The Swing!

Grandma and Grandpa have a new toy on their porch! The Swing! Lily-Jo loves it and it puts her in a totally hypnotic state! Puts her to sleep...no pacificer needed!

YaYa is pretty happy tonight! Someone is staying all night for the first time alone! 

 

Summertime!

I don't think it's officially "Summertime" according to the calendar...but in my little world....it's here! 

We survived Graduation and it was a wonderful time.  Mom shed many tears but definitely got through it.  We are looking forward to the next phase for Darb! She is going to attend Kansas State University and major in Elementary 
Education ... although I can see her doing something in Photography as well. She has a great little business going right now! Check her out on BabyRheaPhotography.blogspot.com!!


I was contractually (is that a word????) off duty come Friday, May 25th, after I got all checked out at school. I hauled 10 loads +++ on a pull flat cart from my old room to my new room. At many points along the way, I said to myself, "What was I thinking?" However I have purged and thrown and cleaned and organized. I will miss my old room that I spent 13 years in but I'm trying to embrace CHANGE.  I'm so excited to get to spend time with little 1st graders! I welcome this change. My room is a disaster. Truly it is! I have to move everything on the "tile" while they shampoo carpet and then I can begin "setting up shop".  So my hope is to spend a little time a little each week and ease into it.


My first week off I called my "healing week" and I decided to not try to conquer major projects ANYWHERE! The next week was "funeral" week. We had 3 funerals that were very hard for us.  We also were putting up and closing up Graduation stuff. Darb has her Senior Dance recital that weekend as well as a church bridal shower for Haley and Cody. The next week, we tackled wedding and home projects and a family shower for Haley. 

This week my brain and body need to take it slow and easy. I'm thinking it's another "healing week"!  My wonderful hubby is painting the house...ugh for him! I'm just the "gopher" and the "ice tea refiller". 
We are finishing up the last minute wedding plans. So far we are on schedule....tuxes ordered, menu finalized, flowers orders, working on programs, hair appointments made, cake ordered....YIKES! So much to do with a wedding, right????

Plus I want to get some kissing in on Lily-Jo. She is getting cuter every day. I think it's okay for YaYa's to say that! She just smiles at me and we smooch a lot! She has her flower girl shoes all ready but her Mommy is still contemplating her dress for the wedding.

We celebrated my oldest baby's 26th birthday last night with a family cookout.....steaks, baked potatoes, corn on the grill, stuffed jalapenos, pasta salad, homemade ice cream! Oh yummy it was! I can NOT believe he is 26..where does the time go? He is my special baby boy....the girls say he's a Momma's boy and I spoil him....Well isn't that what Mommas do??????? I remember so vividly the day he was born...I was so nervous to be a mommy. Could I do it right? We learned together and he is always there for his Mom. I love that boy! 

Today is my oldest daughter and son in law's 2nd anniversary! They are great friends and partners in love and marriage. We are so so grateful for Blake and for the joy he brings to our daughter. What a blessing! And we are so thankful they have given us a darling little granddaughter who has brought our family so much joy! Congratulations and may you have many many more years of happiness and love together.

So I will close for now and hopefully do better on blogging! I love reading all about all of you and keeping up with you! 

I'll leave you with RANDOM RANDOM RANDOM pictures! 

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Gearing Down!!

Mrs. Madden (who does not like change normally!) has made a huge change and I give all credit and thanks to God. My good friend who teaches 1st grade talked to me and said she was going to try to get a job in the town she lives in (about 30 minutes away) and not commute anymore....and would I like her position?  Move from 3rd grade to 1st grade! YIKES! Well, hummmmmm....I have taught 5th grade 2 years then moved to 3rd grade and have been there for 18 years....13 or so years in the same room! After much thought and PRAYER, I talked to my principal and he was excited and said sure if she got the job he would move me. She did NOT get the job so I felt like "no biggy...I'll stay where I am...God is in charge and will take care of it."  A couple of days later, my friend called and said that ANOTHER 1st grade teacher wanted to move to 5th which had an opening! Now is that God at work or what....He always has the details and works it out. So I'm moving to be a 1st grade teacher. I'm so excited and ready for a change! (Did I just say that?) Now I get to work with 3 of my great friends in a new position! I've begun to box up "stuff"! Yes....this change is due. I'm purging and cleaning. I truly feel so good and so joyous and so thankful. 

I write this to convey one of my favorite verses....Be still and know that I am God.  Pray about it and then let Him work it out how it should be. In His way....and what is best for me. My faith strengthens every time I see His hand at work. What a comfort to turn it over to Him and not fret and worry about it. 

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

I may just have to take some pics of my room...the chaos, the mess! I have a wedding to get ready for ..... I've got to get busy!

Where Does the Time Go?

Mercy me! I can't seem to find a minute to type a few words! I've been checking your blogs but have not sat down to put anything on "paper". It's that time of year where the schedule around our house (probably like yours) is hectic and busy. We knew that starting in February when the new grandbaby arrived, it would be quite busy for a while. I'm glad my 3 girls spread out their events so we had time in between to recover! Last weekend was prom and this weekend begins Graduation celebrations for us to attend.  We are also in the midst of getting ready for Darbey's graduation party and 18th birthday celebration on the 12th and her graduation on the 13th. Rodney has State Track meet soon after. I honestly take one day at a time. I did not used to be that way. I overwhelmed and overstressed myself trying to mentally absorb everything at once. Age will slow a person down! Age will also teach a person to make notes and write things down. It is not a surprise for me to "WEAR" sticky notes and my class to say, "uhhhhhhh Mrs. Madden, you have some sticky notes on your shirt". 


After May, I will dive head first into July wedding plans. My feet are just wet right now! RSVP's are coming in and we are down to finalizing pictures, caterer, flowers. Haley and I feel in good shape! I also have my dress and my shoes! Hallelujah...I'm ready to get to my seat!


Yard work, gardening, planting flowers, painting, is consuming our evenings but that is my personal favorite thing to do. I have some new raised vegetable beds that I'm trying this year.  I quit when it's dark many nights. I like to tell myself I'm getting exercise as well.


Isn't Spring just the best....God just makes simple things here on Earth the most spectacular! Can you only imagine heaven? Those moments when you feel things can't get any better or you take in a really good experience.....there is still no comparison to what eternity must be. 


 Revelation 21

25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there.

26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it.

27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

 I have not turned the AC on yet...I love the windows open. I love to hear the night birds...the crickets...the frogs I'm trying to get to come to my little fish pond.....the owl that lives in the timber behind us. Once the windows shut....UGH....! I only hear the roar of the AC unit!


So how is your Spring going? Are you lovin' it? Are you outside getting lots done? I love reading blogs that highlight all the projects they are doing!


Here are some prom pictures of a fun weekend. I think they are a lovely little couple!

My 4 girls!

 Darb and Austin (such a handsome gentleman)

 Mommas with their babies!

And whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father by him.  Colossians 3:17

Here and There!

This is a little behind....ahemmmmm (I'm talking to myself!!)
Hoping you had a fun and enjoyable Easter with family and/or friends! Easter is in my top few holidays as it is NO stress for me! Spring is here, the pastel colors are beautiful, and

 C H O C O L A T E!! 

What could be better! 

And now I have this little bunny to spoil!

 Great Great Aunt Michaelene knitted her a bunny hat!

Her Mommy said I was out of control since I bought her 4 pair of bunny ears! NO....not me!

Grandma LOVES to do bath time!

 And she can't resist getting a new hair bow whenever she is out shopping!

We had a wonderful church service and Lily-Jo ended up in 2 Easter dresses....she had a MAJOR explosion in the diaper and had to be bathed in the bathroom sink and then redressed in her 2nd dress that Mommy just happened to pack! Quite memorable for her first Easter! We then headed over to Grandma Ruth's for the annual Easter Egg Hunt. It was our first Easter without Grandpa Nelson there so that was very hard and he is deeply missed. The extended family is growing and so all the next generation is fun to enjoy.




I seem to be "calendar" living right now. Which means I'm constantly looking at the calendar to see what is going on today, what is coming up, what is the next event to get ready for. My husband is heavy into track meets right now and is very busy. That will last through May.


My baby, Darbey Rhea, is Graduating! UGH...I said it!  We are busy getting plans for "outside" work to get done to celebrate with a Graduation Party! It will also be the same day as her 18th birthday!  

And then we begin the crunch of July wedding plans! We have really gotten a lot done and I'm not stressed but still lots to do! 

Gotta go...what am I doing sitting here typing! HA!

Stand By Me by Neta Jackson Book Review

"Sometimes the person you most need is the one least like you." 

This book had me right from the beginning...page 1....wondering how the title would fit this catchy phrase. 

  Stand By Me is the first novel in the new SouledOut Sisters series, which follows the Yada Yada Prayer Group Series and the Yada Yada House of Hope series.

I really enjoyed this book and was able to really identify and get to know these characters. Avis, the elementary principal, was easy to relate to as I am an elementary teacher. I appreciated and understood Avis! Kat, a college student, was familiar to my past and youth! I loved how the story led you to believe they would never connect or need each other. But oh how that changes! I really enjoyed the Christian influence each had on one another. I appreciated their faith and how the church family dwelt in all of them. A close knit group of people who relied on each other. 

Set in Chicago, Avis Douglas and her husband, Peter,  dream of selling his software business to go on a mission trip in South Africa. And of course, there are problems. A pastor of SouledOut Community Church passes away suddenly, and Avis and Peter are asked to help and assist with the leadership of the church, but that creates an all-black leadership, stirring up some issues in their multi-cultural church.
Meanwhile, Kate Blanchard arrives in urban Chicago with three friends. Kate feels a closeness herself to Avis, bit Kate's good intentions grates on Avis. With time,  they realize they need each other.

Neta Jackson has a whole series of award winning Yada books! I can't wait to visit all of them. She has such a way to make you feel like you are right there and living their trials and joys and hard aches and blessings. 


This book gets 5 stars! 
Pure, wholesome, good entertainment with a great story line.

A free copy of this book was provided for me through the Booksneeze program through Thomas Nelson. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own.

Jesus' Words

My husband and I were driving to KC to go to Home Depot and we were listening to a Christian radio station talk.  I don't recall the speaker but it really caught my attention. He spoke on the 7 phrases of words that Jesus spoke before his death. It was a powerful talk he gave. I got home that night and grabbed my Bible to review them again. 
My thoughts were that if I was being led to hang on the cross and then was placed on the cross in pure pain and agony.....I wonder what my words would have been. Some things I know about myself are that I would have bawled, I would of begged, I would have pleaded, I would have screamed, I would of been scared.  Jesus did not do any of those things in the hysterical way I would have. HE did was was required of him....HE fulfilled God's plan.


I want to share those words that he spoke. Think about them. Think about HIM. Think about how HE thought of others. YOU and I! HIS mind was not on HIMSELF. HE thought of HIS mother Mary. HE thought of the two who hung beside HIM. HE thought of those who condemned HIM. 


Many days I think of myself wayyyyyy too much. My stomach is growling, I have a headache, I have too much work to do. I'm worn out. I'm tired of not having any free time. I have laundry and dishes to do and I don't want to.  Do I think of others enough? NO! Is there someone that has it worse than me? YES! Do I help others as much as I should? NO! Should I ? YES YES YES!


During this Easter season, we tend to focus MORE on Jesus' death and resurrection....but it should be in our hearts and minds EVERY DAY! Think of Calvary, think of the crown of thorns, think of Mary watching her SON, think of the empty tomb, think of heaven, think of the blood that was shed, think of the bearing of the cross by Simon of Cyrene. 

What beautiful things to think about because it was done for us.

And think of these words that Jesus said....

"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." Gospel of Luke 23:34   "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." Gospel of Luke 23:43  "Jesus said to his mother: "Woman, this is your son".
Then he said to the disciple: "This is your mother." Gospel of John 19:26-27   "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34   "I thirst" Gospel of John 19:28   When Jesus had received the wine, he said,
"It is finished";
and he bowed his head and handed over the spirit. Gospel of John 19:30   Jesus cried out in a loud voice,
"Father, into your hands I commend my spirit": Gospel of Luke 23:46     

    Jesus practiced what He preached: "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13).