Happy Mother's Day!

Moms truly have THE very best job.  I consider it the highest calling and I'm so grateful to be a mom.  Just to think that God trusted me with these three lives to shape toward Him is humbling and I'm ever so thankful!  Sometimes I'm just in awe as I think that there was a time when I didn't know if we would have any children.  And now we have three that I'm so very proud to call mine.  :)

I just want to take a moment to honor my mom as well.  She taught me how to be a mother.  I didn't know much else that I wanted to be for the longest when I grew up, but I knew I wanted to be a wife and a mother.  And that's because of my mother.  I watched her and learned from her.  She was always there for us.....teaching us how to walk uprightly in this world.  I owe much to her.

So today, I say thank you mama for giving birth to me, raising me, teaching me, helping to shape my thoughts and ideas, and for being a constant in my life.  I love you with all my heart!  Happy Mother's Day!

And Happy Mother's Day to all my blogging friends out there that have the privilege and blessing of celebrating this day! I hope it's a wonderful one!  YOU really are a super hero! 

By the way, we're celebrating Mother's Day by going to see The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and then out to eat.  :)

♥ Tammy ♥ 

Faithful Friday - "The Highest Calling"

It may not feel like such an honorable "job" when we're caught up in the busy(ness) and sometimes craziness of home from day to day, but I truly believe that being a mother is one of THE highest callings.  God loans us our children and raising them to trust and serve Him is a huge responsibility and blessing! 

I count it a blessing that even though I'm not out in the world making a difference, I am making a big difference when I pour myself into our home and raising our children.  My children, husband, and home are my ministry.  I take this seriously.  I'm far from perfect at it, but I love the standard God gives us mothers to follow, as far as striving to be a virtuous woman and mother.

Who can find a virtuous woman? She is far more precious than jewels...
Strength and honor are her clothing, and she can laugh at the time to come.
She opens her mouth with wisdom, and loving instruction is on her tongue.
She watches over the activities of her household and is never idle.
Her sons rise up and call her blessed.
He husband also praises her:
Many women are capable, but you surpass them all!
Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised.

  ~Proverbs 31:10, 25-30 ~

Who knows, we just might be raising the next Billy Graham, Amy Carmichael, Mother Teresa........  I think about THEIR mothers and how THEIR mothers helped shape who they were. 

I love these words of encouragement.  We can really use these words of encouragement as mothers!

Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice!
Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.
Don't' worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving; let your requests be made known to God.
And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

 

~ Philippians 4:4-7 

And I love this one because it even tells us what to do with our thoughts.....  :)

Finally brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of a good report - if there is any virtue and if there is any praise- think on these things.

 

~Philippians 4:8 ~ 
 

 Adding children to our family didn't come easily (or quickly).....they were all quite a journey.  I thank God for the gift of motherhood!  I stood on and believed this scripture for each one of my children.  As a matter of fact, it was posted on my mirror.  (I liked the idea that it was plural too). 

He settles the childless woman in her home as a happy mother of children. Praise the LORD.

 

~ Pslam 113:9  ~ 

 

Our 3 blessings

 

And I thank God for MY mother who helped shape me into who I am.  She invested her life in her home and children and I am so thankful.  She gave me my favorite scripture and instilled it in me.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways submit to him,

and he will make your paths straight.

 

~ Proverbs 3:5-6 ~

 

My mother

 

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!  Remember YOU do make a difference!  You are special!  God bless you all!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

 

 

For more Faithful Friday posts or to link your own Faithful Friday post, visit Joy (Doodlebug )

here.

Have a great weekend!

 



♥ Tammy ♥

Momentous Monday

My blogging friend, Tiffany, is hosting Momentous Mondays to share those special moments in a week with family in which we want to pause and reflect and remember. Tiffany is the sweetest person, with a precious family. They are just beginning the adoption process to bring home their baby from Ethiopia too. Tiffany truly has a mother's heart.

I wanted to share a few moments from this past week with my family. These were moments that I want to savor! I recognized them as a blessing that as a mother, I want to treasure always.

The first one, I didn't actually capture on camera, but I did get a sort of related picture. This is Joy with her daddy. Moments like this are not rare around here either. Usually Joy and I race each other to see who can get to him first to kiss and hug him when he gets home from work. She's really fast and is known to run out barefoot to the car, leaving me way behind! Yes, she's a girl, but remember she's tomboy too and she and her daddy have always had their game of "roughest toughest" since she was little bitty. She still likes to get him to play parts of it with her. She's still all about hugging and kissing her daddy.



Here's what I wanted to share. Yes, Joy is 11 years old and some may say "too big" to do such a thing. Believe me we got a few looks from folks, but mostly kind words and glances really. When we're in a parking lot walking from the car to a store, Joy will sometimes ask for a piggy back ride or a shoulder ride. So here's this tall 11 year old on daddy's shoulders! Two things about this make me happy. First, that Jason is wise enough to know that this won't last too much longer. One day, she'll think this is too "babyish" and won't be seen doing anything like this (in public anyway), and he is more than willing to oblige and enjoy this moment with his daughter. And second, that Joy still wants to do this and isn't bothered by what folks think. That's a moment I want to remember.

For the next one, we did get a picture. I was driving down the road, with Joy in the passenger seat. She had her MP3 player and reached over and put one earphone plug in my ear and the other in her ear. And that wasn't a rare occurrence either. She often shares her music with me as we're driving down the road. That's special. To me, it's similiar to sharing a book together when I read aloud to her still. We're very fond of music in many ways around here and I've always answered to folks when asked what type of music I listen to......"whatever my kids are listening to". And that's the truth. Jason is the same. How many dads do you know that know most of Selena Gomez's songs and sing along? :) I loved sharing this moment with Joy. She had her camera and I asked her to take a picture of us, driving down the road sharing our music. I'm so glad I thought to ask her to take a picture. This will be a treasure to keep. I'm thankful for this moment, and for my daughter including me in her world.



And last, but definitely not least, is my Mother's Day. I had a wonderful day! First thing yesterday morning as I was still in bed, I heard someone saying, "Mom". I opened my eyes, and there stood Joy with a tray. She said "Happy Mother's Day". It brought a smile for lots of reasons. First, for Joy to get up before me on her own was a huge thing. Second, what was on that tray...was SO me! It had my cashew breakfast bar, a napkin, my fiber pill (lol!), and a glass of Diet Dew. Yes, folks that's my (most common) breakast these days. Oh, and it had a note that listed activities for the day which included breakfast in bed, manicure/pedicure, massage, foot wash/massage, lots of hugs and kisses, dinner out, my choice of movies, and the computer charger for the day....



Then a while later...Jason called me into the kitchen. He said Colt had something for me. Colt worked all night and wasn't home, but had left instructions with Jason. This meant so much because Colt really knew me too. He got me this from Hobby Lobby.



You have to know Colt. He's NOT a Hobby Lobby kind of guy, yet he went there and not only did he get this, but had it sitting in the passenger seat when one of his friends got in the car. He endured a little teasing for the Hobby Lobby sack in his car and what was inside it. He says he's been called ""Hobby Lobby" this past week.! lol! He called me as soon as he got off work Sunday morning to wish me a Happy Mothers Day, and then met us at church. We all had dinner at Panchos after church. Mexican food is also my favorite. I really enjoyed that time with my family!

Oh, and Jason and Joy also gave me the movie, The Secrets of the Mountain, which is a family friendly movie put out by Walmart and Proctor and Gamble. I haven't gotten a chance to watch it yet, but it was recommended highly by AFA as a movie worth watching with your family. They know I'm all about that. I get tired of the movies that aren't and am always looking for a good family movie. I can't wait to watch it. And along with the movie, were a couple packs of butterfingers (my favorite candy bar) to enjoy with my movie! :) And as we were walking out to go to church, there was rose moss waiting for me on the sunporch (for planting). They know that's my favorite flower to plant (one that I won't kill). :)

Looking over the gifts, I realized the love and the thought put into it each one, because those things really do fit me perfectly. I'm so blessed with my family and so thankful for them. I love them dearly.



So see...I had a week full of of moments to share for this Momentous Monday!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great week! :)

A Tribute to My Mother

Today, as I was thinking about how thankful I am for the way my mother (and daddy) raised me, I thought of this poem that I first heard read in church a few years ago by a friend of mine. So I share this today, in honor of my mother! If this makes the meanest mother, I'm so glad I had the meanest mother too!



The Meanest Mother In The World
Copyright© 1967 by Bobbie Pingaro



I had the meanest mother in the whole world. While other kids ate candy for breakfast, I had to have cereal, eggs or toast. When others had cokes and candy for lunch, I had to eat a sandwich. As you can guess, my supper was different than the other kids' also.

But at least, I wasn't alone in my sufferings. My sister and two brothers had the same mean mother as I did.

My mother insisted upon knowing where we were at all times. You'd think we were on a chain gang. She had to know who our friends were and where we were going. She insisted if we said we'd be gone an hour, that we be gone one hour or less--not one hour and one minute. I am nearly ashamed to admit it, but she actually struck us. Not once, but each time we had a mind of our own and did as we pleased. That poor belt was used more on our seats than it was to hold up Daddy's pants. Can you imagine someone actually hitting a child just because he disobeyed? Now you can begin to see how mean she really was.

We had to wear clean clothes and take a bath. The other kids always wore their clothes for days. We reached the height of insults because she made our clothes herself, just to save money. Why, oh why, did we have to have a mother who made us feel different from our friends?

The worst is yet to come. We had to be in bed by nine each night and up at eight the next morning. We couldn't sleep till noon like our friends. So while they slept-my mother actually had the nerve to break the child-labor law. She made us work. We had to wash dishes, make beds, learn to cook and all sorts of cruel things. I believe she laid awake at night thinking up mean things to do to us.

She always insisted upon us telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, even if it killed us- and it nearly did.

By the time we were teen-agers, she was much wiser, and our life became even more unbearable. None of this tooting the horn of a car for us to come running. She embarrassed us to no end by making our dates and friends come to the door to get us. If I spent the night with a girlfriend, can you imagine she checked on me to see if I were really there. I never had the chance to elope to Mexico. That is if I'd had a boyfriend to elope with. I forgot to mention, while my friends were dating at the mature age of 12 and 13, my old fashioned mother refused to let me date until the age of 15 and 16. Fifteen, that is, if you dated only to go to a school function. And that was maybe twice a year.

Through the years, things didn't improve a bit. We could not lie in bed, "sick" like our friends did, and miss school. If our friends had a toe ache, a hang nail or serious ailment, they could stay home from school. Our marks in school had to be up to par. Our friends' report cards had beautiful colors on them, black for passing, red for failing. My mother being as different as she was, would settle for nothing less than ugly black marks.

As the years rolled by, first one and then the other of us was put to shame. We were graduated from high school. With our mother behind us, talking, hitting and demanding respect, none of us was allowed the pleasure of being a drop-out.

My mother was a complete failure as a mother. Out of four children, a couple of us attained some higher education. None of us have ever been arrested, divorced or beaten his mate. Each of my brothers served his time in the service of this country. And whom do we have to blame for the terrible way we turned out? You're right, our mean mother. Look at the things we missed. We never got to march in a protest parade, nor to take part in a riot, burn draft cards, and a million and one other things that our friends did. She forced us to grow up into God-fearing, educated, honest adults.

Using this as a background, I am trying to raise my three children. I stand a little taller and I am filled with pride when my children call me mean. Because, you see, I thank God, He gave me the meanest mother in the whole world.

Written by
Bobbie Pingaro ©1967


To my mother: Happy Mother's Day, Mama! I love you so much! Thank you for your love, guidance, and the way you raised me. Your influence has molded me into the mother that I am today!

Love,
Tammy

Last Weekend's Pampering (For Me)

I'm just now getting a chance to share my Mother's Day weekend with you, but it was really too good to let it slip by without mentioning! (I'm sorry but I just don't have many pictures to go with this post...I wish I had thought to take some so I borrowed this one from the net....this is what I felt like!) :)



First of all, last Saturday, Jason started on our bathroom redo. Yay! He wouldn't let me do anything in there....he just took care of everything! Really....all I did was take down the previous decor, fetch him things he needed and fed him lunch! I know he was working in small quarters where it was hard for two people to maneuver, but I think it was more than that....I think he was pampering me for Mother's Day! He took out the cabinet, toilet and trim, painted the ceiling and the walls. I love the color, by the way! It's called Bread Basket, if that give you any idea! :) Hopefully, I'll share some "before" pics and the progress so far in a post real soon.

Later that evening, we were up late watching the movie, Faith Like Potatoes. Colt came in from work and when he noticed it was actually after midnight, he declared it already Mother's Day and gave me my Mother's Day gift from him....a really sweet card and the DVD, Get Smart. We rented that movie when it first came out and all laughed it so much, he knew I'd like it. His girfriend, Amber, said he "cheated" by giving me my gift then (at around 12:07 a.m.). lol! Really, it just spread out the pampering though!

The next morning (early), just after I got up, Joy popped out of bed and followed me into the living room asking me to sit down in the recliner. She brought out her gifts (which she had stashed under the bed all night long waiting) and gave them to me one at a time....body spray, body scrub, and a pampering set for my feet. She then brought me her computer and showed me the post she put on for me for Mother's Day! That alone made my day and would have been enough, but when I got out of the shower, there were coupons from her lying on my towel....things like cleaning a room, making beds, unlimited hugs and a free cookie from Zaxby's!

That afternoon, Jason, Colt, and Joy took me out for a Mexican dinner at Panchos. It's definitely one of my favorite places to eat.

During all of the above, my mother was in Alabama. They went for the weekend to spend time with my Grandma (my daddy's mom). Plus, my brother, Richie, got to pamper my mom a little while she was there. So, we planned on going out with Mama and Daddy when they came home Sunday afternoon. I told Mama to choose where she would like to eat for supper and she chose Cracker Barrel and it was yummy too! I gave my mom part of her gift....a framed angel stitchery (stitched by my friend, Betty and framed by me to match her cupboard Jason built her awhile back). The rest of her gift is on its way here from Becca of Folk Art From the Harbor.......a sign for her bedroom!

After all of this celebrating, we came home Sunday evening around 9:00 p.m., Joy asked me to go sit down. She told me earlier there was "one more thing" she had planned for me that evening. She brought in a bowl of water and soaked my feet and gave me a foot massage and treatment!

It was heavenly, I tell you....especially after our busy day! Then Jason came in and both of them came me a shoulder and back massage! I believe it was hands-down the most pampered Mother's Day ever and it really lasted all weekend!

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Let me also show you what turned up on my porch that same weekend. When we went out to the sunporch Saturday morning, this bag was sitting out there on a chair.



Want to know what was in it?

...................47 stitcheries for me.......to do with what I wanted! My friend, Betty has found a new love.....stitching!



I'm still having to pinch myself to believe that she would do all this work and hand them over to me! There are a few that I will be looking for frames at thrift shops and painting for Betty and putting some of her favorites in....but the rest are all mine...........Now how generous is that???? Thank you, thank you, thank you, Betty! I love them!

So you see just how pampered I really was last weekend? :)

The Best Mom

I'm still here! I can't believe it's been almost a week since my last post. To sum it up, life has happened....and at high speed, I might add! The only day or evening this week we've been home for any length of time at all, was yesterday (Saturday) and it was a busy day at home. (We have actually begun the bathroom redo). But here I am today....thanks for sticking with me! :)

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Today I want to tell you a little bit about my mom. She's the best! My mama did a wonderful job raising my brother and me. She let us be kids. We played outdoors barefoot (gasp!), rode our bicycles around the neighborhood, made us homemade popsicles, let us play in water puddles, make mud pies, and have all the neighborhood kids over in our yard to play baseball or whatever else we dreamed up.



My mom made me feel secure and safe too. I always knew she was there even if she wasn't right beside me, busy doing something inside, if I needed her. She never complained when I was scared of sleeping in my room and would come ask if I could come sleep in the room with her and daddy.

My mom taught me to respect myself and others and to expect the same from other people. She taught me to be genuine and kind to others and to be confident in myself too.



My mom prayed with me and taught me how to be a young lady and wait for the young man God would give me as a husband one day. She taught me to trust God for this and many other things.



Because of my mom's love and the fact that she taught me all these things, I am the wife and mother I am today. I love being wife to Jason, and mom to Colt and Joy. A wife and mother were two things that I knew I wanted to be and I've had the best example! I wouldn't be the mom I am now if it weren't for my mom........I really do have the best mom.

I love you, Mama! Happy Mother's Day!
~ Tammy ~

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My next post (which will hopefully be in a day or two) is my 200th post and I will be revealing my giveaway on that post. If you're not a follower, I would love and be honored for you to follow along. And did I mention that folks that enter and are followers will get more chances in the giveaway too! Having faithful followers is just a happy thing, isn't it? Thanks so much every person out there that takes a moment to stop by! I really appreciate you! I've even recently discovered a lady that reads my blog and lives not far all from me.....it's a small world!

Okay that's all until the giveaway! I wish all you mothers, future mothers, and mothers-at-heart, a Happy Mother's Day! We really do have the best job in the whole world, don't we?