Up Date From Charleston South Carolina

Greetings from Charleston:

Vacation is a must for our family. We save all year to have at least one big nice vacation.

We usually rent a hotel room but this year decided to rent a house through vrbo. Wow is all

i can say we rented a 2400sf house mins from everything and the difference is unbelievable..keep in mind this is the same cost of a medium priced hotel...
Food has been awesome!!

My husband has cooked fresh sword fish and fresh tuna and the weeks just started...

The kids have enjoyed the hot-tub.

We have went on a dungeon tour, to shopping at the ole slave market.

one day we got up early and went to the beach....

We love having Scott all to ourselves..:)

We love it here!

Write more later.

Some exciting news to share when we get back from our vacation.

We will be leaving tomorrow morning for our big family vacation.

Everyone make sure you gather around next week for some exciting news we have to share....

It's sure to make a line at the watering trough.

Do You Like to Rock Climb? I bet your kids do........

Walking in the Rain

I know that most of you have never experienced the loss of a child but those of you who have may can contest to what I'm feeling right now.

Grief is an energy zapper. It drains you so fast and you can neither stop it or slow it down.
There are certain 'triggers' that recall your broken heart up to the surface and then the grief over takes you..Your in the middle of a thunder storm of your emotions before you or your husband or friends even know anything is happening...

The only thing you can do is keep walking..
It feels like your walking with 50lb weights tied to your ankle's though so it's not as easy as it sounds..
Those of you serious about your 5-k training ever tried running in the rain?
Your running in the same place, you have the same clothes on, it's the same time of day but it's raining so EVERYTHING is different.
Your wet, your getting your face smacked by little rain drops your not comfortable..Your trail or road looks like the dry one but the trees are heavy with the rain that flows. The ground is soft and muddy and you have to keep moving..You can't stop..

You want to stop and just let the rain pound, let the mud rise and the lighting strike but you keep moving.

Grief over the loss of William has left me broken and wandering in the rain alot but you may not see it unless your one of my few friends that know me well but it's there..I try to keep moving forward and I do and some days the weight feels like 10lbs but today it feels like 150.

So I ask for prayer from all of you I'm trying to be real on this journey so that no-one gets the impression it's easy because it's the hardest road I've traveled.

I said yes!

I said yes to another Popsicle. A simple yes that made the whole porch break out in cheers.

The sticky wet mess all over them and me..

Mom said Yes!!!

Jo's words

His words are few and I often wonder how hard it is for him to be transformed to this new world of his. He looks at me as though he has known me forever.

He walks this journey so well and yet somewhere inside I know his words are formed and stored up to be heard one day.

He has words but the few-ness of them leave you wondering..

Wondering why I can't be more like him.

Saying nothing with my lips but saying everything through my eyes, my heart, my hands..

Words are over-rated . The busy-ness of them. The loudness of them. The amount of them.

But when Jo speaks we all stop and listen and are in awe of how perfectly they are formed on his silent lips. We listen, We perk up, We know that what he has to say is important...

Yes how I wished I could be more like my quiet son.

My words few but powerful when spoken.

One of your biggest enemies as a wife is a immodestly dressed woman

It's been a while since I've been on a trip that involved two airports and a nice hotel but as the

trip started I kept finding myself being very agitated.


I didn't really know why until the last leg of our journey and then it hit me....

I see NAKED PEOPLE!!



So many women 14-30 were showing boobs, bottoms, and anything else you wanted to see.
You didn't have to buy a magazine or pull anything up on the computer, it was FREE...

I diverted my eyes. I changed my direction. I smiled graciously at these women and then I was just mad...

I was embarrassed for these girls. I was angry at the men who had lost their integrity on a short flight. They fell over themselves to help these un-dressed damsels. I noticed wedding rings on almost all of these guys and I just wondered what their wives would of thought of their helpful spirit..:) I was not impressed..I'm sure she wouldn't have been either.



One guy in particular sat next to Scott and I, we found him to be a 48 year old funny likable Christian guy who told us about his wife and kids and how he married up.
(I always think highly of a guy who talks about his family, don't you?)
We laughed with him and had deep conversation about the Lord and our churches etc....
He ruined his whole reputation with me in a matter of 30 secs.
On the way off the plane the stewardess was at the door wearing tight pants and a low cut shirt he stops and tells her how beautiful she was...She smiled and told him how sweet he was.
I wanted to jump in and say "excuse me but your wife may not like you talking like that to other women, I wouldn't like it."



I don't really know what struck me so hard except that he was a husband.
A protector, a provider, a leader of a home...a father, one who is supposed to teach and guide.
and here this guy is telling another woman how beautiful she was, like it was the easiest thing in the world to do..I have to say it made me sick to my stomach......






So I asked my husband what he would do if I wasn't with him and one of these hastily dressed women sat next to him, his response was:

"I'd move"

He said as a man you must and have to train your eyes and your thoughts.

We have alittle rule around our marriage that goes something like this:

We will not be alone with the opposite sex....(flee from the appearance of evil)


We are very careful about how things would look if my spouse walked in or drove up etc.

Call us nuts but I know my husband would never do anything to hurt me or to make me feel
less than his top priority...

Why do some Christian men act so goofy?

Why would they resort to acting foolish for some stranger?

Marriage is sacred. It's intimate, it's beautiful.

The words Scott and I say to each other would never cross my lips to someone else.

Just as I know that the way he looks at me and tells me how beautiful I am he would never say to someone else.

Not because I'm the most beautiful woman in the world but because I'm his beloved and I'm beautiful to him and I am his world.

I know this to be true of his character and he teaches this to our sons.

He used the example of our flight to tell our boys that:

"You will need to remove yourself from situations sometimes that offend you. How would your wife feel if she walked on the plane and saw you sitting next to someone half dressed? There may not be anything at all going on but you don't want to ever make your wife feel uncomfortable, you never want to put yourself in a situation that could effect your marriage in anyway."

I have some friends who are not bothered by their husbands being alone with their secretary or traveling for business with other women, this again is an area in which we don't daddle in.

I also have a friend that her husband refused to work in an office alone with another female employee because they had made a promise to each other to never be alone with the opposite sex. The guy that owned the business didn't have a problem with it and they worked out a schedule so that the husband was never put in that situation. Our friend's desire to honor his wife makes us respect them all the more.

I'm teaching Taylor why it's so important for her to dress modestly.

Do I believe she has to wear long black skirts and a head covering? No, I don't see that standard in the bible, but the standard I do see in the bible is to love thy neighbor. If you're busy loving others you would never want to hurt anyone...by your actions or your dress... especially the person whom you will spend your life with.

It's been a lot of fun talking with Scott on this subject and I appreciate his leadership in this area.

I'm thankful for his faithfulness in all areas of our marriage and I'm thankful that he honors me when I'm around and when I'm not around.

Remember It's a slow fade:

Be careful little eyes what you see Be careful little eyes what you seeIt’s the second glance that ties your hands as darkness pulls the stringsBe careful little feet where you goFor it’s the little feet behind you that are sure to follow
It’s a slow fade when you give yourself awayIt’s a slow fade when black and white have turned to grayThoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paidWhen you give yourself awayPeople never crumble in a dayIt’s a slow fade, it’s a slow fade
Be careful little ears what you hearWhen flattery leads to compromise, the end is always nearBe careful little lips what you sayFor empty words and promises lead broken hearts astray
It’s a slow fade when you give yourself awayIt’s a slow fade when black and white have turned to grayThoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paidWhen you give yourself awayPeople never crumble in a daycasting crown lyrics on www.lyrics-celebrities.anekatips.com
The journey from your mind to your handsIs shorter than you’re thinkingBe careful if you think you standYou just might be sinking
It’s a slow fade when you give yourself awayIt’s a slow fade when black and white have turned to grayThoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paidWhen you give yourself awayPeople never crumble in a dayDaddies never crumble in a dayFamilies never crumble in a day
Oh be careful little eyes what you seeOh be careful little eyes what you seeFor the Father up above is looking down in loveOh be careful little eyes what you see

Controversial post coming up

As most of you know my blog is easy on the mind and it's fun and up-beat for the most part and it's just my family journal but after the weekend I just spent with Scott I will warn you that I'm working on a post that some may not like...
So be looking for one of my first controversial post..

I will not make this a habit nor do I intend to change my blog style but as a woman
I feel like I need to speak up...:)

Until then..:)

Being Scott's wife

Scott and I will be spending the next three days together ALONE.
I'm almost breathless saying that..Alone.... hmmmmm it's been a while folks.

Our conversations are usually broken words interrupted by three year olds.
As I get older I find that I forget what I was talking about just mins. before
I was interrupted. We will put out what ever fire there was and look at each other and
say "what were we talking about?" Alot of times we just have to call it and say if you remember let me know.

Our bedroom is full of kids all the time. We are a cuddly bunch of people if you have ever
been around us you know we are affectionate..We love being together and we're together all the time. Our bed is full with little people, teenagers, their stuff and Scott and I are in there some where....At night we have occupants on a pallet in our floor? Don't ask me why..When our kids get around 4 they ask "can I sleep in your floor." and we always say YES! We are older parents remember and we know all to well that our floor will be empty one day so we live for today..We say Yes alot because we realize how time flies.......we understand that 4 year olds don't stay 4, they grow up and wouldn't sleep in your floor if you paid them...so we enjoy the warm little body at the foot of our bed. We enjoy the little boy who crawls up for morning snuggle time. Yep we are the sappy parents who try not to take one moment for granted... :)

Our telephone time is some of the most intimate times we have...We make a point to talk on the phone when he is commuting to and from work...This is time I usually make my bed or do some other chore while spend time with Scott on the phone..hey! you take it where you can get it..


Our car time is no help because..our back seat is loud and restless...complaints, singing, fighting,and just plain noise, this keeps us from having much time..

We have secret hand shakes, secret eye looks,
and secret code words for our conversations and
this is as close as it comes to being a romantic couple in our home... on some days.

So Alone with my man...I feel almost like I'm blushing by the very thought.

Will he like who I've become while raising his children?
Will he see any of who I used to be before six kids?
Will he enjoy my conversation?
Will he enjoy just my company?
Just me!!

I feel like I've changed so much over these years, some good and some not so good.
I know alot of times I've neglected him as my husband in order to be a better mother.
Although he never says a word about this I feel like I could definitely shape up in this area of wife..

Yet when we're alone and I'm just his wife, can I pull it off? Can I be carefree and interesting?
Can I still make him laugh.


Marriage is one of the most beautiful roads I have ever traveled and
Scott is the perfect travel companion... for me....Somewhere along the journey
you realize you give up alot to have a big family..but the rewards are too great
not to do it.....
When we're empty nesters ( we'll be 80) I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to do all the selfish things we missed out on.....:)

So here's to beautiful memories, time alone and being Scott's wife..

Yard Sale Treasures for this week

The rain has put a damper on most yard sales but I did

find one on Friday that

made my day..I bought this cute little

leather chair for 10.00 bucks

and the wicker lamp for $5.oo

the colorful pillow for $1.oo

This has made a cozy nook in my living room for gathering little ones in my lap and reading a book or two.

This has been one of my better buys at a yard sale...

Alot has to do with where you go and what time you get there.

You have to know your neighborhoods..and you have to get there early.

Jump, I've got you...

Cooper learned to swim in the deep end of the pool this week. He has been swimming for a while but the deep end was always somewhere he didn't want to go. Until, his big brother helped him conquer his fear.

He gently and playfully got Coop to go to the deep end and then stayed with him until his face was under, then got him to swim little bits at the time until he realized he could do it. The big part of the show was when standing below the diving board Tucker said "jump Coop I've got you." He Jumped!!! With his big brother waiting in the water he jumped and swam.

I was so proud of Cooper but I was more proud of Tucker because he wanted to show Cooper he could do it...He was an encourager and as I told Tucker "this will be something that Cooper will always remember.You taught him to swim in the the deep end. He trusts you and that will carry your relationship in the future.."When it's Cullen and Jo's time to swim in the deep end I pray that they will have a couple of big brothers waiting in the deep saying

JUMP We've Got You....

Take A Hike

I took the kids to a local park that has some great hiking trails.

We packed our lunch and water and took off.

It took us over two hours to do this particular trail and by the end of it we had collected feathers, rocks and flowers. We saw three different tracks of wild animals and felt like we were away from it all.

As a mom I want to feel like I'm teaching my kids to love nature and to be able to finish something. When I put them at the beginning of a trail and say "we're going till the end"

they know we will finish together. It promotes team work. Tucker had to carry our pack,

Cooper had to help his sister climb over trees etc..

Could we experience nature at home? Yes, we can (and do) but there on the trail the kids had my undivided attention.

No distractions, just us and nature.

Next week we planned a hike that ends up in a cool spring so the reward will be refreshing.

Take a hike see if your kids don't love it.

Barn music

One of the things I love most about our circle of friends is the neat things we get to do.

On Saturday night we were invited to some friends house to eat dinner on the grounds and then make some music in the barn.

This was a blast!!!The kids got to practice their instruments and we got to sing some old hymns..

As the light faded to night we had to drag our kids away from this most enjoyable evening..

World War l play

Our older kids are involved in a co-op through our church and this past weekend they performed a world war 1 musical about what life was like for the average family in those days.

Talk about faith.!!

The kids did a great job and even Coop and Cullen got to be involved.

Up date on my training for the 5-k

So I'm hot and heavy in my training for the 5k.(I hope you're still training as well!)
I'm running for a total of 21 mins at a time on my run days.
I'm walking the rest of the time..
On my walk days I'm doing 35 mins.
I have also added jumping on the trampoline for ten mins at the end of my workout.
Did you know that jumping on the trampoline can help you lose weight and it's good for the lymph system. (I'm not so sure it's good for the bladder though..:)


Last week was HARD!! I didn't want to work out at all. I had low energy and a low mood
for a couple of days but I did feel better when I was finished.

So some of the benefits so far:
1- I have been staying up later with my sweet adorable hubby.
2-I have been sleeping better.
3-My clothes feel loose and I had to go down a size in pants. :)
4-More energy.....I feel better now than I have in a long time.
5-I've lost 6lbs

So over all I think I'm on the right track.

How's your training going??
Come on tell us!

Who says girls can't chase down a chicken..This is one true country girl!!!

Shopping day at the whole food market

Yes, I know the whole food market is expensive but..........I'm trying to make sure my family eats healthier so we buy less junk and save our money for good produced fresh food...

Virtually everything that we buy called "food" has been dramatically depleted of its nutritional value.

So what do we do? According to Kevin Trudeau - "Natural cures they don't want you to know about" start with these simple changes in your eating habit and you will feel great and be healthier..So I took the first seven out of his book and going to give it a try.....

1. Eat more fresh organic fruits and veggies..yes they do taste better. no chemicals or pesticides

2.Buy a juice machine..I'm borrowing my friends juicer this weekend to see if I like it. So far it's awesome, the juice is incredible.

3.Eat raw organic nuts and seeds

4.Get natural sunlight:Your body needs sunlight. Do not use sunglasses or sun screens, The sun enters through the eyes and stimulates energy in the entire body. 30 mins a day, minimum, in the sun promotes incredible health benefits.

5.Eat a organic apple a day: They say it's true this is a natural cure for dozens of various diseases.

6.Use organic sea salt: They say this one change in your diet can make you lose between five and ten pounds in the first 30 days..:)

7. Eat organic dark chocolate *yum yum!!*

So I felt just a tad bit out of place...5 of my six kids two 'car buggies' yes the big ole yellow car buggy the kids just couldn't be talked out of.( Like we need more attention....)

All the moms in the place had neat hair, neat buggy's, and come to think of it neat kids...hair bows in place clean face and matching shoes.....

hmmmm.........They only had one though so I didn't feel too bad...

I hope your thinking of ways to help your family be healthier...Start small and work up to the big things....I'm new at this as well so if you have any suggestions let us hear from you.....

until next time~

Providing shelter....

His hands gently hold the small frail treasure he has found and runs towards me with his eyes full of concern wanting me to "find the babies mama." I can't, I look but his mom is no where to be found. Was this baby too young to fly from her nest? Is her mom like me wondering why she had to leave 'so soon.'

There is a certain order to nature and living without your child is not supposed to be part of it.....

There is no order.

The pain that sweep across your heart in a matter of minutes is breathtaking. I feel at times that I push back as much pain as I can and then when the least little thing happens that reminds me of the hurt of losing William I cry out to the Lord that this cross is too heavy.

Too heavy to carry around all day and night.

Too heavy and I see no sign that it will ever get easier to carry except for my friends who like Cooper pick me up and whisper that they're here. Help me find shelter from the cruelty of death.

Friends that gently support and encourage and help carry me to the next day.

Friends that are more like family.....

Friends that provide a shelter for your bruised heart....

Friends that cover you with their hands and prayers.

Although Cooper couldn't change the out come for his little bird

He was there until she found shelter and felt safe.

Although my friends can't change what happened

they can walk this road with me until I feel

like I'm strong enough to take flight

and not feel like I have a broken wing.

Thank you Lord for friends...

Happenings on the Farm

Growing our own veggies is one of the most rewarding things I've done.

But what if your not in a position to have a garden?

Buy Local.....In the town we live in they have local farmers sitting out on the tail gates of their trucks selling their fresh fruits and vegetables.

This is a fun day for the whole family.

We carry a big basket and haggle with the locals...If I don't know how to cook something I'll ask...It's usually older folks who still do things the ole fashioned way and they love telling you their secrets to the best squash around..

I bought cucumbers this time to make a fresh cucumber scrub that Taylor and I wanted to try.

The plums just bring back happy childhood memories....The road we lived on had tons of plum trees and I remember riding my bike and stopping to get a handful of the sour treats and stuffing my pockets full of them...nothing better than salt and a plum...:)

Sometimes I do things the hard way just so my kids will be able to say we used to have to shell peas for hours on the back porch....I know it might be easier to just buy em but I would miss out on the 3 hours of the laughs, the moans, the complaints, and the happiness of making my kids work for their food..
Last year I gave each of my older kids 7.00 a piece and let them out at the farmers market and told them to 'buy the most food' and who -ever did got an ice-cream.. They had a blast and it was fun to see what they bought..

We are gearing up for blue-berry season and we have a local guy who has a good size patch.I give each kid a bucket and say don't come back to the car until it's filled...I know I'm mean!!They beg to go back though.

Sometimes we think we're doing our kids a favor if we make things easier for them, but I believe the opposite is true. Teach them hard work and when the load is easy they will be thankful....

Splish splash our first day at the pool.

After yard saleing on Saturday I came home and got Scott and the little ones and we went swimming at a friends pool....Tucker needed to earn a required merit badge for boy scouts so Scott worked with him while I kept a sharp eye on the water.

It's great having access to a pool where you don't have to worry about dress code or lack there of around your kids.

Since we're trying to save on our power bill this should be a great way for the kids to cool off.

Thanks to Anna and Brock who have always opened their pool doors to us..:) This is a great blessing for a large family.

This is great entertainment with no money involved.... I love doing this with the kids.....

Everyone seems to perk up with they know we're going and I LOVE building these memories...

Who says you can't do things when you have lots of kids..It just takes alittle planning.

You gotta look close

This post update is for Darby:) She asked about our newest members..

We had our baby rabbits last week but the mom had them covered up

so we only just recently got our first view of them...

Their very pink and very blind and have no hair..Go figure!

We believe we have around 12 babies still hard to tell because of all the fur...