I've Been Out of Pocket

Have you heard that saying before? My mom uses it all the time, and it means simply I've not been available. She also says "back of this..." but that is a whole different story. True southern woman!

Anyway...my point to this title is that I've been unavailable for the last week and a half. It all started with jury duty last Monday, and then it just hasn't stopped. I've just been extremely busy, you know how it is, nothing important just one thing after another! To make a long story short...I'm back!

I have been reading your blog posts, here and there, but I've not had time to sit down and write one. I have so much that has happened over the last week that I want to share (starting with jury duty) but I still don't have time to share today. I wanted to drop in and say Hi and tell you all that I am not dead, as some of you have sent me emails wondering... Things should be back to normal by Monday, and I'll post about the "goins' on of the Singleton family"!

Have a great weekend, and enjoy the spring like weather! You know warm, then rain, then it is cold again, and then it starts all over!

I'll leave you with a picture of Hannah & her quilt!

Opening Up

Since my 1 year anniversary just passed, I have been thinking about the direction that I've taken this blog in. I was going through many trials when I first started the blog, both financial & health issues. I wanted a place that I could share my feelings & struggles without condemnation. I needed friends that would lift me up when I was down, and pray for me when I needed it. I've realized that I haven't opened up very much about my feelings, and as things in life became harder I actually closed up! I want to share something with you that happened this weekend. Believe me it shows how human that I am. I was reading this blog today and it encouraged me to open up.

So, here goes. First a little background...Charlie & I have decided that we are going to try the Dave Ramsey plan, again. Yes, we've done this before but it never works. For one reason or another we just can't do it. For instance, we have decided we are going to go through with the envelope system, snowballing our debts, etc, but we are still planning our vacation this year. Actually our vacation is already almost paid for. Now, Dave Ramsey would have said to take that money and pay off some of your bills, right? Yes, that is right, but we justified in our minds that we need a vacation. Okay, so next we also said we'd only go out to eat on Sunday afternoons after church. That way we can go with our church family and spend time with them. Okay so here's the story. This past weekend we went out as a family on Saturday so we decided we wouldn't go out on Sunday. Now, in my head I knew this, but my heart wasn't going along with it. Sunday afternoon comes and my son mentions going to Ci-Ci's pizza to eat lunch. It would be cheap, he says, and it has been a long time since we've been there. My wonderful head of the household says No, we've already decided. Yes, when I say we, I mean we, We try to make this a family decision so everyone knows the reason why and no one can argue. Well, my belly thought it sounded good too. I didn't really want to go home and eat leftovers. I wanted something different, and I didn't want to cook. Needless to say the discussion became heated. Yes, it was in front of our children. There was a lot of you don't stand behind me, and well you don't care what I want... It was horrible. Even as I am writing this, I am ashamed. We made it home. Charlie told the kids to go in the house, and we stayed in the truck to "talk". It ended rather blandly. Charlie just said this discussion is over, and got out of the truck. I being upset, went where I always go when I'm upset, WALMART. I ran away. I couldn't even look at him. I was ashamed, hurt, and mad. I felt like such a kid, I mean why couldn't we go to Ci-Ci's!

I came back home after a couple of hours, and then around 4:30 we went back to church for choir practice & evening service. Charlie & I are good fakers. We still hadn't spoken and I don't guess anyone knew any difference. Our kids were just being quiet, and watching. I'm sure they were thinking a volcano was going to erupt at any minute. We had a wonderful service, and I began to feel absolutely horrible about the things I had said. I knew in my heart that I had been disrespectful to my husband, and my children. What a stupid argument!?!? I am the one who wanted to do the financial makeover in the first place, and he was just making sure that I followed through. At church that night we went to the alter together, our entire family. I could hear Charlie praying about uniting our hearts, and not letting Satan destroy what God had given us. See we've not always had a perfect marriage. When we have arguments we tend to bring up things from the past, and if you've ever been to marriage counseling than you know that is a no-no! I knew that I was the one that was wrong, and I owed my husband an apology. But more than that, I needed his forgiveness. On our way home from church I asked him to forgive me, and I asked the kids to forgive me too. I wanted them to understand that what I had done was not right, and it was silly & stupid. Of course, Charlie said he would forgive me but then he did something I'll never forget. He asked me to forgive him for being dramatic. You may think that is funny or odd, but if you knew my husband you'd understand. He said he blew it out of proportion, and we were both at fault.

So the moral of the story is just like the picture says at top, it may be hard, but the Husband is the Head of the House! Don't let your children come between you! Stand united together!

My Giveaway

Jen at A Good Cup of Coffee is the winner of my 1st blog giveaway! It is ironic that she won because she was one of the very 1st blogs that I started following! Jen has already requested an apron & pot holders instead of the baby set, so I'll get started on that right away! I already know what fabric I'm going to use. I hope she likes it. The picture above is of everything that I'll be sending, except the apron & pot holders.

I want to thank all of you who entered. I have found lots of new friends and blogs that I have started following through you. I had a lot of fun with this giveaway, and can't wait to have another one.

Exciting News

Shanda & her daughter Laci

I realized that my niece , Shanda, started her blog this week. Shanda is my husband's brother's daughter. When Charlie & I got married Shanda was 10, I think... Her parent's were recently divorced, and she was going through an emotional upheaval. Charlie and I lived with his parents for the first year, and Shanda was there a lot. We became very close and she became like a little sister to me, almost a daughter. After we moved out she spent many days & nights at my house. When I had children she became like their big sister, and good for me because she was always a handy babysitter. Shanda says she has learned many things from me, but I am sure they are both good and bad, probably more bad. You see, Shanda was around us mostly when we were first married, and I was a spoiled child. Yes, I said it! I'm sure she is laughing reading this because we were both spoiled children! Charlie & I both did a lot of growing up, and she was around to witness that. Now we live about 2 hours away from each other but we are still close. As I've gotten older, I've tried to be an example for her of the way that you should act, and hopefully she'll forget all that bad stuff. LOL :) Eventually Shanda married Charlie's best friend. Isn't that odd? Now they have a beautiful little girl. She will be 3 in April, and she is like my granddaughter. She reminds me so much of my little girl. Shanda is a very creative person. Valerie and I have been after her for months to start a blog. She is an excellent crafter. She crochets, sews purses, dresses, you name it and she can make it. She is an avid scrapbooker and can make all kinds of really neat layouts. She made her own shadow boxes of her daughter's first dresses. She could probably post for weeks about the items that she has already made and never even have to start a new project!

So, without further ado...go and visit her blog, A Small Ray of Sunshine!

My 1 year Blog Birthday

I didn't realize that my 1 year blog birthday was going to fall on a Sunday. I very rarely touch a computer on Sunday. So, my birthday present to all of you is late! I'm sorry but I'll make it extra special. I entered the blog world with trepidation. I doubted that anyone would get anything out of it...I didn't realize that it was me that would get the most of it. I've met so many people in the blog world that I call my friends. My family still looks at me strangely when I say things like "I have a friend in AZ that has a lemon tree in her backyard." or "I just talked to Valerie today and she said..." I'm sure they think that Valerie and I are burning up the telephone wires! I've learned so many things from all of you! I've learned many great recipes, how to sew, cutting & piecing quilts, and I am relearning how to embroider! Thank you all for making my 1st year so memorable. You have prayed with me through some of the toughest trials of my life. I started to stop blogging and a friend of friend who never even leaves me comments emailed me. She said that she looks forward to reading my posts, and that I am an inspiration to her. Really?? Me?? I guess I didn't realize by sharing my thoughts, trials, inspirations, my life in a world that seems invisible that I could inspire someone else.

So to celebrate this 1st birthday or blogoversary as some call it, I will be giving away some things that say a lot about me. I've learned to sew this year mostly baby things because my sister had a beautiful baby boy, so I'll be giving away 1 of my baby sets which includes a blanket, bib & cloth diaper. You choose boy or girl & I will make it special just for you! For those of you who don't have a baby in the family I can make something special for your kitchen, like an apron & potholders! I will be giving away a cookbook, because I love to cook and you all were with me as I launched Krista's Kitchen. A devotional book, because I love to be motivated by the bible. and last but not least, fabric... I have accumulated lots of fabric, and I would love to see someone make something with it. I'll be giving away a couple of yards of corduroy, pink & purple 5" squares, and lots of scraps. At this point it is just sitting in the corner of my sewing room/dining room. All of this to just one person!

To enter the giveaway just leave a comment telling me how you've turned lemons into lemonade or in other words how you've turned a trial into a blessing! Oh, and make sure that you leave me your email address or your blog address so that I know how to contact you in case you win! I'll be choosing the winner on Saturday, February 28 so you must enter before Midnight on Friday, February 27.

I'll have pictures to follow this evening. I am unable to post pictures from work.

The Mail

The picture from the top of the subdivision this morning!

Do any of you still get that excited feeling when you go to check the mail? You know the feeling that I am talking about. That feeling that we all had as children when our parents would tell us to check the mail, and we thought maybe just maybe something would be there for us. That feeling left me about the time that I realized the only thing that came in the mail with my name on it were bills! Then this last year I started receiving samples in the mail and I started getting excited when the mailman came.

My daughter loves to check the mail. She usually checks the mailbox everyday on her way in from school. Lately she has started getting college invitations, I guess that is what you call them, you know the letters that say "Come check out our school", so checking the mail has a whole new feeling for her now. Let's just say she is super excited about checking the mail!

Well, yesterday, for some reason, she didn't check the mail so I did. She again had several college invitations which I knew she would love, but there was an envelope for me... It said open immediately, time sensitive, who knew can they put bombs in an envelope. As soon as I get in the house, I rush to open the envelope, and guess what was in it?

JURY SUMMONS

You are hereby summoned to appear before the JUDGE of CRIMINAL COURT...

Since living in Tennessee Charlie & I have both now received an invitation to be on a jury. I served on a jury once in Georgia, but it was a civil case. This could be interesting...

What color is your rainbow?

Your rainbow is intensely shaded white, indigo, and yellow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is says about you: You are a contemplative person. You appreciate cities, technology, and other great things people have created. Friends count on you for being honest and insightful. You're good at getting people to like you.



Find the colors of your rainbow at spacefem.com.

I found this at Sew Happy Quilting, and thought I'd play along. I am a little amazed by the colors of my rainbow. The others that I've seen are usually one color, but mine is very shaded... What does that really say about me?