Sunday, December 28, 2008

Critter in the Trash

On Christmas Eve Ted went out to put some trash in the trash can. When he opened the lid to drop the bag inside, this is what he found. Mr. Racoon could have possibly been in our can the whole time we were out of town. If so, I would think he was pretty hungry since there was nothing in there to snack on for 5 days. Ted got a real shock when the lid was opened and Mr. Racoon went nuts hissing and scratching like a mad hungry racoon would after getting trapped in the bottom of an empty trash can. In uncertain fear Ted threw the garbage bag into the can, slammed down the lid and came rushing inside. He said that he had just had the daylights scared out of him! Well, you all know that is not really what Ted said, but in other "Ted sort of words" he said that he had gotten "really scared" beacause there was a racoon in the garbage can. There was no way I was going out there to see it since I have seen enough angry racoons at Poplar Creek to know that they can claw your eyes out! So, with all of his bravery, Ted went back out into the darkness, opened the lid, snatched out the trash bag that was now on top of the racoon, snaped this picture, then turned the can over to let Mr. Racoon out. Ted said that once he knew that he was free, Mr. Racoon took off like a bat out of hell.

December 28th, 2008 in Myrtle Beach





Saturday, December 27, 2008

More thoughts....

Have you realized you cannot change someone else? Letting go is not cutting yourself off. Trust God with it. Letting go is fearless. Hand over to Him what is dear to you, and He will take care of it. If your goal is to control what is God's to control you will always be subject to fear. Give your fears and control to God. Trusting God fully will always bring great rewards.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

New Orleans Bowl


Future Golden Eagles!
We had a great time in New Orleans at the Bowl Game!
The Eagles won!





Eagle Fans!





BIG Eagle Fans!



Little Eagle Fans!






Monday, December 15, 2008

Thoughts for the Day

When the self life finally runs it's course,

God settles us in the desert of His choice to teach us.


A servant's attitude is developed in our hearts

when we wait on God's timing.


Our disappointments are allowed by God so He

can bless us with something far better.


The more impossible the situation the greater

the deliverance.


God will encourage you if you have ears to hear.


Life is short, death is sure, and eternity is long.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

House full of critters!

Would you all believe that myyyy Children have now brought a lizard into the house and LOST it?????? So I guess the lizard is somewhere around here.....probably with the turtle! I just hope they stay away from my room!!!!!!!!!

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Magical Elves!



Would you believe that these Elves just appeared in our house?? Anna and Grice discovered 2 red Elves on the mantle one night a couple of weeks ago and then Saturday morning they each found a white one hanging out of their stockings! We were all in shock! They just hang around the house mostly, but some nights they get a little crazy and we find them hanging from light fixtures or dangling from the Christmas tree the next morning. Anna's Elves were just wacky yesterday, and she got some great pictures of them up to their usual mischief!




On the phone....with Santa, of course!






Checking out Facebook....



























Monday, December 8, 2008

Pack 899 in the Broadway at the Beach Parade




The pack
Grice, Ben and Splash





This was a short and small parade that was held at Broadway at the Beach on Saturday morning. Broadway is a huge shopping area where the Aquarium, Magiquest, a movie theatre, an Imax theatre, restaurants, and some carnival rides are located. It is a fun place.

More paintings.....


Whimsy trees.....
I still have to do a little work to the one on the left.
All will have a decorative ribbon to hang....
12x16
$25.00 each

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Something I am working on.......


I have started painting again.....It is what I love to do.....I can spend hours painting with complete silence. You know I have always thought that you should do something you love, and then find a way to make money doing it. I am not sure how much money I can make doing this, but painting makes me happy. I am certainly not a professional by any means. I just do fun things! This is something I whipped up last night. I was inspired by a rug I have at the bottom of the stairs. He is still a work in progress. I am wondering if he needs some lips......


Thursday, December 4, 2008

The Rock!




We made a stop at the University of Southern Mississippi on our way to Tylertown.



Here are my three Eagles on the field at The Rock!






It isn't always easy being an Okra in a house full of Eagles......





With Hayden in tow.....Help! The sky is falling!


Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Just a quick picture from Thanksgiving.....



Today is Wednesday, so I have been to BSF this morning and just stopped at home really fast to scarf down some chicken noodle soup before I have to rush to the school to volunteer. I decided to check my e mail which let to checking Facebook, which led to checking the blogs I keep up with......Which ultimately led to me feeling guilty for not posting anything lately.........


So.....here is a glimpse of our trip to Mississippi.......Much more to come later!



Hayden went to Tylertown to see Grandma Dot with us!

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Oh, Where Has My Turtle Gone?


Grice and his friend Noah found this little turtle on a canoe ride Saturday. "Stick" was spotted on a stick by Grice and Whoa! Nelly! we now have a pet turtle! They had the turtle in the garge in this little critter catcher thing which was all good. I had great intentions to encourage them to let the turtle go before the day was over. Well, little did I know that the turtle was taken to Grice's room where he was going to "live" for the rest of his turtle life. He was in the critter catcher, but as you can see in this picture that little turtle is a climbing turtle. After Noah went home and Grice went up to start getting ready for bed we heard this wailing coming from upstairs. I thought something serious had happened, and it had indeed! Stick was GONE! The fourfortenberrys instantly went on a turtle hunt. We searched the house over.....then.....who comes around the corner? Daisy.......the dog......the turtle eating dog?? The whereabouts of Stick are still a mystery........stay tuned.....

Stop Grumbling!

I thought I would share something that we talked about last week in BSF. Our speaker talked about grumbling in relation to the Israelites complaining to Moses about being thirsty as he led them out of Egypt. She mentioned a difference between expressing your needs and grumbling. When someone blames someone else for something that is called grumbling. How often do we do this? She continued to say that complaints lay right at the feet of God, and when we grumble we are grumbling against God. We have no right to complain against things because God has placed us where we are and provides all that we need, and it is always right on time. He engineers our circumstances so we will get what He wants us to get out of it. Whatever He is doing, He is fitting us for a plan. When He does provide something for us He is showing us His glory as he did for the Israelites by providing for them with water and manna. The conclusion of the lecture encouraged everyone to fast from grumbling and complaining for 24 hours. I walked out of the lecture and didn't even get down the hall when I caught myself complaining. Wow! It just shows how much we really do try to find fault in just about everything. The fasting has stuck with me for longer than 24 hours, and I am trying to stop it completely. I have had the most pleasant past 6 days!
Grumbling tears down, finds fault in everything, and keeps you from being thankful.

Friday, November 7, 2008

This is our Clubhouse!


This is a Clubhouse! It belongs to Anna and several of her friends who live near us. There are a couple of empty lots around us that the girls have staked claim to. They have gathered items to add some ambiance and have been spending a lot of time hanging out and guarding the property. No boys are allowed, of course.
The other day a neighbor from several houses down the street walked over and asked if I had seen anyone suspicious around her yard because her lounge chair was missing. She was a bit distraught and worried that it had been stolen. We discussed the situation and just came to the conclusion that the economy has led people to resort to stealing which resulted in her lounge chair disappearance. I went inside and got back to what I was doing when all of a sudden I had this feeling......you know the feeling.....a light bulb moment....a sort of hey! wait a minute kind of feeling.....like, I know where that chair might be......but oh, surely not!! I went and told Ted the whole story, and we marched right over to the clubhouse and low and behold, right there stretched out in lounge fashion for the Queen of Sheeba was that lady's chair! I did a big Motherly gasp and said, " how could they take this chair from someone's yard??" When the girls were confronted they said that the chair was found out in the middle of nowhere! Ted simply picked up the chair and carried it down the street and put it back in the nice lady's yard. She was not home at the time. That was several days ago......she has moved the chair back to the spot it was originally, but has no idea how the chair got back into her yard. The girls have been going to her house everyday after school to explain...that should be interesting to hear....and apologize, but she has not been home. They will apologize! and hopefully the Mrs. will have an understanding heart and not be too hard on them....afterall, the chair was out in the middle of nowhere!

Get Ready for Turkey!

Well, I spent the day yesterday packing up all of the Halloween "stuff".....it is just that....stuff.....
Costumes, wigs, pencils, skeleton flashlights, glowsticks that are out of glow, plastic teeth, and of course, spider rings! This "stuff" is everywhere so I have to go on a scavenger hunt through the house trying to find any little lost trinket. This must be done while the kids are at school or else I am stuck with this stuff on the kitchen counter until maybe next year! It is all put away in a big box in the attic where no one will see it until next Halloween. And it will be a joyous day when we open the big box and find the treasures that were forgotten!
But now we are on to the next celebration! Thanksgiving! I cannot believe how the year is flyng by. Christmas is practically here! We are going to be celebrating Thanksgiving "travelling style". If any of you live away from your family, you know, not in the town you grew up in with all of your relatives close by, you know that you must travel. This is just one of the cons of living far away. Every holiday is spent on the road in a car. Yes, we have travelled by plane, but this is certainly not the year to fly. It will take us about 12 hours to get home this year, but it is a small price to pay. I am so excited to see my new nephew, I get goose bumps thinking about it. And we are just ready to see our family. We love Myrlte Beach, but there is no place like home.
At 40 years old with two kids, I have never baked a turkey and wouldn't know where to begin. This is NOT a complaint. I don't really care for handling slippery, wet, raw turkeys. The food will be great and the fun will be.....FUN!

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Halloween in the Neighborhood






Halloween Fun!!!






















We had a fun time last night! It all started when the kids got off the bus......we rushed home and got costumes, wigs, etc. on and headed to the other side of the neighborhood where there we two parties going. Anna went to one party and I took Grice and his twin friends to the other. There were games, tons of food and just lots of fun. After all the Dads got there the kids loaded up on a trailer for a Hayride and trick or treating. I went home to give out candy. Ted , Anna and Grice made it home around 9:00. They had lots of candy and treats, and they were really tired. Around 10:00 Ted went upstairs to tuck Anna in and I went to take Daisy out to potty. This is our usual nightime ritual. Grice brushes his teeth and waits for me in his bed. Well, when I got back from walking Daisy I found Grice wrapped up in a blanket sound asleep on the rug in the foyer by the front door. I guess he was too tired to make it upstairs and passed out waiting for me by the front door. Ted said Anna fell asleep in the middle of her prayers. I have to say that it didn't take Mom and Dad long to fall asleep either. It was a fun night!