Keep your fork :):)

This story was sent to me today and I thought it was a wonderful story of encouragement for each of us. When we go through trials and troubles (and we will if we love the Lord) we can remember this story to just hold on "the best is yet to come!" I hope you enjoy this story as much as I have.

Woman and a Fork

There was a young woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live. So as she was getting her things 'in order,' she contacted her Pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes.

She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in. Everything was in order and the Pastor was preparing to leave when the young woman suddenly remembered something very important to her.

'There's one more thing,' she said excitedly. 'What's that?' came the Pastor's reply. 'This is very important,' the young woman continued. 'I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand.'

The Pastor stood looking at the young woman, not knowing quite what to say. That surprises you, doesn't it?' the young woman asked. 'Well, to be honest, I'm puzzled by the request,' said the Pastor. The young woman explained. 'My grandmother once told me this story, and from that time on I have always tried to pass along its message to those I love and those who are in need of encouragement.

In all my years of attending socials and dinners, I always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, 'Keep your fork.' It was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming...like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie. Something wonderful, and with substance!'

So, I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder 'What's with the fork?' Then I want you to tell them: 'Keep your fork.. the best is yet to come.'

The Pastor's eyes welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the young woman good-bye. He knew this would be one of the last times he would see her before her death. But he also knew that the young woman had a better grasp of heaven than he did. She had a better grasp of what heaven would be like than many people twice her age, with twice as much experience and knowledge. She KNEW that something better was coming.

At the funeral people were walking by the young woman's casket and they saw the cloak she was wearing and the fork placed in her right hand. Over and over, the Pastor heard the question, 'What's with the fork?' And over and over he smiled.

During his message, the Pastor told the people of the conversation he had with the young woman shortly before she died. He also told them about the fork and about what it symbolized to her.

He told the people how he could not stop thinking about the fork and told them that they probably would not be able to stop thinking about it either. He was right.

So the next time you reach down for your fork let it remind you, ever so gently, that the best is yet to come.

Late Night Ramblings

There's never a dull moment at our house. These two girls keep me hopping. I have been reading other blogs and wondering how you mom's who have so many children keep your sanity. Today...

ME: Patricia why did you hit the neighborhood girl over the head with a broom?

TRICIA: Because the other girl was being mean to me.

ME: What does that have to do with you hitting said first girl over the head with a broom?

TRICIA: I don't know! (note to self: Look up "I don't know" in the dictionary)

Ever have days like this????

Katie has started throwing fits. At the age of 10 months mind you. I change her diaper, she rolls over. I roll her back over, she rolls back over. I roll her back over, put diaper under bottom, she rolls back over. I roll her back over, replace diaper back under said bottom, latch one side, she rolls back over. I roll her back over, replace diaper back on said bottom, latch one side, and pray really, really hard she will NOT roll over again. She kicks and throws a tantrum because Mommy says NO NO and starts the process all over again. WHEW!!! Anyone feeling tired or is it just me????

Patricia LOVES horses. I've never seen a child who continually asks if she can have a horse of her very own. We went to the parade last Monday night to see her cousin Misty in the marching band. Somewhere near the end of the parade guess what we saw?? You guessed it - horses.

First words out of this child's mouth:

"Mommy, look!! My horses. Can we feed them? Can we pet them? OH, Mommy!! We have to go find them...I have to see them." I liked to never got her to come home with me!! Aren't they beautiful horses?



I have to remind Patricia that we live in a very close community and I think that the neighbors might have a teeny problem with a horse walking and doing the other things that horses do in their yard. She just doesn't understand. Round 2.

Hubby is out of town for the week. He is working in Lakeland Fl., and will be going to the Kennedy Space Center on Thursday. The Shuttle is going to lift off on Wednesday and Tom's crew is going to clean up the launch pad. Tom has never been there and so this is exciting for him. Even though it's work. I'm happy for him.

I get to "batch-it" for the week. Let's see...Do I cook or do take-out? Take-out wins!!

Good night all...

New Family Pictures

We were so pleased with the results. And they were a gift to us which was even better. Hope you enjoyed.

A little bit of this, A little bit of that....

Fall is here. Well, maybe not according to the calendar, but for me it's here. As I have said in the past I love Fall. I'm so glad that our Heavenly Father had a great love for color. Otherwise, we may not have all of the different colors to enjoy!!

I told you in an earlier blog that I would like to find something I could do that would be different than just blabbering away about crazy stuff. So I think that I will tell you some of the favorite things I like to do and then if you want to take a turn, you can tell some of the favorite things that you like to do. They can be random things or you can stick to a specific theme. It's your choice. So without further ado....

1. I like to shop at Wal-Mart. I think that they have better buys on most stuff so I go to Wal-Mart for most of my shopping.
2. I like to eat ice cream. ALOT!! I mostly like the vanilla with lots of chocolate syrup on it. No crunches or candy. Just CREAMY, sweet ice cream. Edy's brand is the best!!
3. I love to hold Katie in the middle of the night. Most of the time. She is so sweet and I can honestly say there have been very few times I've wished she would go to bed. Now she goes to bed and I hardly ever get to rock her.
4. I love to watch kids shows with Patricia. I get so much enjoyment out of watching her laugh and interact with the characters.
5. I love to take bubble baths at night after everyone has gone to bed. Just to relax and smell the soft scent of the bubbles and feel the warm water on me helping to erase all of the stress of the day is heavenly!!
6. I love my coffee with "International Delights Southern Butter Pecan" creamer in it. MMmmmmm....Delicious!! You have to search for the coffee in the cup!! :D
7. I love a long back rub when my back is tired after sitting at the computer all day long while at work. Sometimes I have to beg for them but I don't mind. Tom is pretty good about massaging my back if I promise to return the favor.
8. I love dogs. We are in a very close neighborhood and so we really don't have anywhere for one. We have had Doxy's, Min-Pin's, Shepherds, Labrador's both black and red, and I'm not sure what others. I hope to one day get another Lab or Retriever for our girls.
9. I absolutely love!! my dish washer. I thank God daily (well almost) for my dishwasher. Nothing bothers the small of my back like standing at a sink full of dirty dishes. I would rather mop the floors than have to wash the dishes. (I do that too...:D)
10. And for the grand finale...I love Florida and the area we live in. When it is so hot in the summer and humid, you can step outside and feel the wonderful ocean breezes blowing the Palm Trees and it makes you feel cooler. The ocean is magnificent!! Only a God who loved varieties could have created the ocean. He truly is a wonderful Creator!!

Well, there you have it. Some of the things I like and love. You can play along if you want to. I would love to read some of the things that you love to do.

I hope every one's enjoying the wonderful weather and the beauty of Fall. Good night.

Mommy, I got a "booboo"!!

Well it happened. I didn't want it to but it did. My little munchkin has a sort of black eye. And we are scheduled to have our pictures taken in one week. I hope it goes away fast!!

Tom and Patricia were in her room playing and wrestling on the bed. The dresser stands right beside her bed and it has sharp corners on the top. Needless to say she starts to screaming and Tom thought she was just playing so she could get away from him. But she wasn't playing. She was really crying. When we got her calmed down enough find out what had happened, she said she hit her eye on the corner of the dresser. I was so thankful that her eyeball was ok. She hit the top of the eye just above the eyeball and any farther down could have put her eye out. This just goes to show us that God watches over us even in the minute moments of our lives.

The second picture is that "powder face girl". Once again she found the powder and proceeded to cover her face with it. I don't know what to do with this child!! She is into everything. She didn't do this when she was 2. She saved all of that for now when she is almost 5. Gggrrrr!! One thing is for sure, she will always be my little "green-eyed" girl. She is very close to me and I want that bond to always remain.

Just a few pictures

I love this picture of Tom and Patricia. She was 3 when this was taken. Actually, she was going to turn 3 real soon. I think she was still 2 here. Now she is almost 5 and getting so big.

This was trick or treat night when she was 2 and a half. She had a blast unless there were scary people handing out candy. She would cry and run to me wanting me to go get her candy for her.
This was her Christmas dress last year. She is still wearing it. She calls this her "princess" dress.
Then came Katie. This was day 2 on Dec. 28. She was such a good baby. I had her C-section and I couldn't lift her too well so Tom took care of her a lot. She had some sugar problems and we had to try to get her to eat as much as she could.
Now my girls are so big. Katie is 9 months old and Tricia is 4 and a half. Time sure flies when you're having fun!! See ya.

Over the hill and through the dale to the doctors we will go...

And we did!! Katie had her 9 month checkup today and the doctor was really pleased. She thought Katie looked great!! Her head is still bigger than normal, but now they don't seem to be worried at all. The soft spot on the front top of her head is just about closed. (I don't remember what that is called)

She weighed in at 20.03 #'s and was 28 and a quarter inches long. Her head was a little over 18" in diameter. She has lots of brains in there. :P She is still a little behind in some of the categories, such as crawling, standing on her own, and picking up food and putting it in her mouth. I'm not one bit worried about that becuase some babies just do things slower than other babies. She isn't on the floor enough to learn to crawl although she is crawling some. She loves to be in her walker and we walk with her a lot, holding on to her hands. She acts very smart and has learned a lot of things in the past 3 months. She says words and knows her name well. She can follow you wherever you go and moves like lightening. I am just so thankful that she is doing as well as she is. I was 39 when I had her and so many times babies with older mothers can have physical problems that can be detrimental. Thank God she is doing great.

In other news, Tom leaves again tomorrow and will be gone until Sunday night. He has been going away a lot lately, but we are praying that there will be no more Sunday's after this one. He has to do some training and the classes are only offered on Sat and Sun because it is at a college with weekly classes. He is really looking forward to getting this over with. Me too!!

I'm trying to think of some special things to write about. I've seen where a lot of people are doing things like "a perfect picture day" and "Tuesday 10". I'm trying to find something unique that I can do that will be fun and uplifting. Maybe I can....Oh. Well, I'll think of something soon.

Take care and God bless. Thanks for stopping by. Good night all!!

No time for blogging today!!

Katie has a doctor appointment and so I must bid the blogging world good day. Katie is 9 months old now. I'm anxious to see what she weighs. I'll let you know. Until then...

Take me out to the ballpark...

This is an awesome movie. I wasn't sure if I would like it as I'm not a big baseball fan and I really don't know a lot about it, but I really enjoyed this movie. The thing that I like the most about it was:

1. No language that my four yr. old would have to hear
2. There was no nudity
3. The father did wrong and then had to pay. In the process a lesson about lying and cheating was taught.
4. And it wasn't boring at all.

So there you have it. A good movie for the whole family to see. Clean, decent, and teaches a good lesson to our children.
Thanks for stopping by. Good night all.

Just a little humor...:):)

A new pastor was visiting the homes of his parishioners. At one house it seemed obvious that someone was at home, but no answer came to his repeated knocks at the door. Therefore, he took out a card and wrote "Revelation 3:20" on the back of it and stuck it in the door. When the offering was processed the following Sunday, he found that his card had been returned. Added to it was this cryptic message, Genesis 3:10." Reaching for his Bible to check out the citation, he broke up in gales of laughter. Revelation 3:20 begins "Behold, I stand at the door and knock." Genesis 3:10 reads, "I heard your voice in the garden and I was afraid, for I was naked."

My Claim to fame!!

I read a friends blog and she was talking about her "claim to fame" so I thought I would blog about my "claim to fame".



When I was in college at Hobe Sound Bible College, I sang in the choir. We sang on Jupiter Island (a very rich community) at their theater. After we finished singing we stood outside and greeted the people. President Bush's grandmother was among those people and I was privilege to shake her hand and speak to her. She was in a wheelchair and her nurse was with her.



After that we were served a formal dinner in the Jupiter Island Clubhouse. I don't remember what I ate because I was so excited that I had met a "then President's" Mother.

My other claim to fame is, when I went home after college, I did some part-time babysitting for a doctor. One night the telephone rang and when I answered it, I heard this low, sultry voice on the other end. It was Raquel Welch. She was calling for the doctors brother. She talk to me for just a minute asking me my name and how was I doing. When I hung up I thought "WOW"!! I JUST TALKED TO SOMEONE FROM HOLLYWOOD!!

Well, that's my "claim to fame". What's yours? Let me know. I would love to read about it. God bless!