Give me a Size 8.....

Isn't it amazing how God works. Sometimes we think we have nothing to look forward to. Our lives are difficult. Maybe we've made a bad decision. Gloom and doom seem to be rampant. Gas is nowhere:) Really people! What is up? Why should I worry? God is in control. America is just about down to nothing, all the while, God is up to something. We better be prepared!

I'll leave you with this fitting little short story:

A guy walks into a shoe store and asks for a pair of shoes, size 8. The well-trained salesman says, "But sir, you take an 11 or eleven-and-a-half."
"Just bring me a size 8."
The sales guy brings them, and the man stuffs his feet into them and stands up in obvious pain. He turns to the salesman and says, "I've lost my house to the IRS, I live with my mother-in-law, my daughter ran off with my best friend, and my business has filed Chapter 7."
"The only pleasure I have left is to come home at night and take my shoes off."


In this world we may lose "stuff", but as Christians we are still the richest in the world. Don't know about you, but I'm "moving on up" one of these days......gas or no gas!

God loves you,
Carrie

The Fall Bug Has Bit!

More cheap fall finds.....

A buck a pop!! Too cute! I love me a good Dollar Store. Thankfully I have one in my little town. Check register doesn't agree:) lol!!!

I also found this fabric pear in all it's folksy glory:) Corny I know! But it was a buck too! Couldn't resist. And no...that's not an empty whiskey bottle I'm giving thanks for:) lol!!!! I found it in the woods....it has a little whole at the top of it. Does anybody have a clue as to what purpose it may have served?

This hear crackled glass pear was not a Dollar Store jewel. Just a glorified Dollar Store that you can eat and shop in, all under the same roof. I'm sure you know the answer to the riddle. Yeah...another fav of mine... Cracker Barrel!! Give it up for their home viddles and gift store! Genius, I tell you! I'm thinking this pear cost me around $15 bucks. A little more than I would normally pay...but don't ya think it was worth it?

Pillows are another hang up of mine. Therefore this little bird had to come home with me. $4.99 at Cracker Barrel. Now that's what I'm talking about!!

If you get really close to the screen you can see this metal plaque has the words, FAITH, FAMILY, FRIENDS, inscribed on it! $9.99 at Fred's!! That says it all for me!

I love to "attempt" to decorate. I'm sure some home interior major is horse laughing at my decor:) They could always use me as an example of, "what not to decorate with." lol!!!

Now, to the outdoors.......

Carrie

Great Fall Finds......

I love fall ya'll! With fall officially now in progress, I feel the urge to share with ya a few great items I've found recently. What I found today just screamed at me!

At Fred's....for $2.99/bag!

This stuff is distributed right here in Sweet Home Alabama by SCRIPTURE CANDY, INC. located in Adamsville! On back of bag it states: "Lord, we stand on your promise." "So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." Isaiah 55:11

There is a different Bible verse on the individual bags of candy corn inside. How cool is that?

You may already have found this. If so, why didn't somebody share? :)

I wish I had me a cutesty button that said something like, "Fall for Fall, or Great Fall Finds, or some catchy slogan like that:).....but I don't so....play along anyway. Maybe I'll get all domestic here on the blog and make me a button:) If you have a great fall find...please...do tell......via comment, email, blog it yourself, or whatever means of communication you prefer.

Check back tomorrow for another fall find. It's another Dollar Store special. I'm all for cheap!!

Carrie

Allergies....the saga continues......





They are back with a bang! Sore throat, hoarse (fam is okay with this part), itchy, sneezing, headache, body aches, chills, fever, black swollen eyes, (not ok with this part), no contacts, and loss of appetite. The last one is a biggy! I love to eat! Me and this allergy thing do not gee haw!!





Enough whining from me!





The lady with the real reason to complain is Mom. Which she never does..complain...that is. Trinia called yesterday to tell Mom that she spoke with the doc. He explained the he tried but could not break through to put the pic line in her chest. No apparent reason. He just couldn't get it in. The next step is to examine just where they can put it. They will be looking at maybe higher up on the arm, etc. All hope is not lost. It never was...because God is in control. And we have all the hope in the world in Him!

Singing..."My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus Christ.....On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand...."

My allergies are trivial in comparison. Don't we all want to be in the best physical health we can? I do. I want to feel great! One thing is for sure...I don't always get what I want. I shouldn't get everything I want. I should be thankful to the Lord for my health and the health of my family. That is one thing I take for granted.



I should take better care of self. But....that means eating better, getting enough sleep and exercising.....oh and no stress:) ROFL!!!! Yeah right...after I wash 5 loads of clothes, go to work, cook supper, ballgames, homework, dishes, more clothes, pay bills, and get groceries all before 11:00 pm each day. That pretty much wipes out any chance of taking control. But I'm not going to quit. I'm just going to rearrange my priorities! What should have been first on my list of to-do's is spending time with God.



You question my blogging skillz today? Me too! It's the fog I'm in:) Please excuse me. Really...I just sneezed:)



I'm going with what Proverbs 17:22 instructs me to do...."A merry heart doeth good...."



God bless,

Carrie

Sad.....

Sad that a man I've known and loved my entire life, died yesterday evening around 6:00 o'clock pm from a heart attack.

Sad for his wife, children and grandchildren. I can't imagine the pain they are experiencing.

Sad that my father and brother are really hurting. They have worked with him for years and years.

Sad that I don't live life to it's fullest everyday.

Sad that I put off things I should have said to a loved one.

All this sadness brings me to the realization that life is too short. We have to make the most of everyday. We have to say what we need to say. We have to give one more hug at bedtime, one more kiss, one more I love you, one more forgiveness, one more thank you, one more witness for the Lord!

I can rejoice in knowing that death doesn't have to be the end. Those of us who are saved have a blessed hope of resting in the arms of Jesus. Living with Jesus throughout eternity! No more tears, no sorrow, no pain and no worry! I have that hope! Do you?

Please pray for the Burgeon Smith family. May God reach His loving hands down and wrap them all up and carry them through this time of grief. I pray that souls will be saved and a drawing closer to Him will result from this death.

Carrie

"We do not know what we should pray for...but the Spirit ....makes intercession for us." Romans 8:26 NKJV



This verse describes exactly how I feel. Not knowing how or what to pray for. Nothing coming from my lips. Just tears. And the great thing about God is...He understands my tears. He hears them. He can. He will. He makes sense of my wordless prayers. Only He can do that. I take great comfort in knowing my God is real and He knows my heart even when the words don't come.



I'm thankful for family, friends and all of you web friends. You listen to me when I'm hurting. You take the time to be there. Even if I am a blubbering mess. You know. You console. You pray. You offer a shoulder. You cheer me up.



For all that, I'm thankful.



Mom still hasn't heard from her doctor on exactly why the surgery didn't work. She spoke with Trina (transplant coordinator), yesterday a couple of times. Trina wants to speak to the doctor in person to know exactly what went wrong. He was in surgery all day again yesterday. Can you imagine what these doctors go through? I know they make the big bucks, but imagine the stress. Anyway, Trina hopes to find out something today. If not, surely by Monday. Trina expressed her concern to Mom about it not working. She also consoled Mom by saying if it was something bad, the doctor would be pressing the issue by now. So, we are resigned to the fact....we will not worry! God knows and as Deb commented, "this may have took us by surprise, but not God." She is right. God already knows the outcome to Mom's heart. After all, He placed that heart in her. He knows if it is time for her to receive another one. Whatever the outcome may be....it is for His glory.



I'm thanking God today for His interpreter, the Holy Spirit, that connects me to Him. We can have a good quiet, crying time together and He understands!



I will try and keep you all posted as we find out more about Mom.



Thank you for you love and support....especially for all the prayers!



Carrie

Mom Update # 2:

I apologize for this update being so late. Yesterday was one of those days.......

To make a long story short....the surgery was not successful. They could not get the pic line/port whatever you call it, in her chest. What we thought was going to be a simple procedure, in fact, turned into surgery....IV, breathing tube, all the way under...2-3 hours....surgery:)

What I know today is that Mom has 2 big bandages on her chest from the attempt to put it in. The whys and hows...we do not know.....yet. She did get to come home last night, and has called her transplant coordinator(Trina) this morning. Trina will be getting back with Mom sometime today with some answers.

I stopped by this morning to eyeball her and she is fine. Very sore, but fine. She still has the pic line in her arm. The exact same place it was. They never moved it, or did anything to it. Lots of questions?

Needless to say, we were bummed about it. However, I'm trusting God, because He knows best. I just have to lay it all at His feet.

Please pray, as Dad said this morning, it's not something that will blow us out of the water.


When I find out the answers, I will update....again......today!

Have I mentioned lately how much I love you all!!!

Carrie

Update: Talked with Dad just now (2:05) and Mom has been in surgery for 30 mintues now. The procedure should last about a hour. I will post again as soon as I hear from Dad again.....


Mom Update....

Mom is in B'ham this morning waiting to get her pic line moved to her chest. She has been dreading this, but at the same time relieved to have it out of her arm. Dad just called (8:30 ish) and she is still waiting.

Please pray for her today. Pray that the procedure will be successful and easy. This pic line is physically sustaining her.

Check in later for an update......

God bless,
Carrie

Unpalatable.....

My curiosity got the best of me. There is this tree, on the side of the road in front of the house, that has been there since we have....15 years now:) I have never figured out what kind of tree this was, until I saw a magazine with a picture resembling it. Sure enough...I walk out to the tree and it is a persimmon tree. What? We actually have a Korean Mango tree? Who knew? I examine the fruit that had fell off and yes, it was a persimmon. A beautiful fruit. Picturesque indeed! My mouth salivates and I take a bite. OMG!!! BITTER is not the word.

Apparently I've never ate a persimmon before:) Nor will I ever again!

I google it...trying to see if they are edible. Yes you can eat them, depending on whether you get a hold of an astringent or non-astringent persimmon, and if the tannins have had time to weaken so when you bite into one, your tongue doesn't stick to the roof of your mouth. It's like eating the bitter part of a pecan...except worse...much, much worse. So much for the cancer fighting agents it supposedly contains.....'cause guess what?

Medical Alert:

Unripened persimmons contain the soluble tannin shibuol, which, upon contact with a weak acid, polymerizes in the stomach and forms a gluey coagulum that can affix with other stomach matter. The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy notes that consumption of persimmons has been known to cause bezoars that require surgery in over 90% of cases. More than 85% phytobesoars are caused by ingestion of unrippened persimmons. Persimmon bezoars often occur in epidemics in regions where the fruit is grown. Horses may develop a taste for the fruit growing on a tree in their pasture and overindulge also, making them quite ill. It is often advised that persimmons should not be eaten with crab meat, nor should they be eaten on an empty stomach.

I should read the fine print before ingesting:) If you hear of me in the hospital for surgery on my colon to remove bezoars......

Now you know:)

L8R,

Carrie

P.S. I hear the wood is kin to ebony....I think I'll get Hubby to chop it down and make me a magazine rack I've had my eye on at PotteryBarnKids.com. It's no good to me if I can't eat of it:)

Birthday Week

My Mother said there would be day's like this.......





Q: How many women with MENOPAUSE does it take to change a light Bulb?


Woman's Answer:




One! ONLY ONE!!!! And do you know WHY? Because no one else in this House knows HOW to change a light bulb! They Don't even know that the bulb is BURNED OUT!! They would sit in the dark for THREE DAYS before they figured it out. And, once they figured it out, they wouldn't be able to find the light bulbs despite the fact that they've been in the SAME CABINET for the past 17 YEARS! But if they did, by some miracle of God, actually find them, 2 DAYS LATER, the chair they dragged to stand on to change the STUPID light bulb would STILL BE IN THE SAME SPOT!!!!! AND UNDERNEATH IT WOULD BE THE WRAPPER THE LIGHT BULBS CAME IN!!! BECAUSE NO ONE EVER PICKS UP OR CARRIES OUT THE GARBAGE!!!! IT'S A WONDER WE HAVEN'T ALL SUFFOCATED FROM THE PILES OF GARBAGE THAT ARE A FOOT DEEP THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE HOUSE!! IT WOULD TAKE AN ARMY TO CLEAN THIS PLACE! AND DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON WHO CHANGES THE TOILET PAPER ROLL!!


I'm sorry. What was the question?

This here is a picture of ducks at the pumps......talking about a menopause moment:) lol!!!

The scene..... me trying to pump gas(liquid gold) and deal with ducks at my feet. They were not afraid of me, nor scared off by my rantings at the pump:) You know what I'm talking about:)

Feb. 2004:

I've been here. A sacred place. A place where I got chills bumps just staring at the emptiness. It is a feeling like none other. Imagine among the hustle and bustle of NY, then you turn the corner and there it is.....Nothing. The best I can describe it would be the same as a cemetery. A place not visited much. And when you do, your mood turns to somber reverence and respect. Looking at the names, dates, scriptures, etc. etched on the tombstones of someone who walked this earth. Here the names are on a wall...no dates...no scriptures....no details. But, God knows. Their families know. As the saying goes..."it's what we do in between the - that matters.

We were in NY, NY with my in-laws. My MIL had an aneurysm in her aorta and we were there for her surgery. Go here for more on that miracle from God. Wished I had time to look for the pics and post of us at Ground Zero. I'll do an update IF I find them:)

That day: 9-11-2001

I remember that I was taking a walk with my aunt and Mom on a little dirt road close to my house. Dad met us on the road and told us what had happened. My heart just sank. I was numb. Could this be? Is this the end of our safety we've been so accustomed to? I was scared. I wanted to run to my hubby and kids, grab them in my arms, and just hold on.

God has saw our nation through this tragedy. He holds our future in His hands. I pray for the families who have lost loved ones. I pray for our nation. I pray for our military. I pray for peace.

Where were you?

God Bless,

Carrie

Speaking of Mispelling Words....

Right BT?

The women pay for it:) lol!!!

Happy Birthday!

9-9-98 proved to be an interesting day:) My driver, Sister C, was taking me on my regular prenatal visit. I was experiencing some "heartburn." Unbeknown st to me, my so-called, "heartburn", was indeed labor pains:) No wonder the bottle of tums I chewed all morning didn't help. Go figure. Who knew that his (Jay's), foot was wedged between my sternum? I still feel that pain at times:) lol!!! Anyway, I waddle all the way in and hoist myself up on that table and continue to inhale tums, when the doc comes in and says I'm in labor. Whaaaat? Um, excuse me I have heartburn here. It's not time. Remember we scheduled the c-section for the end of this month?

Dear Sister C makes a call to Hubby to let him know to get his behind up here right now...the baby is coming......today....9-9! You have to know the history between sister C and hubby. Let's just say he likes to torture her. So, he thought this was just her getting back at him. He doesn't believe her and hangs up:) After much deliberation on her part, he finally gets the message and makes his way to the hospital.

As they say....the rest is history. God blessed us with a beautiful healthy, happy, BIG, baby boy. Weighing in at 9 lb. 10 oz. 22 1'2 inches long. Yeah, the heartburn was justifiable:)

Jay is a sweet boy with a gentle spirit. He loves his big brother and a huge fan of his Dad's. He loves all sports and has found a new love in playing the guitar. Jay loves to have a good time. Cool Jay is what I'm calling him now. The exact opposite of me and his brother. Exactly like his Dad. He is a giver. He loves to work with his Dad. And when the day is done, so is he. This is the only way he is like me....we are early to bed...early to rise.

Jay, we love you very much and are so proud of you. The night you were saved will forever be imprinted on my mind and heart. The way you had such a broken heart and desire to know God. Your testimony and smile on your face, proclaiming to all who would hear, what God had done for you. You will never know who all you touched that night, and made a huge difference in several lives. We love you and wish you a lifetime of happiness. Always take God with you wherever you go. Love you, Mom and Dad.

Did I mention that 9-9 is also Hubby's birthday? Oh yeah, maybe that's why he couldn't believe I was having Jay on that day. What a chance in a lifetime for a parent to have a child be born on their birthday. Hubby, hope you have a Happy Birthday too! I love you and thank you for being such a good Dad and Husband!

Love,

Mom

Update on Mom....

Today was her monthly appt. with her heart transplant doctor. Everything seems to be okay, except, it is time to move her pic line. It is currently in her arm and next week will be moved to her chest, where it should remain until she gets her new heart. This IV juice is doing well for her and I hope and pray it will continue to help keep her on her feet.

Thank you all for your prayers and kind words/deeds. I know she appreciates everyone!

I'm singing the weekend blues. We can't wait for Friday and in the blink of an eye...it's Monday. With a game on Friday night, game on Saturday, church Sunday and everything else we squeeze in between, the weekends are as busy as the week.

Exhausted to say the least. But amidst all the hustle and bustle of the have to's, we squeezed in a little family fun. My sweet cousin M and my auntie M got us girls together for an evening out. Tony's is all the rave. My breathe still testifies to the fact. Sorry if you got within 5 ft. of me:)

Above: Auntie M and Cousin M.....hats off to you for getting us together.

The occasion was 3 decades worth of birthdays. Cousin M is 30, Sister P will be 40, Auntie M will be 50 before the year is out. Lots of laughs and Mom learned something new:) lol!!!!

Above: Auntie M, Cousin M, and Sister P.....30 years of youth:)

Above: Cousin M and Mom....Cousin M taught Mom a thing or two tonight:)

Below: Auntie M and the iron man:)

Above: This is our inheritance:)

There's nothing like a good laugh!

Back to work.....working for the weekend:) I love life!

Carrie

The Maverick!

Inserting foot into mouth as I watched the GOP Convention last night....

Last night I learned that this man McCain is a fighter. I had no idea just how he suffered as a POW. I cannot fathom the torture he endured for us. And his Mother, 90+ years young, imagine the heartache she suffered with her husband and son in war. She is one tough lady. I learned of his family and how compassionate his wife Cindy is.

Needless to say I have a greater respect for the man. I know he is not a perfect man, but he is one who has definitely paid his dues and worked his way up the ranks. Isn't that what life is all about? Reaching deep down within ourselves when life gets tough, the enemy is tempting us with an easy way out, and through all that we never give up, keeping our eyes homeward bound.

A sermon our pastor had a few Sundays ago came to mind. He spoke of, "What's God working with?" Referring to us. Nothing but dirt. Literally. When God made Adam He formed him from dirt. What does this have to do with McCain. Not sure:), but I was thinking about when he said he was thrown by the enemy into a pit in the ground. He was thrown back down into the earth from whence he came from. As low as one can get. To keep his sanity and come out of that to where he is now, is remarkable. Only God can pull you from your pit of trouble, pain, sorrow, helplessness, despair. He's the potter, we are the clay. Every time we go through the fire, it shapes us to become the beautiful creature God planned for us to be.

I don't know about you, but his speech just got me to thinking about how good God is. Whether McCain realizes it or not, and I think he does, God had a plan for him. He has a plan for you. He has a plan for me. My prayer is that he will place me to be exactly where I need to be, even if it means I need to be put through the fire to get there.

McCain wasn't my choice in the beginning. But the man's got some sense...he did choose Palin! ;)

Can't promise this will be the last political post. I'm pretty stunned myself. This talking politics is waaaay out of my league. Talking about everyday struggles and principles I can do. But isn't that what our government should be talking about?

God bless,

Carrie

M is 3!

Getting to the Heart of the Matter........



This marks my 170th post! Wow...have I had that much to say? Some would agree...some not:) I've blogged about everything from church, family, school, community, friends, politics, pet peeves, and so on and so on. Somehow between the 1st post and the 169th post, I've pushed back the real reason of my blogging. Maybe that's where "it" stays....pushed back in the far corner of my mind....ever present....but just back far enough to allow life to go on. The "it" of course is Mom being on the heart transplant list. Maybe I've not talked much about "it" for her. She is not one for wanting attention. I certainly don't want to hurt her. But it seemed to have hit me, again, like a ton of bricks today. Out of the blue...wham.... Maybe I like to think if I don't write about it, then everything must be okay. Well yes she is okay for now, but.... I don't like buts. So therefore, I'm not saying it:)



I visited with Mawmaw today. She gave Mom and my aunt a little scare early this morning, when my aunt received a call from her hospice nurse. She was having chest pains. She is better and I went to eyeball her for Mom. We had a nice little talk and as always she felt impelled to be helping me or somebody. She felt like a burden. To which I told she was not and never would be. She said she is not good with just setting. Yeah, makes my heart hurt too. She is the epitome of gracefulness.



Mom is just like her. That's why you will see Mom out and about with IV bag in tow...now in this chic new bag my friend TW brought home from PF, TN...especially for Mom. BTW....don't know if she ever told you...but she hearts it!! Her transplant doctor even commented on how stylish it was. Every woman knows you can handle anything with a great bag and some kicking shoes:) Mom's is the black/white one.



Okay back to my point. I have lots of questions/fears about heart transplants. No doubt about that. So I google it. My question today was, "why is it so hard for her to get one with her antibodies?" What I found was since Mom had multiple pregnancies and with each pregnancy her body produced antibodies in response to foreign proteins. So to find a donor match that has her same blood type and the donor, after tested, does not show many antigens that she has antibodies against, well, to say the least may be a little harder to find. I didn't say impossible...just harder. What comforts me is nothing is too hard for God.



As we map out which road to take, where to meet, who to call when she is here or there, etc...it all boils down to a wait. Thankfully, she is responding well to the IV treatment plan. God has a plan. We pray for her strength, patience and His will to be done.



Many more questions and feelings come into play here. Something that will take several posts to cover. I'll spare you today. Just one question at a time. Feel free to comment. Discussion is good for the soul.

Thanks for all your prayers and kind words, we couldn't make it without you.

Carrie

McCain totally rocked the Republican Party with Palin's nomination as his Vice President running mate all on the anniversary of women's suffrage. So let's see what you think? Will Palin help or hurt McCain? This is taking into consideration the latest news about her pregnant teenage daughter, the investigation going on into the firing episode with her sisters' husbands' boss, and her husbands drunk driving arrest some years ago. Hope I got all that right? Anyway it was definitely a shocker. Hubby just heard about her this morning when he turned to the news. Needless to say we don't watch a lot of TV. But even I watched the special news conference the day he officially announced Palin as his choice.:) To which hubby would say I have nothing do:)

As for me, I don't think we can judge her by her children's behavior. Yes, we as parents are the most influential in our children's upbringing, but let's remember why we are called teenagers during those 13-19 years. No matter how much church they get or discipline they receive, kids will be kids, they will disappoint......I know I cannot cast the first stone. As parents we pray that they will follow God's direction for their life, but like us, they are human. Not approving of the situation, just being realistic and sympathetic.

The press is nasty. To me this is below the belt kind of punch. What we need to do as a nation is to pray diligently for the campaign and Palin and her family. I cannot fathom the anguish she and her family must be going through at the time, not to mention having to deal with a campaign. Let's pray for our own children that they will forever be strong enough to resist the wiles of the Devil and not fall prey to his tricks.

On the other hand, I also see that Palin must have known what kind of spotlight this would be on her family. But what she portrayed to me was a woman who loves her family and has strong convictions. Is this VP worthy? Probably. Every political figure has their buried chest of things they would rather keep buried. Don't we all?

Yes, I am a woman. And it did kick it up a notch for McCain. I'm just saying. Who would have thought that Republicans could be the first to have a woman elected VP? I was floored. It struck me as somewhat funny. What a contrast. Not funny, she can't do the job, funny seeing an old war veteran and a mother of five.....talking about bridging the gap.

One thing is for sure, it woke me up and got my attention to the campaign. I have been praying for this election and the future of our country, but was not following it that close. Now I'm researching and watching the news on a daily basis. I guess McCain accomplished what he set out to........ at least with me.

I pray and hope for God's will to be done in this election. God is in control. It's up to the people to heed to His call. After all He gives us a choice. Let's choose God!

So, let's have us a poll. It's over on the right side of the page at the top. Check it out and by all means vote! God Bless America!

Carrie

Here's My Sign!

This here sign was in my yard this morning!

Thanks BT! You will pay! And pay dearly!! You better get those glasses back out...'cause you won't see what's coming your way:)

Yes, that is a threat! :)

Here's the master mind behind the sign......

No further explanation needed:)

P.S. Check out the spelling on the sign. The first one to find the misspelled word and leaves a comment...gets the vintage Mule Day Official Event Staff T-Shirt! See picture below.....I'll even iron it for you:)