People I love: My Sweet Husband

You have heard me gush and gush on my weekly My Husband Rocks! posts about my precious husband, but as I've started thinking about the things I love, I have to say that I will probably not ever come to the end of why I love my husband.

He is my hero. I told him that last night and he just smiled sheepishly. I don't think he thinks he deserves that title, but I know better. He spent the entire weekend either planning how to fix my van, calling places to find the part to fix my van, going to the pull-apart place to retrieve the part to fix my van, or working with his friend, Terry, actually fixing my van. He was not through until 8 o'clock last night, coming home exhausted and covered with grease. Sitting here thinking about how much he did for me just this weekend makes me cry. He loves me so much and is willing to do everything in his power to make me happy, but more importantly, safe.

I don't say all of this in order for y'all to comment and tell me how wonderful a man I have. While I won't tell you not to, that's not my intent. Nor do I say all of this to make any of you whose husbands are less than perfect (you know what I mean) feel like I'm saying that your man doesn't measure up. All I'm doing in these posts is honoring my husband. We have times when we want to smack each other, just like other married couples do. I know living with me is HARD. There are some days that I just want him to come home and take our Kiddo somewhere safely away from ME. I don't want either of them to be around me when I get in the flesh-filled (as opposed to Spirit-filled), hormonal, emotional self that I can get into.

He is raising our son to be a man of God, one who honors his commitments, his wife, and his God. He makes mistakes, just like we all do, but he owns up to them and lets our Kiddo know when he is wrong. Sometimes I wish he'd admit it to me more often....; ) Just kidding.

Is my man perfect? By God's standards, no (that's where grace comes in). But he IS perfect for me. I can't imagine life without him, and I'm so glad my loving Father blessed me with this man.

My Husband Rocks! Friday

Per yesterday's post, I want to start telling you about the things I love with, of course, my husband. If you read me on a regular basis, you know that I try to do My Husband Rocks! on most Friday's. Katy Lin came up with the idea to honor our husbands on a regular basis, and I am very grateful she did. Before I start talking (again) about my Sweet Husband, let me tell you something Katy is doing.

She is having a fantabulous giveaway! To celebrate the almost 100 women who have signed up to honor their husbands each week, she is giving away a ton of great stuff! You'll have to head on over there to see how much stuff she's giving away, but my favorite is the t-shirt!

My Husband Rocks! T's

I have wanted one of these t-shirts since she first showed them to us on her blog! They also have "My Wife Rocks" and she's giving one of those away, too! She's also giving away a book that I've wanted to read for a long time, Love and Respect, by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs. Find the rest of the details at her giveaway post! Woo hoo!

Okay, on to my favorite person in the whole, wide world, My Sweet Husband. What have I not told you about yet? Hmm, I don't know. I do know that this week he rocks because he is doing his best at finding the part to fix my van. I drive an Astro Van...Kiddo used to call it the Green Big Van. The Lord provided it for us, so I'm trying to be thankful for it, but it needs more and more work done to it. Right now, it needs a rear end. That sounds so funny for me to write! Anyway, the whole rear end has to be replaced. He told me the main gear is missing teeth, which reminded me of my Grandaddy when he'd take his dentures out. Ooh, sorry, digressing.

So, because God has blessed us with enough to get an old one, he is scouring salvage yards (over the phone, of course...he still has to work!) to see if he can find one. None of the pull-apart places he checked with has one...but he is still working on it. And when he finds one, he and a friend are going to do the work themselves. My husband rocks because he can fix ANYTHING!

I love him so much. He takes care of me and our Kiddo and doesn't ask for much in return. He works so hard at work and church, hardly ever taking a break. He thinks he is being selfish when he wants to go fishing or hunting, but I tell him he deserves a break now and then! Then I sweetly say, "Just don't make it a habit...." ; )

One blog post is just not enough to tell you how much I love my precious man. So, get ready to hear lots and lots of mushy stuff. Kiddo will be SO happy to read that (he actually wants to gag when we get all lovey dovey...we'll let him stay that way for as long as he wants to!).

100th post!

Okay, so it's been a week almost since I posted last. Do you know why? Because that little number up there on my title. 100. Why is that number so daunting? Well, because I wanted my 100th post to be perfect. To embody my blogging life so far. I have spent the better part of a week trying to figure out how to do that. I still haven't come up with anything. However, I did come up with something.

Why does anyone start a blog in the first place? For me, it was to journal my random thoughts so that I could pretend other people were listening. After I started I begged and begged my friends and family to read it. Some did, some didn't. I gave up begging and realized that I was slowly becoming dependent not on them, but on all of the bloggers who so faithfully comment. I so appreciate all of you. I know that I return most of the love, but there are some that comment on mine that I just don't get to yours. I apologize, but if I started reading all the blogs out there that I really wanted to, I'd never get my tail off my computer chair. Not a good thing when you have a house to keep (relatively) clean and a son to educate.

I have come to love blogging. At first, I thought I'd never skip a day. Yeah, that lasted all of two months. It's just not practical. But I do love it. I love creating, writing, photographing, editing, all of it. I also love reading yours. So, here's my idea for such a momentous occasion...I'm going to share other things that I love over the next few posts. Random things. Things you really won't care to know, but I'm going to tell you anyway. I'm not going to do the "100 things about me" because you really don't want to read that much about me anyway. I might throw a couple in here and there.

I'm also going to revisit some of my earlier posts, the ones that are my favorites. Debbie mentioned in her introduction to my blog on Blog Around The World that she didn't know what my blog title meant, and I'm sure many of you don't either. So, I'll re-explain. Or, 'splain, as I like to say.

I never knew 4th grade was going to be so very hard for me as a homeschool mom. I really don't think that the material is that much harder, but there is more of it. So, I've had to reeeeeally slow down on my posts. I hate it, too, because my mind works all the time on what would make a good post. I also post for another blog, and when I'm ready to show y'all that one, you can be sure I'll let you know.

So, continue reading if you'd like, but this series is really going to be just for me. To remind me of who and what I love and why. Thank you for reading.

My Husband Rocks! Friday

I know, I know, I skipped last week. Before you all think I'm a terrible wife, let me say that I had permission from my husband (un-asked-for permission at that) because my day was extremely hectic and I just couldn't get to it. I think I've been in a blog slump anyway. But not today! I'm back at it with my Sweet Husband's tribute post. If you'd like to be a part of Katy Lin's "My Husband Rocks! Fridays," head on over there and sign up. You can grab this cool button, too!

Today my husband rocks because he's not afraid to get in there and do some decorating himself. He asked me the other day if I would post about something he did. I told him "Well, of course!"

He had an old, beat up frame in which he had put a picture of moi. I kind of liked the "beat -upped-ness" of it, but he wanted to make it look better. So, unbeknownst to me, he grabs the frame and heads outside with one of my cans of spray paint. He came back in chuckling. This is when he asked me if I'd post something he did. He told me that he had spray painted the frame black, and intended for it to stay black, until he dropped in the sawdust. Grumbling, he tried to get all the sawdust off, realizing then that he kind of liked the look he was creating after wiping all that stuff off. He liked it so much he kept it, and put my picture back in.

So, that's the end of today's post...what? Oh, you wanted to see the finished product? But that would mean I'd have to show you my picture and I just don't know if I want to do that....oh, alright... Please forgive the glare in the middle. I really don't have a large white glob on my chin. At least I don't think I do. But notice the way the brown of the old frame comes through the new black paint? I think it looks really cool, and especially on the $.25 thrift store metal rack it's sitting on.

So, my Sweet Husband, you rock because you're not scared of getting a little spray paint (and sawdust!) on you to make something better! Thank you for your encouragement to make our home more beautiful!

It's all her fault!

That Susie Harris. She did this to me. I couldn't stop thinking about it after she posted about it. I searched the world over (okay, my little town) for it and didn't sleep (well, maybe just a little) until the treasure was found. I wasn't ready for it yet. Never do I get sucked in to its temptation so early in the season.

What is this thing that has such a hold on me? What calls me to strange places (Walgreens) at all hours of the night (it was about 10:00 PM) so that I might quench this need? After this post you have to ask? It's CANDY CORN! It's my favorite candy in all the world. Well, at least in fall it is. I lurve candy corn. So much so that I couldn't wait to tear into the bag as soon as I got home.

Hey, at least I waited until I got home. Uh, I think I did. I was feeling particularly giving that night and bought one bag for my family and another bag for a friend who also loves candy corn. Yeah...um...that bag never made it to his hands. Within a week we (okay, I) had snarffled (that's a word in mine and Kat's dictionary) down that whole bag. The other bag, the one for our friend...poor thing; it didn't have a chance.

Now, having said all that, I will say that it's taken me quite a bit longer to get rid of the second bag. I just finished it last night. I will, out of love for our friend, have to buy another bag. Oh, alright, I'll buy his when I buy me another bag. He'll be lucky if his ever makes it to him.

Thanks a lot, Susie! See what you started! ; )

Today, please remember those in Louisiana still cleaning up from Gustav. Susie is one of those folks. Not to mention all the people in Texas. Wow. I'm praying this hurricane season is over!

Added September 19th...for those of you coming by from other countries, particularly Australia (that makes me SO happy!), here is the Wikipedia explanation of candy corn.

"Candy Corn is a confection popular in the United States, particularly around Halloween. Each piece is approximately the size of a whole kernel of corn, as if it fell off a ripe or dried ear of corn. The candy is usually tri-colored with a yellow base, orange center, and white tip, although the color combinations may vary. Candy corn is made primarily from sugar, corn syrup and honey. Carnauba Wax (whatever that is) is usually added. Although it is most popular at Halloween, it is available year-round. The National Confectioners Association estimate 20 million pounds of candy corn are sold each year. October 30 is National Candy Corn Day."

So now you know. I have no idea what carnauba wax is...I don't think I want to know.

I'm totally swiping.

So I'm clicking away on my blog, you know, like I have no laundry or dishes. Just checking out my buttons. Did you get your "A Soft Place to Land" button yet? If not, stop right here and GO GET IT! Ahem. Not that I'm bossing you around or anything. Back to my original thought. I clicked on my "I'm in the Spotlight!" shameless plug button and started reading about some of the other wonderful women in the blogging world.

As soon as I clicked on Natalie's blog, I knew I was going to like it. Then I read this post. Oh. My. Gosh. It is the funniest thing I've read since...I can't remember the last time I laughed this hard at a blog post. Anyway, she's stinkin' hilarious and I'm totally swiping her post for today. 'Cause, you know, I'm just too tired to do one of my own. Having that many people over yesterday about wore poor little ol' me out. Just kidding. I loved every minute of it. So, read Natalie's post. You will thank me for it.

Welcome to Mississippi!

For those of you coming from Blog Around The World, Hey y'all! I'm so glad you are checking us Mississippi girls out. I have spent days trying to figure out what to say to you and what to leave out. I can get a bit chatty. Somehow I think that's not going to change with this post. While I was doing my first draft (yes, I'm a perfectionist...what can I say?) I kept coming up with more and more to write about, and had to delete some just so you wouldn't get so bored you fell asleep on your keyboard. Debbie is a creative genius for heading this trip up! So, without further ado...Welcome!
I've lived in DeSoto County, Mississippi most of my life. My family has lived in DeSoto County for many generations, a fact that makes me proud to live here. I know there are tons of jokes about rednecks and trailer parks in Mississippi, but that's not what we're about, just like any of the southern states. I love the saying I've seen on bumper stickers..."American by birth, Southern by the grace of God!" I hope I can give you a glimpse of why I love it here.

Before we go any further, let me give you a little grammar lesson. "Y'all" is a correct contraction for "you all." Ex: "Y'all get washed up for supper!" "Fixin'" means you are about to do something. Ex: "I'm fixin' to go to the store, do you need anything?" Adding an "R" to the end of a word normally ending in a vowel, while not widespread, is permitted. As is the opposite, taking the "R" off words ending in "R," substituting "uh" or "ah" in its place. Making words normally one syllable into two or more is expected. Taking one or more syllables out of words that normally have two or more syllables is also the norm. Now that you understand our vernacular, you're ready to go.

You can't get any further north in Mississippi than where I live. In fact, Southaven's slogan is "Top of Mississippi." Southaven High school is where John Grisham graduated from, as did my Sweet Husband. Only not at the same time. Okay, on to the basics: our state flower, as well as state tree, is the Southern Magnolia. For those of you who have not seen or smelled this gorgeous flower, the fake scents of candles and potpourri just don't do it justice. Not even Yankee Candles, my favorite. The blooms are huge and the leaves of the tree stay green all year long, making beautiful arrangements at Christmastime.

Our state bird is the Northern Mockingbird. I'm sorry, maybe it's not being politically correct to say you hate your state's bird, but I just cannot tolerate it. I mean, why not have a bird that is not so annoying you want to shoot it at 3 o'clock in the morning? And let me tell you, I am a certified bird nerd. I love all things avian, but my love has conditions. Not singing at the top of your lungs in the middle of the night is one of those conditions. So, even though the Mockingbird really has a beautiful voice and can mimic many other birds, I just don't like it. By the way, I didn't take this picture. I have no idea to whom to give credit, but I believe in full disclosure. So there you go.

Moving on to great places to go, not far from my neck of the woods is the college town of Oxford. Right now there is a lot of buzz going on down there because the Mississippi Southern Living Idea House is just outside Oxford in Taylor, Mississippi. I haven't been able to go down there yet (it's a little over an hour away), but I would like to before it closes in October.

If you don't tell my Kiddo that I did this, I will say a little about the university that's in Oxford. Shhh...if he finds out I will be disowned. See, even though we live in Mississippi, we are die-hard fans of the University of Memphis Tigers. Which, by default, means we must hate Ole Miss (its real name is the University of Mississippi). That's not what I was going to tell you, though. There are generally two colleges you pledge your allegiance to when you live in North Mississippi (we have pledged no such thing to either one, but most everyone else I know has); Ole Miss or Mississippi State. Loving one means hating the other. SEC fans are tough, man. There's also Southern Miss, where Brett Favre went to school. Did you know he is from Mississippi? (Side note here...the JETS????)

Undoubtedly the most famous person ever to come out of Mississippi has to be Elvis Presley. You know his house is in Memphis, but did you know he was born in Tupelo? I have only been to his birthplace once; I went with my Australian friends, Grant and Rod when they came to visit back when I was 23. In other words, eons ago. This is a picture of Rod and Grant on the porch of the Presley home. Don't ask me what Grant was doing with his leg on the rail like that. I'm surprised he didn't get us kicked off the property for not keeping all hands and feet inside the tourist attraction.

Speaking of Tupelo, the Tupelo Buffalo Park and Zoo is one of the neatest places in North Mississippi that I've never been to. I'm not joking when I say that. My sister and nephew enjoy going there, but I haven't made it down there yet. I know my Kiddo would love it.

Another town that has a lot to see is Holly Springs. It has the most beautiful Antebellum homes that you can tour during the annual Pilgrimage. It is also the setting for Jan Karon's latest novel, Home to Holly Springs. I loved that book. I love all of Jan Karon's books. If you haven't read her Mitford books, you must. MUST. They are set in North Carolina and are delightful. Sorry, I digress. Again.

Many places in Mississippi were Civil War battle sites, but probably the most famous in North Mississippi is Corinth. If you are into history, particularly Civil War history, this town is for you. They have so many museums, tours, and reenactments it makes you feel like you are back in time.

Another town where there is lots to do is Tunica. Forget the casinos. There's more to do than waste your money there. The Tunica Aquatic Center is an indoor pool that has a water feature for any age. The Tunica River Park is a beautiful place all around, with state of the art architecture, a gorgeous view of the Mississippi River, a museum of Mississippi's Natural History, and walking trails that take you on a nature hike.This picture of my Kiddo and Husband was taken a few years ago from one of the lookouts at the River Park. Sorry the quality is so horrible...I forgot to give my husband this one to scan at work so I had to take a picture of it. I'm desperate, I know.

Here's another picture of the river. Every time I drive across it from Memphis to Arkansas I'm reminded how massive this body of water is. This picture just doesn't do it justice. Especially since it's another picture of a picture.

Another body of water that is close to us is Arkabutla Lake. There's not much I can say about Arkabutla, but I wanted to point out that, per my dialect instructions listed at the beginning of this post, I was nineteen years old before I knew Arkabutla was not spelled "Arkabutler". We passed a sign for it on the interstate and for a split second I thought, "Hey, they spelled it wrong!" Then the reality hit me that, no, they spelled it correctly, but I, along with everyone else who had ever said the name since the lake was formed, pronounced it incorrectly. And I still do, dagnabbit.

I know this post has been all over the place (literally!), and I'm not usually so disjointed, but I wanted to show y'all a little bit of everything. I hope your head isn't spinning, and I hope you are still awake. I didn't even get to talk about the Delta (where The Blues was born, and yes, that is correct grammar), Hernando (our county seat named for Hernando DeSoto, who discovered the Mississippi River in 1541), Snowden Grove (one of the best little league baseball parks in the country), and so many other things. If you're still with me, thank you for letting me talk incessantly about my neck of the woods.

I do love Mississippi!

I've been so busy...

Cleaning up the place. We're fixin' to have company. Lots 'o' company. Why, you ask? Well, you'll just have to come back tomorrow and find out. I'm so excited!

Meanwhile, I'm also so excited about my new button over there I could just bust. And yes, I know "bust" is not the correct terminology, but this is my place and I can say what I want. Man, being worn out sure makes me sassy, doesn't it? Anyway, Kimba at A Soft Place To Land, one of my favoritest favorite bloggers has a sweet new button you can add to your blog. I was just thinking the other day I wished she had one. And now she does!

Not only that, but she's doing an AWESOME giveaway! A stool rehab that the winner and Kimba will design together. That is, unless you like the nautical print cushion and shabby paint. I think not.

So, get your hineys on over there and grab a button as well as an entry for the giveaway. And be sure to come back here tomorrow! I feel like I have yelled this whole post. But that's just because I'm SO EXCITED! And a bit delirious from all the work...

My Husband Rocks! Friday

I have been so busy this week I have just about met myself coming and going, but the last time I didn't get an MHR post up on a Friday, my husband came home thinking I was mad at him. So, to keep felicity at home, as well as brag on my hubby, here is yet another installment of Katy Lin's brainchild, My Husband Rocks! Friday.

This week, my Sweet Husband rocks because he thinks I rock! A few days ago I checked my email and had a comment from a blog post that I didn't recognize. I thought, "What is that? I didn't post that!" And got all worried that my blog had been hijacked. Well, it had been hijacked, but not by some strange person. Wait.....nevermind, I'm not going there. Anyway, I clicked on my blog and the post that came up was "Guest Blogger". I wondered, "What in the world?"

Then I read the post. He told me later that he gets all this recognition every week and wanted to do something like that for me. I was remiss enough to let him know what my password was several weeks ago, and he remembered that he had it. Hijacking my blog, he decided he'd put his own spin on rocking spouses.

I loved it. Still do. He is so sweet to think of things like this. I'm just so glad he lets me blog without giving me a hard time about the time spent on the computer. He benefits from my creative side being encouraged with all the stuff I've come up with to make our home more beautiful. He also enjoys the stories I tell him about my bloggy friends, whom I've never even spoken to.

So, My Husband Rocks! because he thinks I rock! too.

A little bit more about the recording...with added pics

This is a post from Saturday night, but since I posted it I received some pictures of the song writing team...I wanted to throw those in, along with my take on them, so here you go! Thank you, Nicky T!

First of all, I'm getting tired of saying "the recording." The CD will be called "Reach Out" after the title of one of the songs. I will from here on out refer to it as its name. I mean, I wouldn't just say "Kiddo" every time I referred to my child...oh, wait, yes I do. Okay, that's beside the point. Back to "Reach Out."

Half of the songs are "cover" songs, meaning songs originally recorded by others. These are some of the favorites we do on Sunday mornings. "Revelation Song," "Highest Praise," "Glory In the Highest" to name a few. The rest of the songs are originals that our song writing team has written. I am so privileged to be friends with several of the team, and getting the "inside" scoop on those songs is just amazing.

I have no clue as to the hours spent writing the songs we did. I know there were at least two weekend trips away, but there were many weeks of just meeting and throwing ideas back and forth until a song was born. My favorite one is "Isn't He," inspired from Psalm 66. Here's just a peek...

"Isn't He the Matchless One,

The risen King, the Morning Sun,

The One who holds my very soul

in the palm of His hand?"

Words and Music by:
Mike Krumm, Brent Climer,
Billy Walgenbach,Jae Sims,
Doc Kruse, Don Sparks

After the songs were written all the arrangements for the band had to be written, and re-written, and I'm sure re-written. I know how much each of the songs changed from the first rough recording that we had to practice from to what they sounded like for the concert.

When the arranging was finished, then came time to write the parts for the Praise Team and Choir. This is where I got to get in on the fun. Now, Brent and Don pretty much had what they wanted us to sing, but the three section leaders had a little input. Or maybe I just threw my opinion in there and counted it as "input." Kim, the Soprano leader, Prez, the men's section leader, and I had a couple of practices with Brent (our Worship Pastor) and Don (our director of instrumental ministries) to learn the parts. This was where it got fun for me. When all of us got to singing those parts together in Don's office, hoo boy, it left chill bumps.

From there we started practicing with the choir, or Worship Team. I wondered what the songs would sound like once the choir was singing them. We started rehearsals the second weekend of July for the August 16th recording. I was nervous that it wasn't enough time, but these people are good. In the picture above, Kim is at the far left, preparing to lead the choir. Prez is the one in the back wearing a green shirt and a mean look. But he's not mean. Trust me. He has made Diet Coke come out my nose on more than one occasion. You can also see my friend Loretta in the pink shirt in front. The same Loretta that sent that infamous email.

Sorry, what a tangent I can get on. So this is us rehearsing. Or preparing to rehearse. We are more than likely talking. We do that a lot.

Here are my girls, my altos. I heart them. They make me happy. The ones in the back hugging are Robbie and J.B.. If you have not clicked on Jennifer's link to the left of my blog, you need to. This girl has one smooth voice. And she's one of my altos!

My sweet friend, Billie, sitting on the front row in the floral shirt and pink shorts, took me shopping for my outfit for the night of the concert. Oh, you better know that's a post in and of itself. Her husband, Scott, is the Pastor in charge of all us hooligans, also known as the Magnification Pastor. He's in the back with the gray shirt on in the picture above.

This picture shows how stealthy Prez can be. See the serious look on his face? Yeah, and see the girl laughing hysterically in front and to the side of him? That's Sherrylynn, and I just know that whatever she's laughing at has to do with him. It's a wonder any of us get any work done. We just like having a good time too much. Wait, that didn't come out the way I wanted it to.

We had several rehearsals to get ready for that night. And with every one, I realized what a privilege it was to be getting to do what we were about to do. I'm still blown away.

Next recording post, not only did we have to make sure we sounded good, we also had to make sure we looked good for that night. What to wear, what to wear?

Guest Blogger

When I saw that my wife was participating in Katy Lin’s My Husband Rocks, I tried to think of a way to tell you guys and gals about how she rocks. Well my blog stinks and I will probably delete it, so today I thought, “I have her password!” 

Why does Heathahlee ROCK? For starters she is perfect for me. She is my best friend, lover, and encourager. She takes time to understand me, love me, and encourage me daily. Even when I mess up and just can’t seem to get things right, she holds me up and says, “I know you can do it”. 

Secondly she sings. Not just sings, worships. Not just worships, but leads others in worship. Not only does she have the talent to sing, but she has a heart to worship. I love to watch her practice her music and weep with the understanding of who she is singing to.

 

Also she is an awesome mom. She home schools our very smart child. Why do I mention how smart he is? It is sometimes a little more challenging to teach those who already know everything J. Why is our son so smart though, because of his teacher! 

One more thing (even though I could go one for hours), she has started doing what she has wanted to do for years. With bloggy friends like Kimba, Strawberry Blonde and so many others to encourage and share with, she has blossomed in the fun craft stuff.  She even painted me a bird this weekend. I now have it on my desk at work. 

I wanted it to be blue. I just love blue. But I love Heathahlee more!!

(she will kill me for this and probably change her password, but it was fun!)

 

Guest Blogger aka The Hubbie