The new guy

We've added a new member to the family. Meet Leo.

Here's Leo with the kids and Em.

Our friend Morgan found him as a stray at UGA. When she first found him she said you could count his ribs. She took care of him for awhile and got him healthy and in a routine. Since she is a college student living in a condo, she wanted to find Leo a new home. I know she misses him, he is such a sweetie.

We just love him, and even Em, our  10 year old shih tzu tolerates a new doggie brother.

Leo seems to be adjusting well to his new family...and he is happy being a lap dog. 

The kids and Karl have been wanting a BIG dog for a long time. I even saw my hubby, kiss Leo on the head. He has never kissed any of our other dogs on the head before.

Leo is much loved and we're glad he has found his way into our heart and home.

It's a Great Day at Chick-fil-A

It's a great day at Chick-fil-A....my family could truly eat there everyday. The Tim Hawkins' song about Chick fil a, we so relate to, because we just love it. Always have. My boy, Shek has always, always told us that he wanted to meet S. Truett Cathy. This year, when he realized that his Konos class would be studying him and reading his book, he couldn't wait to get started.

 AND at the end of the unit his class had a scheduled back stage tour to Chick fil a headquarters. I had been before with Karlie, but he was too young to go back then so this was his first trip there. It is such a beautiful place,and the tour is super nice.

First things first, you get your photo made with the Cathys, thanks to a green screen, and they have the photo ready for you take home at the end of the tour. Here we are with our good friends. We carpool with them each week. Their sisters missed out on this awesome field trip.

Shek and some of his school friends...

Sitting at the counter of the replica of the very first Dwarf Grill.

Learning about Win Shape (Shaping Winners)

Sitting in the Truett Cathy's office.

Ordering from the original menu would be awesome. Loved those prices. And we learned that Mr. Cathy signed the original menus and gave them to his very first and loyal customers, the ones that have been with him since the beginning. Those customers can order from the signed menus and pay the original prices until their death. Now that's pretty cool.

Mr. Cathy owns a lot of classic cars...even the batmobile.

At the end of the tour, we all met back with the entire class, and everyone was given their photos with the Cathys, a Chick fil a cow, a be our guest card for a free chicken sandwich, a chocolate chip cookie and a ruler with the Golden rule on it. Mr Cathy believes that if everyone lived by the golden rule, we would not have any enemies, and we'd have more friends than we could count. Shouldn't we all live by those words of Jesus?

It was a great day at Chick-fil-a...if you ever have the chance call and schedule a tour of the headquarters. 

Music in my Soul

There's Music in my soul....and I've just gotta get it out.

Sometimes...the way I get that music out, is in the car singing with the radio. Sometimes, I try to pause the expression of the joy in my soul at the redlight, but more times than not, I just carry on. You should try it too.

Sing, it's good for the soul.

When I was a very little girl, and we'd find ourselves at family gatherings at my Great Grands home, there would be singing with everyone around the piano, singing in 4 part harmony. Awesome memories were those. There's a lot of music in my roots. 

This past Christmas, when Zach wanted us to sing around the piano, it brought those sweet memories back. My Great-Papa Creel was a bi-vocational music minister. He died when I was nine so, I don't have a lot of the family musical memories like the generation ahead of me had, but I do remember.

He wrote a few hymns, and they were published. He learned to read music from the shaped notes (do-re-me). He was particular about music and often said, "If you can't do it right, leave it off."

Oh how I wish everyone would take that piece of advice.

Joyful noises are fine and good, but I think joyful noises should be more of a private thing and not necessarily displayed in a solo type thing...

An old family photo. My musician Papa Creel stands in the back.

Papa also liked his music a little on the jivey side. ME too, I love music with a good beat. BUT I am also partial to music that has a good message. The lyrics, they need to be special.
Sometimes, today's music gets one little line and it's gets sung over and over. Give me something with meaning.

The very first hymn I learned was Leaning on the Everlasting Arms, and my grandmother, Honey taught it to me.

Call me old fashioned, but I do love a hymn. It's nice to just pluck out a melody out of the hymn book and sing to the top of your lungs. 

There's music in my soul, it's part of my roots....and sometimes it's just got to come out. I love reading music. I miss it when we don't use the hymnals at church anymore. I love to see the music on the page, and see which note is next. There's just something about the language of music on the written page. 

But whether reading the music on the page or singing with the radio, my family and I just have to get it out, we have to have music. So if you see us at the redlight having our own private concert...you will know what we're doing.

We are getting that music out...it runs deep in our soul.

Woodworking with Pop

Shek has a project that he needed to complete for his school's market day. His idea required a little woodworking. So, that was a project that required a day at Gam and Pop's. Today, after they completed their morning jog at their church's walk track, they dropped by and picked him up. He spent the day making wood creations to sale at his school's market day. I picked him up late in the afternoon today, we snapped a few photos.

Pop and Shek in Pop's Shop.

Jolie wanted in on the photo taking.

These are the bowls that pop makes. They are everywhere in the house. Gam and Pop let us pick out a couple to bring home. These are truly art pieces. Shek's project for the day, is a secret. So no post of it until after the market day.

Gam and Karlie pose for a photo after Karlie "shops" for her wooden bowl.

Jolie said take my picture with my coloring book that Gam gave me.

Shek had a fun day at woodworking class at the grands home. He can't wait till the next class.