lord.

Dear Lord,
We're still hoping we'll wake up. We're still hoping we'll open a sleepy eye and think, What a horrible dream.
But we won't, will we, Father? What we saw was not a dream. Planes did gouge towers. Flames did consume our fortress. People did perish. It was no dream and, dear Father, we are sad.
There is a ballet dancer who will no longer dance and a doctor who will no longer heal. A church has lost her priest, a classroom is minus a teacher. Cora ran a food pantry. Paige was a counselor and Dana, dearest Father, Dana was only three years old. (Who held her in those final moments?)
We are sad, Father. For as the innocent are buried, our innocence is buried as well. We thought we were safe. Perhaps we should have known better. But we didn't.
And so we come to you. We don't ask you for help; we beg you for it. We don't request it; we implore it. We know what you can do. We've read the accounts. We've pondered the stories and now we plead, Do it again, Lord. Do it again.
Remember Joseph? You rescued him from the pit. You can do the same for us. Do it again, Lord.
Remember the Hebrews in Egypt? You protected their children from the angel of death. We have children, too, Lord. Do it again.
And Sarah? Remember her prayers? You heard them. Joshua? Remember his fears? You inspired him. The women at the tomb? You resurrected their hope. The doubts of Thomas? You took them away. Do it again, Lord. Do it again.
You changed Daniel from a captive into a king's counselor. You took Peter the fisherman and made him Peter an apostle. Because of you, David went from leading sheep to leading armies. Do it again, Lord, for we need counselors today, Lord. We need apostles. We need leaders. Do it again, dear Lord.
Most of all, do again what you did at Calvary. What we saw here on that Tuesday, you saw there on that Friday. Innocence slaughtered. Goodness murdered. Mothers weeping. Evil dancing. Just as the ash fell on our children, the darkness fell on your Son. Just as our towers were shattered, the very Tower of Eternity was pierced.
And by dusk, heaven's sweetest song was silent, buried behind a rock.
But you did not waver, O Lord. You did not waver. After three days in a dark hole, you rolled the rock and rumbled the earth and turned the darkest Friday into the brightest Sunday. Do it again, Lord. Grant us a September Easter.
We thank you, dear Father, for these hours of unity. Disaster has done what discussion could not. Doctrinal fences have fallen. Republicans are standing with Democrats. Skin colors have been covered by the ash of burning buildings. We thank you for these hours of unity.
And we thank you for these hours of prayer. The Enemy sought to bring us to our knees and succeeded. He had no idea, however, that we would kneel before you. And he has no idea what you can do.
Let your mercy be upon our President, Vice President, and their families. Grant to those who lead us wisdom beyond their years and experience. Have mercy upon the souls who have departed and the wounded who remain. Give us grace that we might forgive and faith that we might believe.
And look kindly upon your church. For two thousand years you've used her to heal a hurting world.
Do it again, Lord. Do it again.
Through Christ, Amen.

By Max Lucado

My Fancies - A new reason to love Fall!

Baby footy pajamas and sweatsuits! Oh my goodness! It has really started to cool down here in PA. Especially at bed time and in the morning! It was 60 when we walked Branson to school yesterday! So besides pumpkins, leaves, sweaters, jeans, apple cider, mums, campfires, and so much more that delights me every Fall, I now add my boy in his warm clothes!

Note: His calves are too plump for the bottom snap on the Mickey outfit, and it is much too short, but he looked soo darn cute in the stripes!

Oh man....

So did you know that the average stay-at-home Mom/Dad/Housewife/Husband walks, on average, 8 miles a day? Here is what today's "walk" will consist of.....

YIKES!!!! I swear they multiplied over night!! I will be hand washing these bad boys as our dishwasher decided to poop out on us! They are taunting me as I type this....I'm scared.

Then on to this weekly disaster.....Dang you Adam and Eve, just couldn't stay away from the apple?! Dirty CLOTHES are overflowing, I'm sure the next time I look down the hallway they will have moved out the doorway....eek! But I do get the most exercise from this chore though, walking up our hill to hang the clothes outside.

Next, the dreaded school paperwork....he's only been back 2 days and I have about 25 papers to go thru and fill out! That's a mental walk for ya! How many times do they need our address??

But the best part of my "walk", this GUY! Amazing how much I enjoy this part....but WOW he is busy! Even as I type this, I have to take a break as I just watched him take the battery cover off the TV remote?!?! So it begins....Have a great 'Walk' today!!

Wordless Wednesday

Hope he enjoys laundry this much when he is a teenager. :)