Happy Birthday NaNa.....

Happy Birthday Mrs. Mary Kathryn, most importantly known as NaNa. Yesterday was my mother-in-law's birthday and we all got together last night and ate supper together. It was a good time of family, food and fellowship. We laughed together, Uncle Pat aggravated all of the little ones until they screamed, Syd of course cooked some delicious ribs and Pawpaw had a sparkle in his eye as he sat back and watched it all. It seems like every time we turn around we are hearing of someone becoming critically ill or God has called another one of our loved ones home. Sometimes we just have to slow down and enjoy each other when we can and while we can. It was just a good night for a special lady in our lives. Thank you for all that you do for us and all that you mean to us! Happy Birthday Nana!

Sweet Baby Boy!

Everybody, meet the newest member of our family, James Hollis Smith. For those that know me, this is Lesleye and Jim's newest addition. I got to go over weekend before last and get my hands on him. He is sooooo sweet. He just curled up in a ball and slept so soundly in my lap. Of course he was trying to make a "story teller" out of his mom who he's been keeping up at night. It seems like eternity since my babies were this age. It's always nice to get your hands on a little one again! So sweet! :D

Spring Has Sprung!

Aren't these babies a sight to behold. It was such a pretty day that Pat and I decided to take the babies to the creek to play. I believe the last words were, "We promise, we are just gonna get our feet wet." Yeah right! They had fun though and I am sure that the pneumonia will be ever bit worth it. It was when when I was little.

Let's just say that "daddy" didn't make it long watching the kids play, but I enjoyed watching him sleep peacefully.


The kids spotted these flowers instantly and had to bring me some.
It's really hard to be out in nature and not be in complete awe of God's creations.

I was intriqued at the way this dried up dirt looked. This is all that is left when the water subsides. I couldn't help but think that this is how our lives look without the living water of God within it.

Simply broken, dry and thirsty.

This picture made me think about "Footprints". It made me think about the fact that I am never alone and that he always carries me even when I may not realize it.

All in all it was just a really good day with the family.

Lord, thank you for helping me to slow down and enjoy your beautiful creation today in my family and the world around me.

Modest Truly is Hottest!

Today was alot of fun!

Baleigh Bug was back (thank goodness, I'm lost without her) and she and I slept in and then headed to Brookhaven to do some shopping. Thomas made sure to ditch us quickly, he didn't want to get caught up in any kind of shopping trip that didn't include the Bass Pro shop.

We of course started out at Cracker Barrel for the late breakfast that we love to go eat together.

We then went shopping for Spring time clothes that she so desperately needed.

We found alot at our "old faithful" stop, Cato, including an absolutely beautiful Easter dress. She looked so grown up in it!

I was really tickled, alot of black clothes out though for Easter, oh well, I'm definitely not a "Fashion Diva" guess that's whats in this year!

While looking through all of the clothes and trying on clothes today, I couldn't help but notice that I kept finding myself hearing the same words over and over from Baleigh, "that's too short", "that's too low cut" and "that fits too tight". Truly music to my ears and I know you mom's would agree! It was one of those "God wink" moments that you realized that you might have done a little something right at some point. In a time where many moms are struggling to get their girls to keep their body parts covered, here is my "angel baby" making sure that hers is. I said, "Baleigh Bug, why are you so worried about these things?" and she said, "Remember the shirt that we got from LifeWay that time momma, Modest is Hottest!"

Thank you Lord for a daughter that makes wise choices that glorify you. A daughter that respects herself enough to realize that she doesn't have to have attention at her own expense. Night guys, :D

A Beautiful Day...

Nothing out of the ordinary happened today, other than it was a completely beautiful day!

Days like this are just another way that God shows us just how much he loves us.

Got to sleep late this morning! I love sleeping in! My baby girl came home from a trip that she had been on since Friday and I went and picked her up. I am truly lost without her, she is my sidekick. I realize more and more daily how precious this "sidekick" time is. It won't be long that I will find myself alone way more than I care too. Baleigh and I then met Pat and Thomas for a quick lunch then we headed out to Brookhaven. Jill had called and said they were at the park having a picnic and playtime and we dropped by there and had fun just sitting and talking while watching the kids. It was a perfect park day! Went on to an eye appointment with Baleigh and then off to church. Pat and I were supposed to be teaching our marriage class tonight, Ha! Ha! Marriage is a whole lot of learning and not much teaching, but we really had fun discussing "Anger" tonight. It's just good to get together and share.

Just another ordinary day, but what a "beautiful day" it was!

Lord thank you for days like this, nothing out of the ordinary, but extraordinary! :D Beth

Baby Steps....

Once again I have stepped on the scale and see a number that tells me that I am as heavy as I have ever been. Why is it soooo hard? Why is it that I truly "long" for food? It's sad to fight a battle within yourself daily and lose! I wake up thinking about breakfast. When I travel I am instantly planning the best place to eat in the area. Just plain sad! As I do this new marriage study, I realize just how much I let my self esteem cause troubles in my life and I simply find myself mad alot for no apparent reason. I am 36 years old and I am already very aware of how much of my life I have allowed to pass me by simply "not feeling good"! I ache, hurt and am lethargic most of the time. I try and find reasons for all of these aches and pains and simply put, my body is just "sick and tired" of hauling around all of this weight. Is it really worth it? Immediately it seems so when I want to eat, in the long run, definately not!

So once again I am going to try and take "baby steps" at being healthier, with the hope that this time I may learn to walk. It's bad, this summer I've been invited on a short trip to the beach with friends and we are planning a trip to Disney next November and one of the things that keeps entering my mind is, I will give out trying to walk on the sand, what in tarnation will I wear and I am going to be bigger than everyone else! Once again, sad!

Today I am going to try to give up my sodas and commit to doing some type of exercise 3 times a week. I just have to get it through my thick head that there will never "BE" time, I have to "MAKE" time! Oh well, wish me luck! I assure you I will need it! This is just one of many failed attempts, maybe this could be the one something actually changes. Who knows, but I have to try! Thanks for listening to my daily ramblings! Beth :)

I Need More than Hamburger to Be My Helper :)

Does anyone else out there dislike cooking during the week as much as I have come to? It seems like the older I get the less I want to cook. I am not one of those ladies who are "cookingly" challenged, just motivationally challenged I guess! lol

I truly could eat cereal every night of the week.

My babies are getting to the age where they just don't eat much at a meal and it is so disheartening to spend all that time on a meal and then it takes 5 minutes to eat it.

Oh well, guess we go through seasons in our life and I am in the "don't wanna cook" season!

This too shall pass, or at least Pat hopes so! Ha! Ha! :)

I know, this was a crazy blog, just one of the many "random" thoughts that enters my mind on a daily basis.

Those who know me well know that I have many "random" thoughts, but they love me for it anyway! lol

Have a "wonderful" weekend!

Marriage 101

Had a "wonderful" night in our couples Bible study, "Making Love Last Forever". It is always fun to sit around with other couples and share. You suddenly realize, "Hey! We're normal." It was so neat that the study had one of my "mostest favoritest" quotes.

I can not control what happens around me, but I can control how I react.

(Not that I always choose to react the right way! lol :)

The study talked alot about how we have to choose to be happy, regardless of our surroundings and circumstances and stop blaming every problem we have on everything and everyone around us.

Ouch my toe Lord, but I hear you loud and clear!

Just a fun night of sharing, laughing and learning in the house of God!

Lord thank you for the marriage and husband that you have blessed me so abundantly with. Thank you for the problems that we have and for our ability to work through them with your help. Thank you for revealing to me daily that everyone has struggles, you always manage to keep me grounded. Night, night! Beth :-)

The To Do List....

Well here we are the week before Spring Break. It has been wild and wooly lately in the world of teaching and Spring Fever has sprung! A full moon too. Before we know it summer time will be upon us. I don't know if time is truly flying or if I am just getting older. No comments welcomed on that one. Ha! Ha! I, as usual, had started writing my Spring Break to do list down on a notebook when these wonderful chores would come to mind. I had taken this notebook to computer lab with me this morning jotting down lesson plans and one of my babies was toting it back for me and "haphazardly" I am sure, read it. By the time we got back to the classroom the children have obviously shared the information and was giggling. One finally mustered up the courage and said, "Mrs. Larkin, do you really think you are going to be able to do all of that stuff." Good question I thought. Unfortunately the other sign of my age is that it contained a full weeks worth of fun things like sweeping the porch, painting the outside doors and organizing the office. Yuck! What I really wanted to be doing is running off to sun and solitude for a couple of days with Jill, Christy and our girls. Oh well, maybe next year. That's the only way we can get away together, our other vacations are planned around each other because she is the only one that can keep that clinic running when we aren't there. You da bomb friend!

Jill if your out there, we need to claim a long weekend once a year for a short getaway!!

We'll call it therapy or something! Ha! Ha!

Well I have once again cheated myself out of having to cook supper, so let me go make myself useful at something else! :-) Have a good night everyone!

To Regret or Not to Regret....

It's 1:30 in the morning and I have complete insomnia despite Tylenol PM and suspected flu! Have you ever had one of those nights where your body so desperately wants to rest, but your mind simply refuses to quit turning? (Of course you have, your women.) I started a new couples bible study this past week at church and was working through my lessons earlier tonight and it discussed acknowledging past choices that you have made that affect your marriage negatively now. I thought about this and most of my really "ugly skeletons" have long since been laid at the feet of my Heavenly Father and are covered, therefore do not hinder my marriage. The one bad choice that "I chose" and continued to choose that negatively affects my marriage is the choice to live unhealthy, which results in poor self image, which results in unhappiness at times and just an overall feeling of discontentment. I say "I choose" to live unhealthy because my study emphasizes on owning your choices and not blaming them on anything or anyone. This made me really sit back and think about my life. I just had this conversation with my best friend. We were discussing the fact that the only person that controls our happiness is ourselves! That's powerful. This made me start thinking about regrets that we have and why we don't choose to live our lives, but simply live in our lives! For instance, I was invited to go to the coast in June for four days this summer with some friends. I have saved for this trip since August and every part of my body is trying to talk myself out of it. Why? One of these friends has battled cancer, we are simply not guaranteed these opportunities again once they pass, and still I try and talk myself out of it. I almost talked myself out of a trip to New York once with my best friend Jill, I gave myself every reason why I shouldn't go, but did. I thank God everyday for giving us that experience not only together, but together with our girls! Memories that will never go away! I know I'm rambling, but I truly think the devil tells us moms, wives and daughters that we aren't worth the time, therefore we end up with regrets, whether it be another year and 20 more lbs, a missed trip with friends, a splurge on a pedicure, a bad make-over from your daughter or a hunting trip with your son (itchy and hot as it may be). And then if that isn't bad enough, I tend to blame others and circumstances as to why I didn't "Seize the Moment" and am left with regrets! We simply don't think we are worth taking the time and that there we will always be a "next time" and the fact is there may not be.

If we would only live each day as if it were our last. Hmmm!

Night guys! Thanks for listening! :) Beth