Family Fun

Today was a great day spent with family!  Natalie, Joey, Cupcake, and Blue Eyes are here visiting for a couple of days, so we decided to go on an outing to Chuckie Cheese’s.  Drama Queen and I picked up Beth, Spiderman, and Ladybug and headed out for an adventure.  Unfortunately, Ashley and Phillip had to miss out on the fun, they both had to work today.

Everyone had a great time together, we played games, ate pizza, and laughed a lot.  The little ones were so adorable dancing to the music!  I took lots of pictures of everyone enjoying themselves, but I’m still having difficulty posting my photos.  I’ve figured out how to get them to the correct size, but I’m still having trouble with the clarity. 

I’m going to persevere until I get it right!  I may be technically challenged, but I’m going to be tenacious when it comes to overcoming these obstacles.  I’m open to any and all suggestions and/or advice on how to post my pictures more clearly.  I want to preserve these memories, I know how fleeting time is. 

Today was a blessing, but I’m worn out so I’m off to bed.  I hope you have a great Friday!

Love, Velvia

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Pictures at Last!

Front row: Drama Queen, Spiderman, me, Ashley(holding Blue Eyes), and Joey (holding Cupcake). Second Row: Beth(holding Ladybug), Phillip, and Natalie. This is my wonderful family, and I’m so glad to finally share them with you. 

Spiderman, Cupcake, Blue Eyes, and Ladybug. These are my precious grandbabies, they are the light of my life!

I want to say a huge thank you to a wonderful blogger friend, Angela, for helping me post our family portrait, I really appreciate all your help!

And to Beth, my lovely daughter-in-love, for your patience with helping me figure out how to get my photos the right size for my blog.

Thank you also to another sweet blogger friend, Kimmie, for trying to help me.

You’d think I’d just won an Academy Award and was giving my acceptance speech!  But, I am so excited to be able to share my family, after weeks of trying to figure it out. 

Thanks again to all who helped me!

 Love, Velvia

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One Less Hypocrite, Me!

“Hypocrites in the Church? Yes, and in the lodge and at the home.  Don’t hunt through the Church for a hypocrite.  Go home and look in the mirror.  Hypocrites?  Yes.  See that you make the number one less.”  – Billy Sunday

This quote was in our church newsletter this morning.  When I read it I was struck by this powerful message.  Our pastor preached a great sermon on an entirely different topic, but this quote keeps coming to mind.  I think God wants my attention! 

 How often have I judged others, when in reality I needed to look in the mirror to see the log in my own eye?  Am I a hypocrite?  Yes, at times I am.  Even though I try to live a life of holiness, there are times when I am prideful and selfish.  I’m not proud of this, but I’m being honest.

I want there to be one less hypocrite in the church, ME!  I pray that God will change me, that He will help me to stop and take a look at my own life when I am tempted to judge others.

I’m interested in your thoughts on this subject.  Please feel free to leave me a comment, I’d love to hear from you.  Have a great week!

Love, Velvia

  

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Thankfulness

A new blogger friend, Angela, at The Chillemi Weblog , has put out a challenge to post ten things we are thankful for.  I think this is such a great idea, we are so blessed by our Heavenly Father and we should take time to thank Him.

1. I am very thankful for my salvation, that Jesus died on the cross for my sins, was resurrected, and is preparing a place in Heaven for me.

2. I am thankful for God’s love and mercy in my life, that even when I fail Him I can come to Him and receive forgiveness.

3. I am thankful for His divine direction and guidance.  I know that He has a plan and a purpose for my life and I don’t have to worry about the future.

4.I am thankful that He is changing me daily.  I don’t have to live in mediocrity because He is helping me to become the woman He wants me to be. 

5. I am so thankful for His many blessings in my life.  They are numerous, but I will list the five most important ones:

6. My wonderful husband, Ashley, and the 29 years of marriage we have shared.  God has been ever faithful to see us through the tough times, and has blessed us with many wonderful ones. 

7. My precious children and children-in-love, Natalie and Joey, Phillip and Beth, and Drama Queen.  They have been, and are, my heart.  I am extremely proud of each of them, they are amazing people and I am blessed to be their mom.

8. My wonderful, amazing grandchildren, Cupcake and Blue Eyes, and Spiderman and Ladybug.  These four little munchkins are one of God’s most precious blessings.  They bring so much joy into my life, I am privileged to be their Nana.

9. My wonderful family: my mom, my siblings  and their families, Ashley’s parents, my sister-in-law and her son.  Even though I don’t get to see them as often as I would like, they are very much a part of my life, and I love them all dearly.

10. My sweet friends, from my oldest and dearest ones I’ve had since I was young, to my new ones I’ve met through blogging.  Each one is special to me, my friends are the spice of life!!

The list is never ending because God has been so good to me.  I am thankful to Him for everything because without Him I would have nothing!

Have a great weekend!

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My Hero

I want to tell you about one of my favorite people in the world, who also happens to be a hero in my eyes.  She is my sister-in-law, Gay.  She was only thirteen when Ashley and I got married, and I’ve known her most of her life.  I have watched her grow up and become one of the most godly women I know. 

She is a single (through divorce) mom, who is raising her disabled son, Zachary, and doing a fantastic job with him.  He is seventeen (almost eighteen) years old, and is physically and mentally handicapped, but he is the sweetest, most precious human being ever!

Her whole life is dedicated to making sure that Zachary has the best life possible.  She works full time, takes care of him,  and takes care of their home. The only help she receives is from her parents, who have been a tremendous blessing to her over the years with Zachary.

 She has gone to bat for him many times to insure that he receives the services he needs at school, etc., and she never gives up.  She doesn’t quit until she makes sure he has what he needs.  She is such a dedicated mom!

She is the epitome of selflessness.  She always puts his needs above her own.  She never complains, she just does what needs to be done.

She is an inspiration to me, and everyone that knows her.  She is my hero!

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No Place Like Home

We’re back at home after a wonderful visit with family on the coast.  We had a pleasant surprise Wednesday morning before we left to go down, Natalie and Joey called and said they were coming down also.  They came in Wednesday evening and stayed until early Friday morning, so we were able to spend some time with them as well.  It was such a great visit with everyone, the only thing that would have made it better is if Phillip, Beth, and their little ones could have been there also.

We celebrated Ashley’s mom’s birthday Wednesday evening with a Lowcountry Boil, that’s shrimp, sausage, corn, and onion boiled together with seafood seasoning, it’s a regional dish.  I had the most delicious deviled crab made by a friend of my mother-in-law (I don’t eat shrimp), there is nothing like Lowcountry seafood!  I don’t even want to get on the scale, I can only imagine how much weight I’ve gained over the past few days.  We had so much yummy food while we were there.  Now, it’s back to reality and trying to eat healthy again!

Thursday afternoon Ashley, Drama Queen, Cupcake, and I went for a walk on the beach.  It was a little chilly so we had to wear our jackets, but it was beautiful.  We collected some shells and watched a seagull that at first we thought had an injured leg, but it turned out it was just standing on one foot, like a flamingo.  I can’t wait to go back this summer and build sandcastles and soak up the sun.

We spent Friday with my mom, and visited my sisters who live in the area.  Mom was having a good day and was feeling up to getting out, so we took her to lunch and then went to see my niece’s new baby.  He’s so adorable!

Saturday and Sunday we enjoyed just hanging out with Ashley’s family and going to church.  Drama Queen drove the golf cart around every chance she got. It was such a wonderful visit, we hated for it to end.  I feel just like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz when she said, “there’s no place like home”.

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Homeward Bound

We’re heading home to the coast tomorrow morning to visit family, we’re all packed and very excited about the trip. We haven’t been back home since last summer and we’ve really missed seeing our families.  We’ll be celebrating Ashley’s mom’s birthday tomorrow when we arrive.

The weather is supposed to be nice there this week, upper 60’s and lower 70’s, so we will definitely be visiting the beach while we’re there.  I can’t wait to take my shoes off and feel the sand between my toes!  Drama Queen insists she is going to put her feet in the water, but we’ll see if she really will once she realizes how cold the water is this time of year!

I’m anxious to see my mom, she’s been experiencing some health problems the past few months.  She’s 74, so some issues are to be expected, but she has been experiencing stomach pain and the doctors can’t seem to find the cause.  I have been praying for God to reveal to them the source of her pain so they can treat it, or else that He would heal her without medical intervention.  I know He will heal her the way He chooses, but I just wish He would do it quickly,  I hate knowing that she’s in pain.

I spent three hours last night trying to post our family portrait with no luck.  I finally figured out how to get the size right, but then the picture was blurry.  When I get back I am going to do more research on how to post pictures correctly to my blog, and maybe then I will actually be able to do it.  I will be so glad when I can finally share my precious family with you.

I may have a chance to post once or twice while I’m away, but if not, I will post on Monday when we return.  Until then, enjoy the rest of the week and have a great weekend!

God Bless You!

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A Thing of Beauty

I received an email yesterday from one of my closest friends.  It was a beautiful picture of the hands of five generations of women, followed by the story of a grandmother’s hands and the things she had experienced with them in her life.

I was so touched by the simple beauty of the photograph, from the baby’s chubby little hand to the great, great grandmother’s wrinkled, but beautiful one, and the moving story of a grandmother’s hands.

Something happened today that made me think about the photo and the story again.  Spiderman was sitting in my lap, he was feeling a little under the weather and wanted me to hold him, and he was stroking the palm of my hand.  It was such a sweet little gesture, I don’t think he even realized he was doing it at first. 

 He asked me why my hands felt so rough, and I explained to him that because I am growing older my skin is becoming drier, and that the cold weather also caused them to be rough and dry.  I looked down at my hands and at first I felt discouraged, they are becoming wrinkled, and they are red and chapped from the cold and washing them so much. 

But then the photograph and the story came to mind, and I realized that my hands are being used by God every day.  My hands are His hands here on earth, to reach out to those around me and minister to them in whatever way He calls me. 

There are many ways in which He uses my hands everyday: feeding my family, making our home a clean, cozy haven for us, hugging my children and grandchildren, and reaching out to hold my husband’s hand to let him know how much he means to me.

Though my hands are certainly not beautiful in the world’s eyes, if I use them to serve God, they are a thing of beauty.

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It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane – No, It’s Incredi-Kid

Spiderman and Ladybug are spending the night with us tonight.  They will be hanging out with us for the next couple of days while Beth is out of town visiting her dad, Paul, who is recovering from heart surgery.  Beth’s mom and sister have been helping out with the little ones so far this week, and now Ashley and I have the privilege of spending time with them for the next couple of days.

Phillip brought them over after work and we had dinner together.  Afterward, there was some debate with Spiderman as to whether or not he was actually going to stay the night.  In the end, he decided he would like to stay with Nana and Papa.  Ladybug, of course, is still too young to really care. 

When Spiderman came in tonight he informed us that he is now “Incredi-Kid”. ( In an earlier post I wrote about him wanting us to call him “Boots” after watching the Shrek movies).  I asked him if I could be Incredi-Nana and he said “No Nana, you’re not a superhero”.  Talk about bursting your bubble! 

The fun never stops with little ones around though.  After dinner, I put them both in the tub for their bath.  After I bathed them, I was letting them play with their bath toys when I noticed something floating in the water that definitely was NOT a toy!  Ladybug had made a deposit in the water.  Needless to say, that abruptly ended playtime in the tub. 

Life is always an adventure when kids are involved. 

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Letter to Our Daughter’s Birth Mom

Dear M.,

How do we thank you for the gift you have given us,  a gift that in the giving of it, broke your heart?  There are no words to tell you how grateful we are that you entrusted us with your child, that you loved her enough to let us give her a life you couldn’t.  As we approach the fifth anniversary of the finalization of her adoption, we want to tell you how much she means to us.

 She has grown into a beautiful young girl, with a gentle heart and a sweet spirit.  She is strong willed and quite a challenge sometimes, but she is the sunshine of our lives.  There are days when she makes us want to pull our hair out one minute, and hug her so tightly the next.  She is our precious Drama Queen!

We understand that it’s difficult for you not being more a part of her life, but we appreciate that you recognize that it’s what is best for her.  True love is putting the needs of someone else above your own, and that is what you demonstrate through this.

You are, however, a part of her daily life, from the pictures of you in her room, to the things you have given her that she treasures so much.  The bond that you share with her can never be broken, you gave her life and we will help her cherish it.

We love you!

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