Couple of Early Birds

 She and I have become the early birds.

I cherish our quiet early mornings together.

 We make our way out to do chores, as the sun cast it's shadow across our land.

I drag a hose and feed bucket. She brings along her dog.

And Mr. Kitty (her new kitten that she named five different times)

A true country girl.

Growing up on this land. Playing outside in the cool breeze of morning. Still in jammies.

Chasing after roosters and chickens.

This is our time together.

Precious time. 

These moments are my life. 

I'll be right back...

Dear blog friends,

Sorry I haven't posted regularly in a while.  Life kicked into over drive around here.  We opened our restaurant on Friday, October 15. The "official" grand opening was Monday (18th) and each night has gotten a busier. Tonight we filled the place up for the first time. What a relief!

We run the place as a family. My husband, myself, two brother in laws, and a friend. Even the children sweep and wash dishes. It's a family business.  Some nights my little girl falls asleep tucked in her sleeping bag in the office.  It's not forever. Just temporary, until we can hire more staff.  We are crazy busy getting everything smoothed out.

I will be back to blog about life soon.

~Brandi

Slowing Down...

I had a VERY sick little boy this week. 

 There were moments, I was very frightened for my son. He ran fever for five days. Sometimes, the fever spiked to 104.4 degrees. For a child, that had NEVER experienced sickness outside of the sniffles, it was hard to see him suffer day in and day out.

At one point, I was holding him on the couch.  While I prayed over him, he began to cry.

 My heart broke...

"Mama," he cried.  In sobbing tears, "Why doesn't Jesus heal me?"

All I could say is,"He is sweetheart, He is."

Then I tried to make sense of his suffering. 

Still, through his tears, he replied, "haven't I suffered enough mama?"

"YES, sweet boy, you have."

Then, I had no more words out loud.

Only, deep prayer for him, and all mothers' that have held their children in sickness. 

Pleading.

  With the One Who holds the power to Heal.  As he drifted off to a feverish sleep, my throat tightened and hot tears fell. I cried knowing my boy would get better. Maybe, not today. Maybe, not tomorrow, but one morning he would wake up and feel better. 

But for a moment,

I let myself feel the heartache, of not knowing that for sure. 

That night the fever broke, and left his body for the final time.
I had slept at his bedside for five days. Never really resting. Afraid he may need me and I would be asleep.  That night, we both rested peacefully.

He is slowly regaining his strength. This illness, took the stuffing right out of him. He lost thirteen pounds. I MADE him drink constantly throughout, but for days he could only tolerate small bites of applesauce.

Life...... has a way of slowing us down.  

Right, when we think we couldn't possibly slow down at this moment. 

I let everything go for a week, and focused on the needs of my child.

I have never been so thankful that this is MY JOB, in life.  That I am blessed and able to serve my family.

the Lord is the strength of my life...

          Psalm 27:1

     

Work Hard, Play Hard, and Love Much

Our new normal day begins much earlier than it used to.

In between deliveries and faxes we hit the little park down the road.

Most mornings, our bags are packed and waiting by the front door.

 Ready to go for the day.

 Sometimes, I am still shocked that we actually pulled this off.

Life can change on you in a heart beat.

We are learning to embrace each busy day.

 So we hit the park and let the good times roll.

 Laughter,  play time, and sand in our shoes.

At the end of the day, we are a family.

Middle

It has been a long three months, but we are finally nearing completion of this project.  I could not be more ready. I have grown weary of being SO busy. Some days, seem nonstop until I drop into bed exhausted. As a mother, I do not like being so busy all the time.  When life is on the go, day in and day out, moments go unnoticed. Meals are rushed, not lovingly prepared and enjoyed. I miss "doing" our home school activities and playing. The past few weeks, school has been worksheets and spelling test.  I must prioritize our day better. I will cherish these moments.

This business is for my husband. I have no desire to manage or run a restaurant. It didn't take me long to miss being a STAY AT HOME MAMA. And it will not be long before I am back to doing just that. :)   My role will be bookkeeper, and that is fine by me.

In two weeks we will open.  And hopefully settle in, to this new part of our life. Our middle.

Walking in His Grace and mercy.

                                                          ~Brandi 

Family Business

Just a family, building a business.

Little ones and big ones working along together.

All of us with BIG hopes and dreams as we work.

 Thankful for loving, hard working, brother in laws.

 My husband has two wonderful brothers(only one pictured). They are the best of friends, the three of them. Good (single) men that serve this family well. They take care of their mom and aunt.  They are wonderful loving uncles to my children.  Did I mention, they are single??  ;) I would just love sister in laws. I pray and pray for these two to find loving wives.

My children are blessed with three good men in their lives.
I never had the chance to meet the father of these men. I truly wish I had. But I know he must have been a fine man because he raised three wonderful sons. 

Working the menu a little today.

This is definitely a keeper. 

                                       French Dip

Boars Head thin-sliced roast beef

and sharp melted cheddar

 on a fresh buttery croissant.

Served with au jus.

Words of Truth

The Bible that is falling apart,

usually belongs to the person

who's life is not.

~Charles Spurgeon

I run...

Sometimes, I come here to pour out my heart.

I grew up in a toxic home. My father ruled over us like a tyrant. He could be extremely verbally abusive to myself, my mother, and sister.

For years, I would hide out in my bedroom praying for the day to come and I would make my escape. Escape the endless fighting going on all around me.

In the early days of my marriage, I was a real hot head. I didn't understand how beautiful love and marriage can be. I loved my husband dearly, but I could let any little thing send me into a tantrum. Through the kindness and love of my very gentle husband, it didn't take long for me to realize, marriage could be different. Different from the marriage of my parents.

I made a decision in those very early days, to live this life differently. To live in peace. To live in joy. To treat my husband with respect and kindness. To not speak in harsh hurtful tones. To make our home a place of love and happiness.

It was in those early years of my marriage, that my husband guided me back to the love of Christ. For the first time in my life, my heart desired to have a deep personal relationship with Jesus. It was then, that I truly felt God's love for me, and that experience changed my heart forever.

We are not perfect people. But our home is peaceful. No one fights. Well, unless little sister takes big brother's Lego model. But even that is not okay here. We consider fighting and yelling to be unacceptable behavior. We correct their bad behavior and we lead them, by example. My children never hear arguing and fighting between a husband and wife. Not to say we never disagree or rub one another the wrong way about something, but we can talk out the issue. Without raising voices and cruelty!

Sadly, I have people in my life that continue to hurt. The hurt runs so deep, that they can't even see that it's still there.  Like a wound that does not heal. And no matter how much love and guidance I try to put on  it, it just never heals. A dark cloud, that in it's presence, can be suffocating.

So I run. I remove myself from the darkness. Just like that young girl, hiding in her room with a pillow over her head. I run, to the safe loving arms of Jesus. Back to the love in my home, my husband, my children.

All In A Days Work

Does your day look like mine?

 With all that is going on these days, I am so grateful for slow days at home. Taking life at a turtle's pace. Teaching my little girl the letter J. Big J. Little j. J says jhhh.

My girl figured out recently, that she likes to take showers. Instead of baths. At anytime of the day, I will here the shower running. Just without notice, Gracie is on her fifth shower.

Like playing in the rain.

Tomorrow, she gets a scrub brush while she's in there.

Might as well make herself useful ;)

 Working with my third grader to learn multiplication. Watching the light bulb come on when he gets 2x4 is the same as 2+2+2+2. Ahhhh...wish these moments could last forever.

I was reading today at the Pioneer Women's blog. The "ten rules for blogging." Oh, I failed miserably. I think, that I broke all the rules. Especially, "blog everyday." I want too. Really, I do. By the time I sit down at the end of the day, all I want to do is read what your writing. My favorite mom blogs that I look forward to reading everyday (bellmel and just a fam). Beautiful mothers and beautiful writers. Your words bless me.

Then there's this that has to be tackled.

The never ending laundry pile.

 You know what I'm talkin about.

Mom Jobs!

This lovely pile waiting for me.

 Don't worry, I'll spare you the shot of my bathroom scrubbing duties.

 One day, I'm hiring a merry maid.

yyeeaaahhh.....prolly not, but a girl can dream.

 Arts and craft is my favorite time of day. I'm a crafty mama and I have crafty kiddos too.

Give us some macaroni and Elmer's and we can create a masterpiece.

Or just crayons and paper will do.

Perhaps some watercolors...

Then we're off to Karate where my boy earned a stripe to his white belt.

It was hard but I held back the ugly cry. I can't help it!

Now, in four weeks he'll earn his yellow belt. All bets are off.

A prideful tear will roll.

Just a lovely ordinary day.

~Brandi

where we are....

Today

....today after fifteen years of employment with the same company my husband gave his notice.

(this two toned paint job is going this weekend)

 In an economy, where people are scrambling for jobs, we are walking away from one. I say "we" because I have prayed and long suffered right along with him all these years. He enjoyed his work but it was the company, the management, and the building that made his work life at times intolerable. Yet, he tolerated.

That's the man that he is. The kind of man that believes a husband provides for the family. That no matter what, it is his job to awake early and put in a full days work. No matter how hard the work may be. He is the husband that encouraged me to leave my professional career two years ago because he knew how my heart longed to raise our children.

 And so today we chart a new path in this Earthly journey.

Just like we knew two years ago, what we were supposed to do, today we know what we are supposed to do. In are fourteen years of marriage, Jason has done one job. He is EXCEPTIONAL (and I'm not just saying that because he is my husband) at what he does. It's his gift. I don't mean the actual work part of his job but the social aspect of his work.  People love him. People he has seen everyday for fifteen years, and people that pass through once a year and stop everytime at the same place just to see and visit with him. The thing is he loves them too. He loves the old retired service men that stop by with their war stories. He loves the older ladies that flatter and tease him. They tell him how "easy on the eyes" he is. His heart is troubled, when a longtime friend/customer comes in to talk because he received the worst news of his life. Cancer. It's spread throughout his nodes. He has no family of his own. Jason is quick to hug, to tell him that he loves him, and of course we pray. The behind the scenes, we pray for a friends total healing.

I tell you all of this to reveal the history of why we are doing what we are doing, today.

(Big red, has got to go. What were they thinking?) 

Like I said before, he loves what he does. Over the years, customers have asked him,"Jason, why don't you manage this place?" It's not like he hasn't been offered the opportunity MANY times over.  With a quick NO THANK YOU!!
Although, he does manage. When an employee has a problem, they come to Jason. They all want to work for him. When the night is busy and chaotic, he is the one that stays calm and gets the job done. The customers find him if there is a problem. He manages.  He can do all the jobs in the building. The customers love him, his co-workers love him, most of management like him. Until now, all the previous year's managers have liked him. They have always counted on him to handle business. For the first time in fifteen years, he works for an all female staff. All but one, love him. The one, she likes nobody. From the sound of it, she seems unstable. I won't go into detail at how difficult she can be, but she has done her best to break a man down.
(I think) Perhaps, it had to come to this, for us to take this leap.

To do what we have talked about and planned all these years.

 To make it happen.

After years of hearing,"you should open your own place."

With twenty years of combined experience between us, yes, I was in the business for years before getting my degree.

We are opening our own restaurant.

TailGators

(in the construction phase, all that back counter and wall is coming out to make a kitchen)

Just a nice place with a sports atmosphere.

Serving wings, Boars Head subs and salads, and maybe some gator tail too. Tailgating food.

We know the statistics for new restaurants.

One in three don't make it a year. We don't walk into this without knowing. We walk into this armed with our FAITH IN the LORD, our family, and the encouragement of sixteen years worth of friends and patrons to support us.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart;

do not depend on your own understanding.

Seek his will in all you do,

and he will show you which path to take.

Proverbs 3:5-6

My blogger friends, I just want to say, that my priorities as wife and mother will never change. I completely give of myself as encourager to my husband. I will always home school my children. Just not always at home:)  We have to find our way and settle into this new path. Trust in Jesus and loving this family, will always be what matters most.

In humility and gratitude,

~Brandi

just goo'in around

My favorite scientist!

He comes home from worship with an idea. He wants to do an experiment.

Nothing new with that, he loves doing experiments.
A home schooled boy learns by doing.

Glue, Borax, and water make goo.
Did you know that? :)
I confess, I didn't!

 Dad was the overseer of the slimy job.

 But even I, had to slide my hand into the mushy fun.

 Good job Science boy!

This was so much fun! We can goo around anytime!

Let your kitchen be a place of fun and learning.
Do the goo!

Sometimes..You Got To Getaway.

A last minute decision, turned out to be the most fun weekend of the Summer.

Some friends told us about this beautiful hotel with a water slide and lazy river.

 It didn't take us long to decide....as we threw our cloths into the suit case.

 A quick search on Expedia and we were off to Orlando.

 We drove straight to the hotel and didn't leave all weekend.
The boy went round and round on the water slide (we did too :)

I just love water slides!

When we were not twirling on the slide, we were a float on the lazy river.

I just love a LAZY river! 

 We shared delicious food. Steak Marsala makes my mouth water.

 Then we suited back up for more LAZY river. Only thing we could do after a meal like that..is be LAZY.

No theme parks, no expensive tickets, no walking around until our legs ache,

 just a relaxing weekend getaway.
We fell in love with this hotel.

It is beautiful and new. Very reasonably priced, considering you get hotel and water park combined for less than one theme park admission ticket. Who needs Disney, when you can float the LAZY river all day.

We cherished this weekend together.
A few days of togetherness without thinking of our business.

Which btw, is getting  closer to opening. We have our shop, our county approval, licenses, appliances (most of them), waiting on furniture, waiting on some minor construction of walls, plumbing, painting, and the fun part decorating. Even if I am restricted, to decorating with a sports theme.lol..
Figured out what it is yet??

I'll post a few pictures of the shop next time...as a clue;)

Sweet Blessings!

~Brandi

Remember When?

Yaw, know I'm an old fashioned kind of girl.
Well, if you didn't know, now you do.

I love everything old and country this includes my TV 'wachin'. I even talk country(in my countrified twang :)

My favorite program has always been The Waltons. I have loved this show since I was a little girl.

A couple years ago they took it off the air, the reruns, I mean. I have missed watching all those Walton gatherings and the happenings of this God fearing, Blue Ridge mountain living family(btw,I dream of living in the Blue Ridge mountains someday).

 Sadly, in today's reality television watching society, The Walton's just didn't carry an audience. Except Me!!  Maybe a few others!  I miss programs like this. Good clean shows, where families gathered around dinner tables and prayed, the ladies were 'ladies', and men agreed over hand shakes. Their word was honest and good. Little House on the Prairie is another goodie.

Times were hard for families back then, but they were simpler.  Most folks had good values, faith in Jesus, and where honest hard working family.  Flash forward to modern day, we are doing our best to live and instill these values in our children. Trying to train our boy to understand the biblical principle for hard work. Raising my daughter to love serving a family. This family for now and one day her own. Of course, to hear it from her four year old heart, she's going to marry daddy. No other love for her...just daddy. Daddy's girl that one! I'm thankful her daddy has her sweet heart. She will hold any man that comes a courting (someday), in comparison to her daddy. He is a good man, so the bar is set high. I pray for the man that comes along after her high spirited heart. I do pray for the future match for my children.  Speaking of  'old fashionness', I hope my children embrace courting verses the all too 'casual' dating seen of today. You know what I'm talking about. How much dating did you do before marrying? Unfortunately, I did my share. Hoping to spare them that part of this world. 

Thanks to Netflix, I have been watching all my favorite episodes of The Waltons. We all have! Just like the Waltons gathering around their radio, we all gather around the lcd hdtv(not my purchase,the man chose it) to watch their show. OK, so not "just like" them :) But I do watch with my needle and thread in hand just like Ma Walton did.
Close enough!

GoodNight John Boy.

It's a Beautiful Life

I love our home school life. 

I miss teaching them when we take a break from 'doing' school.

Learning and life go hand in hand.

 My boy and I, have spent the Summer evening's reading through his children's Bible.
We are just about to finish with it, and then begin reading through his junior Bible.

It has more of the details in it.

This child absorbs the Word. He never lets me slide on our readings.  Every night, he reminds me that we have to read. I ask him questions and he can give me detailed responses.

He knows it! He gets it!

His eight year old heart breaths it in and retains the teachings.

 I learn so much from him.
My mother's heart cannot contain the joy of knowing my son loves the Lord so deeply.
I truly, cannot hope for a greater blessing.

 She loves Jesus too, and she loves playing with flour.

Teaching the little lady how to read this year, and colors, numbers...and anything else we decide to learn together :)

Pouring myself into them.
Living this life to serve my family.
Teaching, learning, and loving them every minute I can.

My friendly neighbor asked me the other day, "do you plan to always home school them."
Absolutely!
To home school my children is a blessing.

A great blessing to us all.

~Brandi

Kenpo Karate Kid

 For the longest time, he wouldn't move from my side.
Shy and timid little guy...he was. No longer is he that bashful boy.
Everyday, growing up and into the young man he is becoming.

 We prayed for an activity that would be suited for him. Something he liked, but would also teach life long skills. Most importantly, a boost to his self confidence. 

 We decided on Kenpo.  A street smart self-defense form of Karate.  In Kenpo, they are instructed to respect adults (yes sir/mam), to be thankful and gracious, to help others, to keep himself and his room tidy. The instructor is a kind Christian man and my boy is loving this course.

 Showing off his moves.

 I have to choke back my tears as I watch him in class.
(Who cries during Karate...I do...but don't tell him that :)
He makes me so proud to be his mama.

He blesses my life with his.