Lollipops and Lip Gloss

It lasted until today!

2011-02-16T12:44:00.000-06:00

Remember when I did this? It lasted until today. That is over three months of use! It cost me around $1.30 to make. That is a savings of $31.70. Or, if you break it down by loads, The store bought costs me 10 cents a load and my stuff costs about one and half cents a load!

Beans and Rice and Rice and Beans

2010-11-23T08:34:00.000-06:00

We did it. For three days we ate rice and beans. I learned a lot during those three days. I discovered new ways to cook beans. I made my first lentil soup. My horizon was broadened and I realized ways I could cook much cheaper. And just when the kids had complained and cried and said "beans, again?!" almost creating a starvation riot, I set up a beans taste test and they ended up laughing and eating and having so much fun! The spiritual lessons were deeply written in my heart. Discipline, perseverance, staying the course in the midst of complaints and tears, emotions. I felt more that week than I have in a while. I would picture moms cooking for their kids, only having rice and beans and muttering words of thanks that they would get to eat that day, moms holding their starving kids while they wondered if they would make it through the time of hardship, and babies crying because they have no food. It makes our hard times seem not really hard at all.
But... I felt like we cheated. There were a few pieces of fruit around the house, I still had the luxury of coffee every day (and my mom even dropped off some special cream), we went out to celebrate my daughter's birthday, I added special things like onions and carrots and garlic to the soups, and we did make cookies one day for a friend. Even though the kids might have thought they were going to, no one starved. There was an abundance of food.
We grasped the reality of how many people in the World eat so much simpler than we do. In the rest of the world, they would not even think about waisting a single bite of their beans. They do not have luxuries like carrots, onions, and garlic, much less fruit, cookies and cream for coffee. There are still thousands upon thousands that die each day from hunger.
We prayed. I know those prayers sounded so much sweeter when coming from a place of deeper understanding.
And an idea was born. I want my girls to experience serving at a deeper level. We are praying for a family mission trip to go on.
Now that Thanksgiving is upon us, I will think and thank a little differently this year.

Two aisles and a bag of carrots

2010-11-15T15:43:00.000-06:00

Two aisles and a bag of carrots.
That was my grocery shopping trip. As I walked down those two aisles, I realized how much food we have access to. It is everywhere! Just those two aisles probably hold more food than some people around the world see in a year. As I was looking at all the food and how much I have taken it for granted, tears were welling up in my eyes. I wonder if I was the only one crying for the world in the grocery store that day. Thanksgiving is just around the corner and this year, being thankful will take on a whole new meaning.

Total spent for 3 days:
$15.51

I think I'll put the money we save these three days in a jar to start our mission trip fund. What mission trip fund? Ummm... That's the cool part! We don't have any idea... just something to pray about during this time of fasting!

Our church played parts of this video at church.
It is what started the tears flowing.
Leave me a comment telling me what part touched you the most.

Celebrate the Nations

2010-11-14T14:12:00.000-06:00

Part of our homeschooling has been reading about other people groups. It has been eye-opening and I realize how little I know of the World.

In church today we talked about missions. Two facts stuck with me:
Over half of the world lives on less than $2 a day.
30,000 people a day die from hunger.

In Sunday School (we teach 2nd grade), the kids told me some of their favorite foods and we figured out how much they eat a day and approximately what it would cost. $7 - $14 was what we came up with.

Our church is challenging us to have a rice and beans fast until church Wednesday night.
http://www.woodsedge.org/event_details.php?id=70

Later this week, the sermon will be posted here:
http://www.woodsedge.org/media.php

Only rice and beans for 3 days??? This idea is not going over too well with the kids... I'm kinda excited. Anyone know any good recipes?
I'll update how we are doing!

One-winged Butterfly

2010-11-11T13:47:00.000-06:00

"For a useful analogy in nature, consider the caterpillar that is “faking” being a butterfly, in order to look good or overcome feelings of self-contempt, shame, or ugliness, and which looks on other caterpillars with harsh judgment, if not disdain, and a desperate need to accelerate their “fixing.” And consider that a butterfly that is genuinely being itself looks on caterpillars with joyful expectancy, knowing that they are all “becoming” butterflies, that nothing is missing, and that the timing of their becoming is in God’s hands. The butterfly looks back on its caterpillar days with thankfulness, understanding its necessity, loving having been a caterpillar as well as being a butterfly. But the caterpillar often is discontent with its condition, wishing to rush its “ascendancy,” thereby stalling and delaying itself." -Jim Spivey

I am in a strange place, some areas of my life I'm living in butterfly mode and some areas I am stuck as a caterpillar. Maybe as a one-winged butterfly?

The past week has been a hard one. A week where I came to the end of myself. And found God there waiting. Ready to take over and clean up the mess. And just when I think I am empty of myself, a new trial comes that lands me flat out again. I see that I have not emptied all that I am, that I have yet again gotten in the way of myself. The caterpillar rears her head and begins to judge. It is easier to guess at what people think and judge them than it is to really communicate with them and love them. More hurts coming out. More realizations. More truths. It is a painful, growing process.

To really be able to love others, we have to first embrace God's love for us, love ourselves, and then love others... not caring if we are loved back.

I have not been loving.

It is a scary thing to walk out into the world and give love... without the guarantee of being loved back.

But if I ever want to grow that wing, it is only through taking the risk of loving and letting go of the judging.

Hello world... I'm ready to fly! (with both wings)

I know I've been quiet for awhile...

2010-11-09T00:26:00.002-06:00

and it's not because I haven't had anything to say. It's because I've had so much to say. But I was standing in my own way of saying it. I think I'm ready now.

"Why now?" you ask.

Good question.

Last week was rough. I came to the end of myself. I've had enough of doing all this by myself. So I stopped and stepped to the side. I emptied myself and let God move.

Awwww... That sounds so pretty. Do you hear the soft music playing?

Trust me, it was anything but pretty.

Except to Jesus.
and me.

So I'm coming back.
A bit more real this time.

I made my own laundry detergent!

2010-10-30T11:11:00.005-05:00

Thanks, sis, for this recipe! Here is a link to a tip that can save you LOTS of money. I can not believe how LONG this batch lasted me. I've been using the same batch since the summer. This time, I will document exactly how long it lasts.

So Beautiful

2010-09-20T21:04:00.003-05:00

This Wedding
(Lindsay Joseph to Daniel Underbrink)
So Beautiful
Family Filled
A Dream Come True
I left more in love with my husband.
What more is there to say?

Best Wishes to my niece and her new husband. Welcome to the family, Daniel!

Check out the pics my (other) niece, Raeley, took and posted on her blog. http://raeley.blogspot.com/2010/09/mr-and-mrs-underbrink.html
She is a sophomore in high school. And, yes, there are some great ones of my kids!

Fun Friday Photo

2010-09-17T13:31:00.001-05:00

My kids are on another blog! http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/parentlife/2010/09/fun-friday-photo----september-17th-2010.html

I'm Still Here!

2010-09-02T07:25:00.003-05:00

I know... I haven't posted in a while.
Small update:
I am homeschooling 3 of our kids. This is the first full week of school for us. Some parts of it I LOVE so much and wonder why I haven't done it from the beginning. Other parts... well, notsomuch.

I am a teacher. God gave me gifts and strengths that are in that field. I have used my gifts for income. I have used my gifts for serving Him. Now I am using my gifts for love. I had only thought I was using my gifts for love before. Now that I am focusing it all on my kids, the love abounds.

A surprising secret about homeschooling:
It's not about the teaching or the learning...
It's about life and love.
The learning and teaching happens out of that.

Coupon codes for photo books!

2010-06-10T10:44:00.004-05:00

I know it's not me to stray from traditional scrapbooking, but when you are as behind as I am now... Sometimes it helps! I have come across some savings and would love to share them with you. They are about up, so you need to act fast!

Picaboo is offering a buy one - get one FREE classic photo book. The down side is that it is the SAME EXACT book that you get free. This is a father's day promo. I ordered one of their books and LOVE it. Some of the best quality in photo books I have seen. Coupon code: BGFJUN and it ends June 15th.

Snapfish has a buy one - get one FREE photo book. The cool thing is that it does not have to be the same! COOL! The down side, I'm not that crazy about snapfish quality. But I'll take what I can get for FREE without too much complaining! And those of you who know me, know I can be a picture snob. I like quality. I don't like blurs or grainy. Yes, I like savings even more! Just sayin'! Almost forgot: Coupon code: GRADBOOKS and it ends June 14th (I also heard it ends June 11th, so not sure. I'll check on it.)

So... if you don't hear of me for a few days, I'll be making 3 photo books! WOOO HOOOO!

Now, which ones should I do.... hmmm.....

Last Day of School!

2010-06-03T08:21:00.003-05:00

This year, this has a whole new meaning! Last day for the summer or last day for... ????
Watching the kids so excited about the last day and excited about the little things... getting to watch movies at school, eating popcorn in the classroom, taking their shoes off...
at first I was a bit sad, thinking about how much FUN they are having and I am "taking" that away.
Then I realize...
I can continue the joy in the little things, not just at the end of the school, but ALL the time!!!!!!!!!

Monthly Movie Day!
Popcorn and Popsicles!
Soda for Subtraction!
(and you know, we do NOT give our kids soda at home, so that would be a HUGE treat!)

What is on my mind now is the layout of our new schoolroom. Any suggestions? Websites for ideas? Blogs that give tips?
I'm going to give the girls some graph paper and see what they design. I want to take something from each girl and design a great space. (That doesn't cost much at all.)

Last day of school! WOOO HOOO!

Homeschool Update

2010-05-13T12:05:00.003-05:00

It has been a few weeks since I began the homeschool journey with Angela. In the short time I have been working with her, I have seen her improve leaps and bounds. She now willingly reads out loud with me. I started a phonics type of reading program with her and we normally do three lessons a day. She is 1/3 of the way through. At the end of the program (mid-summer), she should be on a second grade reading level! I started a second grade math curriculum with her and we do several lessons a day. She is rockin' it! It has been great having her with me.

The biggest improvement has been with her self-esteem. She said to me the other day, "Mommy, I really am smart! I'm SMART!" That was the most beautiful sound. All year the only thing I heard was how stupid she thought she was. I still can't talk about that without tears welling up. I know without a doubt this was the right choice.

People have been so supportive. I'm amazed at the level of support I have received. I'm also amazed at people I thought would be supportive have remained silent.

The path we are on now, although rewarding, has not been easy. The transition from school work to "home" work has been hard. The transition from Mommy being Mommy to Mommy also being Teacher has been very hard. Angela realizing she is in a safe place and her heart finally releasing all the things it has been carrying around, has been heartwrenchingly difficult. Me loosing just about all the "me" time I had, has been difficult. But what is Mothering? It is walking these hard roads, making the difficult choices, holding the hurting child, ignoring the unsupporters or silent ones you want support from, putting others before yourself while maintaining balance to take care of yourself, letting your children see you living a life you would want them live, and imprinting on their hearts a legacy.

We Are A Homeschool Family Now!

2010-05-04T19:52:00.002-05:00

Most of you are not surprised. I have always said if it came down to it and I needed to, I would pull my kids out of school. Well, it was time. ~~Past time.~~ God's time. I pulled Angela out of school. She LOVES being at home. In the week and a half I have had her at home, she has already shown SO MUCH improvement! Her reading is already better. Her math skill are good. Most importantly, she is happy.

Next year, Evelyn will be home schooled too.

And yesterday Amber told us she wanted to experience it too!

WOW!

God is really changing hearts around here!

Angela is 7!

2010-04-13T07:48:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday! (belated!) Angela, you shine like a light in our life. You are so sweet and smile in the midst of sadness. You are such a smart girl. Your imagination is fun and you remain the little princess! We are so blessed to have you in our family! I love you and am so proud of you!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-01T14:35:00.002-05:00

Remember the reason Easter is.

You.

Easter is a celebration of God's love for YOU. So much that He gave (offered up willingly) His ONLY Son. And Jesus did it. He didn't want to. But He did it anyway. Why? Out of His love for YOU.

Wow.

The song Oh How He Love Me and You says it all.

Kid tip: Wrap a marshmallow in a crescent (the-from-a-can-kind) and talk about Jesus' death and how he was wrapped up and placed in a tomb. Bake according to directions. See what happens!

Protect yourself! Remove yourself!

2010-03-27T17:30:00.003-05:00

So much info is out there. About YOU! To protect yourself, remove your listing. Go HERE and find out how. It just takes a few mins and is well worth it!

I found my name, address, cell phone #, and email on it. Not anymore!

FREE Picaboo Photo Book!

2010-03-26T11:38:00.003-05:00

I LOVE scrapbooking. I have made tons of albums! But, I have never done a digital photo album. Until today. It was SO EASY! And this book is FREE! But it ends Wednesday, so hurry up! You ONLY have to pay for shipping. WOW!

What book did I do? For who? Ha! Not telling! You'll have to wait till it comes in!

How can you get yours? Go here and sign up as a new customer.

Then come back here and tell me how much you loved it too!

Evelyn is 9!

2010-03-02T08:13:00.003-06:00

Evelyn, you are such a joy. You are so funny and full of energy. You always put others before yourself and care so much about your sisters and friends. I have seen a lot of tenderness and compassion in you lately as you try to find ways to help others around you feel better. You love finding new things to think about and new ways to make the world around you a better place. I love you and am so proud of you!

Amber is 11!

2010-02-25T15:46:00.002-06:00

Happy Birthday! I am so proud of you. You have grown so much this year. You take good care of your sisters and are still as sweet as ever! I love watching you help at church and you are so good with the kids in the classroom! You enjoy being with your family and that means so much to me. Have a great day! I love you!

My fuse is short

2010-02-19T00:47:00.005-06:00

It's hard to hear...
It's even harder to admit...
I've talked about how I'm serving at church, I've upped my work hours, I'm currently doing several girl scouts projects (anyone want to buy any cookies? My living room is filled with them!) and then there are the other curve-balls life throws (sometimes way-too-hard) at you. I've never claimed to be superwoman. Except... to my kids, still waiting to see if they've caught on or not. JUST KIDDING! I make sure they know it's not ok for people to behave like I do at times... And right now is one of those times.
You know... the quick fuse, the being pulled in so many directions I'm surprised I'm not walking sideways, the "I'm too tired to clean up!" (that comes from me, not the kids this time), the falling asleep when I sit down instead of putting the kids to bed, the feeling like a bad mommy starts becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy, the ... um... yeah. That's me. I was wondering today WHY my kids were yelling at each other so much. Then I heard myself. UGH.
Some of you right now are being a little quick to judge. Yeah, you know who you are! The truth is... we all have our stressful times. When you see the reflection in the mirror, what do you do?
I'm going to step back. Start with the simple things.
Ever since Christmas, my kids have started asking me to get them up early in the morning. That has seriously cut into my Bible reading and prayer. But let's be honest... Even when I'm the only one up, if my eyes close, it's cause I'm sleeping... know what I mean???
What is my plan? Thanks for asking!
Back to my DAILY QTs.
I really want to use music as a calming mood change.
Then, when the fuse is quickly going... take a step back. and breathe. I've been holding my breathe for a while now...
God has been growing me a lot lately. I need to rest in Him.

Why I Serve

2010-02-16T14:21:00.000-06:00

Watch this!
http://www.vimeo.com/9419312

Interview

2010-02-12T11:32:00.002-06:00

Did you read what I said here? Well, someone from church did and decided to interview for a segment on serving at our church. It will be shown during the services this weekend. If I can, I'll link to it...

Or you can just come to WoodsEdge and see it!

Secret Keeper Girls!

2010-02-05T09:30:00.003-06:00

Secret Keeper Girls...
An amazing night!
A bonding night for mothers and daughters!
A night to open the door to discuss purity and modesty!
A night to celebrate being a woman created by God!
A night to remember!

All moms of girls, check this out!
http://www.secretkeepergirl.com

I only wish I had found out about this sooner! It advertises for ages 8 - 12 or 8th grade, but I think it is geared for 7 - 10 years old. The girls are growing up so much faster... It is an awesome introduction to the topics of modesty and purity. If older girls go through this, it needs to be followed with deeper teachings. The organization has one for teens, but since I haven't seen it, I don't want to comment about it. I really like that they have a section for guys in the teen teachings.

My heart is to lead girls in these truths.

I was able, at this event, to love on not only my daughter, but a daughter that has recently lost her mom. I will never forget her eyes as I held her in my arms. I am so thankful that I could be there for her.

Out of my comfort zone

2010-01-28T08:09:00.007-06:00

Out of my comfort zone... and it's not such a bad place to be...
I have been growing and stretching in ways that have gotten me out of my comfort zone. I have been challenged to grow and to lead and do things I usually shy away from. I am finding out that I can do so much more than I ever thought possible. And the things I am not-so-good at... well, I am learning that I need to be in a place that if it does fall on me to do those things, how to do it with a smile then trust God to let the pieces fall into place. When God is in the midst of you serving, it is not you, but God.

My confidence has been growing. It has even started showing up in other areas of my life. Yesterday, I was treating myself to Starbucks (thanks, those of you who provided me with gift cards for Christmas!). I was running around after work and did not know HOW I would stay awake for Wednesday night services. While I was waiting for my coffee, the barista asked me if I was having a good day (did I look that tired?) and I actually engaged in a conversation with her. This is something I usually do not do. But I did. It was good. I walked away determined to keep taking those little steps out of my comfort zone... and just see where they lead.

Skip to church...

I am helping lead the children's Wednesday night services. I enjoy it. It is magical for me... I am so exhausted on Wednesday nights. Getting everyone ready and up to church can be a struggle. But once I'm there and see the kids, it all lifts. I am energized, headaches go away, and words just seem to come. God is there. God uses me. Me! He takes this person, who constantly doubts herself, who doesn't know what she is doing, who is not comfortable in front of people and allows her to take part in His work. I am constantly amazed.
I had thought that me doing so much more serving would be hard on the kids, but they love it. Their faces light up when they see me with the microphone. My face lights up when they tell me I did a good job, and I've even heard "I'm proud of you, mom!" It has given me so many opportunities to grow closer to my family, form wonderful relationships with others, but more importantly, to grow closer to God.
... and it feels good!

Homework tip

2010-01-22T09:51:00.003-06:00

Spelling Pre-tests.
I've done them every week with my kids. Sometimes there are tears. I often hear "but my teacher didn't say to do this!" or "It's not on my planner, I don't have to do it!" or other things I won't relive by writing down. We've done creative things, writing in sand, chalk, eraser boards, you name it, we've probably done it. BUT those really cool ideas take time. Now I do FOUR pretests at the same time. That takes talent, people. So we stick to pencil and paper. Until this week with my genus idea!
Nintendo DSI Pictochat!
The kids now all have Nintendo DSIs. There is a chatroom feature. The chatroom capability reaches from our house to a few steps from the back fence. And the kids LOVE it! How cool is it to chat with someone in the same room with you?! It totally cracks me up! But they love it. And now I do too! Why? Because it has saved my Thursday nights!

I get on one Dsi and the kids get on the others and we do the pretests. They all get to chat the words to me. I give them time to set up different colors or backgrounds, so I know who writes what word easier, then we start. I know immediately if they spell a word wrong and I mark it on the list. At the end, if they only have a few words wrong, they get to write it on the chat feature. If it has been a not-so-good pretest, they have to use the old fashion way of pencil and paper. The only problem, we only have 4 Dsi's instead of 5... (HA! "only 4"! Not to long ago, I never thought we would even have one!) someone has to wait until Angela finishes her test (she only has a few words) to start on theirs.

Try it! Or another creative way to do spelling pretests and let me know!

A New Year!

2010-01-07T11:05:00.002-06:00

It's a new year. Some very exciting things are planned, but it's the unknown that makes me a bit nervous. We ended 2009 with a two-week vacation for Christmas. It was incredible! The family drama that sometimes accompanies holidays was not there! My kids are old enough now for me to not worry about them and hover over them constantly. The cousins all got along without any problems. I am so blessed.
Christmas was focused on Faith and Family instead of the usual get get get and give give give that can be so exhausting. And what was really cool, as far as presents go, the kids all got what they wanted. (one felt a little slighted by Santa for not getting a webkinz, but on the other hand, was incredibly overwhelmed with what she did get!) The BEST part... MEMORIES! We talked a lot about faith, but the fun times just hanging out with the cousins is what will be remembered. The faith is in the heart daily, the family is something we don't get enough of.
The kids made so many memories, flashlight tag, smores, producing their own Christmas Pageant, dancing, pettiskirts, first hunting trip, playing, games, puzzles, just being together. The memories were not made of expensive outings, but simple, free, just hanging out and letting kids be kids!
In that environment, my kids thrived!
I am so blessed!
Now that we are back from the vacation and the real world is setting in, the fear is back. So it's time to trust. And rely on that faith. I know I can do it. I know through my faith, I can face it and whatever happens... and not just survive, but thrive!
I think I just found my goal for 2010!

Letters to Santa

2009-12-18T08:37:00.002-06:00

(I was going to take pics of all the letters, but #1, ran out of batteries, and #2, the spelling was ~~attrocious~~ atrocious! I only left a few words spelled wrong so you get the hint! One of the gifts I've already purchased is a spelling kit from Hooked on Phonics. Shhhh, don't tell on that one, I'm they would be very disappointed to find that little secret out!)

Dear Santa, I would like a lot of art stuff, and more things to put my stuff in, baby dolls, and and webkins I don't have much I would like a different project runway, mony, a micerphone, a gutar, a world map, a cabage patch kid. Roller stakes and jwerly

This is all so far that I'm to going to do so far.

Love Evelyn

To: Santa Clause (picture of Santa)

Love: Amber Vogel (picture of Amber)

All I want for Christmas is..................

Dear Santa Clause,

All I want for Christmas is my teeth to grow in good, but that is not what I want most. The thing I want for Christmas is Precious Moment stuffed animal and cake decorating stuff. I would also like a DSI and Carier and Games. Please give me money too. I would also like more books. I want a kitten for Christmas to but my mom is alrgeak (allergic) to kittens. I want a cudly animal pillow. A cell phone so I won't have to use the school phone for DI. A labtop (laptop!) so I can do reasch on it and asiments (assignments). I want a pair of Tvs that can play Blueray and Tv shows.

Love, Amber Vogel

Dear Santa,

What I want for christmas is a bike and money to get stuff for my dsi. I want lego kits and a guitar hero guitar. I want dsi games and jewlery from james avery. I want a cell phone and a laptop. I want for it to snow in Tennesse, and a dsi starter kit (blue). I want for me not to have to ride the bus. I want wii games.

Love, Emily

Yes, they are shooting high this year. This year, the national news, or better yet, the White House, needs to do a news special on how the economy is even impacting Santa and that gifts will be smaller this year, however, that does not mean kids have been even better behaved than in years past.

I wonder if Santa knows which pig pillow Angela has in mind... and where to get it. The elves are probably scrambling right now! Evelyn needs some punctuation! Santa, dental concerns top my list too, I hope you can pull that one off! I'm sure a laptop would help Amber's spelling! And Santa, this mom would SURE like to have someone pick Emily up from school everyday so she wouldn't have to ride the bus! That jab hits the heart!

What are YOU asking Santa for this year?

Yes, it's been awhile

2009-12-10T07:44:00.002-06:00

Life gets crazy busy at times... and this is one of those times. I haven't forgotten about this blog, just taking a little break. After the holidays, I will be up and running with it again. And yes, we've also taken a little break from the HEP. We will be up and running with it in Jan. See you then! Have a safe and happy Holidays!

HEP (Healthy Eating Plan)

2009-11-10T11:07:00.003-06:00

Quick update...
Week one started off awesome! I did great ALL week... until we went out of town. I decided not to pack my own food, but to go with the flow of it and when I could to eat on-plan. When I had decisions to make, I made good ones. For the first time, I ate two consecutive meals at fast food places and got healthy salads! (grimace) Pretty soon I'll figure out what places to go to and what to avoid. Now it's a new week! This week will have it's own challenges, with two Birthdays to celebrate! I'm also running low on our green drink mix, so I'm looking for what to do about that. Get a new one? Stick with the old? hmmmmm.... One thing about this HEP, it is time consuming. I feel like I spend so much longer in the kitchen! Hopefully that will balance out! That's it for now... I'm off to go grocery shopping!

Changes. Sometimes you just have to!

2009-11-03T09:03:00.002-06:00

You know when you know you need to do something, but you don’t want to, but you know it’s important, but that still doesn’t make it easier? That’s me! That’s me with our food. I know what’s right. I know what to do. I know how to do it. I just don’t want to.

Well… It’s time. God has given me many “red flags” over the last three weeks. It’s time. So here we go… on yet another adventure! There are specific things I want to accomplish with this Healthy Eating Plan (HEP). (Details to follow) My wonderful readers, this is where you come in… If you have any advice, I would be oh-so-happy to ~~listen~~ read it. If you need any advice, I will offer what limited knowledge I have and research with you to find the best response!

“Kimberly, WHAT are the specifics?!” you ask.
Since you asked so bluntly… Here is the short version:
1. We need to regain our health!
2. I need healing of my scar tissue and rebuilding of healthy tissue. (see post)
3. Attention issues for (some of our) kids.
4. We did it before, and it worked!
5. To reduce the amount of medications our family takes.
6. I feel like God is calling me to do this out of obedience. (Gulp!)

“Kimberly, WHAT is the PLAN?”
Great question! I’m still trying to figure that one out! But here is what it is at this point:
1. Reduce the sugar intake. ALL sugar! That includes anything WHITE (flour, sugar, pasta, bread…).
2. Incorporate more TRUE grains.
3. Replace junk with fruits and veggies.
4. Go organic on as much as our budget will allow.
5. Start each morning with a green drink for the whole family.
6. Supplements and vitamins!
7. All of us are now packing a healthy lunch! (NO MORE CAFETERIA!)
8. I (just me) am cutting out yeast for a few weeks. (sigh)
9. Oh yeah…. I even cut out my coupla times a week glass of wine… (double sigh)

***So as to not be called out for torturing my kids… I am allowing them to have ONE piece (Ok… sometimes two) of Halloween candy AFTER ALL homework is completed and rooms are picked up! Man, you should see how quickly the rooms get done!

-------UPDATE--------
I had hoped to get this out BEFORE we actually started the HEP, but was too busy looking up articles and cutting fruit.
We are now on DAY 2!

Kids have responded very well. They all came home from school yesterday SO HUNGRY! Only because they didn’t like the fruit choices… or couldn’t open the containers… or didn’t eat because kids were teasing (WHAT?!) But they LOVED the sandwiches! Even on the ww (stone ground) bread! So… I let them pick out a few more things for their lunches today. They had a switch-a-roo on the fruits I had packed and got out some cheese and Peanut butter to dip the carrots and apples in. GO KIDS! I am also going to add nuts to the lunches. What really makes me smile: They LOVE the smoothies! Even though they are green! This morning they asked if I would PLEASE make one EVERY morning! And when I passed out the lunches and supplements, I almost cried! I got hugs and “I love you, mom!” THE DEAL IS SEALED! This IS worth it!

As for me… I had a great day one! Only had one bout of grouchies… but that was probably due to the fact that some of the kids were messing around when I was driving. Ok, I was still in the parking lot, but I had a rough driving day. Earlier that day… I hit a dog. With my car. In front of the owner’s mom. Dog’s ok! (I really don’t see how! It was a big bump for a little bitty dog.) That right there qualifies it as a chocolate or wine kind of day! Then later that night, there was the moment when Kevin was looking at the HUGE mound of candy and really wanting to eat some, they all begin to discuss chocolate. In front of me. I ordered everyone OUT of the kitchen with the words “NO one should stand in the way of a woman and her chocolate!” Kevin did his famous laugh and promised to not talk about candy in front of me. What an understanding husband! And no… I did not have ANY! So day one closes as a success!

Win a Cuddlebug!

2009-10-24T15:05:00.000-05:00

This is what I want for Christmas!

http://svgcuts.com/blog/?p=3672

Cleaning out the pantry is for the birds!

2009-10-19T19:02:00.004-05:00

Bird Suet

2 cups lard/shortening/bacon grease

1 cup crunchy peanut butter

2 cups oatmeal

2 cups corn meal

1 cup flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 cup raisins

1 cup wild birdseed

Melt lard and peanut butter.

Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into molds. Store in freezer.

That's the recipe... here's the lowdown:

When we made these with Granna, (remember, Granna's Gardens?) she literally cleaned out the pantry. Almost rancid nuts, oatmeal that wasn't ohsofresh (does uncooked oatmeal go bad? really?), a little on the old and hard side dried fruit, cooked oatmeal that wasn't finished for breakfast, and stale chips might have even made it's way into the mix. We also crunched up egg shells and used that as a source of calcium (calcium? really?)

The kids had a blast, but I think the birds enjoyed it the most! (not to mention the sneaky squirrel...)

The MOST Beautiful Picture

2009-10-05T11:25:00.002-05:00

The picture of Baptism is one of the most beautiful pictures around. The symbolism... showing what Jesus did to save us... his death and Resurrection... being buried with Christ... being raised again... new life... it is breathtaking. The only thing that makes the picture of baptism more beautiful is when it is your child being baptized. Three of my children showed the world they have made a decision to be followers of Christ. Another added blessing is that they shared this joy with Papa. Their Grandfather had the honor of (as one of them pronounces it) bathmetizing them! It was the most beautiful picture. We were all blessed that so many of our family and friends showed up on a rainy (with a patch of dry skies just long enough to hold the baptisms) Sunday to celebrate this new life with us!

New

2009-09-09T08:21:00.002-05:00

Today is the start of a new day! It is also the start of a new job. Until I get acclimated to this newness... I will be taking a short break from my blog. I am hoping to be back in two weeks ready to share all of my adventures with you! Until then, enjoy whatever NEW things come your way!

Lamentations 3:22, 23

Did I really just do that?

2009-09-03T10:05:00.003-05:00

How do I get out of this one? I don't think I can... It sure is making me laugh, though! One of my precious daughters walks in and says "Mom, friend's name (all privacy is protected here on this blog... most of the time!) just called another friend (see previous parenthesis) a bad word and I don't know what it means. I think it was something like BH or VH or something. What is it?" Now, let me interject right here that on a somewhat-regular basis, I have a cuss word inventory with my kids. They get to tell me all the words they aren't supposed to say (so I can see what the schools are teaching my children, you know, the real life education they get while getting an education?) and I tell them the literal meaning. So far, it has kept my kids from cussing or using inappropriate language, because the meanings of the words are so silly and you can get your meaning across without demeaning yourself by using cuss words. At least, I hope it has worked so far. And, I love hearing what words my kids think are cusses. (stupid, looser, heck, and yes, the four letter ones...) Ok, back to the story...
So I, the mom, the wise one, reply "Did she say the word b**ch? Is that what she said?" Child answers, "I'm really not sure. But what is that word mommy? Is it a bad word? What does it mean?" I'm too busy storming out of the house to answer. I might have said, yes it is a bad word, but I really don't remember... I go outside and holler across the yard "Child! Have you been calling someone a bad word?! We don't use bad words at THIS house!" She then explains to me that she didn't say a bad word, she said the initials BH which stands for Butthead. But, no she wouldn't say a bad word over here. She knows not to. At this point, I am very proud of myself. I do not double over laughing. I contain my composure and remind her that I would appreciate it if they talk nicely about other people. She says "Yes Ma'am" as sweetly as can be. At this point I start yelling at everyone to get in the car, cause we're goin' to church! Which is where I need to be to confess my sin of teaching my child how to cuss.

Wordless Wednesday - What I want to be when I grow up...

2009-09-02T08:24:00.001-05:00

When my daughter told me that instead of an actress, she wanted to make cakes, I jumped on it! We made our own marshmallow fondant and this is her first fancy cake! It looks like her career as a cake decorator is starting off wonderfully!

For more Wordless Wednesday, please visit 5 minutes for mom and jolly mom.

My Many Miracles - it's only routine

2009-08-28T19:30:00.005-05:00

As I've mentioned before, I just passed the year anniversary of when I was given another chance at life. My life was almost taken, but God gave me another chance. I know we have new chances every morning. As a follower of Christ, I believe that I have a new chance ANY TIME I need one. But when you see your life fading, and possibility of death from Earth fast approaching, it changes your perspective. At least, it did mine. Did it ever! Before I get into all the details of what happened, I want to share with you what I wrote a few weeks after my "near death" experience. I didn't know it at the time, but I still wasn't out of the woods. As I look at the date, I wrote this exactly a year ago this week! Enjoy the glimpse into one of my many miracles!

it's only routine... and on a 'lucky' day
On 08-08-08 the world was talking about what a lucky day it was. For me it was a day I was to have a very routine surgery. One night in the hospital, two to four week recovery time. No big deal. The surgery went fine. Or so they thought. In recovery they realized it was not good. But it was a day of luck! What was going on? My blood pressure was crashing. There was internal bleeding. When they checked it out, emergency surgery was needed. I remember hearing bits and pieces of it and knew there was trouble. From what I understand, here is what happened: I was hemorrhaging and something else was going on with my blood. I went into shock and my body was attacking my blood. It was going from bad to worse. I know my doctor prays before each surgery and pictures The Great Physician behind him guiding him and giving him wisdom. I need to inform him that in my case, God stepped in and carried me. I wanted to live. God took the team of doctors and preformed a miracle. He carried all of us. And I survived! My blood pressure was very unstable and my blood was doing funny things. I had 12 or more transfusions among other blood stuff. I have 2 clots, one in my lungs and one in an arm. They put a filter in my lungs to protect against any more clots and the one that is there. My veins didn't cooperate and I had to have a central line put in. I swelled up and it made movement very difficult. After a few days my lungs started filling with fluid and started to collapse. I ended up staying in the hospital for 12 days. The road ahead is filled with doctor appointments and different kinds of treatments. We still don't know what is going on with my blood. Not all the numbers are running normal. I still have clots and will have to have the filter removed when the clots are gone. Walking is slow and I have to take it really easy. Through it all, God held me close. Jesus was my companion at the darkest moments. Without the miracles and mercies of God, I would not be here. I am reminded of that everyday and am so happy to be alive. My outlook is one of freedom and grace. I see God's smiles all around me, through people's prayers, through phone calls and emails, through offers of help, through the bird that plays on the tree outside my window. God has shown me there is a new path for me, a new way to live. I no longer have a job so I can have as long as I need to heal. I no longer feel oppressed by the outside things I was beholden to, things that didn't really didn't matter. I was given a gift in this. A gift of life and a gift of a new path. It really was a 'lucky day'. Thank you God!

Swagbucks

2009-08-26T10:47:00.004-05:00

Have you noticed the swagbuck button on my sidebar? I'm laughing as I read that sentence, knowing that some of you that read this blog are not quite blog-savy yet... sidebar??? button???? swagbucks???? Just for fun, I'm only going to answer the question "Kimberly, honey, what is that swaggy thingy?". (If you add layers of southern drawl and add "I swanny" to the end, you'll get a complete impersonation of my mom!) Enough already! Just tell us about Swagbucks!

Yes Ma'am!

Swagbucks is a search engine (a google thingy) that gives you "swagbucks" for using it to look things up! It randomly awards people swagbucks. You may or not get one when you use it, but if you use it enough, it will add up! If you sign up under me, just by clicking the button on my sidebar, I'll get swagbucks! If people sign up under you, you'll get swagbucks! So why do you want swagbucks???? You redeem them for free stuff!!!! They have all kinds of things... mp3 downloads, music, games, movies, and my favorites... gift cards! I've gotten 2 Amazon gift cards worth $5 each and am almost to my 3rd! You can even trade in swagbucks for real bucks with paypal! And who doesn't want money! So get signed up, people!

A cool thing... they do not send you spam emails! The emails are only for activating your account and info about your prizes!

One more cool thing... they give out swagcodes all the time. Right now, if you click on the "special offers" in the red box, skip the offers, you will get a code. Copy it and type it into the box on the home page that says Enter swag code (under your name and how many swagbucks you have).

Any questions? Still wondering what a button or a sidebar is? I'll answer the best I can... I swanny!

Wordless Wednesday - It's that time of year again!

2009-08-25T15:49:00.004-05:00

Back to school time!

How did your first day go? What about the morning of?

Kids are still happy!

Angela had a much better day! She said "It's all good now!"

Smiles around our house!

For more Wordless Wednesdays,

visit 5 minutes for moms

and Jolly Mom.

First Day of School... Mom's point of view

2009-08-25T07:15:00.005-05:00

Whew! We made it through the day! I thought about the kids all day and wondered what they were doing... if they were having a good day... how their lunch was... simultaneously enjoying the peace and quiet! It was amazing... I got to watch what I wanted on TV! (So... I didn't actually watch TV, but knowing I could watch what I wanted when I wanted without interruption was a luxury!) I cleaned the whole house top to bottom! (OK... ENOUGH of this fairy tale! I did get the bathrooms done...) I completed my whole chore list! And had time to spare for a nap (and play on facebook, and blog, and chat on-line...)!
Picking up the kids from school was filled with excitement and anxiety. I didn't even make it to the playground because there were too many moms to catch up with on the way! Instead, my kids met me by the cars. (We don't do car line, we do backdoor walkers, otherwise known as mom's social time!) They all came home with smiles and excited stories. Evelyn walked around singing how much she loved school! (SHOCK! Excitement!!!) Amber had stories of her friends and is so excited to be in class with a close friend!

Angela's bff since preschool is in her class! She did have a hard time because a girl in pigtails kept touching her birthmark. It was a bit too much for her... Angela asked me today why God gave her the birthmark. I don't have that answer. I told her that. I also said "So you can show the world what beauty really is!" After talking for a while about what else went wrong that day, she was fine and ready for a good year. We both just hope the kids get used to her birthmark pretty soon so they will stop asking questions. This is something we go through in any new situation and it gets better.

The bus for Emily didn't get home until almost 5 o'clock! I was going crazy and really curious about her day. She loved it. It is a challenge, to find her classes and know how it all works, but she is really excited about it. She was glowing with excitement for all this year holds. The best part... the girls all kept talking and talking and sharing and sharing and were happy. As soon as dad stepped into the house, he took time to sit with each child and hear about their day! I'm so thankful the girls want to sit and share with their mom and dad the events of the day. The first day of school! And to clear up the sock drama... that child has decided socks are not quite so bad after all and will wear them to school. Now to see if we can keep the hair drama to a minimum! (I'll take those dramas!) Mrs. Tickle, did she live up to her name??? Evelyn says YES!

Our annual picture outside the school! Smiles this year!

Not My Child! Monday ... first day of school

2009-08-24T08:58:00.005-05:00

Not my Child! on the first day of school!

My child did not start Jr High today...
My child did not ride the bus today... for the first time... to jr high.
I am not scared of the big 8th graders... and the bad words they use.
I am Not a nervous wreck!

My child did not refuse to wear socks today... and lock herself in her room.
Did I mention she shares that room with her sister?

My child did not wear bright red socks, pink shoes and a fuchsia shirt... all thinking they matched.

My child did not have scraggly hair on this all important picture taking, impression making morning... all because this summer she gave herself a haircut!
I did not sucessfully, without tears for the first time ever (this mom of 4 girls who surely knows how to do all things hair...) use a straight iron and curling iron and hair dryer with a fancy brush on everyone's hair (except for the child that was locked in her room because of the sock drama)!

My child did not look way too grown up this morning!

I am not super proud of my kiddos this morning... as they are off on another adventure this year at school!

Read about what other children (and moms) are NOT doing! Check out McMama's blog!

Coming up tomorrow...
Reports on the first day of school! Does Mrs. Tickle live up to her name? Did the girls make friends? Did Angela get any questions... you know the birthmark ones... and ... PICTURES!

Letting go

2009-08-21T01:19:00.000-05:00

It might have been at the street corner, in the middle of the kitchen, leaning across the car, or in the bright and colorful doorway. But it happened. Many of us said goodbye to our kids as they started school. Some of us may have had tears. Some of us may have hidden our delight. Some may have been so rushed that there was no time for emotion. Ready or not, school started, and it’s time to let go a little more.
As your hands loosen their grip a bit and you take a step or two back, keep your eyes forever watchful and your heart open and full. Our kids need us now more than ever as the outside seeps its way in. When we’ve made a little progress in letting go, we see more ways they are asking for it. “Mom, can I ride my bike to school?” “You can pick me up, but does anyone have to see you?” “ I go potty by myself.” “I can do it!” In the early years, one of the first signs of independence is when they become mobile.
As they learn to crawl, notice how it seems they crawl away from you more than to you. From that point on, the steps they take carry them farther away from us and closer to the outside world.
No matter what age they are by your side, hold them close and teach them. But mostly - love them. When the time comes for you to loosen that grip a little, it is love that will carry them (and you) through.

Wordless Wednesday - A facebook reconnection!

2009-08-19T10:34:00.004-05:00

Thank you facebook! You have brought back into my life so many friends I once thought I would never see again...

Here is the fam with one of my besties from college days! Kristi and Jalee (her awesome daughter) included spending an evening with us as part of their summer vacation!

This time, we will not let 10 years go by before we see each other again!

And, looking at that wallpaper, oh my! Either we need to stop taking pictures there, or we need to do some redecorating!

For more Wordless Wednesdays, (and to give your eyes a break from that wallpaper!) visit 5 Minutes for Mom and Jolly Mom.

Amber - Back to School

2009-08-18T09:52:00.003-05:00

Amber is all ready for her first day of school... minus the pair of shoes we still have to get... and the... um.... school supplies... and the haircut...

At least she has a great back to school outfit!

Mema strikes again!

Not Me! Monday... Economy Edition...

2009-08-17T10:37:00.000-05:00

What have you NOT done this week??? Read what others are NOT doing over at MckMama's blog!

The economy is NOT kicking our rears right now. It's actually kicking our pocketbooks...
Due to that I did NOT tell my kids that we can not do the typical back to school shopping. Instead, we would give them each a certain amount of money (around 75% less that what we normally spend on back to school things...) and they would choose what they get with the money.
There really were no tears. It worked out very well. So far.
In that conversation I did NOT tell them parts of our family's financial situation. I would NEVER divulge such grown up things to my kids!
I did NOT also inform them that any extra jobs for earning money was also affected by the economy and there would be a pay cut. ($1 jobs reduced to 25 cents)
My children did NOT whine, cry or get upset. For real! They didn't!
I am so proud that they all understood and have made very wise decisions! I am also pleased to announce that they have used the information to make life easier by not asking for pricey things and understanding when we have said no.
I believe God has rewarded them and answered prayers by sending family members to invite my children on back to school shopping trips.
In view of our struggle in this economy... I did NOT get a part time job! Woo Hooo! I start in 2 to 3 weeks!

Happy Not Me Monday!

Hurt by Words

2009-08-13T07:45:00.006-05:00

Someone hurt my feelings. Actually, they cut me deeply with words spoken that slandered and demolished everything that is important to me. The speaker of the words that were Oh So Hurtful was not someone I could just stop talking to or someone that I could put in my past. It was a very important someone that I will see... a lot. An already shaky relationship was made rocky and ~~irreparable~~ that much harder to repair. For a year now, I've been walking around hurt, wounded, and angry. I've "given" it to God (and then snatched it back anytime I needed to...). I've rationalized it away. I've forgiven. But the hurt has been there, hovering over me. I have spent a year second guessing myself. What if those words were true? If that is the person I am, if the picture that was let loose by those words is who I am, then I am nothing of what I believe myself to be. There were some dark days when my thoughts ran down that trail. And I kept it inside. And I didn't talk about it. Every once in a while, I would talk to my husband. He would listen. He would love. He would remind me of who I am. He would remind me of Who matters.

I took a hard look at the speaker of those words and I saw a very hurting person. A person that, yes, I love. A person I pray for. A person that also is walking around wounded.

But that didn't take away the pain.

I've been carrying it around for too long.

It's time to lay it down.

At the feet of Jesus.

I went to a place of love and safety for me. A place to get advice, to be heard, but most importantly, a place of love. This is what I left with:

What I'm going through with the Speaker of the Words is based on my feelings. I feel hurt. What to do with that hurt? Acknowledge it, feel it, talk about it, let it go, learn from it. A lot of times, feelings control us. When we feel a certain way, we act a certain way. When we feel "bad", we act "bad". When we feel overwhelmed, we act out of control. When we feel hurt, we act out that hurt (prove them wrong or prove them right). The spiritual realm does not take into account our feelings. We are to obey. Obedience brings blessings (good feelings). We are to repent and have a true thankfulness. That leads to positive feelings and a positive outlook on life.

Change comes when we realize we've suffered enough. Lay the hurt down at the feet of Jesus. Repent. Live in gratitude. Seek mercy not justice. The Holy Spirit will take the situations and present opportunities for what needs to happen next in the journey. Taking those thoughts, I've realized I've suffered enough. I've been acting out my hurt. I want to lay it all down and obey. With repentance and a new start.

The guy who leads the meeting that I went to, a man I trust and love and respect greatly, a man simply known as Jim, a changer of lives by the simple acts of listening and loving. Wrote this on his blog...

"When you put your life and your judgments of others on the alter, when you make ready and accept to die, you are invincible. You have no more enemies and nothing more to lose." -- Josif Ton

"Although you may spend your life killing them off one by one - you will never exhaust all your foes. But if you quell your own anger, hate, self-centeredness, and self-contempt, your real enemy will finally be slain." -- Siddha Nagarjuna

We are our own worst enemies - not as children, but as struggling, immature adults. When we finally realize that, and lay the so many ways that is true down in front of Him for Him to handle, asking Him and Him alone to heal the ways in which we were mistreated or misunderstood in our earlier lives, we are finally free to truly live a life of freedom, passion, and purpose.

Thanks Jim, for simple words of love! Thanks Kevin, for loving and accepting me and reminding me of the Truth! Thanks, Jesus, wow. for everything! um... and thanks Speaker of the Words, for a chance to grow.

Wordless Wednesday - More Cement Creations

2009-08-12T09:27:00.003-05:00

You can find amazing things in Granna's Gardens. Remember these? Scattered around are leaves, some will forever hold their beauty along with some bird seed or gardening supplies as they are celebrated in cement!

Other Wordless Wednesdays can be found at
5 Minutes for Moms
and Jolly Mom.

One year ago today...

2009-08-08T16:48:00.003-05:00

I was given a gift.

Another chance at life.

God turned tragedy into triumph.

Today

I celebrate

LIFE!

Today

I will live

fully

and

love

fully.

Today

I will

NOT

take for granted

each breath.

Thank you, God...

For another day!

Stay tuned for more of the story... I will be posting the "what happened" soon.

Wordless Wednesday - Granna's Gardens... the flowers

2009-08-05T12:05:00.001-05:00

Last week I showed you the pathways in Granna's Garden. This is where the pathways take you!

The flowers in Granna's Garden are amazing!

This is the front yard. Please excuse the large flower with a hurt toe...

Below is the back yard. They live on a hill, so the incline is steep. It has taken years of work to get the garden this big. I love sitting on the back porch, in the cool Tennessee weather, drinking a cup of coffee and watching the animals, even deer that come right to the tree line.

You can almost smell the beauty from the flowers that greet you as you come home after a nice walk around the block.

Even under the deck they have created beauty!

Granna and Papa love turning anything into garden treasures!

Remember Cement Creations? More of those to come! Next week I will show you how to make leaves into cement treasures! Keep checking back... I have more surprises from Granna's Gardens! I even have a special something from Kids in the Kitchen - a garden recipe!

For more Wordless Wednesdays, go to

5 Minutes for Mom

and

Jolly Mom !

Emily - Back to School

2009-08-03T17:23:00.005-05:00

My mom... otherwise know as Mema...

is amazing!

What is she up to now?

Back to school shopping!

This hip, cool, grandmother (of 16! and one great-grand!)

keeps up with kid's styles... a bit better than even I do!

And takes her job of back to school shopping seriously.

She does a seriously good job!

Lost

2009-07-30T08:30:00.001-05:00

It’s late.
I’m tired…
and stressed.
Driving home
on a dark highway
At night…
Did I say I was tired and stressed?

I had been hangin' out with one of my besties. It was a much needed weekend away… seeing the life of a single girl… Independent and free… fun and fabulous! Our time together ended too soon. The pull of motherhood was stronger than the pull of freedom which lead me to the road I was on
and on that road
I was lost… again!
I felt alone
but not for long.
I felt the darkness
till I looked for the light.
Memories of a conversation earlier that very same day brought me to either tears or laughter…
If I had extra money to spend… I would spend it on…
move over laptop!
washer and dryer, you’re all wrung out!
A GPS system! NOT leaving home without it!
Those thoughts put humor where tears were threatening to take over.
The strength I saw that weekend in my friend encouraged me to stand on own.
I realized you have to know where you are to be able to get where you want to go!
Instead of crying…
or calling someone in the midst of their agony…
or calling someone who didn’t know where I was and wouldn’t be able to tell me where to go…
I decided to put on my big girl panties and deal with it on my own!
SO I DID. (yes… I did stop and ask for directions… it worked!)
I popped in a cd I had bought for my kids.

ALIVE
Wake up!
Do your own thing
BE who you ARE
Stand
Believe in yourself!
LIVE

The message was strong.
The message took me home.
… and I made it! Only 15 minutes later than my original arrival time!

...and that new cd... it's now my favorite!

Wordless Wednesday - Pathways in Granna's Gardens

2009-07-28T11:48:00.004-05:00

Take a walk with me through the pathways in Granna's Gardens...

Who knew a side yard could hold so much beauty?

A pathway of memories... the bricks have been picked up on many of Granna's travels.

Continuing up the side yard and to the back of the house...

The path from the side yard around to the back porch.

Last week I showed you some of Granna's Cement Creations and promised you a walk through Granna's Gardens. Next week, come back for a flower's point of view of Granna's Gardens!

You can find more Wordless Wednesdays at 5 Minutes for Moms
and Jolly Mom.

Random thoughts

2009-07-24T09:30:00.000-05:00

I just read two blogs...

written by sisters...

Jen talked about a mission trip she went on.

Where she wasn't supposed to talk about Jesus. I thought that was strange. She talked about the cute, uninterested in the Lord, children.

My thoughts:

A hug and listening speaks more Jesus to a child than words do.

Heather challenged you to think about

"What are you believing God for today?"

My thoughts...

Read her comments to find out.

Wordless Wednesday - Cement Creations

2009-07-22T10:39:00.004-05:00

Going to Granna's

involved turning baubles

into stepping stones

as beautiful cement creations!

Next week... Granna's Gardens!

Other Wordless Wednesdays can be found at

5 Minutes for Moms

and Jolly Mom.

Not My Child! Monday

2009-07-20T09:28:00.003-05:00

This is a twist on the Not Me Monday's! By MckMama.

Of course, I don't have anything to tell on my kids about!

My child did not tell me that she lost her toothbrush on one of our many trips this summer. A whole WEEK after we had been home! No... she did NOT go that long without brushing her teeth.

My child did not loose one of her front teeth because she bit her sister! She does not look absolutely adorable... no, not my child!

My children did not dance the whole night away at my sister's Big Birthday Bash! No way!

My child did not tell neighborhood secrets to the people we want to move in two doors down. So glad those stories did not scare them off.

My child did not wake up in the middle of the night crying because she had to potty... and in her sleep sat on the potty with panties on. She did NOT turn her tears into hysterical laughter then get pouty when I tried to snap her out of it so I could clean her up. She did NOT look at me like I was the crazy one for not getting the funny joke... Only to remember NONE of it the next day.

Not MY kids!
What have your kids NOT done?!

Got Books?

2009-07-16T23:15:00.002-05:00

The first week in July we had another book club meeting. The girls were to bring books about America. Because it was the week of the 4th of July, I decided to do a patriotic theme. I let the girls look through the books and explain the ones they brought.

For our craft, we took glass bubbles and painted on them with paint pens. They looked great! First we painted the backs and after they were dry we painted the tops, but it wasn't necessary... they looked great with just the backs painted. We put them on magnets! The magnets had to be heavy duty ones, not the little ones, or they would not stay up. I also had them write letters to people serving in the military. The girls all decided to write to a family member that was a veteran.

It was a great day to reflect on our wonderful country and the freedoms we enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday - Mr. Bill

2009-07-15T08:31:00.003-05:00

Remember this guy?

No, not the iron man...

the mischievous one

who is our travelling companion!

We had a blast in our travels!

Come back for details of what he did on our summer vacation!

Other wordless Wednesday posts found on Jolly Mom and 5 Minutes for Mom.

Not Me Monday!

2009-07-13T10:37:00.003-05:00

I assure you, I did NOT do any of these things...
I did NOT joyfully drop off my kids (and a friend) at VBS this morning, to come home planning on cleaning the house...
Only to NOT get on the computer to post this...
Only to find out the computer was not going to cooperate...
So I Did NOT have to actually clean the house!
While cleaning, I did NOT find a hair bow decorating a house plant, which made me laugh as hysterically as you can while cleaning...
And WHY was I cleaning today? Only because I did NOT watch 4 Harry Potter movies over the last 4 days!

And I am NOT wishing MckMama a Happy Birthday today!

First Swim of the Year... looking back

2009-07-10T07:55:00.002-05:00

This is my favorite place to take the kids swimming.

It is my sister's house.

Denise is great about letting us come over for a dip in the pool. She usually has hummus for me to snack on and candy for the kids! My kids love raiding her pantry and she is great about it! When it's not too hot, she'll even serve me coffee. (But when has the heat kept me from coffee?) She has a stack of towels when we forget ours, and she keeps fun pool toys around for the kids.

This was our first dip in the pool this year.

Can we say the kids were a little hesitant...

We had traded one child for a neighbor's kiddo.

Remember, back in April, when teeth still chattered after a dip in the pool?

Thank you, Denise!

Wordless Wednesday - 4th of July Parade 2009

2009-07-08T14:10:00.000-05:00

Wordless Wednesday - 4th of July Parade 2009

2009-07-08T14:03:00.002-05:00

Happy Anniversary!

2009-07-06T16:10:00.005-05:00

13 years! Our marriage is now in it's teenage years! Beware! Sappy love note follows...

My dear Kevin, You are the love of my life. When we got married, I had unrealistic expectations. Through the years I have learned more... about love... about living... about you. This year, the biggest lesson was having ears for what you say and not listening to the voices of others. It's one I'm still learning. This year I have also learned to be comfortable where I am. And I am... comfortable and content. I am happy with you.

After long days at work you come home and are so willing to help. The yard work, helping in the kitchen, the occasional housework... You even walk the dog. Faithfully! You are incredible with the kids. Our girls adore you so much! What an example of love you show them. In how you treat them, your little ladies, and how you treat me! I am so proud of the role you take in their lives.

You have grown so much since we married, 13 years ago! You bring laughter to our house! You are great at listening to me. And you (usually) know just what to say... and what NOT to say! Even during times we have struggled, You have always shown me what is important... your faith, your faithfulness to us and our family, your loyalty, your passion and your love. Your love for me shows through in all you do... I love you more now than ever.

I am so proud to call you... my best friend, my husband!

Wordless Wednesday - 4th of July Parade 2008

2009-07-01T14:34:00.002-05:00

Every year at Angelina River Lodge, our family has a 4th of July parade.

This was last year's parade.

Check back next Wordless Wednesday for this year's!

Not Me! Monday

2009-06-29T14:34:00.003-05:00

On my vacation I did not
... realize how much my kids were growing up.
... gain 5 pounds.
... let kids shower in public showers due to convenience (it's ok... Grandma was in charge of that one!)
... go without a shower myself for too long!
... loose my mind while driving with my kids for 10 hours in a car.
... ask my husband to flip off the crazy drivers on that 10 hour car ride.
... (and he certainly did not do it!)
... survive the car trip only because a big party with lots of ~~alcohol~~ refreshing water was at the end!
I am not procrastinating unpacking while I am blogging, thanks MckMama.
And I certainly did not cry when reading this blog...

Kids in the Kitchen - Peanut Butter

2009-06-25T10:31:00.000-05:00

We love to make homemade peanut butter!

Starting with peanuts still in the shell is a great activity for kids of all ages. As a preschool teacher, I used this activity to exercise the fingers and work on hand muscle coordination. Shelling enough peanuts for peanut butter is hard work, but the kids love it (and it's economical too)! I always double check to make sure that no shells get in the peanuts. In my little food processor I add about a Tablespoon of oil ( peanut oil is preferable, if you have it) for each cup of peanuts. If you want the exact measurements, the web has tons of recipes!

Enjoy!

Got Books? One Potato Two Potato

2009-06-23T09:00:00.001-05:00

Book club this week was so rushed. By the time the first guest had arrived, the kitchen had not been cleaned and I had forgotten to eat lunch. While one child entertained the guests, the others ran around cleaning while I tried to get something to eat. The snack person didn't show so I was running around between acts to get some cookies in the oven! ...and we leave tomorrow to go out of town for a few weeks... so my mind was not totally focused...
Despite all of that... The show went on.
No one had gotten the book the girls had chosen, so I set out a Bluebonnet picture book, One Potato, Two Potato by Cynthia DeFelice and had the girls each take turns acting out a few pages. Everyone participated. It took a long time to do the activity, and I was thrilled about that. It gave me time to get some cookies in the oven! I kept the theme going by making potato stamps. The girls had half of a potato and used a butter knife to carve a stamp into the potatoes. They came out ok... It was much harder than I had anticipated. They stamped for awhile but the thick paint did not stamp well and the girls ended up doing finger painting instead of painting with stamps. Maybe try stamp pads? Anyone use potatoes on stamp pads before?
Finding a book to read is as hard as I had thought it would be... any suggestions for soon-to-be 5th and 6th grade girls?

Family Reunion

2009-06-21T09:05:00.003-05:00

Every year my family has a big family reunion. Relatives from my great grandparents down gather for a few days of eating, talking, game playing, reminiscing, eating, wondering who is who and who they belong to, and more eating! We've been meeting at the same state park ever since I can remember... My dad pays for 4 cabins for our crew to stay in. This year so many of our group came, we had to double up and some even stayed off site at a hotel.

None of the great grandparents are with us anymore. The elders are my dad, his siblings and cousins. One of my dad's brothers, Uncle Bubba just turned 80. It was also his 50th wedding anniversary that weekend. My dad put together a slide show, his son spoke, a famous cousin, Bill Abel, who is a blues singer, put on a little show and there was the traditional cake and punch. The presentation took place Saturday night, after the annual fish fry. It was the largest turn out for a fish fry yet! We love you Uncle Bubba!

(Pictured here: My dad, Aunt Cami, Uncle Bubba, Uncle Billy Joe)

I love being part of big family. This year I saw so many examples of the things I want to instill in my kids. A sense of belonging and acceptance. The spiritual heritage that no matter what church you attend, a love of Jesus and trusting in Him is what is important. The laughter and love of being together. These are things I saw. I also saw my mother's servant heart. She cares so much for all of the relatives and works so hard to make the reunion fun and easy for everyone else. I saw the respect and love everyone has for my dad. When he talks, people listen. When he walks in, people smile. His quiet care and concern is evident to all. He shines in our family. I love you Dad! Happy Father's Day!

To see more pictures and memories from this event, visit my sister's blog here.

Kids in the Kitchen - Robert's fish

2009-06-20T10:38:00.000-05:00

This is Robert, my nephew, who is 11 years old. Robert loves to fish. He caught 4 fish today! After his dad prepared them, Robert cooked the fish. I was so proud of him! His mom gave the instructions and he followed them like a pro! Good job Robert!

Oh No! Mr. Bill!

2009-06-18T11:10:00.000-05:00

Let me introduce you to our newest travelling companion... Do you know who he is?

Mr. Bill! Many of you remember him from the Saturday Night Live skits from the old days. Thank you, Aunt Karen, for the GREAT idea! My kids loved it when she started doing it on her trips. He became an instant friend. We got one for our family and started this game with him. You will see him in the backgrounds of many of our pictures.

Keep your eyes open!

You never know when he will pop up... or what he will be doing!

Wordless Wednesday - Shark Teeth

2009-06-17T11:17:00.004-05:00

Adventures with cousins

Playing in the creek bed in Mississippi...
No telling what you will dig up!
How about some shark teeth?

For more pictures on my sister's blog about this outing, look here.

Kids in the Kitchen - Angela

2009-06-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

Angela was so excited about her turn in the kitchen. She loves to help cook!After much contemplation (about two and half seconds), she decided to do her secret recipe. Lucky for you, she has given me permission to share her secret recipe on this blog!

It is her favorite sandwich. You have to say it with a sing-song kind of voice. Here goes:

Turkey or ham

Cheese and Mayo

Bread on the bottom... Bread on the top!

I did put out some other things. She knows that we like to add (or in Evelyn's case, take away) some of the key ingredients. Add some chips and fruit and you have the perfect meal!

Bon Appetite!

Couponing... MY way!

2009-06-14T07:00:00.001-05:00

I've been saving money with coupons... a lot of money! It's a lot easier than I thought it would be. It's a lot easier than it was backintheday when there were no blogs about it! This is how I do coupons. You can do them however suits your fancy. There are tons of blogs out there about this very thing. (beware... some of them have you pay for a subscription. Although they are user friendly... you can find the exact same info on the blogs I have listed and on many others.) Find what fits you then start saving! Hopefully I can help. Remember, I'm just a blog comment or email away!

My suggestion for getting started is to keep the inserts from the papers for a few weeks before you really start. If not, you won't be able to use many of the deals because you won't have a stash of coupons (and nothing starts a fit in me faster than a good deal I miss out on...). Couponmom suggests organizing your coupons a really easy way: write the date on the top page of the insert and keep it all together, don't cut any out until you are ready to use them. To stay even more organized, keep them in a large accordion file folder. The websites that tell you the weekly deals also tell you what insert they are in, so it saves time. These websites tell you where you can print coupons (my faves are listed at the end) and if you go through some of these websites, they get credit. Also, find a neighbor or two that will save their coupon inserts to give you. When there is a really good deal, you will want to stockpile and use more than one coupon.

Stockpiling is a great way to save money. A stockpile is when you buy more than one even if you don't need it. If dish washing liquid is 75% off with a coupon, buy as many as coupons you have! That way, when you need some, you won't have to pay full price (gasp!). By stockpiling, I haven't paid more than 25 cents for a tube of toothpaste and I've even made money by buying shampoo!

Not only do the websites tell you what is on sale, many tell you where to get free samples. To keep my email inbox from getting spammed by signing up for coupons, I created a different email account. It is only for when I sign up for things. You can get tons of coupons AND FREE things.

Here are the websites that I have found to be the best. Couponmom (you have to sign up, but it's free!) is the main site I use to make my list. It breaks down everything that is on sale and tells you what coupons to use and what percentage off you can get. You can use it make a shopping list. I only look at items for more than 50% off, even if it is not our normal brand. Brand loyalty is out the window for me now! Southern Savers is good for reading more about how to do the whole coupon thing. She lists different scenarios. I double check my list with hers because she lists some deals that are not on couponmom. Becentsable is awesome because it has the grocery gathering. It lists most all grocery stores and what blogs tell about the weekly savings. Couponing can look overwhelming at first, but once you learn it, it is so easy! Freebies for mom lists free stuff. Coupons to print from coupons.com.

Review....

1. Keep coupon inserts from Sunday's paper and come up with your way to organize them. Find neighbors to give you their inserts. There are also groups that meet locally and do coupon swaps.

2. Check out the websites and read about how to save and get familiar with the whole concept of couponing.

3. Open an email account.

4. After you have a few weeks of coupons saved, and have learned about coupons, go shopping!

To avoid coupon mistakes, here are two tips:

1. Make sure you know when your store changes sales. Krogers near me sends out the sales papers on Sunday, but it doesn't go into use until Wednesday.

2. Be sure you know exactly what the specials are. (weekly store inserts from Sunday paper, and they are mailed to you)

Have fun learning about how to save money! I've cut our grocery bills in half! It's saving us $50 - $75 a week! AND since I'm buying more and stockpiling, we don't eat out or have fast food anymore! Since I've been couponing, our average monthly savings has been around $300!

If you have any questions, just ask!

Bookmarks

2009-06-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

Got Books?

No, we have bookmarks! Remember the Book Club? Here are the directions for the bookmarks we made! I wanted to use my Cricut, like I did for the Mother's Day Card and I used the SCAL program to make the word READ all stuck together. I used the font heavy heap and made the letters 1 1/2 by 5 1/4. The size of the bookmark is 3 x 6.

I cut those out on the Cricut in different colors.

I kept the negative image (the outline of the word and the inside pieces) and cut those into strips that were a little smaller than the 3x6 bookmark. To keep track of the inside pieces, I put them in little storage containers and put a "tag" inside saying if it was the inside of the R, top or bottom, the inside of the e, the a, or the d.

I set all the pieces on the table with glue sticks and the girls made the bookmarks! I also set out some shape makers (punches) with the leftover paper from the words and they used that for decoration. It only took them about 15 minutes to assemble the bookmarks. No one really used the negative image ones, although those were my favorites!

Here are the finished products!

Free 8 x 10 photo! (and how it turned into $83 of savings!)

2009-06-11T07:00:00.001-05:00

My husband says I have a sickness... I can not pass up a good deal. I've always been a stickler for good deals, my mother taught me well! Now that I've had to watch our finances oh-so-much-more I've gotten that-much-more pickier with my good deals. Back then (a whole 6 months ago) if I saved anything on items we were going to get anyway (musthaves) I walked away with a smile. Now, if it's not a savings of 50%, you'll probably find me pouting. (not really... I only pout with less than 25% savings on must-haves) In packing for a two week trip, I didn't think I would have a lick of time to save any... but... you can save lots with little time... even when you're running 'round all scatter brained! I'm proof of that!
My great deals this week!

I needed to run to CVS to take advantage of a Father's Day Photo special. If you enter a checkout code of FREE8x10 you will get a... FREE 8x10 photo! Also, I signed up as a new customer with my cvs card and will get 50 photos free! It took me 10 - 15 mins to look up what sales there were by going to Southern Savers! There were a few musthaves and my daughter wanted an itunes card so this is what I did and my savings...

Transaction #1:
2 Prilosec 42 ct
1 razor
1 itunes card ($15)
Savings:
coupon for razor (-$4)
CVS sale prices (-8.44)
coupon for Prilosec (-$7)
CVS coupon when you spend $50 (-$10)
CVS ECB (-$2)
Spent $49.53
Saved 31.44
received ECB +14 (as if I saved $45)
Eligible for Flexible spending account total of $49.53.

Transaction #2
2 Dawn soap
4 Olay skin care
coupon for Dawn (-.25)
coupon for skin care (-1)
ECB (-10)
spent 18.09
saved 13.23
received ECB +11 (as if I saved 24)

*note I could have found more coupons and saved on the skin care and I could have made more transactions to use the other ECBs BUT I was in a hurry and distracted and didn't... note to self... do not let the fact the photo lab was down distract you from your savings! If any of you want to write up how I could have saved even more by re-working the transactions, I would love to hear your suggestions! I could have probably saved $10 - $15 more if I had done reworked things differently!

Value of items... $146
Total spent... $63
Total savings (with the 50 free prints)... $83 (57%)

I did get the photos... I called the 1 800 # and they rerouted them. They were so nice and helpful! But please note... they do not do the true digital size, so some pics (almost all in my case, but not the 8x10... ThankYouLord!) will be cut off. Can I just say one more time that talking to them was so nice it was refreshing! I love it when dealing with Customer service leaves me smiling!

What ~~coupon sickness~~ savings have you gotten excited about this week?

Wordless Wednesday Hip Hip Hooray!

2009-06-10T09:19:00.002-05:00

Hip Hip Hooray! It's summer!

Wordless Wednesday is a part of 5 Minutes for Mom.

Favorite Summer Find!

2009-06-09T10:27:00.007-05:00

This is our new favorite summer find... and it's FREE! Remember this? Free is good!

We love everything about this park! It is close by, less than five miles. From what I can tell, construction started on it around 2 years ago and the park is not yet very well known (it doesn't even show up on google earth yet!). So far, it has not been crowded at all. I hope it stays that way!

There are three sections, the first section has a pavilion, playground and a large grassy area all surrounded by a bike path that leads you to the second section which has a pond, dock and picnic tables. There is a walkway that leads across a street and to a third area which houses an aquatic center and another playground.

The plan is to have a "Pool, Picnic and Park Night" once a week. After the intense heat is over, our shoes stop trying to melt on the sidewalk and the day begins to cool, we will head up to the pool for a swim. A picnic will be packed and there will be fresh fruit to snack on as well as drinks. After the kids get their fill of swimming and hunger sets in, we will load up the car (if there is any room between the bikes, swim gear and change of clothes) and head to the park. Dad will hopefully meet us for the picnic... which will be followed by a bike ride to both of the playgrounds. As the sun is setting, we will head back to the car and home for bed for the now tired children...

That is the plan! So far we have had two evening spent this way and they were both nominated for best nights ever!

Not Me! Monday

2009-06-08T08:47:00.003-05:00

The last week of school for the kids meant the last week of FREEDOM for me!

I did NOT stay in my pjs as long as possible for as many days as possible...

I did NOT cancel my plans so I could stay home and veg for another day...

I did NOT leave the TV and radio off then mute the computer for two days just so I could feel how quiet it was...

I did NOT mope around on my last day of freedom because I neglected to plan a last lunch date...

And... I certainly DID NOT spend my last day of freedom totally chillin' out and curled up with a good book!

No, NOT ME!

Lemonds to Lemonade

2009-06-05T22:30:00.005-05:00

As I write this, I'm thinking of a nice, tall, ice cold glass of lemonade. Summertime is all about sippin' some lemonade, sittin' in the shade and watchin' the kiddos. This summer, I'm turning lemons (financial stress) into lemonade (the best, most relaxed, cheapest summer ever)! This summer I'm rebelling against the mentality of jam packed days... stick everything you can into a summer... go go go... shuffling schedules... carting kids across town... ... you get the idea, right? The hustle and bustle of summer is not for me... this year. This summer we are going to enjoy the lazy days of summer!

Spending time together as a family.

Reading projects, sewing projects, cooking projects, music projects!

Letting the kids be kids

Carefree and FUN!

Library days, swim days, friends over days (and nights)!

What brings this need for a shift of pace? m-o-n-e-y! The financial stress and uncertainty of the economy looms over our household ... We have been given lemons.
I do not want to go into debt by signing the kids up for a camp every week or going out every day. I do not want to spend the summer knee-deep in plans and not sure how to fit it all in... or how to pay for it. The only planning I will be doing is how to save, save, save and not spend, spend, spend! Join me, will you? Check back often to see how I entertain the kids on a no-spend (not very much at least), super tight budget!

Watch how I turn our lemons into lemonade!

Grocery Store Savings

2009-06-05T14:36:00.002-05:00

This was today's trip to the grocery store. Yes... a lot of it is junk food. And I'll confess... there are 5 12 packs of soda. I NEVER buy soda... but I couldn't resist the sale. When the kids were unloading the car, one said "WOW! It's ALL junk food!!!!!!" I tend to buy more junky stuff during summer.

Here are the savings... I saved (drum roll please!) 52%! I get such a rush when the number comes back at anything over 50%! I spent $88.10 and saved $94.86!!

How did I do it, you ask? I used grocerymom's website and coupons. The store I went to (Randalls) tends to be more expensive, but have good sales every so often. I only go there when they are having this good of a sale and my list consists of only sale items. I buy the rest of my weekly list at a cheaper store. I know some don't like to spend the time doing this, but it only took an hour prep and an hour shopping! That's equivalent to getting paid $40 and hour!

If you liked this post and want to hear more about how to save at the grocery store, leave me a comment. I would love to help your family have more money... and pass the grocery store rush to you too!

Evelyn's Debut in the Kitchen!

2009-06-03T07:03:00.004-05:00

Kids in the Kitchen
I like to introduce my kids to working in the kitchen as soon as they have an interest. Last year I started teaching my older two how to cook and they helped with a few meals of their choosing. It was so popular that we decided to bring it back this summer and start teaching the younger girls too. Evelyn was so excited to be the first one to plan her meal!
She planned exactly what we would be having, made a grocery list, went grocery shopping (just the two of us!), cooked and cleaned! It was a great time to spend with her.

The lesson started with her learning how to use the can opener. The vegetable of her choice was green beans, her favorite!

Her main meal was tortellini with your choice of red or white sauce.

Both sauces were store bought and we heated them in the microwave in pretty glass bowls. We had forgotten garlic bread, but Dad came to rescue and stopped at the store on his way home! We also forgot about it in the oven... but mom took it out just in time!
Dessert was a huge hit! Strawberries and marshmallows dipped in white or dark chocolate! YUM!!

Now all the kids are planning what their meal will be!

Not Me! Monday

2009-06-01T16:01:00.004-05:00

Welcome to my first Not Me! post. Not Me! Monday was started by MckMama to provide mom's with an opportunity to show their realness in a humorous way. I'm all for mom's telling how things really are!

I absolutely did NOT brag like a crazy mom about my kids this week!

I did NOT almost miss getting pics of my daughter because I did not realize she placed so high! Emily came in SECOND place out of the entire 5th grade in Reading this year!

I did NOT hoot and holler (because I know she can not stand it!) when Emily came in 4th place in Math... out of all the 5th graders in the school!

I did NOT look smugly at those parents (you know them... like the one who made a comment ...to my face... about me not doing as much as they did because I'm not concerned/caring about my daughter) No... I did NOT look smugly at that mom when Emily came in 7th in Science (and her child did not place...not me!) out of ALL the 5th graders! Which means Emily placed in the top 10 in ALL academic categories! No... I did NOT gloat!
I did NOT take her out of school for the day. We did not go shopping (all be it resale and thrift stores...) and then we did not go out to lunch with her daddy. Why would we celebrate like that... not our family!

When it was time for my 4th grader's awards, I did NOT skip the ceremony. I also did NOT think she wouldn't place... when Amber proved her mom wrong and came in the top 10 in Reading... say it with me... Out of the WHOLE 4th grade! You can prove me wrong any day sweetheart!
I certainly did NOT feel like the worstmom all day for missing her awards!

I did NOT tell everyone I came across, post it on facebook, twitter about it or make any phone calls about my kids winning awards! NOT me!

No... I am certainly NOT a proud... bragging mom!

The Book Club

2009-05-29T14:02:00.003-05:00

Screaming, chatting, moving

Girls Girls Girls

talking, screaming, hugging

Girls Girls Girls

chatting, drama,

...and did I say screaming?

GIRLS! GIRLS! GIRLS!

How Fun! A book club for girls! As long as it's not at my house and I'm not the one leading it! I can just hear the wheels in your heads turning. The wheels in my head started ~~making me crazy~~ turning when I went to a book club with my girls last month and immediately started thinking about how to do one myself with my older girls and their friends. And here we are. We sent out invitations and I made a phone call or two. The day of, there was much house cleaning and craft planning. I was so nervous! My husband came home early and did his usual lightening fast last minute clean up and kitchen detail while I laid everything out. By the time the 4 girls showed up, I was calm and ready! It was so much easier than I thought it would be! The girls loved it and I did too! I hope this will encourage some of you to give it a try too! Feel free to copy my ideas! That's why I'm posting them!

Here is a simple run down of what I did:
When I started the meeting, I outlined what we would be doing, reminding them we would be picking a name for a book club and a book to read, hoping to get the wheels in their ~~crazy little heads~~ brains to start rolling. I also assured them we would have time for crafts, snacks and to just hang out. I also introduced them to the idea of signing up for the book clubs around town where you get a free book after filling out a sheet saying you've read so many books. I even had gotten the forms earlier in the week!

The get to know you game:
I took out a roll of Toilet Paper (that totally grabs their attention!) and took a few sheets then passed it to one of the girls. They all were to take "however much you think you'll need." After the TP made it back to me, I instructed them to tell me something about themselves, one fact for every sheet. I played too, as if I were back way back when I was a 4th or 5th grader! The girls had so much to say, they all kept tearing their sheets into more pieces to be able to talk more! It was great! I let them keep going (and I was worried some of them wouldn't think of anything to say...) until they had gotten everything out they wanted to (no pun intended)!

Name the club
I had looked up a few suggestions on-line to get the ball rolling, then I wrote down every suggestion they said. They were laughing sooooo much, I wanted to have giggles in the name (my suggestion was GAB Giggles and Books) but the top two choices were Got Books? and Secret Agent Readers. We voted and it was tie. We voted again and it was another tie (I didn't vote, I didn't want to "take sides"). During snacks we called in the reinforcements and the little sisters came in to vote... and it was another tie! So we did the draw-a-name-out-of-the-hat trick and the name is.... Got Books? A snack of brownies and strawberries soothed the disappointed ones!

What book to read?
Deciding on what book to read literally kept me up at night. After cruising the school's website I came across THIS website for Bluebonnet books! While the girls were working on their craft (bookmarks... stay tuned! I will write about those this weekend...) they took turns with a buddy and read through the summaries. They all wanted the same two books, so the last group was the tie breaker (or I would've gotten out the hat again!) and decided on the book Maybelle and the Soup. I think we will read the other book next! While the girls were finishing crafts, I had pre-written a note (email info, best dates/times, ideas...) to the parents and put in the info (book club name, the next book and other books we will read) and printed them so it would all be ready for the girls to take home. We finished early (since we didn't have a book to discuss) and I pulled out my just-in-case activity. While ~~needlessly looking up random stuff~~ researching book club stuff I came across a contest for writing a short poem. I read an excerpt and we talked about the contest. Hopefully some of the girls will be inspired to write. I have always said reading and writing go hand in hand, so I am excited to have a way to incorporate both into the club! Plus, it's always great to have a back-up time-filler! That still left the girls with half an hour to hang out... ride scooters outside... find a quiet place to share secrets... play!
I really enjoyed talking to the moms when they picked up the girls! I think Got Books? was a huge success!

In Memory

2009-05-27T07:00:00.002-05:00

Today would have been the birthday of a dear friend. She died a year ago. This is a poem I wrote for her memorial...

My Butterfly

My Butterfly, I really believed you had wings.

You showed your beauty when you would laugh

And you soared when you would sing.

For you, movies is where it was at!

You were passionate about history and theater,

And don't forget about those cats!

The Lord knew your needs and heard you pray

Even when you were stuck in your cocoon

It was He that carried you all the way.

To others you were friendly and sweet.

Your friendship was loving and constant.

I know one day again we will meet.

Butterfly, now that you've stepped through Heaven's door

You will find peace that here you missed.

Unfurl those beautiful, butterfly wings, and SOAR!

Happy Birthday my friend!

Through her life I learned, but through her death God revealed even greater life truths...

In memory of Karen Ruth Bottoms

For those of you who also knew her... there is so much more to the story...

Question Time!

2009-05-23T10:06:00.005-05:00

It's a little box... the pencil keeper kind you can buy for $1 or less. Inside there are long, thin strips of paper that have words on them. Nothing special... so it seems. That little, seemingly insignificant box has become to my family a treasure box filled with all kinds of insight! On the pieces of paper are questions. Simple questions. Silly questions. Meaningful questions. Each night around the dinner table (yes, we eat EVERY night around the dinner table! as a family!...Ok, except for the ~~rare~~ ~~monthly~~ sometimes-once-a-week "easy does it" nights we have sandwiches or pizza...) after saying the mealtime prayer, a child takes turns asking the question. It has brought us much closer as a family. I've seen my kids grow in the way they've answered the questions... You see, we love it so much, we've gone through the box over 2 times! The girls came up with a method on folding the notes to know which ones we've read. We even do the questions when other people join us for dinner! We've done it so much, we need new questions! Do any of you have a book/game/question box of your own?

Where did we get the box? Good question! My sister, Karen, is a Mentor Mom with the MOPS program at her church. I (heart) MOPS! One of their craft activities was making this box. Since her kids are grown and (at the time) did not have kids of their own... she gave it to us... knowing I was a sucker for these things... and would use it faithfully... and I have! (OK... she also knows the DRAMA we have with 4 girls... and that we NEED something like this!) I hope other families have used it as much as we have! Ladies, have any of you gone through it 3 times??!! I would LOVE to hear from some of those MOPS moms!
In fact... I would LOVE to hear from anyone! Especially with stories of your own dinnertime conversations/traditions. You don't have any... well, I'm not giving up my special box! BUT you can find your own Around The Table activities over at Jolly Mom's blog where you can WIN one! Check it out! Keep the comments coming on what YOU do! I want to know! Also check out the comments, I'm going to ask my kids what they really think about question time and will post it in the comments!

Angela's Field Day

2009-05-21T07:00:00.001-05:00

Angela

Youngest child

Kindergarten kiddo

Angels kissed Angela, our beautiful birthmarked baby!

A total girly-girl!

Always has a smile

In dealing with life's obstacles, she smiles sweetly and always holds her head up high.

Way to go Angela!

Evelyn's Field Day

2009-05-20T07:00:00.005-05:00

Evelyn

Third Child

Second Grader

Always on the GO!

Compassionate

Loves to Laugh

In dealing with life's obstacles, she finds the answers fast and always looks for ways to help others.

Way to go Evelyn!

Amber's Field Day

2009-05-19T07:12:00.000-05:00

Amber

Second born

Fourth Grader

Lover of books

Sweet Spirit

Sense of Humor

In dealing with life's obstacles, she looks to God and laughs at life!

Way to go Amber!

Emily's Field Day

2009-05-18T07:00:00.001-05:00

Emily

Oldest child

In 5th grade, about to enter the threshold of jr. high.

Avid reader

Excells in sports

A natural leader

In dealing with life's obstacles, she is concerned with what is right and confident with making decisions.

Way to go Emily!

Field day fun!

2009-05-17T16:29:00.002-05:00

Field Day this year was a BLAST! The school had made some changes, the most notably that it was only a half day instead of a full day. I feel bad that the kids didn't get as long to play... but it worked out really well. There was less down time, less water activities, less standing around waiting for your turn. I know the kids missed the water activities, but not having as much time waiting for your turn on the races was nice. Also, the classes worked together instead of everything being a competition. It worked great! The only thing I would change is to still have classes compete against each other in the tug of war! Some competition is ... healthy... and fun! As a mom, I enjoyed watching my kids interact with others. It was great to walk the hallways and run into a different child's class! When Angela's class was walking from music, we ran into her and her teacher was more than happy to let us snap this sister snapshot!

I saw families together! In one class, the teacher had her whole family there and they all got into the activities. It was wonderful to see her older "real life kids" play with her "at school kids"! It also worked out for part of my family to be together. On Friday Emily had her field day in the morning and I checked her out so she could stay there for Evelyn's. I LOVED seeing my kids cheering each other on! I also checked out Emily's bff and they had a great time. They both helped so much, by the end of field day, they were even helping the teachers!

Yes... field day sure was fun this year! It was my first year to NOT have a toddler running around... and last year I didn't make any because I was working. By the time Friday afternoon rolled around, we were all exhausted! Especially me...

Stay tuned this week as I post pics of each kid's field day!

The Juggling Act

2009-05-16T10:30:00.003-05:00

I made it on my sister's blog! Yes... I'm on the right on the top picture, on the bottom picture, YOU are on the LEFT... or is it me? Dad! We're confused again!
If you want to know what I'm talking about, check out Kristie's blog here! http://www.stevens-jugglingact.blogspot.com/

Sidewalk Chalk and Tissue Paper Flowers

2009-05-10T22:43:00.006-05:00

Handmade cards and tissue paper flowers,

Gifts not of money but of care.

Stories and poem written in pencil,

Messy and misspelled add a special flair!

Messages of love from

Paper, pencils and crayons

Messages of love

That will never be gone.

Drawings on the sidewalk,

Chalk that will wash away.

Shadows get distorted.

They fade throughout the day.

Messages of love appear in

shadows and chalk art.

Messages of love

Forever in the heart.

Flower Mother's Day Card Part 2

2009-05-07T13:24:00.003-05:00

Part 2

Please scroll down to the previous post, to see how to do the base of the card!

I had the kids sort out the flowers (yes, a good learning activity here!) then glue them together, careful to only glue the middle. {insert a lot of screaming and arguing here over who glued too much, who did not match the colors correctly, who kept matching them too well leaving no room for creativity, and one child sneaking away, catching on that they were only doing the dirty work for mom...}

Pick the prettiest to put little brads through (or wait till they are on the cards and use stick on jewels... which do not stay unused in this house! Let me know when they go on sale, someone, so I can stock back up! Thanks!) Then curl up the petals with a toothpick. (Confession: I searched the house to find something small to do this with and used something that did not work near as well. I learned this trick AFTER I made the cards and THEN watched the tutorial...)

Glue a layer of flowers on flat.

Put on the last layer of flowers.

Use your imagination (or some pretty paper that you cut with the flowerpot part of the original card base) to decorate the pot.
And just in case some a sneaky mom and mil peeked, I am not going to show the finished project! (ok... and I haven't finished it yet!)

Have fun being creative and crafty!

Flower Mother's Day Card

2009-05-07T12:27:00.005-05:00

Part 1
Stop right now! If you are my mom, or my husband's mom, DO NOT read any further! Turn off the computer! Walk away! If you read further, You will see your Mother's Day card. And I KNOW you don't want to mess up that surprise!

For the other handful of people that want to see what card I made for Mom's day, continue on!

I will start out by saying I totally and completely copied this card! I got the idea off of svgcuts blog. I saw a picture and copied it. I will also admit that I studied very carefully did NOT watch the tutorial until AFTER I made the card. Why? I was a bit impatient... and the computer kept freezing, so I did it on my own. Now that I've studied very carefully watched in fast forward, I would do a few things differently. But as you will hear on another blog post, I am still just learning how to use my new favorite toy... the cricut!... so I made lots of mistakes... but learned a lot too. So get ready for the journey as I show you how I, ummm... my kids and I... made this beautiful card! Just don't judge it against the one on svgcuts! Remember, they are the professionals with the download for the card that you have to buy and the really pretty paper, and I am the complete newbie that has only bought plain, cheap paper for the cricut!

So, here goes!

To start, I made the base of the card. I used the software program, Sure Cuts A Lot (SCAL) to make this, but it can easily be done by hand. In SCAL, I used some different shapes (trapezoid and rectangle) to make a flower pot with a decagon (10 sided shape) coming out of the top.

After cutting that out, I folded a card and used the negative image to trace on the card. Line the edge of the stencil with the folded part and don't trace or cut those lines. Then I cut out the card (by hand!). WHEN I do this card again, I would put the imagine in SCAL upright and then flip it, weld it together and the whole thing would be cut by the machine.

I found a free font of flowers and picked a few of those to cut out. I made one color one size, then enlarged it a little and made those flowers in a lighter/darker shade. I used the same template and cut it out on different pieces of paper. Here is a tip (sorry I didn't do a picture of this... ) Do the top row of flowers one size and a row on the bottom the other size and then use two different strips of paper to cut it out. Saves time. Another tip: make twice as many as you need, then keep the others saved for other projects.

A true lip gloss moment

2009-05-04T16:49:00.007-05:00

On the "release day" of my blog, our household had one of those moments. A true lip gloss moment. No, we did not discover a new flavor or shade. No, we did not find lip gloss on sale. It was a not very good lip gloss moment. It was a moment that makes me want to BAN lip gloss from this house for ~~ever~~ a very looong time! What happened? That is not a question posed by ~~an anal laundry mom~~ um... a laundry queen, but by a mom who does not have small children. Yes... someone left their lip gloss in a pants pocket! And, if you follow me on twitter, you would know how I spent my day... doing laundry... and figuring out this blog. Note to self... next time you do laundry... check ALL pockets... and, come to find out... all other hidey-holes where creative girls can hide their lip gloss! What I find really interesting, NONE of the ruined clothes belonged to the culprit!

Anyone know how to get out lip gloss?

Welcome to my blog!

2009-04-27T14:23:00.000-05:00

Hi! Welcome to my blog!
Well... I finally did it! I joined the millions of you on the blogwagon! Right now, this blog is going to be an outlet for me to share my life with whoever happens to stumble upon this page! My goal is to have a section for saving money, crafts, kids, my faith... and whatever else I feel like, after all, this is MY blog!