Prayer Request

Asking all my friends to please add my cousin-in-law Lauren Clemmons to your prayer list. She was diagnosed with breast cancer a couple of weeks ago. It is also in her lymph nodes, but thankfully the body scan showed it wasn't in any other organs. She will have surgery this Friday (Sept. 25). Lauren is in her late 20's -early 30's. She & my cousin Jody have 3 children. Please remember this young family. Jody's dad, my uncle also has cancer and Lauren's dad had cancer surgery the same day that she had her biopsy done. It seems it is coming at them from all angles. I know they are feeling overwhelmed. Thanks.

Ashley's Grove Baptist Church 100th Anniversary Celebration

What a splendid day! Our church celebrated it's 100th anniversary today. Prayers were answered and the weather was absolutely PERFECT! It was wonderful to see family and friends, renew old friendships and meet new people. Two of our former pastors were able to join us today. View the group photo at Conway Photo's blog http://conwayphotoshop.blogspot.com.
Many thanks to those who spent months planning and working to make today memorable for so many people. I know many of them are totally exhausted tonight, having spent most of the last two weeks at church working on the final details. But I'm sure it is a contented tiredness. Everything was wonderful and I've heard so many good comments. Glad many of you could spend the day with us too.
Now it's time to head back to bed (had a fabulous nap this evening!) and get ready to face the little darlings at school tomorrow. What shall wonderful stories will we read this week???

No more reading!!

I made a BIG proclamation yesterday: I'm not going to read anymore!! This is a pretty heavy statement for a librarian. It just hurts too much! Thursday night I read a book that just broke my heart.
Let me explain: The book was "Grandpa's Mountain", a 1991 children/young adult novel, set in the mountains of Virginia, during the Great Depression. The point of view was from an 11 yr. old girl who spent the summers with her grandparents in the mountains. She got through the year looking forward to her summers with them. The story is about when they were buying the land to build the Blue Ridge Parkway. The book is fiction, but much of it is based on the true story of a man who fought to save his land. In the novel, the girl's grandfather does all he can to save his ancestoral home & business, but in the end, they are moved out and their home burned. He eventually works through his grief, and moves on to the challenge of rebuilding their lives. It's a good book overall, but just heart wrenching.
When I read a book, especially novels, I get totally absorbed into them. I really identified with the characters' love of their land in this book, and how the girl felt-it's how I feel about our homeplace here in Conway. It's the place I escaped to from the city when I was growing up. My roots are miles deep there. Right now, I don't even want to see the Blue Ridge Parkway, Shenandoah National Park, or Skyline Drive! Yes millions of people have enjoyed it through the years, building it provided jobs for many when they desperately needed jobs, and many of the people benefited by moving to more modern homes, etc. But to have their homes & outbuildings burned so they couldn't go back, sometimes with them watching...just horrible!!

But, all's well that ends well: My resolve only lasted about 3 minutes. I made my bold statement as Alan started down the book aisle at WalMart, by the time I was halfway down the aisle, I spied a book (3 novels in 1) set in West Virginia (one of my favorite places to read about), and 2 of them written by authors I love. I'm back to devouring words! I can do without chocolate (for awhile), but not my books!!! Those of you who know me, know this. Every room in my house has books &/or magazines in it, and of course I'm surrounded by them at work. I'm like a mouse in a cheese factory- YUM YUM!!

I'm back!

I've missed blogging lately, tried to keep reading others, but didn't have time to blog. I've been helping Mama & Daddy in their garden & yard some the last couple of weeks. Picking butter beans, making tomato juice (I let Mama can it), weeding flower beds at my house and theirs. Mama & I have been shopping a little bit too. Hit a few antique shops & found a few treasures. Today I found a hobnail milk glass cookie jar. I was thrilled, because I saw one in May for much more.
If you get a chance you need to visit the new Riverside Mill in Weldon, NC. There are some beautiful paintings, whimsical metal sculptures, wood items, pottery and more in the gallery area. Then there are quite a few booths of antiques & collectibles-prices vary from very reasonable to a bit high-something for most budgets though. There are also shops in the basement. (We didn't get down there-Mama was getting too tired).
Mama is still having trouble breathing and getting so weak. Still has some doctor appt. coming up. Continue remembering her and Geraldine (Alan's mom) in your prayers. She also has more appt. scheduled. They have some days that they can get around fairly well, then days that they can hardly make it. Both are really frustrated as well as worried.
Oh, almost forgot! I finally made my 10% weight loss goal this week, actually passed it! I've lost a total of 27.4 lbs now! The last few weeks I've been up & down by 1-1 1/2 lbs. couldn't seem to quite get to the goal. I was so happy Wed. night when I finally got there. I've been able to get into some clothes that I haven't worn in several years! Had to buy a few new tops too-one & two sizes smaller!!! Much more to go, but I know it can be done! I have 2 Dr. appts. this week, for checkups and I can't wait to see what they have to say!
Hope everyone has a blessed Sunday!

Meanderings

We had a wonderful relaxing week at Holden Beach, NC last week! Plus we got to spend some time with my Dad's side of the family. Alan & I spent a few hours at the beach each day, rode bikes, walked, visited uncles, aunts & cousins, & ate too much! One night my aunt cooked a delicious country supper (fried pork chops, rice & gravy, homemade biscuits, beans, cabbage, fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, & cantalope). My aunt is a wonderful cook and the food was sooo good, but sharing it with family around the table was the best part. Always a highlight to a trip down there is if we get to spend some time with one of my cousins & his family. He's like a brother to me. We had lunch with them one day which was really a treat. I hate I didn't get to see much of my other cousins, but they weren't on vacation and the work must go on. It was a simple week, extremely enjoyable. Even with all the splurging on food - I still managed to lose 1.6 lbs for a total of 25 lbs lost!!! I was thrilled! I had hoped for 2.6 to reach my 10% goal, but hopefully that will come this week!

This week we had a scare with Alan's mom and she had to have a heart cath on Thursday, but her problem isn't with her heart. We are thankful for that, but she will have more tests to hopefully find out what is causing her trouble. My mom is still undergoing tests and seeing specialists to determine what is causing her weakness & shortness of breath. She & Geraldine have similar symptoms, but some differences. Thanks for the prayers for both ladies and please continue remembering them.

If you're a regular reader, you know that Alan & I don't live what most people would call an "exciting" life, we don't travel to exotic places or do whatever those exciting people do, but it's the life we've chosen & we treasure it. Our world pretty much revolves around our families, a few close friends, church, work, home and a few civic activities. We love living in our small rural hometown: it's who we are-where we come from... (are you humming a country song yet?) I'm country. I truly believe I would suffocate and die in a big city! I have to have room, know the people around me, feel and smell the dirt and grass.It may sound trite, but it makes me smile & brightens my day when friends wave as we pass each other on the road or stop to chat as we walk by each other's houses. Sure, it's frustrating sometimes when it seems everyone knows your business, but the upside is that when you need support, friends are there to show concern & help. I'm content with our life, frankly extremely thankful for our life. Does that mean I'm too simplistic, idealistic, & shallow? Am I inferior because I don't read deep philosphical books that I can't even pronounce the title or author? Should I even care? Several conversations during the last few months have me wondering. Am I so different from others? Sometimes I think I must have been kidnapped by aliens from the 1800's or early twentieth century and brought back in 1963.
Sorry for totally rambling, maybe you can make some sense of it all.

Happy Father's Day!

Wishing my Daddy (Ernie) and Alan's Dad (J.P.) a Happy Father's Day! The moms will probably get me for not writing about them on Mother's Day! Another time Moms!)
We had a wonderful lunch with our dads and the rest of our family here at our house.
Down-home Southern country cooking-it doesn't get much better. Baked ham, fresh homegrown (Daddy) snaps (green beans for readers outside of northeastern NC), squash, hashbrown casserole, rice cooked in ham broth, potato salad and pineapple cake. I'll definitely need to get some exercise going this week!! But really most things were cooked following Weight Watchers & diabetic guidelines, including the cake. (We won't talk about portion control though). LOL.

Alan, Shari & I are very fortunate when it comes to our dads! They are the best two dads in the world!! Both are honorable men, strong in their Christian faith and love for their families. Daddy and J.P. both are firm disciplinarians when they need to be, but also the ones we seek for for strength & comfort when we need it. They both enjoy gardening and piddling around outside. Both men are well-known for their teasing and aggravating! You're okay if they are teasing & picking on you, but if they aren't-you'd better tread lightly. One of the special bonds between J.P. and I is our love of flowers and animals. We always have to walk around each other's yards to see what's blooming, and trading plants & bulbs. I must say I've gotten the better end of that deal-he has more to share than I do. I've enjoyed his chickens, peacocks, collies and other animals through the years (not so much the parrots & Quaker Parakeets & tarantula!). I love him dearly and am so glad he is my father-in-law, and so glad he raised such a wonderful son.

I'm totally a Daddy's Girl and my daddy has always been my Hero, with a capital H! As a child, I wanted to be just like him! (Not so easy for a girl). I would get mad when people told me I looked "just like your Mama", which happens at least weekly now. When I was around 3 or 4, I cut my hair one night. I started above my ear! My comment was "I want to be like my daddy!" I had a very short pixie for awhile. I always wanted to go wherever he went (and didn't like it one bit if I couldn't go.) To this day, he better not leave without telling me "Bye" and hugging me, or I'll be in tears. I think some of this comes from him being a NC State Trooper, and we realized the importance of saying goodbye and getting a hug before he left for work each day, because you just never knew if it would be the last one. Of course none of us do, but it was a high risk profession. While I want my mama and Alan there when I'm upset or something is wrong, I need my "Diddy" too. They each have an important, yet different role to play. Somehow it just seems that it will be all right eventually if he is there. Daddy is the tower of strength and wisdom in our family. He has impeccable judgement and the gift of discernment, so I, as well as other family members & friends often seek his guidance. Now if you know me, you know I love Alan with all my heart; he's my best friend & the other half of me, and he ranks right up there with Daddy, but he'll be the first to tell you that 99% of the time I'll go with what Daddy says. Can't help it, just the way I am.
I love you "Diddy" and you're still my HERO!

Summertime and the livin's easy (almost)

Well, school is out and I should be out too, but I have a little more cleaning up and wrapping up loose ends to take care of tomorrow and then I'll be done for the summer!!! Of course I have about 2 summers' worth of stuff I want to do during these few weeks! Tons of stuff to do around the house & yard, going to the beach, doing some fun stuff with Corey & Shari, spending time with our family & friends, helping Mama & Daddy in their garden, swinging on my porch, walking, going on some day trips with Alan, sleeping late a few days, reading, scrapbooking, crafting....wonder if I'll get 1/4 of it done? I'll take it a day at a time and try to enjoy each to it's fullest.
Hope everyone has a great week.