2nd Post for today!

Yesterday, my sisters celebrated my 50th birthday by honoring me with the most perfect party! I had no idea where it was or who would be there when I arrived. Mom and Sara picked Lauren and I up at 11:45 and off we went. I realized that we were heading to Hendersonville but I did not know the location until we turned down Anderson Lane and I knew we were going to Nita's house. When we pulled up there were cars everywhere and I was trying to identify the owners of the vehicles when Corinne greeted me at the car and helped us in. As I came through the door, there was a room full of very special people, all waiting for me. The tables were set with the most beautiful flowers and place settings. Leslie made a CD of songs I love as well as from the year I was born that was playing in the background. After lots of hugs, the sisters had the group circle up, we counted (25 total) and Tracey prayed the sweetest prayer. We were seated and served our delicious lunch. While we were eating our lunch, each one would get up and share a story or a memory that we shared. I was overwhelmed with the kind words that were said to me and about me. We had birthday cake and ice cream with coffee and then I opened the most marvelous gifts. Each gift was so thoughtfully chosen and things that I love given so generously by such dear friends and family. Leslie made over 100 pictures while Emily, Nita, Corinne and Jacque worked cleaning up and washing all the dishes. It was such a special time and no one seemed rushed or in a hurry to leave, they were there to celebrate me.

A very special memory was made, one that I will treasure for the rest of my life!

Fifty things about me at 50....

in no particular order.......

1. I am blessed to have been born to wonderful parents, Patsy and Billy Cline.
2. I believe that laughter is the best medicine of all.
3. I love waking up in the morning and having coffee ready and waiting on me prepared by my sweet husband.
4. I love having sisters that are my friends.
5. I love anything and everything animal print.
6. I love that my husband is my best friend.
7. I love blogging and keeping my picture a day journal.
8. I appreciate my health more than I ever have in my life.
9. I hate unloading the dishwasher.
10.I think the greatest accomplishment of life was having Patrick.
11. I am bigger than I have ever been in my life and I am dealing with it.
12. I love my Mother. We are best friends and I think she has wonderful advice and she is fun to be around.
13. I have learned to say "no" to unrealistic expectations or commitments.
14. I have learned that I can go to sleep if there are a few dishes in the sink.
15. I look forward to the mail coming everyday.
16. I love reading my Bible and being in Beth Moore Bible studies.
17. I don't mind cooking because Brad thinks everything I cook tastes good.
18. I love taking pictures and capturing everyday moments.
19. I have learned that it is better to focus on what is clean in my house instead of what is not clean.
20. I love our home and I don't mind that I can go a week or more without leaving.
21. I love rearranging my office and finding new ways to organize my supplies.
22. I love making to do lists and marking everything off on the same day.
23. I love looking at my completed scrapbooks.
24. I hate folding clothes from the dryer.
25. I love being a friend and while I do fall short sometimes, I try really hard to keep in touch.
26. I love going through my magazines and cutting out ideas and recipes that I want to try.
27. I have learned I would rather put money in the bank than take it out.
28. I no longer purchase by "how much down' and "how much a month".
29. I love to sleep! I have been a night owl all my life and now I know the more rest I get, the better I feel.
30. I have learned it is more enjoyable to focus on good in myself and others than to dwell on shortcomings and flaws.
31. I have to have my purse sitting near me at all times.
32. I love family traditions.
33. I love my other names, Hazel, Sweet Pea, and Kimmie.
34. I love anything sparkly, flashy or monogrammed.
35. I love the taste of diet coke and sometimes with Crown Royal in it!
36. I love reality shows on TV.
37. I do not like driving in the rain or in traffic.
38. I love that I can wear cute pj's to work.
39. I love quite time.
40. I love that my husband is so affectionate.
41. I love family gatherings and celebrations.
42. I love sitting down to a home cooked meal (especially if it is at Mom's).
43. I don't like text messaging and I don't want to learn how to do it.
44. I love clean sheets with fresh shaven legs.
45. I love a good hair day!
46. I am more thankful than ever before.
47. I am blessed with so much and by so many, more than I could ever deserve.
48. I know that bad days and bad times pass much quicker than good days or good times.
49. I have learned the true meaning of GRACE.
50. My goal in life is to be able to go to bed each night knowing that I am at least, a little tiny bit better of a person than I was when I woke up that morning.

Finally updating.......

Well I have certainly let my blog slip as 2009 started. I have not even posted the birthdays or anniversaries so I will do that first off.

January 2, 2009 Corinne and Mark celebrated their 27th wedding anniversary

Also on January 2, 2009 was Cassie Smith's Birthday

on January 11, 2009 Brigham Lee Angela turned 21 years old

On January 15, 2009 John Jackson Routh turned 33 years old!

and today our little man Jackson Smith turns 5 years old !

The past few weeks have been pretty uneventful compared to the weeks of December. I have been connecting with friends that I have not talked to or seen in a while and that has been very nice. I received 2 very sweet notes from 2 special little girls this week. Emma and Ava sent these thank yous for the Kimmie party we had after Christmas. I do believe that Emma may pick up my scrapbook love based on the way she decorated her card. I sure hope one of the little ones will someday be as passionate about it as I am.

Last Sunday Brad and I went to get me a new desk for my office. We were looking for something that would be conducive for my job as well as scrapbooking. I found just the one I wanted and Lauren agreed to put it all together. It has a rolling cart that fits under it to hold my office supplies and files and it is perfect! I love office supplies as much as scrapbook supplies so organizing everything was so much fun. It took Lauren and Brad (mostly Lauren) all afternoon Sunday to put it together and at 10:30pm we called Patrick to come up while I was on break and move the old one out and the new one in. I spent the rest of my shift taking Comcast calls while I was setting up everything. I was very annoyed at all the people in Michigan that kept calling and interrupting me!

Today I went and got my hair done and I am so excited about my 50th birthday party tomorrow. I do not know any details other than Mom is picking me up at 11:30 to take me! I am sure I will have pictures and details posted by tomorrow afternoon!

Happy Birthday Sister!

Happy Happy Birthday to Nita today!

Cline Family Reunion

Yesterday, 41 Cline's (by birth or marriage) all gathered together at Jimmy and Judy Cline's house for a family reunion. Daddy had a family reunion 12-26-1995 at Nita and Ray's house and we have not had one since. I remember how he was so excited and determined to have it. When we were growing up, we always had big celebrations for Christmas, Easter and 4th of July. Each year the Christmas party was at a different family members home and I remember that we would decorate our garage and have the food out on top of the washer and dryer! Wonderful memories of being together and celebrating. Yesterday was bittersweet, so great to be together and see family from Georgia, Kentucky and even Mississippi but sad that so so many of our family are no longer with us.

Catching Up, Long Post!

Well, Christmas has come and gone now and I usually feel so let down when it is all over. This year I think I took it all in more and savored each moment to the fullest. In my almost 50 years, I think that this Christmas was one of the best. I thought alot about Daddy, Aunt Ree, Mema, Cheryl and Ned. I watched old videos of the family singing the 12 Days of Christmas and getting in the circle and counting. Traditions have changed and new ones implemented, we have lost loved ones and welcomed new ones in and so life goes on.

Patrick and I missed the family Christmas get together at Nita and Ray's because of work but Leslie took some wonderful pictures and video of the night. Mom presented all the little ones with a book of her favorite poems from childhood and they all loved

the books.

Christmas Eve was spent in the kitchen with Lauren and Patrick cooking and baking. They set me up a little desk and chair so that I could oversee and call out the ingredients needed for the recipes. We made lots of deserts and made a traditional Christmas dinner!

The Pigue's came (another tradition)over after we had dinner for desert and coffee

and to exchange gifts.

Mom came over to spend the night (another tradition) and she took her bath and put her Christmas pj's on got settled in her bed and Patrick and I manned the kitchen with the preparations for our Christmas morning breakfast and the sugar cookie decorating. (another tradition)

Before turning out the lights I got the coffee ready with the Christmas cups Mom gave me several years ago (another tradition) and then it was off to bed.

We woke up Christmas morning and had our Christmas toast and sausage pinwheels that Corinne sent us. We opened presents and everyone was delighted with their gifts.

After breakfast, Mom and I settled in the bedroom to watch Christmas shows that I had collected over the past few weeks and then it was time for work. Mom packed all her stuff up and Patrick came to get her while Brad and Lauren went to the Pigue's family Christmas at his parents house.

Then it was all over and this is what remained !

Friday was my fourth annual party for the little ones! We met at the Veranda for breakfast and I was in my glory! What joy it brings to me to see the little ones and to have them all in one place at one time is pure happiness! Brand new baby Will Carter is still too little to come out but he will be at the next one and also we look forward to having Mary Hollis too! (I hope that is the name they will give her) I found a place on line to have books made for each one of them with the story about them. They were just squealing when they realized that it had their name in the story and their friends names too!

Leslie took some awesome pictures with the new camera she got from Russell for Christmas and I am going to make one slide show of everything in the next few days.

A new tradition this year was a girl gathering with Starr and Samantha that we planned back in November. Samantha provided some amazing appetizers and Starr provided the Mimosas. We had a ball just talking and laughing and catching up.

Annual Mother Daughter Day

In Keeping with tradition, Mom and I had our Mother/Daughter day Friday. It has been on our calenders for weeks. We started this tradition in 1998. I pick Mom up in the morning and I have her a caramel swirl capacino waiting. We head to IHOP for breakfast and our planning session. We pull out our shopping lists and compare coupons and get our game plan. After breakfast we headed to Macy's. We found a spot right at the door and Mom was convinced that it was a sign that we were going to be successful. As luck would have it (another sign) someone left a Linens n Things buggy at the door. We discussed it and decided that neither of us could carry anything very well and I could push it for walking so off we went! We did receive some odd looks but I think other shoppers were just wishing they had one too! We went right down our lists getting what we needed and then it was time to go to Starr for our pedicures. After all that walking, it was great. Starr had the cutest animal print notepad and feather pen and a Vera Bradley change purse/key ring for me. When our toes were dry, we were off again to Chick fil-a for a little snack. Then it was to Bed Bath and Beyond. We were laughing over the fact that we were picking up items and saying you get this for my stockling and I will get one for your stocking!

We finished up around 4:00 in time for me to get Mom home for another tradition she has of making chocolate covered cherries with friends that have done this for years. We were tired but it was a great day and another wonderful memory was made!

It's not about the tree.....

Over the past two weeks, our living room and dining room were completely jammed with plastic storage tubs galore filled with Christmas decorations. Since I can not decorate the way I love to, I have had to choose certain things that were a must. I spent lots of time going through each tub and inspecting each ornament. I came across 45 of the balls that Aunt Ree and I spent months creating. We used styrofoam balls and decorated with fabric, beads, pearls, sequins and anything else that we could find at Ben Franklin or Woolworths. (That gives you an idea how long ago they were made) They were our treasures and each year we wrapped them carefully in tissue paper to preserve them. She gave me the treasured ornament collection after I was married in 1984. I still have them and they are have aged over the years but they still contain the wonderful memories today from that precious time spent with her. Patrick and I went through another tub of all of his ornaments. Nita gave him a collection of Crayon ornaments for the first 8 years of his life and then when they were discontinued, she gave him Vanderbilt and other sport related ornaments. He has many ornaments that Mom gave him, some from her trips to New York, Austria and many with his name on them. He has a Big Bird that Tracey gave him on his first Christmas and several from Jacque that were made especially for him. When we got to the bottom of the box, I found this ornament in the picture. It was the first of many that he made for me over the years. He was 3 years old and attending Alta Loma Daycare. It is very worn and fragile but I wouldn't take anything for it. I guess the point of this post is that no matter how fancy the decorations, or how elaborate your house is decorated, the memories are the part that I want to remember. I am not going to be upset that our house doesn't have a tree in every room or that I didn't get to try to make our house look like all the pictures in magazines that I tore out to copy. As Tom Signs reminded Starr and she reminded me, " It's not about the tree".

Make a memory and treasure it.

Happy Birthday Tara !

Happy Birthday to our sweet Tara !

Cline Cookie Swap 12-13-08

Today was the Cline Girl Annual Cookie swap that Leslie hosts for us each year. It was so much fun and another wonderful memory was made. The little ones are another year older and seem to enjoy the decorating more each year. Leslie had a perfect "Martha Stewart" lunch for us all and then we filled our tins with delicious cookies. The day was topped off with entertainment by the little ones and it was priceless to me. We were delighted to have two more Clines added to our group this year, Faye and Alice. Alice made us all cosmetic bags with our monogram on them. Alice also was the co-picture maker!

You are cordially invited to
A BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION!!!

Guest of Honor: Jesus Christ
Date:

Every day. Traditionally, December 25but He's always around, so the date is flexible...

Time:

Whenever you're ready.(Please don't be late, though, or you'll miss out on all the fun!)

Place:

In your heart.... He'll meet you there. (You'll hear Him knock.)

Attire:

Come as you are... grubbies are okay.He'll be washing our clothes anyway. He said something aboutnew white robes and crowns for everyone who stays till the last.

Tickets:

Admission is free. He's already paid for everyone... (He says you wouldn't have been able to afford it anyway...it cost Him everything He had. But you do need to accept the ticket!!

Refreshments:

New wine, bread, and a far-out drink He calls "Living Water,"followed by a supper that promises to be out of this world!
Gift Suggestions: ; Your life. He's one of thosepeople who already has everything else.(He's very generous in return though. Just wait until you see what He has for you!)

Entertainment:

Joy, Peace, Truth, Light, Life, Love, Real Happiness,Communion with God, Forgiveness, Miracles, Healing, Power,Eternity in Paradise, Contentment, and much more! (All "G" rated, so bring your family and friends.)


R.S.V.P. Very Important!

He must know ahead so He canreserve a spot for you at the table.Also, He's keeping a list of His friends for future reference. He calls it the "Lamb's Book of Life."

Party being given by His Kids (that's us!!)!Hope to see you there! For those of you whom I willsee at the party, share this with someone today!

Happy Birthday to Drew!

Much love to you Drew on your birthday! I am so proud of the man you are and I love you very much!

I meant to post this article about Drew a month ago so today is a good day to put it here!

By Princeton Premier
Dated: Nov 12, 2008
Drew Maddux, head varsity basketball coach and an instructor for Christ Presbyterian Academy, has been chosen for inclusion in the 2008-2009 Princeton Premier Registry.

Drew Maddux is the head varsity basketball coach and an instructor for Christ Presbyterian Academy, a parochial school that is committed to the education of the children who belong to the Christ Presbyterian Church. Drew has been in this capacity since 2005 and is responsible for teaching classes on speech and the Bible, and for coaching the boy’s varsity basketball team. He is a seasoned athlete who has himself, broken records and been honored with numerous awards for his athletic achievement. This proficiency is the primary reason for CPA’s success. At the conclusion of the ’08 season, CPA ended up 24-3 and 14-0 in the district and won the league title. Drew not only coaches his athletes to play like champions on the court, but to also pursue excellence in every aspect of their lives, namely the classroom. His goal is to prepare student-athletes to be Christ-centered and to equip them with skill sets that will prove priceless in their collective futures. Drew is well known for his exemplary record of service to both the academic and sports departments, and highly regarded for his professionalism. He credits his success to having great coaches and role models and aspires to continued service as an educator and coach to the youth of Nashville, Tennessee. Drew holds a bachelor’s degree in science from Vanderbilt College and serves on the board of directors for the local YMCA. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, travel, and of course, attending CPA basketball games.

In recognition of an exceptional career head varsity basketball coach and an instructor for Christ
Presbyterian Academy, Drew Maddux is being included in the 2008/2009 Princeton Premier Registry alongside the most prominent business leaders and professionals of every industry, from around the globe.

Introducing William Carter Routh!!!!

We are so thankful for this precious healthy baby boy! He will be one week old tomorrow and I still haven't had my hands on him yet but I plan to as soon as I can!

Proud big sister Anni and proud big brother Maddux loving their new baby brother!

Celebrating Brad's Birthday.....

Today Brad had the day off from work for his birthday. Since we were going in different directions yesterday, we celebrated today. Mom and the sisters gave him a hefty Macy's gift card for his gift so we headed there after I got him to run all of my errands. He wanted some new clothes for work so with coupons and gift card in hand we headed to the Men's department. It took just a few minutes to find several pairs of dress pants and a black shirt in his favorite Perry Ellis brand. He tried them on and they fit perfectly! I treated him to lunch at Friday's with coupons I got with my Fridays club points and we had a great time. It seems like ages that we have been anywhere together alone so it was a great outing. Now I am off to work and he is all settled in to watch a movie and keep the dogs quite.

In case you didn't know, Brad hates picture taking more than Ray and Russell put together!