More News!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. We had a very quiet Christmas Day, but that was a nice change of pace. :)

OK, on to the news.

We're having a BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jay & I have know for about 3 weeks, but decided to keep it a secret until we attended our first dr.'s appointment on 12/24. We did get a confirmation, but no ultrasound. I've been referred to a specialist b/c I have thyroid issues (that's a long story for another day...). We're hoping to see the specialist next week and we'll get an ultrasound then. The 40 week date they've given us is 8/6/09!! I'm a little over 8 weeks along. I promise to keep you posted and up to date on everything. Maybe next week I'll start posting some pictures. I don't look pregnant yet, of course, but they'll be nice to compare later.

Until Later...

It's CHRISTmas Eve!! I hope everyone has finished their shopping and wrapping. The Henderson's are off for a few last minute gifts.

Have a wonderful day.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!

Bloggy Update

Hey Bloggy Family ~

The Henderson's are ready for Christmas. We've been very busy over the last few weeks with student loan paper work, job applications for Jay, more college entrance forms, choosing which classes to take, getting acquainted with the online system that I'll be using as the virtual classroom, etc. And we also took a much needed Christmas vacation. We left Friday, with our best friends, and headed up to Helen, Ga for a nice relaxing weekend. We are now ready to take on the world! Jay went back to work this morning and I've been running errands all day. It's funny how quickly a vacation can be over and real life picks right up where it left off... I'll be checking in thru out the week. I hope everyone is having a wonderful week.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The News...

Ok, I know that I've teased you for several days now and I even got a message on the answering machine pleading that I reveal the news.

I'M GOING BACK TO SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know, most of you thought I was going to say "I'm pregnant" -- well don't give up hope on that either. We're still working on that. :)

I'm so excited about starting school. My college history and the decision on what I'd like to be when I grow up has been a long time coming. And goes something like this: fresh out of high school I started college with the anticipation of becoming a nurse. That didn't work out well... I decided 2 semesters before I was done that I hated being a nurse. SO, I took a two year break during which time got married and I got a real job. After we were married for about 6 months I decided that I wanted to go back to school and get a business degree. I went back to school and two years later had an associates degree in business administration, but again decided that I was done with school. This time I was going to have a baby... WELL, here we are 3 years later, no baby and a degree that isn't worth a whole lot. This past summer when I decided that I wanted to work for one of the local school systems (mainly b/c it was a steady job and had great benefits and I don't have to work summers) I had no idea what God had in store for my heart. I went to work at a local middle school, which I wasn't thrilled about b/c I've never dealt with middle school age kids, but I've meet some of the most loving kids and God has really shown me that teaching and helping kids is where my heart is and where He wants me to be. So, having rambled on about all of this -- I'll be going to school to get my teaching degree. Please pray for me that I'll do well in my classes and can stay focused this time to get the job done.

I'll keep you posted.

Thanksgiving Eve...

Hello All ~

I hope you all are having a wonderful week. Things here in Hendersonville are great. I've been cooking today in preparation for our family Thanksgiving lunch tomorrow. I was asked to bring desserts. I've decided on chocolate chip cookies, peach cobbler and a strawberry/pretzel dessert. I hope that variety enough.

In addition to cooking I've been working on my piles and they are slowly going away. I hope to have most of them gone before I return to work on Monday. My goal is to keep them cleaned up so that I don't have to spend my entire Christmas break cleaning up piles of junk. Wish me luck.

There just isn't much going on here in Hendersonville -- what do each of you do on Thanksgiving Eve? Do you have some type of tradition? Let me know!

I know I promised you some breaking news, but you'll have to stay tuned -- I'm not ready to tell yet.

HAPPY TURKEY DAY!!!

Piles

I'm back... I'm sorry that you've been neglected. I think things are finally starting to calm down and maybe I can find 5 or 10 minutes a day (or every other day) to keep you posted on what's going on. I decided to give you a glimpse into my world and why I feel guilty about blogging.

You'll notice that the title of this post is "piles" -- that's because I feel like that's all my life consist of. Plies of laundry, piles of paper, piles of junk, piles of mail/bills and on and on and on.

Here are are few of the piles that are haunting me!

This is the "station" where we drop our keys, mail and junk when we come home. This welcomes me each and every day...

Then this is the next pile that I see -- This is a small cabinet space when you walk into our kitchen. There is a canvas bag with cleaning supplies that I took to church several week ago ( I have no idea why it's there.) The baby carriage is a pinata that was supposed to be used for a baby shower 3 weeks ago (it didn't make it) there is cereal sitting there b/c the box is too tall to fit into the cabinet, there is Gatorade -- not sure why it's there, Gatorade has it's own place in the dinning room. And behind that pink striped bag is the toaster -- guess we haven't toasted anything lately.

And here's the desk where I have to sit to blog... Need I say more?!?!?!?!

Never fear. School's out this week, so I intend to clean up these piles (along with many more). I'll show you the progress at the end of the week, I promise. Stay tuned, I have a couple of exciting things going on and I'll be sharing them with you soon.

HAPPY MONDAY!!!

3 of 4 ~ Sunday, October 19

Well, I 've made it thru 2 whole weeks with Jay working out of town. He just left for week 3 and we are hoping week 4, next week, will only be until Wednesday!! I don't know how you wives who have husbands who work out of town do it. Kudos to you!!! I would HATE for Jay to be gone every week and for now at least he's coming home on weekends. The first week he didn't come home until Friday and last week he came home on Thursday night, so I at least had an extra night of snuggling with him.

That's all I have for tonight. I'm headed off to get myself ready for the week ahead. I hope each of you has a wonderful week.

Random ~ Tuesday, October 7th

This has been a wonderful yet weird week... As most of you know I went to work for a local school system and we follow a "balanced" calendar. This means that we only get like 6 weeks of summer, but we get these awesome week long breaks periodically throughout the year. Well, this week just happens to be one of the breaks! yippee!! However, the phone call that I received from Jay last Thursday didn't lend to this being a great week. Now don't get me wrong it wasn't that we had some grand plans that were canceled or anything, but Jay called last Thursday to say that starting this week they'd be working out of town. Yep, he left Sunday night about 8pm and will not be back until Friday about 8pm. Now for those of you who know me really well you know that I'm very needy and I wasn't sure how I'd handle Jay being gone for an entire week, but so far so good. The first night was a little unnerving, but last night was much better... I spent Monday cleaning the house and today I had to run to the doctor to have blood drawn to check my thyroid levels so I just decided to make a day of it. I spent most of the day shopping. The only thing that I bought was one little ole pair of blue jeans! Yay me for showing some control!!!

Anywho, when I got home from shopping I went outside to walk the dog and I noticed that one of my favorite bushes had started to bloom. I thought I'd share a few pictures with you:

Now this is one end of our house. I took this picture so that you could see how big these bushes are -- I know what you're saying "It's not that big of a deal -- yeah, it's taller than the house, but so what" yep, that's what you thought wasn't it?!?!? WELL, these bushes are cut down every year at the beginning of summer! Yep, they grow that tall in just a few months. I can't wait until they are in full bloom. I'll keep you posted. You'll notice that there is one on each end of the house and there is a crazy over-grown crepe myrtle in the middle.

I just had to share one more with you...

Whirlwind

Yep, that's what life's been like for oh the last 6 weeks! As many of you might remember I started a new job at the end of July -- I'm happy to report that I love my new job. The pay isn't great, but I get teachers retirement and all the perks of working for the Government! I started out working with the guidance counselors, but about 3 or 4 weeks ago was moved to the front office. I was sure that I would hate it there, but it's turned out the be a very nice location. I actually have my own desk and my own space which I didn't have in the counseling office. I've learned tons about the school and what makes it tick...

In other news, you might remember me mentioning that we had also started going to a new church. Well, when we first started attending this church I agreed to be co-director of the preschool department, but about 6 weeks ago the girl who what the other 1/2 of the co-directing decided that she needed to take a little break. SO, that left me as the director which was fine. The other girl didn't leave the church or anything, but because of some family stuff she just needed to be less relied on, which again is fine. I'm so excited that she is still helping me from behind the senses. The last 2 weeks I've been trying to get motivated to compile a budget for 2009. YUCK!! I'm a finance person, but doing the research and trying to decide what we will need for the entire year of 2009 is just out of reach. I've started the process, but man it's no fun.

On top of all of this... we are still trying to get pregnant. This month I did get a couple of positive signs. NO not those kind of positive signs, but as least some sign to make me believe that the medication that I'm on is now working!! One small step at a time. I'll keep you posted on this as new developments come along.

There you have the Henderson's in a nutshell... Nothing really exciting going on here -- truly just life.

I hope each of you are having a great month. I promise I'll try to post more.

~ MEME ~

I borrowed this from Jess' blog ~ Thanks Jess :)

What kind of soap is in your bathtub right now? Dial for Jay and Mary Kay for me.

Do you have any watermelon in your refrigerator? Not right now.

What would you change about your living room? Make it larger.

Are the dishes in your dishwasher clean or dirty? Dirty.

What is in your fridge? A few left overs that need to be thrown out, diet coke, bottled water, misc. salad dressing, and other condiments.

White or wheat bread? White.

What is on top of your refrigerator? Dust & maybe a fly swatter.

What color or design is on your shower curtain? Plaid -- Dark Green, Light Green, Navy Blue, Lighter Blue, Dark Tan & Lighter tan.

How many plants are in your home? Only one inside.

Is your bed made right now? NO -- why spend the time making it when we're going to get back in it...

Comet or Soft Scrub? Soft Scrub -- If I were going to clean!

Can you describe your flashlight? Yep -- the biggest Mag-lite made.

Do you drink out of glass or plastic most of the time at home? plastic, but they are the reusable type.

Do you have iced tea made in a pitcher right now? Nope.

If you have a garage, is it cluttered? We have an open-end car port and it's pretty clean.

Curtains or blinds? All windows have blinds, but only a few have curtains.

How many pillows do you sleep with? 3 -- two under my head and one between my knees for back pain relief.

Do you sleep with any lights on at night? Nope.

How often do you vacuum? Only as often as is required.

Standard toothbrush or electric? Standard.

What color is your toothbrush? White & Purple, maybe.

Do you have a welcome mat on your front porch? Yep.

What is in your oven right now? Nothing.

Chore you hate doing the most? Putting away clean laundry. (I really hate ALL housework...)

What retro items are in your home? By retro do you mean old? If you mean old -- we have a lot of stuff from Jay's grandmothers home -- we call them antiques. :)

Do you have a separate room that you use as an office? Yep.

How many mirrors are in your home? 4 that i can think of quickly.

What color are your walls? Kitchen & Dining room - wood paneling; Living room - pale yellow; guest room, laundry and bathroom - tan; master bedroom - navy bottom w/ white chair-rail and tan on top; office - dark green bottom w/ white chair-rail and tan on top.

What kind of pickles (if any) in your fridge? Sweet Relish, dill and bread & butter.

What color is your favorite Bible? Black

Ever been on your roof? NO -- why would I?

Do you own a stereo? Yes.

How many TVs do you have? Two.

How many house phones? 4 -- is that too many?

Do you have a housekeeper? I wish!

What style do you decorate in? Hodgepodge

Do you like solid colors in furniture or prints? A little of each.

Is there a smoke detector in your home? YES!

What are the items in your house which you’d grab if you only could make one quick trip? Sassy (our dog), my wedding rings and as many pictures as possible.

Now it's your turn!

Leave me a comment if you play along so that I can see your answers.

~Some Cuteness ~

Takin' a nap on Mommy & Daddy's bed...

Restin' on Daddy's pillows! (He won't mind, he's at work)

And then there's this little cutie who NEVER gets to enjoy time inside anymore...

~ DONE ~

Friends, I need some encouragement. Is there anyone (of the 3 that read my blog) who ever gets discouraged and just wants to throw in the towel? Do any of you ever feel like you’re not worthy of the many blessings that God has given you? And you know that the only way you landed the blessings was because of God’s grace – because alone you’re nothing? I could contribute some of my emotion to the new medication that I’m taking (due to my inability to get pregnant) – that’s a story for later. BUT I refuse to place blame on the medication or the doctor who’s prescribing it, but I’ll blame myself! There are a thousand reasons that I can give you for my emotions and feelings, but I'll spare you the gory details. But, friends, I don’t feel like getting up one more morning, going to work one more day or exerting my energy to breath. I’m at the bottom – I’m done.

I know that I do have some AWESOME prayer warriors that read my blog and girls I’m counting on you. Will you please send up some prayers for me? Will you help a friend get out of a funk?

~ More Highlights ~

(or less in this case)

As many of you remember about this time last year I decided that I needed to color my hair. And many of you told me it was addicting... I should have listened. I visited a new salon this morning and had a very dear friend of mine try her hand on my hair and I must say she's won my business. She listened to my concerns, we talked about what I wanted and how I wanted it to look. I just had it cut and colored about a month ago, but I had one bad dye job, it was spotted and a very brassy shade of blonde and I just was not in love with anything about it. So, Miss Melody fixed me up today. It is much darker than it's been in a long time, but she did put some blonde highlights back in it and I think it looks much better. What do you think (if you need a reference go down 2 or 3 posts and see the before)?

Here's the end result:

~ A Bloggy Update ~

I promised that I’d keep you up to date on my new job and all the changes that are happening so fast in my life. I’m happy to report that after only 2 days on the job I LOVE IT!!! All of the teachers and faculty are so nice and they’ve all welcomed me with open arms. The 2 counselors that I’m assisting are great. We were very busy today with registration. We registered about 20 kids (and school doesn’t start until Friday). I am ready to get into a routine, have my own desk and have a feeling of being settled, but I know that will come soon.

Thanks to all of you who have been praying that thing would go well and that I’d like this job. I’ll keep you posted. I’m going to try my best to get back into blogging daily and asking you to hold me accountable on some things… but more on that later.

Have a great evening and I’ll see you tomorrow!

~ News ~

Let me start by saying that Blogger tells me this is my 100th post and I know there is a bloggy rule about doing a “100 things about me” post, but I have bigger things to talk about today. The 100 things post will come later – I promise.

I’m not sure exactly where to start… Oh, let me just tell you the good news and then I’ll tell you how it came about. I’M STARTING A NEW JOB TOMORROW!!!

As some of you know I was/am working at the church that Jay and I attended. Well, on June 1st our church split and we were on the leavin’ side. This is a whole story in it’s self, but I grew up in the church, I’ve attended services there for 28 years. It was a hard decision, but God, on more than on occasion, confirmed that we should stop attending services there. This obviously put a strain on my working there and with the relationships of those who stayed. My title was Pastor’s secretary, well the reason the church split was the fact that some didn’t like the pastor and they pretty much backed him into a corner and made him resign. Anyway, to make a long story shorter, I decided that I would most likely be next on the chopping block (oh, did I mention that we were 84,000 over budget at that time?). So, I started praying about what God had in store for us and where He was leading me to work – I just kept coming back to the idea of going back to school and getting my teaching degree/certificate. I talked to several of my friends who are teachers and they encouraged me to apply at some local schools, just to get my foot in the door. So, I did and for 6 weeks I’ve been putting applications in at schools, county/government offices and any other place that I qualified for their job and NOTHING. As of Monday of this week I had put in maybe 12 or 15 applications (I lost count) and had had NO call backs. So to say that I was discouraged was an understatement. Meanwhile, for the last 6 weeks I’ve been trying to lay low at work and just go with the flow – even though the flow has been very inconsistent and there have been numerous talks about pay cuts (totaling between 7 & 12 percent), cut in hours or even some of us being “laid off”. It’s been a very emotional few weeks. Finally on Monday of this week I got a phone call from the assistant principal of Clements Middle School in Covington asking me if I could come on Tuesday for an interview. Let me give you a disclaimer here – I don’t like middle school aged kids – they have big mouths and they are just weird, I prefer the ones who are cute and under the age of 5!! So, to say that I was apprehensive about this interview – another understatement, but I went and the interview went well. I had applied with the Newton County School System for a parapro position, but the job I interviewed for wasn’t actually an “in classroom” type position. I will be the assistant for the registration office, right up my ally… I will make sure that all the kids who transfer to/from the school have the documents they need and have complete information in their file. Mr. Stephens called me yesterday to offer me the job and I start tomorrow!!! How awesome is God’s timing.

I’ll check in with you tomorrow and let you know how my day went and how AWESOME my new job is.

I just realized that I left you hangin’ on where Jay and I are attending church… The 150+ of us who left the old church started a new church. We have about 140 – 175 people each week and we are back to “havin’ church”. Check out our website Berean Baptist Church. If you are looking for a church in the Covington area please come join us.

~New Summer Dos~

Jackson and I have donned our summer dos. I've been sporting mine for about 2 weeks and Jackson just got him this week. Tell us what you think...

Jackson First:

Before:

And After:

Now it's my turn:

Before:

(this is an old picture, but it's the only one I could find. My hair was down past my shoulders!)

And NOW!!!

This cut makes me feel SOOO sassy. Excuse the huge purple shirt, it's my sleeping shirt. These are horrible pictures of my, but it's all I have for now. I'll try to get some that are more flattering soon!!!

A Big Week Ahead!

This week 2 things will happen on Tuesday.

#1. Jay will turn 30.

Baby Jay

14 month old Jay

This is 30 year old Jay!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HONEY -- I LOVE YOU!!!!!

#2. Sassy will turn 1.

This was taken in early August, the day after we brought Sassy home.

She weighted almost 4 pounds...

This was taken right around Christmas, Sassy was about 6 months old and weighed in at about 10 pounds.

Here's one taken last week. She was playing in my chair with a new toy. She now weighs in at 14 pounds. I'm sure glad she a miniature!!! :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SASSY -- WE LOVE YOU!!

Alive & Well!

I'd love to tell you that live has been so exciting and busy that I just didn't have time to post, but that wouldn't exactly be the truth. The truth would be that I'd been too lazy to post. I've been reading alot of posts and even commenting some, but I just haven't put the energy into writing my own. So here are a few things that have happened around the Henderson Homestead.

Jay and I went to Charleston, SC over Memorial Day weekend. I didn't take to many pictures, but here are a couple:

This picture was taken down by The Battery. The wind coming off of the water must have been blowing 70 miles an hour. You can see that my hair and shirt are blowing, it was so bad, Jay actually had a handful of my hair and was holding it down so that it didn't look so bad in the picture...

Here's one of Jay and Jeff "playing" in the ocean. There are NO pictures of me and Andrea throughout the whole trip. Go figure.

This is a Carnival Cruise ship that passed right by the beach as we were hanging out on Monday.

We had a wonderful time away and really enjoyed ourselves! Thanks to Ms. Vickie and Mr. Randy for letting us stay at their house.

Menu Monday

Here's my attempt at a menu plan:



Monday ~ Pork Medallions Alfredo / Green Beans / Pear Salad

Tuesday ~ Creamy Broccoli -Stuffed Chicken Breast / Veggies / Rolls

Wednesday ~ whatever is provided at church

Thursday ~ Bacon cheeseburger roll-up / chips

Friday ~ We're packing up mid-afternoon and heading for Charleston, SC for the weekend, so there is no plan for Friday


Saturday ~ Hyman's Seafood Restaurant


Sunday ~ No meal plans / we plan to spend most of the day at the beach and the open air market.

We're off to a pretty good start on our menu, I followed thru with Monday's new recipe!!

That Kind of Week

I decided 2 weeks ago that we really needed to start menu planning again in an effort to save money. That worked great for 2 weeks... This week I planned my menu using what we had at home because I knew I would not have time for a grocery run until Friday afternoon. Well, my week didn't quite turn out like I'd planned. We've had SO much going on with Jay's softball games, extra hours at work and the rest of life that our menu didn't quite turn out like I'd planned this week. I thought I'd take this time to share my PLANNED menu and our ACTUAL menu... Enjoy!

Planned:
Monday: Chicken sandwiches and chips (before Jay's game)
Tuesday: Grilled Chicken, rice and green beans
Wednesday: whatever was provided at church
Thursday: Breakfast
Friday: Grilled Hamburgers
Saturday: no plan
Sunday: eat out as usual

ACTUAL:
Monday: Jay ~ chicken tenders and chips (we had no bread for a sandwich)
Michelle ~ soda crackers with melted cheese - this was all I had the energy to make
Tuesday: Chinese Take out
Wednesday: at church ~ pork roast, mashed potatoes, black eyed peas and peach cobbler
Thursday: Jay is picking up hot wings as I type
Friday: Maybe that grilled chicken from Tuesday???
Saturday: Maybe I'll actually cook a meal
Sunday: out with the gang

AND there you have it. Our crappy diet for the week, but tomorrow is grocery day and we'll be eating on a menu plan next week... NO EXCUSES!!!

Hair!

I've been trying something new with my hair this week. I've been wearing it "natural", that's a bit misleading, but I'm using my natural curl and just enhancing it a little. Here are a few picts. so that you can tell me what you like better... Please be kind.

This is my "straight" hair. It's much longer now though.

This is a more recent "straight" hair picture.

This is the curly version... What do you think?

I know what you're thinking -- she really needs to do something about those roots. I agree, but our entire budget is going to gas and groceries now so there's no extra money for color...

Go figure!!!

Back to Menu Plan Monday!

It's been months since I did a menu plan, but with the cost of groceries going up and my budget getting tighter by the minute we are back to menu planning and smart shopping. So, here's our menu for the week. Remember that you can check out Laura for more ideas.

Monday ~ Something quick and on my own. Jay has a softball game.

Tuesday ~ Something else quick and on my own or something quick after Jay's softball game.

Wednesday ~ We eat at church (hey, give me a break -- staff eats free and Jay's is only $5)

Thursday ~ Meat Loaf, Black-eyed Peas, Rice and bread of some sort

Friday ~ Grilled chicken, Baked Potatoes and Salad (maybe a dessert)

Saturday ~ We're going to the Braves game -- so over priced stadium food it is!!!

Sunday ~ We'll eat out after church (this is a must)

Hope you all have a GREAT week!!!

Finally Spring!!

I'm so glad that the temperature has warmed up outside and I have finally been able to wear sandals and some of my summer clothes!!! I noticed this week that my yard is starting to come alive. Here are a few of the beautiful flowers that have started to bloom. We'll be planting our annuals pretty soon!!! I love this time of year when we can make the outside of the house look so pretty and colorful.

Chops Busted!!!

My good friend, Jessica, has called me out and busted my chops for not blogging. So, I've updated my blog's look and promise to blog, no matter how boring life seems... But, for now supper is ready and I must eat.

Wow!!

Here are a few pictures of the hail that was in our yard after the storms on Saturday. We were very lucky that we didn't have any damage and no tornadoes...

This is our backyard -- in Jackson's pen!


Backyard -- looking out the kitchen window!!

A few of Jay's "prize" hail stones...

And of course I can't let you visit without showing off my babies...

BEAUTIFUL CHRISTIAN SISTER

by Maya Angelou

'A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ

that a man should have to seek Him first to find her.

'When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not shouting 'I'm clean livin''

I'm whispering 'I was lost, Now I' m found and forgiven.

'When I say... 'I am a Christian' I don't speak of this with pride.

I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not trying to be strong.

I'm professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on.
When I say.. 'I am a Christian' I'm not bragging of success.

I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not claiming to be perfect,

My flaws are far too visible, but God believes I am worth it.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I still feel the sting of pain...

I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not holier than thou,

I'm just a simple sinner Who received God's good grace, somehow!'

I received this by email this week from Jodi and it just really touched my heart. Often times we are boasting and bragging and trying to be strong when we announce that we are Christians and this really gave me a new perspective. I hope you enjoy it and that it touches your heart.

Prayer Request Update!

I wanted to give you all an update on the prayer request that I mentioned below. I got word late Thursday that my pastor and his family will be laying their sweet 3 month old granddaughter to rest on Monday (2/25). Please remember this family. They still have no cause of death for this sweet baby girl. She attended a home daycare and was put down for her afternoon nap on Wednesday and “slept” longer that usual and when the care taker went to check on her she wasn’t breathing and she never regained consciousness. The family won’t likely have any answers from the autopsy for several weeks.

Thank you for your prayers of this sweet family. This incident has really made me think about how quickly life can be taken from us and that we should like everyday like it’s out last.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Prayer Request

Hello Bloggy Friends ~ I have a prayer request to share with you. We, my church family, received news this afternoon that our pastor's (BT) granddaughter passed away. She was only 3 months old. I don't have details other than that they took her to the ER in respiratory destress and she soon passed away. Please remember the Rush family. My pastor's son and daughter-in-law and the baby live in Texas and BT and his wife had only seen the baby once and that was the week of Thanksgiving, she was only about 2 weeks old then. I'm sorry the details are a little sketchy, but I don't want to plaster their names all over the internet, but I would like your help in sending up prayers for them.

Thanks bloggy gang! I'll update you as I get the details.


Good Night.

A Memory Verse and A Budget!

"The way of a fool is right in his own eye, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel."

Probverbs 12:15

Several weeks ago I mentioned that I would be taking a Crown Financial class through my church, but bloggy friends, I had no idea what I was in for. I really should get some type of degree out of this class. Let me fill you in, if you've taken the class you can give me a big ole AMEN. Each week there is a memory verse ~ great, how hard could it be to remember and recite a Bible verse each week. OH, did I mention that this is a 10 week course and that each week you have to re-recite the verses from the previous weeks... People I only have SO much brain space. So, I'm on week #4. No really sure how in the heck I'm going to remember ALL 10!!! And if that's not bad enough, for the last couple of weeks we've been tracking EVERY penny that we spend, do you know how hard that is and also, how realistic it makes wasting money. Ugh, it's been a real reality check for me. Then last week to add insult to injury we had to write out ALL of our debt and a re-payment plan. Talk about another SLAP in the FACE. So, needless to say God had really been working on me the past few weeks about being a good steward, which it's become VERY VERY obvious that I'm NOT. So, please pray for me over the next couple of weeks as be begin to work on a budget and face the ugly facts of how we'll get out of debt and stay out of debt. And all joking aside I really do recomend this class to anyone who doesn't have a budget or who wants to know what the Bible says about money and our use of it. If your church doesn't offer a Crown ministry, my friend Jodi is a certified counselor for Crown and I'm sure she'd be willing to help you.

Menu Monday

I've finally gotten motivated again to plan our weekly menus and stick to the plan. Here's our menu for the week. Remember to check out Laura's site for more menu ideas and recipes.

Monday: Cube Steak, Mashed Potatos, Green Beans and Crescent Rolls

Tuesday: Fried Chicken Salads

Wednesday: Whatever Mrs. Patty cooks at church

Thursday: Chicken Tacos with Chips and Salsa

Friday: Grilled Pork Chops, Rice, Lima Beans and Crescent Rolls

Saturday: No Plan

Sunday: Spaghetti, Salad and Garlic Toast

(Sorry for any misspelled words, my spell check will not work and any of you who know me well know that spelling is NOT my strong point)

Wordless Wednesday!

I realize that Wednesday is almost over, but here's my cutie, Jackson, playing in the snow a couple of weeks ago.

Prayer Requested

Hello Bloggy Friends,

Not much going on at the Henderson Homestead, but I'd ask each of you to pray for my Sister-in-law, Emily. You can read her story here. She has struggled with addiction for years and is finally to the point of getting help at an inpatient center. Please pray that she can find the strength to get thru this process. Pray that God will give Rion (my BIL, her husband) the understanding and courage to help her thru. Pray that God will give all of us the understanding to be compassionate and supportive of Emily's needs.

Em know that we love you and are praying that you can beat this addiction sooner than later.

Books?!?!

Back on DECEMBER 30th(!!!), Jodi tagged me for a book meme. I knew I'd been putting it off, but good grief, I didn't realize that like 4 weeks had gone by, sorry Jodi...

So, here goes:

1. One book that changed your life ~ My Bible.

2. One book that you have read more than once ~ "Before Your Pregnancy" -- A 90-day guide for couples on how to prepare for a healthy conception. (Side Note: It ain't working...)


3. One book you would want on a deserted Island ~ A how to book, Like "How to Get Off a Deserted Island".

4. One book that made you laugh ~ "Belly Laughs: The Naked Truth about Pregnancy and Childbirth" (OK, so you can see where my brain is)

5. One book that made you cry ~ Can't think of one right off hand.

6. One book that you wish had been written ~ Ummm, you'd think that I could have come up with something seeing as I've known about this meme for 4 weeks, but I've got nothing.

7. One book that you wish had never been written ~ Nothing comes to mind... But most anything that down plays Christianity.

8. One book you are currently reading ~ "Your Money Count" This was my homework for the Crown Financial Class that I'm taking. Great Book I must admit.

9. One book you have been meaning to read ~ "Twelve Extraordinary Women: How God Shaped Women of the Bible, and What He Wants to Do with You". I got this book for Christmas, but haven't found the time to get into it yet, but it's next on my list.

If you'd like to play along go ahead, but remember to leave me a comment so that I can check out your answers.

Where has the time gone!

Holy Cow, 3 weeks into 2008 already?!?! The Henderson's have been busy with life, I guess. Nothing huge to mention, we did enjoy snow twice last week, that was nice, but didn't last long enough. No cancellations of school or work, it almost seems that the snow is in vain, if there are no closings. :) Jodi tagged me several weeks ago with a meme and I've been thinking about the answers for 2 weeks now. So, I think I'll post that either later today or tomorrow, don't give up on me Jodi!! That's all I have for now. I better get to work.

Happy Monday Everyone!!!

Two by Two

This is an email that I received today and thougth it would make a fun post. If you decide to play along let me know!!


JUST TWO THINGS...

Two Names You go by
1 . Michelle
2. Chelle


Two Things You Are Wearing Right Now:
1. a black long-sleeved tee shirt
2. red jogging pants

Two of Your Favorite Things to do:
1. Spend time with my husband
2. Eat out with friends

Two Things You Want Very Badly At The Moment:
1. To start a family
2. To go to bed

Two pets you had/have:
1. Jackson
2. Sassy

Two people who will respond to this:
1. Jessica
2. Emily

Two things you did last night:
1. Cooked Dinner
2. Read a Book

Two things you ate yesterday:
1. Eggs
2. Fried Ham

Two people you last talked to:
1. Andrea
2. Mom

What are you doing tomorrow:
1. work
2. laundry

Two longest car rides:
1. Georgia to Florida
2. Georgia to Texas

Two Favorite Holidays:
1. My Birthday
2. Christmas

Two favorite beverages:
1. Diet Coke
2. Diet Coke

Did Some One Say Blonde?

I have a new look for the new year too! I decided that I'd try being a blonde...

What do you think? Be kind, please!!!!

New Year ~ New Look!!

HAPPY 2008!!!

I've given my blog a face lift in hopes that it will encourage me to blog regularly! I feel compelled to share with you my GOALS for 2008! Yes, I'm calling them GOALS, not resolutions!

1. To be a better child of God.

2. Start a budget plan and eliminate debt! The first step to this will begin on 1/16, I'll be attending a Christian Financial Class that is provided by Crown Financial which is offered at my church on Wednesday nights.

3. Start a Family!! This is something that Jay and I have prayed about and considered for 2 years and we've decided it's time. So, please continue to pray that we will follow God's plan and take his path in this journey.

4. To continue with my Weekly Bible Study and also to continue to be faithful in my daily quiet time.

I'll keep you updated on how I'm maintaining each of my GOALS!!

I wish each of you a blessed 2008!!!