Matthew & I told Olivia and Kaiden about Cindy the other night and Olivia being the worrier that she is, looked very concerned until I told her that Cindy was in Heaven.  She pondered for a minute and then smiled and said, "I bet she is with Grandma Treadway.  Maybe they are having dumplins:)"    

I wanted to share another miracle with you all that happened the other evening.  I had gone up to Steve's to get some furniture the other day and I am pretty sure that he stuffed as much as he could in the empty drawers as I was leaving.  He denies, but I am not so sure.  Anyway, we were all having a good laugh at all the things that papaw kept.  Several days later, I was going through the thousands of greeting cards that ended up in the drawers, and out fell a picture.  As most of you know, I only knew my biological grandparents for a short time and have very few keepsakes or pictures of them.  Well, guess what that picture was of?  My grandpa!     

Cindy's Services

Services for Cindy will be Wednesday at the church in Danese.  The funeral will be at 2:00 and the viewing is from 12:00-2:00.  She will be buried at the Harrah cemetery on Backus Mtn.  I will post the obituary when it comes out in the paper...should be tomorrow.

--

Rita

Rita, tell Blain we are sorry to here about Cindy as well. Was it her daughters that were in Janet's wedding? We love you and will be praying for you and the family. Timmy and Cindy, congratulations!! Your picture looks really nice and comfy by the fire :P

Blain's Parents

If any of you would like to send Blain's Mom and Dad a Sympathy card their address is

 

Charles & June McClanahan

HC 61 Box 910

220 Fleshman Cemetery Rd

Danese WV  25831

 

If you send them a card, and they may not know you, tell them your relationship to Blain.

They have gone to make arrangements.  I think they are only having one service..visitation an hour before...at Janet's church/the old Roger's Bestway.  I'll post them when Blain's mom calls and confirms.  She will be buried up here on the mountain.

Rita

Rita and Blain, I,m really sorry to hear about Cindy let us know if we can do anything. I'll get Steve right on cooking you anything you may need. Ha/Ha Really if you need anything just let us know and please blog the wake times and place. We love you all and hope to see everyone soon.

God Bless

Rita, we hadn't been on the blog in a while. Please know you are all in our prayers. Please extend our condolences to Blain and the family, Timmy & Cindy

We would like to announce our Wedding to the family. We are to be married Thursday April 7th, 2011. We have planned a small informal ceremony at the church in Radford which Tim and Steve helped build. Pastor Dallas Vines is going to do the ceremony.

At this point in our lives, we didn't feel the need for a big ceremony, it will be just the two of us with Kelsey as a witness. Keep us in your prayers as we start out on this wonderful journey together. We love you all, Timmy & Cindy

Email From Goldie

Hey,
I read the blogs,and yes Belzene was David and your Dad's cousin.She was married to Grandpa's brother Frank's son .They called him junior I think.He proably has come up for apples.
I was so sorry to hear about Cindy.

Rita

Cindy passed this morning at 6:45. Her BP had dropped through the night continuously and the family went on to the hospital and Chet decided to go ahead and take her off of the ventilator. The family was all with her when she passed. I will let you know when the arrangements have been made. Thank you all for the Prayers.

Thank you for the prayers for the family. Cindy's husband, Chet, rededicated his life to the Lord last weekend. They both had recently gotten back in to church and were serving the Lord. Thank God. Chet has made the decision to end the life support around 9 in the morning. He wants to spend the night with her. He wants the family to all be there. Blain's Mom and Dad are holding up amazingly well. I'm sure it is due to all the prayer support. Remember Blain and Vanessa and numerous cousins. I was amazed at all the cousins that were there when we got to the hospital.

Rita and Blain , just know that you all and Blain,s family will be in our prayers In this hard time Love you both.

I think Chet is having trouble making that decision so they are doing a brain scan, more for Chet than anything.  Please keep Chet and the girls, as well as the rest of the family in your prayers.   

Mom wanted me to post an update on Cindy.  There is no brain activity and basically no hope.  They just need to decide when to turn everything off.  Please continue to pray for the family. 

Rita, we'll be praying for Cindy.

It snowed here this morning...then the sun came out, not it's gone again. I thing it's supposed to be in the 70s on Monday. Welcome to WV I guess.

Here are a few pictures I've been meaning to put up.

Here is our beaker of wool, cotton and grass. It made a really pretty green color in the water.

And here are the final products...the color is kind of weird on the picture, but as you can see it's pretty pale. The wool is on the right, and it dyed the best in all of the beakers.

This is the first good pan of biscuits I've made (since switching to Hudson Cream, lol). I cheated with the browning though, I had to turn the broiler on for a little bit at the end to get them to brown. I put oil on top of them like Grandma did but they were still white before I broiled them...any suggestions?

Blaine, Rita, yes we will pray for Cindy. So sorry to get this report. God is able to intervene, to heal, and to comfort when no one else can.
Love you both.

Blain's Sister

Please pray for Cindy, Blain's Youngest sister.  They took her to the hospital last night and she is on life support.  Blain's mom said they lost her 3 times and they got her back. They don't know what's wrong, they said something about it possibly, being her heart.   I'll keep you posted but we appreciate you praying.
 

Rita

yes, it does make you appreciate Daddy's struggle to make a living for us even more after seeing the story about the coal mines. Dad would never had made it if it had not been for mommy's prayers. I can remember him coming home and telling mommy how bad something had been that day ,and remembering mommy praying at that time for him , and staying up at night waiting to see his headlight's coming up the road , then she knew he was safe at home again.praying and reading her bible, that the Lord would take care of him, and he did.It had to be a very hard life for them as young parents, with all of us kids to care for. and Daddy was a very proud man. But I think they did a great job in all.

I recall the days when Daddy would take the little Radio Flyer red wagon to the mines with him. He used it to haul his dynamite in, if my memory serves me right. The coal was so low that he would carry his lunchbucket in his teeth and crawl into the mines pulling the little red wagon with his charges and his little pick, which I assume what for digging the holes for the charges. I remember, even as a kid, thinking how difficult his job must have been. Seeing Coal made me appreciate even all the more all that he did to make a living for us, because I thought the program was quite scary. I do not know if I would have had the courage to work in the mines. When you try to put yourself in those men's shoes, you can kind of understand it when they say: You do what you gotta do! And even after terrible disasters, they go right back in and Do What A Man's Gotta Do to provide for his family. I do not know how the wives of miners have any peace at all if they do not know God.

Mornin Ya'll
Everyone must be busy

MP3 and Zac and Emily, so glad you got to have a lunch date. I know that was fun. Isn't Marleigh just the cutest, happiest, baby you've ever seen. I don't think I've seen her cry...ever.

Bobbie, Janet DVR'd (Ha) "Coal" so Blain could watch it. He had to go out at 2 this morning. He'll get 13 hours today and has to work tomorrow too. At our house, it has always been either "Feast or Famine".

In Daddy's early years of mining coal, they would Dynamite it out and then hand load it onto buggies. They didn't have a roof bolter, they would set timbers to hold the roof up. That was before the machines. Before Daddy left the mines, They probably had some of the machines by then, but most of his mining was done by hand. Can you imagine???

Blain said that he has roof bolted 10 cuts and as much as 500 ft a shift (He became a member of the 500 ft club) and yeah, they had pizza and it was quite a big deal. They were running 2 Continuous Miners and When they would shut one off to be serviced or moved to another section, they would start the other one. One Bolt crew (2 men) would bolt all the top. Would you believe, he said that was his favorite job underground. The last bolt machine Blain ran was the kind that 2 men could Bolt at the same time. I think it was called a "Double Headed Fletcher"? I might be wrong about the name.

It snowed here last night, just enough to cover the ground, but it is pretty. However, I hope it is our last. I want to see flowers!!

Yes Rita, We did see Coal, one of the most dangerous jobs! And yes it was most interesting! Made me appreciate Dad all the more for the life he carved for us out of the coal. Did Dad do all of those jobs in his lifetime or was he good at a certain something? I don't know. I wish I did now. Ask Blain if he knew through their conversations, what it was Daddy did specifically. I want to catch it next week too, so remind us again on that day OK. So, Blain's job was a Bolter for the top? And everyone's safety in there depended on the job they did, is that what I heard? Thank-you Blain for the job you did all those years! And seven cuts a day is a really good day?

Hey All
I loved the videos. Those 3 can really sing. I see a Bus in their future.

Coal was really good. Blain was taking a shower abut 9:30 getting ready to watch it (He is usually in bed by 9, Up at 4) but as he was getting out of the shower, his work called and they needed him out at 2:30 this morning. Sooo, he didn't get to watch it. It was real interesting to me though bc I've heard Blain talk about all that stuff. He operated the roof bolter side-by-side with his dad for years, he has ran the continuous miner underground AND outside by remote control...I've heard him talk about guys running over the miner cable and it stopping production...all of that...The bad top...flooding of the mines (that is coming next week). I am sooo glad he is not underground anymore. If you missed it, you need to tune in next week.

I'm out the door to go to Janets and keep Olivia and Kaiden. They are both sick.

Hey, Everyone! Hope you are all great; we are. Loved the pics of the table, Teresa. Did you do the top? That must have taken a long time. It is beautiful. Emily, hilarious videos, I found them on youtube and put them on my facebook.... speaking of which, I am jumping into facebook. All of the cousins out their, and anyone else on it, look me up. Michelle Roberts, look up in Germany....there shouldn't be too many. I realized I don't even know some of your last names! How out of touch am I?! But of course, there are so many of us....LOL. Tarin has made up her mind she wants to teach AP History for high schoolers. How cool is that? We will see if she changes her mind before graduation, ha ha, she is only a freshman. Joe's stitches came out, his headaches are gone, and the scars are minimal. Thank God. Love to all of you, Michelle and girls

I liked that video Emily, the Today Show had it on there this morning. I don't recall the boys ever having any conversations like that when they were babies, however, it sounds quite familiar now a days LOL!! :P They would coo to each other at times though. We watched "Coal". It was very interesting. A few things seemed familiar to me probably from David's book. Rita, what did Blain think about it? Mark was wondering how often the tips had to be replaced on the 'continuous miner'?

twin baby boys have a conversation - part 2 ORIGINAL VIDEO

This video is hilarious...Bobbie, Monica, were Adam and Corey like this?!

I posted that video from youtube, first time I've done that before (Mark helped me LOL) so if you go to youtube and search for them that's where you'll find their website and info :) I remember seeing an advertisement last week about "Coal", I told Mark we was going to have to watch that tonight :) The Midkiff obit., is he Vera's husband?

Sorry, If you have Direct TV, it is Channel 241 instead of 308.

Amazing Child Singer - Daves Highway performs "Jesus Messiah" by Chris T...

Carol sent us a video the other day of a baby laughing that was from godvine.com. I came across these siblings on the same website. They have such beautiful harmony. I cried the first two times I watched them and still get a little teary eyed. They have a CD available if you go to there website, it should be listed under the video. We had a great time with Emily and Zac yesterday!! :P Love to all and hope you are blessed by this video as much as I am :)

Coal Runs Deep

Rita, I had seriously just opened the blog to post about the same thing when I saw your posts about it. Here is a link to the trailer for it...I think it should be interesting.

Coal Runs Deep

Monica texted me yesterday saying that her, Mark and Marleigh were going to be in Princeton and wanted to know if we wanted to meet them for lunch. It just so happened that Zac's day off got switched this week from Thursday to Tuesday and I had a break between classes from 12:15-2:30, so we were able to meet up at Cracker Barrel. It was goooood...and Marleigh was so cute and funny! She really liked her brown beans and mashed potatoes and gravy. She is so good at saying 'apple' too, lol!

I dyed wool and cotton yesterday in my med plants lab. We got to choose any type of plant we wanted to try. One group used black berries and it made a really pretty pink. Red onion turned out really yellow (which I thought was weird) and carrots made the wool orange and the cotton pinkish. The grass did dye it, but it turned out to be a really pale green. I will post pictures of it later.

10 Episodes

Spike TV's new reality show "Coal." Ten one-hour episodes will debut at 10 p.m. March 30. Producers say the show details the extreme conditions and underappreciated work of underground miners. 

 

"Coal" in WV

If you have Direct TV, it is channel 308.  This mine is owned by Cobalt Coal.  Thought you might be interested in seeing something from WV and how we are portrayed.

WELCH -- McDowell County will be featured in the latest reality series coming to Spike TV. It's called "Coal" and took place at the Westchester Mine at Big Sandy.

The show will be nationally broadcast at 10 p.m. starting on March 30.

Rita

Elmer Midkiffs brother

Evert Ray Midkiff

RAINELLE — Evert Ray Midkiff, 87, of Crag Road, passed away Monday morning, March 28, 2011, at Heartland of Rainelle, following a long illness.

Born Jan. 13, 1924, at Blue Sulphur Springs, W.Va., he was the son of the late Jarvis C. and Minerva Elizabeth Holcomb Midkiff.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a son, Dale Lee Midkiff; and four sisters, Eva Crookshanks, Sarah Persinger, Ina Persinger, and Leatha Midkiff.

Evert was a coal miner and had also worked for the Department of Highways.

He was of the Baptist faith.

Survivors include two daughters, Kathy Tuck of Welcome, N.C., and Brenda Roberts of Plantersville, Texas; a son, Bobby Joe Midkiff of Peru, Ind.; a sister, Kitty Cleva Callahan of Oak Hill, W.Va.; a brother, Elmer Lee Midkiff of Dawson, W.Va.; seven grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.

There will be a graveside service only at 2 p.m. on Thursday, March 31, 2011, at the Sewell Valley Baptist Church Cemetery on Crag Road in Rainelle, with Pastor Clay O’Dell officiating. Burial will follow immediately.

Arrangements by Wallace & Wallace of Rainelle.

Daddy's Cousin's Wife

I think this is Daddy's cousin's wife...Carol or Goldie might be able to clarify...If it is who I am thinking of, he came to get apples whenever they "hit".  He was at Daddy's viewing.

 

 

Cora 'Bel' Treadway

Cora Belzene "Bel" Stover Treadway, 77, went home to be with the Lord on Saturday, March 26, 2011.

She was born January 5, 1934, at Ameagle. She was the daughter of the late Newman and Norma Stover.

She attended the Advent Christian Church at Artie and was retired from Pinecrest Hospital in Beckley.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by a brother, Don Stover; three sisters, Maxine Lutterloh, Gurtha Toney and Mary Williams.

She is survived by her husband of 61 years, James "JR" Treadway; and three sons, James Taylor and wife Sharon of Peterstown, Michael Treadway and wife Judy of Clear Creek and Charles "Corkey" Treadway and wife Barbara of Artie; three brothers, Ray Stover and wife Ruth of Ocala, Fla., Ancel and wife Karen of Auburndale, Fla., Eldon and wife Marilyn of Dorothy; and one sister, Beulah Peyatt of Easley, S.C.; grandchildren, Charles Taylor and wife Annie and their children, Christopher and Matthew of Beckley; Jimmy Taylor and children, Bridget and husband, Cole Boothe, and Tiara Taylor of Peterstown; Andy Taylor and wife Cheryl and their children Cheyenne and Cordell of Shady Spring; Michael "Mike" Treadway and wife Patty and their children Christopher Treadway and Shane, Katie and Andrew Tomlin; Jodie and husband Jimmy Bristow and children Brian and Andrew of Clear Creek; Carie Lynn Stover and children PFC. Corey Stover (Fort Benning, Ga.), Tyler and Keely Stover of Clear Creek, and Cathy Jo Shrewsbury and husband James and their children Nicole, Jackson and Emily of Beckley, three great-great-grandchildren: Victoria "Tori" Shrewsbury and Levi and Trinity Boothe. Special nieces Sonya Basham and Peggy Caffro; special friends Glen and Margie Williams and Marilyn Massey.

Funeral services will be held 1 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, March 30, 2011, at the Advent Christian Church, Artie, W.Va., with the Revs. Cecil McClellan and Joe Barnett officiating. Burial will follow in the Wriston Cemetery, Artie.

Visitation will be from 6 to 9 Tuesday at the church.

Armstrong Funeral Home, Whitesville, is in charge of arrangements.

I do! I do! I recognize the table! Who could forget those legs! I used to eat my dinner on the back side. It's beautiful. I thought we had distressed that table enough Teresa! One question, that top doesn't look conductive to making biscuits. Just where are you going to make those Steve?

Love the pics Teresa, can't wait to see it!!!!

We got a good start on our new kitchen. Cabinets and appliances won't be in for a couple weeks. We have been painting and making our island. Anyone recognize the table?

One more thing, I think Ruth sent a clip from the Today show last week of a little boy that had gone to heaven during surgery. I got that book and finished reading it last night and IT WAS AWESOME!!! "Heaven is for real" is the name of it, written by Todd Burpo (his father) and Lynn Vincent. I highly recommend it to everyone. I'm going to give mine to mom so yal can pass it around if you like. Love ya :)

We woke up to pouring snow this morning!! I couldn't believe it. The weather man said we got 2 inches in our area. It stopped sometime between 10:30 am and noon. Not exactly sure because I fell asleep on the couch while Marleigh was taking her nap lol. It was also interesting to see on the news at noon that we had a 2.5 earthquake this morning around 2:30 am. They said it happened 4 miles down in the earth and was a few miles WNW of Pulaski. That is a town right beside us, 5-10 minutes down the road. We never felt anything though. If my memory serves me correct I'm thinking that Giles County sits on a fault line somewhere. We go through Giles when we go to WV. Speaking of WV, I caught a glimpse of Grandpa in Mark this afternoon. I was cleaning house this morning while it was snowing. I had already vacuumed all the carpeted areas and was working on my rug in the bathroom when the vacuum started making an awful noise. I thought it was eating the power cord but it wasn't. I turned it off, unplugged it and checked to make sure it wasn't going to catch on fire because the odor that was coming from it was a little alarming. I saw a little vapor of smoke but no fire. I took it down stairs and Mark looked at it. The rod thingy that has all the bristles on it had started to melt on one end thus deforming it somewhat. It was a total loss :( We went to get groceries after lunch and also got a new vacuum. When we got home I put Marleigh down for her nap, Mark and I put up the groceries and I started on supper (Mom's chicken pot pie :P ). I heard Mark in the living room opening the box of the new vacuum. About 10-15 minutes later Mark hollered for me to bring him a snack baggie. When I turned the corner to take him the baggie I could not believe what I was looking at in my living room floor!! Mark had completely disassembled the old vacuum cleaner, took all the screws out and had them in a pile by their self and had each part on the vacuum laid out in the floor. I asked him what he was doing and he said he was getting any thing we may need later from it. He ended up only keeping the screws and a furry duster buster attachment. I just grinned, turned around and went back to my chicken lol. Marleigh is finally off of formula and baby food. I put some of the chicken pot pie in the food processor for her and she loved it. Smacked them little lips the whole time :) Her daddy gave her ice cream for dessert and she was loving that as well.

Bravo! How true! How true Rita! Say a prayer for Adam, he starts his new job today!

Two Wolves

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all. "One is Evil -  It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. "The other is Good -  It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."  The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?" The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

Rita

Emily~  I have had that lecture about Hudson Cream flour as well.  I hate to write it on the blog because then it will be documneted, but this is one time that they were right:)    Whatever you do, just ask Andy, MAKE SURE it is self-rising.  I know that several of us have had to learn that the hard way, myself included.  Your breakfast sure looked good.  Wish I could have chowed down with you!  Love ya    

I like the gummy ones too. Zac, Tanner and Jacob all like the fluffy ones though so I have to make a lot of fluffy ones when I make them.

I have been having the hardest time making good biscuits. I knew I was doing it right though, I mean I only saw Grandma do it about a thousand times. I told Mommy about it and she asked what kind of flour I was using. I had been using the cheap brand. She told me that flour was not the place to save money, lol. So I got some Hudson Cream and ta-da...gooood biscuits.

Zac and I went to a cafe last night in downtown Princeton with some friends. There was a band playing called The Corn Grinders. Stand up bass, mandolin, guitar, harmonica, banjo...they were really really good!

Have a good Sunday everyone...love ya'll!

Wow, you guys have been busy!

David~ Thanks so much for sharing the letter.

Michelle~  Glad that Joe is safe.  Praise the Lord!

Happy Birthday to everyone in March.  I am terrible with dates!

Greg, I talked to you on fb, but I did not realize about your loss.  So sorry and praying for peace and comfort. 

Vonda~ Hope you and your family are feeling rested and David is feeling better.

Monica and Mom~  (In the words of Colin) "Don't even think about it!"  LOL

Just wanted to share this with you.  I was in the kitchen making dumplins the other evening and of course thinking of grandma.  She would have been so proud because I made a whole pot of sad dumplins.  She always saved the bottom of the pot for me since I like them gooey.  Which one of you cousins did i have to share the bottom of the pot with?  I can't remember:) 

Just to let everyone know that Sue's Dad had a blood clot removed from his brain on thursday. She said he is better today but still sedated , and that his swelling is going down. They said the clot was from a fall may be in December. He is in a Wilimgton hospital, currently still in ICU. Sue's number is 910-612-3182 if anyone would like to call her.

Dwayne and Lorie both have the back thing going, so I don't know if it's a Treadway thing or not

Yes, Happy Birthday to you Marchians! And yes, 39 does look good on you Alice!

Michelle, Corey also has scoliosis. I think he has his from carrying his book bag full of books all through middle and high school. His locker was never in a convenient place, thus he didn't use it :( I'm sure his back was doing a growing spurt at that time.

Happy Birthday to all those who have a Birthday this month. Sorry, I'm not good at keeping up with everyones birthdays. I have a hard enough time trying to keep up with my family.

Michelle, I'm sorry to hear about the girls. Kelsey also had to go for PT to help her out but, she doesn't do her exercises like she should so she still deals with a lot of pain when she's on her feet all day. Unfortunately, with her job she is always on her feet. I forgot to tell everyone but I have a praise report. You all know the trouble Kelsey has been having. She had complex cysts which do not go away on their own. They can be controlled with birth control or surgery if that doesn't work but, when she went back for her ultra sound there was no sign of them. Her doctor was amazed! She had an evangelist that came to church pray or her healing before she went to have her ultra sound and sure enough she got it. The birth control seems to be helping her endometriosis also. God is good!!!!!!

Love you all

Emily has scoliosis too. Her back bothers her a lot.

Hey Michelle
Glad to hear all is well. Praise the Lord for Joe's safety. I know that Kelsey also has Scoliosis.

We have missed some birthday's this month. Alice and Presley on the 23rd (I forgot Presley because I always associate hers with Easter) and then Kimberly Thomas and Timmy Wayne on the 18th. Happy Belated Birthday. I believe Alice told me she was 39 and holdin' AND ya'll know how important that one is, so don't forget to wish her a BIG one.

I'm going to order the bench as soon as I get a free day to run back up to Union.

Monica, you and Janet need to get together and that's all I got to say about that!!

Uh-oh, Monica!!!! Looks like you have been bitten by the bug again, you know us Treadway's generally like big families.....LOL. It won't be long, and we'll hear news......just kiddin'.
All is well here. Hope all is great with all of you!
Question for all of you. Curious about how many of us have back problems. Victoria now has scholiosis, Tarin does and did PT to improve it, I had a bad back at age 11. Is it a Treadway thing?
Love, Michelle and girls

You Know It's Funny!!

Best friends graduated from medical school at the same time and decided that, in spite of two different specialties, they would open a practice together to share office space and personnel.
 
Dr. Smith was the psychiatrist and Dr. Jones was the proctologist; they put up a sign reading: "Dr. Smith and Dr. Jones: Hysterias and Posteriors". The town council was livid and insisted they change it.
 
So, the docs changed it to read: "Schizoids and Hemorrhoids." This was also not acceptable, so they again changed the sign. "Catatonics and High Colonics"......No go.
 
Next, they tried "Manic Depressives and Anal Retentives"....thumbs down again. Then came "Minds and Behinds"....still no good. Another attempt resulted in "Lost Souls and Butt Holes".......unacceptable again! So they tried "Analysis and Anal Cysts".....not a chance. "Nuts and Butts".....no way. "Freaks and Cheeks".....still no good. "Loons and Moons".....forget it.
 
Almost at their wit's end, the docs finally came up with: "Dr. Smith and Dr.
Jones--Odds and Ends". Everyone loved it.
 
 

--

Rita

Michelle, I'm so glad to hear that Joe is going to be ok :) Praise the Lord!!! Greg, I realized that I forgot to send condolences in my previous posts about your Grandfather. I pray everyone is doing well and being comforted as only the Lord can. Well, today the weather has definitely changed. It is 48 degrees :( The last two days were beautiful. We took Marleigh outside without her jacket Tuesday and she loved it. She fell down on her bottom a few times in the grass and when she did she was trying to lift her legs up off the grass. I'm guessing she didn't like it poking her, it was too funny!!! She cried when we came inside. She went for her 1 year checkup Tuesday morning. She weighs 22.4 lbs and is 29 inches tall :P She is growing up to be a beautiful little girl, kinda makes me sad she's not my little baby anymore. That fact also gives me a hankering for another one LOL!! Hold your horses there Nellie, nothing serious in the making, it's just a thought in the back of my mind :) I hope everyone has had a blessed week and it continues, love to all.

Food For thought

A Bible that is falling apart, usually belongs to a person who isn't!

Rita

Michelle, I am so glad to hear that Joe is ok. God is good

Julie, I did tell Michelle what style my home is. Also, are you and David or any of your family coming in for Easter? I haven't heard anything, so I wasn't sure.

I'm also getting very excited about Easter and being able to see everyone. I cant wait!!!! I hope my kitchen will be installed by then. I have already painted the kitchen walls, now we are just waiting on the cabinets and appliances to get here. Me and Steve are going to install everything and if we don't get it finished Andy is going to try to come in the weekend before Easter and help his dad finish up. Have I told you that I'm excited to see everyone!!!!

Love you all

Hello, Everyone! Joe is fine, just got thrown around due to an explosion close by. A lot of the men got cuts and bruises, nothing worse than a concussion. Joe got stitches on his forehead, and should be fine in a few days. Thanks for your prayers. More later, love, Michelle and girls

Riding Faith to New Limits

A traveler, hiking through the wilderness, comes to the edge of a canyon. Seeking a way to the other side, he discovers a big rope stretched over the canyon. As his eyes follow the rope toward the other side, he is surprised to see a man coming toward him, confidently pushing a wheelbarrow. Arriving on his side of the canyon, the traveler exclaims, “That was truly amazing!”

The man with the wheelbarrow asks, “Do you believe that I can do it again?”

“Oh, of course,” the traveler replies. “You walked across with such confidence.”

“Do you really believe I can do it again?” asks the man with the wheelbarrow.

“Definitely,” replies the traveler.

“Very good, then,” says the man with the wheelbarrow. “Hop in and I will take you across.”

Many of us look at God the same way we look at the man with the wheelbarrow. We say we have faith that God can do anything. Yet, when it comes time to get in the wheelbarrow, our faith begins to dwindle. Haven’t we seen enough of His promises to trust Him to carry us across?

By Michael Belk

Praying for you all Michelle.

We will most certainly keep them in our prayers , and God is ever present with them . We will be thinking of you all Michelle.My grandson David is headed to Afghanistan and should be there soon also. We will be praying for God to protect ALL our service men and women.

Please pray for Michelle, Joe and children today. I will leave her to tell the details however, Joe was hurt today, though not killed, Thank God. We pray daily for them and God was merciful as usual. Nonetheless, I wanted you to know. Family ties are so important to all of us....if one is so blest to have such, but it is especially wonderful to military families. (Of course, I say that seeing we were military for 25 yrs. 11 months and 15 days.
Your mother used to send Michael and Michelle little cards and stuff and to this day Michelle has some of her treasures).
I send love and daily prayers to all of you today.
(Oh, Teresa, did you ever tell Michelle the name of your style 0f decor)?
Love and Prayers,
Julie

Thank you David for sharing your letter with us, it gave us a look into dads heart and how he felt, about his savior and his family.It is so precious.

Please make me a copy David and send it to me! This here is too small for me to read! Sounds like Dad wanted to be sure you knew to trust your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for anything you might need over there! I'm so glad you shared that.

 

 

 

This is Bobbie's kids. Landon is on the R, Shawn Michael in the Middle and Marleigh is leaving the pic. LOL In the walker is Lakin, Landon's brother.

 

This is Marleigh's "tired" walk!

Hey Everybody,

I just got caught up with the blog from this past week! I have been reading here and there just haven't had a chance to post. I think the bench is a wonderful idea! Can't wait to see it! I have a prayer request. One of my students cracked his skull last weekend while skateboarding. I know he was in ICU all week and I'm not sure if he's still in the hospital or not. He's ok but he may have to go on homebound for the rest of the year because of his injuries.

Thank you David for sharing that with us. I needed a good cry before going to bed tonight. Knowing that they are together again does my heart good :) I think I will print that out. Did he always sign his letters with a heart? I think that is sweet. What year did you go to the gulf? I am excited for spring this year too. I'm hoping to get my flower bed cleaned out this week while I'm off. I can't wait for Marleigh to be able to help this year. Last year I was not feeling it LOL.........so we just let grow whatever popped up out of the ground. I did have a beautiful morning glory vine sprout up at the bottom of my shepherd's hook and grew up it all summer. I'm hoping it will return this year. Love to all, MP3

David, thanks so much for sharing that. I haven't read the whole thing yet...I'm on my phone and it's hard to read, but I loved seeing his writing again. I've been thinking about Grandpa a lot lately. The weather is getting so nice and flowers will be up soon. I'm excited to go up to the cemetery, and to see all of ya'll at Easter!

This evening I felt impressed to share something with everyone. Before I went to the Gulf War, Daddy wrote us a letter. I have kept that letter in my Bible ever since and read and re-read it many times. It always gives me comfort and now, with Daddy gone on to heaven a year ago, that letter is even more precious than it has been all these years. I attach it this way so you can print it and keep a copy if you like, perhaps near at hand where you can also get comfort from it when you think of Daddy.

Whatever is decided on the bench is fine with me. A photo of them would be nice on the stone.
David

What ever is deciced for the cementary about the bench is fine by me. Hopefully we will see everyone at Easter.

What ever you all decide foe the bench for Mom and Dad , will work for me.

David is content to be back at the nursing home, he hates hospitals any way. he has to be on the antibiotic's for about 10 days and then they will check it again . Hopefully it will be all gone by then. I read the blog every day , but have just been too tired to blog, sorry and thanks for all the prayers . Love you All.

Our bench is cut and it is much easier to sit on than one might be just shaped like whatever rock they use.

Hey
This is Rita. I came down to Bobbie's today and it is supposed to be 77 but it had better get with it. It is cloudy and cool right now. She has 4 kids today, one is not here today. Oh my word, You definitely need training for this many kids.
Trish, if the bench isn't cut, it would just be whatever shape the rock is and they would just put legs on it. I thought it would look better cut into a bench. Whatever you guys want is fine...I like what Trish said about Treadway and Mommy and Daddy...their pic will tell who they are.
Do you all remember the pic of the little girl on the tombstone up there at the cemetery? Is it still there. Bobbie and I both remembered that. I would've taken a pic of a bench but they didn't have any there. You can see them on the website. Ms. Marleigh has gone to sleep, Landon and Shawn are out at the swingset and Lakin is gettin' fussy. =o

As far as the bench goes, anything the majority of you decide is FINE with me! I think the whole thing is a wonderful idea! A great monument!

I like a recent picture like the one on the porch of them at their 69th anniversary that emily took as long as they are both smiling. I think a 5x7 it's only a hundred more and it's their money anyway. I think treadway in large letters and then in memory of mommy and daddy would be nice. Rita what shape is the bench if we don't have it cut rectangular? I didn't quite understand that.

Happy belated birthday Shawn Hall hope you had a good "Irish" birthday. Vonda how is David managing since he is back at the nursing home?

I don't know what the budget is, but I think it would be nice to have a pic and short something about who it is in memory of. Mom and Dad or whatever the consensus is.

BENCH

I drove up to the Stone Co and got a few prices. We need to decide what we want engraved on the bench and if we want a picture and which one. I personally, would like one that is recent if we go with a pic, it doesn't matter to me one way or the other.
For a 32 inch (two seater) bench it would cost $300, (polished included). For it to be cut (rectangular) it would be an additional $90. Engraving added to the bench would cost $285. That is for example "In memory of Ralph & Vivian Treadway" or "In memory of Mommy and Daddy" etc. She said when you get into Bible verses and lots of dates, it would increase in price, understandably. Someone mentioned a picture of them and they can do that. It is an oval insert that they make from an original picture (has to be sent to Canada) and it has a lifetime warranty. I asked her "Whose lifetime?" and she said she had never thought of that!! Anyway, for a 3 3/4 X 5 1/16, the price is $324. For a 5 X 7, it is $424. An 8 X 10 being over $600. She said that is our greatest expense...the warranty also covers vandalism. You siblings need to decide what you want on there...But the bad news is that it won't be done by Easter. And she said no matter where you get it done, most likely it will not be done by then. 4-6 weeks is a rough estimate. Michelle asked where the money would come from...actually Ruth held that back when she dispersed Mommy's money since we were already talking about the bench.
The total with the smaller picture is $999.00. The sooner you all weigh in, the sooner I can place the order. If you decide you don't want a picture, they can put things like a bible, praying hands, etc. and they all look really nice. They can put flowers (lilac) or just whatever. Let me know what you all think. I'll call Lonnie.

Trish my cabinets are the same as the ones I had in C,burg which is the same as in Ruths kitchen the counter top have browns, black, and beige. I got all new appliances which look like stainless steel but does not show finger prints, it is called silver mist. The floors in the kitchen(old living room) are actually in pretty good condition so I'm going to paint them either dark brown or black. I wanted to sand and stain them but we have to patch a few small areas. Also, of course the Easter dinner can be here if it rains. This house is always open for friends and family.

That's correct about the bench. It is from the same company as well as the treadway rock Danny and I bought mom and dad that is on the hill. They can do stuff in color as well as natural. It is done with laser. They also did a huge rock for George jones. If you pull up his home in Tennessee it is at the entrance of his home. They set up at the fair grounds and many of the stars that perform buy their stones. They have pre made scenes or you can give them exactly what you want as a picture or words. They are very nice to work with.
My kids left last night and boy do I miss them this morning. Every morning Clara comes and gets in bed with me and we watch sprout and she brings her diaper!
Last night we had supper before they left and I have never seen a little one eat so much. She ate baked steak, mashed potatoes, peas, Mac n cheese, biscuits....she is definitely a spuds kid! So we tried to give Brooks a bite of mashed potatoes...he gagged and threw it all up. He doesn't like anything in his mouth unless it is strained:) he is def gonna have an easy gag reflex! Good luck with that Amy - Jacob and Danny are the worlds worst or so I thought until Brooks ;) Greg said they slept all the way home and he didn't have to stop at all. I gave Brooks a bath after supper and he had a bottle and then both kids went into their pajamas. Only way to travel. Too bad adults can't do that.
Teresa what kind of kitchen cabinets and counters did u get. Can't wait to see it. Is our backup plan for Easter- in case the weather is bad- at the home place? You never know about the weather at the end of April, could be snow, rain, or 80 degrees!
Michelle I didn't realize that we were so close in age. I can always remember how old Amy is because I was 10 when she was born, now I can remember yours too, since I was 9 :)

Hershey is as cute as a button. I like the short doo!

The bench I was referring to is one that our employees bought us a few years ago as a Christmas present and it is so engraved. I believe it came from the same company that Trish is recommending we use for a bench for the graveyard. I was just commenting that the company's work is very nice.

Obituary

I know that some of you went to school with Shirley or her siblings.  She was from a large family like ours and I think she was in Timmy's class.  Mommy was friends with her sister, Olive Crookshanks.

 

 

Shirley Boggess Rider

SMOOT — Shirley Boggess Rider, 52,  passed away Tuesday afternoon, March 15, 2011, at Greenbrier Valley Medical Center in Ronceverte, W.Va., following a long illness.

Born July 8, 1958, at Smoot, she was the daughter of the late Roy E. and Mamie M. Goins Boggess. She was a homemaker and of the Baptist faith. Shirley loved crocheting, needlecraft and crafts of all kinds.

Other than her parents, she was proceeded in death by her husband, Paul David "Bunyon" Rider, in 2009; one sister, Mary Rider; and two brothers, Curtis and Ronald Boggess.

Survivors include a son, Shawn Matthew Rider and his wife Marlana with children Savannah and Adam, all of Clintonville; a daughter, Jessica Lynn Rider Bowles and husband Thomas with children Nevaeh and Bryce, all of Rupert; eight sisters, Olive Crookshanks of Rainelle, Frances Hedrick of Lorain, Ohio, Mildred Meadows of Lewisburg, Betty McClung of Smoot, Janet Hedrick of Rainelle, Jean Heaster of Keiffer, Sharlet Holliday of Lewisburg, Myrtle Heimberger of Smoot; five brothers, Harold Boggess of Alderson, Homer Boggess of Smoot, Cleveland Boggess of Green Sulphur Springs, Robert Boggess of Springdale, Norman Boggess of McRoss; special grandchild Zackaria of Rainelle; stepmother-in-law Mable Rider of Marlinton and several nieces and nephews.

There will be a graveside service at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 19, 2011, at Richardson Cemetery, Smoot, with Bishop Frank B. Jones officiating. Burial will follow immediately afterward.

Friends may call from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at Wallace & Wallace Chapel in Rainelle.

Online condolences may be sent to www.wallaceandwallacefh.com.

Arrangements by Wallace & Wallace of Rainelle.

Rita

Germs and Jesus!

I love the story of a missionary family, home on furlough and visiting friends. When it was time for dinner, the mother of the missionary children called her kids in. When her son burst through the door, she took one look at his hands and said, "Son, go wash those hands. They are dirty and covered in germs." With a scowl on his face, the little boy headed to the sink muttering, "Germs and Jesus! Germs and Jesus! That's all I hear about and I've never seen either one!" While we tend to say that seeing is believing, faith says that believing is seeing. Doubt creates mountains; faith moves them. Faith produces trust that shatters fear and leaves no room for discouragement

Rita

Yard Sale

It was advertised that the devil was putting his tools up for sale. When the day of the sale came, each tool was priced and laid out for public inspection. And what a collection it was. Hatred, envy, jealousy, deceit, pride, and lying … the inventory was treacherous. Off to one side was a harmless-looking tool priced higher than all the rest, even though it was obviously more worn than any other tool the devil owned. "What's the name of this tool?" asked one of the customers. "That," the devil replied, "is discouragement." The customer asked, "But why have you priced it so high?" The devil smiled and explained, "Because discouragement is more useful to me than all the others. I can pry open and get inside a man's heart with that tool when I can't get near him with any other. It's badly worn because I use it on almost everyone, since so few people know it belongs to me."

Rita

So, if the Cadle Company purchased a bench, is that the one you are putting at the cemetery? Post pictures!
Love to you all! Michelle and gang

Lori
PetSmart is awesome!

Hershey

Rita she is a doll! Glad she did well. They can cut her all different lengths. If you like it about 2 inches you just tell them. It is very easy to take care of them when they are short though. Where did you take her?

Hershey

 

 

This is Hershey after being groomed for the first time. Lorie, She got an A+, and I was shocked. I figured she would chew them up. They said she was the best little thing. We are going to let it grow back out and let her be a fluff ball, but we can get her use to being brushed while it is short.

Just wanted to let everyone know that the bench that The Cadle Company employees bought us is very nice indeed. I believe that Danny and/or Trish probably oversaw that purchase.

Tanners Wrestling Debut

This is a video of Tanner wrestling at the Rainelle Open last weekend.  He hasn't wrestled since 4th grade!
Not sure what the music is on here but you can always mute it  :)

Hello

Hi Everyone,

Dad seams to be on the mend. He really gave us a scare! Mom is up there now with him. We are really missing Grandpa Ralph today. The sun is out today and there is a hint of spring in the air. I can't believe that one year has gone by already. Happy Birthday to my hubby. He is a St. Patty's Day baby. The girls are looking forward to playing outside. Love the pictures of Clara and Brooks. Greg we are sorry to hear about your Grandpa. Know he is in a better place. I hae the day off and am making spaghetti and trying to clean house. Theresa you got mom hooked on the Anna Lee. My girls like to surprise her with them now. Please keep my nephew David and his family in your prayers. He left for Afghanistan(not sure on spell) and will be there for a year. His wife and 2 little ones will be movning back to MI. I hope you are all well. Praising my Savior for the blessings He gives me and loving my family because He picked each member and knit us together with His Almighty Hands

Greg, I am so sorry to hear about your Grandfather, Are thoughts and prayers are with you and your family . We Love you All.

There, now wasn't that nice!! Good to hear from all of you. And for the rest of you....

Greg, so sorry about your Grandpa. The kids are absolutely beautiful. Anyone reading this blog, who doesn't know us, would probably think they are Trish's grandkids. Ya'll know Ruth doesn't know how to use the camera!!

Julie, If anybody can bounce back from this....you can. Besides with all the prayers going up, God is strengthening you...and Vonda...you too.

Any thoughts on the bench? I'm going to run up there tomorrow. I have to go to the Dr. in Lewisburg anyway. Just routine stuff. I'll let you know what I find out. I went to the website but I want to see it up close.

Hello to all,
Hey Rita. Send me some of your recipes with the points figured out for chicken dishes when you can and if you want to. I have a Wt. Watcher's Cookbook, but a lot of the recipies do not taste good.
Trisha, I am praying for you to have some better days............and very soon! Bless your heart, you are way too young for all this.
Bobby, I am trucking right along with the ole' leg, knee, ankle and feet problems. Hopefully the aircast will come off the left foot tomorrow because it is heavy and has caused a probable tear in the knee. My insurance will not allow me to have an MRI to verify to Doc's suspicions, but nonetheless, it is quite painful. The leg brace cannot go back on that foot for a while longer, though I wear the other ugly thing. God knows all this and because He knows, I have a peace most of the time. My Preteen Sunday School class prays regularly for me and I am just glad to have them praying at all. Ha!
Happy belated Birthdays to all those with March birthdays.
Greg, my heart goes out to you during this time of your loss.
Yes, Teresa, do tell Michelle the name of your decor style. I just know..or a least, I think I know it is 'Shanty' something. ............Isn't it? I just know it is 'so, you'.
Vonda, how is David? How are you?
David says he is probably going to come home Labor Day.
There now, Rita, didn't I do good? I obeyed you and checked in on the blog.
Maybe if I did it more often I wouldn't have to be so 'WORDY'.....ya' think?
Love to all of you and prayers are sent regularly your way.
Julie

Hey Michelle, to answer your question, I don't have just one style of antiques that I like. I like the French Country look that is in my dining room and my new kitchen but I also like the Shabby Chic look, painted and distressed pieces of furniture. Actually I have a very eclectic home.

Greg, I'm really sorry to hear about your grandfather. We'll be praying or your family.

Daddy it's been a year since you went to Heaven , I know you are Happy there with Mommy and Jesus, But you are greatly missed here, you left a great empty hole . I love you and Miss you every day.

THEOLOGY AS EXPLAINED BY CHILDREN


The first book of the Bible is Guinessis, in which Adam & Eve were created from an apple tree.
Noah's wife was called Joan of Ark.
Lot's wife was a pillar of salt by day and a ball of fire by night.
Samson slayed the Philistines with the axe of the Apostles.
Unleavened bread is bread made without ingredients.
Moses went to the top of Mt. Cyanide to get the 10 commandments.
Joshua let the Hebrew in the battle of Geritol.
David fought the Finkelsteins, a race of people who lived in Biblical times.
Solomon has 300 wives and 700 porcupines.
The people who followed Jesus were called the 13 decibels.
The Epistles were the wives of the Apostles.
One of the opossums was St. Matthew.
A Godly person should have only one wife. This is called monotony.
A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
Proverbs 17:22

Hello, Everyone!
Thanks for the birthday wishes. My wish will come true before June :)
Sorry about your grandfather, Greg.
Love the pics of Clara and Brooks!
Trish, sorry about your ribs and your ankle. You are getting as bad as my mother :) Hope it heals quickly. What will they do about your ribs?
When you all decide on the bench, will you be collecting $$$ for it? Post on here so I can send some money, too.
Teresa, what style of antiques are you into? My mother always tells me about it, but forgets the name of the style. Post pics of all that work you guys are doing on the house. It sounds like it will be nice.
Have to run, love all of you, Michelle and gang

Just thought I would let everyone know that gregs grandpa died this evening. He and the kids are headed home tomorrow evening after supper.

Teresa, emily just said how she and Zac didn't have any recent pictures of them. Emily took most of the ones of Clara and Brooks. I am going to miss them when they go. I have been with them for almost two weeks now!

Clara looks like she is getting tall! And she is eating at the big table in a cloth chair? She is growing up too fast! Brooks is a hammmm! They are adorable babies. You two have done good Amy!

Hi Rita, there I said it! We have Easter Lilies coming up, so
I was thinking we could dig some of them up and take up to the cemetery. I would love to see the new bench up there when we go up for Easter but I'm not sure if we will be able to with only a few weeks till we get together. Rita, we also finally got everything straightened out at Lowes. We were holding up a lot of people but we couldn't help it. I did get my cabinets, appliances, and counter tops ordered for my new kitchen. I'm so excited!!!!!

Trish, I hope your trip to the doc and everything went well. I enjoyed alllllll the pics of Clara. Thats how I am too, the pics that Emily took were all so good I printed off just about every one of them. I'm hoping to get her to take some of us this Spring/Summer. She does such good work. Maybe her and Steve can trade she can take some of us if he takes some of her and Zach.

By the way, I would like to know if anyone had 2 sets of twin mattresses that they may want rid of. I bought 2 antique twin beds for down stairs and was hoping someone might have some mattresses that they need to sale or give away.

Vonda, I was also wanting to know how David was doing I haven't heard anything for a couple of days. Hope your not putting to many hours in at the hospital. Take care of yourself.

Ruth, I was also wanting to know if Meril was doing O.K. Are they still going to wait till next month to come home.

Love you all

Here is the link for the stone benches, you all can look it has samples and prices as well.

http://www.naturalstonesign.com/benches.htm