Camping In The Rain. Ohhh What Fun!

Our camping adventure started Thursday when the kids got out of school.  Kelly Watson and I packed up and hit the road.  I had never pulled a trailer before, so that was kinda fun for me.  On our way we got to talking and of course I missed my turn,  surprise surprise,  well any way we went way out of the way.  When I finally realized that we were lost I called Matt,  fortunately we found another route that was just as fast.  I found out that I can go the wrong way, and still be going the right way, if that makes any sense.  Moving on.  When we get to Beavers Bend, Kelly and I selected the "perfect spot" and set up her tent.  Just as we were finishing, a man told us the bathrooms close to us weren't working,  that explained why no one else was down that way.  So we loaded back up and moved on.  After carefully selecting another "perfect location" we started the process all over again.  The five kids were wonderful about the whole thing.  Kelly and I are now professional camp setter uppers in case any of you want to hire us.  lol We set up two tents, a canopy, and fed the kids in the dark,  cause our light bulb burnt out.  She had two small flashlights and I had two book lights that the kids carried around.  We were laughing and having a wonderful time in spite of our hardships.  As we were sitting around in the dark enjoying our break,  our dog Minnie started barking, Meagan looked to see what the trouble was, and it was a raccoon, whom we named R.J.  He was so pesky and nosy.  Kelly was brave and shooed him away(so we thought).  We got the kids settled down and we turned off our flash lights while we were waiting for our men folk to arrive, we didn't want our batteries to run out our first night.  While we were sitting and relaxing I heard something right beside me.  I slowly called Kellys name and she flipped on the light,  she screamed and I jumped and ran,  R.J. was right between us.  When she screamed he ran so fast we didn't even have time to see where he went.  We laughed forever over this.  Finally around 11:00 the guys arrived.  Boy were we glad to see them.  They had a good laugh over all our tales.  We finally went to bed around midnight.  It started raining around 7:00 I guess that next morning.  It rained and rained and rained.  Kelly and Derek's tent started filling up with water from the bottom and ours started dripping from the top a little.  We cleaned up that mess when it stopped raining at around 5:00 that evening.  We found a laundry mat and dried all our blankets and towels.  Went back to camp, and prepared for the next storm.  While we did laundry Matt, and Derek, went to Wal-Mart to pick up extra tarps, and another canopy.  We completely completely covered both our tents and was ready to go.   The weather predicted a possible tornado.  We were determined to wait it out.  It rained AGAIN,  starting at 3:00am until around 7:00am.  At 7:30 a man we met at the laundry mat, stopped by to see if we survived,  He was so kind, he brought us donuts and a news paper.  He and his wife were so sweet.  Any way, we enjoyed the sun shine after that.  All of us went on a 4 or 5 mile bike ride in the woods,  my behind thinks it was more like 6 or 7 miles.  It was beautiful.  The kids walked around in the river at a waterfall that we found, and off on another adventure we went.  We had a wonderful time.  The canoeing was great.  The river was slow so we enjoyed the view as we floated along.  We tried our luck at fishing,  the only thing we caught was a limb thanks to Mason.  At least he caught something.  I am so thankful for the Watsons.  They are great examples.  I didn't have to worry about gossiping or anything like that.  I am glad to call them friends.  Sadly our trip had to come to an end, we arrived home late Sun. evening.  Believe it or not I am ready to go again.  Only next time I am going to try and figure out how to take a portable washer and dryer. lol Camping is great, even camping in the rain is okay, but all the laundry afterward really stinks. ( Literally and figuratively.)

"What A Wonderful World"

I see trees of green, red roses too,  I see them bloom for me and you, And I think to myself, What A Wonderful World. 

I see skies of blue, clouds of white, bright blessed day, dark sacred nights, and I think to myself, What A Wonderful World.

The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky, are also on the faces of people going by.  I see friends shaking hands saying how do you do, Their really saying I love you.  I hear babies cry, I watch them grow, their like much more than I've ever known, and I think to myself "What A Wonderful World.

Nothing of Importance

Thanks for being patient with me.  It is so hard for me to think of things to post.  Do any of you have this problem too?  Matt is out of town on business,  so I am setting here at 1:30am trying to find things to occupy my thoughts.  Here is some good news.  I have lost 8.6 pounds on weight watchers.  I have always been one of those yoyo dieters,  not any more.  I have a clear goal in sight.  I told my husband that I can only imagine the day  when I step up on the scales and they say, "Mrs. Trimble congratulations, you have reached your goal weight."  What a feeling.  With the Lords help,  and all your prayers this day will happen.  As an incentive,  I asked that when I am half way to my goal if I can start planning our next trip to Disney World,  Matt said yes.  That really helps.  I can do this.  
Mason has started T-Ball again this year.  He is loving it.  I am glad he gets a boy thing to do.  Lets face it living in a house with mostly girls is not going to toughen him up.  He is really a sweet boy.  Matt tells me all the time I have a little Momma lover. lol  I will take all the love I can get.  
He gets his share.  Our three girls think their daddy hung the moon.  They have him so wrapped.  We are really blessed. 
Morgan is fixing to start back to Tennis lessons.  She is looking forward to this.  It is nice that she gets to do this with her friend Brooke.  They are like sisters.  When you see one of them, the other is not far off. 
Meagan starts gymnastics in April.  She is such a bendable ball of energy.  It amazes me to watch her.  One of these days she will be running and flying through the air like the best of them.  
They are all taking piano lessons.  For some of them it comes naturally,  others would rather be outside climbing a tree.  I think it is good for them.  
As for Maleah, she is happy enough right now to watch.  Her day will come soon enough.  I can't wait to see what things she will enjoy. 
We are looking forward to our Youth Trip to Houston.  All the young people are very excited.  
I feel so blessed to get to be apart of their lives.  They are a wonderful group. 
 For someone having a hard time coming up with things to post, I sure did put a lot on here.  
I hope everyone is doing well.  Have a great weekend.

Good news.  Last week I lost a total of 7.6 pounds.  Maybe by the time we go to Houston I will have lost 12.  Cake classes are going well.  This week we will be working on roses and vines.  Wish me luck. 

Cake Decorating Classes

This weekend I will be starting cake decorating classes.  I am really looking forward to this.  I have made several cakes,  but I would like to get better,  learn techniques and things like that.  So to all my friends,  get ready for cake.  I will be making a cake every week.  There is no way we are going to be eating all of them. 

A Strong Woman vs. A Woman O Strength

A Strong Woman vs. A Woman Of Strength

A strong woman works out every day,
Pride in her appearance she portrays,
But a woman of strength kneels to pray,
Keeping her soul in shape, God leading the way.

A strong woman isn’t afraid of anything,
Looking forward to challenges each day will bring,
Women of strength show courage in the midst of fear,
Knowing triumph through faith because the Lord is near.

Strong women won’t let anyone get the best of them,
So skilled in defense even if they have to pretend,
Yet a woman of strength gives her best to everyone,
Being anointed with divine blood from the only begotten Son.

A strong woman relies on the physical attributes making her tough,
In her search for power and money she will never have enough,
A woman of strength understands that it’s not about material stuff,
Knowing that before becoming a diamond first she’ll be in the rough.

A strong woman sometimes disguises her feelings shadowed by clouds,
Unhinged when challenged on her policy becoming boisterous and loud,
A woman of strength concerns herself not with judgment from others,
And will not let business interfere with commitments as a wife and mother.

A strong woman is easily impatient back and forth she will begin to pace,
Counting on her holier than thou attitude instead of depending on faith,
A woman of strength is assured trust in God will always carry her through,
And at the Creator’s appointed time she’ll receive all that is justly due.

A strong woman makes mistakes and avoids the same for tomorrow,
Refusing to take time looking back with reverence and Godly sorrow,
The woman of strength realizes life’s mistakes no matter how slim,
While thanking God for the blessings as she capitalizes on them.

A strong woman walks head first with no doubt in her mind,
Again, no matter what, she’ll not make this mistake a second time,
But a woman of strength knows God will catch her when she falls,
So when a situation arises again, she’s not afraid to answer the call.

A strong woman wears the look of confidence on her face,
Always doing whatever it takes to finish, seeking only first place,
The woman of strength competes with an emotional sense of grace,
Understanding it’s more important to run a Holy  spirit filled race.

A strong woman has faith that for the journey she’ll have enough,
No matter how uneven the terrain or roads being rocky and rough,
A woman of strength knows it’s in the journey she will become strong,
And the love of God is forever with her, no matter how difficult or long.

A strong woman when uninformed thinks that she is being mistreated,
In the end her physical attributes fail causing doubt to become seeded,
A woman of strength will compromise as a little give and take is needed,
Why? Because a lesson not learned the first time is soon to be repeated.

© 2006 by Luke Easter & Dee Cheeks
What do your goal priorities look like today? Do they reflect a desire to be a  strong woman, or a woman of strength?

Scrapbooking

I can't believe it.  I am finally going to start scrapbooking again.  This is one of those projects that always gets put off.  I love to sit around with friends and scrap,  but at home there is always something to take my attention.  Tomorrow,  I am going to start on our wedding pictures.  I have never completed an album for myself.  I made my grandmother one for Christmas of the whole family, and my dad one for his 5oth birthday.  I'm thankful for a husband who doesn't mind me taking time to myself every now and then.  He is pretty wonderful if I do say so myself.  What would I do without him.

What a wonderful day.  After our company left, we laid in bed all day.  Matt and I watched some of the videos from the Convention Center Ministers meeting.  Which during half of it I slept.(not that it wasn't good, but sleep felt really wonderful)  This is the way Sundays were meant to be spent.  We lounged around until time to get ready for church.  Most of you wont believe this, but we were actually early for church.  This never happens. We are usually right on time.  Any way we have had wonderful services this past weekend.  The Lord always seems to bless us after we work hard on different projects.  What would I do without his blessings? 

Well, we didn't quite finish the wedding cake today, but definitely tomorrow.  Sis. Theresa and Sis. Gayle are so much fun to work with.  I am so blessed to have family like them to get to hang out with. Next week I will be working on Kristen's birthday cake.  She wants it to be a rubix cube.  We will see.  It may turn out looking like a square shoe box or something.  I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. God Bless.

Life is back to normal.  No more hanging out at home building puzzles.  This weekend my sweet friend Erin is getting married.  We started on her wedding cake Tuesday and hopefully we will finish Thursday night.  I love getting to be a part and help out.  I wish Erin and her honey a lifetime of fun and happiness. 

Family Time

Okay, so we finally took Maleah to the Dr. today.  

She started running a fever again Friday night.  

At least we were able to get through her birthday party. 

The Dr. said she probably did have the ful last week, 

but all the drainage in her throat gave her a really bad 

cough and an ear infection,  hence the fever.  

She is on medicine and already doing much better.

In case you all don't know,  I really love my life, my hubby, and my kiddos.  Each and every day is always an adventure.

As most of you know we are reading our Bible through this year,  on top of that the kids are making a book of all the good stories as we read them.  They each have a folder that they keep their pictures in,  and at the end of the year they will have a complete personal copy of the Bible in picture form.  They absolutely love this.  I wish you all could see the pictures.  Some of them are really good.  It lets us know what part of the story interest them.  It is great.   We also have a time for questions as we read each day.  In the Old Testament,  there are quite a few stories where someone marries their sister, or has their fathers child, and Morgan is starting to notice this.  Awkward!  Boy does this make for interesting conversation......

Anyway we are really enjoying this time together.  I highly recommend it. 

NO MORE FEVER!!!!

I have wonderful news today.  Maleah's fever is gone.  She has not ran fever since Tuesday morning.  All she has now is a really bad cough.  I was really worried that we wouldn't get to have her birthday party.  For her 1st party, one of the other kids were sick, so it was just us.  The kids begged to carry her birthday cake to her and sing happy birthday,  on their way to her they dropped her cake.  We cut the bottom off and gave it to her anyway.  For her 2nd b-day  she didn't get to have any of her friends come for one reason or another,  just family.  This year all she can talk about is Katelyn coming to her birthday party and eating her cake.  After being sick for a whole week,  she deserves a fun party.

I have good news! So far I have lost 4 lbs. It's a start right.  I haven't been able to exercise like I would like due to illness,  but soon we will all be well.(I hope)  Maleah is still running fever,  and now I am starting to feel a little bad myself.  Right now it is mostly in my head,  but that's how hers started.  Hopefully I'll be able to fight it off,  but we shall see.  Maleah's birthday is Thursday,  I hope we are all well enough to get to have her party.  If not we have enough chili fixings to last us the rest of the month. Say a little prayer for her.  It's no fun to be sick, especially on your birthday.

Time Flies

I can't believe another week is almost over.  Where does time go.  When I was in school it seemed the bell would never ring at 3:00.  I got a full time job and got married so things picked up a little.  When I had  Morgan everyone told me not to blink that before I knew it she would be grown.  Boy do I really appreciate those words now.  Maleah my "fourth" child will be 3 next Thursday.  I really can't believe it.  

Maleah has been sick since Wednesday night.  She is coughing and has a runny nose and fever.  I really feel bad for her.  I hate it when my babies get sick.  It gets easier when they grow up,  but when they are babies it is pitiful.  Last night she was tossing and turning and talking in her sleep,  so I got her out of bed and rocked her for awhile.  When I thought she was asleep,  I laid down on the couch with her.  Well, that didn't work.  She tossed and turned again, talked to me for an hour , and played.  When I got her to close her eyes again I thought I might get to go to sleep,  I opened my eyes to check on her and she looked at me and waved and grinned.  All I could do was laugh.  So we got up and got in her bed.  By this time her fever  was  rising so it all started over.  Finally, this morning I gave her some medicine at around 6:00.  She slept form about 6:30 to 9:00.  Not nearly long enough for me.  I feel like I've been ran over by a big truck.  I have always enjoyed a good nap,  but today I can't wait.  The other kids are all big enough that I  don't have to worry to much about them while I nap.  This is a little sad to me and a little bit of a relief .  I want them to grow up,  but I wish they would still look at me like Maleah and Mason.  They think I hung the moon.  Morgan and Meagan have been around me long enough to know better.  lol.

She's An Eagle

Dolly Parton has a song that I would like to dedicate to my grandmother.  If you scroll down to my play list look for her song.  She's an Eagle.

Setting our goals.

I would like to fill you all in on my exercise and weight loss progress.  It's not very exciting to you I'm sure, but I figure if I post it on my blog. then it will motivate me to do better.  I started the prisim diet Sat Jan. 2nd.  It is torture.  I am willing to suffer to alittle to reach my goal.  This morning I started jogging.  Yes, you read it right, jogging.  I can't believe it either.  I met my friend Debra at the Lowes parking lot in Lindale, and it began.  Debra use to be a personal trainer,  so I am soooo taking an advantage of her expertise.  We jogged for 20 min.  and the temp. was 22.  There were patches of ice in the parking lot.  I have to say I am proud of myself for making it 20 min.  By the time we were through I was huffing an puffing, not to mention wheezing like crazy.  I have to tell myself that it will all be worth it when I can fit into a size 10.  That is my goal.  

Another goal we have set before ourselves as a family is reading our bibles together daily.  At some point after Matt gets home from work, we all sit around the dinning room table and read.  It is so precious to see Maleah read,  we let her tell a little story about the pic. in her childrens Bible.  Next it goes to Mason,  this little guy surprises me daily.  He is so smart.  He is actually reading out of  the same Bible Maleah does.  Though he doesn't get every word, he sure does try.  Morgan and Meagan follow along in their Bibles,  we usually let them read 15-20 verses a piece.  This way we all get a chance to read and have a small discussion over what we have read.  This year is really starting off good.

I have finally figured out how to blog.  Yeah!  I started this blog so I can let my family and friend from out-of-town keep up with us.  Matt and I have been married for 12 years and I have loved every minute of it.  During the past 12 years we have had 4 children.  Boy how time flies.  Morgan is 10 and is our fashion diva, she keeps us posted about what looks good and what doesn't.  Meagan is 7 (our little monkey), she always keeps us guessing.  Mason is 6, and he is such a good big brother.  Maleah is 3 and she is the girliest one we have.  I hope to be able to post pictures soon.  (It's taking me awhile to figure out how.)  I want to wish you all a wonderful new year.  God Bless!