1000th Post Giveaway!

Well it is almost here.  In 15 days I will post my 1000th post.  I am so excited and because I am so excited I want you to be excited too.....so I am doing a giveaway.  This will be my third giveaway since blogging and I love fixing up goodie baskets for winners, so that is what I am going to do again.  This is how it will work.  In October, right after I post my 1000th post,  I will randomly select one lucky name.  Will it be you?  I hope so.  In order to be entered in the lucky drawing you must do a couple of things for me.  1.  Follow me.  (If you already do then you are on the right track and have one entry...make sure you leave a comment.  You don't have to be a blogger to follow me....and enter.    2.  Post something about my giveaway on your blog with a link to mine.  You don't have to do a whole post....just a mention on the side is sufficient....and once you do let me know.  I am so excited.  I cannot believe I have posted almost 1000 posts.  That seems like so many right now....but it really only seems like yesterday that I began.  Hope you will stop by and enter!  Buena Suerte

Hey, It's Okay Tuesday!

I got this idea from Glamour magazine. They have a section called Hey, It’s Okay and will list a bunch of things to be okay about. You're welcome to join in and do something like this on your blog. Doesn't have to be on a Tuesday either. Just please link up if you do!

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To throw away the fundraisers that my kids come home from school with. I’d rather just donate to the PTA than have to bug people by asking them to buy stuff.


To not understand the hoopla over the Missoni Target line. Apparently people crashed the website trying to buy it and lines were wrapped around the stores. Maybe it’s just not my style?


To be happy with the outcome of Hell’s Kitchen. Don’t worry, I won’t reveal who won. Heaven Forbid.


To hope I haven’t destroyed my kids too much by letting them watch Spongebob. A study came out that Spongebob could damage kids or something. Whatever.


To be buying Bridesmaids on DVD today. I recommend you do the same.


To be glad my Mom is coming today and staying for a few days to help out when I get Lasik.


To hate how slow the lights change in Oklahoma. There’s one light where you have to wait like 3 minutes.


To want to go on Ghost Adventures. If anything, to pat down Zak’s fake Mohawk. It bugs Tom and I.

Follow My Finger

Today started out early....I did not go to work because Frank had a procedure at Lanier Hospital this morning and we had to be there at 7:30...the problem is that they are on Eastern Time and we live on Central.  4:30 came early but we got there on time and are now home.  With that said I had planned to tell you a story about someone very dear to me.....Lee Terrell Prophitt, my grandfather.  I adored my grandfather.  When we came to Alabama to visit them I was his shadow.  There was no one like him.  He was tall and thin, a twin(his twin was short and stocky), one of 14 children, rolled his own cigarettes, smoked Prince Albert in a can, played any instrument you put in his hands, worked in the cotton mill (Avondale), fixed watches and clocks, collected junk, and went to church every Sunday of his life.  The thing I loved the most about this man was that he accepted a man for what he was....it did not matter what color his skin was.  That was one of many life lessons I learned at his feet.  People are just people and they serve the same God.  When we were little...all the men would gather in his living room on Friday or Saturday nights and play and sing.  We supposedly were already fast asleep on our pallets....but we would hear the music and pull our pallet as close to the door to the den as we could so we could hear them.  After they finished playing someone would drag our pallet back to where it was.  When we were big enough to hold a guitar he sat us down and taught us three chords and the song "Maggie."  When we could play it to his standard he would allow us to play with the group.  I was 15 when I first had that privilege.  I thought I had died and gone to heaven.  He also had drink boxes outside his shed. My favorite one was the RC Cola box.  In that box would be delights for the pallet.  I could hardly wait to get to his house so I could beg for a nickel and a drink from the treasure box.  Strawberry NeHi was my choice....that is until I got sick and threw up once....I have not had one since.  One thing he did not tolerate from us was vagueness.  When he told us to go and do something....that is what he expected from us.  When we did not produce the desired results he would take us...tuck us up next to his check....put his left arm straight out.....and tell us to "follow his finger."(I wish you could hear his voice here....my cousin Stanley does it just like him.)  I never wanted to have him do that to me.  The boy cousins tended to get it more than the girls...we knew better.  I loved it when he would tell us stories of his childhood.  We would all gather at his feet and he told us about our great grandfather riding a horse into the Harris Co. Courthouse and shooting out the lights, about coming to Tallassee, AL down the Chattahootchee River, being one of 14 children, his father, his mother, his brothers and sisters....so I guess storytelling is in my blood.  I come from a long line of them....want to know more?  Follow my fingers here on my blog and find out.  :-)  Have a happy Monday!

Just A Couple of Bonos

“Wait. So no more glasses? Forever?” Tommy asked with a frown.

We were at the dinner table and I had just told the kids that I’d be getting Lasik on Friday.

“That’s the hope,” I answered.

Tommy poked at his chicken. “You won’t be in glasses anymore?” He has Aspergers and doesn’t always deal well with change.

“Nope,” I said, sipping my Diet Coke.

Tommy set his fork down. “So you’ll just have no glasses now?”

I sighed. You have to have patience when dealing with Tommy. Or any kid, really. Sometimes I don’t always have that.

“That’s right. I’ll have lasers in my eyes to correct—”

“LASERS? LIKE A SUPERHERO USES?” Tommy shouted.

I almost fell out of my seat. Must he be so loud? “Not quite. These lasers are going to help my eyes so I can see without glasses.” I stared at Natalie, who was eating the garlic bread. Naturally, she didn’t touch her chicken. She’s picky about what meats she’ll eat. “What do you think about no glasses for Mommy?”

Natalie chewed thoughtfully. “Can I have them? They’re pink.”

Oh. Um.

“No. These glasses are strong. I don’t want to ruin your eyes. I hope you guys get your Dad’s perfect vision. You don’t want mine. Trust me.”

“Can I poke your eyes?” Natalie asked sweetly.

Uh.

“No? I’d rather you didn’t.”

Natalie looked crestfallen. “Oh.”

“I’ll have to wear dark glasses for a couple of days,” I warned. “I’ll be like this singer called Bono and—”

“Why would you wear sunglasses inside?” Tommy cut in. “That’s weird.”

I thought back to when Tommy would come to the table in sunglasses. I’d call him Kanye. And he was calling ME weird?

“It’s because my eyes will be sensitive. And I’ll have to use eye drops to keep them healthy,” I explained.

“Can your eyes fall out?” Tommy wondered.

Oh my God. COULD my eyes fall out? No, but of course not.

Why was I discussing this with my kids again?

“Guys, I just want you to know that for a couple of days after I get Lasik, I’ll be in sunglasses and my eyes might hurt. Okay?” I said.

No one said anything for a few minutes. And then…

“Can I wear sunglasses inside, too?” Natalie whispered.

Fine. We’ll both be Bono.

Project 365 - Week 38

Welcome to Week 38 of Project 365.  I began this back in January and so far have not missed a day.  It has been very helpful for me with the planning aspect of photography....although more often than not I just see it...and shoot it.  I hope you will view my offerings, as poor as they are, and then go over to Sara's blog and look at some of the other pictures.  The whole concept here is to take a picture a day and then provide a brief explanation.  I am a writer....brief is not in my vocabulary.  I have had a busy week so my shots of are random things for the most part.  Thanks for stopping by and I hope in the next few weeks you will begin to see a change in my pictures. 

Sunday, September 11th

The moon and trees were not cooperating with me tonight.  I almost forgot to take a picture today.  Frank's sermon left me an emotional wreck.

Monday, September 12th

I never realized until I started doing P365 just how pretty the sun is from my parking space at school when it peeks through the trees.

Tuesday, September 13th

I started taking a photography class at Auburn University today.  My neighbor and her mom also attend so it is fun to have someone in the class with me.  I probably would not have ever done it on my own.  This was the first picture he asked us to make.  It is the light in the classroom and it is Tungsten light, so I had to set my a buttom on my camera to accommodate for that...and could not use a flash.

Taking a multitude of notes.  If the instructor spoke...I wrote it down.

 Shooting each other...no flash....on AV(A for Nikon users) mode in the class room.  My neighbor is the one on the right....she is so much fun.  Her mom is my shooting partner.  We have the same camera and bag...it is too funny.

Wednesday, September 14th

Wednesday morning as I pulled out of my driveway this was my view of the sky.  It reminded me of rainbow sherbet.

Thursday, September 15h

I think this was a direct message to me from the big guy upstairs.

Friday, September 16th

We went to Mrs. Betty Jeans to borrow two huge ferns for tomorrow night.  Her bougainvillea's were gorgeous so I spent some time checking out her flowers while Frank loaded the two ferns.  She invited us in but we were meeting Marcie and Sherry at the church and had to go.  I could spend forever in her yard.

Saturday, September 17th

Today was the Rock Mills Heritage and Pottery Day.  I had to go down with camera in tow and see what was going on.  I actually love this day because of the really cool pieces of pottery and history lessons that are out and about.

Dominos being played outside the pottery shop.  Bro Frank Foster (the Nazarene pastor) runs the pottery shop and makes some really gorgeous pieces.

One of our neighbors caning a chair.  He was amazing....he caned, talked to the crowd, smiled for my camera, and never missed a tuck.  AMAZING!  When I finish my photography class I am going to learn how to do this.  He said he would teach me if I wanted to learn.  It is a dying art...and yes, I do want to learn this.

The Rock Mills VFD had an information table set up and were giving the children fire hats, suckers, coloring books, and stickers.  I am glad they were in the shade and there was a nice breeze blowing.  Frank does not ever meet a stranger so I came up on him and caught him talking Navy with another veteran.  You got to love him.

There was a vintage car display.

Still Magnolias did a benefit for Frank tonight at our church.  He is trying to raise money to go to the Holy Lands with his Course of Study classes.  Amanda, Rebecca and I had so much fun as we did what we do best....sing. Thanks to all the ladies who baked cakes for the bake sale...they looked heavenly.  BTW...don't those ferns of Mrs. Betty Jean's look lovely on that stage?  I thought so too.  Thanks also to all the people who turned out, brought food, ate a hot dog, and gave.  A special thanks to Marcie and Sherry....you guys rock.  What an event you made this evening.  We started out with our warm up set while people gathered....then we moved into a gospel set and invited Mrs. Jean to come and join us on the stage to sing Victory in Jesus (Marcie's favorite) and He Touched Me (Mrs. Betty Jean's request).  I love Rock Mills!

Hope your week is a good one.  Mine looks like another busy one.  Stay safe and be blessed.

A Lancaster County Christmas Giveaway!

    

To celebrate the release of her first Christmas book, Suzanne Woods Fisher has teamed up with her publisher, Revell, to bring you the "Christmas in September" iPad Giveaway! The winner will be announced on 9/27 at the A Lancaster County Christmas Facebook Party! Details below. Tell your friends and join in the fun (9/7-9/27).  Oh and be sure to follow the blog tour here - many of the bloggers have copies of the book to giveaway!  Suzanne and Revell will be presenting one merry winner with a Christmas Prize Pack (valued at over $600):

• A Brand New iPad 2 with Wi-Fi
• $25 gift certificate to iTunes
• A copy of A Lancaster County Christmas

To enter, click here http://litfusegroup.com/blogtours/text/13425768.  But, hurry the giveaway ends on 9/26.  But, wait! There's more! The winner will be announced at the A Lancaster County Christmas Facebook Party on 9/27 at Suzanne's author page. During the party she'll be revealing something *BIG* - you won't want to miss it. She'll also be hosting a book chat, trivia contest and giving away a few early Christmas presents! Hope to see you there.

About the Book:  Jaime and C. J. Fitzpatrick began their married life in love and looking forward to a bright future together. But when Jaime's mother dies and she wins a National Geographic Photography Contest her father, who deserted them when she was six months old, returns to the scene and now four years later the once happy couple has drifted apart and they are almost ready to call it quits.

Mattie Riehl was hoping to give her husband Sol the Christmas gift they have both longed for--news that another baby was on the way, only to be disappointed with a miscarriage. With the Christmas holidays approaching the young mother feels an acute awareness that her dream of a big family isn't likely to become a reality. A random meeting at the doctors office, a lost owl whistle and a grudging favor to return the whistle to six year old Danny topped with a  winter storm raging outside blows the Fitzpatricks into the Riehl home--and into a much slower pace of life. Can these two couples from different worlds help each other understand the true meaning of love this Christmas?  Can the two young women come to grips with their lives, their dreams, and God's perfect grace?

About the Author:  "Suzanne Woods Fisher is a bestselling author of Amish fiction and non-fiction and the host of a weekly radio program called Amish Wisdom. She has twenty books under contract with Revell--seven published, thirteen to come...she's contracted all the way into 2016. The Waiting is a finalist for a 2011 Christy Award. The Choice is finalist for a 2011 Carol Award. Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World and Amish Proverbs: Words of Wisdom from the Simple Life were both finalists for the ECPA Book of the Year (2010, 2011).  Her interest in the Amish began with her grandfather, W.D. Benedict, who was raised Plain. She has many, many Plain relatives living in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, and travels back to Pennsylvania, as well as to Ohio, a couple of times each year for research.  Mrs. Fisher has a great admiration for the Plain people and believes they provide wonderful examples to the world. In both her fiction and non-fiction books, she has an underlying theme: You don't have to "go Amish" to incorporate many of their principles--simplicity, living with less, appreciating nature, forgiving others more readily-- into your life."  "When Suzanne isn't writing or bragging to her friends about her first new grandbaby (!), she is raising puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind. To Suzanne's way of thinking, you just can't take life too seriously when a puppy is tearing through your house with someone's underwear in its mouth."  Want to learn more about Suzanne Woods Fisher?  Then check her out online at http://www.suzannewoodsfisher.com.  Want a copy of the book, then check out the following link:  http://www.amazon.com/Lancaster-County-Christmas-Suzanne-Fisher/dp/0800719956/ref=sprightly-20

My Thoughts:  This book was a wonderful read and a great feel good story.  Once I began I did not want to put it down.  The characters were so lifelike I found myself routing for each of them as they faced their personal struggles in the story.  Fisher is a master storyteller.  This was her first book I have read and I cannot wait to get my hands on more.  She is phenomenal.  I would give this book 5 stars easily.  Now get out there and enter the contest. I have already, and posted it on facebook.... and I would love to win an IPad 2....and a book.  How about you?

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Litfuse Publicity Group as part of a September Blog Tour. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Biography - 1708 Husband Rules Children & Wife - Virginia - Ann Walker

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Ann Walker's Fight To Attend Church

In 1708, Ann Keith Walker (1637- a 1708) appeared before the all male Royal Governor and Council in Williamsburg, Virginia, in a continuing dispute between her and George Walker (c1640-1732), her husband, over their religious beliefs and practices.

Ann, a member of the Church of England who tried to attend services regularly, faced opposition from her husband. He tried to prevent her from attending the church of her choice, and he was also adamant in his determination to direct the religious education of their children.

Ann Keith & George Walker, both born in Virginia, had married in 1691. George was a boat pilot on the James River, a gunner, and a shopkeeper at Fort Point Comfort. Ann had produced twins Elizabeth & Margaret in 1692; Jacob in 1694; Helen in 1696; George in 1698; Sarah in 1700; and Frances in 1702.

Unable to resove their differences, husband and wife both complained to the governor and Council. She asked for full liberty to attend church, to pursue her religious beliefs, and to raise her children as members of the Church of England. He asked for confirmation of his authority as a father to direct the religious education of their children.

The governor and Council granted both requests in part. Ann Walker was allowed freedom to attend church as she wished; and George Walker, "as Long as he proffesses to Be a Christian and Continues in the Exercise of it," was allowed to direct the religious education of their children, retaining "that authority over his Children that properly Belongs to Every Christian man."

The Church of England was the established church in colonial Virginia; but by 1708, many Virginians were Presbyterians or Quakers, as some earlier Virginians had been Puritans and later many Virginians became Baptists or Methodists.

The case of Ann Walker demonstrates the importance of religious beliefs among early Virginians; how differences of religious opinion could divide members of a family; how such important differences affected the religious education of children; how family members might call on the government to settle such controversies; and how men ruled in 18th-century Virginia.

In this instance, the authority of the husband prevailed over the wishes of the mother, even though the mother was a confirmed & committed member of the Church of England, the official church of the British American colonies, and the father was not.
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