Thankful Thursday

I have many things to be thankful for!

Today, I am thankful for my community!

We live in the best little community in the world. Years ago we moved to Rutherfordton to be in the country, away from city life. Away from busy streets and noises. This past week we have realized how great of a place we moved to! The support is pouring in from people we know and people we do not know. We have been pleased to meet neighbors that we have only waved at in passing. The love for fellow neighbors is great here in my little stretch of the woods and I thank God for that!

Thank you, Lord, for giving us support from your people!

The BOX

Welcome to our box. I have decided that this is NOT my house, nor did I want to call it my trailer or my camper. So we decided to call this our BOX!! Below you can see our 32 foot box that we will call "home" for the next 6 months.

We are thankful to have found this box! Dawn's brother Dustin knew someone who had it for sale. After telling him our story, he came down $5000.00 on the price to get us at the price we needed, so praise God for that also. Thanks to the Greene Family for all of their help, including Russell who was amazing the day of the fire in saving my stuff, and continuing to help the firefighters on his day off! Pray that the walls to the box do not close in on us, and that the next 6 months go VERY FAST!

The Cleanup Begins

The cleanup at the TEAM Jones house has begun. 9am Monday morning a group of wonderful men and women showed up to start cleaning out the mess you see below. They are boxing it up and putting it outside for me to inventory. I am expecting this job (for me) is going to be very hard. I am not looking forward to making a list of everything I owned that is ruined, or trying to remember what was burned up in the fire. Pray for strength to get through this ordeal. I could have started Monday but have not been able to do it yet.

View of my dining room and kitchen from the back door.

View of living room before cleanup.

View of my living room after the cleanup has started.

View of my bedroom.

View from living room into dining room.



View looking from Emily's room upstairs over the top of my house.

This picture was very hard for me to see, the devastation is enormous. I have been told not to go into Emily's room, it was the hardest hit since it was in the attic where the fire started. I praise God for keeping us safe!

Please keep praying for us!

Survival Mode

Writing to let everyone know that I am in SURVIVAL MODE!!!!! You know, that mode that you HAVE to be in to survive. The insurance agent thinks that I am quote "strikingly phenomenal" unquote in my handling of this house fire. I just explained to him that I am doing what has to be done to keep my family together. Please continue to pray for us,

This is so hard.

I may not show on the outside how I am feeling, but know that my struggles are inside. The Lord is there for me, and showing me little lessons to gain from this trial. I go back to one of my songs of the week... GOD WILL MAKE THIS TRIAL A BLESSING!

The fire investigator has released the house back to us. His official determination is that the fire did not start in the kitchen, but in the attic with the wiring or HVAC unit. It made me feel a tiny bit better that one of my "pretty things" did not cause me to lose everything I owned, that I did not cause this fire, this pain for my family, this loss. It was something beyond my control. Thank God for the little things in this tragedy. The contractor will be there Monday to start removing our things, to see what can be saved (although they are doubtful about saving anything) and to start removing debris so they can rebuild. Pray that this goes smoothly and FAST.

I am keeping a long list of everyone that has helped or offered to help! I hope one day to thank each of you again individually, right now, please know that I thank God for each of you every day! You know who you are and know that I love each and every one of you!

Thankful Thursday

I have many things to be thankful for!

Today, I am thankful for our LIVES!

As you can see, our house caught on fire July 21, 2009. We had left around 9:45 to deliver a puppy to Charlotte. At around 11am or so, the fire department received a phone call that my home was on fire. They worked for two hours and got the fire contained before calling us to deliver this terrible news to us by phone. We rushed home and found that the wonderful firefighters at Green Creek Fire Dept and others had saved most of my pictures and photo albums and all but 1 dog. We are so thankful that they went above and beyond and were able to save many of our precious momentos that could not be replaced. They stayed until around 5pm, but had to come back twice to put out some hot spots. Our house is a loss inside. The fire went from the kitchen window up and T'd out across the roof. We have lost almost everything we own, but we still have each other and that is what matters to me.

Now, I want to get my story out! We will know for sure soon, but the firefighters think that the fire started by one of my (MANY) suncatchers in my kitchen window. They think that the suncatcher caught my paper towels on fire that were on their holder by the sink. I am telling all I can, because per the insurance company this has happened to other people.

We are all okay, just pray for us!

Lord, I am thankful that you kept us safe during this horrible ordeal. I am thankful that we were not in the home and that most of my dogs were saved. I am thankful for each and every day that you give me. Thank you Lord for knowing that I would go through this and sending the many friends and loved ones to help me get through this! THANK YOU LORD FOR LIFE!!!!!!

Tamara's Song of the Week

Child, You're Forgiven
Gaither Vocal Band/God is Good cd

I came to Jesus and I took my Stand
But what I'd surrendered was back in my hands
Defeated by failures haunted by fears
I cried out in anguish, "My God, are you here?"

Chorus
He said child you're forgiven
forgiven and free
he said it, I heard it
Sweet victory
The future can never intimidate me
since I've been forgiven
forgiven and free

I'm resting and growing in His strong embrace
I've traded performance for amazing grace
My soul is at rest but I still must rejoice
When I think of the day
that I heard His voice

What a relief, I can't earn my way
When I come up empty
My father pays
I'm learning to live,
And I'm learning to die
And one of these days
I'll be learning to fly

Chorus
He said child you're forgiven
forgiven and free
he said it, I heard it
Sweet victory
The future can never intimidate me
since I've been forgiven
forgiven and free

See it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OA1BMCMWxE8

Thankful Thursday

I have many things to be
thankful for!

Today I am thankful for my Church!

Thank you Lord for allowing me to be a part of your body! I thank you for Mt Pleasant Baptist Church, Pastor Glover, his wife Rhonda, their children, our Youth Minister, Rev Daryl Tolleson, his wife Ashlee, their boys and the rest of my church family! Thank you for giving your life for me. Thank you for giving us men that preach the Bible like Preacher Glover! I love you Lord!

Tamara's Song of the Week

We Are So Blessed
written by Bill and Gloria Gaither

We are so blessed, by the gifts from Your hand
We just can't understand why You loved us so much.
We are so blessed, we just can't find a way
or the words that can sayThank You, Lord, for Your touch.

CHORUS:
When we're empty You fill us 'til we overflow
When we're hungry You feed us, and cause us to know.
We are so blessed, take what we have to bring,
Take it all, everything, Lord, we love you so much.

We are so blessed by the things You have done,
The victories we've won and what You've brought us through.
We are so blessed, take what we have to bring,
Take it all everything,Lord, we bring it to You.

CHORUS:
When we're empty You fill us 'til we overflow
When we're hungry You feed us, and cause us to know.
We are so blessed, take what we have to bring,
Take it all, everything, Lord, we love you so much.

1982 William J. Gaither, Inc. ARR UBP of Gaither Copyright Management River Oaks Music Company
(a div. of EMI Christian Music Publishing)

See it here:
Sung by Greater Vision

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6EESQOy2F8

Babies, Babies, Everywhere Babies!

Today started our VBS at church! I have always loved teaching the Nursery class, which is usually babies to age 2. I knew that I would have baby Tucker, who is 2 months old, his mom is VBS director. I had also asked my sister to bring Reagan who is 2 years old. Well, wasn't I surprised when I ended up with 5 in my class tonight. Tucker, 2 months, Brayden, 5 months, and Reagan, Noah and Victoria, all 2 years old. Luckily, I had plenty of help and we had a blast. However, I am very tired!

Overall, praise the Lord, our VBS had 112 people in attendance tonight~we are praying for more kids and adults tomorrow!

Thankful Thursday

I have many things to be

thankful for!

Today I am thankful for my dogs!
Here are just a couple of them.....

Marisol

Lady Beckett

Lady Brennan



Kendall's Litter of Cavaliers

And let us not forget Jay's boxer Hebrew!

Thank you Lord for giving us the opportunity to
raise puppies and meet new people and make new friends!

Marisol and Hebrews pictures courtesy of Sugar Snap Photos, thanks Shelby! http://sugarsnappetphotos.com/

Tamara's Song of the Week

HOLD ON (JESUS WILL COME)
by The Harvesters

Hold on, hold on, Hold on to the old rugged cross;
And someday, someday, someday,
Hold on, hold on Jesus will come.

Have you a river you cannot cross,
A mountain too steep to climb?
Have you a valley you can't go through?
Hold on till Jesus comes.

Hold on, hold on, Hold on to the old rugged cross;
And someday, someday, someday,
Hold on, hold on Jesus will come.

Life filled with heartaches and sorrows,
When our loved ones are beckoned away;
And our homes are so empty without them,
Hold on till Jesus comes.

Hold on, hold on, Hold on to the old rugged cross;
And someday, someday, someday,
Hold on, hold on Jesus will come.

And someday, someday, someday,
Hold on, hold on Jesus will come.

See it here:

sung by the Hayes Family

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozD3E8mSNAo

Our Wonderful Fireworks

Praise the Lord for our Freedom

Today is Independence Day.

It is the day our fellow Americans celebrate the fact that we are Free. Free to be Christians, Free to go to the church of our choice, Free to love, Free to live where we want to, I could go on. I am praising God today for allowing me to be born in the United States. But more than that, I am praising God for allowing me to be born into the family of God that day in April, 1981! I am praising God for knowing that I would fail Him daily, but love me anyway. I am praising God for not putting me on a shelf, and allowing me to still be a witness to others of His love! Today I am praising God for being Free!

Thankful Thursday

I have many things to be thankful for.

Today I am thankful for my family!

I wanted to show you the difference a year can make...

Easter 2008 Team Jones Family Picture

Easter 2009 Team Jones Family Picture

Thank you Lord for giving me the greatest husband and kids any one could ever ask for.

Here's The New Doo!

So, my lovely daughters and I went to get haircuts from my WONDERFUL sister-in-law, Amber, at Distinct Images in Boiling Springs. Meredith ended up getting the haircut that I had blogged about earlier, and it looks so great on her! She loves it short, and was bubbling over with excitement after Amber was done cutting it!

Me, I went with a little more length. After seeing how short Meredith's hair was, I just could not do it. So...................this is what I ended up with.

It is going to take some getting used to, and of course will never look as good as today when Amber styled it, but I will do my best. This is the shortest I have had my hair since I was in the 3rd grade. It feels so light and airy, think my headaches will go away??????

In case you are wondering, Emily did not shed her beautiful locks. She just had it trimmed, she is so beautiful, both inside and out!

Haircuts, Haircuts, who wants a Haircut?

I am the worst customer for a hair stylist. As a child I had a few bad cuts, and as an adult, have gapped up my hair more than once. I cringe as I sit in the chair listening to the scissors. I have basically had the same haircut for over 18 years. I always revert back to the long straight locks whenever I venture to try something new. One time, I even let it grow long enough to donate 13 inches to Locks of Love.

To get a haircut I have to prepare myself to call the stylist, then I have to make the appointment a week in advance to prepare myself to go to the appointment, then I try all day to talk myself out of going the day of! I know they hate to see me coming. So, here I am again, I have made an appointment tomorrow to get a cut.

I have fought with my sister all week trying to find a new style. She seems to think that I am a loser who will never try anything new. I am bound and determined to go shorter, but the thought scares me tremendously. I know, it is a stupid fear, but it is my fear!

So, this is what I am going to try and talk myself into.......

Will I do it, because, WOW, that is reallllllllllly short? Will I do it? I have always had hair long enough to throw into a ponytail, this will not. Will I do it? We will have to wait and see tomorrow! Wish me luck!