And just like that, November was over & December scripture writing plan

December 1, 2016December 1, 2016 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

Hey y’all! I hope everyone had a wonderful & blessed Thanksgiving. Ours was so good. We had family over & ate & ate & ate. But hey, it’s ok. We won’t have to do that again for another few weeks. Since I have made myself pretty scarce here lately, I will try to catch you up a bit on what’s been a happening.

Miss Neenee had a birthday. It has become more like a birthday week. It takes over & it’s hard to get rid of it.

Miss Neenee & Daddy

First we started out with Sunday lunch, for her birthday. When we said, “Eat”, of course Daddy was there!

Miss Neenee & Mr. Sweetie Pants

Mr. Sweetie Pants was so excited to give Miss Neenee her present.

He can be so sweet! No wonder I call him Mr. Sweetie Pants!

Then, on Friday night, some of her friends came for a little Escape Room fun.

Miss Neenee got one of those cute candy bar posters. Thus, this ended her birthday week. Along with Orange Danishes for breakfast on her birthday, cupcakes, presents, calls, texts, instagram messages, visits, & a sleepover.

My girls

Then, there was Thanksgiving. I just don’t know what I would do without these 2 girls in my life. As her custom, Livie spent the night with us on Thanksgiving Eve. We all had breakfast together the next morning. Which was a BLESSING. Because I love all these people to pieces, y’all.

I sure do love these faces BIG!

My nephew is in his 1st semester at Ole Miss. He’s got straight A’s, is in a fraternity, is living in the dorm, ~~is chasing girls,~~ making new friends, & did I say has straight A’s?? He’s a smarty pants alright. My sweet niece, Livie, is playing basketball, is sophomore class president, she’s active in her church, & is going to be 16 years old this month. She’s precious as the day is long. I was so glad they haven’t gotten too big to come hang out with their aunt.

My eldest daughter always makes something festive for occasions that arise throughout the year. This Thanksgiving, she made a turkey cheeseball. It was so good, too. She also made some chocolate covered pumpkin & cream cheese candy. I told her on Friday she needed to come get them, I was eating too many of them.

She said, “Eat them all, I don’t want to bring them home.”

Well, I must have taken that for some sort of commandment or something because I just about did. My middle daughter made chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter pies, & mashed potatoes. Which was also really good. Miss Neenee helped me cook everything else. She’s quite handy that way. We ate a lot & laughed a lot.

My people- JW, Livie, Bud, & Miss Neenee

Oh, I do have to tell you one more thing. You know we have these grandkids that are entertaining as the dickens. Well, not to be shown up, Daddy was in rare form at dinner. He went to a whole new level of hilarious. I promised him I wouldn’t share any pictures. But just think about this,

my 72 year old Daddy & Snapchat filters.

Could. Hardly. Contain. Myself. We laughed until we couldn’t laugh anymore. He looked like a deer in one, a panda bear in another, and I believe he had a rainbow spewing out of his mouth on the one we had to quit on. When my E.A. & him get together, there’s always trouble. And she was the one that provided the Snapchat filters for the entertainment.

Lastly, I didn’t want to forget the December scripture writing plan. Shannon at Sweet Blessings does such a wonderful job on these each month. So blessed that she lets me share these with y’all.

I hope y’all have had a great couple of weeks. We are looking forward to the next holiday, which is THIS MONTH. Miss Neenee & me put up the Christmas tree. I think it’s the earliest I have ever put it up. These grandbabies just make it so exciting! Yay Christmas!

While we were putting up the tree, Miss Neenee decided a cup of hot chocolate would be really nice. Doesn’t this look good? She fixed it all up herself & gave it to me. It was really rich & creamy & probably had no calories at all, since we were on a holiday & putting up the tree & having a good time. I hear calories don’t count at times like that.

Until next time, I have to be going, because I should be washing clothes.

photo credit: http://www.swtblessings.com

Because you prayed & fall is in the air

September 8, 2016September 8, 2016 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

Y’all. When we left church last night, it was dark outside. I didn’t know what was going on. Normally, it’s still daylight & hotter than a firecracker. However, a sweet lady, that was walking out with me, knew exactly what it was.

She said, “The seasons are changing. The days are getting shorter.”

AND THIS HEAT. Surely, there’s an end in sight. (Happy dance inserted here). I know I have sweated more this year, than I have in a long time. And I don’t even hardly ever go outside. Ever.

I came across a wonderful devotional in Our Daily Bread. I wanted to share it with you.

What do you do with your worries? Do you turn them inward, or turn them upward?

When the brutal Assyrian King Sennacherib was preparing to destroy Jerusalem, he sent a message to King Hezekiah saying that Judah would be no different from all the other nations he had conquered. Hezekiah took this message to the temple in Jerusalem, and “spread it out before the Lord” (Isa. 37:14). He then prayed and asked for help from Almighty God.

Soon afterward Isaiah the prophet delivered this message to Hezekiah from the Lord: “Because you prayed about King Sennacherib of Assyria, the Lord has spoken” (Isa. 37:21-22 nlt). Scripture tells us that Hezekiah’s prayer was answered that very night. God intervened miraculously, conquering the enemy forces outside the city gates. The Assyrian army didn’t even “shoot an arrow” (v. 33). Sennacherib would leave Jerusalem, never to return.

Three words in God’s message to Hezekiah—“Because you prayed”—show us the best place to go with our worries. Because Hezekiah turned to God, He rescued him and his people. When we turn our worries into prayer, we discover that God is faithful in unexpected ways! —James Banks

Father, please help me to turn my worries into prayer. My problems are better in Your hands than in my own

Wow! If that’s not incentive to be in prayer, I don’t know what is. I have a prayer journal, that I write names in to pray for. I am thinking of revamping it to be more in depth with it. I am hoping it will make me more aware of people & situations. Y’all, I am so guilty of getting caught up with my problems & not thinking about what others are facing. Hopefully, this will be a good way to keep other’s needs fresh on my mind & heart. I will share this with you, when I put it together.

I hope everyone has had a great week so far. We had a nice Labor Day. My husband out did himself, again. He grilled ribs, fish, a pork butt, & bar-b-que bologna. Everyone was definitely full, when they left the house! Hope the rest of your week is just wonderful! Until next time, I have to be going, because I should be washing clothes.

If it looks like the younger is taller than the older, well, it’s no optical illusion. Miss Neenee has finally passed her sisters in height!

Got to see this lovely young lady. She is truly, truly one of us. She “gets” our sense of humor & loves us, even though we are a bunch of crazies.

And on Labor Day this guy ate so much we about had to roll him out the door. Unless his heart doctor is reading this, then, we made sure he only ate salads and not pork to clog up the rest of his arteries. We are just caring people like that.

photo credits- tumblr

Raising a peacemaker & this is what my Thanksgiving looked like

December 4, 2014December 4, 2014 / kstrick7 / 1 Comment

The other day, I got a phone call from the school. It was my Miss Neenee. She began telling me she was in the nurse’s office. (Which from my experience, has never turned out good.)

She said she had been hit by a boy in P.E. They were playing basketball. They were both going up to catch the ball. The boy slammed into her, to get the ball. Then, the ball hit her in the face. All of that commotion broke her glasses & left a cut on her eyebrow.

She started by telling me,

“Mama, I’m in the nurse’s office. I cut my eye playing ball & broke my glasses.”

“You cut your eye? Your eyeball?” I was just a smidge panicked.

“No, the outside close to my eyebrow. And it’s bleeding.” She said.

“It’s bleeding???” Now, full blown anxiety & confusion has set in. And apparently, I sounded too frantic, because the nurse got on the phone.

The kind nurse reassured me she was not bleeding profusely. That she took a lick on the eye & her glasses were broken. She put the Miss back on the phone. I asked her did she need to be picked up & she did not.

After we got home, I asked her, “Who was this boy & what did you do when you got hit?”

Well, first she cried. Then, she went to the nurse’s office (accompanied by one of her besties, no less).

“What happened with the little boy?” I pressed.

“He kept saying he was sorry & he said he would buy me some new glasses.” She said

“Well, what did you do to him?” I quizzed.

“Umm, nothing. He said he was sorry. A bunch.” She replied.

Really? No big throw down? No show down amongst the 5^th & 6^th grader P.E. students? If it had of been me, I would have probably had to smack some heads. You can’t push somebody around & get by with it. Then, I thought about what Jesus said, in His sermon on the mount:

Matthew 5:9

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. (ESV)

Matthew 5:38-39

³⁸“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ ³⁹But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. (ESV)

By Miss Neenee just letting it go, she became a peacemaker, like Jesus is talking about there in verse 9. She passed on the opportunity to retaliate. She turned the other cheek. Perhaps I could learn a lesson here. Maybe we all could. Keep your temper & anger in check. It’s what Jesus would want us to do.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We most certainly did. I was off work for 4 days. Out of those 4 days I saw my kids & grandkids every day. That’s a lot of happiness for me. I even got to keep my grandbabies for some of that time. Fun was had by all. I hope you have a wonderful week. As for me, I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.

Some Thanksgiving highlights:

My Daddy & sister in law

Me & my big brother

Jay-Dub & Livie – sweetest nephew & niece ever

Daddy & Livie

Livie & Miss Neenee

Thanksgiving breakfast sorta agrees with us.

Star of the show- brined, smoked & ready to eat. Best. turkey. ever.

Some of the Thanksgiving dinner. The rest continued around on the other side of the counter. Whew! We were full!

Here’s some Thanksgiving kids. Coincidentally, they do not like turkey. However, are stuffing their little faces with the “chicken” we had.

Two of my sweet boys

When you can’t find the butterflies for the Elefun game, you try to make other things fly out of his nose.

Like cups or guns….

And here was the guilty culprit! Look at that sweet face. Now, how many times do you think he gets in trouble at Grand & Pap's? If you said none, you were right.

And here was the guilty culprit! Look at that Mr. Sweetie Pants! Now, how many times do you think he gets in trouble at Grand & Pap’s? If you said none, you were right.

photo credit: pinterest

Happy birthday Daddy & sometimes you just need to get your own tractor

September 3, 2014September 3, 2014 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

Over the weekend, we had a birthday lunch for my Daddy. He only turned 70 this year! That’s a lot of birthdays for a baby that was born with a hole in his heart.

Daddy & Livie

This picture of Daddy & my niece Livie is remarkable & amazing. Mostly, because Daddy just came from a several day long stay with Livie & Jaydub whilest my brother & wife were off on vacation. Remarkable & amazing because Livie will still sit beside him & smile! Let alone speak to him. I don’t think he was too hard on them.

Some of the girls

This is my eldest daughter, Ray, & Miss Neenee. You see my daughter’s eyes? She was supervising my brother, holding my sweet little granddaughter. Mother hen.

We a pizza eatin’ bunch.

Of course there was food. We always need a reason to get together to eat. Birthdays, holidays, Sunday after church, Thursday night grilled, any reason, really. Why? Because we are just that good at it. My nephew said the prayer & we chowed down.

“Grand can you see me?”

And then there was the entertainment. We had my 5 month old granddaughter, to pass around. There was lots of ooing & ahhing over her. My sister in law just says, “I will handle the baby.” And she does. Mr. Sweetie Pants sat in his seat for approximately 1.35 minutes while he shoved a few bites of pizza in his mouth. The rest of the time it was lots of him running, doing his superhero impressions, & me silently praying, thanking the Good Lord above we had our dining area to ourselves.

Ray & Mr. Sweetie Pants

Occasionally, Mr. Sweetie Pants would stop, just long enough for one of the girls to grab him & hold him.

Time for a birthday cupcake!

And once he stopped just long enough to grab a birthday cupcake. And to say, “What about now, Grand? Do you see me?” Yes I do. Now stop it.

Bud, Jaydub, & Livie

It seems like my niece & nephew were just the size of Mr. Sweetie Pants. Now, he is 16 & she is 13. Time quit flying!!

Happy birthday to my Daddy!

There were a few other camera dodgers that were there with us. We had a wonderful afternoon. Daddy left with another birthday under his belt & I left one tired Grand.

Kids on the lawn mowers at the local Lowe’s

No trip to town would be complete without a dash into the local Lowe’s. Look. Lawn mowers.

Mr. Sweetie Pants riding the “tractor”.

He was so excited to ride the “tractor”. So excited, that when his Pap strolled by, he wanted to be sure he was going to get to ride all by himself.

Mr. Sweetie Pants directing his Pap.

“Pap, your tractor is over there.” He does like to drive by his self, ya know?

Thank you for stopping by to see me today. I hope you are having a terrific week. With the holiday, we will have a short work week. Sign me up for some more of that! I have to be going now, because I should be washing clothes.