Bye Bye Wally!

Unfortunately we had to say "good-bye" to Wally. Mrs. Katie (Kevin's mom) had been noticing some unusual behavior in him over the past week. He was being rough when playing with the kids, he had penned Daisy down by the neck, and he got out of his pen and was on the pouch when she came home one day. He was really growling at her. So she took him to the animal shelter and they said that he was a full-blooded red-nosed pittbull. They told her that he would make a great dog, but Mrs. Katie said with all the grandchildren and other animals around, they couldn't keep him. So he is on his way up North somewhere to a pittbull animal shelter where they train those type of dogs to be nicer and better behaved. So, hopefully a nice family will get him. They figured that someone just dropped him off. Those are very common around here and are used mainly for fighting. So either he got away or he wasn't "fighting" material. But anyway, Wally is gone.

The chickens have arrived!

This morning around 6-6:30 the first load of chickens arrived. There are now two houses that have chickens back in them. I went to see them this afternoon. They are so pretty and white, but this won't last long. It will take the chickens about 2 weeks before they start laying eggs. Right now, Kevin has to walk through the houses so the chickens will know that someone will walk through here and they will go to the nest boxes to lay their eggs. Also, when the chickens first come they are 11 weeks old and the part on the tops of their heads that is suppose to be red is pink. As they get older and the more sunlight that hits them, the pink part will turn red. The chickens are so young and new they don't know yet what they are suppose to be doing. They were trying to fly out of the area that they are in, some did succeed. They were also walking down this shoot that they put them in with. It was funny to watch them. I will put pictures of the new chickens on the blog soon.

Here's the photos:

The front chicken is a hen,

the back is a rooster.

Play Time

I was watching TV on Saturday afternoon when I got a phone call that there were 2 little people in my back yard that wanted to see me. Really, they wanted to play with Abby. It was my niece, Kayla, and my nephew, Geoffrey. Mrs. Katie a.ka. Meme had them for the afternoon and they came over on the golf cart. They had a fun time throwing the ball with Abby. After awhile Kayla got tired of that and started digging in the dirt. Geoffrey got tired of throwing the ball, and wanted to keep the ball. Abby didn't like that; it drove her crazy that he wouldn't give her the ball! So we decided to trade out the ball for a different one, but he didn't want that one and neither did Abby. Kayla had to use the bathroom at one point and she saw a picture of Abby in her sweater on our refrigerator, and she informed me that "doggie's don't wear sweaters."

Let's play ball, Abby!

Nice doggie!

She thought it was funny that

she was inside our flower box.

of course there were no flowers.)

Kayla put the acorns in a straight

line in the hole she dug.

Chicken House Clean Out

Here are some pictues of what chicken houses look like without chickens. On Wednesday, two houses will get chickens back in them. The other two houses still have come clean out work to do.

This house is waiting for shavings
to be put back in.


No chickens!


This is the 2nd set of houses.
Only a few chickens were able
to escape!

My knight on a tractor

I just felt that I needed to take the time to brag on my husband for a bit. Those that know him, know that he has chicken houses. Most people would agree that that isn't the most glamorous job in the world and kind of on the messy,dirty, and smelly side. But I don't know of any one who works harder than Kevin. Kevin is a hard worker and he does it with a positive attitude;most of the time. He enjoys what he does. The past few weeks it has been clean out time for the chicken houses. All the chickens are gone-the first two houses will get their chickens back this coming week. Kevin has been getting up at 5:00 am and working until 7:00 pm all this week, expect one day he got up at 3:00 am and stayed up and worked until 7:00 pm. Now, I ask you who else would do that? And the whole time he was scooping out chicken litter a.ka. chicken poop. DHEC was coming and he had to have things cleaned out. I know that many people have made fun of his job-not saying I have laughed before-but when we first started dating all my friends made of of him and his job. Most older people admired and respected him because by the time he is 31 or 32 the chicken houses will be paid off and then the dough will roll like chicken litter. In the famous words of one of our friends' daughter, Anley Grace-you ask her what chicken litter smells like, her reply: smells like money to me! (her dad also has chicken houses). I have had to defend Kevin and his job before, and I am so proud of him. No one else that I know has such as hard working husband. Yes, I am sure they are out there, but it's a dirty, tiring job and not many people would consider doing it. He is so humble and I just love him so much. He wants to do his best and to please God while doing it. The verse that comes to mind when I think of Kevin and his work is 1 Corinthians 10:31 "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.". Thank you to those that are hard workers and that do the dirty jobs that the rest of us would turn out nose up at. God bless you!

What color are you?

I teach 3rd grade. I am in my fourth year of teaching, but all my life I have been around little kids and you just never know what they are going to come up with. Those that don't know the school that I am in you have two kinds of students they are either white or African American. And of course you do have those that are mixed. When I was at Brushy Creek I had students from every different race background that you can think of. Anyway, the question "what color are you?" was asked by a little boy in my class to me at the beginning of the school year and this question is still coming up every now and then. The little boy came up to me and asked me what color are you? I said what do you mean? He said, I am brown see? and he held out his arm to show me. I said I am white. He said you don't look white. I said well I tan really easy. Off and on throughout the school year, the kids have had this discussion. They think I am mixed. (I know I laughed so hard at that). They will argue that I am tan, I am not considered a true "white" person. Well, this past week, that same ole question came up again. One of my girls asked me at the lunch table if I was mixed. (now I have said over and over again that I am white but I can tan easy and I have even shown them a picture of my parents). And of one of my boys spoke up and said she's not mixed, she's tan. I said right. Then the same little girl said, "so 2 w's?". I said yes, 2 w's. (Meaning 2 white parents). I don't know why it is so hard for them to believe me. I know that when I first started the school year, I was very tan, but I always am after a summer. But they still ask me if I am mix. I find it rather amusing. But Kevin has always joked that I was Snow Tan not Snow White and has said that people might think he was married to an African American during the summer time. To which I reply, I don't get near as dark as some of my family can. But go figure! You just never know what kids will come up with next.

A New Experience

Today was President's Day so I had the day off from school. I met Kevin, Ryan, and Katelyn for lunch at my in-laws house. Then Katelyn was going to teach me how to ride a horse. Those that don't know, Katelyn is a very good, and experienced rider. She has been riding since she could walk. Mr. Tim (Kevin's dad) used to raise horses. Katelyn also was in all kinds of horse shows and even won the national championship in her division when she was 13 years old. So I had a great teacher. The horse that I was riding was named Genesis and she was 11 years old. She was born at Kevin's parents house. Anyway, I have not had much experience at all with horses or even riding one. But I had a lot of fun today. I know that I will be sore tomorrow, but it was fun. However, Katelyn did have control of the horse just in case. Most of the time the horse just walked. I did try to get her to go faster, but she didn't want to. It was as hard as I thought it would be, but at the same time there's lots to learn. Hopefully, I will get to do it again soon and gain more confidence and experience

Katelyn and Genesis

Me and Genesis

Good Marriages Don't Just Happen

Marriage Series Part 2:

*Philippians 2:2 "Then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose."

*Ephesians 4:3 "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."

The problem with most marriages are that one day people wake up and realize that their marriage wasn't what they thought marriage was going to be. You have put all your energy and focus into the thought that this other person was suppose to make you happy and fulfill all your dreams and fantasies. That isn't a realistic approach to marriage, but I think we are all guilty of that, but only Christ can fulfill all your needs and dreams, wants, and desires. Here are 6 keys to a satisfying marriage:

1.) COMMUNICATION-reliable communication permits progress, good communication per motes active listening. (Prov. 13:17)

A study was done that we spend about 30 minutes a week talking with our spouse and about 47 hours a week in front of the TV. Communication has to be practiced. It has been proven that women get their linguistic skills a lot earlier than men, and that men speak about 20,000 words a day and women speak about 30,000 words a day. But we have got to turn that TV, video game, ipod, etc. off and talk. Come home from work, we are all tired, but cook dinner together, and then eat not in front of the TV and there is about an hour or so you can spend talking and catching up with each other.

2.) CONSIDERATION-show your love by being helpful to each other (Eph. 4:2b, James 3:7)

Why would you spite your own life and not be considerate to the one that makes your life better? Try to find ways to lighten the load for your spouse. When you wife comes in from the grocery store, without being asked, go help unload the car and help put up the groceries. Instead of being asked, start a load of laundry, help fold the clothes and put them away. Ladies, when you husband comes home from a hard day at work, don't start nagging right a way, ask about his day first.

3.)COMPROMISE-love does not demand its own way (1 Cor.13:5)

Don't try to "remake" your spouse. They are who they are. They are the same as they were before you married them, and they are not going to change. Some people say that after time "they are different or they have changed, they are not the same person that I married". Yes, yes they are, you just thought you could change them or thought they would change and when you realized they didn't or you couldn't make them, you are confused. There will always be conflict, some issues that you will never agree on, and you will need to compromise. Mature love is compromise-you can either win the argument or save your relationship. It's a maturity issue not a competition. So, GROW UP! If you decided you were adult enough to marry, then you are adult enough to deal with the bumps in the road that life will throw at you.

4.)COURTSHIP-let (your spouse's) affection fill you at all times with delight (Prov.5:19b)

You remember how you felt the first time your spouse called you and asked you out on a date. You were so excited and had a count down going. For a week you planned what to wear and what to say. What ever you did to win your spouse, don't quit, keep the "woe" going. Plan little surprises every now and then for your spouse. It doesn't have to be any major expense. Leave a note on their steering wheel, get up early to fix breakfast, be creative, you should know what your spouse likes. If not, then ASK! "Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love. Ecc. 9:9a".

5.)COMMITMENT- "I hate divorce" says the Lord...Make sure you do not break your promise to be faithful to your spouse." Mal.2:16

You need to depend on each other. You need to cut the ties of always running to family and friends first, turn to each other. Commitment-be unhappy for awhile until you can mend it. (it-meaning the problem). If you are using the word "divorce" or threatening your spouse that you will leave just to get them to see your point of view or to get your way; you are digging a hole in your marriage that will create space between you and your spouse and is very dangerous to be playing with. There isn't any problem or issue that can't be worked out or resolved if BOTH parties want to work at it.

6.)CHRIST- gives you the desire and power to make the other 5 work. "Your attitude towards each other should be the same as that of Jesus Christ-Phill.2:5"

Real faith, and a Christ-centered relationship does make a difference. If you don't have Christ in the center of your life and your marriage, it won't work. You have got to spend time in the Word with Christ, and go to church and surround yourself with Christians, and do all of this together.

A good marriage doesn't just happen, but they are not a fairy tale either. They do exist, but it takes lots of work and its a daily sacrifice for selfish desires and to put the one your love above yourself.

God's Power for your Marriage

Our pastor is doing a marriage series. Here's the notes from part 1:

*Ephesians 1:19-20 "And his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms...."

Yeah, I know what you are thinking, what in the world does that verse have to do with love and marriage. I thought the same thing at first. This verse demonstrates God's awesome power and His ability to do anything. One key point was that "God did not give you your spouse to make you happy, but to teach you how to love." Marriage is suppose to be a glimpse for us of how God loves the church and for how He loves us. Everything about God is love-it defines Him and who He is. He had the power to resurrect Christ, He can give us that same power through the Holy Spirit to help us in our marriage. Wow! I don't know of any one else that has that kind of power and love for us. All relationships have three stress points: (1) unexpected differences (2) unmet needs and (3) unforgiven sin. God gives us the power to overcome all these.

1.) God gives us the power to fathom your spouse's differences.
-fathom- understanding the depths (1 Cor.2:11)

-maturity means that you understand your differences.
-1 Peter 3:7 " you husbands should TRY to understand the wife you live with. Yes, it does say try, because face it ladies, he doesn't understand us, and won't understand us unless we stop assuming he does and tell him and help him.
-when man says something it reflects what he thinks, when a woman says something it reflects how she feels. (so true!)
-Proverbs 24:3, James 1:5
Now what will help you understand your spouse better, besides them telling you things, the Bible. The more you understand the Bible the more you will understand your spouse. Huh? Yep! The more time you spend in God's word, the more you will learn how to treat your spouse and how to please your spouse.

2.) God will give you the power to fulfill your spouse's needs
-1 Cor. 7:3, Phill. 2:4, Phill. 2:13

-you should understand and study your mate. Remember when you first started dating, you wanted to know everything there was about your date. You would ask their friends, or ask your friends to ask their friends what they like, what they said, etc. You were like a sponge, you would soak up any information that someone would give you. You need to have that same "zeal" and excitement to still find out more about your spouse.

-The reason you stop: that takes effort and we become selfish. We want our needs meet first. It reminds me of the "Love Dare" from the movie Fire Proof: you do it without wanting anything in return whether they say thank you or not. Your focus needs to be what you can do for them, not what they can do for you. God will give you the power and energy when you don't think you can.

Something to remember about marriage:
1. you married an imperfect person.
2. you are an imperfect person.

3.) God will give you the power to forgive your spouse's mistakes.
Proverbs 21:19, Eph. 4:31, Col. 3:13

-When your spouse makes a mistake you can rub it or rub it out. You can save it for later when you get into arguments and throw it out their to dug a little deeper of a wedge between you, or you can throw it in the trash, never to be pulled out again. If you can't forgive your spouse, then you will never be pleased by them, because you will hang onto that sin that will just feed the fire that will eventually start burning down your marriage. Before you can even begin to understand your spouse and their needs, you have to forgive their mistakes. Also, if you don't forgive your spouse's mistakes, then how can you expect them to forgive yours?

Some numbers from Marriage and Divorce Magazine:

1 out of 3 marriages will end in divorce (not married in a church and non-Christians)

1 out of 50 marriages will end in divorce (if married in a church and both are Christians)

1 out of 1, 150 marriages will end in divorce (if married in a church, attend church regularly, have God as the center of their marriage where both spouses are Christians with a relationship with Christ.)

Major difference when you look at the deciding factors.

Happy Valentine's Day

Yesterday was Kevin and my first valentine's day as a married couple and the first valentine's day that we were able to see each other on that day. Here's how we spent it: the day began at 6:00 am when Kevin left to go to work, the chickens left two weekends ago, so he had to work on cleaning them out. At 7:45 am I was on my way to Columbia for a conference called "Geofest" is based on Social Studies. I met Lauren one of the third grade teachers that I work with and Kristen one of the second grade teachers and the 3 of us went to the conference together. It was at USC. We had a good day, got lots of ideas, free stuff, and books that we can use in our classroom for Social Studies. I got back home at 5:00 pm. Kevin got home around 6-6:30 pm. We cleaned up the house, I cooked dinner-which I didn't eat any of it because I wasn't hungry. Then by 8:00 pm I was asleep in the chair and Kevin woke me up at 9:00 to go to bed. And that was how we spent our day. Most would think, gee nothing special about that. Yeah, but the special thing about being a married couple is that you develop this level of comfort and that you know that one day set aside when most people celebrate their love, you get to celebrate your love everyday. And that just being together is enough, because our lives are so busy as it is, you never had the time to just sit and enjoy looking at one another like you use to do when you first started dating. Kevin and I set a limit for valentine's gifts, we are trying to get on a budget and so it was $20. Kevin got a Carolina t-shirt and a pair of heart boxers and I got a single white rose-one rose for our first year together. We also did cards. Kevin got a card from Abby. Now those that know Abby and her obsession with a tennis ball will know that this card was absolutely perfect! You may have to click on it to make it bigger so you can read it. But even on a budget it was a very Happy Valentine's Day for us!

My Rose




Abby's card to Kevin

Newest Family Member

We are growing by paws and barks around here. It seems that everyone is getting a dog or getting another dog. Mrs. Katie(Kevin's mom) got a dog for her birthday back in October. Daisy- she is a miniature dachshund and is 6 months old. Then the other day, Mrs. Katie found a puppy in the shed near their house. So now they have an inside dog and an outside dog. This dog's name is Wally, and we don't know what kind he is but he's about 7 weeks old. I got to see him today and he loved chewing on my pants and trying to chew on my shoes! I think that around his face he looks like a lion to me. He has a very unique eye color for a dog. But they are enjoying playing together.

Daisy

Wally

Here is Wally doing what he loves:

chewing on anything!

Teacher's Pet

The other night Abby was chewing on one of her favorite toys that she is allowed to have inside the house, her rope. (Her favorite toy is a tennis ball, but we don't allow her to bring one into the house). I was sitting in the floor stapling some papers together for school, when her curiousity got the best of her. Abby was so curious as to what I was doing and what was making that clicking noise. She kept turing her head and looking at me like "what are you doing?". She also kept walking on the papers. My cats used to this all the time, but they would sit on the papers or get in your lap while you were trying to work.

Wisdom Teeth Update

Well, this Friday it will be a week that Kevin had his wisdom teeth out. The bleeding finally stopped on Monday. But poor Kevin, he has been in so much pain! We called the doctor on Monday, because, I don't know how your husband is, but mine never complains about pain or takes medicine, so when he does, I know that he is hurting. They said that is was normal to still have blood and pain. They told him how to rotate his medicine, and that seems to be working. But Sunday night, even the really strong stuff was only holding him about 3 hours and it's suppose to last for 6. But he's finally getting some relief with the pain, but he's still taking the pain medicine and he is still eating soft foods-like cream potatoes, pudding, apple sauce. They also told Kevin that the older you are when you have this kind of surgery, the longer it will take to heal. He also still has no feeling on his right side on his bottom lip. Hopefully that will come back soon!

Wisdom Teeth Update

Well, Kevin has been a pretty good patient. He felt good yesterday and slept good last night. Today, he has complained some of his right side hurting and that side has bled a lot more than his left side. Thankfully we have gotten the bleeding under control. He's still swollen some. But he's doing well. I can tell that it's caught up with him today. Today was a beautiful day, it felt like spring outside, and I hated that Kevin wasn't feeling well. I threw the tennis ball with Abby for a little bit and offered for Kevin to come outside and sit, but he said he didn't feel like it. I thought it would be hard to keep him down and not moving around much, but I don't think he's felt like it. However, I will say that I believe between the two of us we have caught up on every movie that we had wanted to see that we haven't seen yet. On Thursday we rented 6 movies. I took those back today and got 5 more. Most of them are for Kevin, but I did get a few "chick-flicks" for me. But there's nothing on TV that's worth watching most of the time, so....gotta have something to keep his attention and to keep him from thinking about working. Kevin did tell me that yesterday he was acting up a bit and that he remembered most of how he acted yesterday. However, when I ask him if he remembers saying certain things, he doesn't. So I think he realized that he was a little more out of it than he thought he was. Also, the main reason that Kevin had to have his wisdom teeth out was because one tooth had a cyst around it, which was infected. He did tell me that they sent the cyst off to a lab to have it checked to make sure it wasn't cancerous. So, prayerfully we hope things come back fine. The dentist didn't seem concerned about it, but it's standard procedure to have it analyzed. Over all he has done very well, I'm proud of him. He's follow his directions, but I honestly don't think and I know he hasn't felt the greatest either. I had my wisdom teeth out back when I was in 10th grade, so I know how he feels. Well, it's time to watch another movie.

Wisdom Teeth

Today, Kevin had to have his wisdom teeth taken out. He went to the dentist back in October or November for a regular check up. One of his wisdom teeth on the bottom had a cyst that was wrapped around the tooth. The dentist told Kevin that he needed to have his wisdom teeth out. Well, this is the first thing that Kevin has had done where he had to be put to sleep in a long time. Now, those of you that know Kevin, know he likes to pick at you and aggravate you. Well, let me tell you, with this medicine that they give you to knock you out, Kevin was so funny! It took them about 2 hours to do the surgery. They came to get me and told me to pull around to the side of the building to pick him up. So I went inside and found the room he was in. The nurse had him in the wheel chair. I walked in and said hello to Kevin and he turned towards me and blew me this big kiss. (I started laughing and haven't stopped) The nurse told me that she has had to change his gauze three times already, because he wouldn't stop talking and that he was saying some funny stuff. When she rolled him into the hallway, he tried to kick me. The nurse and I were helping him get up and get to the car. Kevin said that he could walk on his own, he got up and started dancing to the car. Once I got in the car, he was just saying all kinds of stuff. I had to stop at the entrance way, because I was laughing so hard, that I was crying so hard, I couldn't see to drive. He said that once he got home, he was going to take all his clothes off. Then he said that medicine they gave you, Whoooooooooooo!!!!!! it's some good stuff! Then there was this car in front of us, and written on the back window it said, honk, it's my birthday. So Kevin leans over and starts beeping the horn. I am laughing to so much its hard to get his hand off the horn. (Mrs. Katie, Kevin's mom, came with us just in case Kevin got sick-which he didn't- to help me out, so she can vouch for me that he did all this stuff). Then he asked if he could go to Lowes. I told him not today. A few minutes later he asked if he could go to Lowes again, and again I told him not today. Then he said do you want to go to Target. I said you want to go to Target. He said, no but I know that you do. I said, well, I will go another time. When every he would hear music on the radio, he would start dancing in the car. He would blow kisses at me, thump me in the check, and move his eyebrows up and down at me, the whole ride home. He also said that he was going to buy him a new tractor. There was some other stuff that he said, but it was hard to understand him. Oh, and he felt like his tongue was a big as the Grand Canyon. When I got him home, Mrs. Katie went to get his pain medication and I got him into the house. I told him to stay in the car until I got around to help him get out. He told me he could walk and he got out and starting dancing again. Now, Kevin, poor thing, he doesn't have any rhythm at all, and it was so funny. He did that the whole way up the steps and inside until I got him seated on the couch. So, he got some pain medicine in him and lunch, then went to sleep for about an hour. Every 20 minutes he had to either had the ice pack taken off or put on his mouth. He is still bleeding a good bit, I hope that will stop soon. But he was hilarious coming home. I wish I had a video camera, because I know that he won't believe me when I tell him how he acted because he won't remember it tomorrow. I wish I could show him. Anyway, I am glad that the surgery is behind him. So hopefully the bleeding will stop soon and he will heal up fast. But it was a very entertaining ride home from Aiken today.

Sneaky Thief!

Okay, as many of you probably know, those that have a dog(s), they will get into everything and anything! I have had a cat from the time I was 5 years old, never had a dog, until this year in August, when God brought our "sweet pea", Abby to us. Now, I am not saying that over the years my cats haven't gotten into some funny and amazing places or things, but....yesterday, at school it was the 3rd grade's turn to bring snacks to the faculty meeting. When it was over we all traded around food to take some of each home. One thing that I brought home was ham and cheese roll ups because I thought that Kevin would like them. When I got home I told Kevin that I had some food for him. I sat the ham and cheese roll ups and other stuff on a plate and then put it on a tv tray in the den. Well, the kitchen was a mess from me cooking the stuff for the faculty meeting, so Kevin said that he would help me clean it up. Forgot all about the food and the dog. I walk around the corner to the den and what do I see....Abby laying on the floor chowing down on a ham and cheese roll up! The roll ups had a tooth pick in them to keep them together, thankfully she didnt' eat it. So I took it away from her, she had only eaten half of it. She was tucking her tail, knowing she was in trouble for doing that,which I really didn't have to say anything to her, she knows when she has done something she shouldn't have. Then I went back to get the plate and noticed 2 toothpicks on the floor. That little sneaky thing had already eaten 2 roll ups and I caught her with her 3rd! In case you are wondering, Kevin did get to eat some, but it was kindof funny, that she ate it all but the toothpick.

Here's the recipe for these "dog" approved ham and cheese roll ups:
-flour tortillas
-cream cheese
-sliced ham
-sliced cheese (the Kraft singles)
-toothpicks

*Spread the soften cream cheese onto the tortilla. Then layer with the ham and cheese. Roll up. Then cut into bit size pieces. Use a toothpick to keep them together.

They really were good and an easy and simple party treat!

Visiting Baby Nathan

Today we went to visit Mandy, Brandon, and Nathan. When we got there, Brandon was still at church and it was Mandy, Nathan, and Mandy's sister and mom. We had a great visit. Nathan is so cute and precious! I can see both Mandy and Brandon in him. He slept the whole time, until right before we got ready to leave, he finally opened his eyes. But it was time for lunch and we had been trying to wake him up for about 20 minutes to eat. We also got to see Mandy and Brandon's new house. It is very nice. I know they will enjoy living there. We hated to leave, but we had to head home. Hopefully, in about 2-3 years, Nathan will have a little cousin to play with. Brandon and Kevin are cousins and they grew up together and were really close. I know with the distance that Nathan and his future cousin won't be as close, but hopefully they will at least be good friends. Again, congratulations to you both! We are very happy for you!

Kevin really liked the Cocky
mobile.