Wilmington bound

here we are on the first night

 

It was a ''special'' birthday!! Awhile back, hubby had told me of a fishing school held in wilmington, nc he wanted us to go to. He had tried to get us in this school for several years ,but it was always full. This year, we were able to attend. It was a fun thing to do together. We learned about different rigs, and ways to catch different fish from captains who do fishing charters. We actually learned a lot, and then went to a nearby bait and tackle store to stock up on the things they recommended. We made it a 5 day trip, also celebrating our birthdays.

 we spent the first day touring the city, looking for good places to eat and looking at the beaches. there are 3 beaches there. this was Wrightsville beach... beautiful!

the intercoastal waterway

 we stayed at a Staybridge Suites last year when we went Chattanooga . We were really impressed, so we decided to stay at the one in Wilmington. They are really nice, they all have a full kitchen, and a really big living area, and bathroom. Also, during the week, they have a FREE SUPPER there every night in the dining area.

 downtown at the railroad museum

the USS NORTH CAROLINA

Wrightsville Beach

HEADED TO THE MALL AND A GREAT MEAL

THE FISHING SCHOOL.. YES, I was one of about 20 ladies.. it was ok though

here I am on MY birthday!!!!

Snow's Cut

we  enjoyed this trip so much.. it was so fun to visit a new city for the both of us...

cancer FREE !!

 WELL..all I can say is GOD STILL ANSWERS PRAYER..and HE is so good!!!! just in case you have NOT heard.. my sister got a clear report from her scan.. NO more Cancer.. cancer free!!

Her birthday was sunday, and we had a surprise birthday/ cancer free party for  her saturday. She was REALLY SURPRISED!!! Here she is holding a shirt I had made for her!!!

 we had a spaghetti casserole dinner with salad, and bread, and a beautiful cake for dessert. the fellowship building was all decorated with teal and pink tablecloths, pink and white flowers, and banners of praise hung around the walls. ALL GLORY GOES TO THE LORD!!!

 here she is, opening the door for the first time.. '' HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HAPPY CANCER FREE!!''

 HERE SHE IS WITH HER SIS IN LAWS, BRO IN LAWS AND HER MOTHER AND FATHER IN LAW!!

 HERE IS OUR FAMILY, MINUS CORRIE AND KEVIN , WHO WERE ON THE WAY BACK FROM A TRIP!!

HERE SHE IS WITH  lil d!!

I never did doubt that God was going to bring Angie through all of this.. I KNEW He was going to take care of her, either way. A lot has happened over the past few months, and I have to say that I have learned that it is so good to know that Jesus is with us EVERY STEP oF the way. To trust Him more, but really to FULLY TRUST Him in ALL things. He hears and answers prayer, and I think, STILL is working in some of our family's lives through all of this. It shows us that HE makes NO mistakes, and has  a purpose for EVERYTHING.. I am so grateful for all the Lord has done.I am really excited for the future. I want to thank everyone for their love and support shown to our family during this time, but mainly for the PRAYERS.. God heard the prayers and answered and to Him, we are FOREVER grateful!!

GOD still answers prayer,

in HIS time, He'll work a MIRACLE,

He will NEVER fail!!

satan has LOST the battle, when to the Lord, you humbly bow,

GOD STILL ANSWERS PRAYER!!!!!!!!!!

Being TOGETHER

WINTER BLAHS...... yes, I have them..

It seems as if this winter is lasting forever.. we have had some crazy winter weather lately, with a mixture of a little snow, a pinch of sleet, and a good bit of ice for our area. When this happens, our area really goes bizzerk.. we don't know how to make it.. I know the yankees laugh at us, because it is really nothing to them, but alot to us. I am ready for warmer weather.. We have a lot of fun things planned, and some home improvements too all ready to do when warmer weather comes!!!!!!!! Bring it, SPRING!!!!

I had to spend the night at my work on monday night.. that was very interesting to say the least. we had a pretty fun time though.. after I got to sleep finally, it really was not too bad. But I must say , after Tuesday was over with, I was ready to be HOME, TOGETHER with my hubby.  Last week was my birthday. Hubby told me to get ready, he had a special place reserved for our supper. We traveled to Charlotte for the evening. We had a delicious meal at Ruth's Chris steakhouse. It was very good, and the sweet potato casserole was awesome too.. We were both off for Valentine's Day, and had made plans a while back to attend a play. It was a very fun and moving play. The Gospel was presented in a great and unique way. We finished it up with a yummy bbq supper at one of hubby's favorite places, and did a little shopping... We had so much fun just being together..

Family time is important, and being with your friends too is important. We love to get together to celebrate birthdays, or just to hang out to catch up on what's been going on!! I look forward to doing that tonight!!!! We have a youth activity planned saturday.. it is going to be really fun, looking forward to that.
Next week, my sis has another chemo treatment.. Please continue to pray as she goes through with it. I just hope she does not get sick.. The last treatment was so good, it was almost as if she never had one!!! Praise the Lord!! We are so ready for all of them to be over.. We are ready to get away for some TOGETHER time as a FAMILY.!!!    Have fun being TOGETHER with your loved ones, and *LIVE EVERY SECOND*.

Snow Pretty

When we get snow here where we live, you would think it was for an artic blast.. the bread and milk grow wings literally and ''FLY'' off the shelves.... We recently on February 11-12th  had 7 inches fall.. AND most of it was on MY birthday.. how cool is that?????  we had a rough commute to work when my hubby took me on Thursday.. But I was glad to get there safe to and from..

The snow was very pretty... I did not get out in it to play much, but I did enjoy the picture taking of it... When it snows, and you know you probably will be ''snowed in'' for a few days, you tend to think of what you can eat, or what you can prepare to eat.. On the snow days we had, I made cornbread, Homemade Vegetable Beef Soup, baked Muffins, Made hotdogs, Homemade Chili..lol....yep!!! it was a boring day....NOT.. and failed to say I did about 5 loads of laundry!!! My birthday turned out good, just had to spend it all day alone.. but I did enjoy it, and God blessed me with a ''SNOW PRETTY'' day!!! We will be celebrating this weekend with the family/

February Fun

 Hard to believe that February is here again.... Looking forward to this month and to see what the Lord has in store. We have several things planned for this month... This is a very short month. It makes me excited though. The temps are getting a wee bit milder and it also means we are closer to spring. It is also my birthday month. My family and I are getting together for a fun weekend soon.. Looking forward to the good food, and great big belly laughs I am sure we will have.


Do you ever wonder about FEBRUARY??? Here is some fun facts about this month you may not know...

1. according to the Georgian Calendar, February is the shortest month of the year.
2. It has 28 days.
3. Julius Caesar gave it 29 days. That is the reason we celebrate LEAP YEAR.
4. In the northern half of the world, it is the COLDEST month of the year.
5. Us here in the good ole SOUTH, love it because it brings on milder temps.

I have something special planned this month also. I am looking forward to getting my hands dirty with it. I spent Saturday cleaning the kitchen and hubby helped too. He organized the ''junk'' drawer. Do you have one of those???? It is ''that drawer'' in your home that has everything and anything in there.. from old name badges from previous jobs to markers, take-out menus.. etc.  I just throw stuff in there when I really don't want to throw it away because I think I may need it, ONE day.. LOL


February is also known as ''LOVE MONTH''..We love Valentines day, but really it is a HUGE money racket... I am glad to be able to celebrate love ALL the time.. not just on Feb.14th.


HE commands us to LOVE...
John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another, as I have loved you,that ye also love one another.
I have to admit I love to read good stories, poems, and thoughts about LOVE. I will be sharing some things soon in future posts.
So, this month is quick.. Spring is soon approaching... yes!! Happy February everyone!!

A Servant's Heart

hello bloggerland, it is a dark, cloudy ,rainy Saturday here at the Simple Gift. We are being a bit lazy, but trying to be productive too at the same time. I have already put on some things for Sunday Lunch, and we have had our lunch, loaded the dishwasher, and folded and put away some clothes, worked on some more laundry and such. Our plans were to do some'' around the house stuff'' today, outside.. but God decided that we should have rain instead, so, WE are thankful for the rain anyway..

we had a fun time last night celebrating JULY birthdays.. our Brother in law, Scott, nephew, Ethan, and Nephew, Drake all have July birthdays.. We usually do them separate, but Scott has recently been in the hospital with chest pain, so we just then got to celebrating the birthdays.. We had a yummy supper of Steak/ Gravy, Baked Potatoes, Salad, and Biscuits.. and Birthday Cake, and HOMEMADE BUTTER PECAN AND VANILLA ICE CREAM!!!! yummmm!! We always enjoy our family time..

Dear Sweet Lady

Proverbs 29:23 A man's pride shall bring him low; but honour  shall uphold the humble in spirit.

Having a servant's heart. That's something I desire, and something we all need to have..We need to be willing to help others who are in need. YOU may be the person that can help that ''one person'' for the day. That's something that I have to remind myself of everyday. YOU may have those exact words a person needs to hear, a prayer, or just being there to let that other person know you care. I am convicted of this, as I write.. I am sometimes too busy with things in my own life that I neglect this area, and I know I need to work on this area.

Having a servant's heart requires yielding yourself to God, and letting Him use you for HIS honor and Glory..NOT expecting anything in return. That includes anything YOU may want, not  ''making deals with God'', and NOT worried about you getting the crcdit for it.. I believe the Lord TRULY BLESSES THOSE WITH A TRUE SERVANT'S HEART!!!

I had the privilege of visiting a dear Saint in a nearby Hospice Home yesterday. It blessed my heart to see her family surround her with love,and giving her love and encouragement during her final days here.. They know she is going to a much better place and NO MORE STROKE!! AMEN. As I was visiting this lady with my sisters and mama, I couldn't help but think back upon this dear lady's life. As a child, and even on up to my early 20's, I use to watch this dear lady get up in Church, and testify as to how the Lord has blessed her and her family, how she was thankful for HIS goodness, and how she was thankful for her Salvation, BUT she always ended with asking for Prayer, for SOMEONE in her family. She was concerned about her family. That was and is still such a blessing to me. She loved to hear her family sing and play in the Gospel/Bluegrass group at the Church. This was such a blessing. She always put herself above others. She took care of her family, she definitely had a servant's heart.. The Lord has truly blessed her life and her family through the years. Through several generations, the Lord has brought great Men of God up in her family to preach the WORD, Praise the Lord!!What a blessing to have a grandson, and 2 great grandsons that are Preachers, and Grandaughters being used as Sunday School Teachers/ Deacon's wives.. Thank the Lord. She is ready to meet the Lord anytime. What a blessing. A great testimony of The Lord's goodness.
I hope I can always have a servant's heart, and I desire that He will use me for that.

***BEING A SERVANT HAS MANY REWARDS. MANY TIMES, IN OUR SERVING, WE RECIEVE MUCH MORE THAN WE EVER GAVE AWAY.***

PLAYING CATCH UP

 

 HELLO EVERYONE!! IT HAS BEEN 22 DAYS SINCE I HAVE UPDATED THE SIMPLE GIFT. FEBRUARY IS A WONDERFUL MONTH!! WHY YOU MIGHT ASK??? DUH!! IT IS MY BIRTHDAY MONTH, AND OF COURSE VALENTINE'S MONTH.... IT HAS BEEN CRAZY BUSY AROUND OUR HOME. WE ARE GETTING THINGS READY FOR SPRING. HUBBY HAS BEEN ''KNEE DEEP'' IN GETTING HIS BOAT BACK IN ORDER, AND READY FOR SPRING FISHING!!! CANT WAIT TO BE ON THAT WATER!! HE JUST ORDERED NEW TIRES FOR THE CAMPER, SO WE WILL BE BACK IN FULL SWING WITH CAMPING TRIPS SOON!! SO READY FOR WARMER WEATHER!!! I MISS MY POOL, BAD!!

WE HAD MY BIRTHDAY LUNCH LAST SUNDAY!! IT WAS YUMMOLICIOUS AS ALWAYS!! WE HAD A DELICIOUS SPIRAL HAM, GRAPE SALAD, STACKED SALAD, RED VELVET CAKE, MAC AND CHEESE, AND MY REQUEST WAS MY MAMA'S WHITE CHOCOLATE CHEESE CAKE FOR MY '' BIRTHDAY CAKE'' !! IT WAS OH SO GOOD!!

  WHITE CHOCOLATE CHEESE CAKE

 

MY AND MY SWEETIE

YES, THAT IS MY JUG!!

 LOVE THIS YUMMY FOOD!!

 

 

YUMMY PINTOS, CORNBREAD, AND THE HAM!!

 

 ME AND THE SWEETIE TRYING OUT THE NEW LOCAL ''CHEDDARS''..IT WAS DELICIOUS!!

 

 LAST SATURDAY, WE HAD OUR FIRST SNOW OF THE YEAR!! IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL, FAST, SNOW!! WE GOT AN INCH.. SOME MORE IN OTHER AREAS, BUT IT WAS A PRETTY SIGHT TO SEE!!

 

LOVE THIS PIC OF THE ROAD BY MY HOME!!

THE WHITE TREES AT NIGHT, SO PRETTY!!

 

HERE IT IS FALLING!! BIG FLAKES!!

 

SO, YOU CAN SEE, IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL!! IT HAS BEEN A FUN MONTH, AND I THANK GOD THAT I GOT TO SEE ANOTHER BIRTHDAY!!

resolutions to keep

It is a cold day here at the simple gift. we are currently having heavy sleet as i type. they are saying it could get worse by night fall. we were planning on celebrating hubby's birthday tonight. now, i am not sure if we are going to be able to do that or not. it is hard to believe that january is almost over...

some people made some serious new year's resolutions. i know of some people who have already ''broke'' those resolutions... i did not have any ''major'' ones.. just a few.. i have been trying to be a little more organized. this is just hard at times... with it just being me and hubby here at our home, i really do NOT understand how 2 people accumulate SO MUCH STUFF!! it is funny, but we do..

i am currently trying to read more.. i am trying to  read my Bible more... Every time i read it, i always get a blessing, something i have never seen before.. i love books.. i love to go to thrift stores. one of the biggest things i look at is books. i am always trying to find great Christian inspiration books, Christian love stories, or just simple books on the home. i bought one the other day, i am reading now. it is by a local author. it has been such a great book , so far. so, i am trying to read at least one book a month. i would love to start a ''book club'' with friends.. my idea would be to pick a book we want to read, read it, and then get together for dinner and discuss it, and what we liked about it... sounds kind of chezzy, i know, but i think it would be REALLY FUN!!!  so, who would be interested???haha

i really want to try to do more for God in 2013. i want to live everyday as if it is my last. i truly want to do His will in my life. I pray that He will use me . these are resolutions that people make every year.. i  think sometimes people make them with good intent, but do they keep them??. i want to ..

we have been doing some things with my grandmaw's home. we have sold it, but it is so hard to get rid of stuff that has been a part of your family for so many years. my hubby and i are working on some" things/ projects'' here with some of her stuff. i can hardly wait !! it is just some fun. ''personal things''. but it is still interesting to me.. :)) some times i think i should have been born in the early 50's...lol

I am excited about some upcoming weddings that we will be having at my church this spring. as you may know, I do wedding planning/directing on the side. I have been helping two couples recently. they have a lot accomplished so far.. it is so fun to hear their ideas  and what they want to do for their special day.. i truly enjoy it.

i am sitting here listening to my husband's radio. they are dispatching to several wrecks in our area. hope every one has a safe and blessed weekend.. Remember to stay warm and snuggly!! lol

happy birthday sis!!

 we celebrated my sister's birthday, and the ''start of fall'' with a family campout last weekend. we had a great meal of yummy burgers, dawgs, baked beans, and all the trimmings, along with homemade carrot cake for her birthday cake. we had such  fun around the campfire roasting marshmellows, and talking and laughing.. just being together..
on saturday, those who did not stay over came back for a delicious breakfast. we had a blast riding the paddleboats, and exploring around the campground!! it was what my sis wanted to do for her birthday..so, that's what she got!!

 she even got candles...lighting the way to her JUG!!

 TWO LOVEBIRDS RIDING THE PADDLEBOATS!!

 YUMMO BREAKFAST!!

 LOVE THIS CUTE LITTLE BROWN EYED BLESSING!!

SLIDING AND PLAYING AT THE PLAYGROUND!!

HER YUMMY BIRTHDAY CAKE!!

birthdays and blessings

I'LL TRUST THE POTTER'S HAND, HE KNOWS WHATS BEST FOR ME!!  HE HAS A PERFECT PLAN,  THESE EYES CANT SEE, HE'S THE POTTER , I 'M  THE CLAY, HE KNOWS JUST HOW MUCH I CAN TAKE, WHEN I FACE THE FIRE AGAIN, I WILL TRUST THE POTTER'S HANDS.

wow..what great words!!! just sitting here this morning , enjoying my delicious muffins with cream cheese, and oh, so good Starbucks..    Let me just say, if you love Starbucks, then spend some extra money, and buy some for the home... it is AWESOME to have ANYTIME you want, without having to leave your home!!!!!! As i am sitting here blogging, that song above came on the radio... the words are just beautiful. (( ''HE knows whats best for me!! )))   if that song did NOT say anything else, that would be enough.. Glad to be reminded of this today!!

i need to get up from here to get ready for church.. we had a fun weekend, got to go fishing some friday.. we did not catch anything, but it was still fun hanging out with my hubby... it came a HUGE STORM, and we had to leave.. we went to a favorite place for supper before heading home...,  and today , we are celebrating my nephew, Drake's birthday!!!  He is growing real fast!!! He will be in the fourth grade this time!!!
Happy birthday, Drake!!

gloomy and dreary

we have not had a real cold winter, but a gloomy and dreary one, we have had...we have not had many sun-filled days around here lately...i am so ready for warm, spring- like temps, and some pretty sunshine filled days... i recently had a birthday.. it was a good one.. we celebrated with a soup/salad/sub supper..it was a fun night, and my mama made me a white chocolate cheesecake.. that is heaven in your mouth, just in case you wanted to know.. i got some $$$$$$$$, which i am putting away for something special later on....

Valentines was okay..chris had to work, so we celebrated there with a taco night..lol i am glad i don't have to just celebrate on valentine's the love that we share... it should be an everyday thing...
hope everyone is having a blessed week!!!

happy birthday ben!!

my nephew is 15..yesterday was his birthday!!! i can hardly believe he is old enough to get his permit..,and soon will be driving..eeeekkk!! he has a sweet little friend that is his ''sweetheart''..they are cute together..we celebrated his birthday tonight, at a favorite place of his. when we were leaving it came a thunderstorm.. i have heard in the past, if it comes a thunderstorm in the winter, that within 7 days ,you will have a snow..nmmmm.. i think NOT.. haha..

we went to the mountains this weekend.. we had a fun, relaxing time. my mother and my sister went with us.. it was soo fun. we had this nice, cozy, cabin.. it snowed thursday night about an inch.. it was pretty.. we had fun, shopping and relaxing, and ate some yummy food!! i have been working on a few ''new'' things.. excited for some things to share in the future!!!

Marvolous May

my mother opening up her pearl necklace!!

chris catching one

me and my big fish for the day!!!

smile fishy!!

beautiful sunset on the water!!

WOW!!! may is a huge busy month for this family..let's see... there's mother's day, my sister's birthday, my mama's birthday, my grandmother's birthday.... and other birthdays and parties of all such, graduations...weddings..hmmmmmm... We celebrated last sunday, mother's day..chris and i took our mother's out for a great meal..and we spent time together..love that so much!!!

we went fishing on thursday.. we both needed a little time away from everything... and what better way to spend it...by looking out at that water..... chillin on the boat with a sundrop..lol..and catching fish!!!! we had a great time...ready to go do it again!!!!

we have been really busy with everything..but oh, so looking forward to the summer, and going here and there..and those ''mater'' sandwiches from the garden....(still working on that).. and those LAZY days of summer by the pool!!! hope your weekend is marvolous!!! this may day!!!