May the God of peace equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (Hebrews 13:20-21)

"Two people can accomplish more than twice as much as one; they get a better return for their labor. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But people who are alone when they fall are in real trouble. And on a cold night, two under the same blanket can gain warmth from each other. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken."
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12


There was one, then one found another, and together we created a third... A bond I dreamed of and I must thank God for answering the desire of my heart.

5 Years and So Much to Be Thankful For....

This past Friday, Dave and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary. It was a day that wasn't going as we had planned... or as we would have thought it would or should... We had thought we would take a trip or something of that nature but it didn't work out... Sometimes we have to get past the ideas of what or how we "think" something should be. Anyway, when evening came we had come to the conclusion that we were going to spend our evening at home (mom was babysitting). I had worked and Dave was going to football practice and we still had not really carved any plans in stone other than spending an evening together... So many times we look for elaborate plans to make our days special. Well guess what, the days when all we have is each other ARE indeed some of the most wonderful! I have to say I felt a little ashamed of myself for having my "ideas" of how the day should go. As it turns out, we had a wonderful evening and I wouldn't have traded it for a trip to anywhere! At the end of the day, I was reminded of how blessed I am... I thank God for Dave - for a Christian mate... One that at the end of an evening at home, I can be even more in love with than I was when I woke up in the morning... Happy Anniversary to my wonderful husband!

Letting go of my Anxieties!

"What are we going to eat? Or "What are we going to have to drink? Or, what are we going to have to wear? But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things taken together will be given to you. So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own." (Matthew 6:26-30, Amplified)

"Do not fret, it only leads to evil." (Psalm 37:8)

Peter the apostle wrote, "[Cast] the whole of your care–all you anxieties, all your worries, all you concerns, once and for all-on Him; for He cares for you affectionately, and cares about you watchfully." (1 Peter 5:7-10)

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” (II Timothy 1:7, NLT).

Father in heaven, thank You for giving me power, love, and a sound mind. I open my heart to You and receive Your perfect love. Fill me with Your confidence and assurance to embrace everything You have for me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Good Fun with Friends!

Monday night I attended a party in honor of the season finale of The Bachelor. The party was hosted by my good friend, Donna. It was loads of fun!

An Airplane Ride to Heaven...

Several times since the miscarriage, Tate has asked me about the baby in my tummy and until recently has just accepted my responses and went on in his carefree childish way to something else. Yesterday evoked a new set of responses... Early morning I was getting ready for work and had went into the living room to continue my morning efforts when as I was sitting there I heard, "Mommy, there's not a baby in your tummy anymore?" I proceeded to say to him that there wasn't. On this occasion, I sat down to try to talk to him which I had done several times before but felt the need to give him more of an explanation this a.m. I said "Well, the baby is in Heaven now and that means that we need to be really good and love Jesus and one day we will get to see the baby again." Well that I could tell was being intently thought upon... He continued on a bit with little musings of Heaven being up in the sky and such. But his next response was "Mom, I think we need to buy an airplane so we can go to Heaven." And it was in that bittersweet moment that I looked at his gorgeous face and thanked God.....

Ice Storm in Martin Co.

Last week Martin County as well as much of Kentucky was pounded by an Ice Storm... Along with the storm came power outages, damage from fallen trees, and loss of water... I had never saw a storm do so much damage in such a little bit of time... It was quite amazing... As the ice fell onto trees and power lines they could not withstand and were falling faster than crews could even begin to keep up with... You could sit in your house and literally listen to them falling to the ground... There are three downed trees just in my back yard... It was crazy!!! There were so many power outages that Martin Countians went as far as yesterday without power (I'm hoping the last of them were restored in the pm yesterday) We, luckily only had to go one night and part of a day without water and electricity (and of course that means heat)... We did, luckily, crash on family members to stay warm!!! There were 13 of us piled into 1 house!!! WOW!!! Of course, during these times we are forced to sit with family and actually have conversations and entertain each other rather than relying on television or internet... It's then that you have to be slightly ashamed of the reliance you have on technology... It forces you to remember we would be much better off to turn of the TV and shut down the computers and just enjoy the presence of each other...

Here are some pics I borrowed from my good friend Donna's page... It literally just uprooted trees...

My Little Superman!

Isn't he the most handsome superman you've ever saw?

Happy Birthday to a Very Special Lady!

Today is my dear friend Vicky's birthday!!! I want to wish her a wonderful birthday filled with more blessing than she can imagine! She has always been such a light to me and one of the people I hold dearest to me in this life here on earth!!!

I love you Vic!!! Have a very special day!!!

Happy Birthday to my baby Boy!!!

My baby boy is three!!! I can't believe time has gone by so fast!!! Happy Birthday Little Man Tate!!! You make every day I wake up that much brighter!!! I love you!!!

Santa Visits Tate...

Christmas Fun with Sunny....

This year is the first year in several that my dear friend Sunny is getting to spend the holiday's at home (in the same country :) anyway).... She was in for a visit during Thanksgiving. On Sunday night she came over and we decked the halls of the Crum household! We drank hot apple cider and put up the tree and talked and talked and talked... It was so nice to have her here!

Pumpkin Carving...

Me and Tate decided to carve one of our pumpkins today... It was a beautiful day so we swept off the small landing in front of the porch and started work... Tate, of course being ALL BOY!!! only wanted to hold the knife - which of course made mommy a nervous wreck! He also wanted to draw all over the pumpkin - note the random lines! All in all, we had a good time and ended up with a pretty good jack o' lantern!!!

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

October 30th was Mom and Dad's anniversary - Trick or Treat here in the county.... Happy 32 years!!!

Pictures of Hollis Woods....

This week I was working on some last minute homework... I had to have a book to base some Lesson Plans on... The entire time, I thought I would do the plans on Sarah Plain and Tall... Well, I couldn't find the book so I called my faithful reader friend, Vicky... Thinking she may have Sarah Plain and Tall on hand, I dialed the number... She didn't have it... but... She tells me she has another good one - Pictures of Hollis Woods... So thankful to have a book but a little dismayed to have to start over, I proceeded to begin my homework again... I finished the homework and my mom arrived home with the book in hand... Now it was time to read it...I started that night and was instantly hooked... I had to stop and turn the lights out so my hubby could sleep for the next days work - regretfully... The next morning I was up bright and early to do some Observation hours at the school but I came right back home and sat down to finish the book before my class... I tell you this may be a book aimed at young readers but I LOVED IT! It was a beautiful story of love and acceptance. I encourage everyone to read it! Although many tears flowed throughout the book, my heart was happy at the end... A beautiful story for sure! Thanks Vic for that one! It's now on my list of must haves... and I can't wait to watch the Hallmark movie either! Wonder where we could find it!

Trick or Treat fun........

Yesterday, I received one of the two costumes I had ordered for Tate - Lil' Frankie... Still to come is Itsy Bitsy Spider... I snapped a few shots of him and thought I would share... Let me know what you think... I'll be sure to take of few of the spider costume too... (I was actually a little disappointed with the quality of the Lil' Frankie costume - the picture was very misleading... but he loved it and with a little work I can fix it to what I thought it would be...) Also, I'm including a pic of my faudershock... Anyone know where I might find some mums? I've been on a search and apparently they are very hard to come by this year - LOL! Notice my beautiful gourds - courtesy of my dear friend Vicky! I LOVE THEM!

The Tale of Three Trees

A Tale of Three Trees is a beautiful folktale by Angela Elwell Hunt and one of my most recent purchases. If you haven't read it, you should! It's a beautiful children's book that will adorn the shelf of my classroom!

Tate Man enjoying the Harvest Fest Pageant and Parade

Fall is once again upon us....

I absolutely LOVE this time of year! There are so many fun activities... festivals, parades, pageants, costume shopping... Not to mention decorating faudershocks and most importantly simply enjoying mother nature's gorgeous surroundings... The temperature is just right... Not too hot, not too cool... I could just sit for hours and enjoy the sounds, smells, and feel of fall!!! The leaves falling and rustling all around you... Apple Cider comes out on the shelves (Not only one of my favorite tastes but also a huge favorite smell!!!) Oh and of course I get to pull out my sweatshirts for the cool evenings! Fall simply feels like a time of relaxation to me!

My Birthday...

Yesterday, I was officially another year older... I spent the day with my wonderful husband and my Tatie-bug... My momma made me a wonderful Tiramisu which was delicious! I had lots and lots of birthday wishes from friends and family! Thanks to all of you - I love each and every one of you!