stories as promised....

here is a warning...jamie got her drivers license...i am having issues accepting the fact that she is old enough to be driving and the fact that she graduates this year...i remember her first day of school...even the outfit she wore...pastel checked dress with little ducks and chickens on it...okay on with the story tuesday night she wanted to go over to a friend's house...it is like 10 miles...so stephen told her to go straight there and straight back...to call when she got there and when she left...she did...we were so proud...until...the next morning stephen was taking me to work and when we got in the truck...the tank was empty...yes i said empty...he says, "i am going to kill Jamie...she has run all the gas out and did not bother to tell anybody." i come to her defense and say, well she probably did not have any money...so we go on about our day....that afternoon he came to get me from work and had a smug look on his face...he proceeds to tell me the latest conversation he has had with jamie...jamie has called and wanted to know if she could go to her friend's house...stephen said, "no, not after what you pulled last night." jamie was speechless....stephen had tripped the odometer the night before...when we got in the truck he saw that she had been 56 miles....she was busted....i am sure this is the first of many stories....i just cracked up...for once i am not the bad guy...she stayed at home .....

My Thanksgiving...

on this thanksgiving, i am lying in bed with kidney stones and also on administrative call for work...my family is spread out right now doing thanksgiving things...now please do not feel sorry for me, my family would have been more than happy to nurse me while we were out at family dinners, but i chose to stay at home and now am really glad i did...i have been reflecting over this past year, and wanted to share some of my thoughts... at this time of year.we look at our successes, failures, losses and so much more. i try to be thankful at all times and give thanks every day..not just once a year. now i am not saying that others are not thankful...i am just saying that i need to be more mindful of what i have and remember to give thanks daily...at one time in my life, i was running like my head was on fire...many people think i still do...the difference is that i have figured out what is of concern to me and what i can influence...i have become more proactive and less reactive...there are some things in our life that we just simply cannot do anything about...we can be concerned about those situations but we must not let them consume us....we need to focus on those areas that we can do something about - our circle of influence....some of you may be reading this and thinking, "ok what happened to ginny...who took her"...i have spent the greater majority of my life focusing on my circle of concern...trying to fix everything...trying to make everyone get along...trying to have the perfect home, with a perfect family, you know the whole 2.5 kids, middle income family...that is just not the way it is...i also spent alot of time worrying about what others thought about me...what were they saying about my religious views, what they thought of how i was raising my children, and here is the big one...the kind of house i live in...i live in a manufactured home - a double wide - ok i said it...for so long i let that define my home....a home is a not a structure...a home is a feeling...after i quit worrying about people thinking less of me because i lived in a manufactured home i became happier and more at peace...it may come as a surprise to many of you but it does bother me what others think of me...i know i come across as this hard nose, purpose driven, goal driven person...i do have a heart...all of my tears, fears, heartaches, sleepless nights, all came to a wonderful resolution a few weeks ago...jamie was not feeling well and she was laying beside me in the bed...she said, "you know momma, when jenifer tries to cuddle up to me it feels so weird, but when i cuddle up with you it is just natural...i love you." that is the moment that i realized that i have so much to be thankful for...i realized that what i do everyday does matter...i realized that i was loved...and i also realized that had so much more to do for my family. there is no greater task given to a woman than to be a mother and a wife...i cannot explain the love i have for my family...but it is great...i just hope that as i begin a new year, i can be more thankful each day...i hope that my circle of influence becomes greater and my circle of concern gets smaller....i am so thankful that my God does not expect perfection, He accepts my failures, He picks me up when i have fallen, He forgives me...i have a great family...oh we have our moments but we love each other dearly....i am so thankful for my children...they are good kids that keep me laughing...i ache for those parents who have lost their children, i cannot imagine...i have a wonderful husband that loves me unconditionally - and that is a big job, i have a great job, i have parents that love me and are always there for me, i have a sister that i could not live without, i have the most awesome friends in the world, i so do not deserve any of this...do you remember that song we used to sing in Bible class,"he's still working on me...to make me what i ought to be"...well He is still working on me and it is a blessing that failure is never final unless it is the last time you try" love to all

stories from 104....

* a few saturdays ago i had to work...jacob wakes me up and says, "momma since you have to work today you need to have breakfast made for you.." so when i get my shower and go in the kitchen, there is a plate, silverware and a juice glass on the table...he then tells his dad, "you are on egg duty" dad tells him the eggs are expired so jacob replies, "well then we will just make her gourmet toast." so when the toast is done...he sits down beside me and puts the butter and jelly on my toast...how sweet is that...

*jamie cleaned up the kitchen a couple of nights ago...so the next morning i get up to get my coffee mug...i open the top rack of the dishwasher and there is something dangling yes i said dangling......i look and it is 3 teabags dangling from the top rack...she had put the tea boiler in the top rack and did not even look to see if there was anything in it...please remember this is the same child who told me she could not scramble the hamburger meat because the meat skillet was dirty...you know we couldn't have washed it or used another skillet...

*jacob gets in the car with my sister the other day after school (she picks them up everyday)...he gets in and he is quiet...yes this is very unusual for him...she asks him what is wrong an dhe announces, "lib i have had a bad day and i am just pissed off." no i do not condone cussing but this just came out of the blue....

this is not a funny story...yet...but jamie has been going out with her friends...i have been allowing her to ride with friends...therefore, i do not get any sleep until she is home...i know that i am the old fart in this group and most of you have little kids...i am telling you it is not fun...love them as babies...they grow up was too fast....

hopefully i will have more later....

heavens to betsie and every other momma in the world...

mommas unite...is our work ever done? i promise i don't think it is...i get so discouraged when i go over to some of my daughter's friends houses and their house is "show perfect"...it drives me insane...we work in our house everyday but i swear that if an emergency happened and people showed up at my house unexpectedly...i would die and we would have another emergency....how do these women do it...i have washed no less than 7 loads of clothes...folded and put them up....and there is 70 more to do....i ask my daughter to sweep our kitchen and she sweeps half of it...WHAT...i pointed the other part to her and she looked at me like i was crazy...she did go and sweep it up...oh did i mention the medicine bottle she knocked around the floor and still did not pick it up...she usually does a real good job cleaning up...i guess tonight she was just off her game...oh and my son.... if i could figure out a way to burn his room without burning the rest of the house down i would...i am not kidding...it seriously needs Clean House's help...with Niece Nash...she would say it was nothing but foolishness...would it be wrong of me to send him off with his grandfather and go in his room and throw everything away...only leave his bed and dresser...i am SICK of it...those of you who knew me as a child...DO NOT say anything about my room...it was spotless compared to his...i would take a picture of it and put it up here but i am afraid that someone would call DHR and i am so embarrassed to admit something like this is in my house...i am convinced there are things growing in the carpet in his room... seriously...if anyone has any suggestions PLEASE help a sister out....i am about to scream...oh and as my friend beck says, "males should have never been allowed to come inside"...i'm just saying....

thankful thursdays....

i have so much to be thankful for...too much to list but here are some....
* dear friends that are more like family than friends - i will miss you aunt marsha
* beautiful weather that allowed my aunt marsha enter the pearly gates of heaven
*my dad is almost home - safely
*my job and my coworkers
*my kids - boy do i love those critters
* my friends that understand my eccentricness - is that a word
*every day
*my residents that i work with everyday - they are so sweet
*that i don't have to be sinless and perfect...and the Lord still loves me
*alabama football - sorry it is the fall
*my pets
hope everyone has a great friday

Gin and Beck's Wild God Chase

Dear Santa, I want a GPS because my OCD friend who printed out 8 maps to get to Memphis did not print one to get out of Memphis...We could have gotten to Memphis from Denver. The drive in was great...followed the directions...found hotel that should have been rented by the hour (i will exlpain that later.) found olive garden and found the forum...enjoyed some praise and Jesus and God and Beth and Travis and the list goes no...so it is time to turn in for the evening so that we can be fresh children of the Mighty King...this is where the story derails....see we had maps in every direction going to memphis but noone leading out...so we had to turn afore mentioned maps upside down to try to get out...so we do...EVERY ROAD WE TURNED ON WAS CLOSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We went in the same five block circles a bout five times. Don't ask me why we did not stop and ask directions form all the police officers...that would be they were too busy doing something else cause their cars were empty....yes i said empty. So my wonderful friend beck , says, oh there is a group of officers...i roll up to the red light...let me tell yall...they were officers all right just not police officers...they were in one of the groups where you got to kill someone to get in.....look i am into saving lives not ending them....at this point i look at becky and i say "I don't care where the next ramp to the intersection is we are getting on it....it will lead to somewhere." sure enough we find an on ramp get up on the freeway and are welcomed by, "Welcome to Arkansas." At this point i realize becky is terrified of bridges. She has toenails, all 10 of them dug into my carmats....if we had had a wreck she would have broken every stinkin toe...we get across the river and back...we decide that we are going to stop at taco bell....it is open all night....hungry people who know the city will be there....listen they had some fun with us...they knew we were lost...they knew we were from out of town...gave us our drink free and some directions...wrote them down directly...we ended up in corinth, mississippi a good 50 miles from where we were headed....we were so exhasued by the time we got back to our room...we did not know that beth's title of her lessons were going to be, "on a wild God chase" but sister we chased a goose a long time before we got to GOD!!! Praise the Lord. So we checked out the very morning, I overheard a lady say, "We should have these rooms by the hour...we were only here 4! I do it again for GOD!

t-minus not soon enough...

dear readers...i am so pumped...do you hear me...PUMPED....it is less than 72 hours before i hit the road and have a road trip with my college roommate - becky - we are both so excited...i know alot of times people lose touch with their roommates...well let me tell you me and becky are closer than ever...we have been through marriages, births, deaths, family issues and soooo much more together and i can't wait to see what God has up his sleeve for this Beth Moore conference...to get prepared and for other reasons, becky, suggested, no she TOLD me to go buy the book, "Get Out of That Pit"...i am so glad i did...this woman speaks from her heart....she has not had a rosy life herself...we are alot alike...anyway...besides that we will not have any kids...do not misunderstand me...there are no two women on this earth who love their younguns like me and beck...but she has 3 under 6 and i have a pre teen and a teenager...HELLO.....i am so excited i am having trouble sleeping - do you notice that it is midnight....oh well....

i told my co workers that i was going to get some santification...heaven knows i need it....the past few days i have been thinking how i would look in stripes cause i thought i was going to jail a few times....just for your information...i don't look good in stripes....i am round already and i do not need any help looking like a macy's day balloon floating down broadway....

have a great hump day!!!!