Ya Wanna Know??

Ok, so I leave Monday for Hawaii over the Thanksgiving break. I know you are jealous, but....

Anyway, what I am going to do is leave the comments open and you can ask me anything you want to know (within reason, keep it clean!!!) While I am away I will try and answer them. That way I will (hopefully) have something to blog about.

I really would hate to keep posting photos of us on the beach, in the sun and warmth with the beauty of the islands around us. That could REALLY get old, couldn't it?

Ask Away,

Out of Office Reply

Ok, seriously I HATE getting the reply email that says this.

Stepping off high horse!!!

Now that that is off my chest let me say that I will be out of the "office" for a few days. I am loading up the girls and driving (Dear Lord, I pray for sleepy children that don't need to go potty and don't cry for 3 hours- AMEN) to Savannah for some Third Day shows and quite honestly to let our family down there meet our new baby. Talk about being a bit behind!!!

I know you will be sitting on the edge of your seat wondering what in the world I will blog about next !! (HAHA) But for those interested, I will be home after the weekend and if time (rather baby) allows I will commence my usual job of intermittent blogging!!!

If time and internet service allows I might just give you some goodies from the road, probably not, but maybe!!!!

Until next time!

Band Field Trip

The other night Mark and I got to have a fun night out with the rest of Third Day. We kinda went on a band field trip, or so it felt like!! We didn't have to get permission slips signed or anything, but we did have the responsibility of keeping up with our tickets. You see, we had the good fortune of going to theColdplay concert at Philips Arena.


This was no ordinary show, we actually were able to sit in a "box" or "party suite" as it was called. This was pretty cool. There were actual seats and then there were these COZY recliners that you could kick back in and chill and watch the show. Now, me, being the self appointed diva that I am could get used to going to concerts like this. It was NICE!!!




Well, it was a good time, nice to see everyone (including the Revive guys who came along and even the crew guys that snuck in!!!)

I jest, but really I do LOVE our crew and thank them for all they do for us. In reality I guess I should have given up my recliner for them...... NAH, then I wouldn't have been a DIVA!!!!

Christmastime Is Here....

Today (well really yesterday, but I can't tell you why b/c I TOTALLY made fun of a friend for the same thing and I don't want her to make fun of me so we will leave it at today) began the Christmas season for the Lee family. I know, I know what happened to Thanksgiving. Well, sometimes you have to just follow the crowd!!!

So today a good friend of ours (who's Birthday it is HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!) got us into this really great event. It was the opening of a great little place in Underground Atlantacalled the Gingerbread Party.

This is the greatest idea EVER. You go and it is a place to make a gingerbread house. You don't really have to do anything but have fun making the house. They do the rest for you. All the prep work that makes you pretty ill by the time you build the house.... done, cleaning up after making the house....done.

You just let your creative juices flow and make a beautiful house and even more important make a memory (a positive non pull your hair out, yell at the top of your lungs, then try to make it better because you feel guilty for ruining it) memory!!!

The only negative is I had to deal with THESE which I have a majorly strong aversion to. They creep me out big time!!!! (that is for another day though)

So go, check it out. We had a blast and made a pretty kickin' house. I know you will too.

So go, check it out. We had a blast. I know you will too.

Kandles by Kate

My friend Kate makes the beautiful kandles. She hand paints them. They are quite beautiful and I was fortunate to get one last Christmas and I love it!!! She has graciously donated one of her creations to the blog party. Take a look at her site and snatch these up for yourself. Hurry, she gets REALLY busy at Christmas!!!! Enjoy

Hello, I'm Kate Daniell. Thank you for taking the time to visit our website and experience for yourself our unique Kandles.

My background is as an Elementary School Teacher. I graduated from Georgia Southern University in 1998 and taught Elementary School Art for six years before starting a family of my own. I now have two wonderful children and a very supportive husband and family. I have a strong passion for craftsmanship, creativity, and great Kandles. In the four years we have been in business we have experienced a steady and manageable growth. The creativity and quality of the Kandles we are now delivering has grown along with our company. As you will see we have very unique and high quality Kandles.

Kandles by Kate is a hands-on operation. My goal is to have a personal relationship with as many customers that buy and sell our Kandles as possible. One of the main reasons we have experienced and enjoyed a strong and stable growth is because I know so many of my customers and listen to their ideas and appreciate their feedback. That will never change because our Kandles are customized for you, not customary like you find everywhere else.

Please browse our site. This is a work in progress and will improve on a regular basis, so your feedback is important and appreciated. Call me with your questions, comments, and orders. Thanks.

Go visit Kate and tell her I said HI!!!

Junior Republican?

I am not a political person so you will very rarely see me discuss politics on this here blog. This is my "Election Day" post. When we were on a recent trip Abbie and I found a soap shop. I really am not sure of the name of it, I just know it is inside the Grand Floridian. Well while we were there Abbie decided to purchase a bar of soap for herself. Seeing as it was her birthday and all I decided that it would be fine (let truth be told I would have bought it anyway cause I'm a sucker, but I figured the Birthday part justified it a little bit more!!!)

Moving on, this store had hundreds of hand made soaps. Abbie looked at and smelled ALL of them (yuck) and I let her pick (unpressured) whichever one she wanted. This is what she picks!!!!


I was cracking up. Really, the "Republican" elephant soap. You see it has a picture of a red elephant embedded in the soap. So there you have it. Abbie has chosen her pick for the Presidency!!

Hey, I wonder if soap sales can dictate the winner???

Third Day on the 3rd Day- "Otherside"

I really didn't know what to do for this month's Third Day/Third Day post. So I decided to talk about the "Otherside" of Third Day. The wives. These ladies inspire, relate and encourage me everyday. I have known them all for various amount of times but I count them all as close friends. This month I will spotlight them:

Shannon- (Tai's Wife), what can I say about Shannon. First of all she is superwoman. She has 5 kids!!! 3 in school every day and 2 at home. Yet she still finds time for her! This is amazing. The other day I sent her an email to let her know just how much she inspires me. I feel overwhelmed and overworked most of the time that Mark is away. When the going gets tough I just think of Shannon and her hard work and love for her family encourages me to press on. Shannon is always smiling. She is a joy to be around and is always so very kind. Her love of her life, family and friends makes her a loyal and faithful friend. She is strong and so very sensitive at the same time. Whenever I think of Shannon I smile and I am so honored to call her my friend.

Jennifer- (David's Wife), I seriously just laughed. I laughed because Jennifer makes me laugh. She is so witty and funny. Most of the time I give her husband the credit for making me laugh, but she just slips things in that I will think of YEARS later and laugh out loud. I have had some many fun times with Jennifer. Late night dance parties on the bus, awakenings ball, swooning over the soap stars we love at various awards shows and just hanging out. She is such a beautiful soul inside and out. She is strong in spirit and love. To me she is a rock. If I ever needed something I know I could call on her and she would help in a pinch. I am ever amazed at the many ways she can wear her hair (and it be PERFECT every time!!!). She is a wonderful mother to her 2 boys and you can just tell the love and devotion she has to her 3 boys. Jennifer is a remarkable woman, someone to admire.

Aimee- (Mac's Wife), Oh my Aimee. I have known Aimee since about 3rd grade. I knew her before I knew the band. She is probably the strongest woman I have ever met. She is the BEST mother on this planet. She loves the Lord passionately and her family without question. Dating back to middle school you could see her love of kids. We are so similar but SO OPPOSITE in the same. She is black & white, she wants an answer and she enjoys a schedule. I admire this so much because her family flows seamlessly where I feel I flounder about without much schedule. I love the way she encourages and inspires her entire family. She is such a devoted wife and loves her man unconditionally. The respect she gives him will warm the coldest of hearts. Without her, there are days that I might not make it. I need her reassurance and friendship. Many nights we will talk like teenagers into the wee hours, then our men come home and we don't talk for a week. That is the friendship we have. Open, honest and real without stipulation. I would have to count her as one of my best friends and I am so thankful that some hundred years ago the Lord brought her into my life!

About 13 years ago the Lord put this gang of ladies together and we didn't know how it would work. I now feel like it wouldn't have worked for this long without the love, commitment, and devotion of each one of these women. I am honored to be in their presence and a part of their lives. Though we don't get to be together as much as I personally would like, I know that they are there for me. I love them all and am so blessed to have each of them as a friend.

My Pumpkin Patch

This Halloween was quite fun and entertaining.
Abbie decided she wanted to be a pumpkin in about July and decided "sister" would have to be one too. Therefore, we had a real live Pumpkin Patch. They were really cute. We went with my parents, my brother and sister in law and my niece.

Because of some unforeseen circumstances our "dada" got to be home and trick or treat with us.

This is our "scary mobile"

We ended the night around the outdoor fire singing songs. A good ole' fashioned Southern night.
A good time was had by all.

Memorabilia By Amy

Amy (who makes these lovely frames) is married to my friend Bob. I have known Bob for a long time. There is a really funny story about him, a singing Christmas Tree and a nickname. I love Bob and Amy so I will not spill the beans!!! Suffice it to say that Bob better appreciate that!!!

Amy is a stay at home mom with two PRECIOUS children. Her daughter's hair is AMAZING. Amy has graciously donated one of her beautiful frames for our blog party. I really wish that I could win some of these prizes. If you like them and want to see one in person, come by The Pink Elephant in December, I have a feeling we might just have a few in stock (that's how great they are, I have decided to carry them in the store!!) This is actually news to Amy so I hope she reads this!!!

Here is some information about Amy:

I am a stay at home mom and love it! I love coming up with beautiful interesting things to decorate my home! I began creating these framed, hand-written square mats for a local restaurant in 2007 (if you are ever in Crestview, Florida, you've got to eat at the Wild Olive!) After selling several special orders to people who saw them at the restaurant, my friends encouraged me to create a web site so that other people could find my creations and order them too! So I am just thrilled to have found something I love to do, that other people are interested in buying, that I can do while being at home with my kids!

The web site has a list of over 30 quotes and verses that would be great for just about any special gift or occasion. But I would be delighted to design something unique for you or your someone special. The words to a favorite song, a lullaby, or even your wedding vows would make a beautiful keepsake! My web site doesn't support online ordering yet, but if you contact me by email, we can figure out a design that works for you and I'll get started on it right away!

Frames are 20" x 20" square with a 4" x 4" opening for your photo.

Magnolia Designs

This is a very cute and quite creative site. Kathy is the person behind these great creations/ideas. I have known her for several years. It was probably about a year ago that we were able to reconnect. She is now living in the land of Maple and Moose, she is a Georgia Peach that has been transplanted in Canada. Take a look at her things and let her know if there is anything you might want. She is generously donating a "paper pack" for the blog party. Go give her some love and THANKS so much for doing this for us.

Blog Swag

As most of you know there is going to be an ATL Blog Party. All of us ladies and gent here in the Dirty South are getting together and having some good hang time and getting to know the people behind the words we read!!! As a little perk to the partay Heather and I decided to get some SWAG from folks as a little door prize/giveaway type thingy. I plan on spotlighting the persons who are donating these generous gifts over the next days leading up to the party. Most of these companies/persons have online businesses or are available for purchase online. Please if you are reading this go and support these people or at least let's give them the appreciation they deserve. I mean, it totally cost them something to do this for us so THANKS!!!!

Happy Birthday Abbie!

5 years ago today I had the most precious, beautiful little baby Abigail Madden Lee. Little did I know that day that my life would forever be changed and this small little child would quickly eat up my heart. From the beginning she has been such a shining light. She was a big baby and being new parents we didn't quite have the eating thing figured out but as soon as that was corrected she became an angel baby. She didn't sleep much because she was so inquisitive and wanted to take in EVERYTHING around her. She slept great at night and was happy during the day. I didn't know then that her little personality was already there. She is still a little angel (sometimes the devil pokes in for a visit but it's short lived!!)
She is very kind, loving, beautiful and HYSTERICAL. On her 5th Birthday I have decided to list the 5 things I LOVE and ADORE most about my little munchkin.

1) Her SMILE, it is infectious. She grins so big it just melts your heart.

2) Her imagination. She is always singing, making up songs, writing books, drawing and just playing pretend. I love that she is so creative and a free thinker. I don't think there is a box that can hold this one. She will ALWAYS be thinking outside of it!!

3) Her adoration of her father. He is her all, he hung the moon and stars to her. I love this because I feel that she will have such a passionate love for her heavenly Father. Being able to understand the love of her father will make it so much easier to freely love Christ.

4) Her laugh. Ohh, when I get a good belly laugh out of her it just gives me chills. Let me tell you. It is fun to make this critter laugh!

5) Her heart. She is such a precious angel. She is very conscious of others and the difference between right and wrong. She is honest and will tell on her self on a regular basis. (Seriously, how amazing).

I love this girl. She is my baby and my big girl. I cannot wait to see what the Lord has in store for her. It will be big I am confident. I really never understood the love for a child until 10/28/03. At 8:21 am that all changed. It rocked me so hard I realized I NEVER wanted to go back.

Sweet Abbie, I pray you always know how much your mama loves and adores you. My sweet buddy!!

My Other Rockstar!!

She is cute, and quite a little musical talent. She is almost 5 and her piano teacher says she is pretty scary good!! I know she got it from her daddy b/c me... um not so much musical talent.

Third Day Guitar

Do you want to own a piece of Third Day collective memorabilia? Do you want to help someone in the process? Then go and bid on thisThird Day,Chronology Guitar. It is a signed, limited edition (like only 30 were made), out of Mark's personal collection guitar. The money that is raised for this will all be given to the Cowen Adoption Foundation. These are our friends who are in the process of adopting a baby and are in need of some MAJOR funds before December. Don't miss this chance for a truly unique piece. Go tell all your friends!!!

Thanks,

MUSIC BUILDS CONTEST... WINNER!!

First off, I must say that this "little" contest that I just decided to come up with one afternoon has really taken off. I got about 20 entries. That was about 2-3 entries per show. I am very impressed. I was really excited that Mark didn't know about it, but in the end began looking for people that had signs at the meet and greets, etc. See it really can pay to be a Wired member!!!!

OK, now the big moment. The overall winner is:


ROSE RICHTER

There are SEVERAL reasons why Rose is the winner. 1) IT'S PINK AND FUZZY. 2) I don't think I have ever done a post about it but I LOVE Cupcakes!!! Her picture, it's in the shape of a cupcake, YUMMY. 3)Did i mention that it's PINK AND FUZZY!!!
Congratulations Rose. Here is your prize:


You will be the proud new owner of a PINK iPod shuffle!!!
I will need your mailing address so get it to me so you can claim your loot.

The winner. This was VERY hard. There are so many reasons that all of you should be the winner. And in reality you all are. Now, don't get me wrong, there had to be a grand prize winner(b/c I HATE a contest that doesn't have an overall winner- we're adults we can handle it!!!) but because you all did so good I am going to give you a small prize. Each entry will receive an autographed copy of Third Day's latest DVD, "Christmas Offerings".

I will need mailing addresses for each of you to make this happen so you can email them to: thirddaywife@me.com

Also, over the next few weeks I am going to spotlight all of your pictures here and let you know why I loved each and everyone of them. (Not just because my honey was in most of them either!!!)

Thank you all for participating and keep checking back because of its popularity the contest will begin again during the Third Day "Live" tour. Be warned that this time there will be a points category b/c I feel guilty having to pick a winner without some standards!!! So go out and get your tickets to a really great show and try to be the BIG WINNER next time.

BLOG PARTAY!!!

I know some of you are looking for another type of post (I am getting around to it, just be patient!!!)

Until then let this whet your appetite. Here is info. about the BLOG PARTY I have told some of you about. Come it will be fun. Thanks to Heather for really being the one to put this together. I know I told her I would help but.... well this little thing called Kitty got in my way. But she is very precious- Kitty, not Heather, well Heather is but I was talking about Kitty.

I'm there so you should be too!!! Check out this link for more info and the chance to meet some of your other "friends" Below is the "formal" invite from Heather

Oh how fun is this... The date is so near! Less than a month before we get to see each other face to face! I am excited about this blog. I want to use this as a place to get to know everyone who will be a part of the Blog Party! It will be such a fun night, but we have a little bit of house keeping first.

Remember the date of the party is NOVEMBER 8th, at 6:30 pm.

We will be having it at the Fickle Pickle Barn in Roswell GA.

Cost is $21 per person. Dinner cost $20 and I added a dollar so we can have a little extra to play with! So first things first if you plan on attending please go ahead and use the Pay Pal button on the side to buy your ticket! I have set up a Pay Pal Button on the side to make it easy to collect the money for the party. We can give a 100% credit back up till the day before. After that we will just have to enjoy the meal you purchased. :)

Ok last bit of info... My goal is to feature one person a day, in their words of WHO THEY ARE. So if you have not sent me a picture, your website and a bio of YOU, then send it to whittakerwoman@yahoo.com. I'll do mine first!

First...Pay, Second... Bio, Third... lets get to know one another!

Has anyone been to the Fickle Pickle?

See you there,

Owl Obsession

Recently Abbie got her some "big girl bedding". It has taken me almost 5 years to find what would fit her personality.

Well, one day I was browsing through a catalog and it hit me. It was the one. It was as if I heard singing, beckoning me to purchase it. It was the cutest, most fitting bedding I had ever laid eyes on. (And let's remember I see ALOT of bedding owning a children's boutique!!) Well, I told Mark we were making an excursion to said store because quite frankly I COULD NOT WAIT and order it. You know that mail can run a little slow sometimes!! On the day we got it Abbie was not home. So I decided to surprise her and I quickly washed all the sheets & pillowcases and hurried up and made her "new" bed. When she got home I told her I had a surprise for her. I opened the door and she just stood there. Then about 5 seconds later she squealed like I have never heard. It was total glee. She was so proud and then she said... "look at the owls!! I love them". I told her I liked the owls because they stayed awake at night and could keep her company as she went to sleep. (Don't worry we say prayers and she knows that the Lord is the one watching over her, but it's fun to pretend!!). She just loves her bed and can't get enough of it.

Fast forward about a month. She is now TOTALLY obsessed with owls. She has decided to start a collection (so hopefully she can be on some Disney show your stuff show- if you know about this please inform me!!). Then she found out about the school I went to. In college, I went to the local University and when it started it was a "night" school, therefore their mascot is none other than an owl (you know nighttime, students, need to stay awake, owl) it fits, a little kooky but fitting. Abbie has decided she is going to go there, because of the owls!!

We check out books about owls, we watch shows about owls, we play with stuffed owls at the bookstore, we find owls on clothing and have to have it!!!, owls, owls, owls. HOO would have thought the purchase of this super cute big girl bedding would lead to this.... it's a little over the top but I LOVE that she gets so passionate about things. Let's hope that translates to positive things in the future.

Hey, maybe she will major in owls!!! (Can you do that???)

MUSIC BUILDS CONTEST... ALMOST OVER!!

Ok folks. I have officially gotten 8 photos of folks with signs about ye old blog here with Mr. Mark Lee of Third Day. He tells me that he has taken at least 15 photos or more with folks. That means that there are a bunch of you that have NOT gotten me your photo. You have until midnight on Monday, October 13 (which happens to be Columbus day if you are interested) to send me your email. If you are new here and are catching the show this weekend here's what we are talking about.

Tomorrow officially begins the much anticipated Music Builds Tour in Detroit, MI. This is a show that should not be missed. Both bands, Third Day and Switchfoot have been really working hard to make this THE show of the season. I for one don't normally like when the man goes on tour, but they all have been so excited about this tour that I just can't help but hope they have a ton of fun and some really great shows. You can make that happen. If they are coming anywhere near you go out and take a gander. Not only is it 3D and SF, but you also get the great music of Jars of Clay and Robert Randolph and the Family Band. Let me know if you will be at any of the shows. I plan on going, but not till later in the tour, so ye who get to go to some of the first ones- I'M JEALOUS!!!

Hey, I have an idea, make a sign for Mark that you read my blog (don't you think he would get a kick out of that !!!) Who knows, maybe if you post a photo of you at the show with your sign, I just might be able to get you an autographed goodie!!! If you can get the rare photo of you, the sign & Mark you might get a bonus prize!! I'm just sayin', I might know some folks that can help me out with that. Email the photos to me at thirddaywife@me.com and I will keep checking back. Pass on the word

Go, get out the bling and get to craftin' up those signs. Go, quit reading and get busy.

EMAIL PHOTOS TO: thirddaywife@me.com

Give me a REVELATION

Today we were in one of Mark's favorite places. Borders. Well as I was walking around said store looking for Mark guess what I found.

I have seen Third Day stuff in stores before, but NEVER such a prominent display in a major retailer such as this. As I was beaming with pride I thought, "hey, why don't we have a copy of that for our house!!". I wonder if there is anyone who can help me get one!

Fear NOT!!

Something happened today that made me question myself. Not wanting to get into specifics I will be very vague but relevant.

I allowed fear to control me. I sat frozen not knowing what to do in a given situation. Then later that day I felt this tugging, pulling, NEED to make it right. I am a believer so my "little voice" to me is the Holy Spirit. So, in an attempt to escape that fear and uncertainty I approached that person (not literally but in an email) and expressed my apologies for not taking the oppourtunity to give them the praise they so richly deserved because I didn't know how they would react. My fear of the unknown kept me from blessing someone. How I felt the rest of the day SUCKED. I didn't like myself. Now, for the record I will state that this is someone I have known A LONG TIME. I would dare say, close to half my life. Circumstances made it weird but I should have moved past that and faced my fear not run from it.

Anyway, I don't know why I am sharing this. This is a little more personal and deeper than I normally go, but I really struggled with this and it took ALOT, I mean ALOT for me to take the hard path vs the easy path. I hope that it worked, I may never know, but honestly it doesn't matter. I followed what I felt my Lord telling me and somehow, someway I know that it will work for the good.

Thanks for letting me share.