Sunday, February 28, 2010

Love song to my #1 Love!

I want to end these 28 days of love, with my #1 love, Jesus!
I also want to add that 28 days was really not enough to write about everything/one I love. I truly am blessed. It is so much more than religion, it's a relationship. Traditions in the Church, (not a church, but His...they're all His) will drive you will drive you mad, and I am so thankful that I have been able to see that Jesus does care about a relationship with His people. And so, for my very last post (two today) I wanted to share one of my favorite songs!!!


The more I seek You, the more I find You.
The more I find You, the more I LOVE YOU!

I wanna sit at Your feet,
Drink from the cup in Your hand,
Lay back against You and breathe,
Feel Your heartbeat.
This love is so deep,
And it's more than I can stand.
I melt in Your peace.
It's overwhelming!




As long as I got King Jesus...

...I don't need nobody else!!!
I love Jesus!!!
He is the Solid Rock on which I stand,
He calls me friend,
He was, and is, and is to come!
He said if I seek Him with my whole heart, I will find Him.
I am so proud to be a child of God, a daughter of Jesus.
I am so thankful for all He has done for me.
One of my favorite songs that pretty much sums it up:
When I look around and see the good things, God has done for me, I know, I am unworthy of them all. For His blessings He so freely gives, I know I owe my life to Him. I have so much to thank Him for.
I have so much to thank Him for, so much to praise Him for.
Can't you see? My God has been so good to me.
And when I think of what He's done, and where He has brought me from, I have so much to thank Him for.
Sometimes, while on this way, I kneel, yes I stop to say thank You Lord for all You've done for me. You have blessed me with so many things, so that's why I must stop and sing, I have so much to thank Him for!!!
I love you JESUS, with my whole heart, soul, mind, and strength.
Oh Majesty, I live to see Your face and be transformed, into Your image!
I love JESUS!

Friday, February 26, 2010

Tiffany Anne






I love myself!!!
Yep.


I feel it is impossible to love others if you don't love yourself.
I also have Jesus in me, so if I don't love me, I don't love Him.


I do love ME!!!

I love Noah Bryant!

Of course, I love my boy!!! Mr. Noah Bryant Givens. Born October 22, 2004 at 7:27 p.m. Weighing 8 lbs. 11 ozs. Measuring 21 inches long. I can barely remember life before then, and it hasn't been the same since.

I won't go too deep on this one because it would obviously bore everyone else, and take way too much time and space, but my love for him is unconditional and undying.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7.
Noah, one week old, and his mommy.
Palsy Walsy!!!


I am very proud of this boy!

I do love NOAH BRYANT!!!

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Dear Darling Parents!

Oh yes, I love my mommy and daddy!!!
Back on March 31, 1983, Scot and Beth became Mr. and Mrs.!!!
Life's never been the same!!! haha.
They have three children: Rodney, Rhonda, and Tiffany.
And 5 grandchildren: Felicity, Katelyn, Cameron, Noah, and Anthony.
And they have been the best parents/grandparents in the world!!!
Momma and Daddy have done nothing but sacrifice their entire life for the happiness and well-being of their children and grandchildren, and have made life for us amazing.
And I am most positive that my sister, brother, son, and nieces and nephews would agree....Grammy and Pa-Pa are great!!!
Thanks to both of you for all you have done!
If I can be half the parent ya'll have been, I'd be honored.
Nothing about parenting is easy...I found that out!
But, you both have went above and beyond for all of us....
thanks a million!!!

Love Love Love!!!


I love my MOM AND DAD!

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

I love Mom and Pop Givens!

Yep, I love my in-laws! They really do treat everyone the same, regardless to if you are family, blood or not! They treat every person alive the exact same way! They once told me the only way to get out of this family is to die!!! Yikes! I guess I'm stuck!
They are known as Leon and Betty (they are actually Harold and Elizabeth) and they have been nothing but great to me!
Really, Derrick's whole family, as I have posted before, really make you feel at home. And that is so awesome!
I call on Leon and Betty for all sorts of things, but mainly prayer. I'll try not to be too spiritual, but I can call them at anytime with any request, and they will stop what they are doing to pray for me. When I found out about the last aunt that passed away, I called them that night/morning...it was around midnight thirty, and told them to wake up and pray, and not to stop till I let them know....I still haven't let them know!!! Not really, but they prayed a lot for me and my family at that time (knowing the close relationship I had with her) and they still do pray for me! With lots of situations. My faith isn't in them or anything, it just helps to know that they agree with me in prayer!
We also stay with them at their second home in TN at least once or twice a year. They even built on an addition and decorated it purple...that's right....it's just for us!!! They always volunteer to keep Noah so that I can rest, or just read a book in my room, or just relax outside, or have a date with my hubby, or go shopping alone...you get the point! And when they come home to us, they do the same. The last time they came home, I had the flu, then just before they left, I got sick again, and the dr still doesn't know what I had, just my throat was swollen shut! They took such good care of me when needed (while my parents worked) and they babysitted Noah and Derrick for me too! That's huge!
Then Leon got sick the day after they left here, at Derrick's sister's house, and was in the hospital a week, and I found out that they really do mean a whole lot to me, and to us, and that we really do mean a lot to them too!

And of course, Betty and I have our own thing going on... when we can....we dump those boys!!! haha

I really do love MOM AND POP GIVENS!!!

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

We are family!!!!

You got it...I love my family!!!


We may not be much, we may not have much, but in the end, my family means so much to me! I am very proud of every person in it, but today's focus will be our one living grandmother, and our siblings.


I am so proud of each of them!

First is Na-Na. She is my maternal grandmother.
She is Lois Irene. She was married to Phil (Paw-Paw Peewinkle!), and had three daughters, Helen Elizabeth (mom a.k.a Beth), Phyllis (P.J.), and Dehava (DeeDee).

Paw-Paw and both of these Aunts are with Jesus now. So, Na-Na has not had it easy. But, she is still Na-Na, she still works, and she still loves!

I have so many memories with her, and she is a hoot!
And I love her very much!


And Derrick is pretty fond of her too!!!


Next, I have two wonderful siblings, a brother, Rodney , and a sister, Rhonda . And even though are ages are spaced out (Rod's 13 years older than me, and Rhonda is 8 years older than me) we are all still really close, and I would do anything in the world for either of them!


This is Rodney's family. His wife is Richie and his son is Anthony. Anthony just turned one in October, my how time flies. It has been so great to watch his little family fall into place, and I love them all 3!



My sister is married to Steve, and she has a daughter named Felicity (pictured below). Steve has two children, daughter, Katelyn and son, Cameron, and they have become a wonderful family. Katelyn lives out of state, so I don't see her much, but Felicity and Cameron are around a good bit, and I for sure love them all!!!


Then Derrick has one sister, Gina. Gina is married to Joe. She has a daughter Jessica who is married to Adam. And Gina has two sons, Dakota and Caleb. They too have become family to me, and seeing them usually means vacation for us! We usually go to their house, or we meet in TN with Derrick's parents, but occasionally they do come here. Gina and Derrick are also spaced out in age (6 years), but we are really close.
This goes to show that age has nothing to do with it!!! I am actually closer with Jessica (we are two years apart) and she is a remarkable young lady!
Either way, I love them all!



I didn't get too emotional, that would take 100 posts! But I do love my FAMILY!!!



Monday, February 22, 2010

P&G, Smart Source, Red Plum...


Yes, another generational thing....I love couponing!!!

I remember when I was a little girl, we'd go to Pensacola (no tax on groceries) to stores like Jitney Jungle (triple coupons) and the stores paying mom to leave with $300.00 worth of groceries for $50.00!


And I suppose all the times when I was "sick until the school bus went by" so I could go with mom grocery shopping really paid off, because I learned something they don't teach you in school. I learned how to be a frugal shopper!

Mom carries a box around with her coupons, and pretty soon I may have to also. My pouch is quite full at times.

And it's almost like a game to see how much I can save, which has been as much as $20.00 on groceries that I really was already buying. 9 times out of 10, if it's not something we actually use, I don't even save the coupon. The ones I don't use, I send along to my sista, so it really helps our whole family to be frugal!

And I also use coupons for food. I have eaten for free twice this month, Noah has been free twice, and I took a friend out once and she was free that day, so it really does add up!!!

I really do love COUPONING!!!

Saturday, February 20, 2010

I love the library!

You may have noticed that earlier this month I posted that I love to read.

So you may not be surprised to learn that I love the library too!!! I especially love our little library in Summerdale. The ladies who work there are wonderful, and the atmosphere is too. And Noah really loves the library and wants to go every day. We go at story time, and while he is usually the only child there, they still always make sure to have this time for Noah. A bigger library would maybe cancel story time altogether, but not Summerdale. That hour or so of time that they spend with Noah is priceless, and it gives me time to look through the other sections and even some magazines while I am there. And last summer, I took Noah and my niece and nephew to the Reading Program, and just really had a great time. I know that this has turned into "Noah loves the library" but rest assured, I do too! When he went to school, I would go by myself, and just look around. Get a novel, or even a "cookbook!" And it's all free, of course. So, that makes it all the more fun!



Here she is....the Summerdale Library!


This was last summer, on the front porch of the library. Noah made that shirt, and this was taken just before we went to the splash park for the end of the reading program!





Noah is the one in red not paying attention during the story, he is looking at the Cat in the Hat I think, but it's the only picture I have of the inside!!!


This was also during last years Summer Reading Program, and each week they had a volunteer (not an orange one! rtr) come in to read stories, and this particular storyteller was my elementary school librarian. Brought back memories too!



I really do love the LIBRARY!

I love lighthouses!

My whole "rooster" kitchen used to be my whole "lighthouse" kitchen! I love lighthouses. Something about the hope that they bring, and after I actually went to a real one, and went to the top of it, I was awestruck. It seems corny, but too me it was a very spiritual moment to think of Jesus as my lighthouse, my hope.
I sold some of my lighthouse stuff at a sista yard sale last year, but that doesn't mean I still didn't want the stuff, I just had no where to put it. I took all the rest of the lighthouse stuff from the kitchen, and put a few things in the living room, and the rest in our master bathroom (which already has the beach theme that D had throughout the whole house when we got married...my how it's changed!)! But I do still love all of my stuff. Way too much to put pictures of all of it on here, so here are just a few so you get the idea!!!

This is a suncatcher/windchime
These are on our bathroom countertop

This is St. Augustine, FL...that's the real deal!



I love LIGHTHOUSES!

Friday, February 19, 2010

I love flowers!!!




I really don't have a lot of good pictures, but I do love Flowers! Any and all! My favorite is planting them, and then watching them grow. The lillies in my front yard are my favorite. The rose pictured above came from Fairhope Pier Park, and I think it is so very pretty. I wish I could duplicate it.
One of my favorite memories as a child was going to the flower nursery every spring with my mom, and occasionally my dad, and once...haha...with my brother. But anyway, that was one of my favorite things. The smells, and the greenhouse, and the colors, and all of it. I truly looked forward to and enjoyed those trips.
Now, I am excited about teaching Noah about different flowers and plants, and seeing our own little creations bloom!!!
I also want to dedicate this post to my Aunt Ruby, who also loved her pretty flowers, and always took good care of them.
One of my favorite songs-
The prettiest beds of flowers will be blooming,
by the prettiest streets our eyes will ever behold,
where the beautiful tree of life for us is waiting,
by the prettiest mansions made of purest gold.
On Heaven's golden strand they'll be no more dying,
no chilling winds or tempest ever will blow,
it is a land of love and wonderous beauty,
where fragrant flowers ever will grow.
The prettiest robes and crowns we'll all be wearing,
in the city four square beyond this world of strife,
The prettiest songs with the angels we'll be singing,
On that beautiful morning by the river of life!



I do love FLOWERS!

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Take Me Out to the Ball Game!


I love going to baseball games!
We typically only go to little league games, or to minor league games, but once we got to go to a Braves vs. Dodgers game! That was awesome!
I hope to do that again sometime!
But, I love going to them.
Baseball really is America's Favorite Game. Peanuts and cracker jacks and rooting for the hometeam!
It really is fun.
Going to the games is by far funner than coaching the little leagues! I am so glad I convinced D to take a few years off until Noah plays (next year) so that we could have less of coaching and more of watching. D is an awesome coach and player, but kids just ain't what they used to be. Now a days, they want to walk rather than trying to hit the ball. I tell ya what. I better not get started on what I don't love about the game, and remember what I do love!
I love going to the games, watching them on TV, everything about them!
And apparently, we passed that gene on!
This is at the Mobile BayBears.
Here's Matt Diaz and myself at a Mississippi Braves game. D's sister lives 5 minutes from the stadium, so anytime the major leaguers have to move down (Matt had surgery and was preparing to move back up) they get the opportunity to go to the games and see the big guys!

Here's Jeff Franceour (I'm sure I misspelled that,but I am too lazy to fix it) and I at that same game. He just wasn't playing as well as he could have, so he got moved down to the minors for a while!
They were both very nice guys.

Here's D and I with the Hank. I would love to meet him in real life.


Here's Noah and I and our true colors!!!
And poor D is lost and goes for "that other team"
and he has since he was a little boy (back with the dinosaurs!!!)

I LOVE BASEBALL!!!!















Wednesday, February 17, 2010

I love purple!

Any and all shades of the color purple!
I love the color purple. Of all the colors, I just think it stands out.
I think it's generational though, because my mom likes it too. Maybe she had some influence on that! When we (my brother and sister and myself) threw mom and dad their 25th anniversary party, it was all purple too. Everyone knows it's my color of choice too!!!




I do love all things PURPLE!





Tuesday, February 16, 2010

I love taking walks!

Look at that beautiful walking road I have right by my house! It's hardly driven on, so it makes the perfect road! I love getting out and taking a walk! And this looks peaceful now, but it looks the best in the spring/summer/ fall! For each season it has it's own unique look and feel, and I enjoy walking this road all the time. Sometimes I go by myself, sometimes I take the dog, sometimes Noah and I go...we pick up cans to recycle! But every time I go it's enjoyable and refreshing.


Here is another beautiful scene hiding down my path!



My #1 Walking Buddy!
I really do wish this was more strictly enforced...it's not a high traffic road, but when people do come down it, they throw out their trash and go 100 mph! But that's o.k.

I love TAKING WALKS!

Monday, February 15, 2010

I love my kitchen...




I have actually done a post on this way a while back, but I love my newly decorated rooster kitchen!It really does make a difference in how things are done in there.

It has changed some since these pictures were taken last June, but for some reason my camera will not upload new pictures I took...which is not good!!!But I will hopefully have it fixed soon, and I may do another post on my kitchen later on, with updates.

But my whole attitude is different when I am in my kitchen.

It's like "my room." I know that maybe sounds weird, but D had the house before we got married, so it's sorta like I live at "his" house, and that's not his fault, it just seems that way sometimes. It's our house, and I know it is, and I picked the colors for our living room and kitchen, and I picked the decorations, and I change stuff up all the time around here....poor D never knows what he will come home to, or where stuff is located!

But, this was all my choice, and I really do LOVE MY ROOSTER KITCHEN!

Saturday, February 13, 2010

I love my valentine!

Yes, Derrick Leon is my Valentine!


And I absolutely thought it fit to blog on loving him on today...Valentine's Day! Derrick and I have been married a little over 6 years (01-01-04) and we are still going strong. We have had ups, and a couple of downs, but I wouldn't have wanted to have had any of it without D.


So, I love MY VALENTINE!



Here we are at our wedding with the preacher. It's the only good one I have scanned in, and I don't have a scanner right now, so, while it's not my favorite wedding picture, it'll do.

This was the taken the December before we got married!

This was in 2007.



This was during a Bama game in 2008!



Here we are now!





I DO LOVE MY VALENTINE!