Should I Cry or Scream ?!?.......

I have a gazillion pictures that I wanted to post. We recently went to Christmas in the Oaks at City Park. Also, We just got home from the Christmas banquet. I added our new family photo to the header, as you can see, and I was getting ready to post the new pics. Blogger politely informed me that I have used up all the free storage space, I will now have to pay if I want to post pictures.......

...I repeat...

Should I cry or scream?

 The theme for my class this fall is: Learning to Love at Lilly Pond.

Eloise & Daddy helped with the bulletin board.

You wouldn't believe how long it takes to cut all of those blades of grass with safety scissors!

I teach the 4 & 5 yr. olds.

They are so much fun at this age.

 The children learned about loyalty and sticking together.

(Ruth & Naomi)

 They also learned how to be kind and share.

(Ruth & Boaz)

After the story we had a mock wedding reception for the happy couple.

 Eloise attended her first women's conference.

She had a blast dressing up and going to the young ladies class taught by sister Amber.

In the above pic she is standing with Bro. & Sis. Balistero

 and the scripture she purchased at the auction for missions.

Above: Guess what I just got for my bedroom?

To all of my friends who hate the cold.....sorry, but I'm prayin for a blizzard this year!

This is a bit random, but I thought it was funny.

I know you guys are probably thinking I'm sick, but I had to take this picture of Boolee.

Lastly(for this post)

Here are a few of the young ladies that attended our "lock in"

 after our Friday night "Youth Explosion".

Aren't they lovely....even without their beauty sleep?

We haven't stopped!

So far this month we had our

 Pastor Appreciation potluck with space walk and inflatable obstacle course,

our Harvest Party/Bon Fire/Weenie Roast/Hayride,

and Youth Explosion

where we experienced an awesome move of God,

Tons of talent by our youth choir & musicians,

and a "lock in" with tons of pizza, snacks, games, and a bungee run.

P.S. I have also updated our homeschool blog.

The link button is still on my sidebar.

Love & Prayers,

     Miss Riya

Testing...one...two...

(Flower arrangement I made for my M.I.L.)

Praise Be!

It worked!!!!

Thank you Google Chrome.

Hopefully I can catch up with my posting now.

Love & Prayers,

Miss Riya

Really?....

Tonight we went to Whole Foods on Magazine,
 because today was Hubby's parents' 41st anniversary
 and his mom is currently in the hospital.

 I wanted to bring them flowers
 and a couple of goodies to celebrate,
so I headed to the bakery
while Hubby & Eloise went to pick out the flowers.

 I briefly scanned the bakery department.

 There wasn't anyone in line, so I took my time browsing.

As I turned to my left,
 I realized that I was looking eye to eye with a man who I thought looked a lot  like Sylvester Stalone.
 He turned towards the front of the store
 and I went back to browsing.

After a while I turned back to the employees behind the display case to select my pastries.

 I tried to get their attention, but they were all whispering and pointing, so I turned to see what all the commotion was.

There was the Sylvester- looking guy getting in line with a tall, thin, model-looking lady
 and a young girl (12 maybe).

Really?

In my own defense, I never forget a face,
 but I haven't owned a television or been to the movies in almost 2 decades,
 so I wasn't sure what his family looked like.

 When I got home I googled
 and was instantly looking at a picture of the same people I saw standing in line at the grocery store,
 but in much fancier clothes of course.

I then went on to read that he has chosen New Orleans for some of his current movie projects.

Well don't that beat all?

I had to laugh, because I wouldn't have even realized who I was looking at had it not been for the excitement, of the people who obviously  knew more about this man than I did.

I got to thinking (as I have been known to do on occasion), does my enthusiasm about Jesus cause others to pause and investigate further?

 When the King of Kings arrives on location
 in the midst of busy people,
 who don't know much about him,
does my response lead them in the right direction?

 I want the people I come in contact with to leave thinking,
 "Really?....I've got to find out if that was really Him!"

I know, I know...
 that last part was a little deep for some of y'all.

If you found this post a little bizarre, it's ok.

I'll tell you like Bishop....

"Just send me a chocolate cake and $50 and I'll forgive you".

Love & Prayers,

Me

P.S. Is anyone else having problems posting pictures with blogger's recent changes?

Today......

I SLEPT IN LATE

(way late)

I ATE LOTS OF YUMMY FOOD:

(too much to list)

I WILL VISIT MY MOTHER-IN-LAW

(read scriptures and pray for her complete healing and salvation in Jesus' name)

I WILL KISS MY HUBBY

(the man who has vowed his life & heart to me)

I WILL HUG MY BABY GIRL

(as we sit on our cozy front porch and watch fireworks)

I WILL THANK MY GOD

(as I sink peacefully into my comfortable bed)

WHY?

BECAUSE

I

CAN.

Happy 4th of July!

Dead Computer Blues & Lots of Other News.....

     My beloved computer is fried y'all! Also my daughter's computer has been experiencing technical difficulties due to some crazy virus junk. I could blog from my phone, but I do not have the patience. I prefer not to used Barbi sized keyboards! Well any way here are a few pics of our last two months. They are not all the quality that I prefer and I don't have pics of everything, but here goes:

Alabama Tornado Relief Trip

 Eloise observes the destruction in Tuscaloosa.

 Eloise said, "It looks like nature created it's own sculpture".

While we were up in that neck of the woods we stopped to see a few relatives. This is a picture of Eloise and our double first cousin Connie Sue and her little bitty egg laying chicken. Isn't that precious...bless your heart.

Most of our family made it through with no damage, but all that remains of my cousin's antique house is the stone archway. We didn't force our way through town just to take pictures. If you are not familiar to the area, house, or persons involved, one pile of rubble looks just like another. I guess, living in a post Katrina world,  I have simply had my fill of destruction.

Mother/Daughter Luncheon

 Eloise & Maw Maw

 A good friend & some of her family.

 We bought Eloise this American Girl kit to nurture her entrepreneurial spirit.

 These were some of the headbands and clips that she came up with.

The theme of the Mother/Daughter luncheon was a Farmer's Market, So Eloise was allowed to sell her wares. She earned $26.

This was the Ladies' Dept. bulletin board that I decorated for the event.

In The Kitchen

 I finally gave Spaghetti Squash a try.

I simply cut it, cleaned out all of the seeds and pulp, brushed with olive oil, sprinkled with seasoning, inverted in baking pan, added a little water, and baked for about 45 min.

 When it was finished I scraped out the flesh.

Ahh...now I see why they call it "Spaghetti" squash.

I served it with meat sauce, like traditional spaghetti.

 It was delicious.

You can also do the whole butter/brown sugar/cinnamon thing if you prefer sweet over savory.

 Since we were in the adventurous mood these past couple of months, I decided to try this combo:

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Cinnamon Cayenne Icing

So what was the verdict....most really liked it .....but it was a bit over the top for a few.

 Eloise has been learning her way around the kitchen with a homeschool friend.

They even made mini birthday cakes for their dolls.

Eloise the Performer

 For her final performance of the season, Eloise was able to warm up in the same dressing room as the performers of  "Wicked".

She was thrilled to get a backstage peek of the Mahalia Jackson Theater.

I did not get any shots of the sign language/ stick performance, put on by the Children's Church, but I couldn't resist snapping a pic of Eloise, other children,  pastor, and other adults singing a rousing rendition of "Father Abraham".

Sorry this is a blurry shot....I didn't have my camera.

Youth Department Spring Formal

 As a chaperon, I do not usually don such attire, but I couldn't resist the begging and pleading put forth by my precious little girl. At first I agreed to just try it on. When she saw me she said, "oh girl, you have to get the dress....I have never seen you in a dress like that". To which I replied, " your father will have a heart attack"!

To which she replied, in a dreamy voice "yes he will...when he sees how beautiful you look".

My resolve melted.

 Hubby & I at the restaurant.

Me & some of the young people being silly.

A lesson in Free Enterprise

 Due to all of the heavy equipment used to remove all of the Katrina debris, our streets were left with a gazillion potholes. We are finally in the last phases of recovery. My neighborhood (and several others), is almost impossible to navigate, because they have removed huge chunks of road, in order to make the necessary repairs.

This year hubby and I decided to teach Eloise a lesson in responsibility, so we told her that she was going to have to raise some of her own money for camp. She thought about it for a couple of days, then she asked her Grandpa to loan her the initial $10 investment to buy a case of freezie pops at Sam's.

So,you might be wondering what freezies and potholes have to do with each other.

Well, I'll tell you.

Road construction, in south Louisiana, in June, makes for a lot of weary workers. Enter the "Freezie Girl" as she has now been dubbed and you now have a beautiful business arrangement.

She is learning a lot about supply and demand....like when her supply is running low and people are demanding freezies.

Word spreads quickly....as soon as she steps out the front door the workers begin reaching in their wallets.

She has a product that they want at a reasonable price.

She sells them for 25 cents.

In three 30min-1hr shifts she has made enough to pay her debt to her Grandpa, buy more for future sales, give her tithes, and completely pay her $125 camp tuition.

"When life gives you potholes....make lots of money"

P.S. She is never alone ....I either walk, run, or drive along side of her.

Hope you enjoyed this run-on post!

Hunting Season Is Open....

 ...bargain hunting that is.

These two pair plus several others only cost $2 to $4 / pair.

 Sorry, it is hard to capture the shine of the sequins and maintain clarity.

 These shirts, that will fit Eloise in the Fall, only cost $3 each.

These cutesy fleece lined knit sweaters were only $2 each.

My aunts new baby girl should fit in them perfectly next winter.

The two tiered basket at the top of the pic is my favorite bargain.

I wanted it a few months ago, but Hobby Lobby was asking $39.99.

Two weeks ago I was browsing and I noticed that the last one was on sale for $19.

I wasn't thrilled with the price, but it was better.

When the cashier rang it up I asked if she made a mistake.

She shook her head and assured me that the rack was only $3.50.

I immediately ran home and had my husband mount my latest hunting trophy on the wall!