Thankful Thursday...................

Whew...
My Thankful Thursday is coming to an end...............
Very busy... but very thankful......

Thank you God for all you do for me and my family! Thank you for your patience with us!
Thank you for our 4x4 Jeeps.... that we are able to plow right through the driveway with to get out since we have no way of shoveling.... :)
Thank you for our snow day yesterday.... it was nice to just relax!
Thank you for Coffee and Hot Cocoa
Thank you for my son fixing my washer so it will play nice and wash our laundry.
Thank you for my job as a sub at the schools. So very thankful one particular little boy...that he and I had a good day together! :)
Thank you for Ken feeling good.... even through all he's dealing with.... and keeping him safe in isolation so he can get better and come home.
Thank you for keeping the rest of my family warm and safe.
Thank you for space heaters to warm my feet... since my son stole my slippers and I havent made a pair for myself yet.
Thank you for Calvary Christian Church
Thank you for all the prayers so many folks are saying for my family! You've given them such a loving heart!
Thank you God for every little thing... and every big thing... good and bad!

♥ God Bless you all my dear friends and family!

hugs...love & blessings,

.::Tam::.

Wintery Wednesday......

·´¯`·.´¯`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸Good Morning¸.·´¯`·.´¯`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸

hope all is well with everyone this fine Wintery Wednesday.................
School was cancelled for us today... so the boys got to sleep in and no subbing for me.
So................... I'm going to spend some serious time with my hook and yarn today!!!!
With all that has been going on lately in my family... I havent been able to even stay focused enough to crochet. :(
I have so many projects I need to get done too!!!!!
So glad I stopped at the store last night ..... we have plenty to munch on all day!
I really do appreciate the snow day..... it gives me a chance to slow down for a few minutes and just relax. No pressure from the weekend to get things done for the upcoming week. Just a day to do nothing. Thank you God for our "day off"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Continued prayer request......
Ken is feeling better.... the ear infection....flu...and shingles are clearing up. His chemo treatment ended Monday night. The docs are now working on the spots of pneumonia on his lungs.
Please continue to pray for Ken's health .......
and for the boys... they really miss their dad and worry.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
♥ God Bless you all
have a wonderful Wednesday..... stay warm!

 

hugs... love... & blessings...

.::Tam::.

Mind over Matter......

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8)

One of the hardest things to control is your thought life. It’s just that no one ever wants to admit it.
Do you ever wake up and your mind is flooded with one thought after another? Is your mind racing about before you take one step out of the bed? Maybe you catch yourself rehearsing what happened yesterday or last week. You might find yourself replaying a response or wondering what you would have done if you had a chance again.
In either case, you are not screening what is entering your mind and ultimately your heart. These thoughts seem so innocent, but watch out. Your thoughts can lead to you reaping a harvest of anxiety, depression, anger, fear, worry, stress. Philippians tells us what we should be meditating on throughout the day.  This is the key to producing a harvest of peace, joy, and love.
Don’t condemn yourself if you failed in this area. Simply confess and repent of your sins, and God will forgive. Take a moment now and say this simple prayer.

Lord, I apologize for the thoughts that I entertained within the corners of my mind. I apologize for making other things the apple of my eye. I realize that You are my prize and it’s to You that all my thoughts rest and abide. Take away the sin that lurks and subsides. Refill me with thoughts that are refined.  Amen.

hugs...love & blessings,

.::Tam::.

Full of emotions Friday.............

I'm so glad I have my God to help me get through all this mess... because I'm pretty sure I would curl up in a corner and give up without Him!
Trying to keep my boys from getting sick ...especially Michael.
Patrick still in a neck brace
Ken having the flu on top of the relapse and being in isolation .....
texting being the only real communication because when  he talks it causing coughing fits.
Still mourning the loss of my Aunt
And of course just everyday things that need to be tended to.

God told me yesterday......
**For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning. ~Psalm 30:5
Then this morning.............
**And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. ~Romans 8:28

So.........
The boys are fine! No flu for them!
Patricks neck is and will get better.
Ken is getting all the meds he needs to make him better!!! Isolation allows him privacy and rest that he needs.
My Aunt is free from pain and running the streets of gold with my daddy and Jesus.
Got alot of laundry done yesterday and picking up here and there.

God loves you and so do I .... whether you like it or not... :)
stay warm and healthy!
hugs...love....& blessings ♥

.::Tam::.

Thankful Thursday..........

Thankful for .............
*GOD.... my wonderful Father in Heaven watching over me and my family!
*COFFEE
*my job as a sub..... even though I really could have used the recent job change opportunity .... I'm thankful for what I have!
*Doctors - for taking care of Ken and protecting him
*Laundry mats - for the days my washer hates me. :)
*my crocheting and knitting - to keep me busy and allows me to share my creations with others
*Caring friends
*Loving family
*a Huge Baseball opportunity for Patrick this summer!!!
*More coffee
*Prayers
*being able to function through this headache so I can get things done for my family.
*Jesus living and dying just for me!!!!

Be very Thankful today!
Hugs...Love...& Blessings to you all! ♥

.::Tam::.

A new day...........

Fresh snow covered the ground this morning. Not but about an inch or less... but enough that it creates two emotions in me... 1) how ugly it is as I impress upon my son who I love so very much... to drive careful to school protecting himself and his brothers who I also cherish!  2) how beautiful it is.... a thin blanket that God laid out .... covering us in His love.  Yes... for all of us to slow down... be careful.... and pay attention.   The hugs that last a little longer because physically the warmth feels good... but what you really feel is the emotional warmth.... Love!   Which God is... He is LOVE.

God gives us our emotions .... we are to FEEL all of them.  Anger... Fear... Sadness.... Love.....etc. 

This week has been an array of all the emotions God has given us... for me.   The thing is ... I need to only Live in one of them.   LOVE!   Love for my God which spills out to everything and everyone else.  My love for Him gives me the strength and faith to keep going.   My love for Him allows me to forgive everyone and move on.   

In return.... His love for me allows me to be so very Thankful!

Thankful Kens relapse has been caught early.

Thankful for the Doctors and their plan of attack

Thankful they were able to get the picc line put in last night and start the chemo

Thankful for water heaters so my shower is nice and hot on the back of my neck

Thankful my babies made is safely to school this morning

Thankful for friends!

Thankful for family!!

Thankful for prayers!!!

♥ Love you all..................

God Bless!!!!!

**our current prayer need**

Ken has the flu.  So please pray the fever breaks and the flu does not create an issue in his treatment.

Long day.................

the drive home from Joplin was with a sad heart. Said good-bye to my beautiful Aunt Joyce for the last time.
Missing my family that had also come to Joplin to say their good-byes. The hugs good-bye were hard to let go of.
Now Ken is settled in up at UNMC ready to start treatment tomorrow.
Boys are finishing up homework then going to settle in with a movie before bed.
I'm off to get a coffee refill!
Stay warm everyone!
God Bless! ♥

Freebie Friday....................

::: (\_(\
*: (=’ :’) :*
•.. (,(”)(”)¤°.¸¸.•´¯`» Granny’s good ol’ knitted dishcloth•¨¯`•   

Yarn:  100% cotton

Needle size:  8

Extras:  yarn needle, scissors

Stitches:  co = cast on,  yo = yarn over,

CO 4

Row 1:  knit 4

Row 2:  knit 2, yo, knit to end of row. 

Repeat row 2 unit you have 45 stitches on your needle

Row 3: knit across

Row 4:  knit 1, knit 2 together, yo, knit 2 together, knit to end of row

Repeat row 3 until you have 4 stitches left.  Bind off.

Notes:__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Created & written by:   ©Tammy Carlton  -  May 2010

Do not sell pattern.  Do not post pattern without link back to original.

Coffeen’Crafts

Thankful Thursday............

Yesterday I didn't want to be thankful.  It was a rough day.
After talking to family... friends... snuggling with my boys and catching a bit of sleep here and there... I'm not mad anymore.
So today............ I am very Thankful.... for many things!
Like I said... yesterday was a rough day.........
Thank you God ...................
*for my beautiful Aunt Joyce!!!
*for allowing me to be angry and love me through it!
*for plenty of coffee... yesterday was over the norm in coffee consumption.
*for some of my family being able to get together this weekend to grieve and rejoice
*for memories
*for photographs
*for emails....phone calls.... & texts
*for Patrick being in only a neck brace and not in traction or need surgery.
*for David & Michael continuing to get through sinus colds like champs!
*for lots more coffee
*for being able to spread my Aunts love through my crocheting and knitting!
*for my dearest friends sons who I am so very thankful that are alive after a horrible 3 car accident last night!  Love you Huckleberrys..... heal quick Tyler and Jacob!
*for all the hands on call last night that tended to the accident
*for my headache not being too bad today... so I can go to the store.
*for My GOD... who loves me so much... I can get through anything! ♥


Have a Thankful Thursday everyone!
We all have so much to be thankful for!!!
{{{hugs}}}

.::Tam::.

I miss you so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When the phone rang last night and I saw caller id.... I didnt want to answer it... I knew what it meant. I knew it was coming... but I still wasnt ready to hear you were gone.
My head has all the perfect answers..... (you're in a better place... you're happy and pain free.... you're running the streets of gold with daddy and Jesus......etc) but my heart says different things....(dont go.... what am I going to do without you?..... There wont be anymore "likes" on my FB page from you..... no more encouraging comments on my blog.... no more out of the blue calls to catch up always ending in conversation about daddy.... no more me making you laugh till you cry.)
I know you'll understand when I say... that although I am so very thankful to have had you such a big part of my life and I'm so happy for you right now... and slightly jealous..... I dont feel like being thankful.... I just want you back.
I LOVE YOU AUNT JOYCIE

 

 

 

.::~♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ love muffit ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥~::.

Fighting back when Satan rocks the boat.....

Dressing for spiritual warfare may sound silly, but in reality it is what Christians need to do if they are going to survive the temptations and bumps in the road. It is important because all of us are engaged in a spiritual battle. On the one hand, there is Satan launching wave after wave of attack in various forms - from the obvious ones like specific temptations to attacks that we may not recognize. On the other hand, is God who has clothed us for this battle.

Is there a scriptural basis for spiritual warfare and defeating it? 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 states, "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

When dressing for spiritual warfare, there are six basic items listed in Ephesians 6. These include:

• Strong Belt of Truth - The truth that God provides will defeat Satan's lies every time. What Satan may be telling or selling might sound good, but God's truth will open our eyes.
  
• Breastplate of God's Approval - One of Satan's favorite attacks is on our hearts, which in turn, attacks everything else. God's approval of us and the fact that He sent His Son to die for us shows us love.
  
• Shoes of God - We must be ready to spread the good news and do our part in helping fulfill the Great Commission of telling all the world. Satan really doesn't want this to happen, so he wants us to think the task is too great or that we can't make a difference.
  
• Shield of Faith - Our growing faith in God shields us against attacks in the form of setbacks, insults, and temptation. We must realize that the ultimate victory is ours with God.
  
• Helmet of Salvation - This protects our minds from doubting God's saving work for us.
  
• Sword of the Spirit - This is a weapon of offense against Satan. When tempted, we must rely on the fact that God is with us, and He wants us to go on the offense fighting back.

You can be dressed for success if you clothe yourself in these six items that God provides. With these, you can develop a victorious attitude and face whatever challenges or temptations the devil may throw at you. You don't have to play it safe or seek not to rock the boat, you are now on the front lines fighting the devil himself and winning with God's help.

hugs... love... & blessings...

.::Tam::.

Belated "January" Christmas ...................

at my moms.   :)

Through all the craziness of our families... we finally were able to get together for a Family Christmas.
Mom made tons of food!!!   Mexican!   There were tacos... burritos... tamales.... enchiladas.... quesadillas....beans.. rice.... and and and!!   Oh the food was so yummy!   I'm sure I ate way too much today!   My scale probably wont like me tomorrow!  :(

Anyway.... just wanted to pop in and show off these cool scarves I made some of the girls in my family for gifts..............

Thanks for stoppin' in!  
Have a wonderfully blessed day!

hugs... love... & blessings...

.::Tam::.

Freebie Friday..........

Flowers go round ~ dishcloth

Yarn:  100% cotton

Hook:  I

Extras:  yarn needle, scissors

Stitches:  ch=chain, sl st= slip stitch,  dc= double crochet,  magic circle, sc= single crochet,  st=stitch, sk= skip,  sp= space

Rnd 1: Create a magic circle with 12dc for beginning center…join circle with sl st to first dc

Rnd 2: ch3, dc in same st as ch3 – 2dc in each dc around… join with sl st (24dc)

Rnd 3:  ch3 – sk st – *dc, ch1, dc in next st (V st)  – sk st*  – *repeat 10 more times*  ch1- sl st to top of ch3 (12 V sts)

Rnd 4:  sl st to ch1 sp…. ch3, dc, ch2, 2dc in same ch1 sp – (working in ch1 spaces for this round)  2dc, ch2, 2dc in each ch1 sp around joining with a sl st to top of ch3

Rnd 5:sl st in next dc, ch3 – 2dc, ch2, 2dc in ch2 sp – *dc in next dc – sk next 2 dc – dc in next dc – 2dc, ch2, 2dc in ch2sp* - *repeat 10 more times* dc in next dc – sl st to top of ch3

Rnd 6: sl st in next dc, ch3 – dc in next dc – 2dc, ch2, 2dc in ch2 sp – *dc in next 2 dc – sk next 2 dc – dc in next 2 dc – 2dc, ch2, 2dc in ch2 sp* - *repeat 10 more times*  dc in next 2 dc – sl st to top of ch3

Rnd 7: sl st in next dc, ch2 – sc in next 2 dc – 3sc in ch2 sp – *sc in next 3 dc – sk next 2 dc – sc in next 3 dc – 3sc in ch2 sp* - * repeat 10 more times* sc in next 3 dc – sl st to top of ch2.   Finish off!

Notes:________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________

Created & written by:   ©Tammy Carlton  -  July 2012

Do not sell pattern.  Do not post pattern without link back to original.

Coffeen’Crafts

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

14 years ago.............
Happy Birthday to my sweet Michael!
♥Mommy loves you buddy!!!♥

Thankful Thursday..........

God is so awesome!!! He is a perfect parent.... an amazing Father!

Many of us pray.... some everyday.... some not as often as we like or should.. and some ... only when we've reached that deep sadness... desperation or last straw. And of all these prayers...they are usually a need or want. We forget to pray in Thanks!

My thanks today are ...............
*that ...although the oil change on my Jeep turned into a bigger deal and a bigger bill... it could have been worse... and I'm thankful my Jeep is all fixed!
*that although saving all 5 dollar bills seems to hurt the wallet sometimes... in the end.... it makes for a Great Christmas!
*that even though Facebook can be a place where sometimes TOO much is shared...... its a place to stay in touch with my family that is far away!
*that even though I wish to lose weight... I'm so thankful to wake every morning to have the chance to do so.
*that when my son steals my last cup of coffee from the pot.... I can make more!
*that although the boys or I may not get along sometimes with one of their teachers.... I'm thankful that the teacher comes to school every day to teach my child and help them be prepared for the world
*that although I fall behind in my tasks... I'm given a new day to catch up!
*that although I may be upset .... disappointed or hurt with/by someone.... God puts a love in my heart for that person to forgive and continue to love them
*That God stays with me every day...every step of the way... no matter what I do ... good or bad... .He loves me!!!!

Have a wonderfully blessed day! ♥

hugs... love... & blessings...

.::Tam::.

A Tuesday with thankfulness.............

Thank you God for ..........

*mechanics to fix my Jeep

*coffee first thing in the morning and all throughout the day

*a two mile walk this morning followed by 25 crunches and 50 pushups

*a beautiful day....... 40* and sunny

*being able to get some knitting done

*being able to plan some time with my mom tomorrow

*doctors

*Fuel in our tank to help keep our house warm

*Wonderful friends!

*children’s artwork

*poetry

*your word!!!

* loving me enough for the both of us!

Have a wonderfully blessed day everyone!

{{{hugs}}}

(¯` * •. ¸ ♥ Tam ♥ ¸ • * '¯)

Good to be home.............

Goooooooooooooood Morning all...................

Well.............we made it!  We're home!!!!
The closer we got... the lower the temps.....heheee

But its nice to be back!   Felt good to sleep in my own bed! 
The drive home had clear roads and good weather!   I managed to get some knitting and crocheting done on the ride home too.

Made this Sashay Ruffle scarf...........

Made this dishcloth set...................

and started another dishcloth set...................

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A New Year with New Thanks.......
Thankful for ....

*Clear travels home
*Good boys ~ it was a tough ride to and from Florida in the back seat of a Jeep
*Beautiful weather for our travels to...from and during
*Sleeping in my own bed
*Coffee!!!!!!!!!
*My dear sweet Megan for tending to our pets while we were gone ♥
*Patrick moving my gazelle upstairs for me so I can exercise more

*The lovely day even with the snow on the ground and low temps
*Being able to start my new year serious about losing weight!
*Getting a head start of 2013 Christmas gifts (crocheting & knitting)
*Ken's doctors appointment going well this morning... numbers are good even with the dumb cold he has... :(
*Michael being back in remission! Thank you God!
*Having serious motivation to do some real cleaning and purging of this house
*Being able to play in my yarn stash at home.... Oh how I missed my yarn... lol
*God giving me a new year to try harder and do better!!!!!

Well...............off to get some things put away... catch up on some emails and posts.....and get a fresh cup of coffee!!!

you all have a great day!!!!

hugs... love... & blessings...

.::Tam::.

Finishing up & cleaning up...........

We'll be heading out tomorrow for home.  While we've been here in Florida... I did manage to get some good crochet and knitting time in.

I finished this scarf............

Made 4 pairs of slippers.............

Made this pair of mittens (my own pattern)...............

and this dishcloth set to leave here at the house................

David and I had to clean up our 500 piece puzzle that we didn't get done.  It was fun playing with it though!

We'll clean up our mess... straighten things up... take out the trash and be on our way tomorrow morning.  The boys had a great time!  Lots of lounging around doing nothing... lots of video game playing .... lots of time in the pool.... and trips to the beach.  

See you all when we get home!!!!

hugs... love... & blessings...

.::Tam::.

A day at the Marine Science Center......

Was awesome.   The boys thought the place was pretty cool!  My friend Sue works there ... we got to say Hi to her and watch her help do a blood transfusion from one turtle to another to help the little sick turtle.  Was really interesting and so sweet!  The Marine Science Center works to rehabilitate sea animals.  They have several hospital pools for the injured sea turtles.  So many sea animals have been released back into their natural habitat after getting the awesome TLC they need from the MSC!   What a blessing those folks are!   Great job Sue! :)


The boys got to pet and feed some Stingray................

We also enjoyed talking to a tank full of turtles..... heheee

There were several tanks of different sea life... so cool!   They also had an aviary with the neatest birds. (a couple bald eagles)
The boys and I had fun shopping in the gift shop there too.
Then we went souvenir shopping................... Good day out!
Off to relax now...................have a great night all!

hugs... love... & blessings...

.::Tam::.

A bunch of catching up......................

(¯`v´¯)
`*.¸.*´
¸.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)
¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`• Good Morning!!!! •¨¯`•   

Hope everyone has had a wonderful start to the new year.

Thought I would take a minute and just share a bunch of random photos of what we've been doing on vacation.

Boys have been playing alot in the pool..............

 This is the view from our back pool area.........

Cake I bought for Patrick when he and hubby got back from CA. 
There is a funny story behind this ................
So.......Picked out the cake... handed it to the lady and asked to have
"you're #1" written on it.   She hands it back with .... "your #1" on it.  
hmmmm.... hand it back and tell her ..... there needs to be an ' and an e on it.   She looks confused and takes it back to fix it.    Hands it back with
"you'r #1"  written on it.    ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!   I hand it back and now annoyed.   I explain very slowly and very clearly............ The word is "you're"   You need to write (spelling it out) "you're #1" on the cake.   Continuing to explain that "you're" is "you are"  as in "you are #1"  She takes the cake back... still confused and fixes it.   So here it is.........

Dinning table we sit at for meals................pretty huh?!

I took Michael and David shopping while Patrick and Ken were in CA.  They bought themselves remote control cars.   They stuck their stuffed friends on them to race around the house.   These are lazar cars...they can shoot at each other via lazar and after three hits the car shuts off.  It was so funny watching them play.

This is a couple of wonderful ladies I met on Crochetville.   They both live here in Florida... close enough for us to have a day together.   Shopping and lunch!  It was great!!   We went to Joann Fabric... Michael's ... and Hobby Lobby... then Jana treated us to Lunch at Outback Steak.  YUM!!!

Sue..... Me...... Jana

Well..........there ya have it.....

God Bless

.::Tam::.

A New Year..............

When you've trusted God and walked his way
When you've felt his hand lead you day by day
But your steps now take you another way...
START OVER!

When you've made your plans and they've gone awry
When you've tried your best and there's no more try
When you've failed yourself and you don't know why...
START OVER!

When you've told your friends what you plan to do
When you've trusted them and they didn't come through
And you're all alone and it's up to you...
START OVER!

When you've failed your kids and they're grown and gone
When you've done your best but it's turned out wrong
And now your grandchildren come along...
START OVER!

When you've prayed to God so you'll know his will
When you've prayed and prayed and you don't know still
When you want to stop cause you've had your fill...
START OVER!

When you think you're finished and want to quit
When you've bottomed out in life's deepest pit
When you've tried and tried to get out of it...
START OVER!

When the year has been to long and successes few
When December comes and you're feeling blue
God gives a January just for you...
START OVER!

Starting over means "Victories Won"
Starting over means "A Race Well Run"
Starting over means "God's Will Done"
Don't just sit there...

¯`·´¯)...............。☆。*。☆。

`·.,(¯`·´¯)..........★。＼｜／。★

(¯`·´¯).·´(¯`·´¯)...♥ Happy New Year ♥

..` ·.·´(¯`·´¯).....★。／｜＼。★

......`·.,(¯`·´¯)........。☆。....Tam....