Progress...

Progress has been made around the Jones house in many ways! Charlie is having a baby! No, not a real baby but a tomato baby! One of his plants sprouted its first tomato! He will be so proud! Maggie is loving guitar lessons and is working on a new song. The title is "Days Go By" by Keith Urban, can't wait to hear that one! She made Top 12 club at school for the 7th nine weeks in a row. The Top 12 Club recognizes the top 3 students with the highest GPA from each grade, grades 5 through 8. I have made great progress in getting fabric out of my sewing room! That is a really good feeling! I love installation day! Yesterday, I installed 6 rooms in 1 client's home! Here are some of the pictures of the completed room.

Dana Valances by Pate Meadows

Madelyn Valance by Pate
Meadows
Pull Up Valance by Pate
Meadows

"Baby Girl"

Yesterday, our "baby girl" made us proud once again. I am not sharing this to brag, but to inspire. She performed in the talent show at school yesterday and the day before playing the guitar and singing to Sugarland's, Baby Girl. She has only been taking lessons for almost three months. Mark Dunn is her teacher and he is super talented. I wanted to share the video with those who could not make it to the performance but am having difficulty getting it to upload. I'll try again later! Her Daddy is ready to pack up and head to Nashville! Until then, she has been asked to perform at the Peach Festival in Clanton at the end of June! It looks I always worried about him not having a "boy" to bond with, but am constantly reminded that God gave him exactly what he needed. He is her biggest cheerleader! He was beaming as she performed! She brought the house down, she even got a standing ovation from the seventh grade boys! Nanny couldn't hold back the tears, she loves with everything she has! Thanks to Nanny, B. Haskins, Mark Dunn, John, Kristin and of course Aunt Mandi for supporting Mag's yesterday! We are proud of you Maggie!

"Overtaken by Fabric"

Wow! My sewing room is wall to wall fabric right now, which is a good thing! I am super busy with many clients with all different tastes! I think I have fabric in every color of the rainbow! Fabric can make a boring room come to life! I have included pictures of some of my clients' fabrics for you to see. I'll post the finished projects as I complete them! Also, check out http://www.laughterbylakeside.blogspot.com/ . This is the blog of my wonderfully talented designer friend, Connie Sandlin. She has great designs ideas and web pages for you to check out!

"An Angel on Earth"

I met him, almost to the date, 16 years ago. I began working at OB-GYN South, P.C. the spring before Charlie and I married. I knew immediately that I would love my job for many reasons. One, being that the doctors I worked for were Christians and two, I loved the women that I worked with. From the first day I walked in, I felt as if I belonged there. Little did I know that God had a plan and that I would be able to use my job as a ministry! I started out working the front desk and eventually moved up to being the front office coordinator as well as the surgery secretary for all four doctors. He made such an impact on my life in so many ways. My confidence was boosted by simple compliments, my walk with Christ was strengthened by his example and my love for others grew as I saw him extend a hand of mercy to those suffering. He was given a wonderful talent and passion for helping women through pain, infertility and child birth. The man that I am talking about is C. Paul Perry, M.D. .

Early on in our marriage, we knew that it may not be possible to conceive a child, but we did not lose faith in what our Lord could do. Dr. Perry sat down with us and told us the facts as well as telling us not to get our hopes up this early in the process. He monitored us for several months and decided to start me on an infertility drug, not expecting it to work. Well, guess what? It did! That is why I always say that Maggie is a true miracle-she was not "expected" to be conceived, but she was. God's perfect timing. During my pregnancy, Dr. Perry retired from Obstetrics but continued practicing Gynecology. My heart was broken because I wanted him to deliver our baby. AGAIN, God had a plan! "Baby Jones" decided to make an entrance to this world two weeks early. We made our way to the hospital, not quick enough according to some, and began the process of labor. After 15 LONG hours (and many trips to the snack machine by my Daddy and John Shaw) a decision was made to do a C-section. I knew then, that I wanted my Dr. Perry to assist! My sweet friend and coworker, D.J. made the call to Dr. Perry and he dropped what he was doing and was there within minutes! He and Dr. Cressman brought our little girl into this world safely after a grueling labor. I am forever thankful to Dr. Perry for helping us achieve our dream of being parents. After attempting another pregnancy, through surgery and infertility treatments, we surrendered to God's plan of us being a family of three. We know that our path crossed with Dr. Perry's for many reasons.

A few months ago, Dr. Perry was diagnosed with a menacing type of lung cancer. After much prayer, he and Suzanne (his wife) decided that he would undergo chemotherapy. After two rounds the scan showed no improvement. He asked to be discharged from the hospital and go home with hospice care. He has continued to share Christ even through this battle with cancer without wavering. He has been home almost a week and is spending his time with family and enjoying the simple things in life. I am sharing his story with you so that you may been encouraged and challenged as I have been in my walk with Christ. You can visit his site at http://www.caringbridge.org/ and type in paulperry to read his updates. Be sure to click on "links" at the top of the page to view the video he made in the hospital. Be prepared, it will touch your heart.

Our New Family Member

Most of you probably know that we lost our sweet Ollie-cat last May to liver disease. He was, for the most part, a good kitty. He had a few mood swings here and there, but we have mostly great memories of him. He was actually born the day of our wedding. He was our first pet together as a married couple. He was very predictable and easy up until his last days. We decided that we would not get another pet for a long time. It was extremely hard on all of us to be without him.

Our neighborhood is full of cats and dogs. We have several neighbors who have taken in stray animals. We had no intention of doing so. There was a neighbors cat that loved to come visit us. Whenever he would hear our front door unlock, he would come running. We enjoyed playing with him and sending him on his merry way! Well......that very same neighbor decided to up and move back to CALIFORNIA, leaving THREE cats behind! So, you see where this story is going, don't you? We began feeding this sweet little kitty named Tiger and taking care of him until his family came back to get him, so we thought. Last week, little Tiger got into a tangle with the bully cat of the neighborhood who happens to be a stray! A wild trip to the vet(Thank you Jennifer for being the designated driver) and $70 later, Tiger became an inside cat for a week. It has been quite a challenge taking care of his wound and trying to litter box train. (The vet office said that all cats instinctively know how to use a litter box-not the case here!) He is a great kitty and we have grown to love him. We'll see if his owners come all the way back from California to get him!

A Budding Talent

I know I am her mother, but I see so many talents in my daughter. She is far more confident than I was at her age. She has been involved with the Saint Clair County 4H program since 3rd grade. This program is strictly volunteer and allows the kids to show their creative side through art, photography, sewing, etc.. In my opinion, Art and Music are great subjects that are left out of most of our schools. Maggie has turned in three projects this year. Her first project was a cookie contest. She had to find a recipe and make it her self. She chose Candy Cane Cookies and won First Place. Her second project was to make a pillow, either hand sewn or machine sewn. She chose to machine sew a pillow using fabrics that were left over from her bedroom. It turned out really cute and she came in second place! The second project was all about photography. One night, while at the beach, we were all watching a storm pass over the water and Maggie ran inside, grabbed her camera and started snapping pictures. Her timing couldn't have been more perfect! She captured an unbelievable picture of lightning. This photo won 1st place! I am always proud of her. How blessed I am to call her my daughter. She is a true miracle and I give God all the glory for her. I cannot wait to see how He uses her!

"Tons of Tomatoes in just 60 Days"

Those are the words of my sweet husband! Thanks to a friend of his from work, he has been bitten by the tomato bug! Last Sunday, after church, Charlie and Maggie headed off to Home Depot to purchase a tomato plant so that we could enjoy fresh, homegrown tomatoes this summer. Now, those of you who know Charlie well remember that he never liked tomatoes as a child or as an adult. But after experiencing an ample supply of tomatoes from his friend John last summer(thank you John Smith), he has been converted to a tomato lover! He came back from Home Depot with FIVE plants! We will have enough tomatoes to feed the neighborhood. Each and every morning he goes out to check on his little plants and reports back to Maggie and me that all is well and they are looking good! He is so excited! I just hope the little critters of the forest don't decide to have a midnight snack once the tomatoes appear!