Emily Post I Ain't......

.....which is a good thing, because my husband certainly is no Mr. Post. Although, after reading the recommendations from Ms. Em. I wonder if there actually were a Mr. Emily Post. ( Yes, I just googled it and found that there Was a Mr. and his name was Edwin.....and this might just take on an entirely different direction since reading that) because, it says on her Biography page that Emily and Edwin drifted apart...and goes on to give a wealth of detail that I will spare you the trouble of reading.

You're welcome.

You may know that Emily Post was the author of several books on etiquette, one of which listed the "proper" anniversary gifts for each year of marriage. (that's where this whole post started!) Today is our twelfth anniversary and I just wondered what the "traditionally acceptable" gift would be for this year.

It would be Silk or Linens. Which in our neck of the woods would basically be scarfs & underwear or table cloths & sheets. Now, I'm not picky in the area of gifts (unless of course a certain somebody who's name starts with Kyle, writes me a check from our joint account for my birthday one year...that annoyed me a tad! Hello, can you spare a minute to run by an ATM, honey??). In fact, I could really care less whether or not we give gifts. In fact, if anything it's usually a card and a nice dinner (that I don't have to cook!) But seriously, Linens?

Poor Edwin Post, can you imagine the pressure that man must have been under to perform.......daily tasks under the scrutiny of the "Mistress of American Manners"? I'm thinking Bree Van De Camp circa 1900ish......

....so to my husband of a dozen years, you may not have the kind of wife who has the house perfectly cleaned with vacuum marks on the rugs at the end of each day. She may well be wearing the same pjs when you come home from work as she was when you left (rarely, but it happens), and more often than not, the best way to tell what kind of day she's had is by how wild the curls in her hair are.

.....but you DO have the kind of wife who will drag our two darling children with her to the chicken houses in the early mornings, and who will drop everything at a moments notice to help round up the herd of missing cattle that have just been found (Whew! thank you Marty W!), who will spend countless hours in the smothering heat of the hay field every summer for the past 12 years (remember that first year? we alternated driving the tractor and picking up square bales....just the two of us....after we worked our real jobs!), and who even enjoys your idea of a perfect vacation: The Sunbelt Ag Expo....all 3 days of it!

This sure wasn't the way I planned things.


I'm so very thankful I'm not in charge.


Because I wouldn't have it any other way! I am so blessed to have married my very best friend. I will forever be grateful that God brought you and your family into my life at a time when it was basically falling apart around me. I am so thankful that I have been blessed with such a wonderful husband, and my children with such a wonderful dad.

So, on second thought, maybe Emily's recommendations would be okay. I could always use some new bandannas.......(does that count as linens?....in the south maybe?)

.......because nothing looks cooler than a do-rag when you want to keep the chicken house dust out of your hair!

Yee Haw!

Toby, Meet Travis...

Now, Toby you know that I am your absolute biggest fan. Well, at least in the 30 something crowd, which may actually make me your largest fan. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know, Toby, that you are going to have to be sharing the spotlight on my iPod a bit more in the future. Let me introduce you to a new fav, Travis. I had the pleasure of seeing him during his live recording at Woodstock Sunday night, and well, he brung it. (....and by "brung it", I mean, he totally raised the roof off the place!....and considering the massive size of the place one of the artists jokingly called the "God Dome", that was quite a feat!)

The day started off average enough, you know, with diapers, bottles, and such. Then I passed the torch (or Lilah) to Kyle, and pulled out (actually, peeled out, tires squealing) of the driveway to meet Brooke, Jenny, & Lisa for a much needed day away. We started things off with Cracker Barrel, then raced to Woodstock First Baptist for morning worship service where some of the coolest Siestas you'll ever meet were saving us seats right up front (I'm talking Johnny Hunt "spittle" zone, people!). The praise band was fabulous! Johnny Hunt was great!

Tammy, who attends WFBC and sings in their awesome choir, had arranged an amazing lunch for us all where I had such fun getting to meet everyone live and in person! The food and fellowship was wonderful! One highlight of the trip was Beth Moore surprising us when she dropped by during our lunch. It was great to be able to sit down with her and have her tell me how much she enjoys my blog and hearing about my "daily life raising cows, chickens, and babies"! She also thanked me for my wise insightful comments on the LPM Blog and for all the parenting advice I've given her daughter in my comments on her blog, then after a few moments of clogging together, invited me to join her and Travis onstage to sing the high notes for them during the performance. What a treat!

Oh wait, maybe that last part was actually from the ride home......when I dozed off for a minute, you know, IN MY DREAMS?!!! (or maybe since meeting her in person I have become the dreaded delusional stalker type?)

Anyway, she DID really drop by, and she did really clog for a minute, and then she did really wave at me during the service. Madelyn, Brooke's adorable 10 year old daughter, thought she was waving at her too, so to avoid further embarrassment for sweet Maddie, I shoved her to the side, gently stepped in front of her as I waved furiously to my new best bud. Lisa also thinks Beth was waving at her, and I love Lisa dearly, but we already know she has issues in those areas.

Just sayin, Toby.

Anyway, we had an amazing time! I am so happy to have gotten to meet all these wonderful ladies! Most of all, I am so thankful for the presence of the Lord I felt. He showed up in a mighty way! I feel sure there wasn't a dry eye in the place and I am so thankful to have been to the "mercy seat". Wow!

I'm sure you must be wondering how my family ever made it without me for an entire day. So was I. But they did just fine, although Carter was wide awake waiting for me ( in bed beside his dad and Lilah who were sound asleep) when I got home at 11:30PM. I was kinda glad though, because as tired as I was, I sure missed them.

So, I hope you'll understand why my TobyMac favs may receive a little less ipod play time. Maybe you and Travis should plan a tour together? I'm sure he'd love to add some mad backflippin' skillz to his show. He's got the loud bass speaker thing down already. I should know. I sat directly in front of the speaker during the show. I actually pondered how rude it would be to ask Shelly to move so I could prop my feet up on it. I didn't though. I do live on a farm, but I wasn't raised in a barn!

Love,
Deedra

That Lilah!

You just think she's the quiet one! She discovered that if she leaned back in her high chair hard enough it made the whole chair jump.....

.....as you can see, she enjoyed herself!

Say a prayer for their dad tomorrow (Sunday). He's going to have them all by himself.....all day!

Actually, you might need to say a prayer for them and their mom too! This will be new for all of us! (Did I mention that the last time they stayed with their dad for 1.5 hours I came home to find him sound asleep in the recliner, Lilah screaming her head off in her walker, and Carter trying every toy in the house to try to calm her and telling me "Mom, Lilah cry a bunch of times"?....) ...on second thought, PLEASE say a prayer for all of us, and if you think about it, call to make sure he's awake! (just don't tell him I told you to! ha!)

As for where I am going, well, I have been sworn to secrecy! All I can say is that it involves hearing one of my FAVORITE ministers EVER, hearing some great singing, meeting some new friends, and worshipping the Lord!

The rest will have to wait until Monday!

Sanctity.....

Definition (courtesy Dictionary.com)

1.	holiness, saintliness, or godliness.

2.	sacred or hallowed character: the inviolable sanctity of the temple.

3.	a sacred thing.

This week January 19-25 is Sanctity of Human Life Week. I have been asked by a couple of people to share my thoughts on this. While my feelings on this topic are very clear to me, (based on prayer and direct intervention from God), I don't always come across as I wish to. I tend to be passionate and quite frankly, somewhat angry, when I start discussing this topic....and of course, anger has no place in any ministry. I can only attribute that to our struggle to conceive and to the precious babies we lost along that journey. I have spent much time in prayer on how to even go about this post. So, here goes.


"On abortion, I am against it. IF it were only used in medical emergencies, where there was no possibility of life, then it would be a non issue, but it unfortunately is not. I used to be undecided on situations of rape, etc, but then I fell under such conviction for that stance. No matter how painful the situation, or the why, it is murder. We do not give life, how then, under any circumstance, do we deem ourselves righteous enough to take it away? We are not. Period.

As for when life begins, I saw that unfold myself firsthand with Lilah. I literally caught that pregnancy within a few days of conception. After the problems I'd had in the past, my doctor monitored that pregnancy closely. Ultrasounds 2 times weekly. We were literally watching cells split and grow and change with every ultrasound. A few days before 6 weeks, that little heart stated beating. Was there life before that? Absolutely! Does our soul die when our heart stops? No! How then, can one ever assume that just because the heart isn't beating yet, the soul isn't there? We can't. That soul is there from the moment of conception. "

The Bible is very clear on God knowing each of us from within the womb, and that every child conceived is part of His plan.

It is staggering to think that since the Supreme Court passed Roe V. Wade in 1973, more lives have been claimed through abortions in the U.S. alone, than in war. ANY WAR. My pastor has said something that rings very true, especially this week. He says that animals in this country have more rights than unborn children do.

Unimaginable.

...and true.

Now, with all of that said, I realize that people do make mistakes. I can't imagine the agony someone who has aborted a child must feel once they realize what has been done. Thank God there are resources available to help with the healing....

I will be joining my new friend, Melinda, in the "Changing One Heart For Many" campaign. A commitment to pray for God to change the heart of President Obama on the subject of abortion. I hope you'll join us. Because this is truly the fight for lives!

Finally, I have been dealing with something that I covet your prayers on. I have been asked in the past to share my experiences in the areas of infertility, etc, and well, I basically slammed the door shut on that. The first time I was asked, I was pregnant with Carter, and as someone who had been there, I knew beyond any doubt that no woman who is going through this, wants a pregnant woman standing there telling her, "it will happen for you." I have shared on a one on one, or small gathering basis, but I have been approached to share this on a larger scale more than once in the past several weeks, so here is where I ask for your prayers. If this is to be, I pray that God will work it out.....and then us me as He sees fit in this area.

A few things...

Here are a few things I have learned in the past few days:

If it looks like ice, It probably is.

If you step on ice, you will fall.

If you are 33, it hurts when you fall on ice......and concrete.

It hurts for DAYS.

It will especially hurt if you already fell Sunday afternoon after taking a brief ride on son's dump truck that was left in your path.

It will hurt even more when you realize you missed two perfectly good opportunities to win thousands had your video camera been set up during either fall.

After breaking foot only a few short months ago, said 33 year old woman is incredibly grateful nothing is broken.

I have birthed a child who reacts to others and their pain the same way I do.

Laughter. (Brooke, you would have loved it!)

Farewell G.W.B.....

.....President Bush made one of the best public addresses of his presidency this past week. At least that's my opinion. I would most likely have watched his last presidential speech anyway, but after seeing some highlights of Bush fielding a few questions from reporters, I was intrigued by what I saw in his demeanor and made a point of watching.

I'm the first to admit I have cringed along with the rest of America during many of his public addresses. Bless his heart, public speaking is certainly not one of his strong points. I don't make a habit of watching late night TV, (unless it's George Lopez on Nick @ Nite), but one night when I was pregnant with Carter I couldn't sleep and stumbled across David Lettermans "Great Moment's in Presidental Speeches"....and well, I was hooked on that particular segment from that moment on. (I have since found that Tim C. is also an addict and we have giggled many Sunday mornings over the segments that week).

Now, with all that said, one of my favorite things about George W. is his ability to laugh at himself. In many of the speeches when he'd get all stumbled up over himself, there was that twinkle in his eye, and I have always wondered if he and Laura didn't have a bit of a giggle about it between themselves later. I would probably have felt horrible for laughing quite as hysterically as I have had he not shown that he had a great sense of humor and wasn't afraid to laugh at himself.

In all seriousness, I am so very grateful to President Bush for his service to our country. I am saddened by the "cloud" that seems to hang over his presidency. He has lead this great nation at a time when I don't believe any man (or woman) could have possibly made all the correct decisions when facing what he has faced. I believe that Mr Bush has great faith, and that his faith has sustained him through his term in office and will continue to do so afterward. I can't help but notice how tired he looks lately and wonder if he'll be as happy to be back on his ranch as I imagine I would be in his shoes.

I will leave you with the final "Great Moments In Presidential Speeches". It's actually a montage of previous segments, which leads me back to my opening statement: "President Bush made one of the best public addresses of his presidency last week."

......after all the hype surrounding the "final" speech, he nailed it.

As far as the "Great Moments" run on Latenight,.......

.....Guess George W. got the last laugh after all, Dave.

"Mysterious" Goings On....

Carter is forever leaving his sippy cup out of the fridge. He can open the fridge door and I keep his cup where he can reach it just because I know he'll climb if I don't. I usually try to keep an idea of where he's put it, and what color we have that day just in case a sippy from days gone by pops up out of nowhere. Now, let me just stop here and say that I do spend time searching for lost cups almost daily, but there are some cups that just "mysteriously disappear" only to reappear just as mysteriously.

Like last night.

I was curled up into a fetus-like position trying to stay warm (yes, we have heat, and it was on, but my bones are cold from working on "the farm" in this frigid southern climate), anyway, I was curled up on the couch watching House MD and Carter comes and tells me he wants M&M's. I told him we didn't have any, but he "mysteriously" produced a snack sized pack of them. They weren't open so I told him he could have them. I now believe they were sent from above to make what was coming a bit easier to stomach.

A few minutes later I heard Carter fumbling around in the kitchen and went to see what he was up to. I walked around the corner just in time to see him chugging from a green sippy cup and making a REALLY BAD FACE.

Green was not the color of the day. Purple was.

I said, "Stop Carter! That milk is OLD!" He nodded and handed it to me, still making the face. (this is the first time he's actually DRANK old milk).

I grabbed the cup and was rinsing it in the sink when I heard Carter, in a strange voice, say, "Mama?" (he usually says "mom" so when I hear "mama" I know it's serious!)

He was standing behind me looking so pitiful........and there was RED puke everywhere!!

If not for the fact that I could smell it, I'd have thought he hurled his intestines on my kitchen floor.

It smelled like the "mysterious" M&M's.

Carter has only puked one other time in his 2 and a half years, so he was a little concerned at the amount of red "stomach contents" he had deposited on himself and the kitchen floor. So, I did what any other candidate for the "Mom of the Year" would have done in that moment looking at the scared face of my puke covered child.

I laughed.

.....and thankfully, so did he.

The fact that the lovely aroma of M&M's made cleaning up the mess somewhat pleasant, AND the fact that I feel sure any chocolate craving I may have in the near future has most surely been averted made the whole situation quite funny to me.

So, thanks to whomever "mysteriously" deposited the M&M's. Crisis avoided....AND my diet will surely benefit as well.

Flippin' For Flip!

I don’t often discuss deals on electronics because, quite frankly, at this point in my life I don’t have a lot of patience in that area (I know, you're SHOCKED, right?). With a toddler and a baby, I don’t have the time to be trying to work with complicated gadgets. With that said, however, I do still want to capture those special moments in time, and if possible be able to fit the thing in my purse! What is a mom to do? (Click here to keep reading...)

Hey Mom....

.....I'm gonna tell Nana about my bike with my loud mouth!

.....Hey, when I go poopy in the potty, I get Lightning Mater big boy underpants. (to some guy in Walmart...no, I didn't explain! just smiled.)

.....I found it in the couch...I OPENED THE CUSHION, TA-DA! My FAVRITE bouncy ball!!!!! PERFECK! (perfect)

.....I'm readin' the Bible to Lilah, DON'T BOTHER US!

.... can I take my guitar to play at church with them singers? (I'm guessing he means the choir) Can I have my own Micrephone?

....what's that Wuke gonna get up there and tell us today? (Luke is the pastor) Lilah, be quiet, that Wuke is gonna talk about something to us.

....Mom,... Aubree is my perfeck friend.

.....I want Dad to smell it. (refer to Number 2 for a description of "it")

I have no idea where he gets his flair for drama....nope, no idea at all!!

Here are some Christmas pics to the tune of Toby Mac:)

Say WHAT???

For once in my life, I have no words. (at least no productive ones). Read THIS.....sit down first.

Spectacular Winner!

Thank you to all who entered to win a copy of Spectacular Sins: And Their Global Purpose In The Glory Of Christ, by John Piper!

And now for the winner:

True Random Number Service

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

23

Timestamp: 2009-01-07 07:08:28 UTC

...and lucky number 23 is:

Jennifer (aka jennmom)

Jennifer, I have emailed you for your address and I'll send your book to you as soon as I get your mailing address so that you can get started reading it! Congratulations!

For everyone else who would like to get this wonderful book, Click HERE to get your copy. It's probably the best $10 you'll spend! As I said before, I believe every Christian could benefit greatly from reading this book!

Then hop over HERE to join in Lisa's Spectacular Sins Bookclub. It starts January 19!

Nine Months

Dear Lilah,

It seems like just yesterday we were waiting for your arrival, yet you've been with us for 9 months already! You are growing and changing so fast! It seems as though you learn something new every single day. You are crawling here and there, but standing up is your favorite thing to do! I wouldn't be surprised if you took off walking just any day now. I'm not in a hurry for that at all! I know that when you take those first steps, you won't be a baby anymore, you'll be off and running way too soon!

You love to clap and say "Yayyyy" for everything your big brother does, after every bite of food, and this past Sunday during every song that was sung. You even raised your hands "praise style" after every few claps! It was adorable! You must have tired yourself out because after a few minutes I looked over and you were sound asleep sitting straight up in Kenneth's lap. Your nap paid off though because when Tammy reached back and got baby Clayton, you were ready to chat him up! I don't think he expected such a little girl to be such a talker though, because he was ready to go back to his dad pretty quick!

So far you are saying Mama, Dada, bye bye, Yay, something that sounds alot like Carter, and lots of other chatter that we haven't quite decoded yet! One thing's for sure though, you are gonna be a talker!

You have two teeth making their way through, and my goodness are they giving you a fit! You are kind of funny though. Instead of crying, you do this mad growl sort of noise and bite on your finger....like you are determined to fix it instead of let it hurt you. You also have developed a warning scream when Carter is getting too involved in your business. That is hilarious! He covers his ears and tells you "Be quiet Lilah! You're hurting my ears!....or, You're getting on my nerves Lilah!" It kind of hurts my ears too, but it seems to work at keeping him from bothering you too much so I can certainly handle it!

Actually, I rarely have to worry about him bothering you. The two of you play so well together! Carter almost always makes sure you have something to play with before he gets something for himself. He loves you very much and you love him very much too! Your eyes light up every single time he's around you. Like you just can't wait to see what he's going to do next! I hope the two of you always love each other as much as you do now!

You are such a delightful baby. You are always smiling and your eyes always sparkle. I look so forward to watching you grow and learn! I love you so very much and I thank God for blessing us with such a precious baby girl!

Love,
Mom, ....or as your saying so sweetly these days "MaMa"

Tagged & Awardeded

I have been tagged a few times lately but I have been super slow in responding due to the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. So I'm gonna pass them along in this one super fantabulous post!

1st one:

SCATTERGORIES.. it's harder than it looks! Link to this post, erase my answers, enter yours, and tag 10 people including the one that sent this to you.

Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following. They have to be real places, names, things. Nothing made up! Try to use different answers if the person in front of you had the same 1st initial.. You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question. And you can not use the same word twice

Your name
Deedra

BOY NAME:
Daniel

4 LETTER WORD:
Diva

GIRL NAME:
Delilah

OCCUPATION:
Demolitionist

A COLOR:
Daredevil (Sherwin Williams #6882)

SOMETHING YOU WEAR:
Drawers :)

BEVERAGE:
Dr Pepper

FOOD
Dinty Moore Beef Stew........home made goodness. HA!

SOMETHING FOUND IN A BATHROOM:
Dude....(but only one at a time, not like Diva's, where you will usually find a group:)

A PLACE :
Damascus

REASON FOR BEING LATE:
Dora....as in the explorer. Who can leave without knowing how it ends???

SOMETHING YOU SHOUT:
Dadgummit!! (remember my last name? I married into this one!)

and the second one:

I was tagged for this one a few times and it probably surprises me the most of any award/tags I've ever been given. Here is the description for it.

"This blog invests and believes in the PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships! This blog is exceedingly charming. This kind blogger aims to find and be friends. This blogger is not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to writers like this one and those nominated below!"

I have never considered myself to be great "friend" material. I realize that sounds horrible, but I haven't. I'm not one who likes to talk on the phone, in fact I rarely remember to check my voice mail. I'm much more of an in person/text message/email/blog comment kind of girl.......which kind of makes me sound like a guy. LOL. Rather than have one "best" friend, I would rather have lots of great friends ....again sounding like a guy!



I pass this award on to:

Theia: Theia is an awesome woman who is serving God as a missionary right here at home! (well on that other mountain!) Her ministry touches many people and through her service she touches sweet miracles who don't yet know how blessed they are to be in her care. I met Theia through our mutual friend, and the woman Carter believes to be another grandmother, Phyllis. (and I can say that because he called her Grandmother once during church.........and he doesn't call anyone else that!) Theia was the first person I thought of when I read the description of this award. It describes her and her blog perfectly!

Rita (aka Jungle Mom): I met Rita a couple of years ago via blog when she and her family were serving as missionaries in Venezuela. Rita is a strong woman, a strong Christian, and a strong friend. She shares her faith, beliefs, and her amazing adventures with so many of us around the world through her blog. She and her family are now serving as missionaries in Paraguay. I am always blessed when I visit Rita's blog! A year or so ago, we even discovered we had an acquaintance in common! My friend's dad is a missionary in Venezuela as well...and Rita knows him! Small world!


So there you have it! I know there were "rules" for this award, but I broke them a little ( you are shocked, I know!) As for how you pass it on, go with your heart girls, that's what I did. You were both on my heart today!

Go visit these girls and show them some love! They certainly share their love and friendship with everyone around them!

Also, don't forget that I'm giving away a copy of Spectacular Sins in a few days! Go HERE to register for it!

fPhoto Friday

Carter kissing Lilah's boo boo.
Boo boo caused from Carter tackling her.
At least he waited until after church.

New Years Meditations

UPDATE: Click HERE to see the winner of the Spectacular Giveaway!!

Happy New Year everyone! I hope everyone has gotten their greens & black eyed peas today! Or is that only in the south? I'm not one to make New Years Resolutions, but when I saw that Lori (formerly known as Laurel Wreath) was doing a New Years Meditations, I knew this was something I wanted to participate in!

I have been reading and re-reading the book Spectacular Sins, by John Piper, preparing for a book club with Lisa. I don't normally get to do a lot of extra reading these days, with two little ones, but I do love a good book when I get the chance! To say this is a good book is a huge understatement! It's a fantastic book! It's deep, but written in a manner that even the newest of Christians (or someone with Mommy-Brain) can understand.

This book along with other things in the world and in my own life have given me new insights, renewed hunger to hold as close as I possibly can to God. I look at the world today and it scares me to think about what it will be like in 10 or 15 years when my babies are stepping out into the world as teenagers. I pray that we can instill in them knowledge and faith in God that will be unshakable no matter what they face.

....and by "we" in that last sentence I mean God, my husband and myself, our families, church, community. I mean everyone that comes into regular contact with them.

I hold myself accountable to those I come into contact with as well. From my Sunday School class, Awana class, nieces, nephews, family, community, and anyone I come into contact with.

The saying "it takes a village" is more true now than ever before! So I guess that would have to be my New Years Meditation. I want to be the best I can be in every area of my life with the understanding that every breath I take is for the sole purpose of bringing glory to God.

My goodness, how I fail Him.

I am also starting to read The One Year Chronological Bible with the start of the new year and I'm excited about reading the Bible in this way! There are several studies going on using this Bible and I look forward to gaining insight from each of them.

I am also challenging us to become more self-sufficient, more "green", more "live off the land", if you will, as a family. After all, God created this beautiful world for us to live on, the very least we can do is take care of it!

I will stop right there on that topic for fear of getting more "resolution" than "meditation". I'm sure you'll hear more about that as the year progresses! Especially considering the fact that every year when I start talking about "my garden" my husband wants to know how many acres I want to plant. I start having flashbacks of the summer he talked me into planting "acres" of watermelons. Guess who had to help hoe them? Or the summer we planted "acres" of sweet corn. Guess who helped pick it?

Didn't I say I was "stopping right there"?


Anyway! In the spirit of the new year and the wonderful book I have been reading I am going to be giving away a copy of Spectacular Sins. It is truly a great book and a must read for every Christian today.

All you have to do is leave a comment on this post to be entered to win. I'll announce the winner on January 7th!

In the meantime, head over to visit Lori, formerly known as Laurel Wreath, to join in her New Years Meditations . You can join until the 6th!

Thanks for hosting this Lori, and I totally think you should go by Lori, formerly known as Laurel Wreath.....haha!

UPDATE: Click HERE to see who won the Spectacular Giveaway!!