Blessings Amid Chaos

Life Lived By Me

2012-01-20T08:13:00.001-06:00

I have been living life, maybe not to the fullest, but living it! Things that have kept me consumed as of late…in bullet form!

I read The Hunger Games Series. All three books in three days. Yep, I liked them! Can you tell??
Not doing laundry. How can you do laundry when your nose in buried in books? I was forced to start on the mountain loads of dirty clothes that covered our laundry room floor yesterday. OH MY! Your family runs out of clean underwear and they think its worse than a nuclear disaster. It’s underwear guys…when did boys start getting concerned about clean underwear??
Staring at dirty dishes. It’s an art to stare them down and not actually put them in the dishwasher. I was trying to make them fear my evil glare…it didn't work, as of this morning they are still sitting there. Hubby asked why I didn't clean the kitchen last night. I told him that I was trying out for the show Hoarders. He has no sense of humor. I will do dishes today. {sigh}
Having a contest with the Christmas decorations. The first one to get into, or put them into, the Rubbermaid totes, WINS! Right now, no one is winning. Go figure.
Couponing. It’s the most constructive thing I have done this week!! I have purchased papers the last two Sundays, SERVERAL PAPERS! I have cut, organized and made a notebook of coupons. I, by no means, want to become an extreme couponer but I do want to get some stuff for free or next to free! I am tired of paying for toothpaste and toilet paper! I still don’t how they do it, but I am going to give it a try!

Hmm, that about covers my life as of late. Exciting huh?

If My Body Was A Car

2012-01-05T09:04:00.000-06:00

If My Body Was a Car, by Maxine
This is just too funny - scary how true it is!!

... IF MY BODY WAS A CAR...

If my body was a car, this is the time I would be thinking about trading it in for a newer model.

I've got bumps and dents and scratches in my finish and my paint job is getting a little dull ...But that's not the worst of it.

My headlights are out of focus and it's especially hard to see things up close.

My traction is not as graceful as it once was.

I slip and slide and skid and bump into things even in the best of weather.

My whitewalls are stained with varicose veins.

It takes me hours to reach my maximum speed.

My fuel rate burns inefficiently.

But here's the worst of it --

Almost every time I sneeze, cough or sputter,

either my radiator leaks or my exhaust backfires!

Good Bye Old Friend

2012-01-04T09:31:00.000-06:00

Piggly Wiggly.

Our small town grocery store.

We didn’t frequent you every week, because we are poor and your prices were so high.

Still, I am so sad that you are leaving us.

Our Piggly Wiggly is no more. On December 31st when the owners closed the doors, they handed over the keys to the new owners.

It hurts that this small town icon will cease to exist. There is just something about Piggly Wiggly that brings me joy. Not the prices.

Maybe it was the small store atmosphere, or seeing the same cashier and bag boy each time we went in or maybe it’s just because it is The Pig, as we like to call it!

I’m sad that the Pig has left our small town.

Good bye Piggly Wiggly…

hello Save-a-Lots…

Grr.

Oh Yeah, It’s 2012

2012-01-03T11:45:00.001-06:00

I think I almost forgot it was a new year. Life has been crazy the past week or so and it seems that one day has flowed quickly into the next day. My husband has worked straight through the weekend and the New Year holiday that I don’t think either one of us really felt the excitement of the new year. Needless to say, since the hubby worked, we brought the new year in the old fashion way, sleeping! I am sure we celebrated the new years in our dreams!

Of course, with a new year brings in all the resolutions. I didn’t make anything year. On December 31st I realized that I did not lose 50 pounds that I promised on January 1, 2011 that I would, so I decided that I would do it in one day. By noon on News Year Eve when I realized that I once again did not succeed in my 2011 resolution, why make another one that I would fail at. HA!

Of course, I have things I want to accomplish this year, I just don’t want the added pressure of a resolution to do so. I want to get healthy, I want to get through the entire Bible in just one year, I want to blog everyday, I want to wake up to a clean kitchen sink….speaking of clean kitchen sinks…did anyone watch Hoarders: Buried Alive Sunday night?? That will get your butt in gear to have a clean kitchen sink every night! HA!

So with it being the 3rd of January, I am here to say, welcome 2012! Yeah I’m behind celebrating your arrival, get used to it, that’s how I roll!

I hope that your new year stated off with a bang and I wish you well on any resolutions that you made!

We Are Getting Old!!

2011-12-29T11:13:00.001-06:00

I got a puzzle for Christmas because I thought it would be a great family thing to do.

Sadly I woke up with a a terrible ear ache on Christmas day, so we waited until Monday to start working on it! I don’t think the kids were impressed. They put in a couple of pieces and made fun of us cause we were kinda of excited about it. After a while I got a great idea and turned on some 80’s music! Of course, me and the hubby started singing along to the songs…together….That’s when our middle son rolled his eyes and called us old. Bradley and Joey quickly left for town to spend Christmas money.

We could not help but to laugh ourselves silly!! NOW, we know how to get rid of the teenagers for a few hours….break out a puzzle and turn the 80’s music up loud! We listen to 4 hours of different songs from the 80’s and it was fantastic!! HA!

I guess we have officially made it to “that” stage of life….OLD!!! {{{SIGH}}}

Merry Christmas, A Day Late

2011-12-26T22:32:00.001-06:00

This has been the first chance that I have had to get on my blog to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! Yesterday I woke up with a terrible ear ache and after getting home from church I spent most of the afternoon on the couch. Not the way I planned on spending the day, but I was thankful I pushed through and was able to go to church! I love it when Christmas falls on a Sunday!!

I did get to start on antibiotics yesterday and I am able to report that even though my ear is still throbbing, I was able to come to church tonight and spend it with some special ladies! Tonight is our night to host homeless women at our church! My special friend greeted me as soon as I walked off the bus with a big hug!! We have two new ladies that joined the group tonight along with our regulars. I am happy that they feel comfortable enough to join us because as I type this, the rain is hitting the windows and it would be a cold, hard night. I really enjoy being here and have looked forward to it all day!

I guess that is all that I have to report. I am turning in and fingers crossed with get some much needed rest tonight! Merry Christmas, a day late!! :o)

It Begins & Ends Today

2011-12-22T07:04:00.003-06:00

Today I begin my Christmas shopping. UGH! Me and my cousin Annette are leaving in a few minutes and both of us have yet start the blessed event of buying Christmas presents. So, today we leave with the intent of fullfilling the job of getting all the things on our lists in one day. We'll see! Hopefully we won't kill anyone!! Wish us luck!! :o)

It’s Sad…

2011-12-19T12:34:00.001-06:00

It’s sad when my dog has more to blog about than I do.

He is full of fun…

He is full of life…

He is full of mischief…

He has four legs…

Which makes blogging easy for him. The topics are endless.

AND, he has made blogging friends with many other dog bloggers….REALLY!! Can you believe it??

I can, because he is so manstastic!

Check his blog…by click here or the link below.

http://theadventuresofhiggins.blogspot.com/

Almost Thirty Decades Coming To End!

2011-12-16T19:03:00.001-06:00

My hubby celebrated a birthday today! He turned 39 so of course we teased! LOTS!

It has been a cold and dreary day that has been filled with lots of birthday love for him. After sleeping in this morning, our middle son treated him to lunch at a new BBQ place in town. I’ll have to say it was rather yummy!!! I love trying new places and this one did not disappoint! Then there were all the cards and phone calls!! I love celebrating with my hubby!! I made him pose for a picture with Higgins, which is always the highlight of any birthday celebration! HA!

The hubster requested clam chowder for supper, so I made him yummy homemade clam chowder with basil grilled cheese sandwiches…can I say yummy????? YUM-MY! I even went a step further and made our youngest son some milk free chowder and milk free grilled cheese! He loved it by the way!!

As the day is coming to a close, we are watching The Polar Express…ahhhh, what a great way to celebrate his last year of thirty decades!! You’re welcome hunny! HA!

Looking For Last Minute Christmas Gifts?

2011-12-14T11:23:00.001-06:00

Drink coffee, help villagers!

Give coffee to loved ones as Christmas presents, help villagers!

Win, win!

Pangeo Coffee makes a perfect Christmas gift with a purpose! Give friends and loved ones a single or multi-month gift that will make their mouth happy well into the new year!

I have partnered with Jeff Power to get the word out about his coffee and to also support the development work in poor villages by drinking world-class coffee!

Helping never tasted so good!

One of the things I love is that they roast the beans on Monday and then mail your coffee out on Tuesday. Right now you are can still order for Christmas. Each bag is $14.95 and if you buy three bags the shipping is free!! Also, if you use this code: jpdbj and get $2.00 off each bag you order! For those that are awesome and put me to shame having ALLLLLLL your Christmas shopping done, you can still order and give as an extra little yummy gift, or just too have a bag for yourself!

Use this code: jpdbj at check out and get $2.00 off per bag!!

Please check out Pangeocoffee.com for more information on the coffee and Pangeo’s story!

A Hug

2011-12-12T23:37:00.001-06:00

It’s a little after 11pm and I am sitting on a blown up mattress in a room full of strangers. Well, not all are strangers, one of the ladies that is opposite the room of me is a friend that I met 2 weeks ago in the same room. Tonight I am with homeless women that have no other place to go. What an honor and privilege that I have to be here.

A new program has started in Murfreesboro called The Way of Hope. It give homeless women and their children a place to stay every night during the cold winter months. Our church along with other churches in our area have agreed to open their doors and offer a safe, warm place to stay. When I was approached about this opportunity and asked if I would be willing to help out, there was not much hesitation on my part of if I wanted to help, but when, where and I needed details! I remember going home and talking with my husband about this program and I knew that it was something that God was calling me too.

Two weeks ago the program kicked off and the first two night only one lady showed up. My heart broke hearing the news that two other were on the fence about staying and I knew that we had bad weather moving in during the evening hours. They chose not to come. The lady that did come shared her story with us and I was drawn to her in amazement of her story. I asked her if she would be back in two weeks, and she felt that she would be moving on. I was saddened, and when we parted I hug her bye and told her I would be praying for her.

Tonight when I showed up at the shelter where we would be picking up those who wanted to stay at the church, I seen her in the parking lot! I was so excited and ran to her and hugged her. A couple hours later I told her to plop down on my mattress so we could chat. We talked about things that were going on in her life the past two weeks. I told her I was thrilled that she was still here. She told me that it was people like me that made her feel welcome and when I hugged her neck she said it was things like that made her want to stay. I told her I had been praying for her and she said she knew.

Something so insignificant as a hug. A hug that I take for granted.

Tonight the group grew from one to six. One part of me is so happy that the word is out and more women feel safe enough to stay with us. Another part of me is sad that is the group has grown. That is six more homeless women.

Pray for this new mission, pray that more women that are homeless would feel safe enough to come out of the cold. Pray for their situations, their stories. Everyone has a past and ~~we are~~ I was so quick to judge them. I am so guilty of that. I have judged so many people that are on the street, with signs, wrapped up in blankets under an overpass or pushing a grocery cart down the street. Maybe if I were not so quick to judge and took a moment to listen to their story I would have understood a little more.

I have more I would love to share about some of these women, and in time, I will. Our room is quite, women are sleeping and it’s time I joined them! Goodnight!

I Have Been Baking

2011-12-08T13:27:00.001-06:00

It’s not what you think…

it is not yummy Christmas cookies…

or fudge….

or seasonal fruit cakes…

I baked a batch of pumpkin dog treats for Higgins!!!

He is such a loved doggie…or as my husband likes to say, spoiled rotten dog.

Nah, I like loved better than spoiled!!

Anyways, head over to Higgins blog to read more about these scrumptious dog biscuits!

Also, find out how you can score your doggie some treats!!!

The Difference A Day Makes

2011-12-07T12:37:00.001-06:00

Yesterday, the fog rolled in.

Today, snow is falling.

I Have Been Scolded

2011-12-06T12:24:00.001-06:00

Every once in a while I will get a Facebook message alert on my phone that someone posted a message on my wall. I’ll be honest when I say I get a little giddy. Someone actually has something to say to me, little ‘ol me! Yeah, my life can seem like a pathetic existence at times. Just keeping it real folks….sigh.

When I checked to see what profound words were waiting for me to read, it was my SIL getting on to me for not blogging. Grr. Not the juicy yumminess that I was all hyped up to read. I almost took a shower and got dressed before reading that comment. Thank goodness I came to my senses and left my hair in a tangled mess and my PJ’s on.

I have not blogged in awhile and was shocked to see that it has been over a week since my last post! Where has that week flown off too?? How could a whole week pass by me and I have not one thing to show for it or at least blog a little snippet about. Oh my, has my life came to this???

Just to lay it out there, I got a little frustrated and there were a few things I wanted to blog about, but didn’t. As all bloggers know, we put our inner feeling out there at times and speak from the heart, type our true feelings and can be a little naive as to who is reading our blogs...well not naive, our blogs are out there for all to see (I know that). I find comfort in my blog, comfort in knowing that it is mine, my online diary to talk (or type) myself silly, if I please. I found through the years I have gained friendships with some great people that I have never met in person with common interests that we share. I treasure those friendships! :o)

When I told my sis-in-law that I allowed some folks to steal my joy and it frustrated me, she told me to blog anyways. So Jenny….here I am!! You are right, today I blog.

For those that like to judge me and you know who I am talking too, if my blog steps on your toes, do not read it. Plain and simple. This blog is me and for all my imperfectness that will never fit into your world. I will talk about things that you may not agree with, but OH WELL. Don’t judge me unless you have walked in my shoes or lived a day in my life.

Now with great apologies for all the others that read my blog, that actually come here to find out what kind of craziness my family is up too. Please forgive the rant.

How dare I allow someone to steal my joy of something I enjoy so much!!! Thanks Jenny for the scolding…I love ya!

A Change Of Scenery

2011-11-27T08:11:00.001-06:00

Yesterday was an absolutely beautiful day and it was decided that we needed a much deserving break from the house! I packed a lunch of ham sandwiches, granola bars, some Pringles and ice tea in mason jars. Threw all of that into a cooler and grabbed a couple of quilts and we headed put to parts we have never seen before.

First stop was Foster Falls. BEAUTIFUL!

After Foster Falls we jumped back into the Jeep for our next destination, Stone Door.

The wind was horrendous!! We stepped out onto this cliff for an amazing view but never really could get to close to the edge because we I was so fearful that we would be blown off. I have never been so scared and aww-struck at the same time! Looking out at God’s amazing handiwork with the wind whipping around us was well worth the trek up!

I carefully inched my way to the cliff edge to snap this picture. The first picture was with my camera, then I snapped the second one with my phone.

When we were getting off the ledge, my hubby had to point out that where we were just standing seconds ago, was a little cliff all by itself…can you see the mountains in the distance through the crack? In the second picture, at the bottom of the picture can you see the rock I was standing on??

Right in the middle of this picture is a rock that is jammed in between the two that we walked across…yikes! Just a little scary to think of it!

The next few pictures is the real reason we came to this area, Stone Door, the above pictures was the cherry on top of the hike!

The Stone Door was used for centuries by the Indians as a passage way from the top of the escarpment into the gorge below. It’s about 10 feet wide and 100 feet deep.

When you are at the bottom, the very old curved tree makes it look like a door handle, so the name Stone Door was born.

Today we all feel the burn from our great adventures yesterday. We were bummed because there was more that we wanted to hike to, but the late start and quickly approaching end of the day determined our exit of our adventure, so we had to call it quits. Can’t wait to go back!

QR Code

2011-11-22T07:44:00.001-06:00

I found this on another blog today and thought it was pretty neat! For all of y’all that have fancy smancy smart phones, lookie here…

I made a QR code for my ETSY site!! How cool is that??

For those that do not have a fancy smancy smart phone, you can also click here to check out my site and look at some Christmas cards that I made!!!

I think QR codes are so neat and they are popping up all over the place, I saw one the other day plastered on a gas pump to a restaurant and if you scanned it it gave for a coupon for a meal! How cool is that?

If you want to make a code for your site, check out this website!!

A Letter To My Mother-In-Law

2011-11-21T14:48:00.001-06:00

Today I am thankful for my mother-in-law!

The best way to tell you why I am so thankful for her, is in a letter to her…

Dear Mom,

Many years ago you gave birth to a wonderful little bundle of joy, you named him Jeremy. I can imagine when you first held him in your arms the overflowing of emotions that you had looking down at a beautiful little life that was just born. I know that feeling.

You raised this little boy up in love, in a family that he shared with a brother and two sisters and two loving parents. I can only imagine the energy that flowed through your house raising four kids!! Have I ever told you I think you are super woman for raising four kids?? If I have not told you, well I am telling you now, you are super woman! HA!

I wanted to tell you thank you. Thank you for a being the kind of mom that her children still run to when they need too. You are there for you babies (now grown adults) when they are sick, for celebrations or even when there is no need at all, they just want you there.

Thank you for showing me love. There were times when you have shown me more love than I deserve. You have been there to keep me calm in some not calm moments! You run to my aid when my procrastination gets the best of me and help me pack crazy amounts of women ministry bags (in crazy amounts of suit cases not big enough) for my mission trips in the wee hours before leaving!! Thank you for being there for me to take care of my boys and your son when I leave the country for said mission trips. I always get so nervous to leave, but when you show up, I feel the biggest relief knowing that they will be well taken care of!

There is no way I can ever thank you enough for your son. You raised him to love me with all that he has, because he is loved with unconditional love from a wonderful mother.

Thanks mom! I love you!

Sunday Morning Ramblings

2011-11-20T06:58:00.001-06:00

This Sunday morning it is very quite in my kitchen. The hubby has to work today so he left early just as the dark outside was showing a little bit of light. I am sitting here at my kitchen table drinking coffee and looking out the window at all the bare trees. Just a few weeks ago they were bursting with color and this morning as the sun is beginning to light the day, only a few brown leaves hold on for dear life.

This seems to be a hard time of the year for me and the past week I have struggled with many different things. As this week progresses it will only get harder for me and I ask for your prayers to get me through. I usually start perking up after Thanksgiving is over, but getting there and past that day is the hardest. It’s also very hard not being able to be with Jeremy’s family this year. They are stinking awesome and love me as their own. When I was no longer important enough for my family, my in-laws, lost the laws, and became my complete family. With what I not longer have, I gained sisters, brother and parents, which I always had, just did not realize it. Thanks guys! I just hate not being together this year. Oh well, I guess I need to pull those big girl panties up high, and move on! Funny side note on that…I found this saying on Pintrest the other day…

Anyhoos….enough of that depressing garbage! It is November and I have taken part of this:

which I have fallen behind on. I plan today when I get home from church to add my thankful list to my sidebar to fill in for the days I did not post. Despite my glooming days as of late, my life is full of things I am so blessed with!

Today, I am thankful for these folks…

This is a picture of my FIL and SIL’s. I have searched my computer over my a picture of my MIL and I could not find one of her easily, so I guess she will get a post all of her own!! ;o)

Listed in order, this is a picture of Amy, Arthur and Jenny! Amy is Jeremy younger sister and Jenny is the baby of the family…I love my sisters!! Arthur, or as he is commonly referred to around these parts as Pap, is cheesin it up with his baby girls!! This picture always makes me laugh…looks like the girls are trying hard not to throw up a couple of bunny ears!!

Jeremy is so blessed with a loving family and I am equally blessed to call them my own as well!

Blah…

2011-11-16T16:04:00.001-06:00

I woke up this morning in the wee hours to the pounding of rain outside. I really love these kind of days, but today, not much is making me happy. Maybe I am overly tired from a busy day yesterday or just plain bummed out and can not seem to locate the joy in the simple things. I have been struggling and this time I am not seeing the end in sight. I am a little embarrassed to admit that because my life is such a blessing and I have those in my life that really love and support me, but it is the ones that do not that make days like this hard. Shame on me.

I need to focus on the happy and the small things that make me smile. For example, my son shot the first deer of the season, so yesterday we spent the day cutting it up and getting it into the freezer. One of the most favorite parts of deer season is the making of deer jerky. This morning not only were we awoken to the pounding rain, but to the smell of dehydrating jerky! We are like kids that keep getting our hands caught in the candy jar, because each time one of us walks into the kitchen we are sneaking some…and it is quite yummy!

So today I am thankful for the deer that my son shot. For the time we spent together getting it ready for the freezer and for the silly giggles of sneaking jerky and getting caught. These are the things that make the blah’s bearable.

Banquet Of The Tables

2011-11-15T16:12:00.001-06:00

Each year our church hold a women's banquet where 57 tables are decorated in different themes. Each and every year, this event is sold out…so it is kind of a big deal! I have decorated a table each year and I have so much fun!! This year I wanted to go with a “Sophisticated Redneck” theme, but everyone said that it was more woodland country….nah, I’ll stick with sophisticated redneck! HA!

Here is a picture of my table….

I got alot of inspiration from Pintrest for my table and also used many things I had around the house! I cut up Levi jeans to hold the silverware and used bandanas for napkins. I also used mason jars that I glued to glass candle sticks for fancy smancy drink ware!! But I think my favorite things of the table were my barn mice, the reclaimed barn wood used for chargers and the floral moss! I think it really made my table!!

I was very pleased with how it turned out and the ladies at my table seemed to love it as well!

View Full Album

Our speaker this year was Tammie Head and she was A-mazing! If you have not had the opportunity to hear her speak or do her Bible study, I would encourage you to do so!

Here are a few of the many beautiful tables decorated this year…

View Full Album

I am very thankful for my church and this wonderful ministry that they do each and every year! It takes many, very talented women to pull this off and I am thankful for the hard work and many hours that make this event so special!

Running Behind

2011-11-14T17:20:00.001-06:00

After the last post, things got a little crazy. Carol went home to be with Jesus. The family has done so well through the hard decision making that had to be made and Carol entered the Kingdom of Heaven with her family surrounding her, singing Amazing Grace. I tell you, I could not imagine any other way I would want to leave earth! Today she is walking the streets of Heaven with Jesus!

Just wanted to do a quick update on my blog to let everyone know that I am still around! I’ll be back tomorrow with a few thankfuls and some pictures of our church’s annual Banquet of the Tables! Until then, have a blessed evening!

Surreal

2011-11-10T23:08:00.001-06:00

Tonight I am sitting in a trauma waiting room with my cousin. Her MIL was in a car accident on Saturday and has not been doing very well. I came up to visit on Wednesday and again today. I hate hospitals and the unknowns that come along with a tragic accident and felt that someone needed to be with my ‘cuz during the evening hours so she would not have to be by herself in case anything happened.

It’s a sad place to be. I have never seen the inside workings of a trauma area…the machines, the patients and the sounds can be overwhelming. I think the most unsettling thing to wrap my brain around is the unknown. This place makes it so surreal how fragile life is….how temporary our time on earth can be. I take life for granted.

I need to start living for the day, the moment. Life can throw curve balls and over the past months and even longer I have not been handing those curve balls to well. I have been letting situations get to me and actually get the better of me and have way to much control over my life. I sit here typing this telling myself that I am going to not let situations control my life and I laugh, because I know I will let them get the better of me. Then I look around at loved ones sitting in a waiting room holding vigil over loved ones who life hang in balance. They are not sitting here worrying about silly situations in their day to day life. They are sitting here praying for their loved ones to come through the ordeal that has brought them to this waiting room.

I should be living as each day could be my last…

Tonight I was walking out of the house with my bag in hand, I called out to the boys and told them I loved them, I am thankful that I got to hear my kids tell me they loved me back. My husband walked me out to the Jeep…I loved that tender moment when he kissed me goodbye, because you never know. Sitting here I realize those moments are so precious and should not be taken for granted….ever. Tonight I am thankful for life, and I am thankful for the reminder to love my hubby and boys like there is no tomorrow.

What Memories Are Made Of

2011-11-08T10:27:00.001-06:00

The event of the year…or at least in my teenagers eyes! It was the midnight release of a new video game, Modern Warfare 3 and with pure excitement the line started early in the evening for the ones that preordered and prepaid for this new game!

Here is Game Stop where the game would be available at 12:01 am on 11/8/11.

Here are DJ & Joey waiting in line. We were a couple of stores down from game stop waiting in front of the Dollar Tree! Prime location!

The shopping center is set up in a L shape…after the Dollar Store there is a Laundry Mat and then it makes a turn. There are a few other stores then two restaurants. After that you have a little bit of an open area, a liquor store and then the road. As the night wore on and closer to midnight we got, the line grew! It’s hard to tell by this picture, but the line is nearing the liquor store by midnight….INSANE!

At Midnight cheers erupted and the line started moving! I am thinking of calling GameStop to tell them they did a great job, because the line moved so quickly that we had our game in hand by 5 minutes after midnight!! I was laughing so hard because no one waited around…as soon as they had their game, they peeled out of the parking lot for a quick retreat home to start the all night battle!

This morning I was woken up by gun shots and explosions. The battle started in our household around 12:30am last night and is still going strong. They did take a quick break for some homemade bread I made this morning, but are back at it!!

Today, I am thankful for the little things in life, like a standing in line with your kids at midnight, waiting for one of the highly anticipated events in Xbox’s gaming world…MW3!

The Loves Of My Life

2011-11-07T07:03:00.001-06:00

I have been up for most of the morning. I got excited Saturday night when we had the honor of setting our clocks back one hour for that glorious extra hour of sleep! That was until this morning…I am a creature of habit, so that means that I still get up at my body's time…I guess that will mean early mornings for me.

I don’t mind getting up early, especially now. We have been a family of a second shift work schedule for nearly 12 years, so that is a hard thing to break. My hubby’s shift was recently moved to a first shift schedule for the next six months, so it has been a hard couple of weeks adjusting to it. At first we were excited about it, but then it started and both of us are really not sure if this is for us. Oh well, 5 months and 1 more week to figure it out! ha!

Today, I am listing three thankfuls…one for Saturday, Sunday and today since I slacked this weekend. So, since there are three things and I have three sons, might as well take this opportunity to talk about the loves of my live…My Boys!

I look at the above picture and I CAN NOT BELIEVE THAT MY BABIES ARE SO GROWN!

When I look at my boys I still see them as this…

and this….

and this…

The honor that I have of being their mother is beyond any words I could ever type here. I thank God every day for allowing me to be a part of their lives. When I first held DJ, our oldest I thought I could never love anything as much as him…ever! When I was pregnant with out second son, I fretted if I could love him as much as our first and my fears were at rest when I held him, because my heart was so full of love. Then the moment our third son arrived and our family was complete, I realized how moms could love their children so much and so equally! Each one of our boys are so different, but my love for them is so special!!!

When I look at the first picture, I can only imagine that in a few years that picture will have additions of a wife, or even two….YIKES, maybe just one…I am not ready for my boys to be that grown up!!

I am so thankful for my children, for the love my hearts holds for them today and tomorrow and always!

Washing Of The Clothes

2011-11-04T11:24:00.001-05:00

There is a battle that brews at my house, it’s an epic battle.

The battle of the dirty laundry and who shall wash them.

This is what I feel should happen….

This is what my husband feels should happen…

In a perfect world, this is the ideal picture….

But in our world this is more what happens…

or more appropriate, the one with the last pair of clean underwear usually gets desperate enough and starts the laundry…or my husband guilt's me into doing it.

The reasons I think my husband should do the laundry….

he does a superior job at it
all laundry is done in a timely fashion
it gets folded and put up while still warm from the dryer

The reasons he feels I should do the laundry are…

I don’t work and it should be my job. Even though I stink at doing it and it takes me days to finish what takes him a few hours and it never makes it in drawers or the closet….but it if does, it’s wrinkled because it sat in a basket or on the couch in our room for days on end…..and because I type run-on sentences.

I clearly think I have the better reasons.

Yes, I am a failure at laundry. BUT, I today am doing it because I am an awesome wife and I am low on underwear. So I thought I would share with you photos of my almost done laundry!!!! About three loads left to do….until the boys bring down tons of it they accidently left upstairs…..grrr.

Also, since it’s November and I am thankful for lots in my life, today I am thankful for my washer and dryer!! Because if I did not have this….

I could be washing clothes like this….

Love Me Some Rainy Day

2011-11-03T11:33:00.001-05:00

I. Love. Rainy days!!! There is a cool crisp air, clouds and rain today! It is one of those curl up on the couch, in front of the fireplace with a book and take a nap kind of day! LOVE!

Today I am thankful for this cool November rainy day!!

Changes

2011-11-02T15:06:00.001-05:00

Today I am thankful for the changing of the season. It is so refreshing to look outside and see the leaves turning colors and falling to the ground. Yesterday me and Bradley, our middle son were sitting outside enjoying the beautiful weather and listening to the leaves fall to the ground. It sounded like rain falling. I love time of year and I am so thankful to live in an area that allows me to see these spectacular colors.

Giving Thanks

2011-11-01T11:50:00.001-05:00

Last year I participated in this challenge and loved it!! For each day of the month of November I will tell you what I am thankful for. Last year it was nice to take the time to say verbally and to type out something I was thankful for every day! I enjoyed it and I hope you will as well! If you want to join in for this challenge head over to South Breeze Farm!

I remember reading this quote a while back….

What if you woke up only with the things you thanked God for yesterday?

Hmmm…

Today I am thankful for my husband! He is my constant and some days I just could not imagine him not being here each and everyday for me. I love you Jeremy!! Thanks for loving me so much!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T17:18:00.001-05:00

My only son that will allow me to dress him up for Halloween!

Oh where have the days gone?

This is our oldest son worn out from a night of Trick or Treating. He’s now 19.

Here is the youngest son, now 13….too busy on his iPhone to go enjoy the festivities of dressing up and going trick or treating.

Our middle son is missing in action, more than likely on the phone with his girlfriend…

This explains why I dress the dog up for Halloween. HA!

Happy Halloween!

Never Let Go

2011-10-30T09:13:00.001-05:00

Very powerful song that moved me and spoke to me this morning.

I hope that you enjoy it, as I did.

Days 15, 16, 17, 18 & 19…

2011-10-28T11:21:00.001-05:00

Yep, that’s how I roll….I am still doing the 30 Day Photography Challenge that I started in September! HA! I am not going to quit, but since I would like to have this challenge completed before my youngest graduates from high school, I better start combining some days!!

Day 15-Silhouette

Being a mom of all boys, trying to get one of my unwilling, un-cooperating ~~brats~~ wonderful sons to sit still while I take pictures of them, is impossible. So I opted for a much more willing participant…HIGGINS! Pure gorgeousness!

Day 16-Long Exposure

Day 17-Technology

Love, love, love my iPhone. It’s shameful to love something that really is unnecessary to own. But I do, therefore I took a picture of it. ~Sigh~

Day 18-Your shoes

It’s boot weather again…WOOT!

Day 19-Something Orange

Meet Flounder, our goldfish.

Day 20-Bokeh

Rather strange thing they wanted me to take a picture of, so I am skipping this one. I really do not know what it is and when I Googled it, I was like….Nah! So instead I will show you another picture….or two.

Check out this creepy stick bug hanging out on the back deck. They freak me out.

Last, but never least, Higgins and his new hat I crocheted him for the colder weather months! It cracks me up that he actually likes it!! Now he is waiting patiently for his leg warmers to get finished!! :o)

Yeah, I Know…Epic Fail.

2011-10-27T12:27:00.001-05:00

I’m alive, just bogged down in life which means blog failure. I hate it too, really!!

Today is one of my most favorite days though and made the perfect time to jump back into blogsphere and tell you about it! WEATHER!! Yep, today is cloudy, a tad windy, cold front and leaves falling PeRfEcT kind of day! Well, at least in my book!

I was out side this morning and the leaves falling sounded like rain….Ahhhhhhh. It is a beautiful sound to me! Today also bring falling temperatures and I am itching for a fire in the ‘ol fireplace tonight….time will tell!! Speaking of fireplaces, I finally got my mantel done for fall. I was totally stumped on what to do until I came across some candle sticks in a local store and viola, here is the results…

Simple, but I love it! The only thing I am wanting to add is banner made from burlap. I have all the stuff to make it, just have not found the energy or the time!

In other news, my front porch is bare. Last week brought some freezing and frosty temperatures so I lugged in all the plants. We are making a makeshift green house in our bonus room bathroom and so far, so good! When we get it all done, I will show you. We are keeping our fingers crossed that we will be successful!

While we were outside yesterday afternoon, trying to get the porch back in order from the mass exit of plants, I snapped these pictures of a ton of crazy buzzards flying…

Kind of an eerie, but beautiful scene all rolled into one!! So there are a few snip-its from life! Thanks for hanging in here with me through my absence! Have a great Fall Day!!

I Love This Time Of Year!

2011-10-11T10:04:00.000-05:00

The leaves are starting to change and each day is a new colorful burst of color when we walk outside! I love experiencing God’s masterpiece of colors in the Fall!

This time next week, the colors should be amazing!

I also love decorating this time of year too! I have not done too much decorating in the past couple of years, but this year, I decided to pull some things out that I had stored away and once that happened I started to go HOG WILD! So far, this is what I have accomplished…

When we went into one of the local antique malls last week, I got two identical small plant stand for a steal of $5 for the pair! For this shelf I placed some fall leaves and small pumpkins and gourds in it.

The piano is still a work in progress and I am needing some more little pumpkins or something to brighten it up a little. I did make this really cute ghost out of cheese cloth and spray starch and I think he turned out so cute!!!

I already posted what I did so far in the kitchen, but here is the shelf again…I love the little mice!!!!

I still have to tackle the mantel and everything I have done to it so far, I have not liked at all. There are a lot of cute mantel ideas on other blogs and floating around on Pinterest, so I need to go hunting and find some inspiration! When I finish it, I post a picture or two and show you what I finally came up with!

My Green Thumb…Kinda

2011-10-10T14:27:00.001-05:00

It’s almost that time of year when all the outside plants will need to find a place to reside inside for the winter. Me and the hubs have been discussing some window boxes for next year and so I thought it was a perfect time to start spouting some cuttings from my spider plants for said window boxes.

I really did not want to spend any money on decorative pots, so I rummaged through and made do with some bottles that I had. I also made this cutie patootie flower vase from a mason jar and candle holder….see it on the right? All in all, I am thrilled with how my window sill over the kitchen sink looks! It makes me excited to work on the other window in the kitchen and by Spring, I will have tons of plants to plant in the window boxes outside! Woot!

Remember This??

2011-10-08T07:14:00.000-05:00

Yep, it the 30 Day Photography Challenge that I started on September 1st. Yikes! Well, just so you know, I am a self professed procrastinator so with this said I am picking up on day 14. Never a quitter, always a procrastinator, that me…that’s my life!

Anyhoo, let me introduce to you, day 14, the most beautiful eyes ever!!

Day 14-Eyes

It’s A Pumpkin, It’s A Gourd, Nope…It’s a Turkey!?!

2011-10-07T13:55:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, we found this gourd/pumpkin at the store and I was like “look how cool, it looks like a goose or a turkey”! The guy that worked at the store said if I had a dollar for each person that said that I’d be rich. I could not believe that no one had snatched this puppy up, so I felt like I had just won the lottery as I heaved it into my buggy!! (it’s the little things in life, ya know?)

When I got home I sat it by the front door until I dreamed up something spectacular to do with it. Higgins was having no part of it. He thought some alien intrusion had begun. Poor thing growled and barked himself silly! (The blur in the photo is our poodle Bandit, who thought that Higgins had lost his mind!)

So here is the pumpkin thingie in all it’s glory before its redo!

I pulled out some leftover paint that I used for our bedroom and gave it a couple of coats of paint.

Rummaged through some old wreaths and such to make feathers…

Painted his beak orange, gave him two little beady eyes and added a waddle…(at least that is what I think that thing is called.)

Then plopped him on the fire place! Meet Clyde, our newest turkey family member!

I think he turned out so cute. I can’t wait to buy some little pumpkins to set around him!

Pinchin’ Pennies

2011-10-06T14:51:00.001-05:00

I love me some Febreze!!

What I do not love is the HUGE price tag that comes along with it! It is ridiculous!

So what is a girl to do that is obsessed with this smell good yumminess that I NEED to have?? Make it myself! Yep!

I Googled how to do it and… It. Was. So. Simple!

Here is what you need…

Your favorite fabric softener ($5.46)

H2O (free)

Mix 1 cup of fabric softener to 2 cups water. Pour both ingredients right into a spray bottle (I used an old Febreze container, just peeled off the label) and shake. That’s it!

Easy Peezy Lemon Squeezy!

It comes out costing about $.86 per bottle……WAY CHEAPER than the real stuff and it smells so wonderful!

Instead of writing Febreze on the bottle, I wrote, Pabreze! My own creation!! HA!

Try it, you will not be disappointed and your check book will thank you!

Words For The Day

2011-09-27T11:36:00.001-05:00

I can be changed by what happens to me, by what is said to me and by the way I am treated by others, but I refused to be reduced by it.

The hardest thing in my life is being rejected and hurt by the ones I love, but I am getting stronger each time I am hurt. Go me!

The only way for me to make it through some days lately is to quote my new favorite quote…

“You are kind, you are smart, you are important!”

–The Help

LOST, Pinterest Style

2011-09-22T16:55:00.001-05:00

Okay, I love LOST and when it was on we watched it every episode, with bated breath. It’s over, with a disappointing end. I would have totally wrote the ending different if I were the writers of LOST. But I am poor, so therefore not one of the writers for LOST, cause I would be a super rich kabillionaire if I were one of the said writers. Sigh.

Anyways….Pinterest is my new LOST. I can’t wait to get on there everyday, several times a day and see what my friends have pinned. I also, dare I say, pin my little fingers to the bones as well. I have been busy pinning everything from yummy food that I want to make to decorating ideas.

One of the things that seems to happen is I get so super excited about things I pin, that I want them….all of them. Sadly, our bank account sings a different tune. So what has happened?? I pulled out the trusty glue gun, sewing machine and other crafty tools that I own and it currently looks like Hobby Lobby has exploded in my kitchen. Oh and it also looks like Panera Bread has exploded as well because of the broccoli cheese soup that I made today. Such a bad idea on my part, I will be scrubbing blended soup for decades off my counters and cabinets. Back on subject!!

Here are a few things that I am ~~attempting to make~~ making because of Pinterest.

Crafts….

View Full Album

So far, the wreath was a big hit…I have already made one for my front door, which I posted about it here, along with two more. I am super impressed with the way they turned out.

The next thing I have been tackling is pumpkins. The velvet pumpkins I found online are VERY pricey. So I made one for myself, but went one step further and made fabric leaves to go with it as well. I am pretty happy with the way it turned out, even though it was smaller than it should be (because of technical issues with me, directions and a sewing machine) but it is super cutie patootie in this basket with the equally cutie patootie mice that I also found online. Geeze.

Then there is the food…ahhhh, the yummy in my tummy food!

View Full Album

So far only the potato with an egg in it, is soooo super yummy! Our middle child, who’s diet consists of Dr. Pepper, meat and potatoes actually loved it. The zucchini fries and the soup needed some tweaking but could be a equally as yummy if I ever try to make them again.

I will warn you, if you have not found Pinterest yet, be prepared for a time sucking experience (just like LOST)! Once you get on, hours will pass before you realize it, but with a much better ending…I hope! :o)

Oh yeah, I will be back soon with pictures from my 30 day photography challenge. (Which I also found on Pinterest…HA!)

Beautiful Sunset

2011-09-12T20:19:00.001-05:00

Day 12-Sunset

I was getting a little nervous that I would not catch a good sunset because we live down in a holler. I love what I saw when I went outside! This picture of the sunset was taken standing off my front porch!

Something Blue

2011-09-12T18:19:00.001-05:00

Photography Challenge Day 11…day late, dollar short!

Day-11, Something Blue

The blue scissors have been getting lots of use lately. I have been very crafty thanks to Pintrest! HA!

Day 12 will get posted later…waiting for the right time to take a picture!! :o)

A Childhood Memory

2011-09-10T09:37:00.000-05:00

The fun thing about doing this 30 Day Photography Challenge is being able to be a kid again! Today’s challenge is taking a picture of a childhood memory and when I read that I knew just exactly what I would take a picture of!!

Day 10- A childhood memory

My grandfather gave me this cat when I was a child. I do not remember how old I was, but I know I was young! It was one of the first memories of a beloved toy that I have.

Kitty, came to me as a snow white, long haired, fluffy cat with a bell in her tail. She quickly became a close companion that explored lots of place with me. I remember toting her everywhere!

Kitty has a narrow back up by her head where my tiny hands would clutch her ever so tightly!! When I picked her up today, I innocently grabbed her in the same location as I did when I was a kid, and my hand felt so right! HA! Memories!

Kitties beautiful, long, fluffy hair got a major re-do when she came home fifthly one day and my mom washed her. When she came out of the dryer, her hair was just like it is in these pictures! Kitty then had hair like mine, short and kinky! HA!

Today, kitty was played with after so many years of just hanging out! See how much she is having in her photo shoot!!

For twenty years kitty has hung out at the head of my bed. She does not get played with very often like she used to, but every once in a while I catch a glimpse of her and I smile. It’s those little things in life that makes me happy and reminds me of the innocence of being a kid!

Whoopsie, Day 8 & 9

2011-09-09T14:48:00.001-05:00

I had such a day full of making things yesterday from Pintrest, that I completely forgot to upload my picture for my 30 day challenge! Oh my!! Before I show you my pictures, I am so loving Pintrest!! If you do not know what Pintrest is, go check it out!! I will fill you in on some of the things that I had been making and also that I am dreaming of making on another post!

Now for the 30 day challenge!

Day 8-A Bad Habit

Finger nail biting…I have terrible nails as it is and the last thing I need to do is chew on them. I hate doing it too, but I just can’t seem to stop. :(

Day 9-Someone You Love

My hubby!! He is an amazing man that has been there for me through thick and lots of thins! Sometimes life throws huge curve balls that you would never expect to have to weather and he has been there every step of the way! So I could not pass up the moment to post a picture of him! :o)

Woe Is Us & Lucky # 7

2011-09-07T21:55:00.001-05:00

We have been having a run of bad luck with my Jeep. It has been acting up for about 10 months or so…A long time, needless to say. My Jeep has spitted and sputtered, hiccupped and conked out on for so long that we are baffled on what it might be.

The youngest is always researching on the internet on what the possible problems can be and the hubby and middle son have replaced just about everything under the hood. We have taken it to “professionals” and had diagnostic tests ran and possible solutions throw out there, and actually have had the “professionals” replace a few parts…nothing.

Then, two weeks ago, the catalectic converter was taken off and guess what?? The Jeep ran for the first time without any hiccups! A miracle…until today. Hubby called and was stranded on the side of the road. So me and our resident mechanics (middle and youngest son) headed out, me in my truck and middle son in his, to rescue poor dear old dad. The thought was we would get to Jeremy, give him the truck that ran so he could go on to work, then we would try to get the Jeep running and if not, we would just leave it there, or tow it home with Bradley’s truck.

Well the Jeep was running again and I was able to drive it on home, so away I went with the youngest, while the middle son ran errands. I finally pulled into the drive way and get a call…Bradley’s truck blew a tire…OH MY WORD. He did not have a jack or the tools in his truck to change it….so you guessed it, I head back out with tools in tow, with the hiccupping Jeep to rescue another sick vehicle! Did I mention that my tire was low as well??

Anyways, to make this incredibly long story shorter, we were on the side of the road way more than any family should be. Our poor sons spare tire was flat as well, but had enough air for him to limp to the gas station to fill it up. Good news….we are all home safe and sound, well almost…still waiting for hubby to get off of work. The woes of owning junk! Oh well, could be much worse. Anyways, it will be back to the drawing board to try to figure out the mystery aliment of our Jeep, wish us luck!

Okay, now for the photo challenge….

Day 7-Fruit

and the picture from yesterday that mysteriously disappeared from my memory card…Day 6- From Low Angle

Chilly Day & Day 6 Photo Challenge

2011-09-06T22:26:00.001-05:00

Hmmm, something has happened. I am tucked very comfy cozy in the bed with my laptop and the pictures that I took for the challenge today has disappeared off my memory card. Very strange thing I would say! If I were not so comfy, I might crawl out from underneath my warm blankets and retake them. BUT, I’m not, I will retake that picture and post it tomorrow along with the other!

Today has been a very chilly rainy day and makes so ready for the Fall weather that is knocking at our door! I almost, just almost turned the heater on to get the chill off the house, but I stayed strong and took a very hot bath instead to warm up! I am not sure if we even made it out of the 50’s today and that pushed me even further into the Fall decorating fever! This is my most favorite time of the year and I am so ready for it! Am I the only one??

Photo Challenge Day 5…Labor Day Edition

2011-09-05T20:24:00.001-05:00

It has been a lazy, chilly, rainy cold day in Tennessee for this Labor Day. We have spent the entire day on the couch watching movies, with a quick intermission for grilled burgers and hotdogs. With all the ~~cricket chirping~~ excitement around our house today, I almost forgot about the photo challenge!

Day 5-From A High Angle

I drug one of our kitchen chairs into the living room so I could climb high and get a picture to share what our Labor Day looked like!! HA!

Day Four Photo Challenge

2011-09-04T17:21:00.001-05:00

Love, love this green bowl that my mother-in-law gave me. It does not look very green in this picture, but it is!

Day Four-Something Green

Fall Craftiness & Day 3

2011-09-03T16:46:00.001-05:00

I love Fall!! I love the oranges and browns and yellows and the the crispness of the air that Fall brings! What I really love, Fall marks the beginning of the decorating season for me! I found this wreath on Etsy yesterday…

Then I almost had a massive heart attack when I saw the price….$110.

Hmmm, I am not the most crafty person, but I was not going to pay that price, so this morning I headed to Hobby Lobby to get some supplies!!

I have a love-hate relationship with a hot glue gun….it loves to burn me and I hate the blisters that it leaves behind! BUT, today I was going to make something and not burn myself…so I told myself. Here is the finished product…

I love it, despite the blisters that were born while doing this project!! I have about six of them and one is so bad I am thinking of naming it because I am sure it will be around for a loooooong time. Oh well, the price to pay to not spend a fortune!

Now for…..

The 30 Day Photography Challenge…

Day Three-Clouds

I was a little bit afraid that I was not going to find any clouds today, but I got lucky and a few thin clouds scattered the sky this afternoon!

Day 2 Photography Challenge

2011-09-02T13:22:00.001-05:00

Welp, it‘s just one of those PJ’s kinda days!! HA!

Day 2-What You Wore Today

30 Day Photography Challenge

2011-09-01T20:09:00.001-05:00

I found this today on Hello Means Goodbye and I am super pumped to do this. I have been in a blogging slump lately and I though this would be a fun addition to my other posts! (Thanks Katie! )

The only thing I am not super pumped about is I look terrible and today was a self portrait day. Oh well. Here is me, not much make-up on due to a nap today and I also have straight hair instead of my usually curly hot mess that I am naturally ~~cursed~~ blessed with! Oh, and I have my glasses on! I am so glad that the last day of this challenge ends with another self portrait…that way I can prepare! HA!

Day 1, Self-Portrait

A Rare Moment

2011-09-01T14:56:00.001-05:00

All my laundry is done…

No dirty dishes are in the sink…

The furniture has been dusted…

The floors have been swept…

Higgins has a clean shirt on…

Lunch has been ate…

The hubby has left for work…

I think it might be time for a nap, or maybe I should finish reading The Help or maybe I should just plop in front of the TV…

Ahhhhh. It feels nice to be me right now!

A Few Words…

2011-08-31T16:02:00.001-05:00

I have been absent from my blog more than I have been present. I don’t like that at all. This afternoon I am sitting on my front porch, my place of refuge and my favorite place to be in the entire house, I thought to myself…it’s time to blog! So I grabbed my computer!! :o)

So, I sit here, with a loss of what to say. Totally not like me. There has been a lot that has been going on in life lately, but nothing blog worthy enough to post. I lie, that’s wrong…lots of blog worthy moments, but maybe I have the summer time blues and really have not taken the time to blog about them! There is always something going on, I just have been lazy and not got my fingers moving across the key board to talk about it.

Have any of you lacked the motivation to blog this summer??

I guess I have not entirely not been blogging, I have been busy with Higgins blog trying to get it up and running and it has been a blast! I have also been extremely busy with a few blog designs, which makes me smile! So I have not completely fell off the blogsphere, just my own personal blog!

I WANT THAT TO CHANGE!!

Any suggestions on how to do that?? I know the best way to change a bad habit is to get in a routine and do that routine for 21 days straight…so maybe that is what I need to do with my blogging!! Oh well, I will be back tomorrow…promise, with something blog worthy! Until them, have a great day! :o)

So Who Is Watching Big Brother This Summer?

2011-08-24T18:05:00.001-05:00

I AM!!

Yeah, I know….guilty pleasure. But, there is nothing else on TV!

Actually, I love this show!!!

If you watch, who are you wanting to win??

If you don’t watch this post will totally bore you! :o)

I am a big fan of Jeff & Jordan and I really, really like Adam. I also like Rachel. I feel sorry for her, can’t help it! I actually think she is great player that lets her emotions get in her way. So they are my top four!

I was really a big Shelly fan until she started playing all sides. I loved the fact that she came in as a caring mother figure but then the lying started getting on my nerves and then her Rachel bashing pushed me over the edge! No more Shelly, can’t wait for her to get booted! I am a little sadden in her game play choices, because she really has the power of persuasion of getting votes flipped. Be loyal, stick with your alliance or get outta there!! For those that may not be totally up on BB here is a picture of Shelly…

Now on to my bashing of Kalia, Porsche and Danielle….OH MY GOODNESS!!

First, Danielle in my opinion made a big move way to early. I am a stickler for alliances and grated, sometimes you have to make big moves, but be prepared for others to retaliate and make big moves back. Quit your whining! Geeze…If her dad was still there, he would have told her to shut up and get over it already! You made a big move, others are entitled to big moves as well!

Here are pictures of Danielle and Evil Dick…

Kalia, you just plain get on my nerves. She let Danielle run her first and hopefully only HOH, and for that, phth…I am over you! Stand up for yourself and do what you want. Plus, I think she is totally lazy.

Then there is Porsche, poor girl…she has floated her way through. I want to like her, really I do and I am trying to like her... I think she just got caught up in the Danielle and Kalia parade and that made me dislike her some!

So those are my thoughts…what’s yours?

Back to Reality

2011-08-16T22:52:00.001-05:00

We have been on a fabulous vacation! We went to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg for a mini, but wonderful time away! I was super excited because this time we took with us…

Higgins and

Maggie!!

It was so nice to be able to take our animals with us. We also have a poodle, but he does not do change very well, so he opted to stay with friends!

We rented a cabin that had glorious views and was by far, one of the nicest places we have stayed in when we have visited the mountains. Here are the views from the third floor balcony and they are heavenly!

Our room shared a wall of windows to the view above, but I never got a very good picture, but I did snap one of Higgins getting in a little nap. Can we say SPOILED?

This was the view the second morning of our trip. It rained so hard during the night and in the morning there was a beautiful fog that drifted among the mountains.

I would say one of the most exciting and terrifying things about the trip was the encounters with the bears. In all the years that we have been visiting the mountains (20 off and on) I have never seen a bear. This year I caught a glimpse of one on our way back to the cabin one night. It was not very far from where we were staying. Of course Jeremy only saw the bear as it was going off the road and was making fun of me saying that I didn’t really see one. Then of course, the two teenage boys that I gave birth too decided to terrorize me as well!

That was short lived!!!!

We pulled up to the cabin on our last night there and what stood large and in charge?? A huge mama bear and her cub! I tried to take a picture but I was screaming “there are bears….I told you so!” and I was shaking so badly that I could not get the picture!! I am such a nerd!

It made for a rough night because the bears were not leaving and they were enjoying themselves at the next door neighbors garbage cans. The guy next door walked outside and almost ran right into one. We also had motion detected flood lights so every time they would come on, I was trying to catch a glimpse with my camera, but no luck. We went outside on the third floor porch (cause I was to scared to go any lower) and we could hear them, but never saw them to get a picture. Oh well, that is fine with me!

On our trip we also enjoyed zip lining, Dollywood and strolls down the main drag of Gatlinburg! Here is a picture of Joey on one of the ziplines…

I am so sad that we had to come home…oh well, that is life. Too bad we are not zillionaires where we could stay on an extended 365 day vacation! HA!

Y’all It’s Hot Outside!!

2011-08-03T18:21:00.001-05:00

We are sweatin’ y’all!! IT IS HOT!!!

I had an appointment today in town and my thermostat in the Jeep read 102 degrees. Of course, by the time I fumbled for my phone, stopped at a red light that stayed red for 2 seconds…(that never happens if you are in a hurry, but when you want it to stay red, it changes-FAST!) and by the time I got the next red light it had dropped to 101. Oh well, I took a picture anyways. Granted, I do not need to show you a picture, if you are living in the South, or anywhere in the Good ‘ol USA for that matter, It’s hot and you need no picture to know that! HA!

Here is a cute picture…it’s been floating around on Facebook, but even if you have seen it, it’s still funny!!

Then there is all the one liner jokes about the heat….here are a few of my favorites:

It's so hot that I saw two trees fighting over a dog.
It’s so hot the best parking place is determined by shade instead of distance.
It's hotter than a billy goat in a pepper patch.
It’s so hot that ice pops are melting in the freezer
It’s so hot that ranchers are selling BBQ directly form the fields.
It’s so hot that Campbell Soup Co. has changed the directions on its cans to, "Just pour and eat."
It’s so hot that public pools are encouraging swimmers to ignore the “no peeing in the pool” rule.

Now, I like the way these people think….wish I would of thought of that today!!

Y’all stay cool!!!

Yes, Dogs Do Blog, At Least Mine Does!

2011-08-01T16:11:00.001-05:00

I am very happy to announce the newest blogger to blog land….

Higgins!!!!

If you have a few extra minutes, head over to http://theadventuresofhiggins.blogspot.com/

We have high hopes with this blog. There are many things that as a dog and dog owner that we have tried and loved, and as well, tried and not loved. We are here for you and your best four legged friend.

Over the course of this blog, after getting to know Higgins of course, we hope to be a help to bloggers and their best four legged friends. We are on the adventure of our life to try new things and tell you about it. Higgins, of course, is very excited about this new journey! If there is something that we try and love, we might give one away, so always stay tuned! If there is something that you would love for us to try, let us know and we will do our best!

So show us him some love. Follow his page, leave comments and mention us to your friends. We are looking forward to this adventure and hope that you join in!!!

19 Years, Whew!

2011-07-30T19:54:00.001-05:00

Our Baby, our first born, our son that we would stare at for hours after he was born and marveled how perfect he was….turned 19. Where has the time flown??

19 pictures for my son that is 19 years old today…We love you DJ and can’t believe how you have grown up so fast on us!! Happy Birthday!

It All Started With These….

2011-07-29T18:16:00.001-05:00

You see this awesome lamp?? A friend gave me two of these antique robin egg blue lamps!! I. Am. In. Love! The only thing they needed was lampshades! I scored some cutie patootie ones from Hobby Lobby at 50% off!! Yay me!

BUT….where I wanted to put them was in my bedroom….my green bedroom…..yeah. My husband was devastated!

Did I also mention that my comforter did not match them either?? Yep, again total devastation on my husbands part!

So the lamps led to this new bed set…(ignore the offset pillows…HA!)

See the green walls behind the bed……well that led to a new paint color….or two…

And a new project that I am going to be doing for the walls…

I will be getting up bright and early tomorrow to finish the paint and get started on my special project!! Can’t wait to show you the finished project!! :o)

What I Have Been Up Too….

2011-07-22T15:59:00.001-05:00

Lately I have been doing so many different little things that seem to be totally consuming massive amounts of my time.

Here are a few things that tickle my fancy as of late:

Do you play Words with Friends?? If so look me up because I would LOVE to play with you!! I have anywhere from one to six games going at one time. I think I may be a little bit addicted, just a little bit. I beg my husband and sons to play with me all the time, but I think they are tired of losing!! HA! My main opponents are my SIL & BIL, a few Facebook friends along with a couple of total strangers.

When I am not playing Words with Friends, I am tearing up anything I can get my hands on to make rugs. Since I have been back from the Dominican, I have found a passion for making these. I have made square ones, round rugs, semi circle rugs, rectangle ones and a few potholders!! The trouble is I get bored with working on just one. So I have some material ripped up, a few rugs that are in the process of being made and of course a few completed ones. I am starting to think I has ADD or something. Last night I was working on the red one and got tired of it, so I has my sons girlfriend helping me tie the material together to work on the black/white one and when I was half way through that one, I started ripping more material for another one. Geeze, if I could stay on task, just think of the progress I would have in finishing one in a decent amount of time!!

I have been planning vacations!!!! Me and the hubby have been wanting to go somewhere tropical and “wow” for quite a long time now. We just never seem to find the time or the $$. I am super excited to say we have made plans for a WOW vacation!! WOOT! Yesterday was the first step to making that dream come to reality. I made a trip to our local AAA place in town and started the process of finding the best bang for our buck! in March, looks like we will be heading to the Turks and Caicos Islands. Can I say that I am SuPeR pumped about it??? 5 nights and 6 glorious days of white sandy beaches. Every time I think about it, I want to sing a country song…I got my toes in the water, butt in the sand…not a worry in the world, a cold beer in my hand…Life is good today, life is good today...

But until the WOW vacation comes along we will be taking a mini vacay to Gatlinburg next month with beautiful views of the mountains. We are so looking forward to unplugging from life for little bit! Check out the views from the cabin we booked, with these views I think we will have no trouble relaxing!

So that is what has been keeping me busy lately. Only if laundry and mopping my floor could equally capture my attention…just sayin’.

This Post Has Gone To The Dogs!

2011-07-18T16:08:00.001-05:00

I am a cat person, really! I have always loved cats, decorated my house with all things cats and never really got close to dogs, cause you know the rule….cats rule, dogs drool! Yeah that was me!! As the years have inched by and a mantastic chihuahua came into my life, I am slowly liking dogs more and more! We have three indoor dogs, ~~and two get on my nerves~~, and they are all wonderful. I tell you this because I really only speak of Higgins, so I needed to state the facts that there are other dogs besides the Higgins!

The first, furry beast in the above pictures, that is in need of a hair cut, is Bandit. Underneath all the hair is a poodle that is well behaved and knows several tricks! He hangs out mostly with our middle son and believe it or not is totally attached to that crazy, gun shooting, loud redneck!! Bandit is scared of all things loud and is most terrified of thunder! BUT, recently we brought him a Thundershirt!! Have you heard of this most wonderful invention??

This is a picture of one and they claim that if your dog was wears this shirt, it will make them calm and fearless during a thunderstorm or any other thing that might bring your dog anxiety. Well I had anxiety over the price of $36 for a shirt, but they claim that if you are not satisfied that they will refund your money 100%. So what’s there to lose, I told my husband! I am here to say it was the best $36 I have ever spent! I kid you not! Bandit went from whimpering from a thunderstorm that was miles away that we could not even hear, to cool calm and collective during the loudest bangs of lightening and claps of thunder! Check out their website here! (Sorry didn’t mean for this to turn into a commercial for Thundershirts!)

Anyhoo, the next furball that coexists with us is Maggie. Maggie is a 3lb Pomeranian that with the a quick yip can send a grown man to his knees in agony. Yip, I mean yep, her bark is worse than a dozen fingernails clawing their way down a chalkboard! My husband loves her to pieces, so we put up with her endless yippy tendencies and love her in spite of the noise that comes from this very small package of fur! Plus she is so darn cute!!

Of course, there is the ever Mantastic Chihuahua that finally won my heart over to being a lover of dogs, Higgins! He is the youngest of the three, but quickly became the alpha dog of the family! I really think the other two do not mind at all because when Higgins came into the family the other two got perks that I would of never allowed a dog before! They get pampered beyond the normal limits and because of Higgins distinguished palate they enjoy eating well and have an endless supply of organic ginger bear snacks at their disposal!

So there you have it, a post that is all about the dogs that coexist in our home with us. :o)

DR Women’s Ministry

2011-07-07T18:15:00.001-05:00

It all began here, if you would like to read about how I came up with the idea of this years women's ministry project for our mission trip.

I will have to say before we left for our trip, I was getting a little nervous. I had originally planned on taking 100 rug kits with me to the Dominican. Each kit had enough material in it to make one rug, along with a crochet needle and a pair of scissors. By Wednesday night my husband and I only had enough cut and put together for around 60 kits. Needless to say, I was in pure panic mode! When my in-laws arrived on Thursday, they quickly jumped in the wild mess of helping me get everything together. (Oh how I wished I had a picture to show you!) By the time Friday rolled around, we had assembled 82 kits and that was all I had room for in our suitcases. Four huge suitcases where jammed pack full of rug kits, thanks to the wonderful use of spacebags!!

Our first women’s ministry day was Monday. It was suppose to start at 2pm and at that time, not one woman was anywhere to be seen. Working so hard on something for so long, I would be lying if I said I was not disappointed. I took a group with me to walk through the community, with a rug in hand, to invite them to join us. By three o’clock we were in full swing!!

Here is where the goose bump moment starts. See the two pictures above? The women in the blue shirt, her name is Ramona, the lady next to her in the white shirt is Pam. Pam met Ramona five years ago. Ramona is a prostitute. She is married to a man that forced her into prostitution. She is an outcast among the village and has never participated in the women’s ministry before. She has came, but only to stand on the outside. Each year, Pam has given Ramona a kit of what we have been doing for the that year. This year it was the same. The last picture, Pam called over an interpreter and another lady that was helping her learn to crochet and sat outside and taught her how to learn. While they taught her, Pam talked to her about the gospel. Usually, this is the last that is seen of Ramona….but not this year.

The next day, not only did Ramona show back up, but she came into the church and sat down with us. She was happy to show us a pot holder that she made. Tuesday, not only did she sit among many women that did not like her, but she also helped us teach them how to crochet. I think that was the first time that I really seen her smile and she smiled BIG! How exciting! Here are some more pictures from Tuesday….

Wednesday we had a day off, but when the time arrived on Thursday for the women’s ministry, she was one the of first through the door. What an amazing day, we had working with the women. Many had the material tied together and all the women were working together to help one another. Ramona was right there helping as well!

Friday came so quick, but look at these pictures. I wish I could have taken more, but it was crazy busy. Ramona made a rug and quickly got busy helping others out. The third picture, a lady named Roseita came back and instead of making a rug, she made a purse! HA! I was way impressed!!

Each year we stress to the ladies of the community the importance of sharing time with other women….the importance of relationships. This year we are finally starting to see it come together.

Oh I forgot to mention how awesome God is!! I was so stressed about having 100 kits and was sure that we would have to welcome a few ladies and have no kits available. 82 kits was the perfect number. Each lady that showed up received a kit and we had none to spare. Yep, as of Friday afternoon we handed out the last kit and no one was left without one!!

I’m Back From The Dominican With A Quick Update!

2011-07-04T09:43:00.001-05:00

The daily Women’s ministry time was a HUGE success! The woman in this picture, named Romona learned to crochet rather quickly and was so proud of her accomplishment! There is a great story about her that has been in the making for five years, which I will share in a few days.

I was so happy to be able to share this trip with my middle son Bradley. He had his up’s and his down’s during the week, but he always took the time to love on his mama! Here is a picture before he acted in a skit that was performed for the Kids Time.

There were some moments that really made me humble. Here is a shot of a kitchen for a family that we built an outhouse for. Her stove and oven were very modest, but she was very proud of it.

The beginning of her outhouse.

Here a picture of my little girl from last year. She is now four years old and IF she weighs in at 15 pounds I would be shocked. It was so joyful and heart wrenching to see her. Joyful because she was there, but heartbreaking because she has barely grown from last year.

Yep, that is me with a machete helping get the goat field cleared. Don’t get to excited, I just chopped a few twigs for picture sake…I did much better clearing by hand!

I think the best way to describe this picture is impact. We have made a long term commitment to the community of LA Cumbre and JiJa was so happy to see me again. Last year in the Women’s ministry we taught them embroidery and this year she gave me a handkerchief that she make for me. My name is embroidered on the bottom. It was such a precious gift!

I have so much to share and will elaborate further on each story above in the next coming days!

Gearing Up & Getting Ready

2011-06-21T09:17:00.001-05:00

This morning I am sitting in the still of my kitchen while my entire household sleeps. I found a rare moment that I have not had in almost a month to sit down at the computer and actually read a few blogs. What shocked me most was seeing the date of my last post….21 days ago. Oh my, where have the last 21 days gone. I can’t believe the last time I blogged the cicadas were playing their loud, ear-piecing matting songs. They are all gone now, thank you Lord!

We have been spending every waking moment these past few weeks getting the women ministry kits together for my mission trip. I would take a picture of the madness that was once called our home, but my bones are too wearing to actually get up to fetch my camera. Our kitchen and living room has been transformed into grand central rug making station! HA! My husband has been cutting t-shirts and material into small 1 inch strips and then I take them, stretch them out to make them long and slender and package them into 2 gallon bags. It take around 90 strips that range in varying lengths to make a rug. So needless to say, there has been a whole lotta cutting going on in this household! HA! I also have been dying the white t-shirt strips into colors so the rugs will not be all white. Yep, my hands and fingernails are an awful color!

To go one step further, to explain the enormity of this project, it take about 6 shirts to make a rug. We are getting together 100 rug kits, so we have cut enough shirts and material to equal 600 large t-shirts. The fuzz from cutting that much is accumulating like snow on the floors of our house. No matter how much you sweep, or dust, it’s still there. We might be living with the fuzz of this project until we retire.

It’s all worth it though. It’s worth every blister, sore muscle, discolored hands and disheveled home to be able to teach the women of La Cumbre a skill that will hopefully be with them for the years to come. I can’t wait to see a rug adoring their small homes and cleaned swept dirt floors that they made using materials that so many donated to us.

I also wanted to thank those who have mailed me so many materials for this project. I have not forgot about you and from the bottom of my heart, I thank you! I will properly thank you in a more personal way as soon as I get back from the trip, but know that your generosity has made this project more than possible!

Oh well, that is my life as of late and I wanted to touch base with you before I left in 3 quickly approaching days!

Hear That Noise…13 Year Cicadas Are Back

2011-06-01T11:32:00.001-05:00

This is the year for the 13 year Cicada. Oh my, I am so over it. If you do not have cicadas in your neck of the woods, please know that in 13 years I will be coming to your house for a mini vacay! For those that are cicada free, let me ~~spread the love~~ introduce you to these creatures, you may thank me later for the science lesson! HA! First the pictures…again, you can thank me later:

They are like an alien invasion, best way to describe them. They come out every 13 years to breed, very noisily, the lay their eggs and thank goodness they die!! This will last for a few weeks, but it seems like forever.

The eggs turn into nymphs and they actively thrive underground (thank goodness) for 13 years sucking and feeding off tree roots. Then when it’s time, they burrow through the soil for another round of mating.

These red eyed annoying creatures sound like the mother ship has landed in the woods! The dogs love playing with them and they are in love with anything that makes noise! Needless to say our yard looks like a jungle, one because the lawn mower needs a new belt and two because Bradley our son hates the way they love the mower and weed eater!

My favorite thing to do is sit on the front porch, but as of late I can’t. I kid you not, the noise is so loud from these ugly things that it hurts your ears so badly! Here is a sound clip…but remember this is in no way as loud as what we are hearing. Also, times this by 24/7 and this is our life…

(Link) View more Animals Sound Clips and Insects Sound Clips

So my new favorite thing is to read all the Facebook message about cicadas. So as the roar of these furiously loud boogers seep through my walls and invade my once quite home where all you USED to hear was the loud noise of teenage boys (they even drown them out them) I will leave you with a few facebook comments from my friends….enjoy!

There is nothing sexier to a cicada than a 6'4" man with a weed eater.
Oh silly silly cicadas... the big red noisy machine I'm riding is not your mating mothership. It's just a Snapper. So much for straight lines.
I'm Sorry, What did you say?? I couldn't here you for all the Cicadas!!! :/
Finds that a weed eater is an effective tool in battling cicadas. However, doing so can lead to an uneven trim on your yard.
Got in a fight with some cicadas while mowing the yard. Not really sure who won.
There is a CICADA in my house! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I was in bed typing up a blog post and then I hear it doing whatever it is that it does...
Scary to wonder why this lady is picking cicadas out of the trees at Kroger and putting them in a container....

Why Are The Days Flying By So Quickly? 29 days & Counting

2011-05-27T12:54:00.001-05:00

I can not believe how fast the days are running by me! I also can not believe that it has been almost a week since I posted anything….whoopies. My youngest thought yesterday was Wednesday and I was right there with him! I am ~~almost~~ completely getting freaked out that our Dominican trip is in 29 days…….YIKES!

This week I have been feverishly cutting t-shirts and fabric into strips for the ladies of La Cumbre.

Then taking the strips and tying them together and rolling then into balls. See the rug underneath the balls of fabric? I made that as an example of what they will have when they get done.

My goal is to have this done by the weekend…I am sure it will not happen, but it is always nice to have goals set...right? This is one of two huge black garbage bags of t-shirts that I have been working on…I also have one box of fabric left and countless more t-shirts at the church….yeah, I am getting a tad overwhelmed!

I have been so busy that I could not find Higgins…when I walked into the kitchen here is the poor pitiful thing sitting behind his food bowl that was empty….so sad! Bless his poor heart! Oh well, all will be back to normal soon!! :o)

Hiding From My Husband!

2011-05-21T18:37:00.003-05:00

Sitting on the front porch enjoying the "last day" I thought it would be funny to hide from the hubby and kids to see if they would freak out!

They just rolled their eyes at me. Oh well, I thought it was hilarious!

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Really, The TV Needed Dusting….Then There Was This Show that Caught My Eye….

2011-05-18T09:13:00.001-05:00

Yikes, it’s already Wednesday?? I have been super busy this week and by the looks of my kitchen, either A. I’ve been so busy that I have not been able to clean it since Saturday or B. the dishwasher exploded and spewed dirty dishes every where. Hmm, it must be B because I think the washer machine has done the same thing! HA!

I have started designing blogs again and have done three since Saturday…so if you want something different for your blog, sneak over here. I know, shameless plug, but there is a wonderful sale going on right now…just sayin’.

I NEED TO LOSE THE REMOTE TO THE TV!! TV has kept me super busy as of late!! We watched the most fantastic movie on Sunday, it was Secretariat. Have you seen it?? It’s been a while since I seen something that brought such inspiration to me!! If you have not seen it yet, please put it on your to watch list! Great movie for the whole family!!

I have also been watching Survivor, Biggest loser and Dancing with the Stars. I know reality TV is bad…BUT I LOVE IT!!! (Here comes the a spoiler for Survivor so if you have it DVR’d and have not watched the finale, skip over this part……

BUT I was so frustrated at all the kuddos given to Rob for winning. Good grief, please let’s mention that it took him 4 times to finally win it….after four times I think anyone could!! Also, it made me want to throw my popcorn at the TV the way he strutted around that camp like a glorified rooster…he ran that camp like a prison. Sorry Rob, but if I was on Survivor for 30 some odd days and was only eating rice and my team mates were eating fish…I would of laughed out loud at you while running over to the camp fire to EAT my fish too!! I could not believe that he had that much control over them!!! Made me so mad!!!!!!!! Enough of Survivor!

Are you watching DWTS or The BL?? Who are you wanting to win??

See I told you I have been busy!!! HA! I guess I am needing to put myself on a TV schedule! It will not be that hard since all good TV will be winding down for the summer. :( Oh but wait, the Bachelorette is coming back on…..

I get so easily distracted but in my defense, housework VS television, it’s like salad VS chocolate. Hmmm, I think I am needing to start a diet as well…….

I Can Complain Or Do Something About It

2011-05-13T15:16:00.001-05:00

Okay here is the deal, and trust me, before did something about it I complained and ranted and raved and complained some more. The cost of laundry detergent is ridiculous, just sayin’…so is the cost of gas the cost of groceries, the cost of everything!!!

Anyhoo, before I get going and am unable to stop my rants let me tell you what I did!! I made my own laundry detergent!! Yep, I am no longer going to give all my money to the big corporate people that make my laundry detergent for pennies on the dollar, nope I will make it myself! HA!

Here is what I did….First let me introduce to you the cast of characters that helped me make this possible…

There are many recipes on the internet on how to make laundry detergent and they range from liquid to powder. I opted to make the powdered version for two reason, one it was easier to make and two it would take up less space because the liquid makes a lot and they store it in a five gallon bucket. I do not have the room for that in my laundry room! If you like liquid form better, than go for it. I have a friend that makes it liquid form, so it comes down to what ever floats your boat….or laundry…HA!

Anyways, in my handy dandy, older than dirt, food processor I first grated the bar of Ivory soap. Then I chopped it to death with the chopper attachment. As for the soap, my recipe said that you can use any bar soap that you would like. I used ivory for the first time since I was wanting to stick to the recipe word for word, but if you are a girl, like me, that loves her laundry to smell all flowery and such, than go for something with a scent you like.

After I chopped and pulverized the poor bar of soap to smithereens, I added to the food processor a cup of Borax and a cup of Arm & Hammer. Then again, I chopped it until it was a fine power like this.

I use two tablespoons per load of laundry (the recipe said one to two tablespoons) and it works like a charm!! I am so happy! Also, for y’all HE people out there with wonderful Energy Efficient washers like myself, THIS IS SAFE FOR YOUR WASHERS! I did some research before I embarked on this journey to make sure that I would not kill my washer in the effort to save money. The main thing about HE laundry detergents is that they are low-sudsing. They are low-sudsing because HE washers use less water. All the ingredients used to make this detergent are low-sudsing as well. I also have been keeping a very close eye on it to make sure! So in a nut-shell if you follow this recipe, it is safe for HE. Of course, you will have to take that on a leap of faith like myself! All I can say is I have been using this for almost two weeks and I am more than satisfied with the results!!

So are you ready for the cost comparison?? To make this laundry detergent, it cost me:

Borax 76oz box $4.79, 1 cup breaks down to roughly $.19

Arm & Hammer 55oz box $2.79, 1 cup breaks down to roughly $.20

Bar of Ivory Soap $.42

It makes enough detergent for roughly 18 loads and it cost me $.81, which breaks down to $4.5 cents a load! Woo to the hoo!! Also if you do not have teenage boys and feel more confidant with using just one tablespoon of detergent, you will save even more!

I was spending $.27 cents per load or roughly $17 for a bottle of detergent and there are times that I use more than the recommended amount because of the filth and grime that teenage boys laundry seem to come with, so actually the $.27 cents a load was being very generous!

As soon as I run out of auto dish detergent, I am going to try to make that as well!!!

Do you make your own cleaning supplies? If so tell me more, I am looking for anything to cut cost around our household! :o)

My Get-A-Way…

2011-05-09T16:31:00.001-05:00

Here is where I have been spending so many of my waking hours as of late…my porch!

A couple of weeks ago I needed to do something, that cost nothing, to spruce up my fr0nt porch. Although I did spend a little bit ($56 and still need new cushions) most of the things I used has came from things I already had. Take a look at what I have done:

Right Side of Porch

I wanted to make our front porch an extension of our living room. I had envisioned a window behind the wicker love seat, so I set out to buy an antique wooden window, but could not find one. Then from a salvage yard, kind of place around us, I purchased a window insert to hang instead until I find what I really wanted. BUT, it worked perfect and it is so light weight that I do not have to worry about it falling!! Love it!

Left Side of Porch

I also hung a few crosses up next to the front door, filled up the humming bird feeders and added some plants for this side of the porch. All I have left to do is wait for the plants to grow to their full potential and some new cushions that I am going to have made and viola, the porch is compete!

Our porch has quickly become the “hangout” spot for the family! We are sitting outside so much more either enjoying coffee in the morning, eating lunch or watching our son yard fish with rocks as bait! HA!

Burgess Falls

2011-05-05T12:51:00.001-05:00

Yesterday we decided to enjoy our anniversary by spending time together as a family. We did not have any ideas on what to do so the day was a blank canvas. We finally decided that we would hike to Burgess Fall, a place that someone at Jeremy’s work suggested. He warned that since there has been a lot of rain that we may not want to go because it would be muddy and we would not be able to hike down to the falls, but we gave it a try anyways! So glad we did…it was BeAuTiFuL!! Here is the picture of the actual Burgess Falls…

The amount of rain that we have had made it even more beautiful than we could of ever imagine. Yes, we could not hike down to the fall, but the look of this made up for it. This picture of from the overlook and I wish that I could attach the sound to this blog as well that the falls were making, it was breathtaking!!

Can you see the rainbows??

There are also a few smaller falls along the way and here are picture of those…

There was beauty all around with small cascading waterfalls….

Here are a few more pictures that we snapped of ourselves…

It was a fantastic way to spend the day!!

20 Years Ago We Were…..

2011-05-04T04:48:00.000-05:00

Getting Married!!

Twenty Years ago today, I married my best friend!

20…I can not believe that I am sitting her typing the word and number 20.

We have been married 20 years!

Yesterday we were talking about being “almost married 20 years” because of course yesterday, we were still only married for 19….HA! We talked about what has happened for the past twenty years. Here is the short low down, in bullet form, of our married life:

We have four children, three wonderful boys and an angel in heaven
We have lived in 8 different houses
We have lived in 2 different States
We have had 9 cars or trucks
Jeremy has worked for 5 different employers
I have worked for 4 different employers
We had/have 13 dogs over the years…
13 cats
2 horses
To many goats to count
As well as chickens
2 birds
2 turtles
1 hamster
3 hermit crabs
various amounts of fish

Of course there have been many more things I could of listed but those are the first few things that came to mind.

Over the 20 years we have loved, fought, cried, made up, endured hardships, enjoyed friendships, laughed, mourned, celebrated and traveled. We would have done a few things differently, but would not change a thing about our life.

I could not imagine my life without Jeremy and look forward to what the next twenty years hold for us. The Lord has blessed us tremendously!

Terrorist Mastermind & Al-Qaida Founder, Bin Laden Is Dead

2011-05-02T11:32:00.001-05:00

I am glad that justice had been served and the terrorist mastermind and al-Qaida founder, Bin Laden is dead. I am relived that this mad man can no longer plot to destroy our wonderful country. I am sad that evil is still alive and that those who lost the ones they loved in the 911 attacks in for the loved ones lost in the war, that this historic event can not bring them back.

My husband called me last night to tell me that Bin Laden had been killed and that Obama would be speaking any minute about it. I like many across our nation, shall I go as far and say the world, tuned into the news to see if it were true and to hear what the President of the United States would say. When Obama finally came on to discuss what had happened, I think I more disappointed by his words than anything else.

I try hard to keep my blog politics free, if you will. I am not a huge debater by any means in the political loop, but I know what I like and what I dislike. I have certain standards in which I feel our elected officials should hold, regardless of which position they were elected too. I feel first and foremost you are hired by me, my family, neighbors, friends, the people of our country, to do a job…a job that should be dictated by our wants, not your gain.

Anyway, during last nights address I felt as if Obama was taking credit, or far more credit than he should over the killing of a wanted terrorist. Were you or were you not, President Obama, a former senator that voted against the war and the surge needed to protect our troops but now you stand in front of our nation taking credit for this whole thing. AND…please do not tell me that you just brought up the muslin religion in this address?? Did you really go there? Could you not just come on TV and talk about the death of Bin Laden without mentioning the religion that most terrorists actively and devoutly practice in. Yes, it is not a war against a religion, but is this or is this not a religion that follows a man which feels that Americans are the enemy?

I say that not to upset anyone, but this hunt for Bin Laden has been happening over three presidencies. It does not matter who was in charge when he was killed, it is more important that justice has been served. I am now more focused on what happens from here. I feel this is far from being over and now the war continues. There will be those ready to avenge Bin Laden's death.

This morning I came across this quote, not sure who said it but it is fitting…

“In the end, I'm happy for justice and peace, but I don't believe God rejoices in any death. Even our enemies."

Spring Has Sprung

2011-04-28T17:28:00.001-05:00

I took advantage of the beautiful sunshine today and began decorating our front porch

with a little bit of purple…

a touch of yellow…

a tad of red…

a little bit of pink….

and of course a whole lotta white!!!

I still need a few things that I hope to be able to pick up this weekend!! I can’t wait to show you my favorite place to sit, relax and drink coffee when it is all finished!!

Weird, Just Plain Weird!

2011-04-25T15:58:00.002-05:00

Have you heard about (or seen) Kohlers new toilet that will be coming out in the fall?? Feast your eyes on this baby, I introduce to you the Numi….

Kohler is saying that this toilet is their most advance toilet! So what is so great about this ~~ugly~~ different looking kind of water closet you ask…

For starters there will be no more fighting with your spouse about who left the seat up! Nope, not anymore, the Numi automatically closes and raises the adjustable-height toilet seat when it senses your presence. If you'd like, it can greet you with the sound of rushing water and soothing piano music, which may come in handy when you have a stomach virus…kind of takes your mind off of the gut wrenching pain that you are feeling.

Is your bathroom dark?? For those of you that do not have light fixtures in your bathroom, never fear the Numi has a night light that will guide you to the heated seat. Also, if you have cold feet you are in luck, a floor-level vent blows warm air on your little cold toes!

Ever forget you reading material as your rush into the bathroom?? Well if so, pull out you iPhone or iPod and plug it in to listen to your tunes or turn on the built in AM/FM radio. If you are spending too much time jamming out to your favorite tunes, the Numi has a charcoal-filter deodorizer will keep the air fresh.

Oh yeah, did I mention that it comes with a remote control. Yep, that will come in handy if you forget to flush the toilet, just pull out the handy dandy remote from your pocket and flush it up to twenty feet away….let’s just hope you didn’t forget to wash your hands….ewwwwww.

Here is another picture of this high functioning toilet.

I just can not seem to get past the bathroom with the walls of windows. I can’t wait to do my business in this bathroom for the neighbors to see. I can hear it now, the phone rings and my nosey neighbor ask if I would like some assistance because it seems to her that I might be constipated… again, ewwwwwwwwww.

Beside the airy bathroom, you might be really liking the luxury car worthy list of amenities that this toilet has to offer. If you would like to have one these in your home you will have to fork over $6,390 and no, that does not include the installation fee.

The Grave Is Empty

2011-04-24T01:36:00.000-05:00

“He is risen; He is not here.” Mark 16:6

Happy Easter!

It’s A Bullet Post Kind Of Week…

2011-04-21T15:17:00.001-05:00

My week can be best describe in bullet form…nothing special enough to write actual sentences, so here goes…

I hate having my teeth cleaned because it is never good news, I have a cavity
I want to dye eggs but the teenage boys do not seem interested, think I will dye them anyways
I started pulling weeds yesterday and found a baby snake, so the back flower bed needs some attention beside mine
I want to start a straw garden…any pointers?
My wicker set needs new cushions
It has rained a lot in Tennessee and we have a leak in our kitchen….yikes
We spent a few hours in the emergency room Monday, it is nothing like Gray’s Anatomy (everything was fine, no major illness)
My kitchen sink is full of dirty dishes and the dishwasher is empty, what’s up with that?
The riding mower needs new belts
My phone bill is due in 3 days
I am ready to have a yard sale but lack motivation to actually do it
I just finished crocheting my third rug yesterday. I think I might be ready to teach our Dominican team how to do it and almost ready to teach the women in the village of La Cumbre as well!! (2 months till we travel!!!) :)
All the laundry in the house is clean, it’s a miracle.
We had meatloaf and mashed potatoes for lunch

I could continue this for days but almost feel asleep on the last one! HA! Told you, there has not been much going on this week!!

Great Cat Rescue of 2011

2011-04-14T11:02:00.001-05:00

Today we heard a loud boom outside by the air unit.

See that clump of cat fur?

My Abbey Baby jumped on the air unit, collapsing it, and she fell through…not sure how I did it but I got her out, it took me awhile. At first I thought I could do it without unscrewing anything, but no luck. I am still not sure how she fell through…

She was so happy to see daylight!

A little annoyed because Higgins wanted to lick her!

She hates Higgins…

Abbey Baby, I think it’s way past time a diet!

Thanks For The Prayers

2011-04-11T15:17:00.001-05:00

It’s been a rough weekend on all of , Joey with recovering and us with the guilt. We could feel prayers being lifted up for us and they are much appreciated. Here is an update on where everyone and everything stands.

Joey is doing great! This afternoon, I have seen such a big improvement in him! He is playing games, wanting to eat more and has asked for pain pills only twice today, which we gave him one right before his doctor appointment and then some motion this afternoon. He has one pain pill left and we are trying to wait until this evening for it. Bless his heart, his cheeks are so swollen but he did try to smile today, but it didn’t show well! I have taken a picture of him, but I had to promise not to put it on Facebook or my blog, which makes me sad…cause he is really so cute! Beside him being swollen, bruised, and the sores on each corner of his mouth he really is sporting a cute chipmunk look!!

On a funny side note, having an older brother during these times is humorous to us, but not so much for Joey. Yesterday Bradley walks in from work and tells Joey that he just seen his cousin. Joey asked “which cousin”? Bradley said “your new one, a squirrel outside that just ran up the tree with nuts in his mouth”! Of course, before thinking I laughed….Joey, not so much!

We did discuss with his orthodontist this morning the procedure and what happened on Friday. We were reassured that we had a right to be upset gave some advice on what we should do. Both him and his nurse were so great and gentle with Joey today and very much uplifting to me and Jeremy. Thanks for the prayer and please continue to remember us during these next few days!

A Parents Nightmare

2011-04-09T08:24:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, Joey our 13 year old had oral surgery. His wisdom tooth was preventing his 12 year molar to come through. His orthodontist has been keeping an eye on it, hoping for the best but finally it was determined that it needed to come out. Granted his wisdom teeth were no where close to being an issue, as most do not come out until you are in your late teens early twenties, but this one tooth needed attention. So the wisdom tooth would need to come out and the 12 year molar would need to be surgically up righted and moved into position.

Last week we had a consultation with an oral surgeon and was told that although the wisdom teeth are far up and low down, it would be fine to go ahead an extract all four of his wisdom teeth and the recovery would not be too much harder on him. The surgeon said it would be better to do it all at one time than to have him have to come back years later to do the other three. So we agreed to move forward with the extraction of all four wisdom teeth. This would be done under IV sedation.

Yesterday was his surgery. Joey was very nervous and was not looking forward to it one bit. We assured him that it would be a piece of cake and he would sleep right through it and then spend the next couple of days eating pudding and ice cream! A 40 minute procedure tuned into a 1 hour and 45 minute surgery. I was getting a little nervous to say the least. When the nurse came to finally get us, I told her I was freaking out because it took so long. She said that it was a rough surgery, but did not offer any explanation and I was just wanting to back there to Joey, so I figured the doctor would explain the “rough” part to us. When I walked into the room Joey was crying uncontrollably and shaking. When I got to his side he told me that I lied and he was awake for the surgery. I looked at my husband and we locked eyes asking each other without words, did our son just go through this awake?

The nurse told us that when a child is very nervous before a surgery that sometime they can wake up like this and be very upset. She walked out and Jeremy and me did everything to console him, Nothing we did was helping him and he continually kept saying the same thing, “it hurt so bad and I was awake”. Finally the doctor came in and I asked, was he awake? He said that there were complications with the anesthesia and that the further that he went under the more combated that he became so that they had to pull him out. He assured us that Joey would not remember anything and in fact that he would not remember this conversation. Trust me I was livid, and not processing any of this at this point. I think the main goal of me and my husband was to get our child out of there because all Joey kept saying to us was” get me out of here” and we were going to do just that.

As soon as we were in the truck, I looked at Jeremy and said, “please don’t tell me that out child just went through all that awake?”. Of course this was not the time to discuss anything. Joey was very sick. We had to pull off the road for him to throw up. Then again in the grocery store parking lot he was sick, so at this point our efforts are completely on him and not the fear that were forefront on our minds. We were finally able to get some anti-nausea medication in him and he finally went to sleep. So our 30 minute drive home was full of questions. I think at that point we were hoping that he really was having some kind of reaction to the sedation and was in fact under but not as deep as they would of liked and that he would not remember any of this.

After he were home and hours later he was awake, we asked him how was the surgery. He told us it was terrible and that he remembered everything, even the conversation that we had with the doctor saying that he would not remember. He said that he told them he was awake and they kept telling him it would be over soon. He said that he shook and cried the entire time.

I am so upset. I am not sure where to turn. Last night I was desperate to talk to this surgeon, to find out what happened. He never called. When our 18 year old had his wisdom teeth out the oral surgeon called later that night to check on him. Joey’s oral surgeon did not. I thought about calling him, but then thought that I needed some composure before I talked to anyone. I laid awake last night fretting over what our son had to endure. Not only were all four of his wisdom teeth cut from his gums, but another tooth was erected into place. If you could see his xrays you would know that all five teeth were no where close to the surface.

The only positive thing about this entire situation is how remarkably Joey is doing. Beside the swelling, he is up and doing so well. He said the pain is not that bad and was not much worse than getting his braces tightened. Praise the Lord!

I am not sure where to go from here. Monday morning Joey has an appointment with his orthodontist so he can check on the 12 year molar. We adore his orthodontist so I think I will start with him on what should be done.

This oral surgeons office was more worried about getting our money yesterday and me signing and re-signing paper work and having me void one check to write another one, which by the way was not a small amount. I wished that they would of been that concerned over the well being of our son than amount of money that they were making from his surgery.

I think the worse part, is knowing that I told my child not to worry about the surgery. He would go to sleep and wake up and everything would be fine. I can not believe that they made him endure this, and why they did not stop this procedure. I would of stopped this and tried another route before making Joey go through this. They could of kept their stupid money for all I care.

Needless to say, we are upset, confused and very angry. Pray for us as we try to process all of this and for the next steps of handling this. Also pray for me, I am having such guilt and anguish over putting my child through this, I am so mad at myself for allowing this to happen. Again, the biggest blessing is how well Joey is doing. Just now, I peeked over at him sitting at the counter with his laptop hearing him click away at the keyboard and laughing! I guess someone said something funny on facebook!

Woe Is Me

2011-04-05T15:33:00.001-05:00

If I was not so tired and felt better, I might throw myself a pity party. But I am sick, I am tired and I don’t think I have the energy to clean up the mess when the party’s over.

Did I mention that I was sick? Last Wednesday morning I woke up with a sore throat and by Wednesday afternoon I felt bad. Yesterday I thought I was dying and today, I finally am feeling a little bit better. I hate being sick and I have been battling this since January. I felt so bad yesterday that I almost made a doctors appointment, but felt to bad to pick up the phone. I hate going to the doctor more than being sick, which is so apparent, because I would have been over this in January if I went to the doctor! I have given myself to Friday to being back at 100% or I am going in! At least that is what I am saying today….

I did manage today to get up and going for a hair appointment that was much overdue. I even managed to pop contacts in my eyes to look as presentable as I could. So off I went in a wrinkled t-shirt and my best smile...trust me, it was the best I have looked all week! HA! I honestly looked like white trash, but hey, when I left the salon I did look much better with my new do! I also think by the time she was done cutting my hair I was at least 10 pounds lighter! Or, if you would listen to my hair dresser, she would say I was 10 pounds lighter from the eyebrow waxing! HA! I hate having them waxed and will put it off as long as I can!

Just as I was getting ready to leave, my husband called the salon. I thought this was strange, but hey, in my family stranger things happen! Here’s our conversation:

Hubby: Are you able to see?

Me: Uhmmm yes. (I was having trouble but I thought it was because I was not feeling well.)

Hubby: Are you sure?

Me: Well I did wear my contacts today. (I thought, he may of thought, I did not put them in when he saw my glasses on the bathroom counter)

Hubby: You should not be able to see well, because you have my contacts in and not your.

Me: D’oh!

That explains why one of them was killing me and everything as a tad blurry! I have officially lost my mind!

Woe is me…

Here’s hoping to a much better week!

Couch To 5K & Pancakes In A Squirt Can

2011-03-29T14:31:00.001-05:00

Today we began our couch to 5K and I will have to say it was a tad harder than I thought it would be! I guess since they had the word “couch” in the title they would understand that couch is a big part of our life! HA! Really it was not that hard and I love the way it is breaking us in slowly. We started with a 5 minute brisk walk, then ran for one minute than walked for 90 seconds. We did that for a total of 8 rounds and ended with a 5 minute cool down. The first minute of running was not bad at all, but the sixth, seventh and eighth minute really took all I had! Tomorrow we rest and Thursday we hit it again!

I had the great idea of starting a diet on the first day of our couch to 5k, but hubby wanted to continue to eat the same for the first week and then work up to the dreaded diet. So with that, we came home to a lunch of pancakes…..HAHAHA! So have you seen this yet at the grocery store?

I spotted this at Publix this weekend in the creamer cooler and as I hollered at the hubby to check out my find, he just shook his head and kept walking. I, however, could not pass it up…Batter Blaster, what fun and it’s organic!! Hee hee!! I had childhood visions of squirt cheese in a can and was giddy, cause this stuff had to be good!

So I fired up the skillet, fried up some bacon and scrabbled some eggs! (I did mention that Jeremy wanted to wait a week or so for the diet….?) (I almost crushed his skull in with my Batter Blaster can when we said, “this will be healthy”!) (MEN!)

Here is the squirt of pancake in action and below is the results…

We were not that impressed! It might look fun, but really not that tasty and not worth the cost. Oh well! Higgins on the other hand loved it! Look how cute he is sitting at the table, patiently waiting for his breakfast! HA!

Has It Been A Week?? New Adventures Beginning Tomorrow!

2011-03-28T14:35:00.001-05:00

In the truck this morning driving around town, my husband and I, along with our teenager and three dogs, Jeremy asked if I was blogging much…and I replied, not that much lately. Why? Not sure, maybe laziness, because there is always something to share! So here is what has been going on and what begins tomorrow for us!

This morning we had another showing on our home (that’s why we were driving around town with three dogs). This is actually the second showing for these folks, so time will tell on what happens with this. Our house has been shown more than I can count and we always have great feedback….the only negative is our road. If I hear, “we love the house and would buy it but the road is a deal breaker” I might scream! HA!

For those that have sold a house before, it is exhausting! I HATE, with a passion the hoops you have to jump through. I guess mainly living in a “always show ready” house is the biggest downfall. I like clean, but geeze louise, can I just say, it’s not fun getting it to stay that way! Also, it gets on my nerves if they cancel and do not tell you until later or when they run late…like today. Pain in my big butt! Oh well, what are we gonna do about it….but complain to each other and anyone else that will listen….HA!!!

So guess what I am getting ready to do????

I drink way to many Sonic Cherry Cokes….waaaayyyy to many of them. Like everyday…a big ‘ol Route 44, big, bad, sugary, caffeinated, not good for you…everyday, cherry coke! Yep, that’s me, the one sitting in the back of “SA” Sonic Anonymous, denying with every ounce of me that I have a problem.

I have finally accepted that it needs to go. See my cell phone next to it? I downloaded the couch to 5k app last week.

Me and the hubby were going to start the couch to 5k today and I announced proudly that yesterday was my last cherry coke.

Epic fail! Morning showing, three dogs, and a teenager was all to much for me, so a Sonic run was mandatory this morning. BUT, and I mean it, today is the last of the daily cherry sugar fest and tomorrow begins a new adventure!

We are gonna do this, me and hubby are going to run a 5k and I am going to stop the daily drinking of cherry cokes! I will prevail! Tomorrow morning, we will began training for this thing and I will begin my morning with a decaf coffee! I wonder who will kill who first, me or my hubby! HA! Wish us luck!

Has anyone else out there tried the couch to 5k? If so, how did it go, or how is it working for you! I would love details!

A Girl In The House Make For An Interesting Day!

2011-03-21T18:36:00.001-05:00

Check out this cutie patootie, curly hair, adorably good baby! I had the honor of keeping Ada today for my cousin and possibly two more times this week, while her Mimi is in Florida! I will have to say she is such a good baby and we enjoyed our day together!

I will openly admit, if there was a video camera secretly mounted in our home, that person needs to sell the footage…they will make millions from what would of been filmed today…I was pathetic!

A little background about me and my husband…We have three boys, three older boys, older as in one in college and two teenagers in the house…all BOYS. It’s been a long time since we have changed a diaper. Ada blessed us with a diaper that was unfit for a lady, just sayin’. I started gagging upon opening said diaper and had to get my husband to help me. He has never changed a little girls diaper either…y’all that have girls, God bless you. This was one of the hardest things we have ever done. There are creases and crevices everywhere! OH MY WORD! Thankfully this is the most laid back baby, and she just took it in stride!

The rest of the day has pretty much been a breeze, well except for the projectile vomit that happened! All in all, Ada thought it was the funniest thing and enjoyed being stripped while sitting in the middle of our kitchen island! Again, I am way out of practice when it comes to keeping babies! Higgins, was having a major heart attack because he could not see what I was doing (and he has been very jealous of Ms. Ada today), so I picked him up and plopped him on the island as well…it was much quieter than listening to him howl on the floor! I just stopped and started laughing at myself as I looked at a naked baby girl and a chihuahua sitting in the middle of my kitchen island! Funny, just plain funny I tell you!

I may stink in the diaper changing and vomit area of baby keeping, but I rocked it out in all the other areas of keeping Ada today, and will have to go as far as to brag that I am the bomb diggiety at making her laugh!

I have enjoyed my day with Ada and will say, I am not too sure how I managed three kids under the age of 5!! HA! Looking forward to mine and Ada’s next adventure!

A Bad Night, A Rough Start, Truly Blessed!

2011-03-18T08:36:00.001-05:00

I am a bit snarky this morning with a tad of grumpiness to be honest. I went to bed very late last night, which is no ones fault but my own, but that did set the mood for this morning. After being asleep for only around 2 hours, I was awakened by a phone call…did I mention it was a sound sleep? It was the college son. When our caller ID called out his name, panic, pure panic set in because why on earth would his number be ringing at 3:30 am if there was not something wrong. It was not a life-shattering emergency, but the terror of the jolt of panic that the phone call made, it was hard to fall asleep and sleep well for the rest of the night.

Bright and early this morning, our phone company called. Y’all it was before 7:30am, and they called not once, not twice but three times within one minute. I am not sure about you, but I try my hardest not to call anyone before 9am and their first cup of coffee. So what was the emergency with the phone company? To let us know they were closing a ticket that they had opened when they were fixing our internet. Lucky the first time the phone rang, I was in a dead sleep and could not process who it was until the last ring and at the point, I knew I could still fall back asleep. Then the second call came in…immediately in. After trying to get the phone, I dropped it and in trying to catch it, came close to falling out of the bed. By that point I just got up….I was awake then! I walked into the kitchen and they called again!!! There is so much a girl can take. Luckily for the woman on the other end, I choose not to answer and scream at her. Geeze, I am sorry you have to be at work before 7:30 am in the morning, but think before you dial…three times! Did I mention that we are a family a 2nd shift dad and husband? Yea, we stay up later and sleep in a little later than some. Oh well.

So as I was saying it was a rough night and a not to good start to my morning. After I walked into the kitchen I was greeted by this…

A sweet, wonderfully awesome woman that read my blog last week sent me a box of yarn for our Dominican trip. A BIG box of lots and lots of yarn! Last night, I set the yarn out so I could go through it this morning and place it in bags for the women of La Cumbre. Seeing that this morning, brought some focus back into my angry self and I was a little giddy! Did I mention that she has more things coming for my trip?? Thanks Wendy, you are the best!!

Although it was a rough start to the day, my day is truly blessed. I say that, but the husband has yet to arise from his slumber….HA, I so tease!

Blog Designs

2011-03-15T17:06:00.001-05:00

I have been dabbling in blog designs for a couple of years now. Since I have quit my job, I started back trying new things with them again! Can I just say LOVE! I forgot how much I truly loved doing blog designs. Of course, working with great people makes it do much fun…like Katie…I just got done with her blog! I have done her blog three times and she is such a sweetie to work with! Check it out…

I have a blog design blog that is in need of a much needed blog redesign as well…so I am ready to do some spring cleaning on it! If you would love to have a new design for your blog, let me know!! I am super excited to be getting this part of my life up and running again!

Look What I Have Been Up Too

2011-03-10T11:39:00.001-06:00

I know I have been vacant from my blog the last couple of weeks but just because I have not been posting much, I have been realllllllyy busy!! One thing that has kept me busy is this…

I started with old t-shirts, and began ripping them into strips…

Tied the strips together and rolled them into a huge ball. Then I plopped in front of the TV with my laptop with Google pulled up and started crocheting.

I don’t crochet.

My mother tried to teach me when I was younger.

I could not do it.

It made me tense.

It stressed me out.

Really.

Did you know that you can Google and learn anything?? Really, you can.

This is what I Google taught me to do.

I made this cutie patootie little round rug that Higgins thinks is awesome! So what possessed me to do this? I am always thinking about the Dominican and the women that live in the community of La Cumbre. I worry about them. What they are doing, are they eating, are they able to feed their children today…how filthy their dirt floors are…

Knowing that I will be there again in a few short months, I began to worry about them more. What can we teach them that will help them out in their daily lives. How can I find materials that will be available to them, what would be most beneficial to them.

Have I mentioned how great our God is?? He is pretty awesome!

Again, He led me to this….a rug made out of t-shirts. Old t-shirts that have holes in them. Stained t-shirts that were crammed into drawers, forgotten, no longer useful…no longer useful to us.

Once torn into pieces, tied and woven together, they create a beautiful masterpiece.

Kind of like my life. Ugly, stained…until I accepted my Savior into my heart. Now, I am a beautiful creation!

This summer, we will be teaching beautiful women to crochet rugs for their homes. We will also be sharing the love of a Savior with them. A love that is so pure, so big and so mighty.

I am so excited! God is good!! This rug will be very useful to them and it also has such a great lesson attached to it.

So, do you have any t-shirt laying around your home that you no longer need? I could use them, many of them. We will be taking as many t-shirt as we can to the Dominican to make rugs with the women of La Cumbre. If so, contact me, jpdbj (at) dtccom (dot) net or leave a comment on this post on how I can get in touch with you. I would love to have your old t-shirts!

American Idol

2011-03-03T18:08:00.001-06:00

I will be honest, I have not watched a full year of American Idol since Carrie Underwood. Sad, I know, but it seemed to always conflict with something I was watching, and/or I just could not stand anyone on the show, including the judges. I have always like Randy, but when I quit watching it, Paula and Simon were still judges and neither one of them did anything to make me to happy!!

This year, a brother and sister tried out from our church, Colton and Schlyer Dixon, so of course I was ready to watch to see what would happen. It is so much more fun to watch when you have some one that you know, and be able to cheer them on! Sadly they did not get much air time, but we did get to see clips of them here and there. Schyler made it to the group round but was sent went home. Colton made it all the way to the very last bit where they choose for the final 24. Here he is (the one of the left), along with the other two guys.

As we all know, Brett made it through and Colton and Jacee were sent home. Our family was sad, and tad mad, but Colton is such a talented young man that gives all the glory to our Lord for his talent! So I can’t be too sad for him, because the Lord is going to use him in a mighty way…I’ll have to just be patience!!

Anyhoo, today he was on Ellen Degeneres show, so I wanted to share that clip with you!

Even though Colton is no longer on American Idol, I am still going to watch. I have enjoyed Jennifer and Steven as judges and there is some really good singers!

Do you watch American Idol? Who is your early favorite??

Conversation With My 17 Year Old

2011-02-28T10:56:00.001-06:00

Today in Tennessee we are having some threatening storms with possible tornado activity move through. Here is a conversation that I had with Bradley, our 17 year old…

ME: You can't take your shower because it is lightening right now.

BRADLEY: Why?

ME: Cause you could get struck by lightening and die.

BRADLEY: So, I will get to heaven sooner!

ME: Mama's are suppose to die before their baby boys.

BRADLEY: Fine you take your shower first!!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!

I Love that kid!!

An Exciting Change For Joey

2011-02-25T11:34:00.000-06:00

Joey, our youngest, our newest teenager, our awesome video game guru and glasses wearer….

Got contacts on his birthday….

I could not quit staring at him doing his school work…without his glasses!!!

When Joey was in the second grade, he was not doing well in school so me and my mom took him to the eye doctor to rule out his eyes being the culprit. When the doctor asked him to read the top letter…you know, the “E”, he said he did not know what it was. I remember telling him, “Joey you know that letter!” The eye doctor said “he may know it, but he can’t see it”. I cried so hard.

His prescription was really bad. Luckily he was able to get his glasses the same day! When we got into the truck and cranked it up to leave, he said, “Wow, Dad’s radio has a clock on it!”. I again, was horrified!

It will take some time to get used to him without his glasses that he has been wearing for the past 5 years! Coming from one proud mama…he has the most beautiful eyes!

We Are No Longer A Home Of Children

2011-02-24T10:48:00.001-06:00

Our baby, that came into this world as a itty bitty tiny bundle of noise…

Turned into a teenager yesterday, February 23, 2011 officially at 6:06pm.

We are no longer a house of children, they have all be replaced by teenagers…

YIKES!!

Geeze, What A Week!

2011-02-18T11:26:00.001-06:00

It’s been one of those weeks. I could type a book up about my week where NOTHING exciting has happened. Well, I guess if you count in eye appointments and an orthodontic appointment, that makes it real exciting!

(Stepping on the soapbox for a second) What it cost us to get two people eye exams, two of us new lenses (not frames) for our glasses and contacts ordered for three of us, is ridiculous! Right now we have spent $468.43 and when the contacts all come in, we will add another $420.00, give or take a little. That is insane! (Stepping off the soapbox)

Not good news at the orthodontic appointment. We discussed having to have wisdom teeth removed from our almost 13 year old. WHAT?? UGH! Poor kid, I am sure that will be pleasant to have those suckers removed at a young age and we are waiting ever so anxiously at what the amount of that little surgery will be. Honestly, I feel worse for Joey than my bank account at this point. Poor kids. Again, UGH!

Today finally rolls around and my husbands work schedule for the day is up in the air and of course that seems to put the whole family in a tizzy…not sure why, but it does. He is back and forth on when he will be going in. As he was standing at the back door he announces that three deer are in the back yard…EPIC MISTAKE. Bradley runs to get his gun, Higgins is frantically growling and me and hubby are admiring the beautiful creatures.

Bradley is getting ready for the big kill when the husband tells him no.

No being told to Bradley about shooting a deer is like telling the world to quit spinning. It didn’t go over well.

Bradley then proceeded to stare at the deer through the scoop of his gun, hit the glass door and then sent him and his dad into a squabble. Nice. Then of course me and hubby are now in a squabble as well. Of course, it made his going into work early an easy decision, cause he left smiling and looking forward to work for a change.

So I am left here, in the house with a hungry teenager telling me we could have had a nice lunch of deer tenderloin and a Chihuahua that is still growling at the now empty back yard. Nice.

How has your week been?

Should I Condone Such Behavior?

2011-02-09T17:17:00.001-06:00

Look beyond the cluttered kitchen counters in the blurred background.

Try for a moment to get past a white Chihuahua sitting on the kitchen table.

Don’t get memorized by those sweet, beautiful eyes. I try to get on to him. Really…

When I look at him, he glances off. Still as a statue. He thinks he has me fooled.

I then pretend to look off and he quickly glances back…

He starts to lick his lips and is trying to be very still because he thinks that I do not know that he is sitting on my kitchen table.

So why is Higgins on the kitchen table you ask??

Because that is where my coffee cup is…

Do You Know Angry Birds?

2011-02-07T14:51:00.001-06:00

No, not this kind of angry bird.

Wrong again!! Though at first when I heard my kids talking about Angry Birds, the above is what I pictured! My kids were playing this game on their iPods and where having a blast. Then I heard some of my co-workers talking about it and I was having a little bit of phone envy because my phone could not get it.

Once I got my iPhone this was one of the first things I downloaded! My kids knew I would love it and they were right! Not only do I love it, I am addicted to it!! Have you played this game?

For those that have not played the object is, using a sling shot, launch birds at green pigs to kill them. You take control of a flock of birds that are attempting to retrieve eggs that have been stolen by a group of evil green pigs. On each level, the pigs are sheltered by structures made of various materials such as wood, ice and stone, and the object of the game is to eliminate all the pigs in the level. Like this…

I know, I did not think it would be all that, but it is!! I am so drawn to this game. You can get one to three stars for each level that you beat. The more debris that you destroy the bigger your chance of getting three stars. Right now I have been going back to get three stars on each level!

I could be mopping floors and folding laundry, but why when I can play Angry Birds!! Have you played it??

Pantry Intervention

2011-02-05T17:37:00.001-06:00

This may be disturbing to many of you. If you need to look away, I give you permission to exit this web page now, but if you are one of those that are drawn to a train wreck kind of thing, then this will be right up your alley. J Lynn…you’ll need to avoid this post altogether, your OCD self will not be able to look at this and ever be the same again!

My pantry is a sad state right now. With our home being on the market we try our best to keep it non-pig-stylish as much as possible and when a realtor calls we can quickly pull it together. The closets are presentable, the bathrooms are cleaned and even the kids room pass the potential buyer routine. The pantry…it’s a whole other story. It’s bad, it’s pitiful and it looks like a dump. This morning when I went to get something I had this picture in my mind of people opening the door and saying… ”OH. MY. GAWDDDDD!” There is stuff everywhere…cans are teetering on the edge of boxes, potato chip bags half eaten, half opened and half crushed at the bottom of the pantry and if you try to get something out of there, something is going fall! It is bad. Here look…

I can’t believe I just showed y’all that. Well I can, only because I am so proud to show y’all this…

By the way, I did get the dog food bag back into the bottom of the pantry along with a loaf of bread on the shelf, that was a lot of cleaning out!

I felt the need to document this because I am sure it will not look this way for long. Yep, wanted proof that it was cleaned…for a little bit.

Now for

the refrigerator!

YIKES!!

Celebrating Our Son

2011-02-01T20:03:00.001-06:00

Yesterday we celebrated our middle son’s 17th birthday. Happy Birthday Bradley! Yikes, it freaks me out to think that he is 17 years old, and in one short, very short year he will be an adult! He is such a special boy that stole a piece of my heart the morning he was born.

January 31, 1994, our little bundle of joy joining his family in this world. He was our second son, a little brother and full of personality from the start!

Yesterday we did nothing but celebrate his life! We should do that more often than once a year! Our day started off with his favorite breakfast, grits with runny eggs and bacon! That boy loves his food! For a late lunch we were going to have steak and potatoes, his other favorite meal, but he opted for Mexican instead, so steak quesadillas were a must for him at the local Mexican place in town. (I really think he wanted his steak today so the birthday fun would continue! HA!) Last night he had his favorite cake, vanilla with chocolate icing! Again, it was a day that we just loved on him, nothing fancy, no parties, no running around, just spending time at home! It was glorious!!

Today I went through some old photos looking at how our boy has grown over the years. He cracks me up because for the most part he hates to smile for the camera and I did not realize how much until I went through some photos. Don’t get me wrong, we have lots of cute pictures with him smiling, but lots more with funny looks on his face! Here a few of my favorites…

You can’t see it well, but his daily attire for a long time consisted of a coon hat! He went everywhere with it on! That day he also was insistent on wearing his Winnie the Poo slippers.

He soon replaced his coon hat with camo and baseball caps.

No more Winnie the Poo slippers, it is now big toys that go really fast!

Bradley with his cake that is being held together with skewers because he didn’t want to wait for it to cool off. So we frosted it hot and prayed it would stay together for the candles and birthday song! After we cut it, the layers slid off each other and onto the counter!! It was a funny site!

Bradley is the classic country redneck boy. He loves God, his food, his guns and he loves his mama, and his daddy too….but not as much as his mama!!

Happy Birthday Bradley! We love you so much!

Fearfully And Wonderfully Made, Me.

2011-01-30T19:20:00.001-06:00

Y’all this one is going to get deep, just warning you!

So much for me blogging more since I am no longer working! HA! I would love to say I was super busy, but I was not super busy, just super sick with some kind of cold junk I like to call “Calvary Staff infection”! Even though it was my first official week not working I caught what the rest of the staff was passing around at work! Lucky me!!

I did however feel well enough to attend our annual Amen Girlfriend weekend women's retreat and it was a blast! I took my camera, but did not snap one single picture…go figure! Our weekend was called “It’s A Grande Life” and there was lots of coffee and I, along with a great friend Sherry, were the official baristas! We made everything you could imagine from mocha frappuccinos, caramel lattes, hot chocolate to plain old black coffee! If the break out sessions and speakers did get you fired up and moving, the caffeine did!! HA!!

There was one speaker this weekend that ultimately touch me with every word out of her mouth. It was one of those things that you walk away saying to yourself, I was meant to be there to hear that! Her name was Erin Earnest and she spoke at our retreat for the first time, ever. She spoke about something that we all do, striving to be perfect. Trying to make everyone happy and saying yes to everything just so you are accepted, liked, loved, or whatever word that you could put in there. Always chasing the super model image and striving to be perfect.

I’ve been there, I have tried to be the perfect wife, mother, friend…daughter. I have failed in each category, at epic proportions. I have not only failed in those areas, but I will not forgive myself for not being 100%. At the end of the day, most do not hold me to the 100% that I hold myself too. They do not even realize that I have not lived up to the “unachievable goals” that I have set for myself and accept me for the one they love. Of course, there are others that have not only hired the lawyer to convict me, but they have paid off the judge and jury to make sure that I pay dearly for letting them down.

The terrible part in all of the above is I will not forgive myself for being a failure in areas of my life. I have hit the all time low of actually having panic attacks in public places. There I said it…I am having panic attacks, talk about not being perfect! I am having trouble going into areas where there are people and being afraid to the point that I had two panic attacks this week alone. The most recent one was yesterday morning in a gas station!! Of all places to wig out, I did it at a gas station. I started my day off pretty much on the wrong foot and almost turned around and went home. BUT, I was the barista at a very important event, a women’s retreat, so not to disappoint anyone, I cried all the way to church.

Erin said something so important (YESTERDAY) (Glad I didn’t go home) that really is hitting me hard. You know, one of those things that keeps creeping up in your mind and no matter how hard you try to ignore it and try to continue to wallow in your despair, you can’t? This is what she said…totally paraphrasing, because no matter how I will try to say it the way she did, I wont be be able to…but you will get the just of it.

God formed me, He knew me, He made me…perfect, in His image. He called me by name before I was even born. I am fearfully and wonderfully made, by Him. He loves me, I am His child.

I know, I have heard this all my life. I have read the verses in the Bible more than once, actually I have read them so many times I cannot count the many times I have read them. But here is what got me yesterday, again, I know this. I have heard it, read it and listened to sermons about it, but it took me being in the right place at the right time to really hear it.

God loves me. He formed me, made me and called me by name before I was even born. I am fearfully and wonderfully made in His image. When I was saved, he took my sins and hurled them…he did not throw them, toss them or fling them, but he HURLED them into the deepest part of the sea. He forgave me.

HE forgave me.

HE FORGAVE me.

HE FORGAVE ME.

I need to forgive myself.

I will not be super mom.

I will never be the perfect wife…

the perfect friend…

or daughter.

I accept that I have failures and will not be perfect and I know there will be those that will never let me forget that or forgive me, and I accept it. I am going to try my best and live my life without regrets, it’s not helping me or anyone else for that matter.

I said not to many blog posts back that I wanted to blog with transparency, well I am here to say, I am not perfect. Geeze, I just admitted to the cyber-world that I am having panic attacks, that’s pretty transparent! HA! All joking aside, I needed to be there yesterday, hearing what this lady had to say. She was so nervous and she stood on a stage in a room full of women and touched one woman in ways that she may not ever know. I am so thankful for that. Of course, it is easy to say you are going to do something and much harder to actually live up to it and DO IT. I am going to try really hard to live me! Live my life as being me, not perfect me, just me. For those that choose not to accept me for me, as me, the imperfect me, they will just have get over it. I am not longer worried about pleasing everyone, just living my life in a way that glorifies our Lord.

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.
( Jeremiah 1:5 )

After all; For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made your works are wonderful. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
( Psalms 139:13,14 & 16 )

You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our :iniquities into the depths of the sea. (Micah 7:19)

Who Knew I Was So Popular?

2011-01-24T12:25:00.001-06:00

Within the past 24 hours, there has been two people that have scolded me for not blogging. Two, that’s big, really big! Considering that we live in a world of a billion people or so, there are two people that read my blog, to me that is impressive! Of course one is my awesome mother-in-law….hi mom, and the other is a dear and near friend….hello Felisa!! Either way, I need to blog! I have big news and also need to answer a few pressing questions that some have had….first the pressing questions…

1. WE ARE NO LONGER SNOWED IN! Woo to the hoo!! I know, some of you figured it out, but there were some that were fearful that we killed each other! I am here to say that in fact, we are ALL still living, kicking and breathing!

2. Jeremy’s truck is unstuck! On day five (Friday 1-14-11) the kids were suppose to be at church at 5:00 for a weekend of D-Now. D-Now is a yearly event that takes place over a weekend in January. I NEEDED TO KIDS TO GO!! So I told my husband that if he would get the truck unstuck and the kids to church so that we could have a weekend alone that I would take him to Bonefish. I kid you not, during the process of getting the truck off the hill, there was the usage of an extension cord and a blow dryer!! HAHAHAHA!! The funniest thing I have ever witnessed! Still a rough ride getting out, but we did indeed get out!

3. The first thing we did upon leaving was drop the kids off at church, go out to eat (Bonefish), stop by the grocery store to buy tea bags and cat food, then rushed home to do what we did for five days straight…veg in front of the TV and watch movies! I know, so exciting.

Now for the big news……

I have a new domain, www.blessingsamidchaos.com. I am no longer using the blogspot domain. I really do not think that affects many, but I thought I would pass that on.

Okay, really that was not the big news, just needed to put that out there. Here’s the big news…

I am no longer employed!!! Wooooooohooooooo! Yes, we will be filing for food stamps, ASAP! Naaaaa, just teasing! I officially worked my last day on Friday and walked out of my cutie patootie office for the last time. Bitter sweet, but a much need thing to do. We have been working different schedules for a year and during Christmas we made the decision to end the craziness and for me to resign. I loved my job, but I love my family even more, so I quit.

So, what have I done on my first official day home? I am suffering with a bad cold and made monkey bread! I can tell the family is overjoyed with me right now!! I think they were thinking of something more along the lines of clean laundry and steak and potatoes….HA!! Not.

So that pretty much sums up the last week of my not blogging, of course, way more happened than I have the brain capacity to type out. I will tell you to look out, because now that I am home, there will be lots more blogging. There, I warned you!! Thanks for reading and caring about my family!!

Blessings Amid Chaos

Life Lived By Me

If My Body Was A Car

Good Bye Old Friend

Oh Yeah, It’s 2012

We Are Getting Old!!

Merry Christmas, A Day Late

It Begins & Ends Today

It’s Sad…

Almost Thirty Decades Coming To End!

Looking For Last Minute Christmas Gifts?

Please check out Pangeocoffee.com for more information on the coffee and Pangeo’s story!

A Hug

I Have Been Baking

The Difference A Day Makes

I Have Been Scolded

A Change Of Scenery

QR Code

A Letter To My Mother-In-Law

Sunday Morning Ramblings

Blah…

Banquet Of The Tables

Running Behind

Surreal

What Memories Are Made Of

The Loves Of My Life

Washing Of The Clothes

Love Me Some Rainy Day

Changes

Giving Thanks

Happy Halloween!

Never Let Go

Days 15, 16, 17, 18 & 19…

Yeah, I Know…Epic Fail.

I Love This Time Of Year!

My Green Thumb…Kinda

Remember This??

It’s A Pumpkin, It’s A Gourd, Nope…It’s a Turkey!?!

Pinchin’ Pennies

Words For The Day

LOST, Pinterest Style

Beautiful Sunset

Something Blue

A Childhood Memory

Whoopsie, Day 8 & 9

Woe Is Us & Lucky # 7

Chilly Day & Day 6 Photo Challenge

Photo Challenge Day 5…Labor Day Edition

Day Four Photo Challenge

Fall Craftiness & Day 3

Day 2 Photography Challenge

30 Day Photography Challenge

A Rare Moment

A Few Words…

So Who Is Watching Big Brother This Summer?

Back to Reality

Y’all It’s Hot Outside!!

Yes, Dogs Do Blog, At Least Mine Does!

19 Years, Whew!

It All Started With These….

What I Have Been Up Too….

This Post Has Gone To The Dogs!

DR Women’s Ministry

I’m Back From The Dominican With A Quick Update!

Gearing Up & Getting Ready

Hear That Noise…13 Year Cicadas Are Back

There is nothing sexier to a cicada than a 6'4" man with a weed eater.

Oh silly silly cicadas... the big red noisy machine I'm riding is not your mating mothership. It's just a Snapper. So much for straight lines.

I'm Sorry, What did you say?? I couldn't here you for all the Cicadas!!! :/

Finds that a weed eater is an effective tool in battling cicadas. However, doing so can lead to an uneven trim on your yard.

Got in a fight with some cicadas while mowing the yard. Not really sure who won.

There is a CICADA in my house! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I was in bed typing up a blog post and then I hear it doing whatever it is that it does...

Scary to wonder why this lady is picking cicadas out of the trees at Kroger and putting them in a container....

Why Are The Days Flying By So Quickly? 29 days & Counting

Hiding From My Husband!

Really, The TV Needed Dusting….Then There Was This Show that Caught My Eye….

I Can Complain Or Do Something About It

My Get-A-Way…

Burgess Falls

20 Years Ago We Were…..