Campbell Chatter

Want to win an Ipad for Christmas?

2011-11-01T10:22:00.000-05:00

A sweet friend is having a contest to give you a chance to win an Ipad to help them bring their sweet Kylie home from China. Click on the link below for you chance to win!!

http://taylor-family-blog.blogspot.com/

O:)
Melissa

Adoption Scrap-A-Thon

2011-10-18T07:59:00.000-05:00

I don't know how many people actually read this who aren't on Facebook with me, but in case you haven't heard about this, I would be remiss to not mention it. My dear friend Tabs is in the process of adopting 2 precious girls from Eastern Europe and she has come up with a GREAT fundrasiser idea. A 12-hour Adoption Scrap-A-Thon!!!

I would LOVE to have you join us and have fun, get started or finished on Christmas projects, and help bring her precious daughters home!! Feel free to let me know if you have any questions!!

O:)
Melissa

An Ode to Middle School Girls

2011-10-07T14:47:00.000-05:00

Middle School Girls are happy.

Middle School girls are sad.

Middle School girls get ANGRY!!

Middle School girls have fun.

Middle School girls are sad.

Middle School girls are crazy!

Middle School girls are loving.

Middle School Girls are happy!!!!

Middle School girls whine.

Middle School girls are happysadangryfuncrazysadhappywhinysadfuncrazylovinghappywhinecrylaugh

all in 5 minutes.

It's a wonder us parents are not all schizophrenic.

Oh wait, maybe we are.

Summer School Wrap Up

2011-08-22T15:33:00.000-05:00

Well since I haven't posted since May 24 I decided to give a brief overview of what we learned this summer. After last year's catastrophe (remember, the students were bad so the teacher quit after the first week?) I decided to go about it with a little less fervor this year. Still have some things to do to keep them off the TV/computer, but not totally bored and picking on each other to death. Of course, for the record, with at least $1000 worth of toys in this house I can hardly see how anyone would be bored, but that is beside the point.

In between the many trips we took this summer, our main goal was to learn the 50 state capitals (since TCAP is apparently not concerned about that!) and read as many books as possible and complete book bingos. By reading books they earned popsicle sticks which would equal screen time. Also, Leah got started on her Bible Drill verses for the fall.

I'm happy to report that Leah and Katie both mastered the state capitals with lots of practice. We learned about 5-6 each week, reviewing as we went. They found them on the US map, learned the capital, and we made a treat from one of the states each week. Some recipes bombed, some were "the" bomb. We tried homemade ice cream (Missouri), Caramel Corn (Nebraska), Dragon Cookies (California), Pumpkin Chunkin' Cheesecake (somewhere northeast) and the TOTAL bomb was learning to make funnel cakes (PA). Oh my gracious stars those tasted JUST like the fair!!! And so easy to make!

On to the Book Bingo and reading. I don't think anyone actually completed their sheets just yet, although Leah and Katie have only one book left. We had fun again reading all kinds of new books we never read before and award winners. It is getting difficult, however, to find Caldecotts we haven't read yet. I might need to take it off the list for next year. The rule is you can't count on your bingo sheet a book you have read before. Rebecca did not finish hers either, but she took on Harry Potter this summer and conquered! That girl is NUTS! She would read one of the first ones in a day and a half!!! The total pages read for the summer were:

Katie - 2066
Leah - 2224
Rebecca - 5476 (HP, remember?)

So I'd still count it a successful summer over all. Not sure what I may have up my sleeve for next year, but there is a chance its going to have to do with out west or US Presidents. I'm sure knowing all the US Presidents is not TCAP worthy either.

In other "educational" news, check out my new blog, "The Year of the Great Homework Project" to see what is shaking at our house this school year!

O:)
Melissa

What's on my nightstand ....

2011-05-24T00:20:00.003-05:00

I have always gotten a kick out of my sweet friend Alicia's side bar "on our nightstands". She usually has one or two books listed that she and Derek are reading at the time. I can just imagine her nice, neat, orderly, uncluttered room with these few books resting on her nightstand with probably one lamp and nary a dust bunny in sight. And they are always deep, heavy, thoughtful, life-changing non-fiction books.

Mine, on the other hand, does not fit that description at all.

What's on my nightstand?

Serendipity by Cathy Marie Hake (current book club book I just finished tonight)
AAA Mexico book (dreaming of Mazatlan for our 20 year anniversary next year)
Royal Wedding People magazine
A journal Rebecca and I try to keep going back and forth (last entry, before EAsia, and it is apparently my turn since it is on my nightstand)
Jesus Calling by Sara Young (yes, He is calling from way down stack one)
More Joy for the Journey : a Woman's book of Joyful Promises (would probably be more joyful if it moved closer up)
Family of Value by John Rosemond (a library donation that sounded good...)
Who is my Shelter? by Neta Jackson (Yada Yada House of Hope Book 4 that I couldn't hardly want for, arrived late February)
Things Pondered by Beth Moore (Mom gave it to me and I know if it moves to my bookshelf who knows when I will read it .... no comment)
Simple Deceit by Nancy Mehl (Harmony Series Book 2 I couldn't wait to read, probably arrived in January ... apparently there is another one coming out next month ...)
The Missional Mom by Helen Lee (heard her on the radio and knew I had to get her book as soon as it came out .... January)
5 Conversations You Must Have with your Daughter by Vicki Courtney (I have 3 daughters and I love Vicki so figured this was a must have ...)
8 Great Dates for Moms and Daughters by Dannah Gresh ( see above ... Christmas gift I couldn't wait to get my hands on ... )

.... and other miscellaneous items like pens, post it notes, my book light, ponytail holders and clips, bookmarks, lotion, picture frame (of one daughter), clock, phone, but no lamp. Luckily it is on the wall since there is no room for it. And yes, a fair amount of dust bunnies.

Although I did just finish reading Serendipity tonight, the other books are often not touched because I want to read them all NOW!!! How can I decide which one to read now??? And heaven forbid I move them to the bookcases (see Things Pondered above).

What's a crazy bibliomaniac like me to do??? Well, go to BAM!! (my fav store, next to Kohl's and Target) and buy some more that are on sale!!!

O:)
Melissa

EAsia, the beginning

2011-04-01T17:45:00.005-05:00

EAsia, oh EAsia, where do I begin? You were a dark, cloudy, rainy, yucky place at first to me. All I could see and feel was uncertainty, headache pain, nervousness, excitedness, sleepiness!, dampness and dreariness. I was advised about what EAsia would be like, but my ears did not listen. I’d been to Thailand and it is Asia and I loved Thailand so I’d love EAsia, right? I could handle EAsia, right? No. Thailand is not EAsia. Not by a long stretch except that it takes 100 years on an airplane to get to either place. And the people have the same skin coloring. Other than that, nothing is the same.

My ears heard there would be squatty potties, and I giggled at the thought. I did not understand that would be my only option for the most part when we were out. My ears heard it would be hot, or maybe cold, but dress in layers, and all I heard was hot. I did not understand that it would be cold. I saw the weather say it would rain at least the first three days. I did not understand it was a cold, drizzly rain. Or that it would last all week. I heard the beds would be hard, but that ended up being the least of my worries. I did not hear about the lack of toilet paper or paper towels or napkins.

BUT! What my ears and my heart heard was that there were mkids who never get to see and talk English with other white kids (besides their siblings) who needed childcare so that their parents (who hardly see or talk English with white people themselves!) could “conference” together. My ears and my heart heard there were villages that the O family worked in and they needed help with checking the health of the children. I could do that! I could go to the other side of the planet and love on kids. That is a specialty of mine. And I could take my daughter, who also loves to help others. God graciously provided the money, so we boarded the many planes to get there and headed to the other side of the planet.

How the flu was a sweet Jesus kiss

2011-02-27T06:50:00.003-06:00

(These pictures were taken at their Christmas parties at school.)

Don't get my wrong, I love my sweet Rebecca Jo. But lately, in preparation for our big trip to East Asia, we have been spending A LOT of time together. My other little monkeys were getting a bit jealous and I wanted to spend time with them too. I kept thinking of ways to hang out with just them, but time and money were not our friends in that regard.

Then, they got sick. Now, luckily it was not a full blown, nasty, throw up, complete lethargic kind of sick, but sick enough to take both to the doctor on Tuesday. And guess what, FLU x 2. Oh joy! (sarcastic at this point) I'm thinking I feel bad for them, but man NO WAY can Rebecca and I get the flu two weeks out of our trip. And I don't even want to think that because that sounds just like the devil would like to do! So after beating the devil up in prayer about this and kicking his caboodle right out of our house over that, we settled into a routine.

Rebecca and I got started on Tamiflu ourselves, she was banned from anywhere near their room, and Leah Lou and Katie Roo were sequestered to their room. Luckily they room together in the bonus room so there was plenty of room to move around, watch TV and movies, play games, etc. Sheets were changed and washed every night, baths were given every day and Lysol was sprayed generously. They have a table in their room too, so meals were brought up and their little medicine cups were lined up according to the ailment of the moment: Benedryl, Tamiflu, Ibuprofen, Mucinex, Delsym, Zithormax, etc. After lunch they would settled in their beds and watch a movie, and take a nap. Sometimes really long naps!

As the week wore on, I'd think, ok, maybe Katie can go back today, or maybe Leah by Friday, but they were both home all the was through Thursday. By Friday I was sure Katie would be ok at school, but Leah was still coughing here sweet little yellow head off. So, at 8:00 Friday morning, I decided Katie was good for school, at least until lunch, and Leah was back to the doctor That visit thankfully revealed that her cough was just her asthma bit that just flares up about once a year and was not contagious any more!

After the doctor visit on Friday, we headed over the WalMart to get craft and snack supplies for our trip. Let me just tell you, Leah was the perfect person I needed with me for that. My little me kept me on track and organized and helped me think through some challenges that were presented over pudding colors how many marshmallows were in a bag.

As we were driving back to get Katie, it occurred to me what a sweet Jesus kiss this week had been. Yes, it was hard for me to get done what I needed to get done being nurse and waitress and maid. Yes, Leah did miss four days of school and is spending her whole weekend on homework. But you know what, I got my sweet, special time with my girls. I got a whole week with them where we all got along and everyone was happy (besides the fights we had about yucky medicine...). That was my sweet Jesus kiss.

I am happy to report that all are well now and I believe we are just down to some occasional Benedryl and Delsym. Neither Rebecca or I are showing signs of flu symptoms. I have let Leah and Katie out of their rooms and can finally put that Lysol can away.

Thank you Jesus for always showing up where I don't expect you!

In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. John 16:33

The Throne of God

2010-10-07T21:16:00.002-05:00

This morning, I found myself at the Throne of God. Now, some of you may question that, and the skeptic in me does a little too. But when you have been there, you know it. And you are changed.

The past week or two I have been in a real funk. Lots of migraines, emotionally and physically a wreck due to various things. Just feeling like I can't ever catch up. So this morning when I was up at my usual time of 4:45 (I have three rounds of breakfast to get through by 7:30 and still need some coffee and time with Jesus to start my day), I was in pain again. So tired, so frustrated, so yuck. Again. So I just got out my Bible and all my little books I use in the morning and laid my head down on them.

(As a little background, I am in the middle of Beth Moore's study, "Here and Now", about Revelation and we have been studying most recently the Throne of God in detail, so it was fresh in my mind. See Rev. 4.)

I started praying again, but aiming for praising Him. Trying to imagine me at His Throne. I imagined myself at His feet, near the sea of glass, with the four living creatures around, the rainbow behind Him, the 24 elders...and I could totally see myself there. I could almost feel Him rubbing my back, reminding me that it was going to be OK. I could hear the wings of the living creatures....and it was amazingly comforting!!! And I specifically remember not being afraid.

Before I knew it, round one of breakfast was about to come down and I was "on duty" once again. But the peace I had after that, and the rest of my day, has been amazing. Otherworldly. No words can describe. But I was there. And I can't wait to go back.

What about you? Have YOU ever been to the Throne of God?

O:)
Melissa

Summer School/Camp

2010-08-13T21:23:00.002-05:00

I started this summer certain that we would be "in control" of the laziness, chaos, whining and fussing that usually goes on for those long 2 months by developing the really fun Campbell Summer Camp for my girls. At first they were very excited about the rules and cool activities. That lasted about 2 weeks. I quit my teaching job so we all flunked. No one learned the books of the Bible, we did not get a head start on Bible Drill, we did not do any art projects, go bowling enough, learn about the fruits of the Spirit, or write enough in our journals.

BUT!!! One thing we did do was read tons and tons of books! Part of the draw to that was probably the fact that my kids love to read. Part was probably also that when they read they earned sticks which they could trade in for screen time. So, there was considerable less TV watching this summer! Most of the sticks were used for computer games, and the Wii was free. (as in, no sticks necessary). We did several different accounting things, but the only two rules were that it had to be books you had never read before and no book could be written down on more than one place. Also, the books had to be at or near their reading level. No super easy books to finish fast. In fact, you had to read 50 pages for each stick.

How many books did we read? I don't have an exact number, but they each read 10 books for a free t-shirt, 10 b00ks for a free book at Borders, and 8 books for a free book at Barnes and Noble. We also did a Book Bingo, where each girl was challenged to read 19 different books in various categories for prizes and fun little outings. The categories included sports non-fiction, historical fiction, several award books, just for fun, series book, etc. Leah was the only who actually finished all 19 of those with Katie a close second and Rebecca not far behind for 3rd.

Plus, remember this? Our A to Z Challenge? Well, just this week before school started we finished the task, with very little cheating.

Below I present to you, our Author and Title A to Z reading list.

Authors

Anderson, Laurie
Bunting, Eve
Cleary, Beverly
DuPrau, Jeanne
Emmett, Jonathan
Flournoy, Valerie
Green, Jacqueline Dembar
Holm, Matthew & Jennifer
Ives, Penny
Johnson, Linda L.
Kirk, Daniel
Lucado, Max
Meadows, Daisy
Nolen, Jerdine
Osborne, Mary Pope
Pham, Leuyen
Quattlebaun, Mary
Rue, Nancy
Dr. Seuss
Taylor, Theodore
Urban, Linda
Vaes, Alain
Wikles, Angela
X. J. Kennedey (cheater here...)
Yolen, Jane
Ziefert, Harriet

Title

All the World
Beautiful Ballerinas
Candlelight for Rebecca
Dear Mr. Henshaw
Ella's Big Chance
Falling Up
Giant Pandas
Hooway for Wodney Wat
If Peas tasted like Candy
Jessi's Secret Language
Kristi Yamaguchi
Library Mouse
Mind your own Business, Kristy!
Nothing's Fair in 5th Grade
Gentle Giant Octopus (cheater....)
A Penguin Story
Whatley's Quest (cheater...)
Running Out of Time
Scrambled Eggs Super!
The Three Wishes
Unite or die
V is for Volunteer
What to do about Alice
eXtreme Weather (cheater...)
You can'd see a Dod at the Zoo
Zoobreak

If you are interested in reading things like this, let me know and I'll be happy to share with you more details! Happy Reading!!

O:)
Melissa

Not so dead.....

2010-05-20T23:03:00.001-05:00

The good news is our new computer arrived right on schedule and I am happy to be back working at home. The bad news is, now I am up at 11:00 pm *just because I can be* working and playing on it. I am wondering if I can set those parental controls on my user too!

O:)
Melissa

Dead dead dead

2010-05-14T21:11:00.000-05:00

Luckily that does not apply to me or any family members, but it does apply to my faithful computer who is like a family member to us. He provided us with so much useful information and help that I have not even realized how much a part of our family he had become. Well, about a week or so ago, he breathed his last breath. I knew things weren't looking good for him, being 5 years old and all, but I guess I just wasn't reading the signs. The next thing I know the girls are fussing for me to "come fix the computer" only to discover their method of making it "work" was flipping the surge protector off and on.

Off he goes to the BigDogs for help. They call a day later and say, it's dead and they will try to save what they can. They then call back only moments later and say, sorry, it's all gone.

ALL GONE!!!

I keep telling myself it's a clean way to start over and we'll just go with that. Then I start thinking of everything that I had on there, like cool scrapbook layouts, a lot of my recipes, lots of church library stuff, sermons I downloaded (and paid for!), fonts and other cool scrapbooking things I paid for, oh yeah, and that little thing called Quicken!, etc.... However, there were no pictures on there (I think!) because I am manic about those. They go to CD and Snapfish.

So now my local library and I are good friends (I visit once daily!) and Roger has been so kind to bring his laptop home every night. Just the other night, we finally got around to deciding on a new computer. Let me present my soon to be new family member: The Dell Inspirion 570 MT! I really wanted the cool plum purple custom color, but decided the new 18.5" monitor and finally having Microsoft Office and Home were more important. We also ordered an extra flash drive that will hold a ton of stuff to use for download EVERY NIGHT, if I have anything to say about it! Easier than using CDs and DVDs. Hopefully it should arrive in arrive in about a week or so and I will be back amongst the land of computer junkie again.

Until then, it will be a while before I can post here again. I'm still addicted to FB and e-mail, but can only get to it about 2x a day...how dreadful!!!! But somehow I have made it. Hope to write soon on my new friend!

O:)
Melissa

My Sweet Jesus Kiss

2010-04-08T07:33:00.002-05:00

When I first started this journey of license renewal, etc I was kicking and screaming. God gave me a promise from Joshua - "I will never leave you or forsake you."

On Monday all my paperwork was done and I was able to turn it in to the state. The whole experience was absolutely perfect (good weather, kids were playing with friends so I didn't have the added stress of hoping they would behave themselves, great parking place, easy to find office, all my entries were right on my form, I didn't need anything else) and I was quite relieved to have it off my back. Now it is in their hands and the waiting game begins.

After I dropped off the papers, I drove down to Cool Springs to get an oil change. Luckily they could do it then and in about 45 minutes. Again, yeah that I didn't have my girls with me because the waiting room was not exactly kid friendly. During that time I took my Bible in to catch up on my daily readings (I'm doing a Read the Bible Through chronologically). I was quite behind from being out of town last week! So anyway, I just chilling out in the waiting room reading along the end of Joshua. The Israelites have finally arrived in the Promised Land and all the tribes have gotten settled in their new lands. Then I read in Joshua 21:45, which I then applied to me, "None of the good promises the LORD has made to the house of [Melissa] failed. Everything was fulfilled."

As I write this, I realize it was easy to be happy with all good stuff God poured down on me on Monday. Would it have been so easy to be happy had it been raining? Storming? I needed more documentation with my papers? I had the girls with me and they were not behaving? I had to park far away? The oil change would take 3 hours? I want to believe that I would, because we are called to praise Jesus even in the storms.

Life is not always easy, in fact most the time it isn't! But the sweet thing we have to hold on to is that even in the storms God is still there, no matter what. I just love that guy!

O:)
Melissa

Stay there until...

2010-03-18T05:54:00.003-05:00

From my journal, 3.17.2010

I love it when I hear a direct word from the Lord, even when it is not what I want to hear.

This morning in my quiet listening and singing time I was praying and thinking again about a mission trip for this year. My hopes were raised again Sunday night about the possibility of going to Mazatlan, but then quickly died Monday morning. I have been so jealous for the Monday group over India and Michelle announcing her intent to go ~ all the new excitement, scared feelings that always come when a new adventure is presented. So jealous of all the girls and guys going to Africa ~ not that I feel He is calling me to either place, but just the excitement of going.

However, every time I pray about it, I keep hearing, "The elementary school is your mission field." Since starting up our Moms In Touch group I have developed a love and passion for the teachers and kids there and love the opportunity to pray for them. I just wish I knew them all better.

Ding - ding - ding!!

Flash back to other mission trips -- Thailand was a crystal clear call from the Lord, Mazatlan was not. I struggled until the week before we left as to if I was even to go or not, not having ever felt "the call". However, once I was there and throughout the trip I realized my main job was as a pray-er and thoroughly loved that job. Angela gave me a great little prayer card that had specific prayers to pray for people.

After returning home I realized I could use those prayers any where ~ grocery store, school, church -- like a secret weapon for people who didn't even know! I was talking with Sandy one time and she was sharing about their mission field being their child's football team. I commented on how much harder it must be to be "on mission" on your home turf. But she reminded me that that way people could see that you can be in the world and not of the world. They see your human side and Jesus in you too.

Back to my Word ---

This morning as I was listening and praying I was just praying God would reveal to me if and where and when I should go, and I got my standard answer, "I've already told you." But my stubborn self was still, "Yea, but...." So when I went to open my precious Streams in the Desert here is what grabbed me right up --

"I'll stay where you've put me; I will dear Lord,
Though I wanted so badly to go..."

thus begins a poem that I could have written myself. I have now accepted my assignment from Him. The final bit from Streams today --

"Oh, restless heart, that beats against your prison bars of circumstances, yearning for a wider sphere of usefulness, leave God to order all your days. Patience and trust, in the dullness of the routine of life, will be the best preparation for a courageous bearing of the tug and strain of the larger opportunity which God may some time send you."

It doesn't mean I'll never get to go out of the country again, it means not now.

SO ---

2007 - Full introduced to and developed relationship with Angela who, through Jesus, opened my eyes so much more to Jesus and missions. Felt clear call to go to Thailand.

2008 - Continued developing prayer + Bible study + worship experiences with Angela, Joel, Debbie, Teresa, others... Thailand - eyes opened to situations around the world and the sacrifices people like you and me make for the Lord; discovered the joy of helping and serving them. Developed new passions for helping others.

2009 - Continued developing prayer, worship with Angela, Deb, Jennifer, and others; open to where God would lead, no clear answer for many months. Never got a clear answer till summer ~ Mazatlan ~ even then not ever truly clear until a week before leave. Amazing, amazing time with the team, completely different than Thailand, but good in a different way. Realized the major importance of prayer for situations and people. Much deeper and more important that I ever imagined. All this time I now see how God has been working this out in my life to get me where I need to be NOW. Started MiTi group and developed passion for teachers and kids at elementary school.

2010 - Passion grows stronger to reach teachers to meet their needs, whatever it may be.

But yet, I still want to go -- use my passport for Jesus. Take Rebecca to Mazatlan. This year.

3.17.10 - After pouring out my heart to Jesus, I get a clear, no question about it, black and white answer -- Matthew 2:13 - "Stay there until I tell you...."

Good News!

2010-03-11T10:03:00.000-06:00

Boring post, I know, but we figured out how to unlock the girl in question. I knew there were many of you laying awake sleepless over this.

Help needed....

2010-03-08T10:32:00.001-06:00

HELP!!!! We have the wii fit plus and one person can't remember their password. When you miss it 3x, they then ask you for the height of the person in question and we don't know that either. Short of trying every inch around how tall we think she might be, does anyone know a way to unlock her?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

O:)
Melissa

Postcard Swap

2010-03-02T06:20:00.002-06:00

For the two of you all that read my blog, here is a cool idea you might want to do. Over at http://www.tanyapeila.com/ she is doing a postcard swap where you send out 49 postcards to people from all over the US and in return you will get a postcard from each state. We signed up and can't wait to get started. Check out her website for more info and states she still needs!

O:)
Melissa

God in the pillows

2010-02-26T05:37:00.002-06:00

So, last night I was done! I was tired, grumpy, achy, and ready to go to bed. As I sauntered into my bedroom I realized to my dismay that there were no sheets on my bed. I had stripped it to wash the sheets and had not put any back on. The last thing I wanted to do at that point was put on clean sheets. So, knowing full well that it was unacceptable to SH, I crashed on top of the bed and pulled up a blanket. I was warm, had my soft, squishy pillows, and drifted effortlessly to dreamland.

Some time later (I was asleep, so I have no idea how long...) SH comes upstairs and wants to put sheets on the bed. As talented as he is, he apparently did not take the hospital candystriper class about how to change the sheets when someone is bedridden. We had a pull and tug fight about it, but finally there were sheets on the bed and I did not have to put my feet on the floor. He covered me back up and I was getting ready to drift again when I realized I did not have my pillows. I figured he was still working on them and would take care of it as I drifted again.

As the night wore on, I became very uncomfortable and realized I had no pillows. Now, for someone whose pillow situation is very important this was a tragedy! However, my exhaustion won out and I suffered all night without my precious pillows.

Finally it is 5:00 AM and my wonderful alarm goes off reminding me of the pleasures of my quiet early mornings. As I go to stand up and walk over to the alarm, I realize my pillows are right beside my bed on the floor. Right beside my bed. All I had to do was reach over with one hand and grab them and my night would have been so much better.

My help, my relief, my comfort, was right beside my bed; but I was too wrapped up in my own misery to try to find it. And it was right beside my bed.

If there is not a spiritual lesson in that, I don't know what one is. Even in your misery, if you just reach out with one hand to your Help, He will be there. Right beside your bed.

Reach for it, friends.

O:)
Melissa

Me on TV!!!

2010-02-17T19:47:00.000-06:00

WZTV FOX 17/Nashville :: Music Beat

This was made when I went to see Beth Moore last week at LifeWay. I promise I'll post pictures later!

O:)
Melissa

A to Z Challenge

2010-02-14T20:02:00.002-06:00

In digging around tonight for someone I found this awesome blog that is about a year or so old. It is a book person like myself who challenged anyone to read through the alphabet. I'm thinking it would be a great thing for my kids this summer in lieu of the reading programs at the library where they only read a few books and get a bunch of trashy toys. Hhm...anyone else interested in joining us?

O:)
Melissa

Snow and ice and more snow....

2010-01-31T11:09:00.002-06:00

I know many of my FB and bloggy friends have been chatting away about all the fun they had outside playing with their kids and sledding. Well, we don't have any hills around here, but we do have a slide!

Enjoy!

O:)
Melissa

Thoughts and musings on my recent trip to Mazatlan

2009-10-30T06:36:00.004-05:00

How would you describe God work in/through the Church here in Mazatlan?

It has to be the Sunday morning service when they received the deed to the land for the new church building. To have something they prayed for IN FAITH for almost 20 years to finally become a reality gave me hope in issues that I have been praying about for many years also.

Also, when we were out inviting the locals in Bugambillias to the Festival of Hope the first day, we met a woman who told us she went to another church in town, but had had a vision that a church was coming to their area. She saw it clearly with mountains in the background, and assumed it would be on one side of the town, but Spirit and Truth will be on the other, which also will have mountains in the background. Sometimes we get “visions” from the Lord and then without all the details we use our human minds to fill in the details, without waiting for God to do that.

What did God teach you or reinforce to you?

Prayer is not only the work before the event, but it IS the work. At some events we went to I did not have an officially assigned job to do (which annoyed me immensely at first) so I gave myself the job of just praying the entire time. Angela Rankin gave me a little prayer card that I carried to near tatters the entire trip with various scripture to pray over the lost and that became my mission. Sometimes it may have looked like I was just walking around aimlessly or sitting like a lazy bum, but I was nearly always in prayer for the people around us.

In the devotional book, “My Utmost for His Highest” for October 17 (the first event and day I felt most uncertain about what I was supposed to be doing) reads, “There is nothing thrilling about a laboring man’s work, but it is the laboring man who makes the conceptions of the genius possible; and it is the laboring saint who makes the conceptions of his Master possible. You labor at prayer and results happen all the time from His standpoint. What an astonishment it will be find, when the veil is lifted, the souls that have been reaped by you, simply because you have been in the habit of taking orders from Jesus Christ!”

What did you see God do through this week that can only be attributed to Him?

Rain, rain, go away! Nearly every time we had an event scheduled, it rained. Not little rain, but buckets beyond belief. In fact, Saturday morning we saw a scene straight out of the Weather Channel with cars driving in the road, while the water in the road was well over their tires! But, with only God, it blew over, and the Festival of Hope was able to proceed with sunshine and changed lives.

Sunday we went to Catarina, a small village tucked in a valley. Before the event was to take place, we saw dark clouds and lightening and heard thunder. But God not only kept the rain away, He gave us a rainbow the entire service to remind us He would keep it away!

Wednesday dawned with torrential rain again, winds like crazy (we later found out it was hurricane/tropical storm/whatever) and we again thought our outreach at el Rincon would be washed down the tubes for sure. It had already been rained out the day before. But sure enough, my God, who is bigger than the storms, provided for us and we ended up having a beautiful, blue sky afternoon with many kids and adults attending and receiving the life giving water they needed from Jesus.

An interesting note about the water. Johnny Paine, with whom no words can describe, reminded us specifically on Tuesday night that we should be very careful about praying for the rain to go away. They have been in a drought all summer and need the rain badly. So is it selfish of us to ask for the rain to stop so it will be easier to do what we want to do? Another spiritual lesson I see.

What habits or truths do you learn that you want to continue to apply when you go home?

Pray without ceasing for the lost. Yes, it was “easy” to see the lost on a mission field in a third world country. Is it as easy to see the lost souls at the grocery store, at my kids’ school, at our church? I want to keep that tattered card and pray when I am in the grocery, when I am eating lunch with my kids at school, and when I am at church. Better yet, I want to memorize the prayers/scripture, so it can just flow out of me.

Who do you need to tell these stories to?

My children. My Sunday School class. My church, Anyone who will listen to understand why, while there is a plethora of wealth and goodness you can get from God in church, in Bible Study, etc, until you go out and experience something like this, whether it be in a third world country, a poor Appalachian county, or wherever, I believe you cannot grasp all that the Lord has. Yes, I could have lived my life just fine with Jesus by my side had I not gone to Thailand and Mazatlan, but oh how much sweeter and richer my life is because of it! I think it should be a requirement for all members of the body, but at the same time, you must go with a willing heart. Willing to throw it all on the table and say, “Lord, here am I. Use me.”

O:)

Melissa

If you are interested in more details or pictures, e-mail me at bibliomaniac@bellsouth.net and let me know! I'll be happy to share!

The Party Girl

2009-09-04T22:36:00.001-05:00

So tonight we celebrated the first full week of school for everyone, including Katie who has now gone a full 7 days with everyone in her class. We stayed up late watching a cute movie, so it was about 10:00 and I could tell Katie was SOOOO tired. Conversation:

Me: Boy Katie, this is really late for a kindergartener to be up!
Katie: It's only 10:00, that's not late. I've stayed up later before, like maybe 1:00 or 2:00.
Me: When?! When have you stayed up that late?
Katie: I don't know, maybe at a party or something like that (!)

Not a response I expected from my 5 y/o! Maybe a 15 y/o, after which we would have words, but I'm not really sure what kinds of "parties" Katie has been to where she stays up that late! Ha!

Good laugh for a good night!

O:)
Melissa

One thing I will miss....

2009-08-17T05:12:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I told Katie that after the girls got on the bus we would go on a walk/bike ride, then go to Kroger to go grocery shopping. You would have thought I told her we were going to Disney because she got so excited! Indeed, Super Target and Kroger are her two favorite places to go, so it was really no surprise to me that she would be so thrilled. Even last night when she was getting ready for bed she said she could not wait to hurry up and get up....this is one thing I will miss. It may be the last grocery run during the day that we have together for a while....

O:(
Melissa

Staycation #27

2009-07-30T16:29:00.003-05:00

I've given up trying to keep these numbered in the right order because I keep forgetting one, or adding one after the fact, so I shall now assign random numbers to what is left of our few staycations for the summer. (Did you see in the paper that "staycation" is now an official word in Webster?!)

On a hot summer day this July we headed up to Carnton Plantation in Franklin, TN. This was the site of the Battle of Franklin practically right on their front yard. Their "claim to fame" is two-fold about the Civil War. First of all, the house served as the largest field hospital in the area for the confederate army. Second of all, the family donated two acres of their land to serve as a Confederate Cemetery. There are over 1500 soldiers buried there in an orderly formation. Cool and interesting stuff! But I'm not writing about that, I'm writing about our trip!

We arrived in plenty of time of time to tour the grounds before our house tour. There was the typical smoke house, slaves quarters, spring house, etc. The spring house was where we had an interesting situation. As you may or may not know, spring houses served as the owners refrigerators and were located by a river/creek so the cool water could run through the bottom of the house. This then kept the food cooler in the heat of the summer. Well, at this spring house it was on the river, but it was hard to tell because there was beautiful green algae all over the top of it. Unfortunately Katie found where the land ended and the river started when she took one step too close and fell right in! Bless her heart, she was standing there, knee deep in the water and it surprised so much she just stood there crying her head off. Finally we got her out and headed back up to the visitors center restroom to see what we could do. She was totally drenched from her knees down. Unfortunately since my children are older now I don't keep "that box" with extra clothes in the car anymore, but I sure could have used it that day! There was nothing to dry her pants off with and nothing I could do to even try and remove the water from them enough to make them wearable without being horribly uncomfortable. Since they were jeans I knew they would take forever to dry, even in the heat, so I made the executive decision to just chop them off. Now, I know there are those out there reading this who might tsk tsk at that, but I made that decision based on, a) the jeans were not going to fit much longer anyhow b) I was more concerned about her than the jeans and c) I was not going to have our fun day ruined by her complaining all day long. Each mom would probably have made her own decision in that moment, but that was mine and the girls thought it was absolutely hysterical. I did, however, remind them that should they ever get any bright ideas of their own about chopping their clothes off they better come and ask me first!

After we got that taken care of, we had a wonderful day. They were great in the tour, even if it did get a little long on history. They were totally grossed out and cool with the blood stains still seen today on the floors. We walked through the cemetery and paid our respects, then headed to Pinkerton Park for a picnic and playground fun. That ended up in more mess with wet sand and yucky shoes. Alas, what is summer for?

We have just a few fun things left before school starts, but my oh my what an awesome summer this has been! I was thinking today (as I was writhing in pain with a migraine!) that of all my 40+ summers, this has definitely been the best one I can ever think of!

O:)
Melissa

Another Staycation somewhere in between the others!

2009-07-28T11:49:00.003-05:00

Ok, I knew there was another thing we did in between the others but couldn't find the pictures so I figured we didn't. Well, that's because the pictures were hiding somewhere else! Anyhow! Now we have a picture!

On some day in July we headed over to Opry Mills for a FREE MOVIE at Regal Cinemas. On Tues and Thurs in the summer at select theatres they have a free G and PG movie at 10:00. On this day we saw "Flicka" which was a sweet horse/growing up movie.

After the movie we ate at the mall, shopped a little, then decided we need to get a treat at the Apple Barn of donuts and apple fritters. I think I've just decided to toss the diet thing out until the girls back in school! It was a full day and a road trip of sorts, but it was a fun time again!

O:)
Melissa

VBS at Crocodile Dock

2009-07-27T22:46:00.003-05:00

My little Yellow Alligator Group

We had a wild and crazy last week at Crocodile Dock! Roger and I were crew leaders for Preschool Night VBS and had another amazing week of watching the little ones come unto Him. Roger worked with 4 year olds while I had a group of 5 year olds that included Katie. We went to Gator Games, Crawfish Crafts, Bible Bayou, Chadder Theatre, and Worship Rally. Every year at this time I always say I'm not doing it again, but I just love Bible School from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet so I'm sure I'll be doing something!

O:)
Melissa

Free Chocolate!!!

2009-07-24T06:32:00.003-05:00

Just for the record, I am a lover of chocolate and continue to find it way too addicting. In the past I have leaned to it for help on bad days, good days, any kind of days, but thankfully the LORD is in the process of freeing me from that and I'm finally getting, after 40+ years, that HE is the only one who can help in times of trouble. Alas, chocolate is still yummy and free chocolate is even better.

If you go here you can sign up to get a coupon for a free chocolate goody from Mars, but only on Friday's starting at 9:00 am Eastern. Every Friday through October they are giving away 250,000 coupons for a free candy bar in order to fulfill what they call the Mars Real Chocolate Relief Act. Says the website, "Times are tough and we at Mars want to help. How, you ask? Every Friday through October, Mars will give away free* real chocolate to 250,000 people. That means you can enjoy your favorite Mars' candy brands—M&M'S®, SNICKERS®, TWIX®, 3 MUSKETEERS®, MILKY WAY® and DOVE®— for free*"

So, go. Get a coupon, and enjoy free chocolate! Just make sure you aren't using to fill a need that only Jesus can!

O:)
Melissa

Staycation Event #5

2009-07-22T07:37:00.003-05:00

Man we have been busy bees this summer! This event was lots of fun because we all 5 got to go. This is a real rarity around here because poor old SH has to work all summer while we get to play and our weekends are usually busy. But he wanted to go on one of our fun things too, so we saved this one for a Saturday. On Saturday, July 11 (our anniversary, actually!) we all went to Mammoth Cave up in Bowling Green. We arrived around 11:30, had a picnic lunch, then the kids worked on activity books about the cave while we waited for our Historic Tour to start at 2:00. The tour was 2 hours long and took us to all sorts of interesting places. We had just read a book called "Journey to the Bottomless Pit" about a slave who explored and found many of the sites we saw that day. There were huge caverns and small places to fit through. In fact, at one point Katie was the only one who didn't have to bend down, she was the perfect size to fit! We all had lots of fun and the girls want to go back and do it again so we can do all the tours.

On a funny note.....in our younger and more wild years Roger and I did the Wild Cave Tour, where you have a helmet, headlight, knee pads, elbow pads, etc and go in the little squeezy places to see more remote parts of the cave. We told the girls about this and explained when we saw a little crack, we would go investigate it and follow way off the beaten path. So on this day they had a kids version of that called a Trog Tour where the kids have all the gear on too. Their group passed us at one point with their headlamps on then went down some small little ditch to explore some small trail elsewhere. Anyhow, Katie got to calling them the "light people" and whenever we saw a little crack or hole, she would say, "Oh, that is definately a place for the light people." Over and over again for an hour and a half! It was so hysterical!

Next up, Carnton Plantation!

O:)
Melissa

Vacation Events #1 and #2

2009-07-19T06:32:00.003-05:00

Our Vacation Event #1 was a visit to the "Campbell Cabin" in North Carolina. It wasn't really called that, but since it was a Cabin and we were going with 13 other Campbells (Roger's family), we just got to calling it the Campbell Cabin. It was for just that week anyhow!

We had lots of fun with cousins, aunts, uncles, in-laws, etc. We went to Chimney Rock (picture above), Carowinds, tubing, shopping in quaint Burnsville, NC, making smores, watching movies, swimming, and playing Xbox. Ahh, the memories made for my girls are priceless!

Vacation Event #2 was a visit to Louisville, where my parents live. We were there for several days over the 4th and got again play with more cousins and uncles and grandmas and granddaddies. My niece Brooke stayed a few extra days too with us and the girls had all sorts of fun at the Zoo, Art Sparks, California Pizza Kitchen, and just playing Barbies.

After a 3 week whirlwind it was nice to stay home and chill out! If you are interested in seeing more pictures, e-mail me and I will send you the Snapfish link. If you don't have my e-mail, leave me a comment with yours and I'll send them on.

O:)
Melissa

Staycation Event #4

2009-07-02T22:49:00.003-05:00

This fun activity was the I Spy Downtown Franklin tour for kids! Our family, along with L, J, J, & Lil' Miss headed to downtown Franklin on yet another hot and drippy day to see the city through a child's eye. Each child had their own worksheet packet to try and answer. There was a guide who gave clues on some of the harder ones. We got to do a crayon rubbing and design our own Christian doors. You will have to do it yourself to see how many owls there are around the square!

After the tour, the others headed home and we went to eat an early lunch at Dumplins, a real girly place with awesome chicken salad. And then, of course, we had to walk through the toy store and see what interesting things they had these days. Luckily we were able to get out without actually buying anything.

That was a full day for us! Stay tuned for our real Vacation, not just a Staycation!

O:)
Melissa

Staycation Event #2

2009-06-11T14:45:00.002-05:00

Pardon me for getting my events out of order, I forgot about this one before I posted the other one! Anyhow, our second fun Staycation event was going to the the HiWay 50 Drive In down in Lewisburg! Roger and I went to a drive in once a very long time ago and I have been to one or two as a child, but I could not wait to take my girls to one. This theatre is about 45 mins away and a very easy drive. We got to see Up and Night at the Museum 2. I really didn't expect everyone to stay awake the whole time, but they sure did! During the first movie the girls were nestled down in the van, but it got very cold outside. So during the next one we all piled in the back of the van. It was quite squished up, but we survived and got lots of snuggling in! We left about midnight and got home around 1:00 AM.

I would love to take them back again this summer if we have another weekend we can go and the movies are acceptable. It was also dirt cheap, $6 for adults and $3 for kids.

I highly recommend it!

O:)
Melissa

Hometown Swap

2009-06-11T14:29:00.004-05:00

We will now take a short break from our Staycation information to let you know about my Hometown Swap thingie I did. Somehow I found Shannon at The Nuthouse and decided to take part in her Hometown Swap. You can read about it here. I got the pleasure of sending some thing from here to Rachael in Washington (as in the state!) but it was harder than I thought! I decided to send her a Titans tshirt and a little country goodie from the Back Door, a little antique shop here in town.

Today I received my package all the way from Natalie in Austin, TX! It was full on fun goodies like steak spices, gingerbread pancake mix, and some sweet BBQ sauce. Because I am a goofball and can't figure out how to put pictures elsewhere in one blog, you'll have to see her goodies above the Hometown Swap button. Anyhow, thanks, Natalie, for all the yummies! We can't wait to see how they taste!

O:)
Melissa

Staycation Event #3

2009-06-11T14:14:00.007-05:00

Rebecca headed off to CrossCamp, our church camp for 3rd-6th graders

Our #3 event was swimming at our local Rec Center pool. It was a really hot day and I spent most of it hiding under towels and reading a good book. (I sunburn so easily, even with tons of sunscreen on!) I only had Leah and Katie with me since Rebecca was at camp. They really had a fun time, but did not like "break time" every hour. Below is a picture of them "on break".

I did get in the water some, but there were hundreds of kids and it made it hard to even move around. It made our little neighborhood pool look really nice, since there are usually not too many people in it.

Stay tuned for more fun!

O:)
Melissa

Staycation Event #1 -- The Nashville Zoo

2009-06-05T07:07:00.004-05:00

My three monkeys at the zoo

Last summer, after we returned from Disney (one of the BEST vacations ever!), most of my girls summer was wasted vascillating from the TV to the computer. That was fine with me at the time, they stayed "happy" and out of my hair. They are not too big on playing outside, unless we are at the pool, which we did at least once a week. Other than that, inside homebodies.

This summer I determined was going to be different! They are older now (9, 7, and 5) so I figured we could do a lot more. Katie is transitioning out of naptime, which I have mixed feelings about, but it certainly does open up our days not taking that afternoon nap into consideration! So we have our summer calendar jam packed with fun things to do, little things, big things, around the house things, and of course the pool every chance we get!

On Wednesday, June 3, we had our first Staycation event of 2009 -- the Nashville Zoo. This was a big, big trip for us, THE FIRST TIME IN 10 YEARS WITH A STROLLER!!! It was so nice to have the freedom to just walk wherever, not worry about leaving stuff behind, etc. We did pack lunches, but they were very small and not in need of refrigeration. We had lots of fun, despite the heat. One of our favorite, absolutely hysterical things that happened was that at the "Wings of the World" bird show, one of the birds acutally flew off out of the ampitheatre! The host had just been talking about how nothing can keep them from flying off, but that they are trained to follow a certain pattern and then, WHOOSH! There that silly Diego went. They could do nothing to reign him back in, so they had to cancel the whole show. That was a bummer, because we wanted to see more birds, but she said it had something to do with the fact that once one bird "flew the coop" the others might get keen on it and fly away too. We saw lots of cool animals including funny looking zebras, anteaters, meerkats, boring, lazy tigers, elephants, giraffes, ostriches and some very noisy gibbons!! All in all, it was a good, hot day. We left the house about 9:45 and got home after 4:30. Whew!

Stay tuned for more fun and exciting events!

O:)
Melissa

The last lunch together on April 24

2009-04-24T13:05:00.003-05:00

More than likely, from now on for a very long time, I will not be eating lunch with any of my children on April 24, or the last Friday in April. Everyone will be in school. Did you get that? Everyone! For so many years now I have taken it for granted that on non-preschool days I will always have someone to eat lunch with. But not after August 2009. I will be eating a lot of lunches by myself. And that will be a problem for me. I mean, who would not want to eat lunch with this precious jewel?

Today we have been playing house, which means I clean up. She has been playing the sorting game, by dumping out neatly organized boxes of My Little Pony stuff, Littlest Pet Shop stuff, Soda Pop Pet stuff, and other numerous small toy stuff and reorganizing them in another, different way that makes sense to her. She was the teenager and was 18 and I was the mom and was 27. Go figure.

On an unrelated subject, for anyone who was been looking for me on FB, I am officially off. It was like a drug to me and I have gone cold turkey. I unfriended everyone (no offense, please!) and logged myself out. Some days I miss it, but I feel like I have been given a gift of at least another a hour every day.

O:)
Melissa

Sandals of Peace

2009-03-18T05:29:00.003-05:00

In the midst of yesterdays ultra cool God is So Here experience at breakfast, there was also another thing happening that I didn't really get until later and I want to write about it so I don't forget about it.

A little background: I had gotten new white Sunday sandals for the girls earlier this week and Katie had hers on at breakfast yesterday.

So when I was going over the armor of God, I was talking about the sandals of peace, ready to share the gospel and Katie jumped up and said, "Just like these sandals!" I love almost 5 year olds!

Later that day on several occasions when things were a little ugly she would look at me and say, "Mommy, do we need my sandals of peace?"

I just absolutely LOVE 4 and 5 year olds and their complete innocence, yet wisdom and simplicity that we need to hang onto as adults.

Do you need your sandals of peace today? I know a sweet girl who can share hers!

O:)
Melissa

And a child shall lead them

2009-03-17T09:46:00.002-05:00

Man oh man do I love my Jesus! Let me tell you what HE did this morning!

I'm not sure where to begin, but suffice it to say that there are some issues God is really working with me on and, as with anything, there are times I feel more strengthened to fight the enemy and some days it just doesn't seem worth it. (Satan likes those days) I was having one of those days yesterday and last night and feeling down in the deepest pit. I was crying out for help this morning in my sweet QT, reading over some scripture, trying to find something that I could not find. Still not feeling like God was listening (even though I know HE was) and cried for the Spirit to groan for me (Romans 8:26). A while later things started hopping around the house and sweet little Leah came down. I was looking all over Habakkuk trying to find what I was looking for but I couldn't. Then I remembered about Haggai and that is exactly what the Lord was trying to point me to. More on that in another post, I need to muse on it a while.

So, the morning progress with thankfully not too much trouble and blah blah and we are eating breakfast. The conversation moves around to homework and practicing Bible verses for Bible drill. All of a sudden Rebecca jumps out of her chair and says, "The armor of God, Ephesians 6:10-20" I just sit there stunned (the Lord is using that with me too) then say, "Well, what is it?" But she reminded me it was just a key passage and she just had to know the reference. So I proceeded with great flair to go over each part, literally putting it on all of us and showing how to apply it. Then when I got to the Belt of Truth Rebecca jumps up again and says, "Just like the Voice of Truth" (on their musical for choir they are working on at church). She is tearing the living room apart looking for the CD and finds it and we fix it to #13. Pow! Right there GOD socks it in my house and flows down THE TRUTH over me...

Oh, what I would do to have the kind of faith it takes
To climb out of this boat I'm in Onto the crashing waves
To step out of my comfort zone Into the realm of the unknown
Where Jesus is, And he's holding out his hand

But the waves are calling out my name and they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me time and time again
"Boy, you'll never win, you'll never win."

But the voice of truth tells me a different story the voice of truth says "do not be afraid!"
and the voice of truth says "this is for my glory" Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

Oh, what I would do to have the kind of strength it takes
To stand before a giant with just a sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors
shaking in their armor Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand

But the giant's calling out my name and he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me time and time again
"Boy you'll never win, you'll never win."

But the stone was just the right size to put the giant on the ground
and the waves they don't seem so high from on top of them looking down
I will soar with the wings of eagles when I stop
and listen to the sound of Jesus singing over me

But the voice of truth tells me a different story The voice of truth says "do not be afraid"
And the voice of truth says "this is for my glory" Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

(you can listen here to the whole song by Casting Crowns)

It was all I could do to just sit and bawl my eyes out.

Thank you, Holy Spirit, for groaning for me.
Thank you, Jesus, for loving me and putting up with me, no matter how many times I fail.
Thank you, Jesus, for reminding me about the voice of truth and belt of truth I need to keep around me.
Thank you, Jesus, for using my precious challenge child to send me where I needed to be, even without knowing what she was doing. Can't you just imagine the angels waiting breathlessly after she jumped up and said that about the armor of God? Like when you are giving someone a really awesome present and you can't wait for them to open it?

How many times do we do things or say things the Lord wants us to, without even knowing what we are doing? How many times do we not heed the Lord's nudging and someone, even a stranger, misses what may be exactly what they need for that moment? I don't know if the Lord nudged Rebecca this morning to jump up and say that, or if she just did it to show me she is one step closer to getting her verses learned. But she did, and now I won't ever be the same.

Isaiah 11:6 ... a little child will lead them.

O:)
Melissa

Go Tell

2009-01-17T07:02:00.002-06:00

Sometime before Christmas I got an e-mail from my friend B. who I met in Thailand. She is actually a missionary in China and has a precious heart for the Lord and passion for her people group. She routinely sends out e-mails about what all she and her family and teammates are doing. A few months ago she and her teammate C. where out walking through one area that is very mountainous (see above, that is where they were!). They walked most of the way, except for a few times they got "divine" rides with passersby. They went to visit the villages where there are very few believers and spread the Word and encourage believers who were already there.

I used to simply read about stories like this and think "Wow, I can't believe it's really like this today." But having there, I can now believe it. Going overseas on a mission trip to a third world country will change everything about you....or even going on one here on this side of the seas! But that is a simply a side commercial, not what I was planning to say here.

Shortly after I got her message and read her amazing stories, Katie and I were sitting at the table after the girls got on the bus. She was coloring, I was drinking coffee and recovering from the morning mad rush, and she started singing for the 500th time "Go, Tell it on the Mountain..." POW! I have sung that song thousands of time in my 40+ years, but that day it made sense....that is what B. and C. and all the others one out there are actually doing...even K. who is going to East KY is doing that. It was quite a visionary moment for me. Am I going "over the hills and everywhere"? Will my daughters one day? Will you?

O:)
Melissa

God and the Christmas Tree

2009-01-08T13:51:00.004-06:00

When we moved into our current house in 2003, one of the things we loved were the 8' ceilings downstairs. My extra tall SH especially enjoyed having more head room. I never even considered it to be a problem until that December when we put our Christmas tree up. I had always thought we had a 7.5' tree, however the poor thing looked totally lost in the corner, all shrunk up and shriveled in height. I figured I might like a new tree that was taller, but since there are no 8' trees commonly found, I knew it would be a challenge. Besides, it didn't really bother SH, so I just keep putting the little guy up.

Well, after 19 years of enjoying of enjoying this tree and some mighty interesting work of God, we bought a new one after Christmas for a steal of a deal. I was very excited to get it home and set up, to see what it looked like and make sure all the lights worked. It was also a 7.5' tree. Well low and behold that new tree towered above the old one! At that very moment, five years after living in this house and having the old tree for 19 years, it occurred to me that our old tree was only a 6.5' or 7' tree!!! Did it ever dawn on me that if I had a 7.5' tree and 8' ceilings that maybe there wouldn't be such a large gap from the star to the ceiling? NO! Did it ever hit me that SH and the tree were about the same size? NO! So all this time I have been thinking I have a 7.5' tree when it was really only 6.5' or 7' !!!!

How often do we stay in one place because we think we can't do any better, only to realize when we do break out we truly can do better! And it's not always as painful as you think it may be to break out. Or maybe it is painful, but in a good way, with double the blessing: wounds healed by Jesus and the new thing!

I just love my Jesus and the way He speaks to me!

O:)
Melissa

Yes I did!

2009-01-07T08:29:00.001-06:00

In case all you fans who read my blog are breathlessly awaiting, yes I did get a new mp3 player for Christmas! Woo-hoo! Jesus, worship and scrapbook once again! My Fuze is actually red not pink since pink was hard to find after Christmas. But man do I love it! I even learned how to download a video on it!

Got a post about God and the Christmas tree soon.

O:)
Melissa

You may think....

2008-12-12T10:23:00.003-06:00

You may think the snow last night here in Spring Hill was really cool and fun (which is was!), but did you know God sent it to US? The Campbells? Let me explain...

The past few days at our house have not been fun. There have been certain children and adults who have been behaving very badly (no names to protect the guilty). Friday morning I ended up taking the girls to school in the pouring down freezing cold rain, which was another whole problem. So while we were driving I was trying to calm myself and the girls down and just started talking to God about everything (out loud) and how we were very sorry for the way we had been acting and that we needed to be reminded that when we saw this yucky cold rain we should think of it instead of just His peace just pouring down on us. The day continued to go not so well for about another hour, then things perked here at home. I think they went better at school too.

After school I was taking the kids back to school for a little fundraiser/Christmas shopping trip and when we got out at about 4:30 it was SNOWING!! Not just spitting, but downright big, huge flakes that quickly stuck to everything and by the time we got home around 5:30 (after a stop at Pizza Hut!) we probably had about an 1" or more. It was amazing! The kids were just wild with excitement and played outside some, then came in and got hot showers and had yummy pizza. There was peace in the world again.

We got the call after they went to bed that there would be no school, so when Roger and I went to bed I informed him NO ONE was setting an alarm clock! He had already planned to be off today. It was so wonderful to be snuggled down in our warm beds with no pressure about anything. Everything from the past week of behavior, homework, tattletelling, present buying, lack of a washing machine, time pressures just faded away. This doesn't happen often around here.

This morning as I was lazily waking up, the LORD said to me, "snow...in the Bible...this is for you..." So I looked up all the verses on snow and the one is Psalms just really jumped out at me. "Cleanse me and I will be whiter than snow." Ps. 51:7 The LORD just said to me...."The Campbell family has been cleansed of their sins from this past week and are now whiter than snow."

The mom song

2008-12-05T14:03:00.002-06:00

I know, 2 posts in one day, please don't have a heart attack....just had to share this funny, it is so me!

O:)
Melissa

I have a confession....

2008-12-05T06:28:00.002-06:00

I didn't want this to happen. I tried to avoid it. But it happened nonetheles. I am addicted to Facebook. (low hanging head, heavy sigh) When I first got on all those months ago it just looked like a way to lurk at your old friends and see what is going on. But now, oh now, I go searching all over trying to find more people and more people I might know to add to my every growing friend list. Granted, sometimes it is fun to go and see what faraway cousins are doing, or my brother and nieces are doing, or find groups to join, but before I know it I have spent an hour or two delving into all these peoples lives when my own housework is falling apart. As my friend Ashley said, "I don't really care what my neighbor is doing tonight..." So, I have made a commitment that I hope will last, at least through the holidays. From now it will simply be Facebook Friday. As in, no looking at Facebook on any day but Friday. No peeking, no casual lurking, no nothing. So, if any of you are on Facebook and see me posting on any day but Friday, you have every right to fuss at me, either my phone, e-mail, or in person.

By the way, (heehee!) if any of you are on Facebook and are not in my Friend List, please let me know so I can add you! But only on a Friday!

O:)
Melissa

God and the crock pot

2008-11-11T08:40:00.003-06:00

For those who have known me long enough, you know God speaks to me in all different ways. Today it was the crock pot, one of my very favorite kitchen appliances, right up there with my George Foreman grill with removable plates.

God has sweetly and gently been talking to me about how much I do outside the home and how much I am not doing in my home, and how if maybe I let go of some stuff outside the home, I wouldn't feel so stressed and crazy. I really don't like Him saying what He is, but I know it is spoken in truth and love. I have even been slowly opening myself up to the possibility of this, but have been very unsure about what it looked like. When I think of "doing it all for your family first" I think of being a slave, as such, for everything they want and not getting anything I want. (I know this may come as a shock to some of you that I would even say something like that....)

I have been trying to pray, study and think about all this. I am realizing that there are some things I could let go of, but some things I just feel like I can't, or don't want to. So this morning I got up at 5:00 like always, with another migraine. Granted it's a monthly thing, not necessarily related to stress, but I am sure the stress does play a part in it. Anyhow, I got up and got my workout clothes on, and went downstairs. Found my medicine fast, then sat down to put on my shoes. I just started praying, "Ok Lord, you know what I need to do. I just look around at the clock and see I have about 40 mins...I want time with you, to catch up on Bible Study, I want to clean my kitchen to see the way out, I want to go get back in bed where it is warm and hide from everything. I need to know right now what you want me to do." So I sat there about a minute, waiting for the voice from heaven which never came. I decided I'd get up and start cleaning up while I was waiting for Him to tell me. I got this great worship song stuck in my head that I could only remember only 2 lines from, but I just kept singing those 2 lines over and over again.

Man I want my mp3 back or a new one!!!

So I just kept working on washing dishes and praying my heart out...cleanse me as I cleanse these dishes, wash away my sins, show me what You want me to do, ..... finally I got most of the dishes clean except the crockpot which had beans cooking in it all day yesterday. I knew last night when I went to bed too late I should at least let it soak, but I was too tired. It was time to face the music and start scrubbing on that thing. As I was carrying it over to the sink, I was just thinking that maybe I would let it soak now for a while to make it easier. When I got it in the sink, I starting running nice, warm water over it, using the soapy washcloth to start working on the stuff that might come off easily. Lo and behold, most of that crud practically slid right off! It took very little scrubbing from me to get it clean and smooth and good as new!!! As I was doing this, the Lord was like, "You thought it would be hard to clean, but it wasn't. You think you can't let go and do this because it will be too hard, but it isn't." Wow! I'm still shaking from it, just a direct word from the Lord! Through the crockpot, no less!

Already today I have dropped two commitments at least for this week and it really doesn't hurt like I thought it would!

Please pray for me through this. It still doesn't look easy, but I believe that the more I am willing to give up, the easier it will get. My goal is truly a Prov31 woman (not like, next week or anything!) and however that looks for this Roger Campbell family.

O:)
Melissa

Crazy but true.....

2008-11-07T21:50:00.003-06:00

I have never won anything on ebay before IN MY LIFE and today I won three things!!! Once I figured out the trick to winning on ebay was to not make any bid until the last 30 seconds, I just settled for "buy it now" and didn't mess with it. But yesterday and today the momma in me saw something my 3 girls wanted and was no longer available (as in, retired!) so I just decided to try the bidding thing again and see what happened! Well, dadgumit if I didn't win all 3! I know three precious girls who will be shocked and astounded come Christmas morning, and may renew their belief Santa once again....

O:)
Melissa

My God

2008-11-05T07:03:00.002-06:00

My God is STILL God, no matter what changes may come to America and no matter what people may think.

My God will always rule on His Throne and will be my guiding light.

My God is still in control!!!

I love MY GOD, my redeemer and protector!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

O:)
Melissa

Don't even think about calling them cute...even though they really are!

2008-11-02T15:08:00.002-06:00

Katie does not like to be called cute because babies are cute and she is not a baby (humpf!) but she is just so stinkin' cute as a lion there are no other words! This was our attempt at the Wizard of Oz theme -- Leah is Glenda the Good Witch, Katie is the lion, and Rebecca was the Wicked Witch of the West. Yes, to brag on myself I did make all these costumes, (Leah's is a reuse from a past year), but yes, I did finish Friday afternoon and did not sleep much this past week to get them done. Every year I say I am not sewing any more, but then they beg and plead with their stinkin' cute faces and I fall sucker again.

Another Last First

2008-10-29T09:39:00.002-05:00

Hola mi amigos y amigas! Get ready to laugh your head off!

2008-10-27T09:50:00.002-05:00

She is my girl!

2008-10-11T15:25:00.001-05:00

GISG day!

2008-10-07T08:19:00.002-05:00

My GISG (God Is So Good) day was actually yesterday, but I just had to share how awesome it was! First, though, I need to back up to last week.

Last week was not so good. I had a dull headache/migraine/sinus crud all week and while it was not enough to put me in bed all week, it was enough to make me fussy, irritable, short-tempered, grouchy, you get the point. I had been to the grocery on Monday and spent like $150 on groceries for the week to make these great, delicious, healthy meals, only to then spend another $60 on Papa Murphy's, Sonic, etc because I didn't have the energy to cook. I had a huge mess all over my house as I was in the process of "changing over" to fall clothes for everyone, and I had huge pressure building up inside of everything else that need to be done too. There was little rest, even though I was sleeping a lot, and then Friday, Saturday, and Sunday were full to the brim with activities. My morning quiet time, that I treasure more than life itself, had been tossed to the wayside because I wanted every minute of rest/relief I could get, or I would get up, then spend the whole time cleaning up the kitchen or mess that was left from the night before. (SoloHombre is usually awesome about doing what he can too, but one person cannot get home at 6:30, eat supper, clean up supper, give 3 kids baths, get them to bed before 8:30 even, and then work on their work stuff to do. I do not blame him one bit for not being Superman last week in regards to stuff like that.)

But Sunday I got up and had some sweet, sweet praying, resting time in the Spirit, when I walked through Deuteronomy, my very close 2nd favorite book of the Bible. What reassurance, what hope, what encouragement! That is when I found my latest Word from the Lord on the right. I was resting in His shoulders, in spite of my busyness on Sunday. I also made the hard decision to skip my weekly prayer time Monday morning with my buddies and stay home and have me and Jesus time. Oh, what an awesome choice that was!!

I had several people praying for me to be free of all the distractions around my house, and I just focused on what the Lord was trying to say to me, to reconnect, to run back and rest in His arms. I don't even have words for it, it was so special, so tender, so enlightening, so beautiful. EVEN IF I DON'T STILL HAVE MY MP3 PLAYER, FOR WHICH THERE IS NOW A $1O REWARD!!! And God was so good to reward that time not only with peace, calmness, energy, but! Folks, let me tell you tangible what He did!

GISG because:

1. When I did my weigh and measure at Curves that morning I had lost 3 lbs and burned about 350 calories working out!
2. There was a very small homework battle.
3. Roger and I actually got to eat supper "alone" while the kids ran around outside playing.
4. I ended up throwing out some meat I bought at Kroger last week because it went bad ($8.00 down the drain!), but when we went to SuperTarget yesterday I went to get some more and (if I'm lyin' I'm dyin') they had meat on sale $2.50 for 2 lbs! It needed to be either cooked or frozen by Tues, but I got 8 lbs of ground beef for $10! And the meat I threw away that was $8 was not even 3 lbs! Is my God good or what?!?!?

I just love that Guy!

O:)
Melissa

God Moment on the stairs

2008-09-25T12:39:00.001-05:00

Can one have a God Moment on the stairs? I sure did only moments ago. I was carrying all 40+ pounds of Katie up the stairs to nap (just because I wanted to) and she instinctively reached over to grab the railing. All of my kids do this, I am sure out of habit, but probably also because they may not feel they can trust me enough to hold onto them without us falling. I remind them over and over that if they will hold on to just me, I can balance easier and there is less chance we will fall.

So today I'm carrying Katie up and she reaches over to the railing. I again start to remind her to let go and trust me and SMACK! there it is, right in my face. I see God carrying me and me always reaching out to ___________ (fill in the blank for the crutch of the moment) to steady me because maybe I am not sure God can handle this? Or maybe out of habit? Either way, it is time to stop. It is time to let go and trust God and stop making other things my crutches to "help God along" ... I encourage you to do the same....

O:)
Melissa

Laughing my head off

2008-09-22T20:23:00.002-05:00

Ok, I'm not one to routinely get a mani/pedi, in fact I have only had 3 in my whole life, but this video made me laugh so hard I thought I would wet my pants! I actually found it on a blog from someone who posted on Leslie's site. Not sure if they even know each other....isn't it a crazy techno-world?

Enjoy, and girls, you might want to wear a minipad just in case..

O:)))))
Melissa

2008-09-20T19:12:00.002-05:00

Susannah is coming home! Words that could hardly come early this week in sorrow and disappointment are now also at a loss with overflowing joy!

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
Praise HIM all creatures here below!
Praise HIM above, ye heavenly hosts!
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost!

O:)
Melissa

Semi-Wordless Wednesday

2008-09-17T10:05:00.004-05:00

YOU have sent many bitter troubles Susannah's way.
But YOU will give her new life.
Even if she's almost in the grave,
YOU will bring her back.

Ps. 71:20, NiRv

www.roomforatleastonemore.blogspot.com

Still no mp3 ...

2008-09-12T15:03:00.002-05:00

The bounty has now been raised to $5 so if anyone wants to come to my house and search any possible square inch that we have missed the money is all yours. Come quickly, SoloHombre says he's not buying me a new one (even though it's not my fault it is lost!) so I gotta find the old one. Besides, a new one wouldn't have my pictures on it, or my sweet girls voicing prayers over me to listen to while I was in Thailand!

Where oh where has my mp3 gone?
Where oh were could it be?

(again, imagine this Melissa singing, not me!)

O:(
Melissa

Following in Mommy's footsteps...

2008-09-04T10:11:00.002-05:00

This is how I found Katie and Leah this morning at 6:45, just bunched in that old blue chair that I love but takes up too much room, looking nearly like twins and reading books. I just went and loved and loved on them, a moment to treasure before the morning madness began.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-09-03T21:53:00.003-05:00

To copy Big Nanny's idea, this is Katie's last first day of preschool. How does she get so big so fast?!?

First it was the remote.....

2008-08-26T13:36:00.003-05:00

In general, I have a pretty good idea where stuff is around here. Maybe not the one "little gray colored Littlest Pet Shop cat that looks like a dog and is my very favorite" toy, but big things, like the mixer, the coffeepot, my crockpot I could not live without, my bed, the computer, you know, things like that.

So it started in July with the TV remote. Not 10 minutes after Roger and Rebecca left for WV on a mission trip early one Sat morning, the rest of us were going to watch TV. Only guess what, no remote to be found. Granted, we could have used the buttons at the bottom of the TV, but I don't even think you can change channels with those. So I call them on their phone and ask Rebecca where it is. Her answer? "Hehe! Remember last night when I was mad at you because you wouldn't let me stay up and watch TV? Well I hid the remote way far down in the sofa cushions."
Ok, remote found.

On Monday of the following week while they were still gone, Leah, Katie and I went out and about and to the movies. When we got home my cell phone was no where to be found. I looked all over, tried to call it to find it, etc. Gone. So then panic sets in and I know someone stole it from me or it fell out of my purse and they are using it to call China or something. In the process I learned that you can put a temporary disconnect on your phone so calls can't be made on it, which was the good news. Finally the next day I called the theatre and discovered that it was sitting there waiting for me. Whew! TYJ some honest person turned it in and no one called China!

The rest of that week got hairy with my uncle dying, Roger and Rebecca getting back, making a quick trip to Atlanta for the funeral, we have car trouble, and on Monday we take the girls to Bowling Green to meet up with his parents and send them home with them. Whew! (As a side note, in a matter of five days, poor Rebecca had been east to WV, south to Atlanta, and north to Kentucky. She was a trooper!)

So Tuesday, my first day at home, I decide to download pictures from the camera. On guess what! No camera to be found!! I tear the house apart, call Roger, call Rebecca, no where anywhere! Finally, the Lord opened my eyes to it and it was found buried under the last pile of stuff I had not looked in. Whew!

Now, it is my MP3 player. I love that guy! I use it a lot while scrapbooking to worship Jesus in song while I scrap (the best of both worlds!) and while I'm cleaning up at night downstairs and sometimes in my morning quiet time. BUT, not for the last four weeks or more. I don't remember exactly when it went MIA, but it seems like it has been forever. The last place I remember seeing it was here in the office when the girls were trying to listen to it, but the earbuds are too big. I know it came back from Atlanta, but did not make it to Owensboro, as I recall, the first weekend in August. Again, I have torn this house apart, the car apart, my bed apart, my scrapbook retreat apart, the desk apart, the area around the desk apart. There was at $2 reward out for it, but now it has increased to $3. I have told SoloHombre that if I can't find it I'm gonna have to get another one because I really miss this thing!

If you have any information leading to the recovery of the goods, please contact me. Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Luke 15:8-10 (Holman Christian Standard Bible, pp by me)

The Parable of the Lost Gadgets

8 "Or what woman who has 10 technology gadgets, if she loses one gadget, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? 9 When she finds it, she calls her women friends and neighbors together, saying, 'Rejoice with me, because I have found the gadget I lost!' 10 I tell you, in the same way, there is joy in the presence of God's angels over one sinner who repents."

O:)
Melissa

Guess I've been tagged...

2008-08-22T21:25:00.003-05:00

I got tagged by Kelley and Alicia, but I decided those lists were way too hard and serious, so I decided to do a meme which sounds easier and more fun anyway.

What were you doing 10 years ago?

1998 found us in Nashville and Knoxville. I started graduate school at UT that summer and moved there that fall (Roger stayed here in town.) Then, that fall, I got pregnant with Rebecca!

Favorite Snacks
Unfortunately, anything chocolate applies here, the darker the better. However I working on loving raw carrots and cauliflower just as much, but I haven't made too much progress in that department.

To Do List
Tonight, get my scrapbook stuff together for an all day crop (woo-hoo!) and go to bed as soon as possible. (It's already gonna be at least midnight I am sure....)
In general, get on a schedule and stick with it in reference to housework, iron my clothes more than once a quarter, paint Leah and Katie's bedroom, I'm sure at least 1000 things more!

Jobs I Have Had
Babysitter
Pretzal seller (Hot Sam pretzals in Indy!)
Cafeteria worker and media center worker at college
Customer Service with a health insurance company
Bank teller (very short lived!)
Library assistant at a school
Preschool teacher
Librarian at church

Places I Have Lived
Indianapolis, Indiana; Jefferson City, TN; Louisville, KY; Nashville, TN; Knoxville, TN; Spring Hill, TN

Bad Habits
Wasting time on the computer reading everyone's blogs
Not vacuuming enough
Not ironing enough
Hiding in my scrapbook room while the kids are running crazy

5 Random Things People May Not Know

My maternal side of the family has an island named after them near Charleston, SC.
I had a cousin who played for the Atlanta Braves.
My two oldest children were born on the same date, and the same date as their grandpa.
Everyone in my family has a freckle on one of their toes.
I really want red hair some day.

CDs I would want if stranded on an island
Michael W. Smith Worship and Worship Again
Soundtrack for My Fair Lady
Joel Hudson anything
Any praise and worship

What I’d Do if I Were a Billionaire
Go back to Thailand and get another celadon bowl like the one Katie accidently broke.
Make sure my girls college education is taken care of now.
Maybe get a cute little China girl like Susannah.
Buy a house in Wade's Grove just like Shelby's, but pay Heritage Elem a lot of money so my kids could still go there....
Help out Katie Askren to be able to help more kids.

That's about it. A lot of this you may have already known, but it's been fun for me. Now I gotta go!

O:)
Melissa

Lucky me (and lucky them)

2008-08-19T08:48:00.002-05:00

On Monday, August 18 (also SoloHombere's bday, fyi) I had the extreme privilege of mailing four boxes stuffed full of books -- and some American goodies! -- to some new friends in Thailand! Let me back up....

For those of you who don't know me, my two favorite things besides Jesus and my family are scrapbooking and reading. (I am the also the church librarian at our church.) While in Thailand I got the chance to do scrapbooking with those precious ladies (read my TL blog about all that...) and on the very last day of the conference I found out they were in the process of starting a library with English Christian fiction and were just getting books where they could. Needless to say, it is very expensive to get books over there and they were just going to do what they could when they could with what they had. Well, the librarian in me just about burst when I thought about all the extra books we had sitting ar0und our library that I knew I had to get to them somehow. I got in touch with the person doing it and got a feel for what they were looking for. These English Christian fiction books are very valuable over there because the missionaries don't ever get to read books like that, mainly because they don't have them!

When I got back home and started checking about how to get the books to them, I realized it was going to cost over $150. I knew I could not pay that out of my pocket, but I knew I had to get the books over there. In June we had the opportunity to share about our trip at one of our ladies meetings and I just got brave and asked for the money, explaining what it was going for. That night I passed an envelop around and lo and behold I got over $215! Thank you Jesus!!! With the extra money I was able to send four boxes with about 60 books total and had room for some goodies like Goldfish, chocolate and Teddy Grahams.

It may take over a month to get there, but I can't wait to hear how God uses them! I'll let you know when I hear from them!

By the way, if you are interested in donating money for the mailing fund, please let me know at kidbook1@bellsouth.net . I would like to be able to send them a box every time I get another $50 to mail it.

O:)
Melissa

Where oh where have my little babies gone?

2008-08-15T08:26:00.005-05:00

(Imagine another Melissa singing this, not me!)

On Wednesday the 13th my first "babies" turned 9 and 7. How can this be?!? On the left side is Rebecca, born in 1999 and in the middle is Leah, born 2001. To the far right is Rebecca, now 9 and Leah, now 7. They not only have the same birthday (just 2 years apart), but also share it with their grandpa, SH's dad. When we were at the hospital in 1999 and realized we were having Rebecca, we called him and said, "Well, you're gonna get an awesome birthday present today ~ your first granddaughter!" I'm not sure the drive from Owensboro was ever so quick as that day!

I love those girlies so much!

O:)
Melissa

The death of a dream and the birth of a new one

2008-08-06T00:03:00.003-05:00

As the stories go, when I was a little girl and Uncle Dan was a little boy, one of my fondest memories was always in August of going to the Indiana State Fair. The fair was always open from early in the morning until late at night the entire run. I remember as small children getting up early and watching our favorite morning show live from the fair and we would always get so excited until it was our day to go to the fair.

As I remember it, my dad would get home early from work and we would head on over after the August heat had subsided some. We would always eat corndogs, we would always look at all the animals (I remember seeing a pig once that weighed as much as a car!), we would always look at all the pictures, quilts, cakes, you name it, we would always go to the Manufactures Building and look at all the booths and get tons of cool free stuff (now commonly referred to as junk as an adult), we would always ride the double ferris wheel, and the roller coaster that had a small car you rode up a tunnel of sorts, then came down round and round the tunnel and we always ate elephant ears at the end of the day. Aaah, childhood memories at their best...

When the Williamson County fair started up again in 2005, I could hardly wait to take my girls and open their eyes to all the excitement. Only guess what, it wasn't like I thought it would be. In their defense, it is only a county fair and it was the first time they had one in 50 years. Ok, I can give them a break. They did have a pretty cool ferris wheel, even if it wasn't a double one, and their corndogs were not so bad. And they even had elephant ears! But last night when we went, I made a very sad conclusion and decision. It all started when we went to get our supper of corndogs, nachos and water and the vendor told me it was $42.00! This is no lie! So we put back the nachos and got only 2 waters and instead paid $30. Again, no lie! After that things perked up some and we went through the Little Ones Farming Exhibit, saw some cool animals, including baby pigs that were 2 days old, and rode the ferris wheel (for $20). Then we rounded out the night with a funnel cake (no more elephant ears...). As we sat eating, I confessed, "Dear family, I think it is time I put to death my dream of making our fair experience as wonderful and priceless as the one I had growing up. It cannot compare, so we will just have to start our own new fair traditions, the ones you all will treasure forever and share with your children." It was a sad - more bittersweet, I guess - admittance, but I knew it was time. We all agreed it was ok to let the corndogs go and maybe try a big old turkey leg instead. But funnel cakes would certainly have to still be involved!

O:)
Melissa

God is so good!

2008-08-03T14:42:00.002-05:00

There will probably be lots of posts from me with that title, but I just had to tell you about Saturday's GISG! (Uh oh, here I go with the exclamations again...)

GISG because:
1. I have the supreme privilege of being a Campbell and a Couty (and a Watts and a Daniell, but that is for another day). On Saturday we had a Couty reunion (SH's maternal side of the family) and I was blessed beyond measure to realize the Godly tradition my in-laws were raised in. And they passed that Godly tradition down to their boys. And now, we are all passing that Godly tradition, I hope!, down to our 13 children (total Campbells and Coutys). So many of my friends were not raised in that and still find it a challenge when they go home to explain to their kids why Grandma and Grandpa say things and do things that "just ain't fittin' " ....
2. Leah sprained her ankle on Thursday at the museum, but she is doing much better now and only limping slightly.
3. Most all of the brothers and families left Sat night to drive home about 9:00 and we all made it home safe and sound with no one driving falling asleep.
4. SH had left his car downtown (where he works) and luckily I remembered it at just the last minute as we were getting close to the exit. So even though it was 11:30ish at night, he still got his car and would not have to go get on Sunday or get a ride on Monday.
5. I made it driving that short distance home (about 35+ minutes) without falling asleep.

I just love that Jesus who not only created the world and takes care of all the "big" problems in the world, but also the little, seemingly unimportant, details of my little life. What is not to love?!?

If you don't know my Jesus, let me know and I'll be happy to tell you about Him!

O:)
Melissa

Happy Day

2008-08-01T11:44:00.001-05:00

Hooray hooray it's a happy day! I finally finished my Thailand scrapbook! Whew! That is certainly my 2nd biggest scrapbooking undertaking yet!

Hooray hooray it's a happy day! I'm going to get my girls tonight! As much as they drive me crazy, it was too dang quiet around here with them gone!

Hope your day is happy!

O:)
Melissa

Ok, I just realized every sentence I wrote ended with an exclamation point. Hhm...

2008-07-31T09:14:00.002-05:00

Well here I am blogging again. I did it while preparing for Thailand and I really enjoyed it. I have somehow gotten on Facebook and then I was like, Facebook? Web Pages? E-mail? Blogs? Texting? How on earth does one ever keep up with it all?!? So after considering my options and my time and my joys, I decided to forget the whole Facebook thing (since I don't have time to figure it all out!) and go back to blogging. So here we are. Welcome!

I hope you will enjoy my probably daily chatter. There may be only two people who read this, but I love writing and expressing myself and talking about myself and my kids and my house and SoloHombre and Jesus (in no particular order) so I'm sure there will be a lot of that going on.

My friend Kelley does this Flashback Friday thing, so I may try that. Don't expect too much just yet, I have some crazy days coming up...oh wait, that is every day!

O:)
Melissa