My Safe Haven ~ A Place For My Mind To Unwind

Wordless Wednesday ~ Anything I Can Do To Help

2010-01-06T14:17:00.000-08:00

This story has been in the headlines now for a little over a month, and her friends and family are asking everyone out there to get to the web and help put her face and info wherever you can so that if anyone has seen her to let the authorities know. I found this recent article about her, and what is being done so far. I'm praying she is found safe and alive. God is in control and He will help whoever is in charge of this case and all who are involved. For those of you who aren't aware of this story, the woman in the picture above is Susan Powell. She's a 28 year old mother of two from Utah who went missing on December 6th. Please, if you've read this post, do what you can to get her picture out.

Go Wordless Here...

Happy New Year!!

2010-01-01T09:33:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas!!

2009-12-14T19:11:00.001-08:00

I have been so bad at writing on my blog. Forgive me. So many ups and downs in life lately, I guess writing about them was the last thing on my mind. I hope you all had a good Thanksgiving and your Christmas is one to remember!

Belated Birthday Post

2009-10-31T09:18:00.000-07:00

Just a recap, but the birthday party was good. Busy, but overall a really good time. Maddie is big into Olivia (the pig) so she got a few of those books, some clothes and games.

The first picture is what we've been doing on the day of her birthday because she'd be getting a cake at her party.

The last couple pictures, the scooter is what she got from us. And then the Elefun game is something she got from my sister and her husband.

Happy Halloween And More!

2009-10-31T08:28:00.000-07:00

It's that time of the year again. Dressing your kiddos up in costumes, preparing yourself for the walk or run your kids will do going after that candy. I know I am. But I have an added bonus, celebrating my son's birthday. 8 years old already! I can still remember that day like it was yesterday. Holding my beautiful little boy and seeing his face for the first time. Honestly, where did 8 years go?

The kiddos have their pumpkins picked out and carved. Here is the end product:

Last year we had bought our son a football uniform, but he ended up being sick so thankfully that works out for him this year (HUGE football fan). And then our daughter, well we couldn't really find anything for her that we really liked, so we opted for her to be a cheerleader. My husband chose the team.

Praying for good weather and a fun time together tonight. I'm thankful everyday for my son and the joy he's brought to my life. Hope your day is fun filled!

Success!

2009-10-17T12:35:00.000-07:00

Well, we've done it. We've put the bunk beds up. The room looks fantastic! I think so anyway. Maybe I should clarify that "we" didn't put them up, my husband did. But I did help. A little.

Here is a before shot:

Not too bad looking, rather boring I think. But you have to work with what you have, and that is all we have right now. Plus, that toddler bed is just too small for my daughter. I'd find her half in her bed and half on the floor sometimes. Or just laying on the floor. It was time.

Thankfully we sold the bed (hers) but sadly had to throw his out (broken pieces). And transformed into...drum roll please....

TA DAAA:

It may not look like it in the picture, but that room is much more spacious. Plus my daughter is doing so well with her "big girl" bed. She loves it. My son is loving the top bunk and I'd say my daughter has been up there at least 100 times.

I'm quite happy with the results.

Bumbleride Indie Stroller: Giveaway!

2009-10-10T06:52:00.000-07:00

I'm not one to jump on the bandwagon when it comes to giveaways I see around on the web. But this one caught my eye and I instantly had to try to win it. Just like other moms, we want something easy to use, plus it's safe for our little ones. It's a bonus if it looks this fabulous!

Over at The Not-So-Blog, she is having a giveaway for this stroller by Bumbleride. This particular model is called the Indie. There are several colors to choose from, I myself love the one shown above called Spice. The writer(s) over at The Not-So-Blog wrote a review, check it out here! Now, since I don't usually enter myself into things unless it's something I'd really like, maybe I'll win. Maybe beginners luck?

Patience Is A Virtue

2009-10-10T06:11:00.000-07:00

Well, he made it home. Safe. Albeit it took an extra 3 hours to get him here, but by george he made it! What a day that was, let me tell ya. It started off good, got my son to school, cleaned up around the house, spent time with my daughter. The usual stuff. At 3:30 we went to school and picked up my son and then headed over to the airport. His flight was scheduled to land at 4:15, we got there at 4. Plenty of time. Or so I thought.

My mom called me as we were pulling into our parking lot, my heart beating with excitement because in just 15 mins. my hubby would be home. That call changed it all. She told me that she had gotten two calls but was unsure who they came from. The last one she said had sounded like him in the background, but the call ended before anything was said. Obviously his flight had changed, that was my thinking. First thing that came to my mind was that he was early! And I was late.

So the kiddos and I almost ran through the airport to get to where he would come, big surprise, no husband. We knew the exit he would be at, but his plane was there, and no passengers coming out. So we checked the arrival screen and saw that it had been delayed to 4:40. No big deal. Just need to wait 20 mins. or so. Headed over to the kids play room for a bit, happened to look at my phone for the time and saw I had a message. My mom was trying to tell me that his plane wouldn't land here until 6:45 or 7. And seeing that I have such an awesome cell phone (no, not really) I had to get change from the gift shop (gum, $1.59. yikes!) in order to use the payphone. What my mom told me was that there had been a crash on the freeway in London and the crew for the plane, that my husband was supposed to be on, was detained for an hour or so. Which meant he couldn't leave for his 8-9 hr flight on time.

So when I was talking with my mom, he had already landed at his connection airport, but because he was late, he missed his original flight back here. So what turned into a 15 maybe 20 min. wait ended up being a 3 hr wait. Thank you Lord for play rooms, airplanes taking off and places to eat. All those were wonderful distractions for my kids. I would've just turned around and gone back home until it was time, but it takes about 30 min. to get to my house, so I figured we'd be ok if we stayed put. And we were, but by the time his plane did land, my nerves were shot. I was running out of patience let me tell you. My kids were acting like they had just been given spoonfuls of sugar. But all that seemed to diminish once he walked off that plane. Not amount of lip biting would stop this mama from crying.

It was so good to be back in his arms. Being away from my husband was rough, but thankfully I have friends and family and my rambunctious kiddos. Life is good again.

Wordless Wednesday ~ The Spy Who Loved Me

2009-10-07T07:31:00.000-07:00

I found this while digging around through my pictures. What makes me laugh is that every time my daughter puts on a pair of 3D glasses she tells me she's a spy.

Go Wordless Here...

Tackle It Tuesday ~ My Daughter's Baby Book

2009-10-06T06:21:00.000-07:00

I need to get on the ball with this one. Now that the garage is finally cleared out, my next project is her baby book. I'd like to think I'm up to par with my son's, maybe need to add another page, but for the most part, his is done. My daughter's on the other hand, the last time I did anything was for her 2nd birthday. She'll be 4 next week. My wonderful mom gave me a gift certificate to our local scrap booking shop for my birthday, 2 years ago. Praying there is no expiration date on it. I have my ideas, but I just haven't gotten over to the store. My goal is to have made some good progress before the end of the year. Happy Tackling Tuesday!

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

2009-10-04T18:31:00.000-07:00

On facebook there is an application called Flair. I'm sure you all know the meaning of the word, but as I was looking through the countless pieces they have I came across one that said "When you lose someone to cancer, awareness lasts a lifetime." I immediately picked that one, and it is now on my profile.

My mom had breast cancer, as did her mom. They both survived and my mom has been clear of it for 19 years. Thank you Lord! They have this genetic testing that she could do to see if she has a certain gene that would tell her if either me or my sisters could get breast cancer. There are so many pros and cons to all that, so it's a decision that has been put on hold for the time being. For now there are things we can do to help prevent it. I'm praying that one day there is a cure for this. God is in control of ALL things. Check this out.

Leaving On A Jet Plane

2009-10-02T13:00:00.000-07:00

Well, more like left on a jet plane already. My husband has flown home for a few days to visit his family in England. He left pretty early this morning and so far has been having safe flights. He will land at Heathrow airport and then travel back to his hometown with his mom and sister. For 28 years England was his home, and so he misses it there quite often. His first trip home was after moving here 6 years earlier. I was unable to go with him the last time and unfortunately didn't go with him for this trip either. We have talked that I would go with him for the next trip, but this came up unexpectedly so maybe next time. I am praying for a safe trip where ever he goes while he's there, and I'm glad he's able to reconnect with family and friends. But I miss him.

I don't mind having to watch our kids by myself, I think it helps keep me busy and my mind on other things than missing him. The last time he traveled my kids were younger and so they didn't seem to mind him leaving or weren't affected by him being gone. But this time just my daughter was unaware of him leaving. She told me she had fun at the airport, so that sums up how much she understands what's going on. My son on the other hand cried, and as badly as I was trying to hold it in for their sake I found myself biting my lip to stop myself from crying. Have to be the strong one. So hard to do when I'm not feeling like that at all. But, there are the phone calls and web cam conversations, so there really won't be much time for me to miss him too much. But I still miss him.

I personally think that it's good when couples have to spend time apart. I totally believe in the phrase, "Absense makes the heart grow fonder." I think when couples are apart for days at a time it makes you realize just how important one another is. You don't take things for granted.

My husband is away for a short while, and I'm ok with that. I'm not thrilled to be without him, but I love him all the more and can't wait for him to come home.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Enjoying The Leaves

2009-09-30T00:00:00.000-07:00

These were taken last fall, my nephew isn't even a year old in that picture, but I just loved these. Can't believe another fall season is here.

Go Wordless Here...

Tackle It Tuesday ~ The Garage pt. 2

2009-09-29T00:14:00.000-07:00

Well, it's a start, if anything. We were able to throw out a bunch of things. And once the kiddos get their bunk beds, those toy boxes and some other things will be back in their room. We still have a couple months before the snow gets here, but I'm happy with the progress so far. Happy Tackling Tuesday!

Bedroom Makeover

2009-09-28T05:52:00.000-07:00

When we moved into this apartment a few years ago, my son wasn't even a year yet, so his room was all for him. We didn't plan on having any more kids while living here. But as he got older and it seemed like we were staying put for now, along came my daughter. For the first three years of her life, she shared a room with my husband and I. Mostly because she was still in her crib, and also because I liked having her so close. But the time came and the crib just wasn't working for her anymore, so we bought her a toddler bed. Hubby and I were more than ready to have our room back, and moving my son's bed around to accommodate hers was a piece of cake. We figured her bed would last a good year or so before she got to be too long.

Well, that time has come. It's amusing sometimes to walk in their room and see her on the floor or half in her bed and half on the floor. Buying her a twin bed was the next step after she outgrew the toddler bed, but their room is pretty small. Putting in another twin bed would shrink that room and they wouldn't have near as much room as they do now. It's plainly obvious what the answer to that problem is.

Bunk beds! That way, it frees up the other side of the room for toy boxes, bookcases..etc. And after talking with them, they are all for it. And what I like most about these particular bunk beds (and I'm sure most of them do this) is the fact that we can also use them as just regular twin beds. That will come in handy when we move and they will have their own room. Money well spent I think!

We found this one:

I think these will be good. I had them growing up, so much cooler than a regular bed! This is a project I'm really looking forward to and can't wait to see the outcome of it all.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Just Hangin' Around

2009-09-23T06:51:00.000-07:00

She's my monkey girl. Does this as often as she can at the park.

Go Wordless Here...

Tackle It Tuesday ~ The Garage

2009-09-22T06:48:00.000-07:00

Our garage is a complete catastrophe! We are currently using it for storage, baby crib, bikes, toys..etc. But with the winter months getting closer, my husband and I are making it a goal to clean out the garage enough to get our van in. We had started earlier this spring/summer, decided to take a break and just never got back to it. Praying and crossing our fingers this job will be done before the snow starts to fall. Happy Tackling Tuesday!

It's All About The Memories

2009-09-21T11:45:00.000-07:00

There are memories in life that you cherish, you can remember them by a photo or souvenir. You see them and are instantly brought to that moment in time. For me especially, if I see something that reminds me of a loved one who isn't here anymore it's that much more special and meaningful.

For the last year or so, my mom has been taking my daughter to Barnes and Noble where they have story time. There she has made a friend with the lady who reads the stories. They have this routine where they listen to the story and afterward do a craft that goes along with the it. I went with them the first time and really got into it. I was very hopeful that this was something she (my daughter) would enjoy and want to go to each time.

What's really neat is that afterward, my mom will buy my daughter a cookie of her choosing and they will sit down and talk, or maybe read books together, that I'm not really sure of. But the smile on my daughter's face when she comes home and tells me about her time there tells me that she had the best time. And as of late, she has been giving the reading lady a hug before she leaves. How sweet!

In her room, my daughter has every craft she's made since she started doing this with my mom. I'll put them somewhere safe until she's older and hopefully these memories she's making will flood her mind and bring a smile to her face. The crafts themselves will get old and fade, but the memories she's making now will last a lifetime.

That Went Well...

2009-09-08T06:26:00.000-07:00

Actually it didn't. At least for me anyways. Praying my son is doing well. He's been there a couple hours now and I'm sure he's fine. Started MY school routine, went to bed at a reasonable time so I could get enough shut eye, but ended up waking up at 4 this morning. Took me 2 hours to get back to sleep which left me with an hour to sleep. But that's ok, it gave me a chance to pray for this day and read a little. Things went fairly smoothly for the two of us this morning and I was able to drop him off at a reasonable time.

But that's when it all went south. I had asked him a few weeks ago if he had wanted me to come into the school with him and he politely told me that that was ok. He could do it himself. I'm ok with that, honestly. The route he's dropped off has changed, a bit more complicated and can be busier than before, but I would've gone in with him anyways. So, as we're driving I start to tear up, I can feel myself start to lose it so I bite my lip. Didn't work that time, I just thought I'd wing it and maybe I would stop once I started praying. That didn't happen. TOTALLY lost it, and as I'm looking in my rear view mirror I can see him looking at me with this expression like "What is going on?" I told him I was ok, just so proud of him and sad that he was growing up so fast. Thankfully I was able to get that under control and finish my prayer.

We pulled into the school parking lot and saw that it wasn't as busy as we thought, I was able to pull up to the curb and that's when I lost it again. I told him "I'm ok bud, I'm ok. I love you and I'll see you after school." Poor guy was about to cry but get that under control better than me. I saw him walk up the steps and I thought he didn't know where to go, but I saw him walking with someone he must know, so that put my mind at ease.

I really thought it would get easier with each school year. And granted, as I'm sitting here typing this I'm alright. It's just me having to let him go again. He isn't just down the hall from me like church, and I'm ok with that. I'm excited to see how his day went, but I'm happy for the break.

The Big Day Approaches

2009-09-06T11:21:00.000-07:00

2 days to go until that fateful day. First day of school. Am I excited you may ask? This mom is. I can't speak for all of you out there, but this mom is ready to be minus one kiddo during the day.
I say that in all sincerity because he is so bored and so whiny! I can't seem to give him anything to do that will keep him unbored for more than 10 minutes. I'm really excited to see how 2nd grade and him go together. He did extremely well last school year, I'm so proud :)

We were able to meet his teacher as well, I like her already. She and my son seemed to have hit it off like any teacher and student would the first time they met. And I even asked him if he wanted me to come into the school and he said that he was ok. I will so cry (bawl) like a baby when he gets out of the car. But I'm so proud of him that I'm more excited that nervous. I mean, come on, it's the first day of school, he's my first born, I think I'm allowed to feel this way. How does you/your child feel about the first day of school?

Wordless Wednesday ~ New Set Of Wheels

2009-09-02T11:55:00.000-07:00

A present from his Papa and Nana for learning to ride his bike without training wheels.

Go Wordless Here...

Baby Star Rock The Tote Diaper Bag Giveaway

2009-09-02T11:05:00.000-07:00

The one thing I love about twitter, well and blogging is the giveaways that are featured! Some places I've never even heard about, but offer such adorable clothes, or good books or items for every day at home. At first I thought having a twitter account was just for writing down your thoughts or chit chatting with a fellow twitterer.

So while I was twittering away today I came across a comment about a giveaway from a place called Baby Star. I'm one to shop online for clothes for my kids, albeit it doesn't happen very often, but it's the route I'd rather take. I'm not much of a shopper when it comes to doing that in a store. I feel more at ease and can take my time when I'm in front of my computer and can decide with an open mind what I want.

What Baby Star is having is a giveaway to win a really cool tote. Like the one below:

(how adorable is that!!)

Here's a little snippet about the bag:

It’s time to Rock The Tote with the new diaper bag from baby star. beautifully crafted with the modern mom (or dad) in mind. this diaper bag has room for what you need on the run, even a lap top. features a wide zipper pocket on one side and two open pockets on the other side that can hold a wipe case, bottle or cell phone. also includes matching changing pad and a BPA free wipe case.

size: 18″ wide x 15″ tall (top 15 wide)
styles: offered in the daisy chain, four square blue, tag pink & blue, flutter pink & blue prints,
materials: the print is produced with a BPA-free laminate.

all products are FORMALDEHYDE-FREE and AZO-FREE, making them safe for baby and the environment.

It's safe and adorable! How cool is that. So get to your twitter accounts and check out the Baby Star website above. Good luck!

In A Slump

2009-07-27T07:56:00.000-07:00

Here we are, the end of July and I'm feeling like I'm in a slump. Am I ready for school, fall temps, jeans, long sleeve shirts..etc? I am, but I'm not. Silly me, I just can't make up my mind. I really feel like this summer has gone by too quickly! On the other hand, I see my son getting to this part of the summer where he's bored. Books and games and puzzles just aren't cutting it. But if you were to ask him if he's ready, no way! In fact, he doesn't ever want to go back. Boy do I know the feeling. I'm not ready for the sleep deprived days, or trying to figure out rides home from school (we only have one car). But I am excited to see him grow more in his academics, make new friends, reconnect with old ones. See what I mean? A real slump. There's a few more things I've wanted to do before the school year/cold temps come around again. Camping, the beach (ugh, still haven't hit the beach yet!), a family friendly theme park...did I mention the beach?! I guess we'll figure something out, this summer hasn't been a complete waste. I've enjoyed it. One goal at a time.

Blockbuster Film

2009-07-20T09:35:00.000-07:00

Now, I don't claim to be a movie critic, or anything that a movie big wig does...but I just watched the most amazing movie last night. I'm sure you've all heard of it, Defiance. Wow, that's really the only word that comes to mind. Beautifully acted.

It touched a nerve, kinda like Schindler's List did. Although this movie wasn't like that one, to see the hardships these people had to endure to stay alive. To see how these brothers stuck together to helps other and one another.

I don't come across many movies (that interest me) that touch me like this one did. If you haven't seen it already, you must! You won't be disappointed.

Sisters R' Us

2009-07-18T06:51:00.000-07:00

Lastnight I had such a great time with my sisters. We got together at one of their homes and just chatted. Well, we watched a movie too. It doesn't happen very often that I can spend some time with just my sisters. No husbands or kids. Just to be able to sit around and talk and not have to worry about anything but what's going on in that room.

We had great conversations, good food and some wine. I was really glad we didn't start the movie right away, I really had missed my sisters. And as silly as this may sound, I felt like a teenager again out with my friends, staying out late (11:30 is late, right?), watching a good movie and just catching up. We've already talked about doing this again, maybe even once a month.
Something to look forward to. I'm so thankful for my sisters.

Where Has The Time Gone?

2009-07-17T08:43:00.000-07:00

I am ashamed once again that I'm so far behind on my blog. Almost a month! I guess the summer months make it a little more difficult to sit down and write about my day. (although Twitter has become sort of an addiction)

Not much to tell ya about the summer so far. It's been a nice month and a half off, and I'm not ready yet for school to start. Although I've seen in stores all the school gear and I'm none to happy about that! But I know the ole' school year will be here before I know it.

Have been very successful with not allowing my kids to watch so much TV. Albeit we are still in this apartment, we've been finding things to do around here that don't involve the tube. We've been to a couple pools in the last week and I'm happy to have gotten some sun. I always try to make it a goal to get to the beach at least once or twice, so far that goal hasn't been reached yet. But there is still time! As always I'd like to go camping, but my husband isn't a big fan...still working on that one. But my favorite part of the summer is just being able to be LAZY! No alarm clocks or lunches to be made. I guess that's why I haven't made much of an effort to get to my blog more often. But that doesn't mean I won't try.

A Day At The Zoo

2009-06-18T08:38:00.000-07:00

Good weather, check. Kids ready, check. That was about it, plus a purse full of food and we were set to go to the zoo. What a day! It was perfect, all of it. They have new animals, and of course the regulars. The majority of them weren't sleeping either!

Of course, the first animals you see are the birds...ducks, flamingos, turkey. But what I've never seen up close were pelicans. They're huge!

After that we headed off the usual route to see some wallaby's + a joey. So cute. And Lemurs! I've never seen lemurs before too. Well, except maybe from those Madagascar movies.

Along that trail of animals was a couple birds, a kinkajou, but that animal was sleeping in a hammock so it was hard to see it. So then we headed over to the area where you can pet some animals. What's so great this time was that they had brushes you could use to brush the animals. My son loved that right away...

It took my daughter a little bit to get comfortable with all that, but once she did that was all she wanted to do.

I think this was my favorite thing to do. Just because we could all get involved. What an awesome idea!

It was so much fun. They use these popsicle sticks and then have this bird seed mixture on the end. Then you pretty much just shove it in their face and hope they take it! We went a couple years ago and this wasn't there so I hope they do for a while.

Like I said earlier, they have a lot of newer animals there. Ones I've never seen. A tapir, pelicans, a macaw, the lemurs. What was really neat to see was the lion's enclosure. So much bigger and better, I think, for lions to have. The male lion looked pretty funny, too!

They had pygmy goats there too. So teeny!

I had really hoped we could've done this with our daughter too, but I think because she's never done this before, she wouldn't have really enjoyed it a whole lot.

Touching sting rays it pretty cool. They're soft, slimy and squishy too. Plus they had a few nurse sharks, some polka dotted shark and a few horse shoe crabs in this little pool thing too. After you have touched the sting rays a couple times, you get used to how they feel. I think it was a perfect ending to a really wonderful family trip. I hope we can do this again before the summer is over.

Fun Times

2009-06-11T17:07:00.000-07:00

We try to get our kids out at least once a day, depending on the weather of course. We have a fairly new park nearby, but we like to check out other parks for something different. We don't have our own backyard for the kids yet, so parks are the best we can do for right now. And I'm thankful for them!

We had heard of a park nearby my parent's house that had a place to fish. You had to throw them back once you caught them, but it's all good fun. We went on a Monday to try our luck, but to no avail. Of course we didn't have any bait. We had tried bread, but they were too smart for that.

The next day we took a neighbor boy with us. He had the goods too! Worms. Yuck, just the thought of worms makes me shiver. Thankfully he has no problem touching them, as most boys aren't. So, we got there, tried out the worms, still nothing. Tried the bread again....

I caught four of those! I forgot the thrill of fishing. We tried worms, didn't catch one. Tried bread, that's when I caught the four fish. I'm so proud of myself. My daughter was pretty thrilled to see fish out of water. She was a little hesitant to touch it, but she's pretty brave. She touched it real quick and was happy with that.

It was an overall fun time that day. After fishing we went over to the playground and ran around with the kids for a while. Gotta love playing in the rain (I still do) but we left shortly after it started. You know what the best part of bringing kids outside and letting them exhaust themselves?

They go to bed that much easier!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Gotta Touch It!

2009-06-10T06:38:00.000-07:00

Go Wordless Here...

Summertime, Summertime, Sum Sum Summertime!

2009-06-06T07:45:00.000-07:00

The school year is finally over! And can I just say, that did not fly by as quickly as I would have liked it to. No more getting up early, or having to be home early to get my son in bed. No schedules! We celebrated by going to a park nearby and stayed out much later than we usually do. At this park you can fish, but you have to throw them back. I had forgotten how smart fish can be. We had no bait and so they stayed away. Little buggers.

We tried looking for worms, but to no avail. That's OK, the kids had just as much fun feeding the ducks and playing on the playground. The last few times we've gone to a park, hubs and I have been throwing the football, we'll have the kids come and play too. I'm quite enjoying that. I'm trying to perfect my spin (of the ball).

I'm hoping to go camping this year too. Even if it's just once or twice. I camped all the time growing up and those are my favorite memories. Otherwise I'm just looking forward to sleeping in and doing nothing!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Another Field Day Here And Gone

2009-05-27T12:15:00.000-07:00

We brought our daughter with us to watch the last hour or so of our son's field day. She wasn't too thrilled to be there. She thought she was going to be a part of it all. So I captured this picture which is what she was doing pretty much the whole time we were there.

Priceless, isn't it.

Go Wordless Here...

My Kinda Music

2009-05-25T08:47:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what got me started with enjoying piano music. Maybe it's because I myself know how to play. The sound, music, that comes from a piano is just breath taking. I find it so relaxing, hearing it, playing it. There's just something about it. I'm a huge fan of Mozart, Beethoven, Debussy. Musicians of that nature. I also love a good CD by someone like, Tori Amos, Sarah McLachlan, or Billy Joel.

So when I heard this CD with these unbelievably beautiful songs being played on the piano, I just had to listen in. Little did I know it would be by someone I know! (well his family really) His name is Elijah Bossenbroek. I'm at a loss why this man isn't more popular. His music is phenomenal! Oh to play like he does. Maybe that will be a goal for me, learn to play piano to it's full potential. I find his music very inspirational. He's got a wonderful gift! Check out his website, buy his CD.

2009-05-25T08:09:00.000-07:00

Springtime Project

2009-05-19T06:52:00.000-07:00

At church a few weeks ago, my son was given a couple packets of Forget Me Not flower seeds. Right away he thought about my mom (loves flowers to no end), and since we don't have a garden to plant them in, he thought we could plant them at her house. So, this past Sunday my mom and the kids filled three egg carton's full of dirt and then planted these seeds. One for each of them.

She (my mom) thought of a fun way to help water the flowers everyday. What kid doesn't love to use a spray bottle?

Now, I don't have a whole lot of knowledge about flowers besides the basic, water them and don't let them die. So I'm not sure how long it will take for these things to start to grow. But I'm really excited! I'm making a promise to myself to keep up on this and keep this blog up-to-date as well. Ahh, spring is definitely here!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Two Of A Kind

2009-05-13T07:24:00.000-07:00

My daughter and her cousin cramming into the dog kennel. What kids won't do!

Go Wordless Here...

Tis The Season

2009-05-09T06:17:00.000-07:00

You know when you're in the middle of winter and you're sick of the snow and ice and chilly temps? You're thinking about how much you'd love to be sitting on a warm beach, not bundled up and shivering. You can't wait for spring to make an entrance. Because with spring comes warmer than winter weather. The flowers start to bloom, the sun is out much more.

Unfortunately for some people, that means the start of their allergies. Growing up, I never had those. No one in my family did. I meet my husband and find out what they're like, sorta. Then my son develops them. We're not entirely sure what he's allergic to, but we know the signs that they're kicking in. He's always rubbing his nose, he gets dark circles under his eyes. And oh yes, there's lots of sneezing. Thankfully there's claratin and that does wonders. And, thankfully, he only has them when spring is first here until we get a really hot summer day.

Then we had our daughter. It looked as though she wouldn't have any allergies. Until, that is, she started having really bad coughing fits. I can't describe to you how awful these are. She can't sleep or do anything. She's just constantly coughing. After bringing her to her doctor countless times, they figured it was allergies. My poor little girl has them year round. She's such a trooper though. She blows her nose really well and takes her meds without any trouble. They usually come full force when spring is here, but once we get into summer, they tend to back off a bit.

So, when it's winter time and I'm ready for the warmer weather, as much as I love springtime, I think I'd much rather just jump from winter to summer. For my kids sake, of course.

Close Call

2009-04-27T10:25:00.000-07:00

God is definitely on our side. And always watching out for us. Yesterday morning was quite a morning. We were supposed to work the nursery at our church, but instead ended up at an Urgent Care. I think my daughter is prone to accidents. We have a little slope in front of our building here and she just loves to run up it and then run down. Who didn't when they were younger?? Well, with my back turned and my husband talking to our son, she ran down the little hill. The only thing I heard was a loud smack! And then crying. She told us her hands hurt, which would explain the loud smack sound we heard. Well that's ok. That'll feel better soon. No reason to go to an urgent care. Yeah, but when I got her into her car seat and her head fell forward and back like she had no head control and was unresponsive? Yeah, that would do it. I tapped her cheek to snap her out of it, which she did. But that sent up all sorts of red flags for us.

At the urgent care, the doctor did all sorts of tests. Checked her eyes, reflexes, ears, felt all around her head. He said she was just fine. But to keep an eye on her and if anything changes, we needed to head over to the ER for a CT scan. Thankfully we haven't had to do that. She's ok. She wakes up from sleeping with no problems. She's eating and drinking and playing like nothing happened. What a relief! And what an answer to our prayers. Her angels were watching out for her that day!

Wordless Wednesday ~ A Day At The Park

2009-04-22T06:38:00.000-07:00

Go Wordless Here...

Over Too Soon

2009-04-18T17:25:00.000-07:00

The last few days we've been having a taste of summer time temps. Upper 70's. We've taken the kids to the park yesterday and then again today. I've unfortunately under dressed them both times, but they didn't seem to notice. All that running around helps them not notice the cooler breeze. And as much as I love spring, I'd rather have the warm temperatures that come with summer. I'm sick of doing layers.

It's like, now since we've had a reminder of what warmer weather is like (funny how you forget once we've been through winter) when we have it, we want it to stay. But then days like today last just a little while and spring temps come back. It's a just a big tease! (I'm sure God is smiling at me right now. I don't mind that. ) I like having all my windows at home open, or not bundling up myself or the kiddos because it's so cold! I really enjoy not being a hermit and getting fresh air in my lungs. But enough of my rantings. I am thankful for one thing though. No More Snow! (I shouldn't have said that, this is Michigan after all)

One Year Ago ~ Today

2009-04-16T06:13:00.000-07:00

I can still remember what I wrote about the first time I ever blogged. It was about my van. Yup, the same one we still have now. And once again it was giving us trouble. I remember how enthused I was about having an "online journal". I vowed to write in it everyday! (well that's what I told myself anyway) I gotta say though, I do love to blog. I may not keep up on it as often as I'd like but I'm proud of my little spot on the web.

Easter Sunday 2009

2009-04-16T06:08:00.000-07:00

This was taken right before we left for church. I think they dress up pretty nice.

Has It Been That Long??

2009-04-15T16:11:00.001-07:00

I know I've been neglecting my poor blog, *gulp* and twittering. I honestly just have had no umph in me to write. Life has been chaotic and carefree these last few weeks. Our ancient van (a 1994) was in dire need of some repairs. But thankfully my uncle recommended a good mechanic and we were able to get all the work done for much less.

Easter was good. My nephew and my son dressed pretty much the same. All but the shirt and they were practically twins. It was pretty cute. And my lovely little girl was all dressed in purple. (my fav color) (I'll post pics later)

I've been reading those Stephenie Meyer books too. Only the first two, but I gotta tell ya, I was hooked after reading the 2nd one first. (I watched the movie so I already knew the story) I think I read through both of those books within a week. And they're 500+ pages! I'm holding off to read the others so I'm not too far ahead of the movies. (I'm weird that way)

My husband is still out of a job, but God has been faithful and we are doing well with just unemployment. I love having him around and being able to use the van whenever I need it. But I think he's ready for a job, he's been quite bored lately.

I think that's me up till now. I checked to see when my blogversary was, and it's tomorrow already! Hokey Pete!

I guess having my husband home, it enables me (us) to do more things outside of our home. I'm sorry to any followers that might be giving up on me. I promise to stay on top of this!

Do I Have Chocolate On My Face?

2009-03-20T14:52:00.000-07:00

I had the biggest craving for chocolate brownies today, and couldn't resist giving my daughter the bowl with the yummy leftovers. She sure went to town, as any sweet tooth would do.

GIMP

2009-03-11T18:35:00.000-07:00

If you've been following my blog lately, I've been reading up on lots of web site designing books. A lot of how-to's and step by steps. They've all been helpful in getting me to understand all that goes into designing. I had picked up a couple for Adobe Photoshop, but never really got into those because I figured 1) the program is quite pricey, and 2) our computer wouldn't be able to run it because of how large or a program it really is. Now, being the wonderful guy my husband is, he went out and bought me The Print Shop Deluxe. We had both read up on it, albeit we were in the store reading what the box said and after seeing web sites and blogger, figured this would be the program for me. Got it home, tried out a few things, so not what we thought it would be. (otherwise it's a fantastic program for calendars, greeting cards, labels, announcements...etc) I thought, oh well, I guess web designing isn't going to work out for me. So I went to Yahoo Answers and asked what other type of graphics designing software I could use. I was told about GIMP. It stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program. What's so fantastic about it, is that it's FREE!!! I'm not joking. So my husband downloaded it and I tried to do some magic. It looks easy enough if you understand Photoshop, which I don't. So we went out and bought the book (listed in my What I'm Reading column). I'm stoked with this new program. I'm excited to read the book and try it all out once I'm more knowledgeable with it all. Check out the link and see if it's something you're interested in.

Quick And Easy Meal

2009-03-10T16:50:00.000-07:00

Living in an apartment has its limitations. I won't really get into all those, but one that I wish was more flexible are the usage of a grill. Now granted we do live on the 2nd floor so it'd be kinda hard and very dangerous to do grilling on our teeny balcony. So the other day hubby and I were at our local Target where they were selling that Big City Slider. Well we tried it out tonight. So easy to do! You have to use regular dinner rolls as buns, but otherwise it's the same as a homemade hamburger. I was thrilled beyond belief! My kids really enjoyed them too! I haven't tried the other ideas in their little book, but I'm ready to find out. Check this out!

Mistaken Identity

2009-03-09T15:21:00.001-07:00

I think identical twins are a such a wonder. Twins run in our family on both sides. My mom has twin sisters and my dad is a twin. I was always thankful during both my early ultrasounds that there was only one baby. That's definitely a challenge that would've been rather, well challenging for us. I'm sure it would've been fun and lots more work that just a single baby, but God bless all those women out there who have had twins! Anyways, back to the point. As my dad and his brother have gotten older, it seems like they have days where they look so much a like and then others where they definitely look like brothers, but not twins. So the last couple of Sundays my daughter, who is 3, sees my uncle and thinks it's my dad. She gets excited and yells, Papa! Yesterday she ran up to him, he lifted her up and she gave him a big kiss. She came back to my husband and me and kept pointing in his direction saying, Papa! Papa! We'd play along and say, oh is that your papa? She'd say, yep, uh huh. It's Papa. Gotta smile at that. I'm curious to see how she'd react to seeing them next to each other. That'd be a good Kodak moment!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Cutting Daddy's Hair

2009-03-04T05:29:00.000-08:00

My little helper.

Go Wordless Here...

A Book Worth Reading

2009-02-28T13:45:00.000-08:00

You've heard me say this time and time again, but I LOVE to read! I can't help it. It's something I enjoy doing often. The only books I've been reading lately are ones about web designing and photo shop. (I'm starting to understand it all) But my brain is feeling like it's overwhelmed with all that info! So when my son and I were at the library today, of course I picked up another web designing book, but as we were talking about heading home this thought of a book I had read in middle school came to mind. The only thoughts that came to mind were wolves, the word blue, dolphins or whales, and a girl hiding. I tried those words in their computer and came up with nothing. Thankfully we have wonderful search engines and through yahoo answers I was able to get the title of the book. Island Of The Blue Dolphins. Do any of you remember reading that book? I know I'll appreciate it more reading it now than when I did in school. I'm so excited now! It's off to Barnes and Noble for me!

2009-02-25T16:31:00.000-08:00

I've been slacking off on my blogging this past week. It's been kinda hard getting on here and putting down my thoughts. Only just this past week though. It'll be one week since my husband lost his job and we are all coping well. I'm so proud of him. As soon as he got home last week he signed himself up for unemployment.

Plus I feel like I'm being spoiled by having him home. And I have access to a car everyday. I haven't had that in 7 years. I know times are tough out there, but I'm staying optimistic that God will open a door into a job that my husband will like. A place where he is appreciated. Hopefully it won't take too long for that to happen.

On a bit of a lighter note, my son had his first orthodontic appointment on Monday. Phew is the first word that comes to mind! Our dentist made it sound like he was going to need braces asap. Fortunately the ortho doctor said probably not until he's 12. He had nothing but good news. But, he will need to have a couple baby teeth pulled so some permanent teeth that may come in soon will have the room these baby teeth won't give them. We'll see how all that goes down.

But for the time being, life hasn't changed. God is still in control and we're taking it one day at at time, waiting for His plan.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Saying Her Prayer

2009-02-18T07:11:00.000-08:00

Saying Her Prayer from Jen Barnard on Vimeo.

Not very wordless I know, but I'm just so proud of her!

Go Wordless Here...

Ho Hum

2009-02-17T17:39:00.000-08:00

That's how I'm feeling at the moment. Not the best title I suppose, but it'll be the word of the day just for me. I'm reading through my six books on web designing and feeling a bit overwhelmed. Of all the ones I have, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Creating a Web Page and Blog is the one that is helping me understand what all goes into, well web designing. I'm ok with it, I don't mind the reading, but I'm so wanting to get my hands dirty and try to design my own blog. I've got some ideas, colors and things, but unsure of my first step. In the book I'm up to finding a web hosting provider. I'm aware of a few, but it's all about the moolah. I can't just spill out my money for just anything. Ahh well. I guess that's about it. That's where I'm at right now, hopefully I'll get my chance soon.

So Easy But So Good!

2009-02-13T10:13:00.000-08:00

While we're on the topic of food, I had my cousin over yesterday. She brought over a recipe for some cookies she wanted to make with my daughter. They turned out so yummy and were extremely easy to make. Here's the recipe for anyone in the mood for something sweet, but not all the work that comes with it.

1 box of cake mix (I used yellow cake mix)
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil

(you can add raisins, nuts, choc. chips) Mix well. Drop by teaspoonful on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

That's it! How simple can it be. Give it a try. Why not let me know what you think!

Food For Thought

2009-02-13T08:13:00.000-08:00

My husband is from England. Now, I've never been there myself, but we are trying to get over there some time this year. Just the two of us. Being that I'm American, I'm used to "American food" if you will. So when my husband moved over here I wanted to keep up with the kinds of foods that he was used to, or were his favorites. One such dish is called Shepherd's Pie. Mmm, just the title alone makes my mouth water! It's such a hearty meal that once you're full, you're good for a few hours.

Right after he moved here, I went to my nearest Barnes and Noble and found a good British cook book. Unfortunately a lot of the ingredients aren't here. Although I've seen in a lot of local Meijer stores carry lots of food from around the world. And they do happen to have a section just for British foods and treats. Now, I'm not one for trying foods that are new, but I am willing to do that for my husband. Lemme see...there's fish and chips (of course), shepherd's pie, mincemeat pies, trifles, bangers and mash, steak and kidney pie, jacket potatoes...pretty much all of these would be doused with original HP sauce. (at least by my husband) Now, out of all of these I've listed, I've only eaten the shepherd's pie. But according to my husband, the rest is the best! Looks like I'm going to have to put aside all thoughts of not wanting to eat food(s) I've never had before. But for what better reason than to try something new!

Leapster 2 Giveaway!

2009-02-12T15:43:00.000-08:00

Over at "The Dirty Shirt" they are having a Leapster 2 giveaway for either your son or daughter. My son has the Leap pad and loved it! I think we bought all the books for that, well except the ones for girls. Then we graduated him to the Leapster and he can't get enough of it! Seeing how well he likes it, my daughter tries to play it as often as she can! Their favorite game these days is Wall E. I like this better than the Nintendo DS because they are learning as well as having fun playing the games. Leapfrog is a fantastic and fun way for kids to learn something new and have fun at the same time!

Wordless Wednesday ~ The Fourth Wonder Pet

2009-02-11T08:47:00.001-08:00

Go Wordless Here...

A Good Movie

2009-02-10T13:03:00.000-08:00

Ever since getting more movie channels added to our TV package, I've been able to watch some really good movies. I just finished watching August Rush. Oh wow. It's sooo good! Very touching how everything comes together in the end. It's not very often when a good, wholesome movies comes out that makes you want to watch it all over again after you're done watching it the first time. The little boy that played the main character, Freddie Highmore, did such a good job too. I've seen him in another movie, but I think this one was the best of the two. I recommend this movie entirely! Hey, why not tell me a good movie you've recently seen that quickly became a favorite? I'd love to know!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Hitching A Ride With Daddy

2009-02-04T07:44:00.000-08:00

Go Wordless Here...

One Year Already!?

2009-02-02T07:37:00.000-08:00

We celebrated my nephew's first birthday last night. I can remember the day he was born, the weather was awful. Roads were slushy and the snow was crazy! When I first walked into the room, he was laying on his dad's chest sleeping. It was so precious. My sister looked tired, but so happy. And it was pretty awesome watching her be a mommy.

And here we are, one year later. And he is the funniest little guy! Some of the things that come to mind are...he head bangs when he hears any sort of music, he screams (well maybe that isn't so funny), his newest word is wow, he's finally getting his teeth, plus he's walking. So much in just a year. But life just wouldn't be the same without him. He's definitely a gift from God. And we're all blessed to have him in our lives. I'm so excited for what this next year brings for him. Love you B!!

A Cute Treat For Your Little Sweet!

2009-01-31T10:08:00.000-08:00

Do you have a daughter or maybe niece with super fine hair? I have! It's a trip just to try and keep barrettes in her hair sometimes. Head over to 5 minutes for Mom where you can enter to win some adorable clips from Little Miss Clips.

I'm all about dressing up my little girl, trying new things for her hair. I love trying new things and working on my styling. Whether it's for hair or clothes. I hope you'll check out the 5 min. website or even the main Little Miss Clips site. You won't be disappointed. Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Dressing Up

2009-01-28T08:02:00.000-08:00

Who can resist putting on a pair of wings and a tutu?!

Go Wordless Here...

Am I Crazy?

2009-01-26T08:31:00.000-08:00

I was sitting at this very computer the other day, thinking, "I wonder how hard/easy it would be to design blogs?" I'd like to think I'm pretty hands on with a computer. Before my own blog was redone by the fantastic Ali I tried my hand in figuring out codes and whatnot. It's not so bad, kinda challenging which I like! Now I know there is more to it than codes, but this stay at home mom isn't always busy during the day and I'd like to have a challenge now and then. I'm no master at designing, let me tell you that. But that doesn't mean I can't learn. I'd LOVE to learn. So any readers out there that design blogs, any advice?

When Things Don't Always Go Your Way

2009-01-25T07:18:00.000-08:00

My to do list for Saturday:

1. Clean up the house
2. Take a shower
3. Go to the mall
4. Hang out with family
5. Relax with hubby
6. Put kids to bed
7. Eventually go to bed myself

How my Saturday happened:

1. Woke up achy all over
2. Constantly coughing
3. Extremely tired
4. Lots of sneezing
5. Read one magazine
6. Slept some more
7. Snuggled with my hubby

I like to be in control of things. Especially when it comes to how my day is set up. But being that it was Saturday, what could I do about it. Maybe this was my body's way of telling me to slow things down. And being that today is Sunday and I'm feeling better is a good sign.

Remember These??

2009-01-22T06:02:00.000-08:00

Does anyone remember The Berenstain Bears? My little sister used to read them all the time when she was younger. So before she got married and moved out, she had stacks of these books. My son really took to reading them. Now I didn't know this until my mom told me, but Mr. and Mrs. Berenstain's son Mike started writing for the series. And so far they've all been Christian stories. Check this and this out. What an awesome way to introduce God into our children's lives!

Wordless Wednesday ~ 3 In 1 Legos

2009-01-21T08:19:00.000-08:00

My son received this from my parents for Christmas. You can make these three vehicles from the same legos. I've helped him with one and it was fun! I can't tell you how many times he's taken one apart and put another one together.

Go Wordless Here...

Tackle It Tuesday ~ Last Pile Of Laundry

2009-01-20T11:01:00.000-08:00

Mondays are usually when I will do ALL my housework. But there is the occasional times when it will spill over into Tuesday. That would be today. Unfortunately it's the laundry that I must finish. Not my most favorite thing to do. But I must tackle it!

It isn't much, but it still needs to be done. Happy Tackling today!

See more Tackles Here!

The Big Day!

2009-01-20T10:31:00.000-08:00

And now it begins. We now have our 44th President sworn in. I can't imagine what kind of day he will have today. While writing this, so much has already happened. But what an experience to watch. While watching it earlier, before his speech, I saw his two daughters walking through that door. Just watching it with my daughter alone was something cool to experience with her (though she didn't sit through most of it) but what about those two girls. Stories to tell someday!

I've never watched that before, so it was something I won't forget. I keep hearing, plus I know, that this man has got so much on his plate for the first day of work. He will be continually prayed for, as he should be, but I just hope he will take the time to pray and ask God for guidance for the next four years. Wow! 4 years. I remember when Bush was first president back in 2000. I thought it would be ages before we would have a new president. But in those 8 years I've had 2 kids and been through 7 years of marriage. I mean, Wow! I truly hope that Obama will do what he says he will do turn things around for the great country. Ultimately it is God who will bring the changes we need. Prayer is the key. God Bless!

It's THAT Cold...Or So I Thought

2009-01-16T06:42:00.000-08:00

I don't remember if it was my first or second post I wrote on my blog at the beginning, but it was about our van. But I had written about it needing to be fixed and the money part scaring me. Well here I am again. Same situation. Our van is in the shop and I'm scared/anxious about the money part.

As you all have known the northern states have been getting hit hard with arctic air, and it's been really rough dealing with it. You feel caged because you're indoors longer than you want to be. At least that's how it feels for me. And since our garage is being used right now as a storage facility, we have to park our van outside. The last few days when I've started it, it hasn't given me any troubles. So when I went out to start it this morning it kinda spit and sputtered and then came to life. The cold, it's got to be the cold is what I told myself when I heard it doing that. I had a very kind neighbor kid help me brush the snow off and then I went inside. The thing that I noticed and what made me feel a little more anxious was when I opened the door to put the brush back inside, was the fact that my dashboard wasn't lit up, the clock was so dim I thought it wasn't working and my automatic seat belt was slowly moving. The cold..it's the cold weather. So when my son and I got into the van to get going nothing had changed. Funny thing is though, is that it drove fine. I thought for sure it would come to life once I had been driving for a few.

Wishful thinking. Not 100 yards from my house the thing stalled. No life whatsoever! It clicked every time I tried starting it. Thankfully I was able to find someone to jump start it, and my neighbor helped bring my son to school. Looking under the hood I saw that the battery was a 5 yr so I knew right away that was the problem. My husband got it to the shop safely and we found it was so much more than just a battery. Standing right now, it's also the alternator plus two belts that need to be replaced. Ugh!

But I will not let how I feel control how I deal with this. I serve The Great Provider, he will not put us in a situation we cannot handle. I live by a verse, Philippians 4:13..."I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." He's not leaving us alone in all this. I believe that 100%.

Now if only the cold temps could leave us alone! I'm ready for the 70 degrees again. Too bad it's only January.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Mommy In The Making

2009-01-14T06:21:00.001-08:00

Go Wordless Here...

Life

2009-01-11T15:09:00.000-08:00

Life is such a precious thing. It's such a gift. We live it to the fullest as best as we can. I make sure my kids and husband know they are important to me, how much I love them. The same goes with my parents and sisters. So when we lose someone, it's a hard thing to deal with. Though I wasn't close to Mrs. Muma, a teacher at my school, she will be dearly missed. She passed away unexpectedly a little over a week ago, and though it comes as a surprise, knowing where she is is what helps ease the pain. I pray for her family, her sons and daughter. Her close friends and grand children. Plus her son and daughter-in-laws. Having only known her through school is such a gift. Her husband taught me how to drive, and one of her sons taught my husband how to drive as well. My sisters had her as a teacher more than me, but hearing of her death was so sad. If you read this, even though they may be strangers to you, please keep them in your prayers. God Bless

Twitter

2009-01-04T10:06:00.000-08:00

I had never heard of twitter. When looking through and reading different blogs did I come across it. I wondered what it was about and figured it wasn't something that was for me. But once I started reading a friend of mine's and thought I might gain something from using it, I thought I would just sign up, add it to my blog and see what happens. Check mine out!

2009-01-01T07:01:00.000-08:00

Just Around The Corner

2008-12-31T07:40:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe the new year is almost here! I know it's all about resolutions, but who of you even make one when you know you'll probably break it. *raises hand* Guilty as charged. But that can change. Because change is good.

2008 was a good year. I was blessed with 2 new nephews on top of the other 2 I have, plus my niece. I celebrated 7 years of marriage with my wonderful husband and saw my son start the first grade. (top of the class I might add) And my daughter, potty trained! Oh yes, no more diaper changing for this woman! Of course there's been more going on during this year, but those are the ones that stand out.

I'm excited for 2009 too. I have a close cousin (more like a sister) who is going to have a daughter she's always wanted in April. My two nephews will be turning one in February. I'll be taking a trip over to England to visit my in-laws. I've never been out of the U.S. before so this will be something to remember. I'm excited! I pray God's blessing for each and everyone of you for this new year.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-24T07:42:00.000-08:00

From our house to yours, have a very Merry Christmas!

Go Wordless Here...

You Must...

2008-12-23T12:51:00.000-08:00

Check this out! When I was trying to put together some music for my blog I came across Travis Cottrell. He's got an incredible voice and his Christmas cd is definitely worth checking out.

Oh The Pain Of It All

2008-12-20T19:09:00.000-08:00

I am done! Finished, Fin, finale. I wipe my hands of it all! And what, you may be asking yourself, am I done with? Shopping!! And I love to shop. Not a hard core shopper I might add, but if there are good sales I'm there. So when the hubby and I did our Christmas shopping tonight (last minute I know), we went to our local mall and were overwhelmed the minute we walked into the place. We could hardly find a parking space, let alone finding the things off our kid's wish lists. Thankfully the toy store there is closing so we were able to find some nice gifts at reasonable prices. But I didn't realize how busy a place can get! But our agendas were all the same. Get what you need and get out of there!

I'm thankful for the time away from the kids, that would've been so much harder with them in tow. The hubby and I don't get out very often, just the two of us. (that's a whole nother post) But we were able to get what we needed and be done with it. Would you believe we went grochery shopping after that?

And here I am, it's late and I'm tired. Kids are in bed, it's quiet. But I feel really good that we were able to get this accomplished today. Although I am putting any shopping off until this season is over! Best of luck to any shoppers out there who have yet to get their Christmas gifts. Beware though, it's a zoo out there.

Jehovah Jireh - The Lord Will Provide

2008-12-19T12:55:00.000-08:00

Remember in church when you were growing up, singing a song called, "Jehovah Jireh." I used to sing that all the time in school and church. I can still remember the words:

Jehovah Jireh my provider
His grace is sufficient for me
For me, for me
Jehovah Jireh my provider
His grace is sufficient for me

The Lord shall provide all my needs
According to His riches in Glory
The Lord shall provide Himself a lamb for sacrifice
Jehovah Jireh takes care of me
Of me, of me

Jehovah Jireh my provider
His grace is sufficient for me
For me, for me
Jehovah Jireh my provider
His grace is sufficient for me

The Lord shall provide all my needs
According to His riches in Glory
The Lord shall provide Himself a lamb for sacrifice
Jehovah Jireh takes care of me
Of me, of me

And when you least expect it, he blesses you. I'm so happy I serve a God that is always watching out for us and takes such good care of us. We had an unexpected gift come our way yesterday and I couldn't stop rejoicing because our Awesome God will provide!

Come To Me Words!

2008-12-17T14:54:00.000-08:00

You ever get in a funk when it comes to writing in your blog? I'm so there right now, and I'm kinda sad about it. I try to put in at least a couple entries a week but as of late my mind is just empty with things to write about. I know that the Christmas season is upon us, and maybe that's why I'm at a loss of what to write about. The hubby and I haven't started our shopping yet which I think is ok, but I'm getting a bit nervous when we do hit the stores. I'm thinking Mad House!!

I've been enjoying the snow, it's been pretty to watch. Thankfully I haven't had to drive very far when driving has been necessary. And as old as our van is (a 94, yikes!) it's been getting us to our destinations without any trouble. Everyone is healthy, so I'm thankful for that. My son is off of school starting next week and boy am I'm looking forward to getting up after 7am! All our Christmas cards are sent out and I'm happy for that. The last couple years we've been doing those picture cards, but this year I just wanted to do that the old fashioned way. Pick out a nice card and send it, I'm ok with that.

I think I'm done rambling now. I've said what's been on my mind and hopefully can get back into writing here. Thanks all for being patient with my absence.

Another Year Older

2008-12-08T09:01:00.000-08:00

I don't mind birthdays so much. Getting older is just a part of life. You learn to just take it as it comes. Well at least I do. So when I turned 30 last year I wasn't a real happy camper. In my wishful thinking I thought it would take forever for me to be that age. Boy was I wrong. It was here, whether I'm ready for it or not! But in all these 31 years of life, though the first few I have no memory of, I've been truely blessed.

My Other Bookworm

2008-12-03T09:07:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

My daughter is growing up too fast! But she sure does make me proud!

Wordless Wednesday ~ My Beautiful 3 Year Old

2008-12-03T08:01:00.001-08:00

I've always loved those antique looking pictures. So when a church down the road from me was taking them I just couldn't refuse.

Go Wordless Here...

Recipe For A Snowy Day

2008-12-01T13:15:00.000-08:00

You can add anything else to it that will help define a relaxing day. But when I look outside and see all that snow coming down and need something to warm me up inside, this is what I go for.

The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year (or just about)

2008-11-28T06:18:00.000-08:00

It's the day after Thanksgiving and that means we get to put up the Christmas tree! Wow, it's Christmas time already. It sure feels like this season comes and goes so quickly. But the excitment is still the same. For me, I like how excited I can still get and enjoy it with my kids.

Growing up, we had this tradition. We'd put Christmas music on, usually Henry Mancini, and put up the tree. We usually got a real tree, but as we got a little older we started using an artifical one. We'd just light a pine tree scented candle and be good. Besides trimming the tree, there were other decorations to be put up, handmade ones or store boughten. And of course the stockings. Next to Christmas presents, stockings are just as best! My mom would put little things for us girls. But the best part was the huge candy cane. Yum!

At the beginning of the season we'd do an Advent Calendar which came with a story, candles and the opening of 1 door per day. My sisters and I would take turns and check out what picture was behind the door. And whoever got to open the door for Christmas Eve was the lucky one.

But all that aside, we also celebrated the birth of Jesus. He's the real reason for all of this. So before there was any presents we would read from the Bible. Luke 2:1-20. We can get so caught up in all the glitter and glam that comes with the season, but always remember that it's Jesus' birth that needs to be first and foremost on our minds and in our hearts. There's a book my mom bought for my son a few years ago that helps tell the story of His birth, but in a way that they'll understand and enjoy. It's called Clopper the Christmas Donkey. I try to read that to my kids once a day and I get a pretty good reception from them. Enjoy the season!

2008-11-27T08:03:00.000-08:00

From our house to yours, have a blessed Thanksgiving. God Bless!!

Turkey Day Craft

2008-11-26T06:18:00.000-08:00

Well, I've done it! The turkey hat craft I told myself I could do, I did. Kinda frustrating at times, but so much fun! And I just love the end result.

I enlisted the help of my son for his while I made one for my daughter. And can I just say, it was time well spent. I liked that it was just him and me for an hour doing something we don't do often enough.

Here's a little rundown of our progress. I started by tracing everything out and then let him cut them.

A cutting we will do, a cutting we will do...

I cannot get glue on my fingers!

How's it looking mommy?

Just adding the last pieces of the hat

Drum roll please....

Ta daaaa!!

I made these off from the website in a previous post. Aren't they just adorable!! I'm certainly going back there for any other crafts I would want to do with my kids. Oh, I also made one for my nephew.

For the wings, I just traced my kid's hands instead. It's an easy craft to do and a fun keepsake to have.

2008-11-25T06:52:00.000-08:00

You MUST check this out. My friend Anne, whose blog I enjoy reading, had mentioned this and it's worth watching. The guys pretty funny. Enjoy!

Check this out!

2008-11-21T11:41:00.001-08:00

I was wracking my brain trying to find a Thanksgiving craft idea for my kids to do. I'm not HUGE on doing crafts. Not that I'm against doing them, it's so much fun, I just can't ever seem to find the right ones to make. Until I found this sight! FamilyFun.com It has all sorts of things just for your kids to do or healthy foods to eat. Even gift ideas for their teachers! This is my kind of website.

I was able to find this adorable Turkey Hat craft for my kiddos to make.

TGIF

2008-11-21T06:21:00.000-08:00

When I think about Fridays, relaxation comes to mind almost instantly. Two days to sleep in, no worries about homework or lunches to make and my family is all home together and under the same roof! Typically our Friday nights are spent grochery shopping or walking around the mall. Woo Hoo! Hubby and I do try to get a date night in once in a while, too.

This Friday feels a little different. Probably because next week is Thanksgiving so I've got that on my mind. But I tell you what, I'm getting really excited for what next Friday holds. We put up the Christmas tree! Happy Friday everyone!

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow!

2008-11-16T10:23:00.000-08:00

Here we go again! And might I say it's a little late this year. Not that I'm complaining. The headaches I get from having to deal with all the snow we get are something I can wait for. But on the other hand I'm a little excited for it to be here because it's a riot to play in! That and my kids love it too. Who doesn't love to race down the hill on your sled or make a snowman or have a snowball fight.

A few days ago I was talking with one of my sisters about when we used to play in the snow as kids. When we would have our regular snowfall during the day, when my dad would come home and snow blow the driveway my sisters and I would sit in the path of where the snow would come out of the snowblower. We would get buried, and it was great! Ahh to be a kid again.

I'm starting to prefer the snow from inside my home, but having my two kids still makes it enjoyable every now and then. Bring it on!

That's Life

2008-11-07T06:09:00.000-08:00

When I wrote my last post I had no idea what kind of week lay ahead. My son had been home from school since the previous day with a stomach ache but had shown signs of getting better by the time we had to go trick-or-treating. But as a parent you want your child to be feeling 100% before doing something like taking them outside. It was a hard decision, but he benefited from it. Or so I thought.

He had good days and bad days, and ended up going back to school the following Wednesday. We're still unsure what he had, but I'm glad he's back to himself. But then, wouldn't you know it, I was given the chance to have my own car for a couple weeks. While talking with a wonderful Aunt of mine, we got to talking about coming over for a visit and she offered to let me borrow her car until she is able to drive again. It's been such a treat having an extra set of wheels to get around when I need to, or if it's just driving to the park with my daughter. Even though we have our van, which I'm thankful for, it's still nice to be able to get out without having to ask for help or bringing my husband to his job. I'm reveling in my new found freedom! God is good and I'm very blessed. Life throws all sorts of things at you and with God's help, you get through them and enjoy!

Happy Halloween!!

2008-10-31T14:35:00.001-07:00

From our house to yours...have a fun and safe halloween!! Try not to eat all your kiddos' candy, though I cannot say the same for my hubby and myself.

My Halloween Birthday Boy!

2008-10-31T12:12:00.000-07:00

Yup, you heard me correctly. My son was born on Halloween. (although my due date wasn't until Nov. 16th) I remember that day very clearly. Went into the hospital at 5 am with some hard contractions. Those buggers are awful! Had the glorious epidural a little after that and was relaxin' and waiting. I remember I started pushing at 10am and an hour later he was born. The feeling you get once you see your baby is unforgettable and such a wonderful moment. The rest of the day was a bit of a blur. Funny how you remember everything up to right after having your baby, but afterwards, nada. (at least for me anyways)

And here we are, 7 years later. I swear, it feels like this all happened yesterday...I wonder if I will always feel like that. I hope so! I'm the luckiest mom on earth to have such a wonderful son. He's made me so proud and I'm so excited to see what the future holds for him.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Wordless Wednesday ~ Her Audience

2008-10-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

Madison and her brother's pumpkins. She couldn't get enough of them!

Go Wordless Here...

It's For The Kids

2008-10-27T07:55:00.000-07:00

We almost didn't get the chance to have pumpkins this year. Even though you can find them at almost any grochery store, we made the choice to wait until the week before to get them so they'd be in good shape when the time came to show them off. Last year we bought them about 2 weeks before and they were gross by halloween. Our usual place of purchase was all out. Even inside the store! So we headed to good ole' Walmart and found a big supply of them and picked out the best two of the bunch.

Even at my age, though I'm not saying I'm old, I still get pretty excited doing fun things like finding costumes for halloween or picking out the pumpkins and helping to carve them. (ok ok, so my husband does the carving) But I help get the seeds and slimy stuff out. Not so much fun, but as I said, I'm involved.

Next came the task of finding characters or faces to put on them. Usually we'll buy a book that has ready made stencils and use those. But the majority of the pictures are kinda creepy, so we try to stick with the funny faces. This year we couldn't find anything we liked, so we turned to old faithful, the world wide web. I found two really cute/funny pictures and used those. My hubby is really good at looking at a picture once and drawing it perfectly on paper. Or in this case a pumpkin.

I've tried carving a pumpkin once and, to me anyways, it's harder than it looks. So I just left it to the professional. And voila!

My daughter was pretty excited about seeing hers, as was my son. It makes it all worth it.

No Zoo Goes Boo

2008-10-27T06:38:00.000-07:00

Our zoo has an annual event called Zoo Goes Boo. The kids can wear their halloween costumes and get candy throughout the place. Plus they get to see the animals, too. We had gone lastyear not even knowing that such a thing was going on. We had just planned on going to the zoo to check out the animals and saw all the kids with their costumes and realized it was something they did! So we planned on going this year, had the date picked out and everything. The weather told us different. It decided to rain, therefore we did not go. Fortunately my kids were none the wiser, so there were no hearts broken. Although I was excited to go, there's always next year!

Here are a few pictures from last year...

Shh, don't tell the kids there's a big spider behind them.

Is this for me?

Cheeeese...
(Hmm, I wonder how much candy he's got in there)

Wordless Wednesday ~ I Missed You!

2008-10-22T06:21:00.001-07:00

This is what she does almost everytime her brother comes home from school. I'm just glad I was able to capture it!

Go Wordless Here...

Wordless Wednesday ~ Blue Moon Ice Cream

2008-10-15T06:15:00.000-07:00

When my daughter and ice cream collide!

Go Wordless Here...

My Birthday Girl

2008-10-13T08:44:00.000-07:00

3 years old already! That's what my baby girl is. This day has come faster than I was ready for. And yet, we are having so much fun with her. She is a joy. We're still in the midst of potty training, but all we're trying to accomplish is when she sleeps. That's a big thing! She loves books and coloring. Riding on her bike and swings. Spending time with her Papa and Nana and loving on her cousin.

Thinking back 3 years from today, it would've already been a long day. I had started contracting the night before and was scheduled to have a c-section at 9. She was born at 6 instead. Seeing her for the first time, words cannot describe what I felt. Sometimes 9 months can go screaming by, and sometimes they are slower than a jack rabbit. But when you first see your baby's face, you forget the time. I remember by the time we had gotten to our room, I was so incredibly tired, but on such a high I couldn't rest. Even though my doctor had told me the previous night to take a sleeping pill (just a 1/4 size of one) to help me sleep through the off and on contractions, I still couldn't sleep. I guess I didn't want to miss a moment with her.

I remember the first night with her. My mom dropped our son off around 7 and he was put to bed a couple hours later. And that was weird! Putting to bed my big boy and taking care of my baby. I had to adjust to two kids. Maddie did not sleep that night. On and off for minutes at a time. We couldn't figure her out because all she would do was cry. We tried EVERYTHING. And I kid you not, by 5 am, she had finally settled down enough to sleep for a couple hours. But by 2 weeks, she was sleeping through the night. And now it's a breeze to put her to bed.

She brings me such joy, she amazes me everyday. She's a wonderful little girl and I love being her mommy.

Another Year Older

2008-10-12T10:25:00.000-07:00

What a night! We celebrated our daughter's 3rd birthday last night. (although her actual "birth" day isn't until tomorrow) After everyone had arrived, the kids ran around outside to get some energy out. The mosquitoes were out like a vengeance, so they didn't get to be out there too long. When it came time to opening her presents, to tell you the truth, that went by so fast I can't really describe the moment. Rushed would be good. She went from present to present I only saw the gift for a quick second before she was on to the next one. Ahh to be a kid again. She did get a lot of nice gifts. We had boughten her a toy whose character she's just been getting into, Wow Wow Wubbzy. She completely freaked out when she started playing with it, and I don't mean she was REALLY excited, how about REALLY scared. Not the kind of reaction a parent is hoping for when their child opens a gift from them. But I think it was because of the older boys having fun with it too. Another great present was a life-like cat. She just adores all things animal, so when this cat was purring and meowing and doing cat-like things, she was just in awe. It was hard to not want to pet it and see what it would do.

After the rush of opening gifts, it was cake time. I have been getting my kid's cakes from this place for a few years now, and I recommend it! It's called Connie's Cakes. She does a fabulous job and they taste so yummy! We sang the song and lit the candles, she blew them out, you know how it goes. But when you've got a (almost) 3 year old saying "Again, again", you simply relight the candles and sing the song again. Just watching the expressions on her face make it worthwhile. You don't mind having to sing Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you...more than once. After ingesting some delicious cake and ice cream, you let the kids run around again, in the basement this time, and then you mingle. Us girls sat at the island while the guys watched the football game. And usually once the clock reads something past 9 o'clock, then it's time to go home. It was a fun night. I love doing birthday parties and getting together with family. Thank goodness for video cameras, but I'm not sure if my daughter remembered much of it. Who does at (almost) 3 years old.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Don't Forget The Tissues

2008-10-10T07:52:00.000-07:00

I'm a sucker for soppy movies. Yeah, I'm one of those few (thousand) who went and saw Titanic more than once in the theater, cried when Macaulay Culkin passed away in My Girl, and was overjoyed when that little mouse in The American Tale finally found his family. What can I say? So the other night when I was flipping through the channels to find something to watch, I came across Charlotte's Web. Now, I've read the book and seen a cartoon version of the story, so I figured you seen them once, you've seen them all. Right? So not the same thing. Besides pulling at your heartstrings, this movie is funny! The animals have funny senses of humor and I think Dakota Fanning did a really good job as Fern. I tried to get my daughter to watch some of it because she loves all things animals, but I think this might be a little over her head right now. This is really a heart-warming, must see family movie. If you haven't seen it yet, go! You will not be disappointed.

Her Fashion Statement

2008-10-10T07:29:00.000-07:00

I know I'm a couple days late for Wordless Wednesday, but I couldn't resist showing off this picture. I think someone is a little excited for trick-or-treating. Either that, or she thinks all her shoes are too small and is trying to tell me something. Well, whatever the case may be I think this is pretty darn cute!