Friday, May 20, 2011

Santa Claus, The Easter Bunny, and The HAIR Fairy

What???  You have never heard of the Hair Fairy.  Well, grab a cup of coffee and read the "true"story of The Hair Fairy.

Once upon a time, in a land not so far away, (Tunnel Hill, GA to be exact), there lived a mom who rarely fixed her hair, (me), and her roots were in desperate need of being dyed back to their "natural" color.  She was totally unaware of her condition and was relying on the sun to bleach those roots.  While going along merrily in her daily life, the young prince, (Ty), made a profound declaration.  He said, "Mommy, your hair is changing.  It used to be blonde and now it's brown on top!"  The poor mom was astonished at this proclamation.  She began to share this predicament with her friends.  Not wanting to spend money on her hair, the mom determined in her heart to allow the sun to work it's magic.  Little did she know that The Hair Fairy was taking notes.  Then early one Saturday morning, she received an unbelievable text stating that she needed to report to Julie at Lux Salon.  There her hair would be transformed and best of all, it was paid for in full!!!  The mom was astounded at the kindness and generousity that had been bestowed on her by The Hair Fairy!  The mom went to Lux Salon and was changed into a queen.  And from that day forward, the mom felt like a queen because her once dreary, two-toned locks were now back to their dazzling, "natural" color!

This is a very true story!  I changed the names in the story to protect the privacy of the parties involved!  HA!.. In all seriousness, I do have a Hair Fairy.  Her name is Paige Buckner.  She really did pay for me to have my hair done.  And yes, Ty really did say that about my hair. 

To my friend, Paige, you will never know how much your gift meant to me.  Throughout this last year you have been my Hair Fairy, my faithful blog follower, my encourager, and above all, my friend.  Thank you for all are!  I love you sister!  Thank you for being my friend and I appreciate your advice, (especially concerning my hair)!

Psalm 27:9 Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart,

and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice.


Before

 

After
My roots have been rescued by The Hair Fairy, AKA Paige Buckner!


Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Things I Thought I Would Never Do!!!



I was talking with my dad the other day and saying I have done things since I have turned 35 that I thought I would never do!  He asked what those things were.  So here is what I told him:

1.  Plant a garden!  ( I have never been a fan of bugs, dirt, or sweat).

2.  Run a 5K and my 10K is coming up!  (Again, never been a fan of sweating or exercising).

3.  The craziest of all, taking part in an American Idol Home Town Parade! (Not big on mass hysteria).

To which my dad responded, "Don't forget, adopting a child from China!"  I just laughed and said that was the most logical and easy to believe thing that I had done! 

The picture above was taken before the American Idol Parade for Lauren Alaina.  We were invited to be in the parade to represent The Good Stuff, by my friend Christy McCain.  She is an amazing woman.  She is a Christian, wife, mother, writer, entrepreneur, and much more.  She submitted an article to the Chattanoogan.com online paper and featured me and the girls in her article!  Here is the link to the article.  It also contains a link to her website.  She has an awesome product line that features wonderful gift items.  The candles and bath salts are my favorite.

http://chattanoogan.com/articles/article_201390.asp



As for the garden and the running a 10K, if I live through it, I will tell you how it goes!


Here are a couple of pics of Lauren singing at LFO high school.  Go Lauren Alaina!

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

She is always near...


My friend Tracy Jennings brought her sweet daughter Mia home from China last spring.  On Mother's Day last year she planted a rose bush in honor of Mia's birth mom.  I thought that was a beautiful idea.  So, this year we planted a rose bush in honor of Ren's birth mom.  I always want to hold her in high regard.  After all, she carried my daughter for me.  She chose to give Ren life.  She chose to leave her in a place where she knew she would be found and cared for.  She is always near to my heart.  People often ask me if we know anything about Ren's biological parents.  The answer is no, we know nothing for certain.  We do have a hand-written note that was attached to Ren's clothing when she was found.  I am sure her birth mom wrote it.  It gives her date and time of birth and then says, "Please kind person, save this baby".  The one thing I believe to be true about Ren's birth mom is that she loved her.  So on Mother's Day and everyday, I remember and honor the precious Chinese woman who chose life for my daughter Ren.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Happy Mother's Day!


I can not think of anything better than being a mom.  I asked my mom the other day, "Do you remember when I said I was NEVER having kids?"  She laughed.  Can you believe it?  Back in the day, when I was completely all about myself, my plan was to move to Atlanta and work for some big corporation.  I thought I might get married, but kids were not part of the equation!  When I think back on that, I first have to laugh.  But my next thought is, "Thank you Lord".  I am so thankful that He saved me, well, from me.  Don't get me wrong, there are days when I think I will loose my mind if I have to change one more diaper, clean up one more toddler mess, or hear "I don't want to go to bed", followed by stomps and deafening crys!  But, in the few seconds of quiet, when I look in on my sleeping children, two from my womb, one from the inner city of Chicago, and one from an orphanage in China, I just want to hit my knees in worship.  I want to worship the Lord for His plan and His deliverance and for allowing me to be a mother to children that ultimately belong to Him! 
My hope is that I would follow what the Lord says.

 Deuteronomy 11:18-19  Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds. Teach them to your children!



Friday, May 6, 2011

Easter 2011

Here are some of my favorite pics from Easter!