Coconut oil- The latest craze

Coconut oil: You may have been hearing it talked about lately. You may know a lot about it or you may be totally puzzled about it or you may be like me and want to learn about it. I have been using coconut oil for a few months for different things and I am constantly hearing new ways to use it. So I ran across this list posted on a friends Facebook page so I borrowed it. Check out the list and feel free to also do your own research as well.

 80 TOTALLY AWESOME USES FOR COCONUT OIL 

 Personal Hygiene/Body:
1. Moisturizer – simply scoop some out of the jar and apply all over your body, including neck and face.
2. Eye cream – apply under the eyes to reduce puffiness, bags, and wrinkles. Use on the lids in the evening.
3. Preshave – coconut oil will prep skin for the pending damage caused by shaving.
4. Aftershave – coconut oil will help heal your skin after shaving without clogging pores.
5. Deodorant – coconut oil alone can be used as a deodorant, but even more effective in combination with cornstarch/arrowroot powder and baking soda!
6. Hair Conditioner/Deep Treatment - use as a leave in hair conditioner by applying a teaspoon of coconut oil to your ends and then running your fingers through your hair to distribute the rest! For a deeper treatment, rub in a tablespoon of coconut oil onto your dry scalp and gently work through to the ends. Put a shower cap on to prevent transfer onto bed linens and leave on overnight.
7. Hair Gel/Defrizzer – rub a little between your palms and either scrunch into hair (for curly hair) or finger comb in through from scalp to ends (for wavy/straight hair).
8. Toothpaste – there are numerous recipes out there but I just mix coconut oil and baking soda and dab a little of the mix on my toothbrush.
9. Make up remover – use a cotton swab and a dab of coconut oil and you would be amazed at how well it works!
10. Chapstick – just rub a little into lips and it not only acts as a softening agent but it also has an SPF of about 4 so you get a little protection!
11. Massage Oil – pretty simple; grab some and rub!
12. Lubricant – it is an all natural, perfectly safe personal lubricant. Not compatible with latex!
13. Sunscreen
14. Stretch Mark Cream – coconut oil is great at nourishing damaged skin. It may not be the magic stretch mark cure but it will help.
15. Nipple Cream – works great to nourish cracked, sore, or dry nipples. Apply to a cotton ball and leave on your nipples between feedings.
16. Diaper salve – very comforting on a rashy bum with no harsh chemicals. Also safe for cloth diapers.
17. Cradle cap – having issues with dry skin on your baby’s scalp? Coconut oil will not only nourish your baby’s skin, it also helps eliminate cradle cap. Just rub a teaspoon onto scalp daily.
18. Body scrub – mix coconut oil and sugar together and rub all over! Rinse off and your skin will be super soft! You can add in essential oils if you would like a specific smell.
19. Healing - when applied on scrapes and cuts, coconut oil forms a thin, chemical layer which protects the wound from outside dust, bacteria and virus. Coconut oil speeds up the healing process of bruises by repairing damaged tissues. Plus, it smells a heck-of-a-lot better than anything from the pharmacy.
20. Bug Bites – when applied directly to a bug bite, coconut oil can stop the itching and burning sensation as well as hasten the healing process.
21. Skin problems – coconut oil relieves skin problems such as psoriasis, dermatitis, and eczema.
22. Swimmers Ear – mix garlic oil and coconut oil and put a few drops in affected ear for about 10 minutes. Do this 2-3 times a day and it usually works within one or two days.

General Health and Wellness
23. Stress Relief - relieve mental fatigue by applying coconut oil to the head in a circular, massaging motion. The natural aroma of coconuts is extremely soothing thus helping to lower your stress level.
24. Digestion - the saturated fats in coconut oil have anti-bacterial properties that help control, parasites, and fungi that cause indigestion and other digestion related problems such as irritable bowel syndrome. The fat in coconut oil also aids in the absorption of vitamins, minerals and amino acids, making you healthier all around.
25. Fitness - coconut oil has been proven to stimulate your metabolism, improve thyroid function, and escalate energy levels, all of which help decrease your unwanted fat, while increasing muscle.
26. Nose bleeds - coconut oil can prevent nose bleeding that is caused by sensitivity to weather such as extreme hotness and extreme coldness. This condition happens when the nasal passages become dry because of cold or dry air resulting to burns and cracks in the mucus membranes so bleeding happens. To prevent this just put coconut oil in you nostrils. Coat your finger with coconut oil and then lie down and coat your finger inside your nose. Doing this will strengthen and protect the capillaries in the nasal passages. A Vitamin C supplement will also help prevent nose bleeding.
27. For breastfeeding moms, consuming 3 ½ tablespoons of coconut oil daily will enrich your milk supply.
28. Helps with weight loss & controlling cravings.
29. Helps keep blood sugar levels stable and/or helps with cravings in those with diabetes.
Health Problems (that coconut oil is known for aiding, relieving, or even curing when taken internally)
30. Eczema – in addition to taking it internally, many have success applying it externally, some don't
31. Skin problems
32. Toenail fungus
33. Hot flashes
34. Bleeding hemorrhoids (can also be applied externally twice a day)
35. HIV
36. Head lice
37. Improvements in menstruation regarding pain/cramps and heavy blood flow
38. Migraines (with regular use)
39. Mononucleosis
40. Parasites
41. Thrush
42. Relieve gallbladder pain
43. Has helped some people improve symptoms of an underactive thyroid gland, results have shown subsequent thyroid blood tests becoming normal
44. Energy boost
45. Flaky, dry skin
46. May relieve acid reflux and indigestion when taken with each meal
47. Adrenal fatigue
48. Alzheimers
49. H. pylori
50. Candida albicans
51. Asthma, even in children
52. Autism
53. Cholesterol - improves HDL ('good' cholesterol) to LDL ('bad' cholesterol) ratio in people with high cholesterol
54. Chronic fatigue
55. Circulation/feeling cold all the time
56. Stronger immune system
57. Mental Clarity
58. Depression
59. Helps with inflammation in Crohns

Health Problems (that coconut oil is known for aiding, relieving, or even curing when applied topically)
60. Athletes foot
61. Back pain/sore muscles
62. Canker sores
63. Acne
64. Cellulite
65. Herpes (applied topically and taken internally)
66. Genital warts (through topical application over 6 weeks, and coconut oil enemas twice a day depending on the location of the warts)
67. Circumcision healing – although I am personally against circumcision, I have read that coconut oil is a really great healer for this.

Cooking
68. Use 1 cup to 1 cup ratio when replacing other oils/butter in recipes with coconut oil.
69. Replacement for butter/lard/Crisco/PAM in it’s solid form – greasing pans, pie crusts, etc.
70. Replacement for various oils in liquid form – baking, cooking, sautéing, etc.
71. Nutritional supplement – melt and add to smoothies.

Other Uses
72. Insect repellent – mix coconut oil with peppermint oil extract and rub it all over exposed skin. Keeps insects off better than anything with Deet! Tons safer too.
73. Great for dogs and cats for general wellness. Just add a teaspoon to their water bowl daily.
74. Goo Gone - just mix equal parts coconut oil and baking soda into a paste. Apply to the “sticky” area and let it set for a minute. Then scrub off with an old toothbrush or the scrubby side of a sponge.
75. Chewing Gum in Hair Remover – just rub some coconut oil over the stuck chewing gum, leave in for about 30 minutes, then roll the gum between your fingertip. Voila! It’s out!
76. Polish Furniture - coconut oil with a little bit of lemon juice to polish wood furniture. However, I recommend you test it first on a very small, unobtrusive part of your furniture to make sure it works the way you’d like.
77. Polishing Bronze - all you have to do is rub a little oil into a cotton towel and then wipe down the statue. It cleans and helps deepen the color of your bronze.
78. Seasoning animal hide drums
79. Seasoning cookware
80. Moisturizing and cleaning leather products

Love and War...It Happens in Marriage

John and Stasi Eldredge have written a winner in the book Love and War. I was blessed to receive 2 copies from Blogging for Books so my husband read one as well. I have taken a long time to write this review but I want everyone to know what a great book this is.
It is a must read for couples. They put their lives out there and let people see into their marriage. It addresses issues that you would not realize occur in marriage. It also addresses sex in marriage and how important it is in order to have a healthy marriage. I must say however that was my husband's favorite chapter!!!
The book also teaches you how to fight because, lets get real here, everybody fights. It teaches you to fight fair and how to resolve issues.
Whether your marriage is in trouble or not this book is a great one to have on hand. It would also make a great wedding gift for new couples so they can know what they are getting into. Since I received this book I have found out they they have written a study guide as well as a couples devotional book to accompany this one.

A Must Read for Mom's of Teen Girls

I must admit I was a little nervous when I requested to review What Are You Waiting For ? By Dannah Gresh. Once I received the book and dove in I discovered a treasure. It is a wonderful, straightforward, cover the hard topics book. Dannah addresses things we MUST discuss with out teenage daughters. After completing the book I gave it to my 17 year old daughter to read. She not only read it she took notes! Read it first Moms then read it with your girls.

Under the Overpass by Mike Yankowski

Under the Overpass is a must read. After hearing a convicting sermon one Sunday morning in church Mike Yankowski decided to live out his faith. Be the Christian you say you are…this thought rang in his mind so much so that he had to do something about it. After much prayer and counsel of friends, Mike decided to hit the road and live among the homeless. He knew he shouldn’t go it alone so God brought Sam into the picture.

It all started with each man living in a homeless shelter among other homeless men in a rehab program. They lived in separate shelters in Denver. Once they had “learned the ropes” they met up and headed to D.C. From there they went to Portland, San Francisco, Phoenix, San Diego and then finally home. They spent about a month in each city, meeting very interesting people along the way.

The church could learn a hard lesson from this book. Sometimes we are judgmental even in our outreach. Granted we should not hand every person that we encounter money but we still can help. We can meet a need with a meal or a cup of cold water. We can tell them that God loves them, but what we really need to do is show them. Don’t condemn them for their circumstances ask the Holy Spirit for guidance and be the Christian you say you are.

You won’t be able to put the book down and when you finish it you will want more. Be ready to be convicted and at the same time develop a desire to minister to the homeless.

New Year Challenge

I know I am a little behind in my posting and in a few days I will (hopefully) do an update post. But for now thanks to Beth I issued a challenge to myself and my daughters. We are joining Beth and thousands of Siestas in memorizing scripture. You can still jump in if you would like. We are going to memorize 2 scriptures per month. We will be choosing a scripture on the 1st and 15th of each month. Everybody will memorize whatever scripture they are let to memorize. Here is the one I chose for the 1st (actually the 2nd) of January.

Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed says the LORD who has compassion on you. Isaiah 54:10 NIV

By the end of the year I should have memorized 24 scriptures. Then I can honestly say to God: Your word I have hidden in my heart that I may not sin against you. Psalm 119:11

PHAREWELL PHIL

I would like to take a moment and bid a fond farewell to Phil Fulmer. Thanks for going out on a win. UT 28 Kentucky 10.
Pharewell Phil ........it's been a wild ride !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving !!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving ! Be sure to count your blessings today and give God thanks.

Blessings,

Cecelia

We are Finally Home !

Praise the LORD we are finally home. George was finally released from the hospital on Wednesday. The Dr. told us that he wanted us to stop every hour so George could get out and walk around. This would help his circulation in his legs so there would be a worry of blood clots.
We picked up our girls from Joy and Tybee and got on the road about 4 PM Eastern. We had traveled about 30 minutes and George got sick. Lets just say he had eaten Strawberry Yogurt before we left the hospital and it was not pretty. I don't know what it is about Strawberries and Surgery Patients but......well this is my 2nd experience and it is not good. If you have surgery AVOID STRAWBERRIES at least for a week or 2. LOL You have to laugh or you would cry..trust me.
I was afraid George would be sick all the way home so I called in some prayer warriors and asked that they pray for him. So....he slept. Oh don't worry I had the clock police (our girls) reminding me when 1 hour had passed no matter if there was an interstate exit or not. I had a hard time convincing them that it could be a little longer than an hour and it would be fine. So we stopped 3 or 4 times so George could get out and stretch his legs and walk around a little. Long story short we got home around 9 PM. I brought him and 2 of our girls home. Abigail went back out to get his pain meds filled and pick up some yogurt and Gatorade for George. And NO we did not get strawberry yogurt !!! It was 11 by the time we got to bed but Oh did we sleep good.
Since we've been home we have been abundantly blessed by our church family with food. Our leaves and yard were taken care of by some of our deacons. I know !
In this season of Thanksgiving our family certainly has a lot to be thankful for.

Blessings,

God is Good All the Time and All the Time God is Good !

First of all let me tell you that George is doing well. He is well on his way to full recovery ! He has been up and walked several times around the little “block” on our floor. He has made the transition from Ice Chips to Clear Liquids to a Full Liquid Diet. Me on the other hand well the food in the cafeteria is Wonderful ! I mean it. Oh and the icing on the cake ……..Starbucks !! Woo-Hoo ! Yesterday afternoon I was starting to drag and I was cold so I went to get me some Hot Chocolate. I looked on the Starbucks menu and there was a Mocha Café Latte. In plain English that is a Hot Chocolate with 2 shots of espresso added. It was goooooooooooooooooddddddddddddddd.
On another note please continue to pray for George’s recovery as I know you will. He has developed some skin breakdown on his upper legs because of having to be in the bed so long. He is not complaining, he is a trooper ! Also the Doc said we would probably get to head home tomorrow, so keep that in your prayers as well. He said to stop every hour on the way and let George get out and walk. I’m trying to get him to let me do a Harley Secret Shop in Cookeville but he just looks at me and rolls his eyes ! LOL Don’t worry folks he will be the top priority on the trip home.

OK its time to post the miracle:
On Sunday after George’s surgery, Joy, Derrick, Tybee, Jeff H., the girls and I went down to the cafeteria for lunch. We had a great lunch of Pot Roast and Mashed Potatoes. Two of the girls had Bacon Cheeseburgers and Lydia had a BLT. We enjoyed our lunch and headed back upstairs.
About 4 to 5 hours later after everyone had left I decided I would go down and get supper. I was afraid the cafeteria might close early because it was Sunday. So I started looking for my purse and it was nowhere to be found ! YIKES ! I was freaking out, on the inside anyway. I went down to the cafeteria and looked at the table where we had been sitting and it was not there. I asked a cashier if anyone had turned in a backpack purse and she said not to her. She left her cash register with me to check with some of the other employees. No one had seen it. She asked me if I knew where security was and I said no. She said I will walk you part of the way; well she walked me all the way there. We go to security and no purse. I did not know what I was going to do. My wallet, George’s wallet and our checkbook were all in my purse. I had already called the girls to see if they had accidentally picked it up when they left with Joy and Derrick. They said no they did not have it.
I looked at the young lady who was walking with me and I said ….I am just going to pray that God either puts it back in our room or somewhere that I can find it. I explained to her that we lived 4 hours away and that it was not a good situation to be in. We walked back to the cafeteria. As soon as we got there another employee walked up to my helper and said, “ You know you can’t do that, you can’t just walk away from your register like that.” Call it the Holy Spirit or Mama Bear…..at this point it was both…. I looked at that man, held my hand up and said “ You just back up off her, she is being my angel right now !” She went on back to her register and I said I am going to check at the table one more time.
Guess What …..It was under the table ! Praise the LORD ! I grabbed my purse and went over to my sweet angel at the cash register and showed her that I had found it. I gave her a huge hug, yes I did ! I said girl that’s just Jesus right there ! He is taking care of me.
I’m telling you I had to walk around in the cafeteria for a few minutes just giving God the glory. Another employee saw me and said “You found it ! “ I told her where I found it and said, “Sister, it was like God just put His hand over it and kept it there for me.”
My purse, sitting in a busy cafeteria, in a downtown hospital, under a table. It did not get taken. Say what you want but I’m saying that has God written all over it ! Praise the LORD ! Thank you Jesus !
I could go on and on about how God has worked everything out down here for our good. Hmmmmm…….that reminds me of a verse in God’s Word: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 (NIV)

Blessings,

Happy Anniversary Baby ....Got you on my Mind !!!

That 80's flashback was brought to you by ....My 24th Wedding Anniversary !!! That's right 24 years. Actually we have been together 29 years all together. We started "going together" exactly 29 years ago today ! We were 14 ! LOL


Well this has been an adventurous Anniversary so to warn you this will be a long post but I will start off with our Anniversary picture.

If my beloved looks a little different it's because he had surgery today! That's right Gall Bladder surgery. It all started on Monday of last week........

Monday: My husband and I along with our girls and 2 other couples from our church traveled to Middle TN for the Tennessee Baptist Convention (TBC). George woke up on Monday morning with what seemed like a stomach virus. But my husband the "trooper" took some medicine and pressed on. He drove the church van and we made the 4 hour trip to Middle TN. We got checked into our rooms and as soon as I handed him the key he disappeared. When the girls and I got to the room he was already in the bed ! He was not feeling well at all but he wanted us to go on to the TBC Mission Night and enjoy ourselves and he would have some much needed peace and quiet. The girls and I went with the 2 other couples from our church. We enjoyed a couple of hours and the headed back to the hotel. We stopped at a Kroger and got hubby some Ginger Ale, Gatorade and Saltine Crackers. Upon our return to the room he was feeling much better, was grateful for the crackers and Ginger Ale. He ate a few and drank some Ginger Ale.

Tuesday: He woke up feeling much better. We ate a continental breakfast together, went to the conference and had a great time. Just a side note about the TBC this year. Dr. Tom McCoy was the TBC president this year. He is Pastor of Thompson Station Baptist Church. This man is truly a man of God. The whole atmosphere of the TBC was different this year and I think it is because Pastor Tom and his church had poured out the prayers for the convention. He took time to talk to our girls and cut up with them a little. They loved him. My oldest daughter and I had gotten to hear him preach a little over a year ago and were truly blessed then.

Ok back to hubby, he ate lunch at the Carson Newman Luncheon on Tuesday and then we even went back on Tuesday Night to hear the Dr. McCoy preach. Afterwards we went and ate a light dinner. He had a great day.

Wednesday: At 3 am I heard a horrible noise. I quickly glanced around the room to check on the girls. I discovered that it was my beloved. He was in bathroom throwing up ! Let me just tell you, He does not throw up. That was only the 2nd time in 24 years, I promise. He was also having a lot of pain. I spoke with a good friend of ours who is a Dr. After talking with George; he suggested that we take George in to an ER to get the pain checked out. Once we got to the ER they did a couple of scans and said it was not his appendix and they did not see any gall stones in his gall bladder. The Dr. said he did not want to send George on a 4-hour trip home without knowing where the pain was coming from so he admitted George.
The 2 couples that had traveled to the convention with us took our girls, the church van and headed home. My friend Tabitha met my girls at 12:30 am at home and took them to her home until further notice. Thanks Tab !
Thursday and Friday: His had a temp and was still having pain although not as severe. His white blood count was dropping and his temp would go up and down. The Dr. said we could possibly go home on Saturday. We got in touch with the church secretary Sunny and she said her husband and another gentleman from church were on stand by to come get us on Saturday. I told her I would call after I heard from the Doc.
Saturday: The Dr. came in and said he was going to let us go home. Woo-hoo ! He also said George’s bilirubin was elevated so he wanted to do 1 more blood test. Ok so he did.
I called Sunny and got the guys headed down to get us. About 2 hours later the Dr. called and said the blood test had shown that his bilirubin was even more elevated and that maybe it was his gall bladder after all. He wanted to keep George and do another test.
George told me to go on home with the guys that were on their way to get us. I did NOT want to go! However submission kicked in and off I went. In retrospect I am glad I did.
I got home on Saturday evening and the girls were glad to see me. Molly (the dog) however was not happy that her Daddy was not home. She would not even look at me ! LOL That dog is George’s dog. She loves him like crazy !
George called me and said the last scan they did showed that it was indeed his gall bladder. He had talked to a surgeon and the surgeon wanted to do the surgery early Sunday morning. I was not happy again ! George told me to get a good nights rest and bring the girls and our van and come down Sunday Morning. I reluctantly agreed.
Sunday: The girls and I got up and hit the road around 8 am Eastern. We got into Knoxville and the surgeon called and said he was about to begin. He talked to me a few minutes and made sure that I had all my questions answered. He said they were going to do their best to do it laprascopically.
An hour and a half passed and the surgeon called back. The gall bladder was so bad that they had to make an incision and remove it that way. They also put a drain tube in. So recovery time in the hospital will be longer since we live 4 hours away.
Our girls are with our good friends Joy and Derrick who you might remember gave birth to a precious baby girl on Easter Sunday.
As of now all is going well, thanks to the pain pump ! LOL
I have HUGE God Stop to share but I am going to save that for a few days.
That’s the story in a Great Big Nutshell !
Blessings,

Cecelia

Pears, Pears and More Pears

My girls and I have been busy this week canning pears. We were blessed by a lady I met on the Freecycle Network who has 2 pear trees in her yard. All she asked was that we leave the damaged pears on the ground for the Deer that frequent her yard. We love pears and were so thankful to get them. We had a total of 29 quarts.

The thing on the right that appears to be a torture devise is acually an Apple Peeler, Corer, Slicer. It can also be used just to peel if you lay the coring/slicing blade down. This little blessing helped us to get the pears done a lot quicker !
My girls really worked hard on these pears and we will all reap the benefits this Fall and Winter.

Blessings,

What is that horrible smell ?

Oh its the Vols stinking up the field. I knew this game against Florida would not be good but I thought we could at least score a touchdown. Here we are in the 2nd half and we are scoreless !!!! We have no score but have managed to get 2 Flags thrown in 2 downs ! Um.....does anybody have a Quarterback we could borrow !?! Oh well there's always next season. Go Vols.


**********************UPDATE*********************
Final Score FL 30 TN 6 . We scored a whoppin 6 points. I don't know what made Phil think we could get a 2 point conversion when it took us 4 quarters to score a stinkin touchdown ! We nearly didn't get that one done. Oh My Goodness !

It's A Mirable......We Won !

In case you never watched Rugrats....Mirable is Tommy Pickles word for Miracle.
UT won 35-3 over UAB ! I really can't believe it. They still need work however. Jonathan Crompton threw 2 interceptions ! We can't be havin that. C'mon Phil lets get it together.
All in all it was a good game. You can read the details here. They tell it better than I do ! LOL

Pics I Promised Earlier

Here is Holli with her fav Lobster Pizza ! She loves it. Hope you enjoyed your day baby girl !

The birthday girl making a funny face ! Fifteen is such a mature age. LOL

This is what I had for lunch. Mmmmmmmmmmm, lovin me some endless shrimp ! I had a total of 40 shrimp. 1 order of the Cajun and 3 orders of Dry Scampi. I don't like the garlic on scampi, I like to dip it myself in drawn butter.

Ah yes, Drawn Butter shots again. No I didn't really drink it. You can read the history of drawn butter shots here.

This is the Titans game. I tried to get a pic of "Patty's Husband" but the teams kept hogging the camera ! LOL

This is Abigail with her new toy. I'm not sure what it is called but it turns into a huge ball thing.
She decided to put it on her head and get in her own little bubble ! LOL

My Baby is 15 Today !!! and Patty is 15 plus some !

Ok well she is not "the Baby" she is the oldest but she is still "My Baby" !

Happy Birthday Holli !!!

Happy Birthday also to my BFF Patty ! Lets just say she is not 15 ! LOL
Glad you had a good day gurl !

We had a good time today. I will post Pics from Lunch soon.

ITs FOOTBALL TIME IN TENNESSEE !!!!!

It's finally here ! Tonight is the big game. I can't wait. We are playing UCLA in California. Let's see how my Vols hold up ! The fun starts at 8:00 Eastern tonight ! GO VOLS !!!

********************UPDATE*****************

We lost in overtime :( We did fine as long as UCLAs quarterback was helping us out but once he got his act together we fell apart ! Can you say "Larry, Moe and Curley play football ! " Well we looked like that a few times. As I sit and listen to the post game show I keep hearing the words......We need to go back, practice hard and make some adjustments. No Kidding !!

Oh well there's always next week..................

Mama I'm Scared of the Storm. Can I get in your bed ?

That is the words that I heard at 3:26 am this morning from my daughter Abigail. About 10 seconds earlier I had heard a clap of thunder and a saw a flash of lightening. I knew I would be hearing footsteps, I just wasn't sure how many sets of feet I would hear.
Abigail crawled up in between me and her Daddy (who never woke up). As soon as she settled in it thundered again and here comes Molly. She is my youngest but also 4 legged ! Molly is our dog.

Now granted she always sleeps at the foot of the bed but she was scared of the storm as well. Abigail grabbed one of my hands and Molly put her head in my other one. Molly is a rescue so we wish at times she could tell us of her adventures when she lived on her own. I wonder if that has anything to do with her fears but also with her unconditional love. She is very sweet....enough about Molly, back to the storm.
As I was laying there with Abigail and Molly seeking shelter and comfort with me I was reminded of Our Heavenly Father. I thought of the verse that talks about how He shelters us under His wings, how He gathers us close to Him. I picture a Mother Eagle in her nest with her hatchlings gathered up under her wings, safe, warm, sheltered.
It made me wonder....What if instead of standing in the middle of our life storms we immediately ran God and drew close to him ? Would the storm be over quicker, would we be able to rest in the assurance of His presence, would we be able to stay calm in spite of the raging storm around us ? Hmmmmmm, a lot to think about.
In case you are wondering, I did get back to sleep but it did take a little while as I pondered. Hopefully the next time I am faced with a storm, God will hear my footsteps as I run to Him, crawl up next to Him and hold His hand and maybe even lay my head in the other hand.
Praise You Father ! You are not only the Maker of the Storm, You also calm the storm !

Blessings,

Me and my kiddos gettin all ready, gettin all ready for school !

Perhaps some of you are familiar with the song "Me and my Teddy, gettin all ready, gettin all ready for school ! This song was made popular at our house by a large, purple dinosaur back when the kids were younger....much younger. Anyway, we started school here at Miller Family Academy on Friday. I have the kids start August 1st so they can be done by the first week of May.

The kids didn't fuss too much and they really do seem to be enjoying their new cirruculum. The girls have always used the Lifeway devotionals that are age appropriate for them. They love using them everyday and can't wait to get their new one each month. They are going to continue to use them this year but we are going to do something else as well. Our Pastor, also known as Daddy in our house, is offering a scripture memorization class at church. He wants our family to participate so we are going to. We are both excited and nervous, hiding God's Word in our hearts is a wonderful and necessary thing in the life of a Christian, however the act of actually memorizing it is a not such an easy task. It will be fun and challenging !
We have now completed 2 days of school only 178 left to go !!!!

Blessings ,

God Stop Friday and More

I just realized that I have not posted since July 1st. YIKES ! So not only will this be a God Stop Friday but an update of sorts.
Hubby has been on Vacation since July 14. My daughters made up a song about Daddy being on vacation and sang it to him as soon as church let out on Sunday night July 13. We have had a great time. I have had to work a few days but that is ok because I love my Merchandising Job !
On Thursday of last week we went to visit my BFF Patty and her crew. Thanks again go out to Jason for giving up his room for 3 nights ! Thanks Man for letting us invade your space !
Patty, Georgia and I went to the Christ Church Music Conference Concerts in Nashville and had a blast. Oh my goodness if you have never heard Christ Church Choir sing then you don't know what you are missing. They are awesome !
Another cool thing that happened was that I ran into a friend that I had not seen in years. In Nashville at the conference of all places. I was walking to get a refill on sweet tea for me and Patty and I heard this voice. I was thinking it sounded familiar, as I returned to my seat I heard the same voice say my name. I looked and it was my good friend Jan and her husband Michael. Michael is a Worship leader at a church in Ohio. They were attending the conference. We connected again on Friday after the conference and talked for a couple of hours. It is so good to reconnect with old friends and catch up. We could have talked for hours and hours more !
Our family attended church with Patty's crew on Sunday and had a wonderful time. It was their Pastor's 50th birthday celebration so we had cupcakes after service !! He brought a wonderful word from the WORD. It was a 2 parter and I so wanted to go back on Sunday night and hear the rest but we had to get on the road home. Someone (DH) missed his dog !
On Monday Tabitha and I traveled to the Tri-Cities to do some store visits. We also had to go to Wise, VA. I have been to Wise before but this time we went from Bristol to Wise instread of from Kingsport. Well 1st of all we discovered a Hardees that still serves Fried Chicken. It was a gift from God let me tell you. We were so hungry and it was soooooooo good. Oh and peach cobbler, mercy me it was gooooood ! We left the Hardees and continued on our way to Wise. I don't know if we took a wrong turn or what but we got lost. But God.....oh how I love those 2 words.....But God put 2 angels in our path in the form of road construction workers that placed us back on the right path. I was driving down the road and the 1st angel(construction worker) was waving us toward him and I mean he was cranking his arm he was waving so hard. I said to Tabitha, I think we need to go this way. So we did but then stopped and asked the 2nd guy how to get to Wise and he sent us up a ramp and on our way. We got there very shortly. When we were coming back that little construction area was gone ! I am telling you the truth. Now you can say it was in a place that we did not drive back by if you want but I know God put it there just so we could find our way !
Tuesday : We went to the Smoky Mountains for a picnic. We went to the Chimney's picnic area because there is a creek for George and the girls to play in. We had a great day, Abigail helped her Daddy grill hot dogs. They were scrumptious, mostly because Abigail told me that when she was helping Georgia grill that Georgia told her to pray over them before she cooked them. So she did. Ah, the power of prayer. We had Smores for dessert . Life is so much better when you add a little chocolate. After lunch George and the girls headed off down to the creek and Molly(the dog) and I stayed at the picnic area and took a nap. They played at the creek for a while and were getting ready to come back up to the picnic area and rest a while. Abigail and Lydia came running up and said "Mom, Daddy fell in the creek and hurt his arm, come quick !" He had fallen getting out when a rock that he was standing on shifted. He dislocated his shoulder. Off we went to the ER at St. Mary's Sevier County. We got there and they took him back really quickly because it was obvious how much pain he was in. They put him on a gurney in the hallway but he still got taken care of. A great big burly guy came and rolled him to X-ray. I could not go in so I called a few friends to let them know what was going on and to ask for prayer. He was in there a good 10 minutes and when they brought him out he said " Look honey I am healed ! " He was smiling and moving his arm. When he laid on the x ray table his shoulder went back into place. He does have to wear a shoulder stabilizer for several days but he is getting better every day.
The last 2 days we have been having a yard sale and have done pretty good. Vacation is almost over but it has been good. I love the refreshing of the LORD, when we take time to enjoy it.
Sorry for the lengthy post. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend !!!
Blessings,

(LATE)God Stop Friday and More !

I know this is 4 days late but I really wanted to share this. First of all last week was extremly busy. I worked at my merchandising dog/cat food job every day last week ! My wonderful hubby spent his day off Friday driving me around Chattanooga. Anyway back to the God Stop.
The major reason I wanted to post is this:
My youngest daughter Abigail (along with her sister Lydia) had earned some money by feeding a neighbor's cat while they were on vacation. Lydia is saving for an electric guitar and is about to get enough to buy one ! Abigail decided that she was going to buy herself a Fire Belly Toad. She went with me to one of my stores and bought one. She was also GIVEN a brand new 20 gallon aquarium to keep her frog in ! Does this girl have God's favor or what !!! We had to go to another store to buy crickets because the first store was out. So off we went and there she bought another Toad ! It is bright green and the first one was brown. We decided that she needed a container to keep the crickets in as well so later in the week I felt led to go into a thrift store, yes girls I was led by the Holy Spirit to go in this thrift store. Anyway we found a small plastic cage like you would keep hermit crabs in and it was very inexpensive, so now she has a cricket cage as well. We are really enjoying the toads. We put the cricket cage right beside the aquarium and when the toads are hungry they go stare through the glass at the crickets ! It is hilarious !

I also have a cute picture to post. On Saturday our church had Angel Food distribution. This is an awesome outreach ministry. If your church is not involved in it I urge you to check out the website and pray about being a host site. We have a great time of fellowship on distribution day. All of us bring our kids and they have a blast as well. Here is a picture of Baby Jay - Angel Food !!!