Thankful

Thanksgiving Day was spent in Murray, KY with the VonBokern and Renfro families.  So much could be written here … but because “update the blog” is not on my To Do list today, I’ll give you the short version and a few pictures.

Stayed up too late. Ate too much food. Had too much fun.

Thank you, Lord, for safe travels and a beautiful Christian family who loves YOU and EACH OTHER!!!

Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works. Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD. Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually. Remember his marvelous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth…

I Chronicles 16:8-12

Sunday Night Friends

We provided the food, Dad provided the entertainment.

Notice the hand motions. Utter confusion.

I got it! Oh, wait, nevermind.

The following pictures are posted purely for the benefit of Sarah Roach.

On the Move

Once again, Shelbyville welcomes

Gerald and Patricia VonBokern!

Shocker, eh!?

That’s right! Dad and Mom called us up a few Mondays ago and said, “Here we come!”  The Sparta home is on the market … but until it sells the Vons are living in a furnished apartment eight houses down from where we live (so we can keep a close eye on them)!  We are so very happy to have them here!

How To: Rid Hiccups

Ben convinced Valerie to drink water out of her glass backwards so that her hiccups would cease to exist.

Once she stopped laughing, it worked. Love Love Love her.

Upon further research… Tips for getting rid of hiccups:

• Plug your nose and ears then swallow 20 times as fast as possible.
• If you notice a friend has a case of hiccups, it is believed that you can “scare” them away. Sneak up on them and give ‘em a good jolt. What? They don’t have hiccups? Do it anyway!
• Squawk like a chicken while flapping your arms and bobbing your head as if you were pecking at something. Bugawk!
• Laugh. Think of something funny, or do something funny – see above.
• Exaggerate your hiccups by inhaling right as you hiccup – this will result in a long and loud “huuuaaagggghhh” that’ll either be funny or embarrassing depending on your environment, but after 2-4 of these the hiccups should be gone.
• Distract yourself. Sing a song, go over your 7 times tables (7 x 1 = 7, 7 x 2 = 14, etc) until the hiccups are gone.

Did you know…?  The longest hiccup ever known was experienced by an American pig farmer whose hiccups persisted from 1922 to 1987.  Wow.

The Last of October Happenings

Thank the Lord for an AMAZING  month!  It was busy, but not so much that we couldn’t enjoy it … it was just right.

October = Pastor Appreciation month.  A good excuse to have some company!  We had dinner with Dad & Mom Smith, as well as the Spiveys.

Rough & Tough Soldier -Keegan Spivey

Sweet Baby Cameron Spivey

October 24th was named “Make a Difference Day”, so that’s what we did.  Several people from the church joined up to make a difference in our church and community.

Abby and I made a difference to this flower bed by pulling some weeds (make that ALOT of weeds!).

My Nathan cleaning the fans. I'm so grateful for a husband who "makes a difference" everyday!

Here's the group receiving an earthly reward for their labors. Papa John's pizza remains the best even if you have to eat it outside on a cold and windy day.

Brennan Marshall giving a Papa John's cheese smile for the camera. This little guy worked along side me for over an hour, helping me spot clean the carpets! He was very good at finding the spots!

Here’s a picture from a recent girl’s night with Candy Fox and Angee Vincent.  It was Angee’s turn to ‘host’ the evening, so we went out to eat then shopped at Khol’s.  Shopped? No … more like spent two and a half hours talking/walking/sitting around the store, then buying a pair of socks!

Date label in my mashed potatoes = FREE DESSERT!

Last Friday I began to miss my family a little more than usual.  I know the Lord knew just what I needed because the very next day I received a phone call from my niece, Lydia, who told me she missed me and wanted to come stay with me for a few days.  She insisted that she bring her mother, of course.  That was fine with me!  Dad & Mom came and stayed too … it felt SO WONDERFUL to be with my family!

And that brings us up to November.  Really?  November already?  That means the  holidays!  Family get-togethers, lots of food, Christmas music, baking, hot chocolate, parties, snow, shopping, traffic, … I say BRING IT ON!!!

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year…”

Warning: Sappiness Ahead!

Although I realize that Sweetest Day is actually a day meant to celebrate all the people who make your life special, it is especially difficult for me not to focus on one particular person in my life …

407 days of pure sweetness…

and it just gets sweeter as the days go by!

HAPPY SWEETEST DAY, NATHAN!

Humble Happenings

Our October so far …

We got our month started off right.  On the 1st we attended a “Total Money Makeover” seminar in Indianapolis.   Since then, “budget” has been a more frequent word in our vocabulary!  Can you guess who is our household “Free Spirit” and who is our “Nerd”?

"But Dave Ramsey says ... "

We are adjusting to Nathan’s new work schedule… and loving it!  As of the end of September, he resigned his job at Gibault, and has accepted more hours at Whispering Hope. His daily responsibilities consist of various activities involving sandblasting, maintenance/construction, funeral/burial services, and many other assignments that I’ll leave for you to ask him about! His schedule on a ‘normal’ work day is 8-5, with lunch at home! Love it!  No more going in at six a.m., or getting off at 11p.m.  Of course, his work day doesn’t necessarily end at five.  He fills his evenings with misc. business related work, lawns, volunteer work, etc..

My hard worker, tearing out an unnecessary closet.

Bus ministry incentive: perfect attendance for a month = ice cream party!   On our van, two boys earned their reward.  Luke insisted that he wanted the “bucket” from Walmart, while his brother, Zach, was not to be convinced that the “bucket” was the better deal, so he opted for a DQ fudge blizzard.

WE LOVE CHOCOLATE! So who got the better deal?

Some shots of recent Sunday night company:

A Good Day

Today I:

Put flannel sheets on the bed.

Watered the mum.

Ate a bowl of chili.

Wore a hoodie.

Walked through a field of sunflowers.

Yes!  Fall is here!!!

Discovered this gorgeous field of sunflowers on my way home from the dentist!

Enjoyed sharing my find with a handsome man later on in the evening.

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine...

This new job is really affecting him.

Is it really worth it?!

While I was taking part in the scene above, the doorbell rang three times and the phone rang twice.  ”Are you ok?!” How silly I felt when my simple reply was “I’m just cutting onions. (sniff).”

After yesterday’s episode of cutting onions for chili, I paid a visit to Google and asked how to: “not weep while chopping onions”!!!!

The net offered these suggestions:

1. Cut the onion while rinsing it in water.

2. Refrigerate or put it in the freezer 15 min. before chopping.

3.  Put a piece of white bread in your mouth …!?

4. Cut near an open flame (such as a candle).

5. Vigorously chew a piece of gum.

6. Rinse your knife in cold water after each cut.

7. Sip cold water.  Hold it in your mouth, and when it warms spit it out and get another (apparently the “spit out” part is crucial, because if you swallow the water your eyes will burn twice as much).  ?!

8. Spritz cutting board with vinegar.

9.  Remove the ‘core’ before slicing.

10.  Keep a slice of lemon in your mouth … or a mint.

11. Wear goggles. They sell goggles just for onions! Ha!

12. Cut onions with eyes closed.  Do not try this at home.

13.  Lick the onion.  Eww!

14. Run your wrist under cold water.

15. Purchase pre-cut onions!!!! Duh!

Hmmm.  Which piece of advice shall I try first? Perhaps a combination?

Couldn’t Resist

My brother-in-law (I’ll let you guess which one) sent me this “daily chuckle”.  Just had to share …