March...............What??????

Its been cold here still and I am so sick and tired of it, I loved the few warm spring like days that we have had, but in for a cold wet weekend:((.

We had a fun Banquet,  

had over a hundred people come to our pre and after party,

I even stayed till midnight, which is like major for me:0 Steve and I worked so hard in getting everything prepared and set up, Sean and Sarah helped too, we rearranged all the HEAVY furniture so it would fit our needs:) I had went to list a home that Saturday am and then showed property in LR till 2 ish, went home loaded the rest of what was needed and headed to the Hotel, then unloaded and was on our feet till we got home, my legs were hurting so bad! Sunday I had the nursery at Journey Church, I was not sure I could even lift a baby,  my arms felt like jelly they were so tired, Steve was too, we came home from church, did not even go eat and went to bed with a house full of company:) I was still tried Monday and had to have a nap.  Finally felt back to normal Tuesday. But all in all it was worth it, just getting old :(

Today I was up before the crack of dawn to be at a FOX 16 which is aTV channel here, I was a contestant to win a trip to 2014 Super Bowl, air fare and all, it was at McDonald's in Little Rock, I did not win but appreciate the opportunity to try:)

After that, I worked then had lunch with our niece and Alicia, Susan Averitt is Steve's brother's Biff's daughter, she has her own clinic in Fayetttville, she is a Brilliant Pediatrician, For Real! Then my other niece,  Steve's sister Dottie's daughter Terrah Alexander had her baby boy today, so we all got to go by the hospital and see them:))

I had three closing today in between all of this fun:)  Closed on a home of someone that was friends with my mother and her children my friends since birth:)  It is a home they had lived in all their life here in Sherwood, always hard when someone goes to assisted living and I watch their children go through so may changes as well as their mother, but they all did great, they met the buyer I sold it to and loved them, made the lady feel so much better, knowing her home was going to be loved. I do enjoy my career and helping people I love:)

Well I am off to bed, tomorrow I am getting me a much need massage, Steve and I are spring cleaning and I have Amber who cleans for me coming on Friday....thankful for paydays, makes my life much easier!! Tomorrow night is cleaning at Journey Church, I have opted to keep the grand girls and let the younger ones clean:) Plus Anna will be spending the night, so spaghetti it is for dinner and a movie:) love having them come over:))

Something I am excited about, we will do a family vacation in Aug and Jared and his family are going, we will got to Destin and stay where Alex and Jill are at:) YEA!! I can't wait!!Not sure what all children will get to go, hope all of them!

Hugs to all and to all a good night!

What a difference a week makes!

This time last week we had cold, cold air, snow on the ground, if you were to just look at the weather you could not dream a week later it will be in the high sixty's with full sun shine, warm enough for flip flops!  In pondering that thought, I thought of times when it is so winter in our lives, we can not even fathom it ever getting better or maybe spring in our life.  If you only focus on the now and what is wrong now and the coldness and loneliness of now, it will for sure depress you, when your thinking negative there is no positive in your thoughts, but what you can not see is a week later, its 60ish and sun shiny!  Winter is a phase in our life not a life time!  This week something upset me, I felt depressed over it all, tried to shake it but couldn't, prayed but kept playing it over and over in my head, then I finally was able to draw a line, as Derol May taught me. When my mind would go back there, I would not let it, I turned on praise music and let it go, the oppression of it all left me.  I can think on it now but it does not consume me in my thoughts nor depress me, its something that looks like winter now but trusting God to make it a spring!  I am believing Him to do that.

Work is still slower then I am comfortable with, I find my self all caught up on things, I am the type that works better under pressure, like schedule my self all day long, from one thing to the next, but for now its just a little slower, tomorrow I will show property, and today I showed, but I am use to three or four buyers a day, so I will be glad when this actual winter is over, our spring market should be a strong one! I just got a call to show one next Sunday so that is two calls today:))

This week is our Award of excellence Banquet, Realtor's get the awards they have earned for the year, our company gets the Presidential Suite and we have a before and after party, it is always fun, that is on Saturday night, then Sunday I have Journey Nursery so excited about being with the babies:))  Today during worship Amelia ask to sit with me, when we start to sing she ask me to hold her, now she is four, so its no light weight thing for me to do, but I love love love holding her as we worship, she will just love on me, she twirls  the back of my hair as she sings, she will cuddle in as she sings, it is so touching to hear her little voice sing praise to God in my ear, I cannot hold her without be reminded how much God loves me and holds me and loves to hear me sign in His ear. It is just hard to explain the love I feel coming through Amelia from the Lord to me.  Makes me tear up.....speaking of tearing up, I have thought this weekend about crying.  I do not cry easily and this Saturday I did cry over missing some of my family, I actually thought it was so odd for tears to be running down my checks, last time I really cried was when mother past away, then I thought why do I not cry more????????  In which I do not know, but when I do it is loud and snot blowing, crying, so I guess I can be ok with not crying often:))  Its just such a relief to cry so I wish I could do it more easily.  I guess we all have different ways we cope with things.

Tomorrow Miss Lovie will be a year old!!

Hard to believe we have had her since April, time just goes so fast, this week tonight is my only night to have been at home, we had things every night but it was a fun week:  Thought I would be home last night, had turned down a Cabot McKimmey office dinner out, then Sherry Maxwell called to go eat, I have not seen her in forever so I did go, Jimmy Maxwell past away five years ago on the 12th., talked to her that day but did not see her, so was thankful we had a two hour dinner.  I just can not even thinking how I would be if anything happened to Steve,  I for sure would not want to live alone, I am not a loner:) This week we read a book Strength Finder and it has a on line test to take, its like a quiz to help you know your strengths, this is to help know what work you will be good at, Steve and I were so different, he said he now understands why I blog, my life is a open book, if you want to know ask and I will tell you, if I have not already shared it:)  He is a private person, can be a loner, a behind the scenes person, I am on the front line person, guess that's why I love Real Estate, constant contact with people all day long:) He in turn likes keeping the books, all the paper work, which I can not stand to do!  So we make a good team, him in his strength and me in mine:)  There is a saying, we are all leaders, I will lead your where I have been and you can lead me where you have been, but we all lead, we all have something to offer to others.

On Valentine's day I went to a monthly Parkview class of 71 breakfast, this was a big group of us, it is a blessing to still be in contract with high school friends:) We stay in touch on Facebook:)

 Some of my PV girl friends, Susan the one in the red is who I got to go out with Steve when I broke my date with him to go back to my boyfriend, then I broke up with my boyfriend and went out with Steve the next night:))  I told her I would fix her up with someone and she  said the last time I did that, I married him:)) I love these ladies!

Then my sweetie took me to Riverfront Steak house for a very special dinner, it was so relaxing and romantic:)  He had me a box of candy and a sweet card, my son Sean called the day before and I answered Steve's phone, he said he was just calling to remind Steve to get me something:)  I said, I will make sure he calls you back!!  On Saturday I cleaned and put away all Valentine's decor, got out some spring place mats, going to get two new candles for mother's candle holders on my table, get some live daisy's to go in a vase, so it will take on the look of spring!  Hope your week is full of friends, family, good work atmosphere and a whole lot of the Lord leading you in all your ways!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

This has been a full week, Monday night was the only night home this week, on Tuesday we had our first Journey Church Ladies night, we will meet monthly, the second Tuesday of each month, I am excited about it, I have wanted to be involved in our ladies ministry at church for a while, just had to wait on God's timing.  We went to the Fold to eat, which is Mexican and very tasty!! Next month I will host it in my home, looking forward to that too!! Then Wed. night we had out last bible study on the book Follow Me by David Platt, it has been a good study, we will be doing the bible study that goes with the book Stolen next, it is about lost dreams, bet it will be good too.  We meet with Church of North Hills on Wed. nights, my boss and his wife got us involved in that study when it was on Heaven and we have really enjoyed it.  Then on Thursday night we have Journey Church home group, which we eat and discuss scripture, its a way to get closer to your church family:) Tonight we had a Valentine's dinner, Kevin and Sandi went all out making it a special dinner.

Tomorrow I go to a breakfast at 6am :( with my high school friends, got them all a little Valentine candy! Do not even like going out that early, it will still be dark, but do enjoy meeting with them all! I graduated Parkview High School in 1971, so its a long time to still be able to have those friends and renew the friend ships!!
Work has been slower then I like, have been busy with agents and brokering and listing homes this week, I did  have two closings which was nice!! Have three next week, so I got to get more for March so far only two, I like to close four a month, last year averaged one every four days I think, I close 64 deals so you can do the math:))  Totally trusting the Lord to have a good year this year too!  All else on this home front is about the same, glad for sun shine and warmer weather!! One thing we can say for sure is

Happy Valentine's day to you, remember these three things and spread some love!!  hugs!

Family Secret

This past week has had some things happen that have been a eye opener for me, I was with a young person, whom I love very much and they told me they wanted to tell me something but they had been told it was their family secret.............this went all over me,  that a loving adult in this child's life would tell them to keep a family secret.  When we have a family secret it is because of pride in someone's life, that they do not want the truth exposed and had rather put a child under such pressure to carry the family burden then share their feelings and get council.  The young person decided to confide in me and I shared my view on THE FAMILY SECRET....... growing up I had a family secret, I never shared until I had been married several years, it ruled my life in so many ways, my behavior in so many ways, when we have family secrets we carry as a child we will act out in our on way.  This young person is failing all grades, can not sleep at night. I shared that anytime anyone ask you to keep something you know needs to be told a secret then it will hold you in bondage, that when we bring it to the light it exposes the darkness of the hold that secret has on you and your family.  Someone in the family has to be healthy enough to say, this is going to be exposed and we are going to be real and get the help we need, its just so sad when it is the child who realizes this, when they are surrounded with adults who thinks its best to keep things a secret.  This child was afraid, felt unprotected and unsure of so many things.  When I was a young mother I determined in my immediate family we would never have a family secret no matter what it is, we would be open and honest with each other, and confront what ever the problem is, get help if we need it.  I remember when Sean was young, I had pick up a candle and threw it at him, I knew I was so wrong and made a appointment for us with a counselor, I told him to tell anything and everything to Dr. McRae, that we need help, he would of never told on me, which is how children are, but I told it, I was ashamed that I threw something  at my child, I had been pushed to my limit and needed to react differently, at the same time, when you see there is something that can harm your child as a parent or grand parent you expose what ever it is and get the help for who ever it is that needs it.  Dr. Mcrae was a God send in our life, he helped Sean and I a lot, more me seeing how to cope with five children and me being ADHD and Sean and other children being ADHD, not  a easy thing:)
My point in blogging on this, is do not  put your child in the place to carry a family secret, love the child enough to be open and honest and expose the lie to the truth, for it is the truth that will set family secrets free!!! 
Do not put your self in the place to live with a Family Secret, you go and get what help you need to understand the harm it can be for you:)  As I told this young person, if satan can keep it in the dark, then he has a foot hold, but when you turn on the light the darkness has to flee, and God can do the work that needs to be done:) Never easy, but oh so worth it!

Its been a fun week end, I have cooked and cooked and the kids came in and out and ate and ate, me too:(( gotta get back on eating right in the am.  My Uncle LD past away and his funeral is tomorrow, he was the last living sibling on my daddy's side of the Rogers family, Please keep my Aunt Verda Mae and his children in your prayers, he was sick but not like passing away sick so it was unexpected, he past in his sleep.  well I am so ready for winter to be over, but looks like a few more days of winter, I have a closing tomorrow and a pretty full week with work:)  hugs to all! night