Have more Senior Moments

We were blessed this past weekend when my in-laws brought up my husband's grandparents ~ Granddaddy is 88 and Grammy is 87, and they had not traveled far from home in years.

Grammy doesn't look a day over 83 my youngest says 

Prior to their arrival, I was praying the lilies would open. We have plenty of other people come to our house, but I knew if the lilies opened for them they would take them in like a breath of fresh air.

 

They opened while they were here...

And as we were about to take Grammy on a drive through the mountains, she said, "I am going to put my glasses on so I don't miss one branch blowing in the wind."

And we enjoyed all the scenery,
including these beautiful wild flowers. 

And when it rained, she saw the plants bigger the next day, "because there was nothing like God's rain on the plants to help them grow."

And an early Mother's Day Brunch at the Country Club turned into an afternoon on it's back porch in rockers ~  watching the kids play, laughing at the chipmunks running around, and listening to the birds chirp.

Well, Grammy walks real slow and deliberately, saying , "she walks like she is one hundred." She claims she does this because she fell a couple of years ago and broke her arm and she wants to be careful.  

I am on to her though, I think she walks like she is one hundred because then you have time to enjoy every moment and the beauty in the world....So I encourage you to walk (or ride) like you are one hundred and I can assure you will see the world in a different light.  

The only thing that could have made the weekend better is if my Grandma in New York were here too, but her scooter doesn't travel that far....
Happy Mother's Day Grandma!

Is your Faith in a box?

We have been blessed with new neighbors!

They are busy unpacking boxes as you can see 

 And in my usual style, I got to thinking..

did you unpack your Faith after your last move? 

Or is your Faith taped up in a box, sealed tight and placed on a shelf at the top of your closet so 

NO ONE CAN SEE it?  

...or do you wear it out on RARE occasions, like a fancy dress or suit?

Or do you only wear it when you NEED it, like a snow jacket? 

Or is it under your clothes like SPANX, no one else knows you are wearing them, but you no longer have unsightly bumps, it just smooths everything out and you LOOK & FEEL BETTER.  It's not like you are wearing a sign that says, "Hey I have Spanx on," but YOU KNOW IT and you just feel good. 

(I guess for you guys out there, this would be the equivalent of the drawers with holes in them you still have from college, we know you have them and love to wear them.) 

Or do you wear your FAITH on your FEET? The actual shoes you are wearing, they go everywhere with you, PROTECTING you EVERY MOMENT. 

And people can SEE them too. They might say, "Hey, I really like your shoes, where did you get them?" 

Or is is like the over-sized bag high on your shoulder and you keep HITTING people with it and they get annoyed.  And then furthermore, you have to comment on the size of everyone else's bag or lack thereof too. 

Well, I have to run and do some unpacking myself...and go warn the neighbors they need to be careful what they put out in their trash, 

I might take a picture for my blog. 

Are you "Root Bound"?

Recently I pulled these plants out of the ground because as you can see, they weren't exactly thriving. They are "root bound", meaning their roots are all intertwined, tangled, and suffering without water... really slowly dying.

I got to thinking
How many of us are "Root Bound"?

How many of us out there are tangled up in our lives so we can't thrive and grow, bound by unneccesary people or things, even suffering in our day to day life?

As we celebrated Easter Sunday, and I taught the lesson in the kids Sunday School class

(mis-pronouncing Pontius Pilate "Pilates", in my usual style)

It hit me like a ton of bricks ~ isn't that why we celebrate Easter,

because Jesus died on the cross for our sins and so we don't have to be "root bound" anymore?

So Believe

Unburden yourself

Set yourself free

Live

and

    Thrive      

It's a Small World after all!

Sometimes I just wanna SCREAM!

(and clearly should go to the dentist) when I see the big bad news about the economy, murder, war, these crazy people who are called parents (using the term loosely) who don't feed their children and lock them in cages, or these wacko pedifiles that I wish I could line up execution style 

(yea I said it) 

or when I just try to understand insurance policies and why you pay for them yet are advised that if you file a claim it could be held against your 'record'

Then why do we pay???

  

At those moments the WORLD SEEMS LIKE A HUGE, BIG
place, that quite frankly, I fear for my children's future in!   

Right when I feel like that, that's when of course God has a way of stepping in and I am reminded... that no, actually it is a small world, and there are kind people full of smiles and faith. 

I recently was getting majorly OCD about having some furniture for our back deck (one of the things my husband loves ~ and can't stand ~ about me is that when I put my mind to something, well, there ain't nothing else I think about!) Not afraid of a good deal, I happily looked on ATL Craigslist.

I ended up getting a deal on a wicker loveseat and two chairs from this lovely family, and low and behold they lived right outside my neighborhood. Our children go to the same doctor right across the street. We both had sick children that day (yes, I dragged my sick child to pick up furniture, don't judge if you don't know what being *obsessed* is) 

and talked about family and church.

After our little visit, the world appeared a little smaller.

And then Tuesday when I was having a blah day

(where I am driving around trying to remember where I am going...

thinking, what am I doing...oh going to VOTE) 

After going to the wrong voting place, I finally ended up in the right place and *randomly* saw a friend and got to visit for a minute.

It's amazing how a smiling face can lift the spirits.

Then I *randomly* saw another friend at a store AND got a text from a friend who was just thinking about me

(although she was eating sushi without me, I will bring that up with her later!!)

Okay, the world is getting even smaller and I feel 

grateful, thankful, safe, happy, and .....taken care of.....

"Where did the love go?"

"I ate it."

As I am counting my Valentine Blessings and being thankful for the love in our home (and trying not to eat every wonderful sweet in sight!), I can't help but remember a conversation I had with my oldest when she was four years old.

It was time for bed and we had read our books and she said, "Mommy, tell me how your parents aren't married anymore..."

I said, "Well, they were married and when I was two, then they got divorced, which means you break up."

She said, "Mommy, no, I don't understand."

I said, "Well, sometimes when people are married, they don't get along..."

"Mommy, no, I don't understand."

"Well, you are married on a peice of paper and you have to go to a lawyer to get divorced."

"Mommy, no, I don't understand."

At this point I am like Help! "You go to a judge...."

Again, "Mommy, I don't understand, I mean... Where did the LOVE go?"

Sometimes as a parent you know God is by your side and helps you find the answer. I tearfully said, "Sweetie, I don't know where the love went, but what I do know is that your Mommy and Daddy love each other very much." It might not sound profound, but I know I had help when I said it! 

Oh, and we will have a whole different conversation when she is 14...like you can't date till you are 30, get to know someone really well... make sure you get along... and any boy will fill out the "Application to Date my Daughter"  as my husband cleans a gun at the coffee table... but I have time...

So you as you celebrate Valentines Day, I hope you feel loved and celebrate the love it your home, and remember the sweet verses below, also read at our wedding ~ 

 

13 Valentines & 13 (or something) pounds later ~
Happy Valentine's Day Honey!

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act  unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails... But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7,13

Keep on Trucking

So this post is really for all of us out there who are trying to make something happen, who are getting inspired by all the quotes people put on Facebook, like, "Better to try than say you never did"... Or the new page quotes people are "pinning".. and I have to confess I also get inspired by American Idol! The singer in me who was not ever good at singing just loves that show!

A picture from my days in a singing group "Keep on Trucking"
Okay, not really, but look what you can get at Goodwill!

 So I am forever working on marketing my labor of love and I had to giggle yesterday as I worked all day  fancy-ing up my website and making a new YouTube video, while I had cleaners here cleaning the house around me!

I didn't even move for the vacumn.

Clearly if I didn't have the tunnell vision obsession for my sweet book,

I technically would be cleaning the house. 

BUT we all know which is more fun.

P.S. Thank you to my husband for indulging this dream of mine!

And truthfully, I was never very good at cleaning, but that is another blog post!

And I have added some new vocabulary to my Marketing 101

• Embedding is not something a tick does
• A mouseover is also quick like a rodent
• Pinning is very time consuming just like sewing, but they have nothing to do with each other...Oh I take that back, you could PIN sewing!  

It doesn't matter what your dream or passion is, just keep it alive...Alas, here it is....

Think before you speak

Recently I had the wonderful opportunity to be part of the 2011 Savannah Children's Book Festival. There was an awesome reception the night before where I and the other "Coastal Authors" a.k.a. mostly self-published,  were in the same room wih the "Famous Authors", a.k.a. Publisher represented.

It was such a empowering feeling to be side by side and recognized with such talent, we even got to sign the wall in the library!

The event was a success with thousands in attendance and I even got to sell my book to a sweet little girl named Haven.

Well, to tell you a bit about myself, I have been told many times during conversations that I don't preface the topic I am speaking about...I just jump right in...leaving some slightly confused.  A few close friends have no problem following "Katie Talk" (my husband isn't always one of them!) 

So here I am at this wonderful event, and this man comes up and asks, "How did you come up with the name Haven for the book?"

I respond, "Well, when my daughter was born, it was her name for about two hours, then..."

He looked so sad, and said, "I'm so sorry.." I stood there confused and it took me a second, then I said, "Oh, no, what I was about to say was....then we changed her name. She is seven years old. It was only her name for two hours because my husband had another name in mind!"  

You and I may not have the same sense of humor, but I sure got a chuckle out of that conversation once we were all straight. 

And what I should have said was, "Haven is is my father-in-laws middle name and the perfect name for my first book." 

A Happy New Year to all as we embark on the adventure 2012 brings.....