Coffee With Me

{Our Super Bowl Fun}

2012-02-06T12:06:00.002-06:00

We had a really fun little Super Bowl party at our house last night, my mom and Wayne came over and we ate lots of great snacks, the menu consisted of, chips/dip, stuffed new potatoes, sandwiches, grilled stuffed jalapenos with crab dip stuffing, and football shaped brownies for dessert, they were so good, thanks mom for doing those!!

I also wanted to show you some the cute decor on the table, I got these printable from a great website Living Locurto, since both teams had the same colors it was easy to decorate for!

I just adore these straw tags, especially the commerical one!

We had a fun time, ate waaay too much and am ready to get back to normal eating this week, but it's so much fun to eat these fun foods because we don't do it that much, for me family and good food are what make life fun!!

{The worst and best of times}

2012-02-03T14:33:00.000-06:00

I am always amazed when I look back on my week and process everything that went on, for one this week as flown by, I cannot believe that January is over and we are in February, I think I say that every month, ha! This week was filled with so many different feelings and emotions for me, first part of week I was just not feeling that good, really tired, all that good stuff, (not)! I was also discouraged about some things in my life, so that made me just miserable. I knew I needed to tackle these things head on, so I did what always works for me, I Prayed, reeeeally hard, I pleaded acutally, for God to help me in whatever way he felt was best for me, and ya know, he did... and the next day things started piecing themeselves back together. As I have always learned in church and our preacher touched on it the other day that yes God will help us, but we have to put forth effort also, we can't sit back and just wait, we have to work at it, so true, it makes us stronger, and I want to be stronger.

So to say my week was a bust, not on your life, I just needed some "tweaking" and I am so glad I did.

Have a good Super Bowl weekend!!!
S

{Hannah 10th Birthday Party}

2012-02-01T17:19:00.000-06:00

Hannah turned 10 this weekend, double digits, my girl is growing up, we had a fun bounce house party to celebrate her day. The colors we used were her favorite green and blue. I just love how the table turned out.

I love this cute sparkly "H", I found this at HobLob for half price, it will go in her room, I am making some changes to it.

The cupcake toppers are courtesy of my sweet and talented mother...

Her gifts, such a lucky girl...

I encouraged her to read each card carefully instead of rushing through it, she did just that and was so thankful for each gift she received...

Hannah and her friends

Silly pose!!!

{Goals}

2012-01-27T08:49:00.000-06:00

As I said before I don't prefer to make resolutions for the new year, but I always have "goals" for myself, weather it's for the new year or whatever, I think we all need to have goals at all times, it keeps you on your toes!

I am looking for another part time job right now and am very anxious to find something, I have not worked since Sept. and I am ready to work again! I am praying ferverently about this one!

I want to start getting out and walking more too, I am also on the look out for an exercise dvd for days when getting outside is not an option for me.

I want to eat better, and for the last week I have been doing better, water has become my close friend again too, MUST drink more water!

More Patience, for the most part I am but I want to bring out more Peace in myself.

DIY projects, I have alot of ideas written down in my "famous binder" and I am starting to make them come to life, not just think about them, but to DO them!

Something that I have already put into Play mode is working with the kids at church in Bible Drill on Wed. nights, love it already and I am learning right along with them!!!

Goals are so important to me, I love making them happen, the Accomplishment is so worth it!

{Party}

2012-01-24T16:50:00.000-06:00

We had a suprise party for my sweet mother Jan. 10, she was really suprised, mission accomplished. We had it at Amigo Juans with our family, we had alot of fun. I made her favorite, a coconut cake.

I am so sorry to post this picture sis, I know you will complain, but look at me, and those eyes, what the heck, it's the only picture I have of us...

The birthday "girl"

{First Pinterest Craft}

2012-01-22T10:42:00.001-06:00

I wanted to show you my first Pinterest craft, I saw it last week and knew I wanted to make it for my niece Molly-Kate who had surgery {she is just fine}for a get well treat. The container is a drink carrier from Sonic, how CLEVER I must say!!!

I got in my stash of crafts supplies, I have plenty and wanted to just use what I had, I went through my scrapbook paper and decided on the color scheme I wanted and then chose the letters, I used stickers, cardboard letters, ribbon, and decorative brads.

Hannah and I went to Target and she chose some fun things from the $ spot, she chose some cupcake socks, cupcake scenty stickers, a pink squeezy pink, a strawberry starter kit and we stuck some packs of Smarties throughout, we put some green rafia for filling. Love the way it turned out, so cute and original, Miss MK loved her gift!!!

{After Christmas Sales}

2012-01-19T13:29:00.000-06:00

Feels good to be blogging again, I didn't intend to be missing this long but the other laptop that was "sick" is officially "dead", and that is the one all our pictures are on, I just got an adapter today that I can download pictures to this computer, so I have alot of catching up to do, I will do it in segments though, there is too much. But for today I want to show you some of the after Christmas stuff that I scored...

This is from my Target trip
about 15 ornaments
a plaque
lantern
green platter
2 advents
5 word plates
3 pkg. assorted gift tags
envelope seals
5 boxes photo cards
ornament hooks
2 packs of beverage stirrers
This was all at 90% off, $112 for $13 WOW!!!

I got this mat at Kohls last week for $3.99 reg. $19.99, I love this, I have not had a Christmas mat for a few years now so I was really excited when I happened upon this... The large ornament chalk board thingy is from Kirklands, which was maybe $4, reg. $12, so needless to say I scored big on all of these goodies. So, next year when I pull everything out I will have new things to use, and that's a good thing!!

{Good Things in 2012}

2012-01-04T17:07:00.000-06:00

I have decided not to do the traditional resolutions, I think they are just hard to live up to and the added stress just doesn't sound good to me. I do have goals in mind though, I want to do more DIY projects, I have alot of things stored in my brain that I want to do and they all excite me!!!

Another thing, I commited to helping with bible drill at our church on Wed nights, I will help in Hannah's class, I am so excited to help these kids learn more about the bible, myself included! It's going to be a good year, I just know it!!

P.S. I love this motto, need to do just that!

{Christmas Part 1}

2012-01-02T14:25:00.000-06:00

Christmas without any pictures to show, the computer I store our pics on is on the fritz so I took it to the shop today, and the sd card in my camera will not fit the adapter for this computer, so I am out of luck, boo! We started Christmas Eve off at home as a family and we watched Christmas with the Kranks, then Hannah and I ran a last minute errand and went to Starbucks for some hot cocoa, as we were sitting there and I with my salty caramel and H with her peppermint cocoa, I told her there was nothing more cozy and festive than sitting there sipping on our treat, it was perfect!

That evening we went to candlelight service at our church, it was so wonderful to be there, beautiful songs, message and the Lords Supper, then we lit our candles, sang, prayed and rejoiced in the season and Jesus birth, so wonderful to look at my family as we were sitting there, felt so blessed.

Then we went to my mothers house for dinner, gifts and family, she did an Italian theme, so good, cousins opened some gifts, and had a great time! Then it was home to start "other preparations", the kids were anxious and went to bed, even though they are almost 14 and 10, and have their "own beliefs" as far as Santa is concerned, they know not to voice their opinions or he might just not come to our house, hehe! We tell them you always "believe" and have fun with it, and they do, they love it!

We got up at 8 on Christmas morning, looked at what Santa brought and opened gifts, it was so nice, we were all very lucky this year, the kids got some wonderful things, I then fixed a breakfast casserole and some cinnamon rolls and it was all so good... Then a bit later my mother, sister and her kids came over for the day, we snacked during the day and then fixed a nice big dinner. The menu included roasted chickens, Jim's homemade mashed potatoes, sweet pot. fruit salad, green beans and rolls, and for dessert I made a apple spice trifle, it was all so good.

After that we played some games with the kids and just hung out, it was a great day, everyone went to bed happy with their gifts and the security of a loving family, that is so important to me. And that is the first segment of our holiday, more to come...

{Happy 2012}

2011-12-31T21:55:00.000-06:00

Hi friends, Happy almost 2012, we are partying hard here at the Loggins house, I am in the bedroom changing my blog design, Cameron and Jim are playing Xbox and Hannah is watching tv in her room, I told ya, we are partying! I will catch you up on our Christmas tomorrow!!!

{Wrap it Up}

2011-12-22T12:09:00.000-06:00

I wanted to share some easy gift wrapping ideas with you all, and it's very "budget" friendly. I had already planned how I wanted to wrap my gifts but after seeing some other ideas I really liked them and decided to come up with my own, not entirely copying, but with my own twist, ha!

I used crepe paper, how crazy is that, I love the way it looks, very clean, and I already had the thin ribbon, I got creative and am so pleased, I love looking under our tree and seeing them. And I knew I wanted to have the tags hanging on the ribbon for a great embellishment.

I am so happy with the way it all turned out, and my paper came from Hobby Lobby, they have the best, it's thick, has a ton, and is half price, you can't beat that!!! Happy Wrapping!

O Come All Ye Faithful, Joyful & Triumphant!

{Dining Room Table Re-Do}

2011-12-18T14:43:00.000-06:00

I realized that I never did a post about the re-do of my {nightmare} of a dining room table and 6 chairs. We got this table at a resale furniture store, when we saw it on the interenet we knew this was perfect, because we wanted to redo it to make it our own. It was in rough shape folks, but we were determined, we would conquer the table!!!! Ha! it was not as easy as we thought, it took much sanding, priming, and then some more sanding and priming, when people say lots of blood, sweat and tears were involved it is true...seriously look at these chairs...

The table, it wasn't quite as bad, but a funny thing happened, well, not so funny at the time, one of the legs broke off, we were moving it around and it fell off, we about flipped, but my handy hubby to the rescue, he got his heavy duty glues and held it in with his vice, let it dry overnight, and good as new!!

The nasty cushions...

Aaaaand...here she is...all pretty in black and dressed up for Christmas!!!

{A Special Day}

2011-12-12T10:14:00.001-06:00

Yesterday would have been my dad's 66th birthday, I honestly didn't know how to "be" that day, but I knew I didn't want to "wallow" in it, it's just not how I felt, it didn't feel honest. I just wanted to take it as it came, planning to be sad or depressed just didn't feel right. We had a great life with my dad and he died because he was sick, his heart was sick, we did everything we could to make him better, but nothing else could be done, his death was not a shock, we knew at a certain point he was not going to get better. I am not saying it was easy at all, it was devastating, and I still can't believe he is gone and not coming back to us, not a day goes by that I dont' want to call and tell him something funny so we could laugh together, he had a great sense of humor and laughing with him was such a highlight.

Yesterday morning at church we sang alot of Christmas songs and Jim and I just cried, Hannah knew how we felt and she felt it too, she looked up at me and said "momma, I miss Papa", and she cried, we held her close, we all felt it without having to say any words. But in the midst of sadness I still just praised God through song, I felt happiness and sadness all at the same time, smiling through tears, all I can say is it was God...

We had our church Christmas musical last night and we had Doyle Dykes and Babbie Mason as our guest, they were so talented, and such a wonderful addition to our musical. They gave us a taste in the morning service of what they would do in the evening and it was going to be fantastic. I was so excited, I could not imagine a better place I would want to be than at church in the presence of God celebrating the Christmas season. God does know what we need and when we need it, he was so with me yesterday, leading me all the way, I like to think it was just he and I yesterday, I had a good day, thank you God for being you...

{Guest Posting}

2011-12-08T15:00:00.000-06:00

I am guest posting at a Randees Organized Chaos, she is very talented, you need to check out her crafts, she can whip out beautiful creations in no time, and she shows you step by step on how to achieve the goodies for yourself! I am so enjoying looking at her work and how she makes her home so pretty for her family!

{Christmas Goodies on a Budget}

2011-12-05T20:36:00.004-06:00

While making my list of what holiday goodies I wanted to make this year, I also write the ingredients I will need so that I can keep my eye out for coupons and when they go on sale. Each year I like to add a new goodie to the group, I have several tried and true snacks that I will always make, alot of the snacks I make are very economical and I usually already have all the basics on hand and just need to get add key ingredients. When I say basics I mean, sugar, flour, powdered sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, brown sugar. oil... I wanted to share some tips for making baking more economical.

I love to make "Orange Balls", an oldie but goodie from childhood that I rediscovered a few years ago and I love these "too much" haha! I won't write the full recipes, but will hit on key needs. These cookies need a container of frozen oj, nilla wafers, powdered sugar and coconut. Easy cookie to make!

Snicker Bar Cookies, a roll of Pillsbury cookie dough in flavor of your choice and miniature snicker bars or several large candy bars and just cut into small pieces.. again, easy

Peppermint Popcorn, pop some low butter popcorn, spread on paper and remove kernels, finely crush some candy canes, which are so cheap it's crazy, sprinkle over popcorn, melt some white almond bark and pour over popcorn, mix and wala, LOVE IT!! and so pretty I might add!

Chex Mix, oh yeah, my fav!!! we all know the key ingred. in this recipe, I use chex cereals, cherrios, mixed nuts, pretzels. I buy my nuts at Dollar General, a can is under $3, this is the best place to buy it for a good price, nuts are so pricey...

Ranch flavored Oyster crackers, again DG has these crackers for a $1 a bag and its a big bag, a packet of dry Ranch dressing, put these in a large baggie add some veg. oil, shake the bag to coat, pour on a cookie sheet and bake for about 30 min. on 250, just to mix the flavors and lightly brown, so good, and makes a great snack for a holiday snack table, my kids love them!!!

I buy alot of store brand products, and that makes it more budget friendly in itself, I love making goodies and packaging them up all cute and giving them to neighbors, friends, teachers...it makes the holidays so much fun! As I think of other tips and hints, I'll let you know!!! Merry Baking!

{Touches of Christmas}

2011-12-02T11:49:00.000-06:00

I wanted to show you a couple of pictures of Christmas in our home, my mother takes the credit for both of these beautiful designs.

{Thanksgiving}

2011-11-29T16:14:00.000-06:00

We had a nice Thanksgiving here at our house, lots of food, I ate way too much, that's why I am taking it easy til Christmas, haha! Went black Friday shopping and it was a real mess this year, I thought, I didn't much care for stores opening at midnight, I even witnessed and barely avoided a fight, it was so crazy, I have never seen such foolishness, I did score a few gifts though. My pictures are not that great, I just took a few snapshots.

Making preparations in the kitchen

Yum, pies, they were sooo good!

And the food...

Some visiting going on

And eating, see I told you they were boring!!!!

{Quickie Hello}

2011-11-22T12:24:00.000-06:00

Is everyone else is busy as I am??? Whew, there is not enough of me, ha! no, I really love making preparations for the holidays, I am so looking forward to having our family at our home for Thanksgiving, we are going to have so much fun, of course we are, there will be a ton of food involved, can I hear an amen?? haha! and we are going to be making our Black Friday plans, alot of stores are opening at midnight so we may head out then, I love hanging with all my ladies!! I have no more runs to the store to do, I am done, did a final Walmart run this morning before it got too crazy, feels good to be done. I better get, there are things to be done, check with ya later!!

{Banner & Edward}

2011-11-17T10:08:00.000-06:00

I didn't realize it had been almost a week without a post, I don't like to go that long, busy life getting in the way I guess?? haha Getting in the holdiay spirit around here, ready for a great Thanksgiving. I want to show you my banner that I made, I had seen so many cute banners and knew I wanted to make one for Thanksgiving, I looked at several different ones for ideas and created my own, here is my take, I am pretty pleased!!

P.S. I am sneaking out of my house tonight to see Edward, Edward Cullen that is!! hehe!!

{Twilight Fun}

2011-11-10T09:12:00.001-06:00

It all started when Eclipsee came out, I heard all the hip from everyone that had been to the midnight showing of this movie, I vowed to never touch a Twilight book, I was not into vampires, a huge reader, but no vampires for me...a friend offered her books to me to just give them a try, I did, I loved, I was addicted, I read them all in about 3 weeks, I watched each movie after the book, I had to stay in order! so needless to say I have been waiting for this Breaking Dawn movie since shortly after the release of Eclipse, that's a long time. I have been most excited about going to a midnight movie with lots of fun and excitement at the theatre with my girlfriends. I thought who better to see this movie with than my friend who got me addicted to all this, we are beyond excited, they are doing a marathon that starts at 4 on Thurs. afternoon with showings of all the previous movies, we aren't doing that, I can't sit in a theatre that long, I am only interested in the new one. What a fun night we will have, with a bunch of silly Twihard women!!!!

{Thankful Thoughts}

2011-11-08T09:19:00.000-06:00

I have seen all over facebook how everyone is doing 30 days of what they are Thankful for, I will do my own Thankful posts here and there, I am Thankful everyday for the things in my life, and I thank God for them everyday, I admit I cannot be held accountable to post it everyday though. Starting at dinner tonight I plan to have my kids share with us what they are Thankful for today...I can't wait to hear what they say, I am so incredibly Thankful for their sweet faces at the dinner table, I love to look around the table at my family and you better believe I count my blessings! Jim and I are hosting Thanksgiving for the first time, when we lived in Dallas we either came to Tex. or went to my sis/inlaw in Dallas, well, this being the first in our new home we decided to host and we are so excited, lots of family are coming, I get such warm feeling in my heart when I think about it, I am so Thankful for a great extended family to fill our home with love and laughter this year!

{Enjoy November}

2011-11-03T08:53:00.000-05:00

I have a confession, you guys know how much I love the holidays, I have already designed my Christmas cards this year, I am completely in love with getting and giving them, I stalk the postman during December!! ha! it was so fun doing my own, I want it to be different, my own touch, now I just need to take the pictures and that my friends will not be fun, you would think that at age 13 & 9 it would be easier, but it's not, they complain like crazy, whining like 2 yr. olds, so no it doesn't get better, ha!
But, even though I am thinking Christmas cards, I love November, it's a peaceful month, no gifts to buy, just being thankful for what we have in our lives, our homes, security, food and family, never take anything for granted, and we get to eat foods we normally don't eat, hehe! Enjoy this month...

P.S. We are hosting Thanksgiving at our house this year and I can't wait, I am thinking of some cute place cards to make, there is some cute stuff out there! Tonight is Cameron's last middle school football game, Go Hawks!!!

{Halloween}

2011-11-02T15:20:00.001-05:00

We had a fun low key Halloween this year. Hannah is very into the weather, she loves it, loves to watch the weather channel and tell us what we can expect the next day. She and her friend Avery decided to be "Cloudy with a Chance of Rain" we made them these t-shirts, they had water bottles and when someone would say "what are you" they would tell them and then squirt water in the air to show them, Hannah had an umbrella Avery's mom made her this cute hat. It was more of a "jokester" costume, it was cute and different, and very fitting for my weather gal. She says she does want to me a meteorologist, I say go for it, that's a great career!

(excuse the quality of the picture, I don't know what happened and it's all I had)

Checking out her "loot"

This was our first time trick or treating in our new neighborhood and we had so much fun, we hit several streets, one of the things I have always loved about Halloween night is all the excitement in the air while walking the streets, everyone is out, streets are packed, everyone is in good moods, kids are running to the next house for more candy, looking at all the fun costumes, too bad it's only 1 night a year, haha!

{A Halloween Hello & A Baby Shower}

2011-10-31T14:30:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween!!!!

My cute cousin Courtney is having a baby girl at the end of November and we haven't had a new baby in the family in awhile, so needless to say we are all very excited about the impending arrival of Miss Ainsley Elizabeth!!!

She got so many wonderful things, she is all set...

Me and Mommy to be!

The girls with their yarn, we played a game where you cut your string to however round you think Courtney's belly is, my Hannah girl won, a sack with chocolate in it, perfect for that girl! They had so much fun that day...

I just had to get a picture of this diaper cake, the girl who did it, did a great job!

Courtney and Mamaw, this will be her 10th great grandchild!!

Coutney and 2 of her good friends, Meagan is due just 6 days after Courtney, she is having a little boy!

After the shower we all helped load cars with her goodies and took it to her mom's house (my aunt), and we looked at the stuff she got from a shower from her mom's work the day before, so many wonderful things, this little girl is already so loved, we can't wait to see her!!

{Fall Tour}

2011-10-27T19:18:00.000-05:00

I realized I never showed you any pictures of "fall" around my house, I didn't edit any of these pictures so ignore the quality on some of them :)

Love my sparkly pumpkins...

The whole fireplace, it's nice to have one again...

My sparkly cat is the only new decoration I bought this year and I just love him...

My mother "threw" this arrangement together and I just love it, she did such a good job! I have had this wooden pumpkin and we thought the arrangement would look good in it... this is my entry hall table, which I love because it involved some labor, ha!

Wrought iron candle holder with some folliage...

Mr tin pumpkin...

Some pillows I made, they sit on my window sill...

Arrangement in my kitchen, I really like this area, makes my kitchen feel cozy...

My burlap wreath, it looks really small on my front door, but it's cute :)

My Halloween area, I have had the decor for years, I got the BOO at the Target $ spot, I think it adds some super cuteness!!

So, that's the tour, I like how everything turned out, I love fall, I especially love Halloween, it's so fun to celebrate!!

{Resale Love}

2011-10-22T16:07:00.000-05:00

Consignment stores are my new thing here lately, I am finding the best deals on some really good stuff! I started with Goodwill back in the spring, I enjoy finding home decor and redoing it to my liking, I have bought a ton of things and they have all found a place throughout our home. I moved on to clothes, there is alot of stuff and you really have to spend some time going through the racks, but they color coordinate so that makes it easier, they are not separated my size though. The good thing is you won't find things with holes or tore up, everything is in good shape, I got the best straw purse for summer, it looked brand new, you could tell it was never used, and for around $5 I was set, and quite happy, I may have done a happy dance when I found it!! ha! There is another store here in town called Graham Cracker and I went for the first time last Friday and it is the BEST, the kids clothing is wonderful, huge selection, I went back yesterday and got her some more things, she had outgrown her jeans so I have gotten her 4 pairs of name brand for $8 & under, church clothes, tshirts, sweater, and I got a Gap T for $5, LOVE!! she is loving her new duds! Too bad they don't have alot for Cameron, he is so picky anyway I won't take the chance, that's okay, I get his Aeropostale shirts when they go on clearance for $5 and buy him several online, I only buy on sale. I do the same for Jim, he likes to shop at Kohls' for his stuff and mine, I get the best deals there, always have, the sales are awesome. I also keep up with the 70% rack at Target, most of my stuff for fall this year was bought in May all for under $7, cute cute stuff, I am so glad the weather is cooling off so I can wear them, they have been teasing me all summer, haha! I love getting a bargain!

Every year I vow to perfect these but never do, don't they look scrumptious!!! Happy Fall my friends!

{Race & Outback)

2011-10-17T13:35:00.000-05:00

My mother and I did the Race for the Cure on Saturday morning, we had a good time walking and visiting, this was my first time to do it here in Texarkana, I did it for many years in Dallas, this one is a much smaller scale of people, but I kinda like it that way, you actually have room to move! On Friday night we went to Outback for dinner, we had a gift cert. we needed to use, that is not normally a rest. we frequent, but hey some of it was free! the food was not good, the service was good, no problems there, but Jim and Cameron ordered burgers and they were cold and kinds raw, my shrimp caesar salad was so small, I first ordered a seafood dish and had to send it back, and we had to pay quite a bit out of our pocket, I was miffed when we left, we don't eat out much and when we do I want to be satified when I leave, that was not the case. I am going to write the corp. office and let them know of this situation, I know they will send us a coupon or whatever, no thanks, we won't be back! ha! The rest of the weekend was pretty low key, I just love being with my little family and soaking them all in!

[Mmm Good]

2011-10-14T09:07:00.001-05:00

This just entered into my life today, my fall house is complete!!!

{I Love My Bible Study}

2011-10-07T09:46:00.000-05:00

I have been participating in a women's bible study on Wed. nights at church, it's called "The Spirit-Filled Life" a lady in our church wrote this study and IT.IS.PHENOMENAL. I am loving it! I really enjoy bible studies and have done them for years, this one is so real and easy, relates to life so well, not too deep, just right. One of the evidences of the SPL is PEACE, God is the source of PEACE, we all have peace within us, we just need to pray for God to show it to us. FORGIVENESS, the priority of FORGIVENESS, it is a choice, not a feeling. CONFRONTATION. Sometimes, it may be necessary to "speak truth in love" regarding the offense. Peace if possible, truth at all cost. Did you know that you cannot expect Godly behavior from an unbeliever? it's so true... None of us like confrontation, at least I don't, if we name the offense to the one who is hurt and ask forgiveness and the other does not forgive, it is not our responsibilty any more, we have a clear conscience, blessed are the pure in heart. Matthew 5:8 Put off the old, put on the new.

I am lucky to go to a church that I just love so much, at the end of our study we gather with our small group and have discussions about the lesson, and we pray together, we pray for each other, I love that, I had an issue that was bothering me, I shared it with them, we held hands and prayed for me, I was so moved and felt so cared for, those are some special ladies...

{No Regrets}

2011-10-06T11:49:00.000-05:00

{Monday Stuff}

2011-10-03T19:11:00.000-05:00

Who says Mondays are always tough, I have had a good day, very productive, lots of organizing in Hannah's room, that girl cannot keep her room clean, so I gave her a kick start and now she has to keep it that way, (a mom can dream, right) I did lots o' laundry, I checked several things off my weekly to do list, and I love that task, lists rule!! I cannot function without my list!!

I am feeling so fall like, my house is all decorated (pics soon), I just love our home decorated for fall, so cozy, homey, now all I need is to get my Scentsy bars, the flavors I ordered are going to be so yummy, I should get them tomorrow or Wed. then my fall home will be all complete. The anticipation of the holidays just thrills me this time of year, love the feeling.

I made sweet and sour meatballs in the crockpot for dinner and served them over rice, they were a winner!

I really like this purse, I saw it at Payless last week and it has stuck with me, the color is Raisin, popular for fall, I always get a new fall purse for my birthday and I am considering this one, I have a few others in mind also...

{October Is Here!!!}

2011-10-01T12:53:00.001-05:00

Welcome OCTOBER, you are the best you hold so many wonderful things

{Hannah & Kirby}

2011-09-30T13:07:00.000-05:00

The other day Hannah was in the backyard playing on Cameron's old bike ramps, they are from our storage room and she decided to set them up and play, and then she played with Kirby, she wanted me to take pictures of their fun time, in case you didn't know we adore our Kirby, he rules...

{Fall Goodness}

2011-09-28T15:50:00.001-05:00

Isn't this entry just so inviting...

And these treats looks scrumptious, so fall and cozy...

How cool is this orange door...

{A Simple bit of Happy}

2011-09-26T17:01:00.000-05:00

I found this and thought it was so inspriring and true, we need to all be Happy!!!

{Before & After}

2011-09-25T14:13:00.001-05:00

This is one of 2 projects I have been working on, we weren't looking for a console table at the time, but when we saw it we knew we couldn't pass it up, we were at a flea market/second hand furniture store getting something else and this jumped out, and for $30, yes please, my entry hall needs a table!!! Not very pretty huh, but that didn't scare us we knew we had plans for it.

After some sanding, priming, filling in spots with wood putty and a couple of coats of Krylon Kaki spray paint, I am in love with this color, the minute I sprayed it on one of the legs I was so excited with the way it was going to look...

And here it is, all ready for fall in the entry way, I am thrilled with the results, in fact after we got it decorated I kept coming in and looking at it, I told Jim I may put a sleeping bag in here and sleep so I can stare at it... (I hate cords) whata you do though??)

Now if we can just finish our other project, it's alot more involved than this one, but oh so awesome!!

{Looking for some Zzz's}

2011-09-21T00:00:00.000-05:00

It's 11:49, I went to bed around 10:30 with hives, layed there, itched, my grocery list going through my mind, all the while wondering why my Bendaryl hasn't kicked in, to heck with it, I got up, and here I am after taking another B. hoping to get sleepy very soon, I need my sleep people, but I am not tired, why fight it, so I decided to talk with you all. Today has been a very good day, got my house decorated for fall and I LOVE it, I could just run through the house, it feels so good in here with fall colors, sparkly pumkins, now I just need my new Scentsy smells to come in and ooolala, it will be just glorious, did yall know I love fall, it's my fav. if you have been reading my blog for awhile you would know my love of this season, ha! The next thing to achieve in getting our home feeling better is a rug for our living room, I can't wait to find the right one!! I have kept a secret from you guys, I am redoing some furniture, and completed one item, and it's so great, I love it and am so proud of the end result, I will show it to you tomorrow, your gonna like it, I just know you will!! Here's hoping to getting very drowsy soon, busy day tomorrow, life is good!!

{Hand it Over}

2011-09-16T07:59:00.000-05:00

It's the end of another week, school has been in session for about 3 weeks now, time is just a movin if you will, what have I learned this week? did I learn any life lessons, experience any disappointment, did I have a situation that stressed me out, did I have to reevaluate any goals or plans? I think I could say yes to some of these if not all. Nothing serious or earth shattering, just life, maybe things we don't necessarily like or want to happen, but they do and we move with it. Isn't it nice how God gives us new days to start fresh, I am so glad we have the ability to regroup and go in another direction, maybe the direction God wants us to go, that is usually the best way after all, faith is so important, what would we do without it, I cherish mine, my faith in God is the most secure feeling, with him everything is good, I may not always understand him, but I trust him.

How exciting it is to leave it in his hands and to know that it will be good, the better way for me, because I know I can't do it all on my own, so, I give it to him with full trust, what a relief not to have to do it all on my own, I love that...

{Weekend News}

2011-09-12T12:41:00.001-05:00

This was a very productive weekend and we are feeling it today, ha! We finished moving stuff from our storage room to our house, feels so good to have all our stuff under one roof, and no more monthly payment. Saturday Hannah had 2 parties back to back, so I spent time running her back and forth, Cameron rode 4 wheelers with friends, that night went to a birthday party for my cousin, we roasted a chicken for dinner that night and it was soooo good. Later that night as we were all unwinding from our days Jim called a family time out on our deck, he lit the firepit, and we just talked, watched the dog run around and connected, it was neat, and I know the firepit doesn't sound very smart in this dry weather, but it was very contained.

Lots of football was watched, I detailed the inside of my car, gave Kirby a flea/tip dip, he is scratching like crazy, but we're not seeing anything, we are thinking it may be allergies, so he is on Benadryl. Jim hung my new kitchen window treatment, and I am so pleased with it, thanks Mom!! she is good, let me tell you!! It felt good to scratch so many things off my to do list, very fulfilling for me, now onto another week, do you like my new look? I just couldn't wait to "fallify" it!!

{Feeling Fall}

2011-09-09T21:53:00.000-05:00

Yes it is, I am feeling fallish and ready to decorate, wear some comfy cool weather clothes, drink Starbucks holiday flavored coffees, hang out on our deck and not sweat to death, ha! it's on its way I can feel it!!! we have alot of home projects going around here this weekend, and I love it! Happy Weekend!!

{Storage Fun and Cleaning}

2011-09-02T08:34:00.000-05:00

We have been moving things from our storage room to our house this week, and what a job it has been, we didn't think we had that much stuff! Our nice clean garage has become very cluttered, because it actually looks like a real garage, you know what I mean, lawn equip, tool box, all the garage stuff! We went Monday night and did one load between both vehicles, and then back last night, and we still forsee 2 more trips, geesh, it's hot in there, and the rat droppings are the icing on the cake! haha! but it is fun to see things we haven't seen in awhile, we had to use it after the flood and when we moved into the apts. and we do go in and out for things but once we really started digging deep it got interesting, the kids were finding old garage toys they have outgrown, in fact they were fighting over who could ride an old bike of Hannah's, yeah Cameron wanted to pop wheelies on it!

Why I am telling you all about store room stories is that even though we are hot and busy we have fun doing it, we talk, laugh so hard at old things we find, "remember this" is heard the whole time, the kids were funny trying on old bike helmets! It's family time at it's best, you never know where your family will connect, I am glad we are simple like that and can enjoy each other during anything, I grew up in a family like that and love that my family is doing the same.

As I said in the last post I am soo ready for fall, I have been going through my crates of fall decor and can hardly wait to get it out, I also have some fun fall crafts I am going to work on this long weekend, I am really looking forward to this weekend, we have nothing big planned, I do know that between today and tomorrow I am going to turn this house upside down and shake the crumbs out, it's my fall cleaning time, do some yard work, and maybe go swimming, and see some family. I better get off this couch and accomplish and few things before I work, have a great weekend!

{Fall right around the Corner}

2011-08-30T08:54:00.001-05:00

My favorite season is right around the corner and I can hardly wait, I am going to start decorating earlier this year, fall is wonderful!

I ordered my fall scentsy bars yesterday, my house is going to smell like sugar cookies, apples, pumpkins, cinnamon and vanilla all the time, yeah!!!!

{Bloggy Love}

2011-08-25T17:29:00.000-05:00

I love to read blogs, I get so many ideas on decorating, crafting, cooking, being a wife and mom, I am so glad I started mine a few years ago, it's like my diary, I love looking back and seeing what we were doing last year at this particular time, the kids love to see old pics of themselves and how much they have grown.

I am starting to see lots of ideas for fall decorating showing up on my favorite blogs and I am beginning to get very excited, I LOVE FALL, the very thought makes me smile! and I am especially excited because I get to decorate my new house, I have a fireplace again, oooohh the possibilities I have running through my mind. Jim and I were sitting on the deck the other evening and discussing how since we have so much room out there, we are going to have a family pumpkin carving night, we told the kids that when we were dating we got those kits where you attach a pattern and poke the holes and then carve out your creation, Jim's was better! they find that story very intriguing, so we are all going to do one, we are already looking forward to it! hoping the weather will be crisp and cool.

Blogs make me happy, they make me want to create, to make my house our wonderful cozy home,
there are some really creative ladies out there, you should check some of them out!!

{School Pics}

2011-08-24T16:37:00.000-05:00

We are back at school and everyone is doing good. Cameron is in 8th grade {gasp} Hannah is in 4th, who said these kids could grow up??? wear men's size shoes, be almost taller than his mom, have a deep voice, be in his last year of middle school, not want mom to walk them in to school, because she knows where to go, getting taller, outgrowing all her jeans from last year because her legs are long and lean, the nerve of these kids!!!

{School Prep}

2011-08-18T14:22:00.000-05:00

It's that time again, school! we are in full mode, the supplies are bought, we meet teachers tonight, and then are heading to Academy for tennis shoes for Hannah, and a backpack for Cameron, and some new clothes, they have a few new things but I want to get them a few more, and we're good til it cools off, which will be awhile, maybe that's good, it gives our pocketbooks a rest... haha! The kids are not excited about going back, they're like whatever, we get to see our friends, this weekend I want to get their desk areas all fixed up and functional for them, I know this year will alot harder for C, so he needs to focus and study as much as possible. Hope everyone is getting it all together, time is moving...

{Rambling}

2011-08-10T16:29:00.000-05:00

I swear this hot weather has fried my brain, ha! this is too much, 107 is just unacceptable, kids don't want to go outside, so therefore are at my feet begging to be entertained, I get somewhat grumpy at times, just ask my family, ha! I am really wanting to get our yard in order but picking weeds is just out of the question, a heat stroke waiting to happen, fall cannot get here soon enough. We have been so busy here lately, so today I went and had a pedi and an eyebrow hot wax, momma needs some pampering, I am going out of town this weekend to a girls weekend, and I am stoked!! we are going to stay at a friends lake house, swim, talk, eat and maybe drink a little wine and lots of laughing, I am ready! and then I will come back all refreshed and ready to tackle back to school shopping, we pick Cameron's schedule up tomorrow, so we'll know what electives he got, he signed up for a tech. ed class and it needs alot of tech. pins and such, some I have never heard of, I am sure they will not be cheap! but it will be a great class for him. Next week we all get haircuts, and I am having cut and color and want to make some changes, I have been looking for hairstyles on here, I want to go shorter again, not too much, but this sitting on the neck thing is not working for me. I also want to add some dark highlites in also, I will talk with my hairdresser about it, he will tell me what will work, he is sooo good. I have bible study this evening, tomorrow is grocery store and errands, I told ya we were busy, and Dominos is cooking our dinner tonight, how nice of them, ha! no cooking going on here tonight. So, that is my goings on, what are you guys up to?

{Sprinklers & Marshmallows}

2011-08-03T08:23:00.000-05:00

Good morning blog friends it looks like it's going to be another hot day, so what else is knew huh??? I am done with summer, you can go now, yeah right, you will be here awhile I just know it, ha! But since there isn't a darn thing I can do about it I will just ramble on about what is going on in my life, please don't get too excited people, hehe! The other night my sis came by to pick up something and as they were leaving we were out in the driveway, the kids are messing around and my Hannah notices the sprinklers just came on next door so just to be sure, (in typical H fashion) she checks it out and sure enough she eases into a sprinkler and then the cousins decide to just test it out also, just test, that's all, yeah right, next thing we know our nice new neighbor Jimmy, (good name) comes out of the garage and says he doesn't mind them playing in it, he turns them on more, they are all right up in his yard running around having a blast, screaming, laughing, fully dressed mind you, and we didn't even mind, we just went with it, they were so cute, loving life on a summer night, being free, no worries, just playing, sis and I just laughed at them and enjoyed the moment. Then when it was time to dry off, my nephew John takes his clothes off and streaks around the driveway, sooo hilarious, his skinny little butt, and the girls are laughing so hard, so are we, funny kids. As they thanked J for letting them play, he told them they could do that anytime, they will surely remember that.

Kids and I did a ton of errands yesterday, then ended it with a WMart trip, we were there forever, but we had fun, I told you I just enjoy days that we run errands together, I just soak them up, love my babies, then for dinner J grilled some of his famous chicken thighs, they are the best, then for kicks we roasted some marshmallows in the firepit, and then realized how dumb to do that in this heat, we did wait til around 8:30 to do it, but still too hot, but they were still good, nice easy dessert! So, what is going on with you guys?

{Our New Home}

2011-08-01T17:00:00.001-05:00

I finally have some house pictures for you, there are alot of shrubs, and we have not done alot of gardening yet, Jim is working non stop and it's just too hot , we are making small strides though. We do plan to cut some down completely and trim some back.

the view of our side garage, we really like this feature

the entry hall, I love my "chandy"

a view of the backyard, with Kirby of course, he is showing off "his" backyard!

the back view of our deck, we LOVE it!

Of course as we get the inside all decorated I will surely let you know!!

{House rhythm & Walking}

2011-07-29T08:34:00.000-05:00

We are getting settled into our new home, no more boxes laying around, well, in the garage maybe, but otherwise everything has found it's new place. Now I am in the decorating stages, mother helped last week on hanging pictures, curtains...as much as I want it all done righthisveryminute, that is not possible, somethings just take time, patience Stac. We do love our new home, that's for sure, we have so much more space, a beautiful deck out back, truly blessed!

Last week as we were unpacking and getting used to a new place I thought about how out of rhythm I was, houses have rhythm, we get in the rhythm of our surroundings and when they change it can be a real eye opener. I felt unsettled, couldn't sleep, was totally lost in the kitchen, "now where did I put the tupperware"?? a fish out of water, how weird you may say, you've got a house after 2 years of apt. living, why would you feel unsettled? I was though, I am such a creature of habit, I love routine, reeeeaally love routine, ha! In the midst of my uneasiness, the poor dog is a nervous wreck, whining, following us around, freaked every time we left him alone, bless his heart, we just loved on him and made him feel safe, the rest of the gang just moved right a long!!! I finally just ask God to help me fit in around here, slow down and just take it easy, change happens, there are times I do think my MS plays a role, my mind just can't take too much at once.

I did things to help me along, I decided my kitchen set up was not functional, so after some rearranging, it finally felt right. I still need to download some pics, and I will do that later. But I do want to tell you that we are lucky enough to be just 3 houses from our middle school that has a track, and people are always there walking and running, it's in the middle of a neighborhood so people just walk over and start moving! I have been getting up really early lately, so this morning as I was sitting here blog hopping I decided to start a new routine, I got my booty up and dressed and walked 3 times around that track!!! you know it!! morning is best, because wait til later and you may just fry right there on the track! I have always been a walker, and I walked all the time around the apts.with Kirby and went to workout room, but for the past week or so I have not done anything, so I changed all that this morning, I have a new "deal", I so enjoyed myself, I feel better when I am active, my mind is better. When I went to the store yesterday I stocked up on water, I have been indulging in too many sodas lately, I want water to be my "go to" I want to feel more in shape, one blog I read said in the winter I am working towards the bathing suit body and in the heat of summer I am working towards skinny jeans!! ha, great push!!! I will have some pictures up later on for you, have a great day!!

{Checking In}

2011-07-25T09:10:00.000-05:00

I am still on my moving in getting settled break, so much work to be done, we are loving our new home and can't wait to get settled without looking at boxes or just alot of things out of place, our dining room is the current storage for things that have not been put away yet, I'll be back soon with some pictures!!!

{Moving}

2011-07-18T15:32:00.000-05:00

I am moving right now, it's HOT HOT HOT, moving is a real pain in the booty, but that's okay, we have such a nice new home, we are so thankful, I will talk with yall later, my break is over!!!

{A day in my Life}

2011-07-14T08:46:00.001-05:00

I started packing yesterday, my sister just moved this weekend so I got her hand me down boxes, ha! nice and economical. We are truly feeling boxed in around here, no pun intended! anyway, we are so excited to move, our house is so beeutiful, to us at least. So after I was through working yesterday we ran and picked up some friends of Cameron's, they are brother and sister and they are the most precious kids, sister Veronica is going in 9th grade and Hannah thinks she is the best, and I love talking with her, she is very mature, loves taking pictures, in fact, she is getting a little side business going, her brother Bobby is C age and they are best buds, so they came over and swam, then they came in and hung out, she helped me pack somethings, and I fixed dinner for everyone, I got ready for Bible Study, B decided to go to youth group with C, so we took V home, and H and the boys and I went to church, they went to their classes, I went to mine.

After it was over they start screaming for ice cream, and I thought that sounded pretty good also, so we went through Wendy's and got frosty's, yummi, so good, nice treat! We go home and eat our treat, B is spending the night, everyone goes their own way, I decided to go to workout room, I needed to move it, so I worked out awhile, then decided since it felt pretty decent outside to walk, then I went and got Kirby to walk with me, he was more than happy to oblige, ha! Maybe, just maybe I burned that frosty off! I was feeling good after all that, so I picked up a bit around the house, took a nice cool shower, had a bowl of popcorn, because I realized I didn't eat dinner, I was busy taking care of everyone else! Kids all settled in, Jim and I layed in bed and watched some Food Network and off to sleep, now I am ready to do it again, about to go to work and more packing is in my future!!! Have a great day, it's a wonderful life!!

{Kid Talk}

2011-07-08T08:39:00.000-05:00

I need to start documenting more things that the kids say or do that really touches my heart, or that I think is just "cute".

Yesterday evening I was in the workout room doing my thing (I know, I sound so disciplined) ha! anyway Hannah came in and joined me and when we were leaving we saw a worm on the sidewalk and she stopped to talk to him, picked him, he wiggled like crazy, she said that she needed to move him into the bushes out of the way, when she finally picked him up, (he was a slippery little guy) and put him in the bushes she said " that sidewalk was gonna fry him to death, he is all better now". AHHHH, how sweet!! haha

{Snacks}

2011-07-07T14:47:00.000-05:00

I wanted to share what we have been snacking on and drinking this summer!!

We LOVE Sonic, and go there almost every time we run errands, which is several times a week, a large Cherry Limemade for me, cherry DP for Cameron and root beer for Hannah, we usually go around happy hour so that makes it even better, I could go there everyday to be honest with you! hehe!

Pasta Salads have been the big deal, I made one a couple of weeks ago and the kids loved it! so I now make one every week for us to snack on, they give me ideas of what they would like in it, we have made some yummy ones!

Popsickles are always in the freezer, along with kool-aid in the frig, they get 1 soda a day, we have to keep hydrated in this Texas heat!!

We are also loving fresh fruit, Hannah loves peaches, we have enjoyed grapes, watermelon (my fav) cantalope and strawberries!

We have some more fun things to try out, we'll let you know!

{Our 4th}

2011-07-06T09:22:00.000-05:00

We had a great 4th, we got to see our family in Dallas, the kids got spoiled their by aunts, uncles and grandma with all the attention, we went to visit our old neighborhood and reconneted with our "old life" it was fun to see everyone, they were glad to see us, our old house is just "our old house" it's not like there was saddness or longing, just where we used to live, made wonderful memories, made best friends for life, our life is somewhere else now, it's fun to go back, but it's also nice to come back to our new home, I learned that while the big city is so crowded and busy, how did we ever drive in all this? we sounded old and grouchy, Jim said he sure appreciated his 5 minute commute down a simple little road to work now, I never say never as far as "I would never live there again" because I have learned to not say that, period. you never know where life will take you, you have to be ready for what comes up!

I am starting a new ladies bible study tonight, I am so excited about it, giddy actually, I haven't done one in awhile, I knew when it came up that I would do it, I need something bigger than myself, and I think I will find it in this study, I will tell you more about it next time, have a great day, keep cool, say your prayers, be thankful!!! Stacy

My 4th decor...

Me and Grandma

Hannah and Grandma

The kids with Aunt T

Cameron and Uncle John

Mother and Son!!

{July Yumminess}

2011-07-01T08:40:00.000-05:00

It's July and I can hardly believe it!! I started this post yesterday, and never got to finish it, dinner got in the way! ha! I am so excited about the fun weekend we have ahead. I had been telling Jim that I wanted to have a fun 4th with family and friends somewhere, well, sure enough he talked to his family in Dallas and we are going to visit them, we are very excited as we have not seen them in awhile, we are going to have a party at his sisters house and watch the fireworks from their house, they live right in the middle of town and we will have a great view of a town fireworks show!! love the festivites of the 4th, love the colors, the food, and of course Miss H picked herself out a cute 4th shirt and I have some fun jewelry to wear, so excited!

This picture is so 4thy!

And don't these look good!

{Blessings}

2011-06-27T14:23:00.001-05:00

I came across this free printable on a website and immediately knew I had plans for it, the colors will be perfect in our bedroom, I am going to have it enlarged at Walmart and put it in a pretty frame that I will buy at Goodwill, I am so excited about this simple find, the message is so wonderful, I will surely look at it everyday and truly count my blessings!!

{All over the place kinda Stuff}

2011-06-25T14:13:00.001-05:00

This is one of those all over the place kind of posts, no rhyme or reason, just stuff!! ha
I noticed that Hannah had taken some pictures of Kirby with his beloved "bear", he has loved this thing for years now, he gets a good grip of it in his mouth and goes to sleep, everyone thinks its so funny, we are used to it, we love our Kirb Kirb.

This is the banana pudding cake I made for Father's Day for Jim, he loves banana pudding and I had seen this recipe all over blogland and knew I had to try it, sooo wonderful, it was a hit, look how pretty it is, it actually looks like a trifle, in fact after making this I started looking for more trifle recipes to make, the possibilities are endless.

Yall know how much I love my Scentsy, LOVE IT!! well these are Scentsy Buddies, how cute are they??? I want one, as I was looking through the catalog I saw Mollie Monkey, my lil niece is Molly-Kate and I am thinking she needs this little guy,

And my Hannah girl looked through the catalog and said she wants Ribbert the Frog, love those adorable names, I just started my Christmas list... I have decided that when we move I will need to get a new warmer for the back of the house, I already have a list made of the scents I want.

I have been under the weather since yesterday, not sure exactly what it is, lots of MS stuff, few other things, I have felt terrible, hopefully some new meds will help me out, I really want to feel better for church tomorrow, we are visiting a new one and I really like it and can't wait to go back, I am being positive, no more feeling bad, maybe I need to keep chanting that! ha

Jim is working today so my mom came and got the kids so they can hang with them for the day, I just need some peace and quiet, and they enjoy being with their mimi and papa Wayne. It's really quiet around here, I am propped up on the couch with a glass of peach tea, Kirb is in his bed, I may nap in a bit, whatever it takes to feel better.

I am so excited about moving, I am going crazy with so many ideas and I can't wait to start putting then in place, I went to Hob Lob the other day for one thing and thanks to the 80% off sale, I got a couple more things and I am thrilled about them, thrilled!!!

Well peeps that's all I got for now!!

{Picture Catch-up}

2011-06-24T11:12:00.000-05:00

I am playing picture catch up, finally!! This is our trip to Shreveport LA at the boardwalk!

Hannah and Molly-Kate posing by the water

My guys...

They loved their root beer bottles... haha!

Me and my man,

Terri and me!!

{Summer Stuff}

2011-06-16T13:52:00.000-05:00

Let's see, what have we done so far this summer that is fun??? well, I have seen so many lists in blogland about summer activites and I will not be posting one, but I have my list in my special folder, it's my go to folder for plans, ideas, quick thoughts, that's another post for ya! Anway, we swim alot, almost everyday, once we move we can still come back and swim we have so many friends here who we can be their guests and our new house is just under a mile away. We went for snowcones Tues. night, they were so good, just the right things to cool us off!! the kids have each spend the night with friends, H went to her cousins Luau birthday party, we went to Shreveport Louisiana on Sat. and had dinner on the boardwalk at Joe's Crabshack and then went to the Chocolate Crocodile for some wonderful choc. oh my! is all I can say, yumi goodness in that store! I will show some pictures soon, this computer does not some abilities and our other computer is still on the fritz, so Jim is going to bring me an adapter home so I can download some pics! Also, we have had alot of fun running errands together, we love going to WMart and grocery shopping, they love to give their input on what we need, sometimes I have to shoot then down, we don't need all junk, ha! I love those kids of mine so much, they make me laugh, aggrevate me, smart off, like normal kids do! I love soaking in every moment, they are growing up so fast, I am not missing a thing, precious moments watching them interact with each other, with their friends, really looking into their sweet faces and it melts my heart every time.

In awhile we are going for them to get haircuts, then to Albertsons to take advantage of their good sale, then to Target for a precscription, printer ink and dog treats, and that is our afternoon in a nutshell, and spagetti is on the menu for dinner tonight, I love taking care of this precious family of mine, I truly feel it's the absolute most important thing ever!!! Happy Summer Days!!~
I think this little owl is just darling!

{Dreading Father's Day}

2011-06-14T18:47:00.000-05:00

With Father's Day approaching I am kinda dreading it, this will be my first FD without my sweet daddy, I can still remember last years and we had so much fun, I remember it so clearly, the laughs, the special lunch we had, the desserts he loves, I am certainly glad to have those wonderful memories, but it really saddens me to celebrate this day without him. I want to celebrate my husband and make it special for him on behalf of my children, and I do have some fun things in mind, it just won't be the same, I do plan to visit his grave, oh how I hate saying that, it doesn't sound right, I miss him so much. I went to his grave on Easter and it's just so painful, feelings are still so raw, there are times I want to avoid really sad situations because it can literally be so painful, my whole body hurts, sometimes I just can't do it. Overall, I am doing good, but when I start thinking too much about when he was sick or about the night he past away I just fall apart, but I am handling it better than I thought I would, I rely on my God for strenth, he is the best shoulder to cry on, is always there, and is a constant source of love and support, and that is enough for me.

{Dog Days}

2011-06-10T15:41:00.000-05:00

It has been so painfully hot here, I hate it, today is high 80's, so that's a relief but I do not like triple digits, no way!! Besides swimming in the pool we have not done anything exciting, we have been pretty bored to be honest with you, my mind is really set on moving, which should be no later than the 15th of July, we cannot wait to have a yard again, so is Kirby, haha! Mine and J computer has been on the fritz, so we are all using the kids computer, the place we took it too said it cannot be fixed, it's not 2 yrs. old yet and we have had bad experience with it, it's a Gateway, then we were told it can be fixed, so we are waiting to get it fixed, what a pain! Anywho, that is about it from me, I will write more when I actually have something worth while to say!!

{Happiness}

2011-06-02T08:41:00.000-05:00

HAPPINESS IS:

hearing your kids at the pool say "watch mom, look at me"

a great conversation with your s/law who you haven't talked to in awhile.

watching Hannah and her cousins running with their beach towels like they are capes and laughing all the way.

taking Cameron to youth group at church on Wed. night, so thankful for his sweet heart.

while I am working, Hannah cracks the door and hands me a miniature size candy bar as if to say "you deserve a treat mom"

a great husband who you love so much and makes you laugh.

being able to work from home, such a blessing.

planning how to decorate our new home, such great ideas I have swarming in my head.

a cute little beagle dog named Kirby who loves to go for walks and ride in the car.

making brownies for your family and how happy they are when you serve them a slice, it's the little things and they make me sooo happy!!

{Hair & Craft}

2011-05-28T13:57:00.001-05:00

I got my hair done, color and a trim, and I love it!!!

So Sassy...

I made this magnetic memo board for Hannh's teacher for an end of year thank you gift,

I love the way it turned out, the black hanger adds a great touch, NOT!

It was so easy, I took a $store pizza pan, spray painted it, then drilled 2 holes for the ribbon (Jim did), I no drill! Cut my scrapbook paper to size and mod podged it on, the other side is a striped pink

that coordinates really well with the floral. I found these great magnets at Michaels and they go great

with the paper, looped my ribbon through and wala, a great gift!!

{For the Mind}

2011-05-25T16:00:00.000-05:00

Lately it seems I have so much on my mind, it n-e-v-e-r stops! It's not negative things, it's the new house, all the crafts that I am working on, how to decorate the new house, school being out, summer vacation plans, you get the point moms!! haha In fact, the other night I couldn't get to sleep thinking about a frame that I was making, I almost got up and finished it, so it's not stressful things, it's fun things!! Well, I haven't been reading lately, no reason, I have read all the books in my house, and I have been thinking about going to the library, I used to be a huge library fan and then when we moved I just never picked back up on it, so yesterday while at WMart I decided it was time for a new book, I spotted a new Nora Roberts book and got that one, I love her and she never fails to please. I really want to start a new series, I love series, they keep me on my toes with reading, I am thinking of diving into The Hunger Game, I hear it's wonderful so I'll probably do that. Reading is so therapeutic for me, it relaxes my mind, so reading is back on my agenda and I can't wait to start on my book this evening.

{Goings on}

2011-05-24T16:30:00.000-05:00

Like me I am sure you are feeling just terrible for the people in Joplin, what a horrible ordeal, I told Jim when I heard about it that I wanted to jump in the car and go help, just do something, my heart has been heavy for them, along with those in Alabama, and other places affected by tornados and floods. My kids stare at the news with many questions, and I had a little pep talk with them last night about praying for these people, being thankful for what they have because there are some kids their age, right now who have lost everything. Prayer is all we can do.

On to something lighter, Hannah participated in a Gymnastic Gymboree on Sat. at the gym. she takes at, she did such a good job and we are really proud of her!! Go Hannah!!

{Wreath Love}

2011-05-19T17:36:00.001-05:00

This is what adorns my door these days, isn't it lovely, notice the little bird nest in it, precious.

{Wordless Wednesday... almost}

2011-05-18T15:44:00.001-05:00

Soda taste much better when it's in a Coca Cola glass, Jim was jealous when he saw it, he wants one now...

{Sister...}

2011-05-14T15:41:00.000-05:00

Yesterday afternoon my sister and I had to go to the cemetary to approve my dad's grave marker, not a fun chore, it was pretty sad to see his name on it, he was a veteran and the vet assoc. provides their markers, it was pretty, I guess, if you know what I mean, it's not like it's exciting, it is one of those things that just has to be and well, you just do it. We picked out the granite piece that it will mount on, we did not enjoy this task, as we miss our dad so much it hurts... After we finished there Terri ask me if I had had lunch and I had not so we decided on McD's since it was right there, we got our lunch and pulled into a parking space and had a picnic lunch, it was nice to spend time visiting with each other, sometimes we just want to talk about our dad and how we are dealing with his loss, after all your siblings are the only ones who know exactly how you feel, we talked, laughed, and enjoyed our lunch on a nice May day, it was just what we needed.

My sister Terri and me!! Love her!

{All Things Crafty}

2011-05-13T15:18:00.000-05:00

I have all things CRAFTY on the brain these days, seriously I can't even sleep thinking about all the fun things that I am going to do, I am so excited!!! yeah!! We have found a house and we are looking to move into around the first of July, we are seriously so blessed to have found this home, so nice, roomy, just perfect for our family, and I will finally have my own office/craft/guest room!!! it is the perfect size and I have some wonderful plans for our new home!! I get so many wonderful ideas from blogland, you can find me reading decor blogs or with my nose buried in a Ballard magazine, I am going to do some really neat Ballard inspired projects, like I said my excitement is truly bubbling over, I love to feel that way about things, I love to feel inspired, hopeful, excited about the future, with all the sad emotions about my dad I am glad to be able to look forward with such delight!!

{My Mother's Day}

2011-05-09T15:55:00.001-05:00

I hope all of you mommas had a good Mother's Day, I had a real nice day, started off with some breakfast fixed my my kiddos, church, and then yesterday afteroon all the ladies in the family met at Bryces Cafeteria for pie and coffee, it was so relaxing to sit, talk and laugh, these ladies are so much fun to be with and I am thankful for all of them. When I got home the house was picked up and my husband motioned for me to come look at the stove, which was sparkling clean, burners and all!! Now this may not sound like a big deal but he scrubbed it til it shined!!! little things like that are a real treat to me! I am so thankful for my precious children and I tell them the same thing every Mother's Day "it's because of you two that I get to celebrate this special day". I am also so thankful for my mom, she is the most nurturing, giving, talented lady I know and I also consider her to be my best friend. She is a wonderful decorator, she has a great eye for things, I have to have her opinion because it is always so good, she loves all her grandkids and they think she is the best, she is always there for you, she had a sweet nature, and is a beautiful person inside and out, I love her so much! My family got me a mani/pedi gift cert. for MD and I am thrilled about it, it was the perfect gift for me!

{Oh, the Deals}

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

I went on a really fun shopping spree yesterday and I got quite a few things, I love all of them, I buzzed through that store finding the best deals ever!! I was so excited about my finds, where did I get all these goodies you may ask...??? Goodwill my friends!! I had not been in awhile and finally made it over there, several of these items will of course be repainted and repurposed, here is what I bought, {{sqeal with delight}}

Look at all this stuff!!

This canister had a dirty brown lid, I then painted it red to match my ceramic canisters and now we have a cookie jar, I will paint the candle holder black of course!

When I saw this fun mirror I grabbed it really fast, claiming my take, ha! and I just love this cheese dome, these can be used for so many things, the Santa is really heavy and looks brand new!

And... these shoes, oh the shoes, what can I say except, Antonio Melani, $4, I did some research and these can be found at Dillards and store like that and sell for around $65.00, what a score, I had been wanting some red shoes and these just jumped out at me, real leather, cork look, perfect shape, to say I am thrilled would be an understatement!! I also got 4 pictures, to use just for the frames, I am going to do paint them and do an arrangement on the wall with them, I have been seeing alot of projects with just the frame and I love it, so I am going to do one, so excited, it was a great day for me!

{Royal Fun}

2011-04-30T17:59:00.000-05:00

I caught the "Royal Fever", I have never been big on the royal family, just never really got into it, I did however stay home from school the day Charles and Di got married. All through the week all that was on tv was stories about the upcoming wedding and I really didn't care... and then when I got up yesterday morning around 6:30 and tuned in, I became very intrigued, and watched it off on on all day, I then watched the Lifetime movie about them last night and really got into, it was a really good movie, love Lifetime, anyway, since replays of the wedding have been on all day, I watched it from the beginng to end today and loved it!! Such a beautiful couple!!

{Our Easter}

2011-04-29T17:04:00.001-05:00

I love dying eggs, when I smell vinegar it always reminds me of easter eggs, I sniffed it and Hannah looked at me like I was crazy...

Hannah and Avery decorating "monster eggs" and H looking all too happy to have her picture made...

Goodies...

My handsome boy

Pretty girl...

L-O-V-E these precious kiddos of mine...

And Jim and I (windy day=messy hair and I look fat!! yuck!

{Easter Greetings}

2011-04-24T08:12:00.000-05:00

{Moving Along}

2011-04-20T08:55:00.001-05:00

(Love this Easter basket!)

Don't you just love a good walk or a run, I know I do, I love walking as I have said many times and sometimes I actually crave a little running. This morning it's as if my legs were screaming to get moving, and I did just that, my first lap was shared with Kirby, but he wants to piddle, sniff, pee every few minutes so I dropped him off and went back out by myself, it felt good, got my heart rate up, even had my morning prayer time, I am all content now and ready to start my day, we're about to get some storms which are supposed to last all week, so I may not get too much walking time in for a few days, it's amazing what some exercising will do for you, it benefits your body, your heart, and your soul!!!! and I LOVE it.

{Lists}

2011-04-14T08:15:00.002-05:00

What I am Loving these days

The anticipation of our summer vacation

My walks with our beagle Kirby

Watching my kids play outside, riding skooters, ripsticks, bicycles.

My new Scentsy scent Eskimo Kiss, smells so good and the name is too cute!

Reading cookbooks, I have always loved reading them and I am on a kick lately

Watching my kids perform in their activities, ex: track and gymnastics

And I want to share some tv shows that I am just crazy about and must see, Mike & Molly, Blue Bloods, Rules of Engagement, What Would you Do? Reruns of Everybody Loves Raymond, and the best for last Bethany Ever After!!!!!!

And our family has really gotten into watching Family Feud every evening from 6-7, we love it and like to play along, we look forward to this time, Hannah will make up her own questions at commercials and ask us, and when someone answers with something you know is not up there Jim makes the beep noise real funny and we laugh every time!!!

{Nascar}

2011-04-13T15:52:00.000-05:00

My guys went to Dallas on Saturday for the Nascar Race, they had great tickets, in fact, as up close and personal as you can get, they have friends in high places! There was a smoker in their area and they had every meat possible to choose from, and from what I hear they took full advantage! haha! They took some fun pictures for me, as you can tell from the pics with the cars, they were pretty darn close!! So glad they had a blast, I am so thankful for the son/father relationship that they have.

{Track Meet Fun}

2011-04-12T08:28:00.000-05:00

Today is the district track meet for Cameron, and have I mentioned that our boy totally rocks?? well, he does! he does the long jump and the 800 meter run, on the 800 he is always 1,2 or 3 place, it is so much fun to watch him, he has his little rythm of running that works for him and I love it, it's like he paces himself at first and then "blows up" at the end and smokes everyone in his way, love it, so exciting!!! even during spring break he would run at night and ride his mountain bike to keep up his strength, so proud of his dedication, it sure has paid off, the track meet is in a little town about 1 1/2 hour away, so we are pulling Hannah out of school about 2:00 and will head that way, we don't want to miss a thing!!

Had a good weekend, Jim and Cameron went to Dallas for the Nascar race, they really enjoyed themselves and on Sat. Hannah and I did some shopping, she really needs some shorts, so we did that and then cousin Madeline spent the night and we went to Ckfila for dinner and then to see Soul Surfer that night, such a good movie, I highly recommend it, such courage that girl has!! we had a fun girls night!! Then the guys got home Sun. afternoon and we just hung out and enjoyed a wonderful roast for dinner with all the trimmings!! Yum! that is about all I got for now, have a great day, the weather is nice here!!!

{It's all Good Stuff}

2011-04-07T14:26:00.001-05:00

What a mess my blog has been today, I got the itch to make some changes, then messed it up with the widgets and all, I have been putting it back together all day!!! but I like my new"springy" look!! nice and cheerful. I also have a few pictures to share with you that make me HAPPY!

This arrangement that my mom and I put together, love my new bunny from TJ Max, love that store!

This darling picture that my Hannah girl drew for me, and she hung it by my desk so I could look at it while I work.

And, I am just so proud of my Diet Coke shirt, I A-D-O-R-E it!! and I have the perfect red necklace that goes perfect with it!! what makes this shirt even better is it was $3.24 at Target, even more reason to love it!! haha!

{Awesome April}

2011-04-01T15:06:00.000-05:00

Happy April!!! It is a cute little month, kinda simple, spring is popping it's head out and giving us teases of nice warm weather, it's Easter time, many have spring fever, some are dreaming of the flowers they will plant in their yards, lawns need mowing, the kids are enjoying playing outside longer and coming in fulfilled and happy from bike riding, rip sticking, playing with friends, it's a happy time! It is a pretty day here in East Texas, this whole week has been cold though, so we are liking todays weather, I am thinking about a nice long walk, I love my walks, walking is my choice of exercise, always has been, my mother was always a walker, us kids would love to walk the neighborhood with her, or ride our bikes! I got my Spring/Easter decor up this week, love the sweet arrangements my mom and I put together, they are happy, and I could use all the happy I can get these days, ha! Life is good though, I just ride a roller coaster these days, grief for my father's loss, MS aches and pains, but... I am good, it's life. The weekend is not too busy, Jim's store is having a big sale tomorrow so he is working, Cameron is going to mow my sisters yard for them tomorrow, he likes to mow and he likes the extra $ also, he is planning to go to the movies with friends next weekend so this is perfect for him! Hannah has been struggling with allergies this week, so we need to get her all better, church Sun. and then Sun. night mom and Wayne are coming over for dinner and we are looking forward to that, so thankful for my family and my blessed life, to God be the Glory!!! Have a great weekend!

{Nifty Ninety}

2011-03-29T08:20:00.000-05:00

We celebrated my Mamaws 90th birthday Sat. night at a mexican rest. and had a blast, there were about 25 of us, it was so fun to be with the whole family, the only problem that I am just sick about is that the picture of Mamaw in her hat was some how erased by me, I was ill about it, it was a good picture. I didn't take too may pics. I was too busy visiting and having fun!!!

{Track & Sickness}

2011-03-23T15:01:00.000-05:00

As I said in the last post I just got too busy to blog and when I thought about it I wasn't in the mood, you know how that can be, just don't feel up to writing it all down. Last week was spring break and we just stayed around here, nothing too exciting, my brother and his kids came in and that was fun hanging with them, and the cousins all love being together. And now for the exciting news... Cameron came in 1st place in 800 meter run at his track meet Monday, we were beside ourselves with excitement, there were 12 boys running, when he came flying up past the boy who was in first and glided on past him we knew he had it!!! I went to bed smiling and woke up smiling, we are so proud of him. I had never really known alot about track, he has played all sports at one time or the other, and he does play football in the fall, but 7th grade is when they can start track and with the urging of his coaches he gave track a try and has excelled, track meets are so much fun, I never knew, Jim and I just look at each other like "look at our boy go" haha! to say we are proud is an understatement :)

It has been nice getting back to our normal routine this week, I know the kids disagee, but I like a routine, I don't mind shaking it up a bit but a routine keeps me sane! Last night Hannah and I were at gymnastics and Jim called me about 30 min. after we had left and said he was ill, he was throwing up, chills, couldn't even talk to me, so she had a little more time to finish and then we flew home to check on him, poor guy threw up all night, felt terrible, luckily I had some Phenegran and he took that and it seemed to help, he has had a headache and very weak today, so he has been sleeping, I just fixed him some Chicken noodle soup and crackers, and of course more Sprite, so he is perking up a bit, it just takes awhile to get over all that mess. I am crossing fingers and toes none of us get it, the lysol has made many appearances today! ha. When I get sicknesses like that it really takes me down even more because of my MS, so it can just take a hike! I guess that is it for now, have a good rest of the day!

{I speak}

2011-03-21T22:41:00.000-05:00

I am alive, my mother inlaw called me on Sat. to make sure we were okay, she noticed I had not been blogging, it was not an intentional break it just turned into one. Last week we were on spring break and my brother and his kids came in so we had alot going on, lots of good times together. But I will be back tomorrow to fill you in on what;s been going on.

{13}

2011-03-10T08:25:00.000-06:00

We have a teen in the house!! He has reminded Jim and I that him becoming a teen makes us "old", thanks for that Cameron!! He had a great day, a group of friends decorated his locker, the athletic team sang to him and lifted him up on their shoulders and he got to sit out and watch everyone else work out! he got some really neat gifts and his having 2 friends spend the night Fri. night and watch a movie, have pizza, just hang out and have fun!! Happy 13 Cameron, we love u!!

{Face Book Thoughts}

2011-03-06T09:19:00.000-06:00

I don't know about some of you, but I have thought a couple of times about doing away with my facebook account, but, I enjoy couponing and to get most of them you need facebook, so that solved that little issue. The reason I bring this issue up is I get so tired of reading some of the crap people put on there, esp. this new feature I have noticed where you tell people where you are, ie, "Stacy is at Walmart" okay, really, so when a person is at a resturaunt they are like hold on people let me let the world know where I'm at?? what a waste of time. Now I am not putting everyone down that uses it, it is great for certain types of networking and i have reconnected with so many people on there, and I do enjoy seeing what's up, but the obvious addiction that some people have is crazy, I think we all have a few friends that take up your whole wall, you know the ones, they tell you every detail of their daily lives. I do post pics every now and then and say hello to everyone, I guess the thing that really gets me is some of the things that people are into, I sometimes wanna say "grow up already" your doing the same things you did in high school, or wow, what an alcoholic you are, or "aren't you a little old to be acting that way", or "I can't believe you posted THAT picture for the world to see", you all know what I mean, I know you do!!! My sister and I get some good laughs at all these things, we share alot of the same friends. Cameron just got a fb a few months ago, and it's fun for him, no biggie, Jim and I are both friends with him so he has nothing to hide, he and his friends just have fun with each other, btw he will be 13 on Tues. eek!! no! my baby boy! such a good boy though, and he has his first track meet tomorrow, so we are looking forward to that!!! The reason for my fb rant, I just looked at it, and felt inspired by the select few. There are alot of things these people could be doing rather than letting the world know "they are going to Sonic" or "that God forbid they are having diareah!!!!!ha I am just waiting on that one!

Storage and Sales}

2011-03-01T08:32:00.000-06:00

March 1, reeeealy? I won't even get on my time flies soap box... it does, deal with it Stac!!! Last night we went to our storage building to take some stuff and get some stuff, the kids had a really good time looking at all the goodies from our old house, we had to rent this when the "big flood" happened, most of the things are items that won't fit, or were garage things, Jim and I always run by there to get something every now and then but the kids never go, C found his old pocket rocket motorcycle, H found her cupcake maker and brought it home, she informed me the cake mixes were expired and we need to get more so she can cook, oh joy!! I am not a fan of those item, easy bake oven, icee maker... they make tiny portions and take forever, and take up a ton of space, but oh well. The goal when we went was to trade out C Tony Hawk bike for a mountain bike, we have very limited space in our entry way here but it does fit 2 bicycles, so one had to go, he is really excited about it, my brother gave it to us years ago and it's practically brand new, and since he is running track he wanted this bike to help him with his fitness, he and his daddy aired the tires back up, tweaked it a little, and he is happy!! H also brought back an old Razor scooter they had forgotten about, so now we have 2 scooters, 2 bikes, and a Ripstik, something for everyone to ride, good times! We are looking forward to having a house again when the time comes, we are checking out our options, the lawn mower, weed eater, blower, all that stuff are begging to be used again, Jim did say he was ready for yard duty, so is C, he was liking mowing before we moved, he may not be that into it now, but he'll do it!!

I need to get busy this morning, I have 30 min. before I report to work, I am thinking I am very comfy in my new 4.40 jammie pants that I got at Kohl's the other day, they are too cute and they have bright colored snow flakes on them, at that price, they could have pumpkins on them or whatever holiday art!! That reminds me H and I had a very successful shopping trip Sat. at Kohl's we hit the jackpot, we got 13 articles of clothing for 117.00, 1 of them being the CUTEST dress for me, it is DARLING and I actually go in there and take it out everyday and smile at it, I do, really. Okay. enough from me, need to refill my coffee and get setup for my day, have a good first day of March my bloggy friends!!!

{My kiddos}

2011-02-25T08:20:00.000-06:00

These 2 kids of mine, they make me so happy, last night Jim had a chamber of commerce meeting and dinner so he would not be having dinner with us and I told him the kids and I would probably just drive thru Wendy's and grab some dinner, he suggested why don't we just eat there, I thought that was a great idea why not shake it up a little, do something different, and the kids thought that was a great idea, (doesn't take much does it) anywho, we sat there eating our dinner and talked about their day, I like to know what was the best and worst part of their day, they really like this and it can be really interesting listening to them. Last night C was telling me about some cute girls and Miss H informs me that she "did" have a boyfriend at school, but she broke up with him, I asked her what they did to be boy/girlfriend, she said "mom, nothing we all just play together on the playground", oh the drama! as long as they keep it on the playground this mama is okay, haha!! I was shocked because she is pretty shy about stuff like that, now C on the other hand has had several little girlfriends, anyway, I remember at one point just looking at them as they were talking to each other and I just had to smile, they are mine and I am so glad that they are!!!!

{Love this}

2011-02-24T10:16:00.000-06:00

{What I'm Watching}

2011-02-21T13:13:00.000-06:00

I took Hannah and one of her little friends to see this movie on Saturday afternoon and it was so good, the reviews were not that great, but I have learned you can't listen to them, like I would watch it again, so precious!!

And I am loving "The Good Witch Series" on the Hallmark channel, there are 3 movies and I saw the 3rd one at Christmas and loved it, then the first 2 were on yesterday and I got caught up on them and LOVE them, I hear they just finished the 4th one, I cannot wait!! Catherine Bell is a great actress!

{The "Now"}

2011-02-17T08:20:00.000-06:00

Good Thursday morning to you!! Is it me or has this week flown by?? slow down time, please. Seems everywhere you look everyone is waiting for the next day, on FB people are always writing on Monday that they can't wait for Friday??? why can't we just enjoy "the now", I have learned in my life and esp. the last several months that you have to enjoy "the now" life is short, enjoy living it, now I am not trying to be an expert in how to live or to say that I am doing it all right and telling you that you need to do the same, I am also trying to convince myself, ha! My kids are growing up so fast, and it makes me sad, last night Hannah came in my room to read to me after her bath and she looked so darling, she had her hair in a little bun and looked tall as she crawled on the bed with me and sprawled her long legs out, I just looked at her and asked her how she got so tall all of a sudden, she then jumped off the bed and stood real straight and smiled, pleased that I thought she looked tall, my girl, my baby, who can be so difficult, has a mind of her own, very stubborn, will argue 24/7, hates to clean, and is a tough little boot, she needs to STOP growing for the love of all things good!! And then Cameron, who will be 13 in a few weeks, yikes, a teen??? nooooo, he is tall, voice already changed, but he is my sweet boy, pretty easy going, not perfect, can have a smart mouth, and says we need to give him more freedom, easy boy, just calm down and quit trying to catch up with me on your height and shoe size, seriously, enough Cameron!!! ha!

Life is somewhat of a struggle these days, we miss our Papa so much we want him back with us, and we are doing good dealing with it, some days are harder than others, the kids don't dwell on it like I do or how Jim does, kids deal different, they are stronger than we think, Cameron has always said that Papa is better now that he is in heaven and his heart is well again, not if that doesn't make you so proud as a parent...

Hannah started back in gym. Tues night, she didn't take in the fall, that is when dad got so sick and I was back and forth to Austin and then caring for him when we brought him home, it just wouldn't work for us then, and she had been so anxious to get back in, so Tues. was the night and she was so happy to be jumping and tumbling again, and the smile on her face as I watched her on the trampoline made me so happy!! Cameron is getting ready for track at school, the coach said he would love to have him on the team, and he has been timing really well, so that will be fun going to track meets, I love new adventures for my kids. We have been planning our family vacation here lately, we have not taken a "real vacation" in years and it's time, so we are planning to go to Florida, and we are so excited, planning is half the fun!! Well, I need to get moving this morning, I start work at 9 so I have more than enough time to pick up around here, yeah me, ha! I think today will be a home day, I did errands yesterday, so after I finish working at 1, I'll just hang around here and do what needs to be done, there is always something, but, that is okay, I have been blessed with this wonderful family of mine, and I don't take that for granted at all, I have a husband who is also my best friend who works hard for our family and puts us first, always, and I love taking care of them, I am so thankful to God for my life, he has been good to me, no matter what struggles we are dealing with I am trying to always be thankful, enjoy the now, don't rush life, NOW is the best time.

{Valentines Greeting}

2011-02-14T08:33:00.000-06:00

2011-02-11T18:16:00.000-06:00

Thank you for all your sweet words of encouragement after my last posts, sometimes we just have to let it out, this is life and it's not always roses, but the good thing about talking about it out loud is that it does make you feel better, and I prayed to my Lord for peace during times like these, he is the only one that can help us and I just turned it all over to him, it refreshed my soul, that's the good thing about new days, each new day is a day forward and I can only look forward. I rented the last Shrek movie for us to watch tonight, we are big Shrek fans around here, so looking forward to watching that, not too much going on for the weekend, just taking it as it comes, have a great weekend, I am going to take advantage of some warmer weather and get some good walks in, they do a body good!!!

{Venting}

2011-02-10T09:30:00.000-06:00

This is a venting post today, I am not a happy camper the last few days, while the snow and cold weather is pretty, my pain is not, the cold has really affected my MS, I wake up in pain, feet hit the floor and ouch, legs ache... so I take my pain med. and some ibuprofin, wait for that to set in and start my day... blah, blah, blah, I am so tired of this, I cannot do anymore to make it better, and then I get really sleepy, and can't wait to get a nap, and then to top it off my psoriasis is all flamed up, I have it on my hands and let me tell ya, they look rough, and they hurt, it's like lots of little cuts, so I look like a toddler sporting all of my band-aids, good times! And, yeah there is more, sorry I warned you... I am not pleased with my body these days, and last night I obsessed about the fact that my butt is looking too large, and what in the world is that cellulite all about?? I didn't invite it over, it needs to leave. I am not out growing my clothes or anything, I am just not pleased, I walk all the time, except when the weather is like this, and as always, I miss my sweet daddy and think about him all the time, and I know that grieving last awhile and I accept that, it's just stinks that's all. I'll get a grip on all this, I know I will, sometimes ya just have to let it out and this is my blog so here it is!! HA! Thanks for listening, as always you guys are the best!! :)

(Super Bowl Fun}

2011-02-07T08:19:00.000-06:00

Just a few pictures of our super bowl fun, we had mom and Wayne over and Jim fixed his amazing chili, we also enjoyed spinach dip, veggie tray, and cookies, everything was so good, mom brought some paint and we put the initial of our fav team on our cheeks!!

{Super Sunday}

2011-02-06T16:25:00.000-06:00

I found this on another blog the other day and LOVED it, aren't these pillows just great!

(photo from source)

And this is a picture that I found on another blog and I would just love to have this somewhere in my home!!

(photo from source)

Are you all getting ready to cheer on your favorite team? We sure are, have fun this evening!!

{Snow}

2011-02-05T09:01:00.000-06:00

{Normalcy}

2011-02-02T08:57:00.000-06:00

When I found this I immediately loved it, I love the "normal" call me a creature of habit, but it is so incredibly comforting to me. It made me reflect on the everyday normal that I love such as, morning routines getting everyone ready to start the day, my routine after they all leave and esp. the evening time, I love it when I am getting dinner ready and the kids are usually out playing or doing homework, and I have Food Network on, I love to cook with Rachel Ray, she is on at 5:30 and I am usually fixing dinner around then... and then J gets home, we visit, finish dinner, call kids in, have dinner while talking about our day, I like to fold clothes in the evenings on my bed, it's relaxing and hey, it has to be done! Jim always watches tv in the living room and I am always in our room in the evening, after chores are done I enjoy reading and watching tv and the kids are usually in their rooms or wherever, it depends on what night it is because they have certain shows they like to watch with their daddy, H likes to take her bath in our tub for some reason, but I like it, because while I am doing my thing in our room she is bathing and calls me in their every few minutes to show me what she is doing, she is busy in the tub with her bath toys, Barbies, pet shop pets, and lately she loves to play with my shaving cream, now J complains she is wasting it, but I don't care, it's cheap and she has a blast with it, seriously she makes me all kinds of deserts with it, haha! and decorates her face, it's funny, she entertains me, I just enjoy, for I know she will outgrow all that one day. Cameron can be found on his laptop with earbuds listening to music or on facebook or watching tv, playing with the dog, visiting with J. So as you can see I love our "normal" days, they bring me pure JOY.

{Hannah's Party}

2011-01-30T12:49:00.000-06:00

{Tangled}

2011-01-28T17:33:00.000-06:00

We saw this wonderful movie yesterday and loved it too pieces. Tomorrow is Hannah's 9th birthday, and we had not seen this movie yet and heard so many wonderful things about it and knew we needed to see it before it left theatres. This year we decided that H would have a family only party, I just feel that not every birthday should be a friend party, and decided that we would do a friend party every other year, so, since her best friends are her cousins it works out just perfect. So we decided to go see this movie as part of her gift and were going tomorrow but then found out it was leaving theatres today, I mean it has been out since Thanksgiving, so we went last night to the 4:50 showing, it was H, her cousins, my sis, mother and Cameron. The kids were treated to movie snack packs and had so much fun, esp since we were the only ones in there, all to ourselves, C went to see Yogi Bear that was playing at the same time, so everyone had alot of fun, I really love Disney movies, they never disappoint. Tomorrow we are having cake and gifts at our house and I have some really neat things up my sleeve, even H doesn't know what they are and I am super excited to set up for the birthday girl, can't believe my baby girl will be 9!!!!!!