Labels: celebrations, childhood, God's Word, tragedy, tribute, truth

Labels: celebrations, childhood, food

To hear what I heard at the very moment my JD Green was born, go here My Rhapsody Playlist

I never hear this song that I don't think of my precious boy . . . and his Savior, Jesus.

Having a child so close to Christmas has always directed my gaze to that helpless, little baby in the manger and what Mary must have felt those first moments she held and inspected him. Her baby. Her Lord. I, for a few short breaths, felt what Mary felt as I gazed into the midnight blue eyes of my one and only son.

I felt the whisper of the Breath of Heaven on my skin. I felt the pleasure of the God of the universe as I, too, welcomed the one whom He had given me.

Now, I have rarely felt like Mary since, but those few captured moments immediately following JD Green's arrival are ones I will ponder and forever treasure in my heart.

Happy 8th Birthday, my precious son. I love you with my whole heart.


God has filled my tank in a myriad of ways this week, and I am sad I didn't have the time to recount them yesterday. Here is a quickie version as we are headed out to celebrate the birthday boy:

1. JD Green: only appropriate that I put him first today.
2. Libbyline and Sweetcheeks -- y'all have helped me make this holiday season special.
3. DP -- 14 years, and we still never run out of things to say . . . can't wait for the next decades with you!
4. Chocolate in the mail: Thanks, Jen!
5. Unexpected Blessings: I got one of these in the mail, custom made for me. I am naming it after her real name so I can pray for her and her family every time I wear it. I love it. Thanks, GiBee!

There's always more to share, but I have to run. We're off to see this and go here. I'll be back soon. Have a great Friday. Make every day a thanks-filled day!!

On His Adventure~

Pam

Labels: blessings, celebrations, gratitude, life, thanks tank

I have, for 15 years called my husband a prince . . . it all began before we were even married.

See, the animated version of this came out in 1992, and my then boyfriend got it for me for my birthday. I began calling him Prince Aliababwa in fun, and then I started calling him my Darling Prince, as he moved to Dallas to attend seminary during our courtship, ensuing engagement, and wedding planning and I began addressing letters to him in such a fashion. (I know, letters on paper -- a truly archaic form of communication . . .)

I barely knew then to what extent he would truly become my prince over the next decade and a half. We successfully got the wedding planned and accomplished, becoming husband and wife in record time (20 minutes, I think). We embarked on our honeymoon to Eureka Springs, AR, while staying here as our first stop along our journey as a married couple.

Though our first couple years were far from being turbulence free, we were somehow laying a foundation for a marriage that has been tested by circumstances beyond our control and come forth refined and shining more and more like gold with each year that passes.

My Darling Prince or (DP) as I refer to him here in bloggityville, has:

• held me when I've thought fear would overwhelm me.
• challenged me to look outside myself for strength and for perspective.
• prayed with me in good times and bad.
• forgiven me when I've neglected to make dinner, shouted ugly words at him, left him behind on a walk, been unwilling to see his point of view, or not given him the respect he deserves as the leader of this home and family.
• encouraged me to chase my dreams and cheered me on as I move forward in faith, using the talents and gifts God has so generously bestowed on me.
• rubbed my feet and legs, both during pregnancy and after when fibromyalgia has inexorably attached itself to my every move and relentlessly pounds me with pain beyond anything childbearing and childbirth could have dished out.
• understood my rambling thoughts and wishes, even when I don't feel like I can coherently communicate them myself.
• stood alongside me through financial struggles, weight gain and weight loss, hair color changes and hair loss, numerous moves from state to state, and more changes in both of us than I could ever begin to enumerate here.

What I want to share with all of you today is what I am ever so slowly beginning to realize is that if God gave me a prince of a man to share my last 14 years with, He also has given my Darling Prince a princess. I rarely let myself dwell on or believe that truth, but if I believe all I've said about my prince . . . then I must believe it about myself as well.

So, my precious, Darling Prince, on this our 14th wedding anniversary, I pray I will begin today seeing myself as a princess, as the one perfectly chosen for you forever. It was easy to repeat those vows on our wedding day all those years ago, but they ring true more so today than they did that beautiful day in Little Rock in 1993.

Thank you for introducing me to life as a "royal" all those years ago. I pray our next years together will be as full and focused on the purposes of our Heavenly Father, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Labels: celebrations

As you'll notice quickly, I am doing a tandem post today. I call it multi-tasking.

For I cannot post anything about my Christmas traditions without thanking God for those very traditions that make me even more grateful for this time of year.

Here are a few of the traditions that carry us through each bless-ed Christmas season:

• I got a new Christmas ornament from my family each year that I took from home when I left college. Most of those are long gone now from age and fragility. Yet, I decided when Libbyline was born to start the same sort of tradition with my children. Libbyline adds a new Boyd's bear angel each year to her collection. Sweetcheeks gets a new snowman for hers, and JD Green gets an ornament with some form of transportation represented (which is so perfect as he is ALWAYS on the go). They love discovering these as we decorate our tree each year and will easily identify whose is whose when the time comes to leave home and start out on their own.
• We love baking around our house, and there are a few treats I usually only make at Christmas time: including chocolate covered pretzels, peanut butter fudge, and molasses crinkles(known as ginger cookies to my kids). I love the smell that wafts through the air as our goodies begin to bake. We also made press cookies and several other varieties last year for the first time, but it certainly won't be the last time these yummy items make an appearance. We usually take a plate or tin full of cookies to neighbors and share them with friends and family throughout the season.
• Our children each get to open one present Christmas Eve. I have done everything from getting matching pajamas made by my mother with coordinating bags to choosing sets in each child's favorite color. They now all know what will be inside the package each year, but it is still fun to take a group shot under the tree to commemorate going to bed in their new, cozy jammies. The excitement now lies more in the creative wrapping than in the contents. It is fun to see how imaginative the mama can get . . .
• We do not open presents first here. We read the Christmas story in Luke 2, then we read a chapter from Max Lucado's God Came Near, called The Arrival. Adding Mary's perspective, even fictionally, helps us to focus on all that went on that first Christmas when Jesus arrived as Immanuel.
• The other tradition actually arose out of a year ridden by illness with young children. We found ourselves unable to join any organized Christmas Eve service, so our three created a play of the Nativity story, using robes and towels to costume, stuffed animals for the stable residents, and the treasured baby doll for baby Jesus. Libbyline is our narrator and the other two act out all the other parts of the story. It is a precious time each year as they now thrill to put on their own interpretation of how Jesus came to us.

I am thankful for so many other things this week, but I want to encourage you to head on over to My Quiet Corner's gathering. Grab your favorite mug of tea, coffee, or hot chocolate and join the festivities. I know I've already enjoyed read Momrn's, and I am sure the ideas and traditions of others will inspire me for the future.

Have a thanks-filled day and don't forget to let me know if you've posted your own list of thanks. I will come visit when I get the chance!

Labels: celebrations, gratitude, thanks tank, thanksgiving

I'm on our lap top, and I can't access my blog folder with my header in it. So, my thankfulness will be with a twist today.

We had a marvelous day here in the Music City.

We went to Opryland Hotel to wander around this morning with the older and younger generations. We took a boat ride through the Delta, and once my kids figured out no one was going to throw them to the resident catfish . . . they relaxed and had a good time.

I am oh so glad DP and I had gone on a date there last night, because after the boat ride . . . none of the older or younger generations had much patience for the sightseeing.

We headed on out for lunch, which was plan B after we scrapped trying to balance warmed up Thanksgiving dinner on Chinet in adjoining hotel rooms with at least one rambunctious 7-year-old racing through the halls yelling "room service!"

Plan B was delectable in every sense of the word. We went to the Hilton in downtown Nashville, were seated in an "overflow" room, which meant for us more privacy and less commotion, while still being able to hear the dinner music and not walk too far to fill our plates more times than I can count.

The buffets (all nine of them) were stocked full of every imaginable Thanksgiving-related food and so much more. There was a bar for just breakfast food, so JD Green ate a waffle, muffins, a danish, and strawberries galore.

I had all the traditional favorites, including honey roasted turkey, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy, and cranberry sauce. Add to that, asparagus, crispy bacon, and fresh fruit kabobs, and you'll have my first trip to the buffet just about complete.

In order to keep from compromising your image of me, I will not reveal how many more times I frequented the buffet after that first trip. Let's just say I tried every kind of chocolate covered strawberry represented, and I still had room for a pumpkin dessert as well.

After thoroughly sampling as much as humanly possible without needing assistance from a garden wheel barrow to get back to valet parking, we were on our way to relax and take a rest before the main event tonight.

We had the time of all great times tonight at the Rockettes performance at the Grand Ole Opry. When DP and I made these reservations online about six months ago, we clicked on "best seats" when it gave us seating options at ticketron.

Well, the best seats available were Row DD in section 4. We come to find out while looking at the seating chart, but after we clicked to accept these seats that lo and behold . . . these seats are front and center.

I meet up with my dear MIL in the gift shop after she'd found our seats.

I ask, "Is the view good from our seats?" Is there going to be anything in front of us?"

She replies, "Only the Rockettes!"

She was right. We were about 10 feet from all those kickers! It was fabulous, and we loved the whole show.

So, I am now snuggled in my hotel bed with my cozy jammies and my snoozing DP.

I have a mind whirling with lovely memories and a heart full of gratitude for all the blessings I have been given, both this Thanksgiving holiday and the whole year in general. God has been very, very good to me!

Looking forward to hearing about y'all's holidays and shopping stories soon.

Labels: celebrations, funnies, gratitude, thanksgiving

Labels: celebrations, family, gratitude, thanksgiving

Labels: celebrations, flowers, photos, Wordless Wednesday

I am closing the polls on my giveaway now, so that I can tally the correct guesses and post the winners by 12 Noon EST. I have a got another wildly crazy/busy day, so I need to have this wrapped up neatly by then : )

Thanks SO much for playing along . . . all 156 of you.

By 12 Noon y'all will know for sure who is hiding behind the Peach.

See ya'!!

Labels: celebrations, contest, giveaways, stepping out

I'm not a fan of Halloween so to speak, but I do like a good reason to get dressed up and look like someone other than myself.

Last night we went to Festival 31, an alternative to trick or treating and festival sponsored by our church. I decided this to be the appropriate occasion for me to don something silly and dress up like the kids. Clowning has always held fascination for me, so being a clown comes naturally. Here I am after the festivities last night, in which I could barely stand after pacing the asphalt for 3 + hours:

Labels: carnival, celebrations, childhood

I became a mama for the first time.

At Baylor University Hospital in Dallas, Texas, I was handed a beautiful bundle with a pink bow on her head. I thought, as I looked into her face for the first time -- "I don't really know you yet. I thought I would, but I don't."

I've made it my mission over the past decade plus a couple to get to know this child God has brought into my life to bless me more than I could ever hope to bless her. I have tried to be a student of what she likes and dislikes. I watch her facial expressions. I read her body language.

As we spend time together, I can know her favorite part will be the hugs she receives and the actual time with me and her family. She loves gifts as much as anyone enjoys getting a present, but her love language is quality time sprinkled liberally with a strong dose of physical touch.

Libbyline is a precious blessing in my life. She has gone from being a stranger to being the child who I can count on to do just about anything. She is dependable, ever so capable, and a blossoming young lady. In her world, it is all about presentation, and I love that!

She is a tweenager in ever sense of the word -- ready to blast out into the wide world of being a young woman.

Part of me is scared as I wait in hushed anticipation of what comes next. Libbyline is changing at lightning speed, and I don't want to miss a single moment of her transition to womanhood.

Libbyline, I know this is not an exciting or lavish birthday in any sense of those words, but I pray you will know deep in your precious heart that your daddy, your sister, your ornery brother, and I all love you from the bottom of our hearts, and there is no one more deserving of a celebration than you. We will make the best of what we have and enjoy our day with you to the fullest of our abilities.

Here's to a little Asian food to continue the tradition you started six years ago!

I love you, my precious Libbyline. Thank you for giving me a reason to be called "Mama" in the first place!

Labels: blessings, celebrations, family, Libbyline, thanks tank

Labels: babies, celebrations, family

The brainchild of Sweetcheeks, our first water balloon fight in honor of her birthday was a huge success. We definitely plan to do this one again. Next time we just want to fill all 200+ balloons ahead of time so we can blast everyone uninterrupted for more filling sessions.

As you can see, the mama did NOT get immunity for the good hair day I'd been having up to this point. Libbyline nailed me in the first round and that was it for the superb-looking coif I'd been sporting : ) Oh well, I want to be fully engaged and who really cares about my hair anyway!

I am slowly learning that playing with my children is the best way to build a relationship with them and letting go of my agenda is so freeing.

Bring on the balloons. This mama is ready!

Labels: celebrations, happies, summer fun

This has been a fabulous week of visiting blogs, bookmarking, and entering for all sorts of giveaways. I have had a blast, and I hope all of you have, too.

Here are my winners:

For the "Too Terrific Tags" Stampin' Up! Stamp set, the winner is:

Labels: blogging, celebrations, contest, friends, giveaways

DP is 40 today! He has never made an appearance on my blog. Yet, I don't think he'll mind, since he's told me numerous times this is one of his favorite photos of him with our three sweeties.

Instead of a traditional Thanks Tank, I am going to give you some of the many reasons why I love my precious DP (Darling Prince):

1. He has always been my prince -- From the moment we first went out together, he has always treated me like a princess.

2. He has a fabulous voice -- This man can make my heart stop with the sound of his velvety, husky voice. Well, I'd better stop now before I reveal too much. Suffice it to say that he hears at least once per week how he should be in radio full time.

3. He takes care of me -- That hasn't stopped in the 13 years we've been together. He took care of me before we were even engaged, and he's been taking care of me and pampering me ever since. My man hates lotion, yet he will slather it on his hands and rub my feet. That's love!!

4. He loves our children and lets them know -- After growing up in a household in which I went without hearing my dad say "I love you" for 13 years, it makes my heart sing to hear my DP tell my children how much he loves them multiple times daily. Somehow it repairs those little holes left in my own heart to hear him so clearly and sincerely express his love for them.

5. He shares his parents with me -- His mama tells him she loves me best, and he takes it all in stride. He was adopted by his sweet parents at three months of age, and because they loved him so well he has no reason to be jealous or envious of the way his folks have expanded their love to include me and our children.

I am so glad these precious people gave my DP their home, their love, and their name. I proudly wear it and share it with my children. My son will carry it on to the next generation and just as proudly give it to his children. These wonderful people are leaving a legacy that will extend far beyond their short years on this earth. They model the kind of parent and grandparent I want to be. I will forever be grateful to them for their outpouring of love and the way they taught my darling husband to love.

6. He never tires of learning -- I need not think we will be old and gray, sitting in our rocking chairs and staring off into space. My DP will continue to keep me busy right to the grave with his ideas, sometimes great, sometimes kinda harebrained. He always is studying something new and increasing his learning. Maybe that's where I got the idea for our homeschool theme scripture:

"Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still;
teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."

Proverbs 9:9-10

7. He is always ready for an adventure -- So many things I would have missed in this life if I hadn't been willing to go along for the ride. It started with jumping in the car when I was dating him so we could drive 25 miles to catch a beautiful sunset. He's been sharing gorgeous sunsets and all kinds of other lovely things with me for more than a decade now. I can't wait to see the next wonderful "site" he has to show me.

8. He challenges me to be better than I've been -- He will not allow me to be satisfied with the status quo. He won't let me get too far steeped in my own self-pity, guilt, or fear. He takes life by the horns most of the time and encourages me to do the same. I have more confidence than I ever would have by myself. I am far better than I'd ever have been without him, and you know me because of him (just a little preview of Monday's post).

9. He plays with me -- We are never sillier than when we are playing. We play board games. We play and love the same music. We act and use pretend voices and accents to make our children laugh -- so much so that they request that our alter egos/make believe personas make appearances occasionally. We have fun and act crazy together, and I love seeing him smile.

10. He's not ashamed or squeamish about being a Man's Man -- I am not married to a "metro" man. He doesn't use product or buff his nails. He doesn't need male make up or body butter. He is 100% pure, God created man. I am thrilled to be his wife and let him stand where God placed him -- at the head of my home! He doesn't go around singing hymns all the time, and he probably could bend a frying pan if he tried. I love this man, and I will shout to the mountaintops that I am glad he doesn't compromise who he is to be a little bit more like me.

11. He is my BEST FRIEND -- For those of you who have been around awhile, you have "met" my best "girlfriend." She has known me longer, that is for sure. She is celebrating a birthday today, too, and that was one of the coolest things when I fell in love with DP -- God knew my two favorite people would share the same birthday. She just happened to be a toddling one-year-old when DP appeared on the scene.

Yet, though ML has been around more than twice as long as DP, he knows the me no one else sees. He knows the me that cries at commercials (back when we had TV). He knows what makes me scared. He knows my little idiosyncrasies, my silly rituals, my favorites, and my insecurities.

I know no matter what time it is or what it is I want, he will always respond with, "Want me to go get you some?" As a matter of fact, he was out while I wrote this last night getting some more Salt and Vinegar Pringles so my kids don't find out I ate almost the whole can before they got any : ) How's that for love?

Anyway, I say all this to give tribute to the wonderful man God chose for me. He is my closest friend. I love him far more now at 40 than I ever could have thought I did at 26. God has deepened, matured, and grown my love for him in a myriad of ways I can't even begin to describe here. Every day he shows himself to me, with all his faults and shortcomings, and that gives me the freedom to try and do the same for him. I am glad we're only on the first leg of this journey together. I can't wait to see what's up there around the next bend in the road!

Happy Birthday, Honey!! I love you so much.

All my love . . .

Labels: celebrations, DP