Happy New Year 2013!

2012 was full of lots of exciting changes and some challenges for Lucy Doo and our family. God has been faithful to us and we are so grateful. I’m excited to see what is in store for 2013!! I pray God’s richest blessings and favor on you and yours this year!

I love this prayer from Dr. Billy Graham. It is my prayer for this year.

 

Help us to humbly put our hands into Your hand,

and to trust You and to seek Your will for our

lives during this coming year.

~Dr. Billy Graham

Expecting God’s best,

A New Chapter Is Here!

School is back in session!! My goodness gracious, where did the summer go??
I have to say that I have never been the kind of mom who dreaded her kids being out for summer (well, there was that one summer after Kindergarten when I realized that it was going to be a full-time job keeping my son as busy and stimulated as his super special Kindergarten teacher. That was a doozy!….just keepin’ it real, folks.)  But this summer has to be one of my all-time favorites. Not because of any reason other than I realized around May that there would not likely be too many more summers when I would have both of my children still in my “nest” {sniff, sniff} and I wanted to soak it up!  Yesterday, that super special summer came to a screeching halt!


My son started HIGH SCHOOl……..did you hear me?……high school!!! Wasn’t it just yesterday that I was giving him the pep talk to not cry when he went into his Preschool class for the first time? (Now I AM the one who needs the pep talk……..huh, hum)


 

And, as if that wasn’t enough to make you stop and walk down memory lane, my daughter started Junior High!!! That’s 2 big changes in one day, sweet friends.


Yesterday morning, I was great! I was excited for their new adventures and helping them walk through their day mentally so as not to forget anything. I wasn’t emotional at all….just excited for them. …….
Until……..
……my son got home in the afternoon and began to tell me all about his first day in High School. Tears began to gather behind my eyes. You know the feeling, when you don’t want to cry and you pray that no one asks you if you’re okay because you’ll be doing the ugly cry in no time? Well, that was me! 
Then, when my daughter came home and was excited about her first day in Junior High, Ummm…… Now, I was thrilled that they both had amazing days. They found and opened their lockers, made it to classes on time, had friends to sit with at lunch (that was a HUGE prayer request of mine and God answered in a big way. Thank you LORD!) It was just the reality that my kids are growing up and I can’t do anything to slow it down or even stop it. 
I don’t want to stop it because each chapter is new and exciting and God blesses them with lots of wonderful (sometimes challenging) experiences. It’s the way life should be. You see, when my husband and I were praying years and years ago that God would bless us with children, God spoke to my heart (not audibly, but put this thought in my head & heart) that

our children need to be conceived in the

right month

to be born at the right time

 

to go to school in the right year

 

to cross paths with those people HE has

planned 

for them to meet and impact.

That was such an amazing experience and one that I reflect on the first day of school every single year.

My heart if full of wonder and excitement

for this school year.

I’m thankful that both of my kids really strive to walk with Jesus every day. They’re not perfect, by any means. Each day there is a choice to walk with Him and be Jesus with skin on. Sometimes they make it and sometimes they don’t.  I try to remind them each day to watch for HIS hand.  I pray that God will protect them physically, spiritually, & emotionally this year and give them the best school year ever!  Excited to see how it all plays out.

Cute Idea for Your Camper

Like most families, our summer is full of camps,  spending time with family and friends, staying up late, and sleeping in.  I LOVE it!
I thought I’d share with you something I made for my daughter this summer for camp. I was inspired by my friend Laura who has 4 kids and is an amazing mom. She always has such great ideas….she needs to have a blog!!
Picked up this little baby at the sporting goods store. It’s great! It has wheels!!
Then I coated it with a good Primer.
Now for the fun part!  C.O.L.O.R.!!
This spray paint really covered well. No need for multiple coats.


Tough to see here in this pic, but the top is blue, front and back are lime green, and both ends are a pretty shade of orange.

Now to dress it up!















I chose Bible verses that would really give her strength and courage any time she uses it.  You might put your child’s favorite verses or even attach photos with Modge Podge. We’ll probably add some flowers or polka dots.
Now each time she uses this trunk, she plans to put a bumper sticker inside the lid for that destination! How fun!
Enjoy your last few days of summer!
Blessings,

A Little Red, White, & Blue

July 4th is right around the corner. I sure do love me some RED, WHITE, & BLUE!
Need ideas for celebrating this amazing country? If you start now, you can make these cute ideas part of your Independence Day. (click on each link to find out how each is made)

*********************

Oh say can you see

by the dawn’s early light

 What so proudly we hailed

at the twilight’s last gleaming?

 Whose broad stripes and bright stars

 through the perilous fight

O'er the ramparts we watched

 were so gallantly streaming?

And the rockets’ red glare

The bombs bursting in air

 Gave proof through the night

 that our flag was still there.

 

Oh say does that star spangled banner yet wave

 

 or the land of the FREE and

the home of the BRAVE!

 Let’s all wave our Red, White, & Blue proudly this July 4th! I’ve been waving mine since May!!



Thankful to live in the good ‘ole US of A,

A Hot Day in June

I love sweet stories, don’t you?
A little girl grows up in a small town in Louisiana. The kind of town where everyone knows everyone, and most are related! Her nickname is “Sunshine” (or Baby #2 to her parents) to those who know her because she always smiles and is a bright spot to others around her. It is a simple life. One filled with laughter, fun, and unconditional love. She is the only child of two hard-working parents. Her dad worked in a paper mill. Her mom as a night nurse. Later, her parents would open a gas station which became a truck stop.
A boy grows up in that same small town in a similar home. His parents are hard-working, expect their kids to show love and respect to God as well as others, and stand up for what they know is right. They built their own full-service gas station/ambulance/ wrecker service/grocery store on a busy highway. They raised their 2 sons and 2 daughters in the back of that station. Being two years older, the boy had never really noticed a sweet girl across the highway. He was the handsome football player who everyone liked and who probably never met a stranger. Those were the good ole days in the 1950s.
Then one day, that boy, who was home from college for a visit, happened to look across the street and notice a beautiful girl wearing a purple dress……They began a courtship that bloomed into a lifetime of love.
…..that sweet girl and that handsome boy grew up and got married on a hot Sunday afternoon in June, 50 years ago.
There’s much more to this story, but I won’t share all of the details. You see, that sweet story belongs to my parents, Joe and Shirley Hayman.
Mom and Dad were married on June 17, 1962 and today, they celebrate 50 years of marriage. What a gift they are to our family!
They have raised my brother and I to love the Lord Jesus with all of our hearts, to give to others unselfishly, to do everything we do “as unto the Lord”, and to love our family with our whole hearts…..just like them. What an amazing example of a godly marriage they have shown….a legacy.
Thank you, Mom and Dad, for your years of marriage and teaching your children not to give up when life gets tough. Or to throw in the towel when that would be an easier choice.  It’s worth it. To God be the glory.
So, it is an extra special DAY today! My parents’ 50th wedding anniversary PLUS Father’s Day, when I can celebrate my own father and my husband, who both give their all to the ones they love. What a triple blessing!!
Thankful,