New Year's

With less than 6 hours left in the year, I realize that although I may not have accomplished everything that I wanted this year, I did make a dent.  This year has been a roller coaster of ups and downs.

Our youngest daughters have moved out to live with their birth mom (our 2nd daughter) and then moved back.  Sometimes, teens have no idea how good they have it.  Bridgett (our 2nd daughter) moved to San Antonio to be with Anthony and it looks like they will be getting married this new year.  What their life has in store for them will be exciting, as they start on a new journey together.

Our oldest daughter, Mandy has had a lot of hard roads to travel, but she is coming out the winner.  She is strong and her faith in God is strong.  She has a wonderful husband, that we are proud to call our own.  Two vivacious girls that keep them busy and young.

Our two youngest, Alexis and Gabrielle, have had to make a lot of choices.  I am sure that they have learnt that some of their choices have not been for the best.  But we are very proud to call them our own, even though they always may not want to call us their own.  Both could be doing better in school, but I have faith in both of them that they will pull ahead.

Payton is still with us (a ex-boyfriend of our 17 year old)  He is now renting the little apartment that my mother-in-law lived in.  He will be finishing high school this May and then going into the service.  He has become like a family member and we will miss him when he leaves.  Oh, well, no sense thinking about it.  His mother raised a great son.

The mother-in-law has moved into the main house.  Enough said about that!

Hubby, Tommy is still on his exercise routine and low- carb diet.  Looks good for almost 59.  He has decided that he enjoys collecting steam engines, along with his farm equipment.  All these are models.  But he does have his share of equipment for the place we live on.

For myself, I have tried to keep the house in order and keep my sanity. Sanity, what is that, exactly?
Above all, I hope that I have learnt some of the lessons that the Lord had for me.  I know that He will continue teaching me new things in the coming year.  Will I be able to handle them all or will they hurt as much as some of the lessons for 2010 were.  I sure hope not.

I am so thankful for the presence of the Lord in my life.  Without Him, each day would be a struggle.  Looking back, I realize that like the poem, "Footprints in the Sand", He has had to carry me so much of the time.  I am looking forward to the new year and what the Lord has for me.  Have you been satisfied with your past 12 months?  If not, just plunge ahead, tomorrow is a new day and a new year.

Sherree

Murder is Binding

Tricia Miles has moved to the quite town of Stoneham, New Hampshire to open up a book store that features mysteries.

Moving from a bustling city life to a quite country life, Tricia is excited to finally achieve a dream.  The street is lined with other book stores that feature history and next door a cookbook store.  Life is great, until she finds Doris Gleason, the owner of the cookbook store dead.

With the sheriff is determined that Tricia is the killer, it is up to her to find the real killer.  When pamphlets are constantly found in books about a nudist camp, her sister, Angelica decides to come for a visit and the Mike Harris, the man that is running for selectman is calling her, "his girl", will Tricia find herself living one of the many mystery books that she has in her store?

My daughter and I both love a good, clean mystery.  She sent me the first three books in the series, "A Booktown Mystery", and I am hooked.  The author, Lorna Barrett, knows how to take the reader and plop you right down in the middle of Stoneham,New Hampshire.  She has given each of the characters such color, that you are almost sure that they are real.  I love when an author can write a book and as you read, you feel that you are a part of the story.  This is one of those authors.
I found that I could not put the book down.  I finished it in one day and looking forward to the next.  If you enjoy a good mystery that you can cuddle up with, then this is one for you.

Bundles of Trouble

What more does a new mother need, aside of a new born daughter to take care of?

Just as Kate is on the way to the hospital with labor pains, the phone rings.  It is the medical examiner, calling about her brother-in-law, George.  His bags have been found at the pier, where a dead body has been found.  Is it George, or perhaps he is the one responsible for the dead body?

Once the body has been identified, Kate finds herself searching for George.  Deciding that she would like to become a private detective, Kate launches out to find who is responsible for not only one, but three deaths.  Can she do this with a new baby in tow, before she becomes a target herself?



My daughter and I found this at Half Price Books in San Antonio, over the summer and the author, Diana Orgain was a new author for us both.  Diana Orgain will take you on a ride that will have you laughing one minute and almost crying the next.  I have already ordered the second in the series.    I highly recommend this book and would rate it with a 5.

Mary Did You Know

Apothecary Jars

I found these on www. uncommondesigns.blogspot.com.  The first time I saw them, they were decorated for Halloween, with the words BOO.  I love the way they look for Christmas.  Taking something so simple, but looking so elegant.  Wanted to share them.

Christmas Tree & Succulents

Well, I just thought that I was only going to do the lights.  I turned out, that I had to do the whole tree.  I kept telling myself, "Only the Tree, Sherree".  But as you can see from the pictures, I did not listen to myself.

Once I get started on something, I just seem to not be able to stop.  So from the tree, I went to the mantel.  Tommy came in after work and he was surprised that the mantel was done.  He commented that, "You have never decorated the mantel since we redone it."  That is true.  I really just hate to take my things down, just to replace with something that will only stay out a few weeks.  Plus, where am I suppose to put all the stuff that I have taken down?

The night before, Tommy once again mentioned that I should take some of the branches from the holly tree out front.  We planted it the year my mother passed  in memory of her.  She loved playing the piano, so now when I look at the holly on the piano top, I think of her and how much she is missed.

Had an open space that was just begging to be filled with this little stuffed dog

Perfect place for my snowmen collection from Hallmark

Perfect place for my 4ft. snowman.  I just have to remember that it is not a real person.

A birthday present from My Aunt Arvina and I did not want to put them up.

On the bar in the kitchen and no, the apples are not real.  They are wooden.

Captain Knuckles and Nola

My baby Donkey Ears, that are having babies themselves.  

From there, you would think that I would be worn out.  Remember, how I said that I hated to remove things?  Well, the place that the tree stands now is were my coffee table was with some of my succulents.  So, on to the sunroom.  Not only did I have to move them, I had to get the sunroom clean.  I made my shelves using paint cans and extra shelves I had laying around.  My Mandy, made a great place for hers with cement blocks.  But at 9:00 at night, Lowe's is closed.  So the next best thing I had, were my many cans of paint (left over from my many projects)

Fill in the Blank

1. I Wish  - That I lived in San Antonio, Tx, where my two oldest daughters live.

2. Yesterday I - Finished putting the lights and the decorations on the tree, dressed up the mantel and the piano for Christmas.  Also, I re-arranged all my succulents on new shelves in the sunroom,

3.  Today I will - Get the house clean and get the laundry done.

4.  Tomorrow I will - Get my hair washed, go out to lunch with my hubby and then at 4:00 I will leave for church. ( We have 1 service on Saturday nights and then 3 on Sunday)

I think that this a real person, but it is a snowman.

5.  May - I need to go by the phone store and take back a holder for my car.  I dropped my Droid Incredible and have to wait until the 22nd to get a new one.  And at that time, I am going to upgrade, so the holder I got will not work.

6.  Someday - All my children will have grown up and I will be able to keep my house clean and have time to sit back and read.

7.  I love - Jesus, my family, a clean and orderly house, to be with my Mandy at the bookstore (actually anywhere would be fine),Diet Dr. Pepper, and of course, BOOKS!

This post is part of, little things we do, that Lauren puts out every Friday.  Anyone is welcome to join in.

A Real Tree, Again and Birthday gift

Normally, I just want to put up a fake tree.  Why?  Because, I am the one that has to clean up the needles and make sure that it is watered if we have the real McCoy.

This year, the girls wanted to have a real one, with all the needles and of course lest we forget, the wonderful smell.  That is the only good redeeming part of the real thing.  So on Monday, I forked out some of my birthday money and got a 8 ft tree.  I did have to give it a hair cut.  I will admit, the tree really is nice and the needles are not so bad, since I have hardwood floors.

After 2 trips for lights, I finally got them all on and now the girls will put on the ornaments.  I wanted to go with just gold and red balls, but oh, no.  The girls would have nothing to do with that.  I will be so glad when it comes time to be able to make my own decisions.

Christmas is so hard for me to get into.  I suppose if I had all my children close and I knew that on Christmas, we would have a house full with laughter, children, food, puzzles and games to be played, it might not be so hard.  But I really don't mean to complain.  The Lord has been so good to us, that I really should be thankful that I still have some family around.  I do plan on doing some more decorating, but my hours of daylight are being spent painting and redoing a trailer.  I tell myself every year, that come December, I am going to be relaxed and have my house in order so that each day in December can be filled  with having family and friends over.  So with that thought in mind, I would like to share two of my favorite ornaments.

My Mandy gave this to me one year.

One that I made when I had time years ago.

I wanted to share a special birthday gift.  My sister, Tammy had a young man make a wooden basketball.  He did an awesome job and he even painted it.  Now wouldn't the serious San Antonio Spurs fans love to have one of these.  It is a one of a kind.  The basketball that has my name on it, was given to me by my Mandy.  I love these reminders of my favorite sport's team.

How Read am I

My most favorite place to be

The BBC believes most people will have read only 6 of the 100 books listed here.

Instructions:
Copy this list. 
Bold those books you’ve read in their entirety. 
Italicise the ones you started but didn’t finish or read only an excerpt. 
Tag other book nerds. 

Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen*
The Lord of the Rings – JRR Tolkien
Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte
Harry Potter series – JK Rowling
To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
The King James Bible
Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte
Nineteen Eighty Four (1984) – George Orwell
His Dark Materials – Philip Pullman
Great Expectations – Charles Dickens
Little Women – Louisa M Alcott *
Tess of the D’Urbervilles – Thomas Hardy
Catch 22 – Joseph Heller
Complete Works of Shakespeare
Rebecca – Daphne Du Maurier
The Hobbit – JRR Tolkien
Birdsong – Sebastian Faulk
Catcher in the Rye – JD Salinger
The Time Traveler's Wife – Audrey Niffenegger
Middlemarch – George Eliot
Gone With The Wind – Margaret Mitchell*
The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald
War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
Brideshead Revisited – Evelyn Waugh
Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck
Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll
The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame
Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy
David Copperfield – Charles Dickens
Chronicles of Narnia – CS Lewis
Emma -Jane Austen
Persuasion – Jane Austen
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe – CS Lewis
The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini
Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – Louis De Bernieres
Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden
Winnie the Pooh – A.A. Milne
Animal Farm – George Orwell
The DaVinci Code – Dan Brown
One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez 
A Prayer for Owen Meaney – John Irving
The Woman in White – Wilkie Collins
Anne of Green Gables – LM Montgomery
Far From The Madding Crowd – Thomas Hardy
The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
Lord of the Flies – William Golding
Atonement – Ian McEwan
Life of Pi – Yann Martel
Dune – Frank Herbert
Cold Comfort Farm – Stella Gibbons
Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen
A Suitable Boy – Vikram Seth
The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon
A Tale Of Two Cities – Charles Dickens
Brave New World – Aldous Huxley
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time – Mark Haddon
Love In The Time Of Cholera – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck
Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov
The Secret History – Donna Tartt
The Lovely Bones – Alice Sebold*
Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas
On The Road – Jack Kerouac
Jude the Obscure – Thomas Hardy
Bridget Jones’s Diary – Helen Fielding
Midnight’s Children – Salman Rushdie
Moby Dick – Herman Melville
Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens
Dracula – Bram Stoker
The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett
Notes From A Small Island – Bill Bryson
Ulysses – James Joyce
The Inferno – Dante
Swallows and Amazons – Arthur Ransome
Germinal – Emile Zola
Vanity Fair – William Makepeace Thackeray
Possession – AS Byatt
Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens
Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell
The Color Purple – Alice Walker
The Remains of the Day – Kazuo Ishiguro
Madame Bovary – Gustave Flaubert
A Fine Balance – Rohinton Mistry
Charlotte’s Web – E.B. White
The Five People You Meet In Heaven – Mitch Albom
Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Faraway Tree Collection – Enid Blyton
Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad
The Little Prince – Antoine De Saint-Exupery
The Wasp Factory – Iain Banks
Watership Down – Richard Adams
A Confederacy of Dunces – John Kennedy Toole
A Town Like Alice – Nevil Shute
The Three Musketeers – Alexandre Dumas
Hamlet – William Shakespeare
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl
Les Miserables – Victor Hugo

Bolded titles, I have read.  The * books are the ones I hope to get to sometime. According to this list, I'm barely eligible to be considered well read.  I've only read 9 of them.  What do they know!  How about you?



I suppose that I would not be considered a well rounded reader.  But, I know that I have always loved to read.  My favorite times as a child, was sitting on the floor in the Library with books surrounding me.

Fill in the Blank

1.  Holiday Spirit:  Spending time with your friends, watching Christmas movies, and remembering Jesus' birth.

2.  The holidays are incomplete without: cold weather, hot chocolate, family, fire in the fireplace and good     food.

3.  My favorite thing to do around the holiday is:  to bake sweets, decorate my home, be with my children.

4.  A holiday tradition my family and I have:  I wish that I had one.  If I did, I think that it would be that we   would play games and have snacks and just enjoy staying together the whole day.

5.  Holiday music:  My husband loves Christmas music.  I enjoy listening to it, but I can't take a full menu of it.

6.  This year, I will be spending the holidays:  At home with my youngest daughters, husband, Payton (young man that is totally in love with Alexis) and my mother-in-law.

7.  Holiday wish list:  A Kindle or Nook, a quiet day to enjoy the fire and a good book.

I found this series on, the little things we do.  Be sure to check her site out.

My Interpretation of God's Fingerprint

In Isaiah 49:16, it says"I have tattooed your name upon my palm"(Living Bible).  I get so excited when I think of this verse.  Just to know that God has my name in His palm gives me peace.

When my daughters were born, each one had characteristics from each of their parents.  As they grew up to be adults, it became more evident.  Not only can people tell that they are our daughters, but they have taken on some of our values, personalities, and gestures.  This is how I want to be with God.  As I walk with the Lord, I hope that people will be able to tell that I belong to God.  Not only because of the way I dress, but by my conversation, the places I go, the friends that I keep company with and above all , my willingness to serve others and put them first.

To Have Thanksgiving Dinner or Not?

Every Thanksgiving Day, I am always in a fix.  Do I have everyone over or do I just plan to fix for my husband and girls.

Well, this Thanksgiving I found myself with so much stress on my life that I actually told my sister, Tammy that I would not have the dinner at my house this year.  But, as my children know, I caved in and told everyone that we would have dinner at my house.

It is so hard to let others down.  So last night I started on my cooking.  First the Baby Food cake for Gabrielle.  Then on to the Pound cake(only my grandmother's will do).  So I fixed two, one for my sister and then one for Payton( Alexis' boyfriend).  Then on to the Deviled Eggs.  Now one year, we let Marie fix them and thank- goodness I had fixed some and we replace them.  Now we know when asked, we give her something else to fix.  I only know one way to fix them and that is the way my mother taught me.

I had gotten some squash at the store and decided that I would fix a casserole.  Now when it comes to this, I just wing it.  I never fix it the same way, I just add things until I think that it tastes good.  I do think that this year I would have added jalapenos if I knew that others would have enjoyed the heat.  But to say the least, I think that it was the best one so far.

I got the tea fixed, oh, I almost forgot the brownies.  This time I used small muffin tins and then I forgot to set them out.  The kids will enjoy them when they all get back from Mississippi.  So this holiday, I had none of my children at home.

We still had a great time with Tammy and her children and their families.  Normally, each Thanksgiving I bring out a book that I made in 2002.  We will bring this out each year and we all write something that we are thankful for.  Except this year, I completely forgot to get it out.  I even forgot to take pictures until my Mandy reminded me about pictures.  So I went ahead and took a few pictures of things always asked for.

This year my life has been filled with alot of ups and downs.  Without God being the Lord of my life, I am sure you would find me in a mental institute.  My Margins have been tried and have gotten very small, but then the Lord always brings me back to normal.  What do people do that don't have the Lord in their life?  How do they handle the day to day problems that come up?  It is a blessing to know that with every problem, I have got the Lord on my side.

 Here's hoping that your day was everything that it could be.

Something I Love About Myself

This one is even harder to write than the last one.

I guess the thing that I most like about myself, is my willingness to help others.  One of my friends always told me, that I had a sign on my forehead that said ASK ME.  Actually, I am not that bad, but I do tend to have a problem saying NO.  But I am learning.  I just like to help others.  But it does bother me some when after helping someone that they continue needing help.  After awhile, you need to get up off your duff and start doing for yourself.

Both my parents were givers and I always want to be like them in that area.  My Mother would always help those that were not able to do for themselves and I never remember my Daddy saying no, when there were others in need.  So it just became a part of me.  I think you could just call me a "Martha" not a "Mary".

Something I Hate About Myself

This I had to really think about.  Do I really like my body?  I have watched the show on BBC where they take a woman and have her look at their body with just undergarments on and then at the end, they agree to have their picture taked nude.  I don't think that I love myself enough to go that far.

So, I had to think, are my breast really that large, my thighs really that big.  Well, yes, I would say so.  Oh, to go back in time and realize all the food I could eat without gaining, was only for a season.  Now I need to hit the gym and lay off the carbs.  But at the same time, I don't think that I am that bad.  I keep telling myself that it is just age.  I need to be content that I am healthy, have a loving husband of 36 years and have a family that loves me.  So with that said, I will continue to watch my weight and chill out.

Writer's Workshop- Why Are You Burned Out?

When I was 18 and looking forward to being married and having a family, it turned out to be a little different than I had pictured.

I remember asking the Lord for a husband and that I wanted to get married before May of the next year.  I also asked that I would have 2 girls.  Well, I did get married before May, actually the 12th of April and we had 2 beautiful daughters that are 15 months apart.

My Tommy and I have been married for 36 years at this date, still married to each other, in love and enjoy our time together(what little time that is).

My Mandy & Bridgett

Now to the present day, I have 2 more daughters that we adopted when they were born.  Our 2nd daughter, is the birth mother of both of them.  One is 17 and the other 14.  Add to that my mother-in-law that has lived with us for the past 16 years.

I find myself so burned out, that I don't enjoy doing the things that are important to me.  The last 2 daughters are much more vocal and definitely try my patience almost daily.  I realize that the times have changed and children are different, due to media, music and such.  But it seems no matter what I say, they say different.

My mother-in-law, which is a jewel(at times) is now experiencing Alzheimer's.  My days are beginning to not be my own.  I really try my best to remember to treat her as if she were my own mother.   And with God's grace I am surviving.

Now take all this and add two trailers that I am trying to get painted by the end of this month, Thanksgiving coming up and will be getting the house in order for company, my life is just not a little stressed but loads of stress.  My body tells me that I just need to stop and let each day come as it will.  But I am one that likes to get things done and I really hate to put things off until the last minute.

I thought that when my Tommy and I got to the retirement age, that the children would be gone and that it would just be the two of us.  So now I just burn the candle at both ends and continue to try my best to get past the BURNED OUT stage.

But don't get me wrong, I love my 4 daughters and mother-in-law.  My daughters especially, are the bright spot of my life, not to mention my grandchildren.  I just keep remembering that the Lord will continue to give me the strength as I need it.

My Alexis & Gabrielle

This post was part of Mama Kat's

Teenagers and Jeans

This morning I woke to the sound of rain on the windows.  I thought to myself what a way to start the day. I had made a promise to start my day with the Lord first and I fully intended to fulfill this.  First off, I should have taken my Bible and my devotional book upstairs.  I know that I need to do this before I even place my feet on the floor.  So down the stairs I go.  Except that when I got downstairs, the atmosphere was not at all peaceful.

I have Alexis (17), Payton (18 and living with us until I get the trailer ready for him) and then our lovely, dramatic Gabrielle(14).  It seems that Gabrielle has left her ONLY 2 pairs of jeans at her friends house and she has no jeans to wear.  Now if her sister would only get off her pedestal and let her borrow a pair, we would not be in the spot.  Alexis probably owns 20 pairs at least.  So asking nicely, I thought, Alexis proceeds to let me know that she is not sharing her jeans and that it is not her problem.  Never mind that I am the one that pays for the jeans.  So off to school Payton and Alexis go.

Now begins the real drama,  "Mother, I can not go to school without jeans to wear."  When I ask where are the 6 pair that she bought while living in San Antonio are, she responded - They are too short now.  Right, like she has grown in the last month.  Well, I send her upstairs to her sisters room only to find that the door has been locked.  At this moment, if I had high blood pressure, I am sure that it is skyrocketing.  So off I go to my desk, hoping that I have a key to the lock.  Yes, I do, so now perhaps we can get to school.

Drama must be Gabrielle's middle name.  Somehow it is my fault and all I did was get out of bed without giving the Lord the first 10 minutes of my day.  Trust me, tomorrow I will make this a priority.  So off to school we go and the car is silent.  I always hated when my mother would give the silent treatment.  I wanted to talk, but in my heart I knew that anything that I said would meet with disdain.  As we are pulling into the parking lot, I notice other parents letting their LATE children off.  Thinking that I could do the same.  Oh, no, now it would be my fault again if I were to decide that because it is pouring down rain, that she could walk herself in.  So I get out of the car, all the while not saying a word( you know how teenagers can be if you say the wrong thing).  When I finish checking her in, I ask the secretary if it was required that I sign her in when she is late.  Oh, no, she is able to do that herself.  I turn to Gabrielle and say "have a great day", to which she replies(you don't want to know).

So after school today, I take pick her up and take her to "the New Black"  a consignment store and start looking for jeans.  Nothing fit, but we did find some shirts, purse and a pair of shoes(new).  All for the total cost of $207.00.  Then I get home and order some on Hollister(fortunately the are on sale).  I look at Gabrielle and tell her, that she had better wash the jeans she has on, because those will be going to school tomorrow on her body.  I know that I should have just looked for jeans, but I knew that the shirts would be the next thing that she didn't have.

My Mandy and Bridgett were never this hard to please or dress.  One of these days, I am going to get to go shopping for myself and enjoy it.

In Need Of A Cool Drink

This afternoon, my daughter, Mandy called to say that she was on her way back to "Half Price Books".  It seems that while she was purchasing books yesterday, she came upon a new author for us.  Unknowingly, the author of these books is a "practicing witch".  She called last night to tell me.  My first response was to burn them, throw them in the trash, or better yet, put them in a bag and set them outside.  I have always taught my girls that Satan and his imps were real.  I have also taught them to be careful in their reading, music, and movie watching.

Well, she is such a wonderful and obedient daughter.  Even though she is married with two girls, she still remembers what she was taught.

So Mandy and the girls are in the car and they have decided that they need a cool drink.  Now, I take full responsibility for this.  You see, when they are with me, we will always stop by the "SONIC".  Not only do we like their drinks, but they have HAPPY ICE.  If I don't have enough money to stop for a drink on our outings, I will normally take an ice cooler with drinks in it.  I LOVE SPOILING my grandchildren.  So now, Mandy has decided that perhaps they don't need to come visit Nana (I really think she was kidding).  We will see.

I am so blessed with four daughters, not that the others always listen.  But I can always count on Mandy to listen and think before saying she has other ideas.

My Mandy and I both have made the statement that we should stop drinking the sodas or as my grandmother would say, "belly washers".  But each time we do, we realize that they taste so good and hit the spot on a hot day, that we will continue to drink them.

My grandchildren, know that they only have to ask and yes, we will find the nearest SONIC!