I have been editing some Christmas pics...

Matt was thrilled with his ripstick... We wrapped the helmet and put it under the tree. After he opened it, we pulled this out and set it beside him, this is the moment he turned and saw it!

Nana was absolutely tickled to get some house shoes... Tymothie was planning who he can shoot with this gun!
Anny was looking forward to painting.
So, this is what you get...


DaNella!

Wrestleing... did I spell that right?

Tymothie and Matt had a wrestling match Saturday. Right about this pic is where Tym lost a tooth. Yeah I am serious. It was one of his front teeth that was loose anyway, and as he hit the mat, it went flying... It was cool, he got back in there and beat the kid...

Yes, Matt is supposed to be chasing the ump. They have kids on the mat that will bop the ump when it is time for the round to end. Matt being the charismatic kid he is, 100 miles from home, doesn't know anyone, got them to let him be and ump tapper. lol Even after loosing a tooth, Tym still came in Fourth in his weight class.

Matt, well he put up a good fight, but he got double eliminated in his first two rounds... Next time.

Just so ya know.

We are taking a sabbatical. I have been asked a lot lately what Quintin and I are doing; are we looking for a church? Are we gonna start a church? Are we in ministry at the super awesome church Christian Life Fellowship where we attend? No that is the answer to all of those questions. We are taking a break. Last year, 2007 was hard. Very hard.

We started off the year in the 9th month of our first Senior Pastorate. We were pouring our hearts out, and having it quickly mopped up and handed back to us. As if we were making a mess instead of ministering. More happened, but that is all God's problem and well I think he is big enough to handle it. However, it hurt. It really hurt. It left some HUGE scars. We are gonna have to recuperate. We need to heal.

After we left that church, we went into limbo. Q has been a full time preacher for 8 years. He is the smartest man I know, but he doesn't have a "Secular" degree. Because of that he has had a hard time finding a job. So he is currently working two, trying to just pay the bills. So if someone happens upon this blog and needs a super smart, extremely hard worker, and wants to pay him well, let me know.

So, we are taking some time to heal. We are open to whatever God wants us to do. In the mean time, we are attending an AWESOME church, CHRISTIAN LIFE FELLOWSHIP IN CALERA... It has the most awesome people, and ministries. Matt is on the drama team, and puppet team, and a Kids church helper. Nana, Tym, Anny, and Matt are all on the Junior Bible Quiz team. We love it. God is healing our wounds, and we will rise from this victorious.
I covet your prayers. Thank you.

P.S. If you hover your mouse over the place right below here that says a # and comments, it is a link to leave comments. Many people have emailed me and asked how to comment. Or you can email me at Godlyspice@yahoo.com.

Love ya! DaNella

Skate Park

Matt and Teonnah got skateboards for Christmas, so we took them to a local skate park. It is really cool, they have a "bowl" there is a picture of Juliannah sliding down the side.
Nana is still a little iffy on her skate board! but she is getting the hang of it.
Matt mostly liked running up the side of the bowl. This is him after he ran up the deep end, and grabbed the edge. I love his shadow, it looks like it has a mind of it's own.
Tymothie got tired of watching, and grabbed Nana's skate board, and did a few tricks of his own.

Juliannah looks so precious and sweet, with her reflection in this MUD puddle...

A few more friends...

Tammy was admiring the multi shot capability of my camera... lol This is almost blackmail...

I didn't for get about you Robert, there was a totally weird picture of Matt I had to edit out...


I thought it was a kind of fitting placement of this handicap sign... Just Kidding Pastor Greg. I need to edit that sign out.



See, Quintin and I were there.

It's OVER!

It's over, It's over, Praise God it's over!!!!! What? 2007. This has been without a doubt the hardest year of my life. The good news is if God saw me through this year, next year should be a breeze!!!! Ok so prob not easy, but I am just glad to be done with this year.

One of the last things I did, as a matter of fact, the last thing I did in 2007 was take a hot bubble bath, and wash off the old year. At approximately 12:01 I emerged from the tub clean, and a new person, with a new resolve to face what ever the year may bring, and a renewed trust in God that HE has a plan for my life. I WILL trust Him. I CHOOSE to, no matter what my circumstances say.

More friends...

Sorry Matt, it was the only pic u would let me take... Next time smile, you'll like it better.
Kayla would have let me take another, but I forgot to ask so this will have to do.
Josh saw me coming, and wanted to look nice!! And you do Josh!
Terry and Anita, and Terry didn't break the camera!!! It's a miracle...(I love you Terry, and Anita too!) No Heather is not that tall, she was sitting on a ledge.
Interesting fact, Matt is 5 mos older than Heather, and Heather is 8 mos older than Nana
Tymothie is 5 mos older than Aaron, and Aaron is 9 mos (to the day, October 3 to July 3) older than Anny.

K love to all!!! Happy New Year!

Good Times, Good Friends

Tonight we went to Sylacauga, Pastor Greg and Sister Tammy came up from Cape Coral, so we went to hear him preach. Then a large group of us went out to Ryans. You have to understand, Pastor Greg was our senior pastor, (aka boss) for about 6 years... So, given the opportunity to mess with him... I DID! I went and told the peeps at Ryans that today was October 25... Pastor Greg's birthday!!!

So they came to Sing to him, He was so grateful, that he gave Q a kiss, wasn't that sweet!!!
Here are some of the people from Vincent that came to have dinner with us.

Linda, Butler, Ms Karen, Terry and Anita, Matt, Robert, Josh, and Kayla

Then of course, Pastor Greg, Tammy, Amber, Heather, Arron, Me, Que, Matt, Nana, Tym and Anny

Nana is still bigger than Heather, even though Heather is older than her...

Pretty Pictures...

These were just so pretty.
I couldn't bear to separate them into separate posts.
So I decided to just post them all.

Enjoy. Happy New Year!

DaNella

Raindrops on roses...

Ok so it isn't roses, but I thought this was so pretty, raindrops on the trees... It reminded me of one of my favorite songs on one of my favorite movies... Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. Crisp apple strudel and warm woollen mittens, wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings, these are a few of my favorite things... I like God's art work. He's my Fave.

You and Me...

" When I'm with you everything and everyone else just fades away..."

I love my husband. He is so precious. Here is a picture of us at Christmas 2001. We were youth pastors, in Vincent Al. We had four kids, 5, 4, 1, and 5 mos. Yeah, you read right. We were living in a little 800 sq ft house, a parsonage. No we weren't rich, but we had love... and lots of fights over money, or lack there of. We fought because I didn't keep the house clean enough... (duh with 4 little ones, anything I did was undone in record time. Not to mention the fact that I was breastfeeding the littlest, and I was sleep deprived. )

My point is Love is a choice. We choose to love someone or choose to hate someone by the choice thoughts we choose to think about someone. Tonight as my husband was leaving to take the boys to wrestling practice, I asked him to put his bowl in the sink. Did he? No. Is the bowl even at this moment sitting where it was when I asked him? Yes. Will I forgive him? I already have. I forgave him before he forgot to do it. Why? How? When I asked him to do it, I choose that even if he forgot I would not be mad. Why? It makes my life easier. Why waste my time being mad at him. Just put the stupid bowl in the sink, and go on with life.

I Choose to love my husband.

What on earth is a Meme?

Me and My sis Shannon, Naughty, it fits her... lol

So what is a Meme? Pronounced in a way to rime with Dream, it is when some one finds a set of questions made by someone else, and answers them with their own information. My spacers call em polls. So here is a interesting one. I am supposed to just use one word answers, but... sometimes it is hard. I am a lady of many words... Oh and Thanks to Deanna Shrodes, I swiped this meme from her.

Yourself: Quirky

Your Partner: Precious

Your hair: thick

Your favorite item: Milly!

Your favorite drink: Mountain Dew! (Hey that is one word)

Your dream car: SeatSeven (that is a new word, don't worry it isn't in YOUR dictionary)

Dream home: Larger

Room you are in: bedroom

Your ex: GONE!

Your fear: unsure

Where you want to be in 10 years: healthy

Who you hung out with last night:Kids

What you're not: Red Supremest...(ask Shannon)

Muffins: Yum!

Something on your wish list: Manicure

Time: slipping

Last thing you did: Blog

What are you wearing: PJ's

Favorite weather: FOG!!!

Favorite book: Bible

Last thing you ate: Smarties

Your Life: Improving

Your Friends: Heroes

What are you thinking about right now? Sleep

Your Car: Stretch

What are you doing at the moment? Blogging

Your summer: hot

Relationship status: forever

What's on your TV?Leno

What's the weather like? crisp

When's the last time you laughed? tonight

Guess What I Got!

Have you ever heard that old song "I wanna hippopotamus for Christmas"? Guess what, I got a Hippopotamus for Christmas! I have always loved that song. While we were living in Cape Coral Florida, we "adopted" a older child... How old were you when we got you Sam? 16? All I know for sure is she almost Killed me trying to teach her to drive... Anyway, She sent us a care package for Christmas, and among other things she sent me my hippo... I named her Milly after Samantha Miller.
I love you Sam!

Hey It's better than what my sister got... (13 mo twins...)

Pictured here with my Dad (at the top of the stairs) and my brother in law.