Little girls have their Papas wrapped...

My girls just love to go visit their Papa and Nannie and Manmaw and Panpaw! Today they went to spend the afternoon with their Nannie and Papa and spend the night. ( Oh yeah, I get to relax tonight!!)

They spoil them rotten I tell you! Eve kept telling me Bye the whole time I was there wanting me to leave! I finally said "what's the deal here sister" and she proudly stated that it was because she was ready to have fun and eat lots of chocolate, and pop sickles and drink lots of chocolate milk and she couldn't do it while I was there bc she knew I would limit her. Can you believe that? I feel the love I tell ya! My dad always sneaks and gets them more when my mom isn't looking and then they stay up all night and my mom has to put my dad in time out. You know, she really does have to keep him in line. He is a big kid too! Today on the four wheeler we turned our heads and he had both girls on the four wheeler going up a big hill laughing! My kids loved that. Remember they have no fear, so they were yelling, faster Papa, faster! Eve doesn't know what the word slow is so I think she will be 21 before we let her get a license! LEAD FOOT!

They got to play with Papa's little black and tan hound dog puppies and they are the cutest little things. Jasy named one "Pinkydinkydoo" and Eve named one "Peppermint"! I know, such great names for coon dogs! Don't let the hair bows and cute little dresses fool you, my girls have some country in them! They can hang with the best of them! They might give that woman on the horse in Six Mile the other day a run for her money! (let's hope not anyway :)

a great book, a wonderful husband and a tug from my Saviour

My secret sister got me a great book about 3 years ago. I got the book, and thought, "oh this looks good" and then I put it in the Armour in my bedroom and haven't touched it since. That's really sad, I know.

I wrote last week about how the devil is working hard here at our house and how I was ready for the fight. Let's just say he has went into overdrive now and is really trying to kick our bottoms! He is on Jason at work like crazy and he is riding my back 24/7 and trying to make us tired, weary, and ready to just give up. Jason being the sweet husband that he is, picked up on my tiredness, and saw that I am struggling to make everything work on a day to day basis. He went in the bedroom and got that book out and layed it out for me to read this morning with a note that said " Shannon, please take the time to read this today for at least 15 minutes so you will be prepared to handle what the devil has in store for you today". I thought, how sweet, I will try and do that today around everything that I need to get done. Well by lunchtime, I was already so tired, and wore out emotionally that I was sitting in the floor crying. I had reached my low and I was trying so hard to stay strong. That's when the phone rang and Jason called. He said, "I know how you are feeling, I feel the same way and I haven't even been telling you all that has been going on at work lately." "Have you read some of that book that I left out for you?" Of course I haven't gotten to it bc I was too busy handling this battle on my own. As I always do. So I got off the phone with tears running down my face, and picked up that book. Low and behold this is what some of the first chapter said...

(on the first page) Many days I find life difficult rather than easy, complex rather than simple, potentially dangerous rather than safe, and exhausting rather than exhilarating. Often it's more like a strong, hot, dry wind than it is a soft, cool, refreshing breeze. (I thought, hmm... do go on)
In the midst of our busy lives, too often we don't pray enough. Or we only pray about the most pressing issues and neglect to take the time to really get close to God, to know Him better, and to share with Him the deepest longings of our heart. In our pray and run existence, we shut off the very avenue by which He brings blessings into our lives. Prayer will strengthen our faith and encourage us to believe for the impossible. It will enable us to become the women of God we long to be and believe we can be. Who among us doesn't need that?

Now this is what got me... Have you ever felt as if your life is stuck in one place and you're going nowhere? Or worse yet, you are going backward? Have you had times when you've lost your vision for the future? Or have you never really had one to begin with? Have you wondered whether you can actually move into the full purpose and destiny God has for you? Have you experienced feelings of emptiness, frustration, or unfulfillment? The good news is this is the way God wants you to feel. God wants you to long for His presence. He wants you to walk closely with Him. He wants you to increase in faith and knowledge of His Word. He wants you to put all your hopes and dreams and fears in his hands and look to Him to meet all of your needs. When you do, He will open the storehouse of blessing upon your life. That's because these things are His will for you. But none of this happens without prayer.

When we live this way, according to God's Word and by the power of His Holy Spirit, then we can trust that we are in the right place at the right time and that the Lord is working His perfect will in our lives. We can trust that He is moving us into the life of Wholeness and blessing He has for us. Shall we get started?

After reading this, I just sat and cried more, because I knew that God had all of this planned out for me. From me receiving that book from my precious secret sister 3 years ago, to the devil keeping us on our toes in the meantime. He is never in the blind, he knows just what each of us needs. I am hardheaded, stubborn, impatient, and I don't pray anywhere near enough. I can't be easy to work with. But still He is teaching me to learn to handle things less and give him the full reigns. Then I thought, why God, do you even fool with me? I will just let you down again, and then I felt a tug at my heart telling me to get up and go on because remember he will lead if we will just follow.

May we count our blessings and pray for those less fortunate...

I just wanted to take the time and express how blessed I am to have such healthy children, a healthy husband and to be healthy myself. I don't thank God enough for everything that he does for me, and I need to. It makes me feel so bad to know that so many people are suffering from various different diseases and sicknesses, and I need to be more grateful that we are so healthy and blessed.

I took Eve to her 8 year old check up this past week, and they said she was as healthy as could be. I was relieved of course to hear this, but we all take it for granted how healthy our kids are. A friend of mine told me about a little girl who is 14 years old, that went to the dentist because her gums were hurting her so badly and she couldn't eat anything. The dentist said she needed surgery but right before he started the surgery he started to feel uneasy and asked the family if they could get some more test ran. When they did they found out that she had Acute Myelogenous Leukemia, a fast growing form of cancer of the blood and bone marrow. It made me realize that you never know from one day to the next what is going to happen. Your kids could be healthy as a horse one day and then the next week be very sick. I pray that my kids never have to experience any kind of sickness like this, and I pray for this sweet little girl to get better.

Can you join me? Let's thank God for our blessings and lets pray for sweet little Alex Carver.

Luke 11:1 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Wanna check up on Alex? Visit her Caring Bridge site http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/alexcarver

Girls just wanna have fun...

Eve's sleepover was a blast! They had such a good time! Let me rephrase- WE ALL HAD A GREAT TIME! Even Jason enjoyed himself amongst all the girlie fun, shhh!!!!!!

They each got a coupon book when they arrived that allowed them to turn in for great fun throughout the night. They ate pizza, ice cream, cake, swam in the pool, got pedicures, their hair done, watched movies, ate popcorn, chocolate and more pizza!! I never knew little girls could eat so much. Where in the world do they put it?

One of the girls fell asleep around midnight and I had to stand guard over her for a few hours because the other girls were dieing to cover her in whip cream. The fun of sleepovers! Full of giggles, and memories. I bet I'll be tired tomorrow, (Oh yeah, it's already tomorrow) but it sure was fun and well worth it!

I present to you...Princess mom!

Do you remember when you were young and your mom would say, " these are the best times of your life, no worries, only fun". Well... I do, and boy was she ever right!

I was thinking today while I was folding three loads of laundry, cooking dinner, and baking Eve a cake for her birthday sleepover tomorrow, about how kids have it made and don't even know it. They think their bored all the time and I only dream of being bored! No concerns in the world other than what to play next or what to eat next. I mean, we were like that and it was the most fun ever. Playing dress up, catching lightning bugs, doing cartwheels, eating pop sickles and even fighting a little with your siblings. Those are the best days! Too bad we as grown ups can't have more days like that. Instead of worrying about cleaning the house or doing the bills, we could dress up and pretend that we are a lovely fairy princess in a faraway kingdom, then we could go outside and just roll around in the grass for hours letting the cool strands brush our worries away!

I think I am going to make a date sometime this summer to make a whole day of just that. Anyone want to join me? Their might be smores!!!

A colorful horse, some chicks, a rooster and a few dots later...

Well...guess what? I got the playroom painted and I am sooo glad it's finished! I ended up adding some light pink, and yellow too. The actic doors on the side are hot pink, I didn't get any pictures of them.

I think the girls really like it, because they're already upstairs messing it up, so that must mean they like it. I thought I would snap some pictures before it gets all messy again! lol. Nah, they're not that bad.

If you like it, I can come do your house! I lovvvvvveee decorating! That's what I want to do oneday when I am all grown up :) ( and who said the playroom was for my kids?)

wake me up, I got to go go...

I had a busy day today, but it turned out to be so much fun! Jason is off on Monday so that always makes it better too. I took Eve to the dentist to get her teeth cleaned and he said that her teeth were as close to perfect as you get. She has never had a cavity so let's knock on wood! She was sad that she didn't have to get braces ( I know, kids are funny that way) but we were glad. We then went grocery shopping, and came home and I cut the grass, and trimmed the bushes, weeded my flowers, and jumped in the pool. That's right, I was hot! Then we grilled burgers, painted upstairs a little, washed the sheets, burned Eve's floor music (thank God that's over ) and did the bills. I know that sounds like a lot but I'm just thankful to be able to have those sweet little things on my to do list. (well... other than the bills) How was your day?

The devil came down to South Carolina...

Nah-nah-nah-boo-boo!

Last week I was thinking a lot about how the devil has been working over time at the Donald house trying to stir things up lately. I about wrote about it last week on my blog then I thought, nah, I'll just wait, maybe later. He is trying so hard to keep us from moving forward and getting closer to where God wants us. Everyday, I feel him near and problems arise way more than they use to when we weren't as close to God . Especially on church days or days that we want to do something for God. It started with VBS, we were to teach the Teens and we were stoked about it! We had been hoping that God was going to put us there and he did. Well the week of VBS, Jason started to get sick. Everyday he got sicker and sicker, coughing his head off and running a fever. He would come home from work, pale as could be. But God took care of that for us, because when we got there every night Jason said it was like God just took his sickness away while he was there! Then the next week, Jason was still battling his sickness (because you know how men are, they won't go to the doctor!) he coughed so much that he pulled a muscle in his chest. He has to do a lot of lifting at work so they just added to the mess! He was asked to speak to the teens one night on a outing for July 4th. Again, the pulled muscle happened right before he was supposed to go. But...we went, and he felt so much better while he was there that he went bowling and didn't even hurt! Amazing, huh? Next, on a Wednesday night I had to drive to a funeral in Georgia and Jason had planned his day so he would be home in time to dress the girls and take them to church that night. On the way home his truck tore up! He didn't make it home in time to take them to church. So the devil got one point there, but who's winning so far :) The stories go on, including my mom getting sick, then getting a good report, and lots more, but I won't name them all! But believe me, he is trying hard! Then I went to church today, and low and behold that is what our preacher preached about. That mean ole' satan, and the way he works! Last night, when I was so tired and drained and I couldn't sleep, I layed there and thought about everything and how I wasn't going to let him win! I will fight him every step of the way, and I will get closer to my God everyday! I want to make him mad! That's right! I want to show him that he can't mess with us because we are on the winning side! No matter how big of a storm he blows our way, I know that God will be there, keeping us safe until the storm passes by. He never leaves our side. Isn't that wonderful how he loves us? Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

8 reasons why I love you...

To my sweet Eve...

I am so thrilled to celebrate your 8th birthday with you. You have always been so special and you always will. When you were born I would sit and stare at you for hours because you were the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. You and your sister still are. You are so talented and are such a wonderful daughter. God has blessed you in so many ways, and I know he will continue to do so. Stay close to him and he will guide you where you need to go. Here are 8 reasons why I love you, which is just icing on the cake! 1. your smile brightens up any room 2. you are such a wonderful big sissy 3. you are a caring person and you are beautiful on the inside (and out!) 4. you have a great attitude and you always work so hard at things 5. you never seek to amaze us with your awesome gymnastics abilities! 6. you make my heart melt when you tell me thanks for doing things to help you 7. you are a great friend, cousin, granddaughter, niece, and a child of God 8. Last, but not least, because when God made you, he broke the mold, and there is no one in this whole world that could ever fill your shoes!

To my sweet God...

Thank you for giving us this precious child, 8 years ago today. She has filled our lives with such laughter, smiles, and memories that we would have never imagined could happen. Please help her to grow with you, and to become more of a christian everyday. Take her and use her to your will and keep her close by your side. Help us to raise her to the best of our abilities and to bring her up in your way. We love you and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts! Amen. We celebrated with the family tonight with a cookout here. We went swimming, and had ice cream, cake and burgers! I made her favorite Coca Cola cake (of course we substituted the Coke for Pepsi, since we do have to support what supports us:) We celebrated Julia's 17th birthday too! Here are some pictures of our fun day!..
The present that Julia and Moo made her...

The Ipod shuffle Manmaw and Panpaw gave her...

Your smile...

You are such a great big sissy...

Your work hard attitude...

Time traveling upside down

Hey yall!

Okay, I have been trying to find Eve some gymnastics floor routine music and it has consumed my whole entire day! We have listened to countless floor samples and she changed her mind every other song! She has been time traveling from the 50's all the way into hip hop and then she somehow finds her way at pop-rock. Lord help us! We'll get it though. I think :)

While we were doing that Jasy had a good ole time riding her ride on car down the steps and crashing at the bottom on her head. I then found her in the play room next door upside down on my ab-roller. I knew that thing was good for something! Now, you know why I named this blog what I did?! By the way, that play room looks like a tornado has hit it and I am nowhere near finished with it. Can we get another, Lord help us!

Did I do that????????????????

Like I said, I am still learning this whole blog thing! I kept checking my email hoping that I would get some comments and never did. :( Well I figured out that I had it set up wrong. I had it set up that only certain email accounts could leave comments. So I fixed it and now.... I'M WAITING :)

Green apple feet

I started painting the girls playroom upstairs today. You should see the colors, green apple green and hot pink! Oh yeah, let's just say it's very bright!!!

Jason came home from work today and walked up the stairs and just stood there! His first words were, " Wow, what color is this"? Lol! The girls love it, so I guess it will stay. I will keep you posted on the final project. Pictures to come.

While I was painting, my oldest monkey girl, stepped in the green paint and then walked on the light carpet! Anyone got any suggestions about how to get paint out? If so, I need it!

Anyone home...because theirs lost soles waiting to be found

We went on a little road trip today water tubing with my family. It was loads of fun and we had a blast floating down that cold river. (yes, it was cold alright) As we were floating down, I came upon a sign that was nailed to a tree that had lots and lots of flip flops on it. The sign read "Lost soles". That river was full of people everywhere of all sorts of color, and sizes. I got to thinking, I wonder how many of them have "lost souls"? Probably more than we really want to know. Then on the way home we passed another sign on the side of the highway and it clearly read "John 3:16. It didn't have the verse on it, that's all it said. Now how many people pass that sign and not know what that means? We all take it for granted that most of us were raised in church or we were at least brought to church a good bit through out our lives and we all know what that means. Our kids memorize it at a very young age and can tell you what it means very clearly. I bet a lot of people have no clue what that means. My preacher preaches very strongly about going out and knocking on doors of people in our own neighborhoods and telling them about God or just simply inviting them to church. This lead me to this conclusion, imagine what would happen if we all started knocking on doors in our neighborhoods on a regular basis, do you know how big of a difference that would make? One day a week, for about 2 hours that's all it takes to spread the word. Look at it this way, what could it hurt?

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.

God still answers prayers

Today we went to the pulmonary specialist with my mom about this new germ in her lungs. For those of you who don't know, she has been battling a rare lung infection called Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) for 8 years now. She has been taking treatments that have terrible side effects that leave her extremely weak and tired. Even though it is so rare that people contract this infection, it is contracted in everyday, common environmental sources such as aerosolized water, piped hot water systems (including household and hospital water supplies), bathrooms, house dust, soil, birds, farm animals. It is not airborne like Tuberculosis but has all the side effects of it. She received a phone call from her doctor a few weeks back informing her that she had another germ now in her lungs (Mycobacterium avium abscess) and that it was harder to treat because it was resistant to most medicine treatments. Of course, this scared us to death, not knowing exactly what that meant for her. Let me back up for just one moment and tell you how close my mom has became to the Lord during these last 8 years! She has told me numerous times that God has helped her before and that he will do it again. When she first found out that she had this lung infection she was coughing up sink fulls of blood at a time and could not breathe. When they finally found out what was wrong with her, she was in stage 4 of this awful infection. We prayed, her church prayed and anointed her, and God delivered his healing hand. Even though those doctors gave her the right medicines to treat her lungs God gave them the power. She has told me this time and time again. So going to the doctor today we were all so worried that we were going to get some terrible news. When he came in he went over her X-rays and told us how she did indeed have this germ but it was not active now. That's right, it was not active now! What a relief we had knowing that it was not a fast growing infection and that God had heard our prayers. Yes it is still there, and we know that there is not a cure for either one of these infections, but a calm came over that room when we heard that it was not growing and that he felt that it might not even be there when she goes back in three months. The doctor looked a bit amazed at what her X-Ray showed. :)

We walked in that office not knowing what was going to happen and we left knowing what had happened! God still answers prayers, and I definitely saw God today!

Do you have a concern or are you in need of a friend? If so, I would like to introduce you to someone who is never to busy, never to overwhelmed to hear your prayer.

Here is a picture of my mom cutting a rug! This is how she felt after she got her news today. It was so nice to see her back to her normal self again, smiling and laughing! Only God can do that now!

Psalms 4:1 HEAR me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.

Tomato sandwiches and soul winning seeds...

I just love summer time, don't you? The warm sun, green grass, ripe watermelons, yummy homegrown tomato sandwiches, cold Popsicles, ice cream, the sound of kids jumping in the pool, and best of all SCHOOL'S OUT! That's right, I get to spend lots of quality time with my sweet monkeys!! While doing that today, I kept thinking about Colossians 1:10 -That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;. That is what I want to do. I want to be like watermelon and vegetables in the summer time, I want to grow and be of good for someone. I want to grow as a christian every day so one day I can be just of the right use for God. He can give the plants just enough sun and rain to grow and thrive and he gives us just the right amount of knowledge to spread our seeds and grow as a christian. I had a friend from elementary school contact me recently that I haven't heard from since Jr High. She told me about how I planted a seed in her that grew and grew. I apparently asked her one day at school if she was saved. She was catholic and didn't have any idea what being saved meant. Well I am proud to say that she sure does now! Can you believe that? All those years God let that seed grow that I had planted so long ago.

He uses us to plant seeds, spread the knowledge and live our lives in an open window for others to see and grow. Now, if I can increase my knowledge in the Lord, grow more ripe everyday, maybe he can use me even more.

I hope everyone had a great summer day today.

My two monkey girls!

I am pleased to introduce my two monkey girls! My toad was not in the mood to be videod but here is a family picture of us. He asked why I call him a toad (especially because I am scared to death of frogs of any sort) I had to explain to him it was bc he would be a lovely prince oneday soon! :) I'll keep you posted!

Remember...God is working big in my honeys life and before long, we will all know what God wants him to do for him.