celebrating Brent and giveaway winners...

WOW.. I can't believe I didn't even get ONE post in since I mentioned the giveaway.. I'm SUCH a slacker! Oh well.. on with the update.

So it was 14 years ago TODAY that God gave us one of our most precious and treasured gifts, He gave us our firstborn son.

Brent was as beautiful and healthy as any new mom could wish for. All ten fingers and toes were there.. he had hair the color of his daddy's, and his skin was as pink and soft as could be. He was PERFECT. We never knew what a short time we'd have to spend with this AMAZING gift, but OH the things he taught us in his short life!

Those of you that have been with us for any length of time have probably already heard me tell of how Brent started telling those he loved how they needed JESUS. (This started happening when he was only 4. He was told Zach - who was TWO at the time that he should ask Jesus to save him NOW.. ha!)

Brent "officially" accepted Christ as his SAVIOR on Easter Sunday at the age of 8. Yes, he was something special from the beginning. Our boy is such a treasure! (I hate to speak of him in past tense because he IS still ALIVE, AMEN?? He's actually MORE ALIVE in Heaven than we are here)

Oh, how I'd love to share all the details and all the ways he blessed us, but that might very well take FOREVER. To say he was a blessing to all of us would be a tremendous understatement.

I'd like to say a SPECIAL "THANK YOU" to all of you that are, and have been celebrating his LIFE with us this month!! It's a WONDERFUL feeling to know that he's remembered.

My challenge to you today is to ask you to do a random act of kindness for someone today in memory of Brent. He absolutely LOVED to make other people happy. It doesn't take much to bless someone.. it might be as small a gesture as offering a smile to the next person you meet. (You never know what might be going on in the heart of the stranger you meet on the street.. they too may be dealing with the loss, or pending loss of a loved one)

Yes, our boy was also DELIGHTED by giving gifts to others! That's why I chose to celebrate his LIFE by having a giveaway on his birthday. With that said.. the winners are..............

for the bloggy makeover... Erin

the Bible on CD - Laura - (I don't have any contact info.. please email me with your mailing info so I can get this out to you!)

a set of candles - Lisa Shaw

a Paula Dean Cookbook (did I spell her last name right?) - Nen

bath & shower gel - April

bath & shower gel - Jill

and finally, a Lunch for Life cookbook. This is a special cookbook put together by families that have/had children with neuroblastoma. There is a picture of Brent and one of his FAVORITE breads inside - Teresa

Congratulations to all of our winners! Would you please email me with your mailing addresses so I can get this out to you? ☺ nason5@aol.com

I SO WISH I could send something to EVERYONE! THANKS again for visiting and for joining us as we remember our sweet little man.


(Happy Birthday, Sweet Boy, we love you all the way to HEAVEN and back! We count ourselves BLESSED to have been your parents)

celebrating Brent's life with a giveaway!

Yes, it's that time again... It's time to celebrate Brent's life by having a giveaway on his birthday. He would be 14 this year.. man, I can hardly believe it.

Brent had the BIGGEST HEART EVER and absolutely LOVED to give gifts! That's why it seems only right that we celebrate him this way. I would LOVE for you to read (or at least look over THIS POST that I did last year announcing last years life celebration) This post will really give you a peek into what a GENEROUS heart our little man had!

So THIS YEAR I'll be giving away at least two gifts and will challenge you to do a R.A.K. (random act of kindness) in celebration of his amazing life on his birthday, October 28.


I'm still working through the details, but one of the gifts will be a blog makeover designed by "The Design Girl". (She's the lady that designed my blog.. I REALLY LOVE her work!) I've already made the down payment and my name is on the list so the winner won't have a really long wait! YAY!!



Another gift I'm really excited about is this...



This of course is "The Word of Promise Full Bible".

I "borrowed" the product description.. check it out!

Product Description:

"Come experience the entire Bible recorded with an all-star cast led by an all-star cast of actors, including Jim Caviezel as Jesus, Richard Dreyfus as Moses, Gary Sinise as David, Jason Alexander as Joseph, Marisa Tomei, Louis Gossett Jr., and over 600 actors contributing to this timeless work. This audio Bible is produced with state of the art audio technology. Including sound effects and an original musical score. This is a new experience in audio Bible like none before. There are 79 CDs in this set."


I heard about this while listening to the Rick & Bubba show the other day. The guy that's doing Jesus' voice is the same guy that played Jesus in "The Passion of the Christ".

Now, It seems like this isn't just your regular audio Bible. (It's not some monotone voice going on and on and on... ) It's a WHOLE CAST of people reading/speaking out the WORD just as it appears in the Bible. (It's done in the very trusted NKJV) I've ordered one for ourselves, but haven't gotten it in yet. I'm thinking this is going to be AMAZING! If you want to hear a sample of it for yourself click HERE.

Okay, so the only rule is this:

Leave a comment for the giveaway on THIS post ONLY. This will keep it simple! (I'll "link back" to this post each time I post to keep it easy for everyone)

If you want extra entries you can...

- post this graphic/link in your sidebar - 5 entries

<a href="http://nason5.blogspot.com/2009/10/celebrating-brents-life-with-giveaway.html"> <center><img src="http://i36.tinypic.com/121fi35.jpg"/></center></a>

- mention this giveaway and in a post - encouraging others to do a "R.A.K." in honor and celebration of Brent's life - another 5 extra entries

Of course you're free to enter as many times as you'd like! ☺ Remember, the drawing will be held on October 28... if you do anything for extra entries please say so in a comment so you'll get the credit. ☺

love, love, LOVE these boys!

The last post I did was to encourage everyone that wanted to, to eat at Chili's on a certain day and support St. Jude. (I was asked by someone in the comments if this fundraiser would be at all locations and I never got to answer - SO SORRY! Had sick kiddos and were gone to the docs office.. it was an all day run)

Anyway, on to what I wanted to share today.. ☺

While our son, Brent, was sick, we met lots of wonderful people, many through his caringbridge site. The two families that I'll be sharing with you today QUICKLY became FAMILY to us.

You've probably heard me talk about my friend Susan? (She's a friend/spiritual mom to me) Then there's Jill, she's another sister with an incredibly STRONG faith! she and her son Cooper flew all the way here to take part in "Brent Nason Day" back in September 06..





(Pictured: Brent and Ash in the chair, starting on the left in the back.. Zach, Gabe, Clay and Cooper)


Jill and Susan are also long time prayer warriors for our family.. I SO LOVE these ladies and their precious families!)


So our buddy Jordan (which is Susan's son) and our friend Cooper, who is Jill's son both colored peppers for Brent. (Since Cooper doesn't have a caringbridge site, PRAISE GOD he's HEALTHY!!... I'll link you to his sister Hutton's site.. Hutton is a little MIRACLE baby... you'd be BLESSED to read her story and to get to know their family too)

My heart just melted when I saw these!


This is Cooper....

and this is our buddy Jordan...

Yes, it's just WONDERFUL to know that Brent is remembered by his friends! I literally "teared up" when I saw these pics. Precious, PRECIOUS boys!

Okay, friends.. stay tuned! I'm already working on my next post where I'll be announcing my next giveaway. (This is how we'll be celebrating Brent's life this year on his birthday) ☺

Have a WONDERFUL day!!!

Eat Chili's today - Help St. Jude =-)

YIKES! I almost forgot to mention that by eating at Chili's today you'll be helping fund research for St. Jude. Yes, Chili's will be donating 100 PERCENT of their profit from today to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital!!

I thought that before I go I'd share a picture of Brent from a few years back. We'd gone on out one of these Chili's/St. Jude events to do our part. ☺ In the pic below is our precious Brent with Madelyn Beamon (another "Heaven Healed Neuroblastoma Warrior"), her mom Brandi, her Daddy Neal, and her brother Tyler. It's so hard to believe that so many children we knew from St. Jude are in Heaven now. Research is DESPERATELY needed and funding is the key. What better way to help out than eating at Chili's? Can you think of a better place to eat lunch/supper today? (I mean, if you were eating out anyway.. haha)




This is a pic of Brent with his cousin Clay, who was also one of his very best friends. ☺





Thanks for putting up with me twice in one day.. LOL! I hope you have a GREAT week!

Love,
Tonya

a yummy freebie while supplies last!

Hello, Friends!

As much as I'd like to do a heartfelt post this morning, I just don't have the time. I DO however want to let you in on something I just found out about. If you click smuckers.com/promotions, you'll have the chance to submit a time-saving idea and get a coupon for FREE uncrustables. When the page opens click on "see details". HURRY, it's only open to the first 20,000 entries!

zach found a treasure today..

Hello, Friends!

This will be a quick post because I'm afraid I'd be an emotional mess if I try to put too much into this one. Zach was playing on one of Brent's old laptops and found some video footage of Brent that I don't remember seeing before.

It's a TRUE blessing to find these little "footprints" that Brent left behind, but OH SO HARD on the heart! (I just LOVE to hear Brent's voice.. I LOVE the country twang that they all have.. precious, PRECIOUS memories!)

I'll end by saying that I'm SO VERY THANKFUL that Brent KNEW our LORD and that we KNOW he's in Heaven waiting for us! What a TRUE JOY it is to have the BLESSED HOPE of an ETERNITY with our JESUS!

how to save BIG with coupons..

Hello, Friends!

Okay, so as I mentioned yesterday I will be sharing some money-saving tips I've gleaned from a couple of friends (and of course my sister-in-law who is also my friend).

See, I've not been the most frugal of all folks - in fact, I've hardly been frugal at all. Now, I'll be the FIRST to "google" for coupons when I'm shopping online. It's really just too easy to not do it, but when it came to clipping coupons.. well, I had a BAJILLION excuses NOT to. (Mostly just carelessness)

The Bible has PLENTY to say about making wise decisions and managing what God has given us. As I thought about what it means to be a helpmeet to my husband and the decisions I make daily, a couple of verses came to mind...


Proverbs 31:17-18

17 She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.

18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.



Obviously I have NOT been the most helpful helpmmet, but "PRAISE THE LORD, I SAW THE LIGHT"~ (Sorry, I just remembered watching David Crowder sing this on YouTube) Check it out if you've got a second...

Okay, so I'll stop with the rambling and move on to what I've learned...


First, I got started by checking a few sites online. My FAVORITE is The Grocery Game. Yes, there is a small fee, but it is BY FAR the EASIEST to use and will pay for itself the FIRST time you shop! (It's the easiest to use for me anyway) Oh, and did I mention there is a FREE trial membership to The Grocery Game? You can watch this quick video that will give you an idea how this program works....








I did find another site that helps you plan your shopping list the way the other does, but it just doesn't seem to be as easy to understand and takes a little longer to map out. (A plus for this one is that it's FREE!) It's couponmom.com I ABSOLUTELY LOVE this site too because from there you can print FREE coupons!! (These aren't the little .25 ones that you get in the newspapers - though I DO clip those too.. MANY of the ones on this site are $1.00 or more!)

So whether you decide to go with The Grocery Game or Coupon Mom, the idea is the same. Your goal will be to use your coupons buying ONLY the items that are on sale. Under the FAQ'S on the The Grocery Game they tell you that they know when items are at their lowest price and that's when they recommend you buy them. (Thus NEVER paying full price for anything)

Since I've started shopping this way, I've knocked a HUGE HOLE in the amount I'd normally spend. For instance, tonight I stopped in Kroger and spent 29.00, but I SAVED $25! Granted, grocery stores are usually much higher than shopping somewhere like Walmart, but the idea is that you ONLY buy the "loss leaders". (Those are the items that the stores cut WAY DOWN just to get you in the store.. THOSE are the items we use our coupons for to get MAXIMUM savings!!)

It's really fun to shop this way because you'll get items that you might not normally splurge on. For instance, this week I got an AirWick Automatic Spray Kit similar to this one...
for only .99 and it lists in Kroger for about $13! (Or about $10 at Walmart) It was on my "Terri's List" for the week and I was just beside myself when I got it for UNDER $1! (I know, I'm WAAAYYY TOO EASILY amused)



Another cool thing about couponing??? If you have a Kroger Card (you get those in the store by filling out a quick little questionnaire) you can load coupons on it BEFORE you ever leave home. However, what REALLY gets me about this is that it will take the coupon that you've loaded on your card AND a paper coupon on the SAME item! (However, the coupons on the card WON'T double.. but I'm pretty sure the paper ones DO up to .55 and then you STILL get the coupon you loaded from home!) You can do this by going to shortcuts.com and registering your shopping card. Then you pick out the coupons you want and it automatically loads them! Oh, I keep talking about Kroger.. they are one of the major chains in my area.. shortcuts.com works with SEVERAL DIFFERENT stores. You can find a list of their partner stores HERE.

Again, the idea is to buy things that are at their "rock bottom" price. (Avoiding other things unless necessary) Last week Kroger had a 10 for $10 sale. I had coupons on at least two of the items so I paid only .50 per item instead of $1. (I can't remember for the life of me what those items were.. LOL) Kroger doesn't even require you to actually BUY all 10 of the 10 items.. ANY item that's listed within that sale will be $1 each. I REALLY LOVE to find the "buy one get one" sales! With these you can use TWO coupons (one on each item) bringing your total even LOWER!!


Okay, I think I've rambled enough for one day. If I think of any other major secrets that I've learned I'll share them in my next post. I wish you all HAPPY shopping!

Wait! Before I sign off I wanted to "link" you to my friend Molly. She's one of the friends I've been gleaning from. She also has a post here on how to save BIG at CVS! I think Molly actually explained this MUCH MORE CLEARLY than I just did.


I hope you all have a WONDERFUL weekend! If you're new to this too, don't forget to get your Sunday paper! The larger ones usually have a LOT of coupons in them. (Another heads-up.. the paper on September 27 is supposed to have over $90 in P&G coupons!) Go HERE to sign up for a sample and some GREAT manufacturers coupons!

Wow, I CANNOT believe it's been so long since I've posted here! I have so much to share with you but really have NO IDEA where to begin. I suppose I can start by saying that I've MISSED all of you (my bloggy buddies)! Oh, I'll also go ahead and tell you that I plan to do two posts this morning. I'd promised some friends that I'd give the details on a new hobby I've started, but I don't want to mix that in with all the "blah, blah, blah, blah-blah" that I'll be doing.

(Still fumbling to find a starting place.. heehee)

Let's see, summer came and went.. we had a pretty nice garden until the CROWS found it. HA! (They even ate my tomatoes while they were STILL GREEN!) I decided I'd just give up on the yummy red fruit and focus on my bell peppers, cucumbers, and green beans. Guess what?? Our baby cows found a nice ditch under the fence that they could fit through and they ended up finding my green beans! (Seriously, I'm thinking the garden was NOT supposed to happen this year.. HA!) I won't complain, we DID get several pints of bell pepper and green beans in the freezer and were pretty much sick of the cucumbers before they ever went bad, so all was not lost.

As for more personal details - We really enjoyed our free time and just being together. The boys did what boys do - they STAYED dirty! LOL (Of course that means that I also conquered mountains and mountains of laundry, but don't feel too sorry for me, I make them help a LOT!)

HMMMM... right in the middle of my typing up this post this morning the hubby got up and started getting ready to get out for the day. (Little things like THIS are what keep me from posting.. HA! That's NOT a complaint, there is NOTHING I'd rather do than take care of my family.. I'm just sayin'.. that's all)

So NOW it's mid-afternoon instead of morning.. I'll TRY to pick up and keep going..

Okay, this will likely be THE MOST scatterbrained post I've done yet, but I'm DETERMINED to get SOMETHING up TODAY! Oh, speaking of.. the "two" that I mentioned earlier are not going to happen. I'll post tomorrow with the deets on my hobby. (Just a hint.. it's COUPONING! I've TOTALLY FLIPPED OUT over this new way to shop!)

Before I go, I want to let you in on something I found out this morning. The lady that did my blog makeover is having a giveaway for her birthday. (It's TODAY) She'll be giving away a bloggy makeover for some BLESSED person that enters TODAY! Hop on over and wish her a happy birthday if you'd like and be sure to get YOUR name in the hat! (Click the link just above or the graphic below)

I'll HOPEFULLY check back first thing in the morning! (Oh, and THANKS SOOOOO MUCH for the sweet nudges to get back out here and start blogging again - YOU are some of my very BESTEST friends, and I ♥ YOU VERY MUCH)

a COOL "freebie" and a video

I still find myself having a hard time finding things to write about. I'll have these random posting ideas, but not sure if there's enough to be said so it feels like my wheels are spinning and yet I'm going nowhere. LOL..

With that said, I'll keep it "light" today by sharing something neat I found on a friend's blog, and then a video that I "borrowed" from my friend Lisa.

So the freebie is this: Brent Riggs over at ...where laughter lives: The Riggs Family Blog, has created a "linky" system that's FREE for the public to use. There is a more well known one, but I hear it's not completely reliable. Anyway, Brent has been using this on the family blog for months and he says it works beautifully.

Now, on to the video...

This is the description of the video on facebook, "Taking their inspiration the Afro-American church music, the Heritage Mass Choir presents original Korean Gospel music". I've heard Kirk Franklin sing this song, and found it listed as "My Desire".

The video is AWESOME! (I'll post the lyrics just below)

My desire to please you, to be more and more like you Jesus. Each and everyday,
I lift my hands and say , I want to be more like you. (Repeat)
I give you my life, take me in your arms and hold me Jesus. I give you my
heart,I know that you can mend these broken pieces.
I'm totally, I'm totally, Totally committed to you.

Repeat chorus
I give you my life , take me in your arms and hold me Jesus. I give you my
heart , I know that you can mend these broken pieces.
I give you my life,
My heart,
My soul,
Take control.

I love you 4x the whole choir
Sopranos (4x I love you)
Altos (4x I love you)
I love you 4x the whole choir
I'm totally (5x)
One more time I'm totally , Totally committed to you


Kirk Franklin My Desire lyrics




Alrighty, my friends, I think I'll go now. Whoops.. I almost forgot to tell you THANKS for the Father's Day wishes for Link. I read him each one (from my cell).. he's not a man of many words, but he DID smile.. ☺ I know he REALLY APPRECIATED it! Again, THANK YOU! ☺

Happy Father's Day

Hello, Friends!

I know it's been FOREEEEVVVEEERRR since I've last posted. I'm just FULL of excuses as usual.. LOL! The best one I can offer is that it seems the more behind I become, the less likely I am to want to tackle what I have to do. (Well, that applies in most cases...hehe)

ANYWAY.. I thought today was as good as any to come back to blogland. I mean, a day that's set aside to honor our own dads, the father of our children, and most importantly, our HEAVENLY FATHER.

So, with that said, I just want to say "Happy Father's Day" to Link, my Daddy, Link's Daddy and to all the other Dads out there. (As if any of the men listed are actually READING my blog.. ha!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Now, I'm going to go help the boys find stuff to make Link's card. After we lost Brent we've discovered how TREASURED ANYTHING that their little hands make, becomes to us.

I hope you all have a GREAT day celebrating the Dads in your lives - whether they be with us here on earth, or celebrating their new lives with the GREATEST Father of all time.. Our LORD, our GOD, our Heavenly Father!

I LOVE You all,

are women born this way?

Now, I hope this won't offend anyone. I personally thought it was HILARIOUS! (My hubby used to tell me that I talked so much during the day that my lips should SMOKE when I went to bed at night)

I can STILL hold my own.. HA!!!

Anyway, this video was emailed to me by a friend and it gave me a good laugh. It's titled "Are women born this way?" and then just below the video it says, "Apparently so".

I hope you enjoy it too.

are you ready???

Hello, Friends!

A sweet friend of mine sent me this video and of course I immediately wanted to share it with you. I had seen part of the video at a different time, but never like this. It's definitely something to make one think. ☺

Oh, before I leave, there is something VERY DISTURBING going on in California right now. If you've not already heard, I invite you to read about it in the post below. THANKS! ☺

Have a BLESSED weekend!
Love,

This is SCARY!! Seriously.

Hello, Friends..

It's been a while since I've done a "real" post here as I tend to take the easy way out and post videos/email when I'm short on time. Well, tonight I'm sharing an email that came from a VERY RELIABLE SOURCE. (It's NOT a forward) If you want to read the article for yourself online click HERE.

To say that I was BLOWN AWAY by this story is an understatement. Whether one claims to be a person of faith, or none at all, we should still have the right to meet with anyone we choose in our own homes as long as what we're doing isn't illegal. (The family that's being persecuted is CLEARLY being attacked because they are Christians)


I could go on all day about this, but instead I'm going to share the email and invite you to sign a petition at the end. Here goes...


"A San Diego pastor and his wife have been told they cannot have a Bible study in their home. The couple says they were interrogated by a San Diego County official, then threatened with ever increasing fines if they refuse to stop the Bible study. (See news article here)

According to the couple's attorney, they were questioned about the Bible study. "'Do you have a regular meeting in your home?" The pastor's wife replied, "Yes." "Do you say 'amen'?" the official asked. "Yes," she replied. "Do you pray?" Again she said, "Yes." "Do you say 'praise the Lord'?" Another "Yes." The official told the pastor and his wife they were in violation of county rules.

The Bible study usually has an average of about 15 people.

A few days later they got a written warning that listed the home Bible study an "unlawful use of land." They were notified to "stop religious assembly or apply for a major use permit," which could cost them thousands of dollars.

Could a small poetry club meet regularly in a home? Apparently, yes. What about a Cub Scout meeting? Evidently, yes. What if they meet regularly to watch Monday Night Football? Obviously, yes."



Click HERE to sign the petition supporting the couple's right to hold the small Bible study in their home. The petition will go to the San Diego Board of Supervisors.


(Email sent by afr.net and they did request it be passed along to everyone in our address book)





Seriously. They whole issue here is Christianity. It's obvious with questions like.....


"Do you say 'amen'?"

"Do you pray?"

"Do you say 'praise the Lord'?"





Please feel free to copy this and forward it to your friends... and/or post it to your blogs/sites.


Thanks for your time..
Love,

Happy Memorial Day

this is TOOOOO FUNNY!

Hello, Friends!

I was doing a little blog hopping tonight and one thing led to another and before I knew it I had stumbled upon this video...

Seriously. Was that not one of the CUTEST things you've seen in a while???

Zach keeps going from wanting a pet snake to wanting a bird (he REALLY wants a parrot).. this video DIDN'T HELP. Heehee

random pics and a blog award..

Hello, Friends!

I'm FINALLY updating my blog with actual family photos. I enjoy capturing fun memories, but then seldom get them uploaded. (I SO NEED to get MOTIVATED)

Anyway, the first pics I'll share with you are of the boys *new* clubhouse. See, the boys have been asking Link FOR-EEEVVV-ER for some sort of tree house, fort, whatever. Well, Link's dad found this 30-something year old camper and it made for a MUCH CHEAPER clubhouse than we could've built. Here, I'll let you see for yourself. LOL!!




The REALLY FUNNY thing about their new ride is that they protect it as if it were made of GOLD or something. Check out this picture.. notice their BOOTS OUTSIDE the camper????? They don't even do that when they come in our HOUSE!




Here's a shot of Gabe lounging in the top sleeper..





this one was made from inside the camper..



and here's Zach....




These next shots were taken yesterday just after the pool people had pulled out the liner. The boys couldn't WAIT to get in there and check it out!









Now how's THIS for GROSS???? This DISGUSTING water is coming STRAIGHT from our pipes! My hubby called the folks that are over our water system last night. They'll be out today to get water samples. We were MORTIFIED! Granted, the water may look like this out of ANY water system when you're seeing this much in one place, but we're not used to seeing it.

Oh yeah, and before I go.. I wanted to share that I was honored with this blog award

from my new friend Sarah (God's Not Finished With Us Yet)

THANKS SO MUCH, Sarah! You are TOO SWEET! Now, I ALWAYS cheat and NEVER name anyone specifically for the awards I get. I just CANNOT make myself choose just a handful of people. (I'm wimpy like that) I hope you'll forgive me???

Until next time...
Love,

stationary giveaway!

Hello, Friends!

This will be another VERY SHORT post.. today has been another day FULL of all sorts of things. (Our pool liner finally gave way so we had to replace it.. the folks we bought the pool from have been down today taking the old one out and putting the new one in.. I'll post pics of that tomorrow, hopefully)

Anyway.. when I stopped in at Danielle's Blog today I found out that she's having a stationary giveaway.

(She designs these herself.. this lady is T-A-L-E-N-T-E-D!!!) If you'd like to enter her giveaway click HERE.


Okay.. I'd better RUN! I just didn't want any of you to miss out! ☺ (It's COMPLETELY FREE to enter.. you get extra entries for blogging and doing twitter posts.. other than that, no strings attached!)

Have a BLESSED DAY!

I ♥ YOU!

clay balls...

Hello, Sweet Friends!

I don't have much time this morning to chat, but I wanted to share an email with you so I'm doing that instead of the normal rambling. HA!!!

So here it is.... (and I wish each of you a WONDERFUL week!) ☺

"Clay Balls"

A man was exploring caves by the Seashore. In one of the caves he found a
canvas bag with a bunch of hardened clay balls. It was like someone had rolled
clay balls and left them out in the sun to bake. They didn't look like much,
but they intrigued the man, so he took the bag out of the cave with him. As he
strolled along the beach, he would throw the clay balls one at a time out into
the ocean as far as he could.

He thought little about it, until he dropped one of the clay balls and it
cracked open on a rock . Inside was a beautiful, precious stone!

Excited, the man started breaking open the remaining clay balls. Each contained
a similar treasure. He found thousands of dollars worth of jewels in the 20 or
so clay balls he had left.

Then it struck him. He had been on the beach a long time. He had thrown maybe
50 or 60 of the clay balls with their hidden treasure into the ocean waves.
Instead of thousands of dollars in treasure, he could have taken home tens of
thousands, but he had just thrown it away!

It's like that with people. We look at someone, maybe even ourselves, and we
see the external clay vessel. It doesn't look like much from the outside. It
isn't always beautiful or sparkling, so we discount it.

We see that person as less important than someone more beautiful or stylish or
well known or wealthy. But we have not taken the time to find the treasure
hidden inside that person..

There is a treasure in each and every one of us. If we take the time to get to
know that person, and if we ask God to show us that person the way He sees them,
then the clay begins to peel away and the brilliant gem begins to shine forth.

May we not come to the end of our lives and find out that we have thrown away a
fortune in friendships because the gems were hidden in bits of clay. May we see
the people in our world as God sees them.

I am so blessed by the gems of friendship I have with you. Thank you for
looking beyond my clay vessel.

and the WINNER is...

Hello, Sweet Friends!

I'm running LATE this morning posting the winner of this book...




SOOOOOOOOOO... the winner IS..... Jennifer at Life with MY three guys. I'm heading over to Jennifer's in just a sec to tell her that she won. Thanks SO MUCH to those of you who entered! I'll be giving away this book in the next week or so...



Before I sign off, my SWEET FRIEND, Martha, (Fly Away Birdie) has honored me with an award. (THANKS, Martha!)



Martha is just AWESOME! We met through the comment section on another blog, but I was DRAWN to her because of her LOVE for the LORD and the way she takes a stand on ALL that is RIGHT. (She doesn't back down from putting the WORD out there just as is it.. no watering it down with her - love her.. LOVE HER!)

Oh, to fill you in quickly on what we've been doing the past week...

We hosted church in our home on Sunday. I was SO THANKFUL that it was our turn because the busyness of cleaning up around our place in preparation kept my thoughts on positive and happy things. Yes, I thought of Brent and MISSED him like crazy, but it didn't seem to be any worse than any other day. (PRAISE BE THE LORD!! Sometimes 'holidays' can just be too much) We had dinner with my parents and then visited Link's later that evening. The whole day was GREAT!

Oh, I can't believe I almost forgot to mention this.. my little guys greeted me Sunday morning with homemade Mother's Day cards and personalized jewelry. I got a silver necklace with a 'family tree' pendant. It's really cute.. there's a tree of sorts in the middle and all of our names are engraved around the top of the pendant. I LOVE to have (and to be able to wear) things with all THREE of my boys' names.

Of course Monday was back to school then we cleaned the basement. (Now THAT would be a BEFORE & AFTER pic! HA!!!) Most of the toys are down there and Mr. Gabe had it STREWN EVERYWHERE! It was an all day job in itself.. YIKES! (I can't believe I just admitted that online.. hehee.. oh well, it's best to be REAL isn't it?)

OOHHH.. I also did a PartyLite party. My friend Lindy is selling it. (Lindy is Carter's Mom.. his button is on my sidebar) Man, I wish we were all next door neighbors.. I'd have LOVED to have had you all over! (WE SO NEED to have a giant blog party somewhere in the central US)

I think there's been SOMETHING going on with us all week. Anyway.. those are my excuses for not being online as much. I just feel terribly guilty that some of you leave comments so often and at times I'm such the SLACKER! With summer around the corner I HOPE to be a better friend to you all! YOU guys are such AWESOME ENCOURAGERS and I'd like to be that for you as well.

Okay.. I have rambled ENOUGH for one day! I hope all is well with each and every one of you... I also hope you have an AMAZING weekend!

LOVE,