Tonight is our county’s Relay for Life.  This is the second year that I have precipitated.  I am happy to be able to help REMEMBER…CELEBRATE…FIGHT BACK!  Josh’s grandmother passed away in 2005 from leukemia.  Tonight we walk in memory of…tonight we walk for Sue… tonight like so many other nights we miss you grandma!!!

(Flash Back Post from November 23, 2006)

Mary “Sue” Wiseman
October 23, 1933 - November 23, 2005

A year ago today the world lost a wonderful person. She meant so much to so many people. She was truly one of those people this world has to few of, she was a Mother, Grandmother, Great Grandmother. She was a good friend, a hard worker and a joy to be around. I can’t put in to words what she meant to everyone but I can tell you what she meant to me.

It is going to be hard to find a starting point, so lets start from the beginning. She was the woman that raised my husband, she was the one that filled Josh with all that he is. She was his Grandmother and the best Mom to him anyone could be. The sacrifices she give for Josh and her family were immeasurable.

I loved to talk with Sue. We could talk forever on the phone. I can still hear her say ‘It’s just me, I’m only gonna keep you a minute…’ Well, it very rarely was just a minute….LOL!!! I loved to spend time with her. Before Josh and I were even married we would go to concerts together. She took me to see Alan Jackson at UT one time. We got there and in line to go in and she couldn’t find one of the tickets. She dug and dug in her purse, with no luck. So luckily they had a handful of tickets left and she bought one more. Now mind you they were $50.00 seats. And once we got out to the car after the concert, Sue reached in for the keys and pulled out the lost ticket…lol….She had had it the whole time. But we decided that Alan Jackson was worth every penny spent.

The support and help she lent us was invaluable while Josh was laid off for six months and our Caleb was born 4 weeks early and had a NICU stay. She spend all night with Josh in Toledo Hospital the first night that they took him. All the while her mother was very sick back home. Caleb was born on Sunday night, and she would make trips to the NICU and to the Nursing Home. One Wednesday night after Josh and I, had just spent the day in the NICU, we stopped by to see Grandma Motter and Sue. Sue looked so tired that night.. We had no sooner got home until the phone rang. Grandma Motter had passed on. That week we buried Grandma Motter and brought home our now, healthy baby boy. Sue was so strong. What a strong person she was.

In 2000 I lost three grandparents with in three months time. I really took the loss of my Grandma Spurlock hard. While talking and crying one day with Sue, I told her ‘my Grandma Spurlock is gone and my Grandma Smith is so far away in SC“. I felt so much pain right then. I will never forget her words to me. “Shana, I will be your grandma, I love you“. From that day on, Sue was my Grandma, not just an in-law!!!

Later that same year I became pregnant with triplets. Wow!!! Three baby’s not even trying…lol…and we still had one in diapers. The news was overwhelming, but still a blessing. Until a few weeks later, I miscarried them. Sue was always the one who understood my loss the most. That year and every year after she would give to me an ornament with three angels on it. She never forgot my pain. And I believe she felt it right along with me.

So many wonderful memories I have of her, to many to list them all. But today, a year from her death, and Thanksgiving 2006, I have to say one of the greatest things I am thankful for today, is having had her in my life for the time I did.

We miss you Grandma!!!

This is the first book I have read by Liz Curtis Higgs and it surly won’t be the last!  Here Burns My Candle is a wonderful story set in 18th century Scotland. It follows the Kerr household during the time when Bonnie Prince Charlie is attempting to reclaim the throne.

I loved the way that the author was able to make me feel as if I was really in the 1700’s with the characters.  I enjoyed the Scottish dialect (and was thankful for the glossary in the back).  The characters are easy to relate to and seemed very real.  Despite their shortcomings I found something in each character to help me like and understand them.

Liz Curtis Higgs also had a way of sharing God’s love with the reader without becoming pushy in this story that runs parallel with the Biblical account of Ruth and Naomi.  In the end the Mother and Daughter-in-law are able to learn important life lessons for one another and are in turn bound together by love.

My mother is an avid reader and I shared my copy with her when I was finished reading.  She told me she gives it 4 1/2 stars out of 5 and also highly recommends Here Burns My Candle by Liz Curtis Higgs.

You can get more information about Here Burns My Candle by Liz Curtis Higgs by going here…http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9781400070015.

ONE LUCKY WINNER WILL RECEIVE A COPY OF THE BOOK!

Just leave a comment on this post and you will be in the running to win.

For extra entries:

*Mention this giveaway on Twitter linking back to my blog (@my3wisemans).
**Mention this giveaway on Facebook linking back to my blog.
***Blog about this contest linking back to my blog.
****Subscribe to my blog feed.  If you already are just mention it in the comments.

Just leave a separate comment for each one you do…

The fine print:
One winner will be picked and contacted via e-mail on April 16th.
Please follow the rules. If not I will delete the comment. Sorry!
US mailing addresses only, please. It is VERY IMPORTANT that you leave a valid e-mail address so I can reach you if you win.
I will give the winner until April 19th to reply back to me, if I don’t hear from you I will choose a new winner.

I have a new favorite Christmas book!!!  Humphrey’s First Christmas Written and Illustrated by Carol Heyer.

This story tells us about the camel that carried the gifts from the three wise men to baby Jesus.  As Humphrey the camel is carrying the gifts he is very unhappy and complaining about being cold without a blanket.  Even after Humphrey gets a new blanket to cover his back he is still complaining about the heavy load he is carrying.  Until the make it to their destination and Humphrey gladly gives HIM his most dearest possession.

The book is beautifully illustrated!  The boys (and me) giggled out loud while reading the book, yet the true meaning of Christmas shines though!  You really need to add this book to your bookshelf too.

Today my hubby is 35!  A few short weeks ago I was worried about him seeing another day, let alone another birthday.  God is so GOOD and has truly blessed us with another birthday to celebrate with Josh.  He is such a GREAT father and a wonderful husband.

Now I am heading off to make Josh his birthday cake.

I love you Josh with all of my heart and soul, today, tomorrow and forever!

Brayden,

Seven years ago today I woke up prepared to be a mommy for the second time.  I was still trying to comprehend how I could love another child as much as I loved your brother Caleb.  But as soon as I heard your cry and saw your sweet face I insistently understood how I could love all of my children with all of my being!  And as time passes I am amazed by how I love you more each day.

I am having a hard time grasping the fact that you are 7 today.  I truly can’t get over how fast time goes by.  It seems as if I was just swaddling you in my arms and rocking you asleep.  Now you are in the 1st grade and are excelling in school.  You love reading and math.  You have a quick temper but a kind heart!  You enjoy building with blocks, Lego’s, and Lincoln Logs.  You LoVe to color and be artistic.  Give you a video game and you are good to go for hours.  :o)  One of your new loves is money.  You are a smart saver and spender.  You told us the other day that when you grow up you want to be a Banker during the day and a Ghost hunter at night…lol!

Brayden, I can’t put into words how much I love you!  One day when you become a parent you may understand.  But until then ALWAYS know that I love you.  ALWAYS know that you can come to me for anything!  And most importantly, if I teach you nothing else, ALWAYS remember to put God first in your life.

I LOVE YOU my sweet Brayden!  I love you a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck!!!

LOVE,

MOMMA

Halloween is just a few days away and the boys and I had fun playing with this fun Halloween-themed kit called Shrinky Dinks Halloween Fun from Creativity for Kids.

We really enjoyed crafting with this fun and easy to use kit.  Everything we needed to complete the kit was  included, with the expectation of a pair of scissors and the oven.  I loved the kit because all three of the boys were able to take part in the construction of the Halloween Tree.

First we colored the shrink plastic sheets with the colored pencils that were included in the kit.

Then we cut the colored designs out.

Next we punched wholes in the shrink plastic.

I then put the colored, cut and whole punched pieces on a foil lined cookie sheet and placed them in the 350 degree oven where the real fun started.  The boys love watching the Shrinky Dinks shrink though the oven door.  (*Please be sure to have adult supervision!!!*)

After the pieces had cooled the boys were amazed to feel how hard they had became.  We then added a tiny medal ring through the whole and a rubber band to each piece, then we hooked each piece to the tree that was also provided in the kit.

I had a lot of fun crafting with the boys.  It was nice to spend this time with them since we have been so busy from the move.  I highly recommend the Shrinky Dink kits!  You can choose from a selection of different Shrinky Dink kits over at creativityforkids.com.

Thanks to creativityforkids.com I am offering a giveaway to one lucky winner any Shrinky Dink kit of their choice.  Just head over to creativityforkids.com and take a look around at all of the cool Shrinky Dink kits they have to offer.  Come back here and tell me in the comments which one you would pick if you one.  (if you do win you can choose a different kit if you want.)  This giveaway will be open until November 6th @ 3:00 pm

For extra entries:

*Mention this giveaway on Twitter linking back to my blog (@my3wisemans).
**Mention this giveaway on Facebook linking back to my blog.
***Blog about this contest linking back to my blog and creativityforkids.com.
****Subscribe to my blog feed. If you already are just mention it in the comments.

Just leave a separate comment for each one you do…
The fine print:
A winner will be picked and contacted via e-mail on Friday November 6th after 3:00pm.
Please follow the rules. If not I will delete the comment. Sorry!
US mailing addresses only, please. It is VERY IMPORTANT that you leave a valid e-mail address so I can reach you if you win.
I will give the winner until November 12th to reply back to me, if I don’t hear from you I will choose a new winner.

We are now in our new home and we LOVE it!!!   I still have Josh and I’s bedroom to organize and the garage is a mess (the garage may have to wait until Spring…lol).  But other then that we are settled in quite nicely.  It is amazing how quickly it has felt like home.  Caleb was getting around for school the other morning and said, “It already feels like home.”

Here are a few pictures of the boys rooms and the living room…

Caleb’s room

Brayden & Andrew’s room

Living Room

I hope to get a few more pictures up soon.  Still have some organizing to do.

When a rather unplanned opportunity opened up to Josh and I, we decided to jump on it!!!

WE ARE MOVING!!!

This new house will be $50.00 a month cheaper and in a great neighborhood.

I have spent the last few days painting and cleaning the new house and packing up boxes here at this house.  The big move is planned for Saturday.  Josh is still unable to lift much more then 20 or so pounds so I was a bit worried about that, but, we have been blessed with family and people from church helping us move.  8 men with trucks are coming at 9:00am.  And a lady from church is making lunch for everyone.  GOD IS SO GOOD!!!

I hope to get some pictures added soon on the blog of the new place.  Until then pray that the move goes smoothly.  :o)