Wow.... I haven't posted in 3 months....

Thanks Melody Ross ... I am loving ART II  class.

The holidays have come and gone..... and things are pretty quiet

around the house with both kids in college now.  I have been

doing a little crafting (above pics) and taking care of the 

puppies during the day.  I am finally getting use to staying

home again.  My RA has been pretty aggressive, but we

are praying that the new chemo treatments will be the

answer. Hope everyone is doing well... I have done inventory
of my time and God has shown me how I have not been
truly appreciating the MOMENTS that He has given me
with the ones I love.  I have been spending so much time
on Facebook with friends and games! I uninstalled it from
my phone in order to BE completely WITH the loved ones
I am able to still spend time with AND BE TOTALLY
with them! NOT LOOKING AT MY PHONE EACH
TIME IT BEEPS!! It was so easy to fill every moment
when the kids were at home .... we either learning, creating,
going, eating, reading, riding.....well, all the things we do
with our children.  This season is so different..... and
I am ready for God to show me what my purpose is in this
season of my life.....and I WILL ENJOY EACH MOMENT.

Fall is in the air.... :)

After the storms pass..............the sun WILL shine!

She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future. -Proverbs 31:25

It has rained in Mississippi for the past two weeks and my 

body has been crippled by it.  My RA has been so very 

active that I have landed in the hospital twice unable to

stand on my own two feet, grasp toilet paper with either

hand, or simply open my mouth due to my jaws being

locked.  The pain has been so overwhelming that I am

now on a new journey to the Mayo Clinic in Rodchester, MN

to enter a three week Pain Management Program. I've

had RA for over 21 years and it has gotten progressively

worse.  For so long I thought that I was one tough cookie!

I could press through the pain and grin as if nothing was 

wrong.  But the past two years it became harder to mask

and harder to deal with.  I do NOT want to have to

use medicine that zonks me out or changes my

 EVER-SO-UNFORGETTABLE personality!

So...we are choosing this new path.  I ask for prayers

as I begin this journey.  My rheumy has referred me

and now it is the insurance approval wait.  OH THE JOYS!

They won't always be babies!

It is strange how I viewed my kids as they were little

tikes.... I soaked up each moment so that I never

fully grasp the idea that they would indeed grow "UP".

As middle school and high school hit, I was still 

viewing my kids as my babies... they still needed

me and were always coming to me with questions.

As my son's senior year approached it began to hit

home that my "babies" were growing "UP" and 

soon they would be growing "OUT".  I always

knew in my heart they were a gift from God to 

guide, guard and protect until the day I was 

to help them fly own their own.  YES, it hit

hard and I cried tears of joys and tears of 

"where did all the years go" when my son left

for college.  BUT oh how this year has marked

the beginning of a "TRUE EMPTY NEST".

I watched my baby girl leave for Indiana 

for summer missions with a joy filled heart.

As the days passed, she began vocalizing 

how much she missed home and then

came her "countdown to return". It made 

me think..... upon her return, she will have

one year left at home before joining her 

brother at MSU.... where did all the time

go? It is a blessing to know that my kids are

healthy, happy, intelligent, and moral young 

adults that are able to fly own their own....

but OH how I will miss them.  I will smile

and help fix up her dorm room at the junior 

college a mile from our house this year...

but in my heart there WILL BE TEARS!

MY BABIES are growing "UP"!

Learning .....

I woke up Monday feeling better than I have in over 7 months! I took advantage of it and cleaned, washed clothes and put them away, made tshirt flowers, took my sweet puppy for a walk and cooked a meal for my husband. THEN... I woke up Tuesday STILL FEELING GOOD....ohhhhhh... what did I do...the same thing... took advantage of every moment and spent the day "crafting" with a friend, finished up all of the laundry, and cooked dinner for my hubby.  Wednesday didn't follow along..... it was a day that RA reminded me that it has a mind of its own! Before having to retire in February of this year, I would have kept pushing and would have ended up feeling much worse!! SO .... I have learned a lot .... and I rested all Wednesday! I woke up today feeling better.  Of course, I wasn't able to run a marathon...or even walk two miles! However.... I finished cleaning the house, did a little organizing in my craft room, cooked a yummy meal for my husband, and am wide awake thanks to a little puppy who had to go potty! I am grateful for weeks like this.... when I have more good days than bad! These are the weeks I try to focus on when it is the opposite.  Now....back to bed??..... hopefully.

Isn't it beautiful...............

  Isn’t it beautiful how God leads us to EXACTLY

 what we need to feed our souls.  I have been

unable to attend my home church due to my

 low white blood cell count and have been 

  watching sermons on television with my 

husband. Recently I started reading 

several bible study blogs posted by women, 

and have been so blessed by their diligence, 

desire to spread the love of God, and

their sweet, sweet spirits. 
 http://www.mydailywalkinhisgrace.blogspot.com/2012/06/what-do-you-do-about-that-thorn-in-your.html  

This is a wonderful message about learning
to lean on Christ THROUGH the difficulties
we face.  Each of us has a "thorn in the flesh"
and how we choose to deal with it makes
all the difference in our lives and our
state of happiness.  God desires for
each of us (the healthy or the sick) to 
walk in His fullness.  We must learn
first that HIS GRACE IS SUFFICIENT!
It is all about perspective.... 
HOW WE CHOOSE TO view things...
HOW WE CHOOSE TO handle them.  
WITH GOD it is much easier...
He will supply the strength we need to
get through each day IF we realize 
that indeed HIS GRACE IS SUFFICIENT.  


Living with a chronic auto-immune disease.
 I've learned that as long as I 
stay focused on the TRUTH... 
THAT my creator has a purpose for 
everything under the sun (even my
illness....the thorn in my flesh) it
is easier for me to face each day.
Knowing that YES, indeed I have
limitations....but I HAVE A PURPOSE!!
and I know that if I choose His grace
and choose to rest in Him, that I will
be able to handle the pain, the
limitations, the fatigue, the treatments,
and learn to use this THORN IN MY FLESH
 as a way to spread His love THROUGH it all.
My favorite quote :"We go through what
we go through to help others go through
what we went through." I can choose to 
be bitter or better....I choose to be better
and empathize with others who are 
traveling the same road as I with this
roller coaster of ride "thorn in my flesh" 
called Rheumatoid Arthritis, Fibromyalgia, 
TMJ, and Psjogrens Disease.
Thanks Tracy....for sharing your heart!

Don't put off your happy life......

Thanking God for this season

in my life!! Learning to enjoy

EVERY breath!!! 

(note: Several pictures on this blog were taken by Tommy Young.

He lives in Summit, MS and is a wonderful photographer. 

He can be found on Facebook.)

Our trip to New York.... 

My sis, me and my baby girl!

After our wonderful trip to New York, I 

had to take about 4 days just to recoup.  

What a wonderful trip and what priceless

memories!! Of course, I'd not want to live 

there....way too fast paced for this southern

girl.  Example: As we were walking the streets

of New York, a man dropped his umbrella on the

sidewalk.  I said, "Sir, sir! You dropped this...sir!"

NO RESPONSE...he just kept walking at a VERY

fast trot.  Another couple saw me TRYING to 

catch the man and get his attention.  They said,

"Mam, he has earplugs in, he can't hear you." 

So the man took the umbrella from my sister, 

because it was obvious my RA slow traveling

self was NOT going to catch up with the DUDE.

He proceeded to run and catch the guy.  IN

MISSISSIPPI, you'd hear a "bless your heart, 

thank you so much for picking it up for me."

BUT NOT IN NEW YORK....not a step was 

missed ...it was like watching a hand off 

in a track race.  

I like my southern roots!! JUST FINE!!

 BUT TRULY....we enjoyed every

moment.  We took it slow...as my sweet

daughter seems to have switched roles with

her mama now....  I told her, "If ever I 

questioned your love for me... I DO NOT

NOW!"  She was so nurturing and so over-

protective, making sure I was not overdoing it

and causing more harm to my joints.

 OH HOW I DO LOVE MY BABY GIRL!!

Our first day, after the plane ride and 

getting our luggage and a ride to the Hyatt

..... totally POOPED!

cruisin around The Statue of Liberty :)

photo taken by Tommy Young of Summit, MS

Cruising around the Statue of Liberty.  Unforgettable.

Pershing Square right outside of our hotel.... on Park Ave.

My me, Tina Turner, and my sister-gift...ROLLIN ON THE RIVER!

Aunt Leigh and LeeAnna in the Statue Of Liberty (WAX MUSEUM)

Elton, Elton, Elton...... what more can I say.... gotta

shine like him.... plus.... why just stand there and

smile... LIVE IT UP WHILE YOU CAN!!!!!!

I think these photos say it all!! We had a 

great time at the wax museum before 

going to TIme Square, Hello Kitty and

The Empire State Building.... a little windy....huh Nanabug!

and got to see Wicked... it was wonderful!

I CRIED LIKE A BABY!~~~ sitting beside my baby!

We also went to ground zero, the memorial

church for 911, 

Photo taken by Tommy Young of Summit, MS

we took a virtual helicopter tour

of the city, ate some amazing sushi and Italian,

and I got to see my baby girl sing at Carnegie Hall

with 4 other members of the Southwest 

Mississippi Community College Choir, 

Photo taken by Tommy Young of Summit, MS

Photo taken by Tommy Young of Summit, MS

...a very good time was had by

all....but ALL were ready to return

to their little corner of the world...

MiSSiSSipPi!! Thank you Lord for 

an amazing journey with two of

my favorite people! Can't wait to

start some scrapbooking!!