Redeeming Love

"Redeeming Love" by Francine Rivers is a remarkable retelling of the story of Hosea and Gomer, the prostitute, from the book of Hosea in the bible. The backdrop of the story is set in 1850 during California's Gold Rush. Angel, the main character, is sold into child prostitution and rescued in early adulthood by Michael Hosea, a man called by God to love and marry her. She goes with him unwillingly at first, but Michael never fails to show God's love toward her even after she continues to run away from him and the God he serves.

In the words of my friend Janice, the book is a bit "heavy," especially in the beginning. Some of the scenes are hard to stomach, but the outcome of the book is well worth it. One of the highlights about the book is how Rivers portrays the beauty and joy of marriage love as God intended.

This is one of the best books I've ever read. The title of the book explains it all. God will search the deepest caverns and the darkest seas to find his lost souls even when they are trying not to be found. Nothing is too impossible for God to conquer with His pure and perfect love.

The only other book I've read by Francine Rivers is "The Scarlet Thread," which I would highly recommend as well. The next book on my list from her is "The Last Sin Eater," which became of interest to me when I saw they had made a movie about it. I'll have to review both of them soon.

A Little Piece of Family History

Modean

Click on the picture above to view the album, then choose slideshow.
My mother found some more old pictures of my grandmother (my dad's mom), who passed away when he was a child. I leafed through the pictures without my mom telling me who they were of. I came across one picture in particular (the one with my grandmother and her BIL) and saw a shocking resemblance to myself! I had heard I looked like her but never imagined just how much! It may be harder for you to see the resemblance especially if you didn't know me as a child. One of my first posts has another picture of her when she was a little older.

The Restaurant Meme

Sonya tagged me for this. I live in Tennessee, and here are 5 of my favorite restaurants:

1. Puleo's Grill - this place has everything from Italian to steaks and seafood to home cooking, and you can call 15 minutes ahead to be seated immediately when you get there!! They also have great desserts. My favorite is the chocolate lasagna with layers of chocolate cake, ice cream, and chocolate and caramel syrup.

2. China Wok - Two of our favorites are Chinese and Mexican. This is where we order our take out. They give you big servings, so I enjoy mine for two or three days. I love the Sesame Chicken and the Moo Goo Gai Pan.

3. Daily Buffet and Grill- I had to include two Chinese places! This is our all time favorite Chinese buffets because it is huge!! I've hardly seen one bigger, and it's so affordable. They even have a Hibachi Grill, which Beef loves.

4. Camino Real - We have several Mexican restaurants, and three Camino Real's in the city where we live. We not only love the taste of their food the best, we also love the speed which we are served. We usually have our meals within 5 to 10 minutes, even for Sunday lunch!

5. The Front Porch Cafe - I've only eaten here once but hope we can go back! The restaurant is famous for it's desserts, and people from all around order speciality cakes from here often. My favorite dessert is the Snicker's Cake. Mmm. It's so rich. The restaurant itself is located in an old home that is over a 100 years. They serve home cooking with southern charm!

Have you noticed a trend? Our favorite restaurants usually have to have fast service and short waits for tables! Immediate seating is best, especially if you have a hungry, fussy girl on your hands.

I'm not going to tag anyone because once again those who I would have tagged have already done this one!

Rules:
Link to name of person that tagged you.
Include state and country you live in.
List top five favorite local restaurants.
Tag 5 other people and let them know they've been tagged.

Weekend Reflection

I missed last weeks's reflection. I even had a rough draft saved but never got around to finishing it!

Beef and I were able to have a babysitter come stay with Scamp while we had a much needed date night last Saturday. We tried a new Chinese place for dinner, Pei Wei. It was alright because the meal I chose wasn't what I really wanted. We'll have to try it again soon though. We also watched Spider Man 3, which I liked. Beef said it was a chic flick with too much romance! He also felt it had too many villians, which I tend to agree. They didn't have a lot of time to develop all the characters equally.

I was able to plant my flower garden. My goal for this year was "minimal." Last year, I let half the flowers die before I planted them! Scamp helped out. She loved carrying the little flower pots around!

My grandmother, Scamps' Memaw (that's how she says grandma), took us out to eat and to the pool on Tuesday. The indoor pool wasn't open yet, so we splashed around indoors. It was just as much fun though. I even signed Scamp up for a Mommy and Me swim class along with my cousin Jennifer and her son Brady. The kids are only 2 days apart!

The vehicle I drive, a Buick Rendevous, almost overheated this week. Last year, at this same time, it did overheat and break down on the side of the Interstate when I was alone. Beef had to come rescue me, and we waited 3 hours for a tow truck to show. We are thankful my FIL fixed it, and that's where Beef is today--his dad's house--with our vehicle. Hopefully it will be able to be fixed quickly and easily! Thanks Papa! We appreciate all you do!

My cousin, Rachel, graduated from high school last night! I can't believe there's 10 years between us! She will be going to the college where we live now, the same one Beef and I graduated from. She's going to move into an apartment near campus which is less than 10 minutes from our house. It's so exciting for her, I bet, and I hope we can visit each other some!

Stacy mailed me a couple of books and Davy Jones' key, a piece of Pirates of the Caribbean memoriablia from the last movie I won on her site. You are always so thoughtful, Stacy. Thank you!

God continues to work in my life, and I'm thankful for his patient love and care. I'm one of those people who need extra time! Thank you, Lord, for blessing my like you have.

Join in at Judi's!

Photo Hunters: Colorful

Here I am decked out for Halloween right after Scamp was born. I loved that my wig matched my shirt!

Play along at Photo Hunters!

Blog Talkers: Frightfilled Hot Tubbing

What’s the most embarrassing moment you’ve ever witnessed, live?

It was a gloomy, cloudy day, but Matt and I decided to head over to the pavilion for a dip in the hot tub. We had only been married a few months and were still living in an over-priced apartment complex. At least they offered an outdoor pool and hot tub and indoor sauna.

Not ready yet, I ushered Matt ahead me. Shorty thereafter, with my bathing suit donned and my legs freshly shaved, I traipsed down the sidewalk in my flip-flops into the gated pool area. The hot tub was located on the far side of the pool. I didn't see Matt anywhere, and on closer inspection I saw the tub was literally frothing at the mouth. Someone must had added too much chlorine because I couldn't even see the rim of the tub. It was covered with an ever-growing mound of bubbles.

Figuring Matt must have been disappointed with the look of the steamed bath that he decided to heat up in the sauna instead. I sauntered into the indoor rec area and peeked into the closed door of the sauna. He was MIA. "Where could he have gone?" I wondered. I turned and departed back outside the way I came and saw in amazement Matt sitting in the pit of foam sheepishly watching a lady and her two young daughters hurriedly making their way away from the hot tub and out of the gated pavilion.

"What's going on?" I asked Matt. Looking down at the bubbles he said that he did in fact go straight into the hot tub and waited for me to appear through the gate. As I arrived, he dove underneath the froth, held his breath and waited anxiously for my slender feet to step into the whirlpool. He anticipated giving me the fright of my life, but he mistook the feet that entered as mine! As I was walking away from the jacuzzi, a very unaware woman and her daughters had followed right along behind me and made the mistake of choosing the hot tub over the sauna.

Matt came bellowing out the water like the Creature of the Black Lagoon himself and roared for added shock. The lady jumped backwards out of the water in sheer terror and shrieked. Without a word, she gave Matt an icy stare and grabbed her two daughters by the hands, dragging them back toward the apartments.

I laughed haughtily because instead of scaring me, Matt gave and received the shock of HIS life. I've relayed the story again and again, laughing hysterically in remembrance every time, and realizing the poor woman and her daughters tell a completely different version of the story--without much laughter I'm sure!

Play along at Blog Talkers.

Talking Scamp

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEbDpgUNi4g
Watch the video by clicking the link.

Scamp is growing so fast, and she never ceases to amaze me. I of course think she is the smartest and most beautiful baby ever!! She's been going through a "NO, NO!" stage. It's been cute so far, but we'll see how that goes. I got the most wonderful blessing while watching her play with the new toy food I bought her. She kept saying "Men, Men. Bess it, bess it," and I realized she was blessing her pretend meal and saying Amen!! She also told Beef "Bess You" yesterday after he sneezed!

I just can't believe I could love her so much. Last night as I was laying her in her crib, she hugged me goodnight for the first time and said "Bye!" She has been such a lovey-dovey lately, always coming up behind me and giving hugs and kisses. What a wonderful blessing!!

The Meme About Me

What were you doing 10 years ago? May 1997: It was the end of my freshman year at college. Sad to say, this was when I was in the midst of depression, but God brought me through!

What were you doing 1 year ago? May 2006: Summer was beginning, and I was enjoying my little 7 month old Scamp!

Five snacks you enjoy:
1. Fiber One Oats and Chocolate Bars
2. Mini FudgeShoppe Grasshopper 100 calorie packs
3. strawberry yogurt
4. Trail mix with M&Ms
5. light bologna and Ritz crackeres

Five songs that you know all the lyrics:
1. I'm ashamed to say but "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-a-Lot
2. "Straight Up" by Paula Abdul *** but was already a favorite
3. "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd ***
4. "Brown Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison
5. "Goodbye Earl" by the Dixie Chicks ***
***learned on PS2 Karaoke Revolution!!

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:
1. Build a wonderful home out in the country with a pool and a housekeeper
2. build homes for my loved ones
3. start a charity
4. invest for our future and Scamp's
5. travel

Five bad habits:
1. Being Indecisive
2. washing the laundry and not putting it up
3. leaving piles of my stuff everywhere
4. blogging instead of working
5. feeling sorry for myself!

Five things you like doing:
1. Blogging
2. writing poetry
3. hanging out at Hastings with Beef and Scamp
4. I can now say reading
5. going to the movies


Five things you would never wear again:
1. a side ponytail
2. high top sneakers
3. tapered leg jeans
4. looped leggings (the ones that looped around the bottom of your feet)
5. sweat pants, especially pushed up to my knees

Five favorite toys:
1. Ninendo DS lite
2. handheld Sudoku game
3. floam
4. TV projector
5. PS2 - Karaoke Revolution

And Now for the important stuff...

INSTRUCTIONS:
Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot, like so:

- Pieces of Me
- The blog. Yep, the blog.
- Dog's Eye View
- Vader's Mom
- Scamp's Place

Next select five people to tag:
--I was going to tag Sonya, but she stole this from Stacy, too

Photo Hunters: Cooking

My hubby makes the best homemade pizzas and lately he's been letting Scamp help him. She loves helping her daddy! The second picture is one of his most recent creations, homemade breakfast pizza with eggs and hot dogs! It actually tasted pretty good, and Scamp loved it!

Play along at Photo Hunters.

Kickoff Contest

Revka at RS Designs (who by the way made my header at Through the Midst of Despair) and Linda at Mama's Coffee Corner are hosting a contest! They are both kicking off new sites. The contest runs May 17 - 24, and they are giving away prizes. Revka is giving away a free custom header while Linda is giving away a $20 gift card for Amazon.com or a Brazillian Goodies Bag, your choice. Just go and sign the Mr. Linky on which ever site you would like to be entered into the drawing and write a post about the contest.

My Wonderful Mom

My mom and dad were married in high school at 17 and 20 respectively. She decided to focus on raising a family instead of seeking a career for herself and had my sister the year after she graduated. I followed 3 years later.

My mom stayed at home with my older sister and myself until I went to kindergarton. Her first job after she returned to work was at a bank. She worked there for a few years then found a different job during my middle elementary school years. She worked at another local elementary school as a teacher's aide so that she could be at home with us after school and during the summers.

Summers were my favorite with my mother. She along with my mom's cousins and their kids would take us swimming at least 2 to 3 days during the week. She would always pack us a picnic lunch and would let us buy ice cream as our afternoon snack. This was our summer routine for several years.

She started taking night and summer classes at a local community college my later elementary and early middle school days. By the time I was in high school, she was accepted into a nursing school program and started going full time. She graduated my junior or senior year and became an RN. I am so proud of my mom. She doesn't realize how often I share this story with others. She is such a smart person, and I'm glad to call her my mom.

My mom made the choice to focus on my sister and I as children, and I'm glad she did. I am also glad that she took the time to focus on herself as well and find the career that she loves. My mom is always there for me now, and I call on her more often since I am a mother as well. I realize how hard it was for her to raise us and let us go and for that she deserves the best. I am so thankful that she (and my dad because I don't want to leave him out. But hey, it's not Father's Day yet!) is so loving, kind, and helpful to Beef, myself, and Scamp. I love you so much, Mama, and I hope you always know that. This is a small token for you for Mother's Day. I really appreciate you driving up to help me take Scamp to the doctor on Mother's Day.


Inspired by the most recent Blog Talkers.

Pride and Prejudice

It took me 2 and 1/2 weeks to finish "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen, and I'm glad I did. It is a wonderful love story. I watched the BBC miniseries this past weekend. I only intended to watch the first half since I was only halfway into the book but couldn't help myself and finished all 5 hours in one day!

The first part of the book is the hardest to understand because the language is so different. It was hard for me to see the wit in a lot of places, but the BBC miniseries was so close to the book, using a lot of the exact dialogue found in the book, that I was able to finally get it! I would recommend reading the book and watching miniseries and maybe even the most recent movie as I have. I thought the Keira Knightley version would remain my favorite, but the miniseries was so good and thorough to tell much more of the story that I think the latter has surpassed the former.

The miniseries was able to show much more of Mr. Darcy's character than the recent movie that I liked him even more. It also was able to include a lot more of the original characters from the book.

Although at times in the book, I became confused as to who was speaking since there is so much dialogue between the characters, I would still recommend reading it. It's just such a lovely story, and I enjoyed the way Austen wrapped up the lives of all characters at the end of the book. Thanks for the book review on your site Lauren and the miniseries suggestion from you Sonya.

Wild and Wacky Week

Hopefully, our week of odd occurrences has ended. As you all may know, my daughter Scamp was bit by a stray cat last Wednesday then my father-in-law, Richard, was indirectly struck by lightening while standing in the kitchen of his home on Friday. He was in the hospital a couple of days and came home this Sunday. He is still having some pain and soreness, especially on his right side but is walking and talking just fine. He will have to submit to more testing, even being a part of a research study at Vanderbilt Hospital since they don't usually see lightening strike victims but twice a year and even less with those injuries as minor as his. I am glad to say that God is not finished with my father-in-law yet! How wonderful and merciful He is!

In addition to the cat bite, Scamp came down with a high fever on Saturday that persisted until Monday night. The doctor felt that it was not related to the cat bite, although it still scared us. Beef was up with his dad most of the night on Saturday, then returned home to a sick girl that had us both up (epsecially him) the next two nights. Beef was really going on sleep deprivation, but thankfully we've been able to get some much needed rest the last couple of nights.

With so much going on, we missed Mother's Day. We are yet to celebrate here or with our moms but plan to do so very soon. God has blessed us tremendously with such great and loving mothers (as well as the rest of our family members).

I almost forgot. The pictures above are where the lightening struck the concrete sidewalk then radiated into the kitchen window several feet behind that. Mud from the strick was slung all the way up the side of the house to the roof! What a miracle we have witnessed that Richard was not harmed more than he was!

Please keep Richard in your prayers!

Cat Craziness

Scamp and I were out playing in the yard a couple of days ago when an orange-colored stray cat appeared to play with our cat Scratchy. We named him Boots for the day, and he seemed friendly enough, even allowing both Scamp and I to pet him. He was a rather large cat with a large head and fuzzy hair that made him resemble a lion but was scruffy and matted from living outdoors.

Later on that evening, Scamp was petting him out in the yard when he bit her right arm. The cat was so big, he had gotten his entire mouth around her petite arm, leaving teeth imprints on top of her arm and a fairly deep puncture wound underneath. I, of course, smacked the cat away and ran to rescue Scamp. The wound wasn't too bad, but we called the doctor anyway. He told us to clean it really well then bring her to the office in the morning.

We took her in the next day, and another doctor wrote Scamp a prescription for an antibiotics since 80% of cat bites become infected and recommended we call Animal Control to catch the cat and test it for rabies. Otherwise, they may go ahead and give Scamp rabies shots!! I was almost in tears telling the doctor we could have caught the cat last night.

I immediately called Beef at home, who in turn called Animal Control and sat out a bowl of food for the MIA cat. As soon as we returned home, Beef found the cat under my car. The plan was for me to catch and hold the cat until Beef arrived with the cat carrier. The cat was not afraid of me, so I held him down fending off his attempts of biting me. I got away unscathed, but Beef took over the job of putting him into the carrier. As soon as he grabbed the cat, it began to flail and viciously scratch him. As I said before, it was a large cat, and it was taking everything Beef had to subdue him. My brave hubby saved the day by finally forcing the cat into the carrier. Then Animal Control arrived to take the cat to the pound.

The guy from Animal Control said we did the right thing by taking Scamp to the doctor because he has been hospitalized before by a cat bite. I do feel sorry for the cat, but we couldn't take a chance with Scamp. Beef has plenty of battle scars to show how brave he was for taking on a fierce "lion-of-a-cat" and living to tell the tale! Check out Beef's "manly" version of the story on his blog coming soon.

Prayer Request

Beef's dad, Richard, was struck with lightening while in the kitchen of his home this afternoon. He is having some pain and trouble with his right side. He is on his way to seeing a specialist. Please pray that he has no lasting damage from this and for strength and courage for him and the rest of the family.

Weekend Reflection

We survived another week of Beef working at home. He has been very helpful, but Scamp has been a little more clingy to him the last couple of days.

I have some great books coming in the mail. I won "Solomon Latte," a six-week bible study, that explores the love poetry in Song of Solomon from Callapidder Days. Thanks so much to Katrina for hosting the book giveaway and to Sandra Glahn, the author for sending me a copy of her book! Katrina hosts several book giveaways so be sure to check her site out! I'm also waiting on "Get Out of the Pit" by Beth Moore.

Scamp got bit by a stray cat but seems to be doing well. One puncture wound seems to be infected some, but she's on antibiotics.

Play along at Judi's.

Photo Hunters: Five

Five little cousins sittin' in a wagon.
One fell asleep while the others are laggin'.
Out in a corn field, freezin' their fannies
All cuddled up 'neath a blanket of Shannie's! (Aunt Shannie that is:)
Emmy, Scamp, Ian, Drew, and Gavin.
Now that's a photo that's really worth havin'!

Play along at Photo Hunters!

Seven, Or Ten Things Meme

Sonya tagged me for this one. I'm supoosed to list 7 random facts about myself and then tag ten people. Well, I don't tag a lot of people, but play along if you would like.

1. I eat everything plain. I dislike most condiments, especially if cold. I can stand heated BBQ sauce and Italian dressing on cooked meats, but if it's room temp or cold, no way. I eat all my sandwiches plain even excluding cheese on burgers. I order my salads with no dressing.

2. I was in band in middle school and high school and played the alto saxophone. I was decent but hated practicing. I even went to band camp all throughout high school. I loved marching band. We had to memorize all our music and steps out on the field. I still have my sax and don't think I could ever sell it.

3. I love puzzles: jigsaw puzzles and puzzle games. I used to get all my puzzles out as a small child and sit in the kitchen floor and work them. I would work jigsaw puzzles now, but I know Scamp would steal my pieces. The new puzzle game I love is Sudoku.

4. I am a registered dietitian. Many of you may already know, but I don't usually (or ever:) write about nutrition on my blog. I was interested in nutrition since my teenage years. I could tell you how many grams of fat were in the foods I ate off the top of my head, but I didn't realize how much I loved the field until I was a sophmore in college. I didn't even now nutrition was a medical field.

5. I'll steal a suggestion from Sonya from her Ten on Tuesday. She loves pink, but I hate the color. I refused to wear it as a child. It was the only color that specifically belonged to girls, so I refused to be pink and frilly. I have outgrown my loathing of the color somewhat. I do wear some dark shades of pink but still will not wear baby girl pink even though I do dress up my Baby Girl in lots of pink. She seems to enjoy it!! Hey, now purple isn't a girly color is it? Cause that's one of my favorites!

6. I was born with jet black hair. My mom has black hair, so she thought it would stay that way. But by the time I was two, my hair had turned sandy blonde. Every time I would get my hair cut short, it would turn brown. When I would grow it out, it would develop blonde streaks. Now, I just highlight it because it would be completely brown.

7. My sister and I gave our lives to Christ on the same night at a church revival in 1990. I was 11, and she was 14. I had actually felt convicted to go up to the front of the church to be saved during the morning service but didn't. I went home to pray about it, but it just didn't seem to be the right time. That night was the first night of revival, and I went forward. I knelt down on the bench in front of the pulpit and began to pray. As is our church's tradition, all the other believers went to the front of the church to pray with me. I lifted my head up to find that everyone was still praying. My mom was beside me and asked if I thought I was saved. I said, "I think so."

It seemed like being saved was supposed to be a huge surge of emotion, but for me being so young, it wasn't. God let me know though when everyone in the whole church began to sing and hug me.

My sister came up to the front after me to pray and continued to pray later on that night at home. I overheard her say to my mother that she had been convicted to go forward when she saw me go up. It was all in God's perfect timing. He used me to help my sister see that she needed Him as well even though I had no idea at the time. God may use us in other people's lives, and we may never know the extent of it. We never know who might be watching.

I would love to know more about everyone else. Leave me a comment.

Randomized Questions

I have been randomized by Sonya. She gave me some really great questions for me, so here goes:

1. Do you have a favorite hobby? If so, please share it with us. My favorite hobby right now would be blogging. I love to write, and I love pictures in general. I have been able to do both with my blog. My second favorite hobby is scrapbooking, but I haven't had as much time since Scamp was born and because I blog a lot!!

2. What is your favorite blog to visit and why?
This one is not fair because I have several blogs I love and read on a regular basis. But, if I have to pick one it would be Vader's mom because we're friends outside of the blogging world. I copied her and became a blogger, then she sent some of her blogging buddies over to my site to welcome me. I love reading about her life with Jeff and Vader. We've really been able to connect through email and blogging.

3. Who inspires you most and why?
There are several individuals that have inspired me over the years. I have actually already written about them at my other blog. Click here for my full explanation. In short, I have been inspired by David's life and his writings in the Bible. He has inspired my poetry and my being open and honest with God. Also my Sunday School teacher as a teenager, Margie, inspired me to be a better person through devotion and service for God. Judith, my mentor and friend now, has inspired me to always trust in God and seek his will by living her own life in this manner. And, my friend and cousin Jennifer, who has always been a great encourager and confidant throughout my life, has always inspired me to have hope in the things that God has promised me.

4. What is the most important character trait you wish to instill in your children?
Faithfullness. I hope that through my life I will be able to live a faithful life to God as He has always been faithful to me. We are instructed to have faith, even if it's as small as a mustard seed. God works in the lives of those who are faithful to Him and will fully bless us beyond what we could possibly imagine. We are also called to be faithful in marriage. Sometimes, marriage is extremely difficult, but with God's help and our willingness to continue to love each other, God can and will change our circunstances for the better.

5. What is the most inspiring book you've read to date?
The most inspiring book I've read besides the Bible of course, is "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren. I have read through it twice now and have been inspired to serve God in deeper ways both times. The book describes in detail the 5 purposes for our life here on earth. We were made to worship God, to fellowship with God and other believers, to learn discipleship so that we may become like Jesus, to serve God through ministry, and to evangelize or spread the Good News of Jesus Christ.

I know several of my blogging friends have already played along in one degree or another, but if you would like to be randomized by me, just let me know.

Just Married

Congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs. Josh Williams. We attended Josh and Mary's wedding this weekend in Gatlinburg.

We drove up Friday night during Scamp's nap and were able to spend that night walking downtown Gatlinburg with Matt's mom, dad, and niece Emily. The wedding was the next afternoon. We were able to sneak in a quick trip to Ober Gatlinburg before the wedding. We rode the tram with Scamp, and it was beautiful even though it was rainy. It's always beautiful in Gatlinburg whether rain, snow, or sunshine.

They were married in a quaint wedding chapel in the mountains below Ober Gatlinburg. Then, we all attended the reception at Damon's Grill.

Welcome to the family, Mary!!

Weekend Reflection

I'm a bit late because we headed to Gatlinburg for a weekend trip. Beef's brother, Josh, got married there, and we went up a day early to hang out with his family! We had a really good time. I'll post pictures soon!

Beef is officially working form home now, and we survived the first week. We were both worried that Scamp wouldn't leave him alone because she's all about her daddy when he's at here and cries when she's not the center of his attention. She did fairly well, but Beef did get in my hair a little:) He's not used to my routine yet, not that there's much of one. He was very able and willing to help me out with Scamp when I needed him, too. Thanks, Honey!

Scamp and I headed to the library one day. I was able to borrow "Pride and Prejudice." Thanks for the recommendation, Lauren. I just ordered the BBC mini series on DVD. I'm excited about watching it. The library here is in the middle of the square and has a beautiful water foutain and short but lovely shaded walking path that Scamp and I were able to enjoy.

Reflect on your week, too. Stop by Judi's.

Photo Hunters: Childhood

Childhood to me means play, pretending, and having fun. Here's a picture of the girls at one of our family's birthday parties. From left are Haley (a family friend), Abby (my cousin celebrating her birthday), and Alex (my niece). They borrowed some dress up clothes from 5 year old Erin, who couldn't believe they took them!

My family and I are leaving for a short trip to Gatlinburg, so I want be able to view anyone else's photos until Sunday or Monday. Have a great hunt!

Play along at Photo Hunters.

Blog Talkers

Who generally does the housework in your family? Do you say “Thank You” to your significant other when he/she does housework? Why or why not? Are you thanked when you do housework?

Even though I am a stay-at-home mom, I would never call myself a homemaker:) That to me entails that you actaully "keep" the house and may actually enjoy it! I loathe housework, but I do more than I used to since Scamp was born. I do enjoy a clean house, but I let a lot of things go out of sheer laziness, the fact I have other things I would like to do, and that it is harder to really "deep" clean with Scamp around.

Now that's said, who does the most housework? I would say it's a close wash between my husband and myself. I do more vaccuuming, mopping, dusting, and bathroom detail, but we both share in kitchen duty and laundry. I hate cleaning the dishes, but I don't mind laundry so much. Beef's the opposite in that he had rather load and unload the dishwasher. I always thank his mother for teaching him to clean.

When Beef was a young, his mom asked him to clean up the dishes one night, and he wryly replied, "That's woman's work." Needless to say he was responsible for cleaning the dishes until he left home! Thank you, Suzanne.

Beef and I both try to be considerate and grateful when the other does housework. We feel it is both of our responsibility, and we both like to feel appreciated. I think it is also fair of me to mention that Beef does the yardwork and car detail including changing the oil. Thank you, Honey!!

Play along at Blog Talkers!

A Long Awaited Reunion

Jeff, Stacy's husband came to visit this past week. We haven't seen them in person for a couple of years if not more. We really missed Stacy since she couldn't come.

Scamp and Jeff had never met before, but they hit it off right away! Scamp just loved Jeff and was constantly "picking" on him:)

We all went to college together, but Jeff and Stacy moved to Texas after they graduated and got married. They occassionally are able to fly back for a visit, and we always invite the other college buddies, Joseph and Janice, over for a party when they come. We had a great time playing karaoke and watching movies.