Muddlin' Thru Motherhood

Some Random Things

2012-02-16T08:54:00.008-05:00

I have been working on a paper for school non-stop for the last week and a half and it is finally finished. I just have to proofread and drop it in the dropbox this afternoon. I have only grabbed my camera to snap a few pictures lately but I thought I would share some of my favorites.

Last night the kids were playing with Bey Blades and I thought it was just too cute so I had to snap a few.
All of them were gathered around, even Zeke. Doesn't he look excited to be in the middle of the chaos? (Maci Clare had just finished her shower and couldn't even get dried off and put her clothes on so that is why she is sitting there in a towel.)

Back in December I ordered a Plum District deal for a canvas and this is the picture I chose. It is going in my hall bathroom after we get it painted. Just have to decide on paint colors. I love this picture.

Maci Clare's friend, Lynnlee, had a Princess party on Saturday. Of course, she had to dress in her royal attire and attend. It was really fun. And short. I love short birthday parties. Thanks, Lynnlee for inviting us.
Valentine's Day was a quiet affair at our house. We don't really celebrate Valentine's except for the parties they have at school. I did get some Brownie Pops made and Zeke loved them. Of course, they are really messy for a one year old. Jim said he looked like he had a soul patch. He wasn't very happy to be held but I did get the picture.
As soon as Zane put him down, he ran. (Don't look at the mess all around him.)

Just a few highlights from the last week or so.
Everyone is well at the moment (which is really saying something in this family).
Jim and I are headed for a weekend alone in the mountains. Can't wait.
For now, I'm off to do 2 article critiques for school. Hopefully I can get it done so this weekend can be about us instead of school. We really need a break from the kids for a while.

I REALLY AM TRYING

2012-02-10T15:39:00.002-05:00

It just seems to fly by. Time, that is! I just can't seem to keep up with the blogging. I promise I am trying. The 5th kid has really put a kink in my scheduling and time management skills. Not to mention the grad school thing. Grad School! Very time consuming. I am barely keeping up with all the reading not to mention the writing. It seems just when I think I am ahead, I fall behind again. A friend is keeping Zeke one day a week (really just to play with her grandbaby) for a couple of hours so I can catch up on school work.
I always think about cool posts and pictures I should be taking but it seems it never gets done. Oh well, I will keep plugging along and maybe one day there will be time to blog.

Just a prayer request for all my praying friends. My best friend's niece was killed last Thursday afternoon. She was 7 years old and playing at a neighbor's house. She stepped into the road to go home and a car hit her. Please remember this family. I know we need to pray for their strength and peace but I just can't imagine ever having peace if I lost one of my children. I know that God is all knowing and in control so that gives us some kind of hope that there is a reason for her death. One good reason was that 3 people accepted Jesus at the funeral.
On a happier note, my son, Zane has started a Bible Study group on the playground. They do a five minute "devotion" and last Friday he got the chance to pray with someone his own age who accepted Jesus.

In the presence of Greatness

2012-01-16T21:24:00.004-05:00

I had to run some errands today and one of those was to stop by Hobby Lobby. I had Jack , Zeke, and Gabe with me and no one wanted to go in with me. So as I was walking out the door, I saw a couple hand their baby to big tall black guy and take a picture. I knew he had to be someone important by the way they were talking to him. The couple walked out in front of me into the parking lot and I asked them who he was. He was TAJ BOYD! I knew I had to get Gabe. So off I ran to the car. Gabe’s face lit up and we grabbed his IPOD and raced back in Hobby Lobby. We started hunting the poor guy down and finally found him. This is the result.

He is really a nice guy and spent a little time talking with us. He told Gabe to do his best in school and keep trying. He was super patient and very kind to take the time out to talk to us and get a picture. Gabe is elated. Now the boys have decided it might be worth their time to go into Hobby Lobby with me from now on. I love it.

Really?

2012-01-13T17:03:00.004-05:00

Really?! The last time I posted was Sept, 2010. Unbelievable. I'm back and here's what has happened. In case you are not my friend on FB. Here it goes:
Dec. 2010- Ezekiel Asher Sickels was born. ZEKE!
Jan. 2011-Huge snow in SC and kids were out of school for a week (just after a two week Christmas break)
March 2011- I turned 41. Yes 41 with an infant.
June-2011- Summer Vacation Begins
July 2011- The longest football season ever begins.
August 2011- Beach (need I say more)
September 2011- School starts back
November 2011-Palmetto State Championship won and now on to All-stars.
Dec. 10- Lost the State Championship All Star game
Dec. 15-Zeke turns one and a new household project is started. New hardwoods in the downstairs (1000 square feet)
Dec. 2011-Christmas once again
Jan. 2012- I started Graduate School
Now hopefully that catches everyone up. Maybe there will be pictures and maybe there won't. I hope that this is not a temporary thing but I can't promise anything. We will just see.
New blog about my school adventure here

We Had A Blast

2010-09-17T22:40:00.004-04:00

Back at the beginning of the summer, I was emailed some information about hosting a Kung Zhu party. I told them I would do it and so after 2 months of my kids patiently waiting we had the party. We invited our closest friends, bought pizza, and had Kung Zhu battles. The kids had a blast. (3 of the children that attended are not pictured in any of these pictures.)It took them a long time to get the arena and all the tracks together. (I'm not sure they ever got it all set up.) But it didn't stop the battle.

These little hamsters are hilarious. The things they can do are amazing!
At one point, Jack was all alone still playing. Everyone else bolted into the kitchen for pizza. Jack would much rather play than eat. I'm sure that we will have many battles to come.
Thanks MomSelect and bsmedia for this great opportunity!!!!

One On The Way

2010-09-07T22:23:00.013-04:00

I really had good intentions for my poor neglected blog but life gets in the way. With all 4 kids in school this year at 3 different schools the running has increased dramatically. Gabe started youth group this year at our church (which is 45 minutes away). Zane is playing football and practices or plays 3 nights a week and sometimes on Saturday. Jack is just exhausted from his all day at Kindergarten. And Maci Clare is just her usual energized self everyday.
With another baby on the way, this has been an exhausting 6 months.
So there you have my excuses.

With that being said, here are some highlights of summer.Jack finished up his first season of t-ball. He loved it and actually learned to hit with no tee. So way to go, Jack.

My dad got the chance to baptize Gabe and Zane. We all tailgated while everyone was baptized. It was fun.
In June, we took a road trip to Iowa and got to visit with our Mid-Western cousins. They are just as silly as my own children. Maybe that's why they get along so well.
On our roadtrip, we stopped for a night in Indiana. Jim had to work a little so the kids and I killed some time at a zoo.

After we left the zoo, we stopped at Marengo Cave in Kentucky. It was really cool. Jack bought a stuffed bat while we were there.

The Cub Scout camp out was at Lake Greenwood in July. All the boys went and left the girls at home. They had a great trip but it was really hot.Maci Clare played her first game of putt-putt.

Jack made his first hole in one. We took a trip to Myrtle Beach for a few days.

The day before school started, we visited our zoo.

Jim built a new chicken coop for our flock. We like to refer to it as the "chicken mansion".

Jack turned in to our chicken farmer. He loves and takes care of the chickens. This is one of our smaller hens. Right after I shot this picture, it pooped down Jack's leg. That is what he remembers most.
Jim found this 45 inch rattlesnake on our front walk on a Sunday morning. He killed him and they skinned him. He had 12 rattlers.
My nephew, Luke was here for a visit from Virginia Beach and he even got in on the rattlesnake action.My doctor asked me if Jim was like Grizzly Adams or something. What do you think? Does he look like Grizzly Adams? Nah, just Chris Daughtry.And last, I am 6 months pregnant with another baby boy! Hopefully I will find the time to keep up with the blog more in the next few months.

Playtex Bra Contest

2010-05-18T19:27:00.004-04:00

Playtex is offering a chance to win a bra makeover. They are selecting 10 winners to be flown to New York and be fitted with a personal fitter for a new bra. The winners will also star in their own webisode video. Go here for more details and enter
http://www.playtexbramakeover.com/
Good Luck!!!!

By posting this information, I am entered into a contest to win a free bra from Playtex. I did not receive any compensation for this post and thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

2010

2010-01-04T20:22:00.002-05:00

I can't believe it is already 2010. I missed the whole Christmas season on my blog. I did very little decorating and haven't had much time to do anything else. My Christmas tree was down by 8pm on Christmas night because I knew I was going in to have surgery on the 29th. So that is why I have been pretty scarce. I was pretty sick the month before Christmas and didn't feel like doing much of anything. I decided to have my tonsils taken out and do it before the end of the year. It is not a major surgery but major enough to keep me in bed for several days. I still don't feel well enough to do much. I missed ringing in the New Year with my family. (I don't think they cared because they were all too busy playing Play Station). But it was kinda sad for me. I am taking it easy for the next week or so. I can't eat much (soup and pudding and ice cream). I've lost a fair amount of weight (which is a good thing but I am sure it will come back fast.) I am going to try to get back into my blog and post some things that I have stored up. It will probably be slow coming but I will eventually get there. I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

I won! I won! I won!

2009-11-18T23:32:00.001-05:00

I won a book called "Tiny Baby Jesus". This is probably going to end up being a Christmas gift for the two little kids. Thanks, Karen.

Thrift Store

2009-11-05T18:59:00.003-05:00

I love thrift stores. One of my favorites is about 25 minutes from my house and I usually try to head that way about once a week. Today I was on a mission. Gabe is performing in a play at a local college and needs a costume. So I headed out this morning.
The only part of Gabe's costume I found was a white button up shirt but look at my other fantastic finds. I looked here and saw what Holly bought and was inspired to show you my finds today. You'll have to excuse the horrible pictures. The lighting in our house at night is horrible because of the placement of all the light fixtures.
I found these two great pillowcases. I love the borders so I will probably use them to make something. Probably a dress or skirt or shirt for MC.
I also found this great piece of fabric which was in a box labeled "Valances" but is not a valance. It is sewn to a red piece of fabric and looks like a topper for a round table cloth.
This cute dress with the fur trim is a Laura Ashley and was only $1. It was a great find and will fit Maci Clare perfect by the time it is cold enough to wear it.
This coat was only $2 and fits Maci Clare. This is the perfect coat to go with dresses. The boots in the background are really cute and were only .50
This shirt was only .50 too. I mostly bought it for the inspiration to make my own with a cute butterfly but MC will definitely wear this one.
I also bought Gabe a pair of jeans and the white shirt. I only paid $10 for all of it.

Trick or Treat

2009-11-01T13:43:00.005-05:00

We had a great time last night even in the rain. We got the kids ready and tried to get a few pictures before we left. I never got one of the 4 of them together. We usually get pictures on the porch but it was raining so that kind of messed things up. But at least I got individual ones.Gabe was a football player. That was easy enough since he played football this year. He decided not to wear his cleats so that was all he left out of his uniform.

Zane was Harry Potter. This one was a little trickier. I couldn't find a Harry Potter costume so I had to piece it all together. The robe came from Craigslist. I made the tie. Jim popped the lens out of a pair of his old glasses. The broom came from Hobby Lobby. I painted the scar with lipstick. So we did end up pulling it off but not very easily.

Jack was Darth Vader. I bought his costume at Walmart and we already had the light saber. He did not want to cooperate. He didn't like the mask and he really wasn't thrilled about Trick or Treating. Maci Clare's costume ended up being my favorite. The plan was for her to be an elephant but I found this flower costume in her closet. I bought it last year and forgot that I bought until I was pulling out her costume to get her dressed.

We left our house and went to the nursing home to see my grandma. We got there pretty early. The older people really liked the kids. They had candy to give to the kids and we left some for them too.This is a picture of my grandma putting candy in Maci Clare's bag. I love this picture.

Next stop was my mom and dad's church. They had a soup supper and trick or treat. Normally it is set up outside but this year since it was raining, they set it up inside. It was great. This is our neighbor, Casey. Can you guess who he is?The Incredible Hulk

We left and went downtown to trick or treat but there wasn't much going on. So we went to one more church function and then headed home.

When we got back home we lit up our pumpkins which we had carved on Friday night but never put outside.

Gabe's is a football with his number carved in it. Jack's is the bat hanging upside down. Maci Clare's is the face. And Zane's is ... well, I'm not sure. I kept saying it looked like a evil Sonic the Hedgehog.

We had a great Halloween. The kids had a lot of fun.

I Can Breathe Again

2009-10-30T08:03:00.002-04:00

I finally feel like I can let out a big breath that I've been holding for 2 months. We are finally winding down a little. Today will be a post of random thoughts because I just can't even fathom putting together a whole post. Maybe later. So here is what has happened in the past week.
*Football is over. Both teams lost the first games of their play-offs. (I was a happy momma but some of the moms were crying. Come on give me a break.)
*Today I am working on finishing up some Halloween costume details.
*Gabe has been sick for 2 days.
*Jim has been out of town.
*We had Fall Festival at the school last night and Gabe had to go walk around with the little kids. (I paid him $2 an hour to "babysit" while I worked. Cheap labor.)
*We have been so busy my house has definitely suffered. I have very few Fall/Halloween decorations up this year. (to the dismay of Jack).
*My blog has suffered because of the busy-ness (and I've been a little unfaithful- Facebook, need I say more?).
*It seems there is always lots of "girlie drama" when you deal with adult women. I have been dealing with this drama and I am sick of it. Is that the price you have to pay to do volunteer work?
*Jack is out of school today for a teacher work day.
*I have been to Greenville (40 minute drive) 3 times this week which has cost me about $60 in gas.
Now for the positive:
*I have cranked out several new things with my Cricut. I'm actually thinking about setting up an Etsy account. Anyone doing Etsy? Let me know if it is worth it.
*Trick or Treating tomorrow! Love Halloween and I can't wait.
*Sunday worship and Bible Study at church.
*Hopefully I will be able to keep up with my blog a little better now. I can't promise but if anyone out there is still checking my goal is 2 times a week.
Have a fun night tomorrow night and I hope my next post will be a little more coherent than this one.

Wasting a Little Bit of Time

2009-09-27T15:15:00.004-04:00

Don't you think I deserve to waste a little after the past 2 weeks. I found this over at Julie's blog and decided it might be fun. If you do this, leave me a comment so I can read yours.

1. Where were you three hours ago? Church teaching 1st gradersr

2. Who are you in love with? My hubby

3. Have you ever eaten a crayon? No crayons, but I have eaten Elmer's glue.

4. Is there anything pink within 10 feet of you? Yes, Post Its and a butterfly and flower picture holder.

5. When was the last time you went to the mall? Probably 2 or 3 years ago. Not sure. I'm too frugal to go to the mall.

6. Are you wearing socks right now? No

7. Do you have a car worth over $2000? Yes

8. When was the last time you drove out of town? July on a trip to the beach

9. Have you been to the movies in the last 5 days? No can't afford it.

10. Are you hot? I hope I am but I might just be a little too old to be hot. Unless of course you're talking about hot as in temperature. Yeah, I'm always having hot flashes. Does that count?

11. What was the last thing you had to drink? Diet Dr Pepper (my addiction)
12. What are you wearing right now? A purple t -shirt and blue jeans.

13. Do you wash your car or let the car wash do it? I have tried letting the kids do it the last couple of time but Hubby always takes over.

14. Last food you ate? Chicken and fries at Applebees

15. Where were you last week at this time? Napping

16. Have you bought any clothing items in the last week? No

17. When was the last time you ran? Chasing Jack (go here for explanation)

18. What was the last sporting event you watched? Gabe and Zane's last football game.

19. Your favorite animal? Right now, my chickens

20. Your dream vacation? Jamaica

21. Last person’s house you were in? My mom's

22. Worst injury you ever had? Tripped and fell and split my head open on a rock. Hey, I was only 5.
23. Have you been in love? Yes I still am

24. Do you miss anyone right now? My great aunt

25. Last play you saw? Can't remember because it has been so long.

26. What is your secret weapon to lure the opposite sex? Not sure because it has been so long since I have tried to lure.

27. What are your plans for tonight? Baptism and Praise Night at Church

28. Who is the last person to send you a Facebook message or comment? My friend Mickey

29. Next trip you are going to take? Hopefully a long weekend to the beach or mountains with hubby

30. Ever go camping? Yes and I hate it.

31. Were you an honor student in school? No

32. What do you want to know about the future? Nothing

33. Are you wearing perfume or cologne? No, very allergic

34. Are you due sometime this year for a doctor’s visit? Yes, I need more than one doctor's visit
35. Where is your best friend? Mowing the lawn with Jack

36. How is your best friend? Great but tired

37. Do you have a tan? I have a little left from our last beach trip

38. What are you listening to right now? Julie's playlist

39. Do you collect anything? Used to collect pigs, now I'm not sure. I have so much clutter there are an endless amount of collections here.

40. Who is the biggest gossiper you know? I won't say just in case.

41. Last time you got stopped by a cop or pulled over? last year around Christmas and no he was not feeling any Christmas cheer. He gave me a ticket.

42. Have you ever drank your soda from a straw? Yes

43. What does your last text message say? OK

44. Do you like hot sauce? Love it had some today.

45. Last time you took a shower? This morning

46. Do you need to do laundry? I always need to do laundry

47. What is your heritage? I am adopted so I have no idea

48. Are you someone’s best friend? Yes

49. Are you rich? Not in worldly wealth and material things.

50. What were you doing at 12 AM last night? reading

NO!

2009-09-25T08:55:00.002-04:00

I need to learn that word. Jim says I need to. My mom says I need to (although I find she doesn't use this word very much either.) The last two weeks have been a product of me not saying NO!

Starting Sept. 14:
Monday:
Coupon Class at 10:30am and my babysitter (my dad) had to cancel because something came up. Jim had to take some time off work.
Coupon Class at 6pm
Zane's Football Game at 6pm
Gabe's instrument lessons at 6:30pm

Tuesday:
PTO Meeting at school at 9:30 am
Gabe play music at Chamber of Commerce at 5:15
Zane's Football Game 30 minutes away at 6pm
Gabe's Football Game at 7:30pm
Coupon Class at 7pm.
Grocery Shopping (because I need to get some food coming from me instead of McDonald's)

Wednesday:
Visiting business for PTO asking for donations.
Church at 7pm

Thursday:
Coupon Class scheduled for 10:30 but it was cancelled
Worked on PTO stuff in the morning.
Zane's Football practice at 6pm
Gabe's Football practice at 6pm

Friday:
Took Maci Clare shopping and to eat in the morning (a nice girl's day)
Gabe went with a friend to spend the night
Zane had a friend over to spend the night.
Friend was homesick at midnight. Mom came and got him.

Saturday:
Jim took the 4 wheeler to be worked on at 9:30
I stayed home and tried once again to get organized.
Had a date night with hubby but ended up spending time running some necessary errands at Sam's and Target. We did have a nice dinner at Flat Rock Grill.

Sunday:
Bible Study at 9am
Teach 1st Grade class at 10am
Eat lunch with my Parents. (thank goodness mom cooked)
Trip to Publix and Bilo to try to pick up a few BOGO deals
Supper at Wendy's with my mom and the kids.

Monday:
Revisit some of the businesses
Meeting at school at 2:30
Gabe instrument lessons at 6:30
Zane's football game at 6pm (in the pouring rain)
Jim' Cub Scout leader meeting at 7pm(came home instead of going because he and Zane were so wet)

Tuesday:
Revisit businesses where other people had been and screwed up.
Ran errands in the morning.

Wednesday:
Store to get items to make 10 lbs. of chili.
Come home and make chili.
Go to school at 2:30 to organize for Thursday's fundraiser.
Church at 7pm

Thursday:
Load up car and take off to Presbyterian Church to set up for making 400 hot dog plates.
Work making and delivering hot dog plates until 1pm
Jim comes home to work on his truck because it is no longer driveable (and we cannot buy a new one)
When I pick up the kids from school, I go in with a load of stuff for the teacher's lounge (that doesn't belong to me and I don't know who it belongs to.)
Hair appt. 30 minutes away at 4:00
Run home and get boys ready for football practice (both have practice at 6pm)
Run to pick up some things I need to fax to someone for a bluegrass event that is coming up.
Go work at Pizza Inn for PTO Fundraiser from 6-9.
Come home exhausted but can't wind down.
Jack stays up most of the night coughing.

Friday:
Hope to get a little relaxing in tonight (at least a little crafting, I hope.)
I have to open up for the bluegrass jam at 5 but I will be back at home at 6pm

Saturday:
I don't think I will do anything. Possibly some yard sales.

Sunday:
9am Bible Study
10am: Teach 1st graders at church
Meeting after church

In between all the things that are scheduled are things like:
Taking kids to school by 8am
Picking kids up at 12 and 2:30.
And just the everyday stuff.

My house is trashed and my kids are ill and tired. We only have one football game and one doctor appointment next week and I refuse to go to the school. I am going to spend some time alone at home. So do you think that I will say No after the past two weeks? Probably not but hopefully my schedule won't be quite so full.

You Have To Try This Recipe

2009-09-21T20:07:00.002-04:00

This is an awesome recipe for Crockpot Chicken that I found here. It is definitely going into my recipe rotation. Everyone in my family loved it and it is EASY!!!!

Crockpot Chicken
4-5 frozen chicken breasts
1 can of black beans (drained)
1 can of whole kernel corn (drained)
1 15-16oz. jar of salsa
1 8oz. cream cheese

Put the chicken breast in the crock pot. Dump beans, corn , and salsa on top. Cook on high for 5 hours. 1/2 hour before you are ready to eat it, throw in the cream cheese. AWESOME! WE ate it over brown rice and everyone loved it. I also thought you could use Velveeta instead of cream cheese. Maybe next time.

A Funny Story

2009-09-13T20:03:00.003-04:00

I love our dog, Lucy. She was really good when she was a puppy and then as she got a little older we had a lot of trouble with her running away. We installed an invisible fence and it worked like a charm. She is a great guard dog (she holds her own with the bears, coyotes, cougars, and wild pigs that have recently been seen around our yard). And she is great with the kids. She loves to play with them. Anyway, Friday afternoon, Jack was awful. Jack is at the in between stage where he not really tired early afternoon but as the day goes on he gets really tired and ill. So do you make him lay down and force him to nap so that he can't sleep until late at night or do you let him stay awake and just deal with him in the afternoons? I usually make him take a nap most days but Friday was very hectic and he didn't get one. So he was really wild and getting uglier by the minute. I decided to spank him (Yes, I do spank my children!).
Anyway, he opened the back door and bolted. I took off running after him but I had on big clunky sandals and the grass was wet so I was really having trouble catching him. Lucy happened to be on the deck when he took off. She thought this was a good opportunity to play and took off after him. I yelled out, "Get him Lucy!" She stepped in front him and blocked him until I could grab him. What a good aid in discipline. And what a Dog!

I wanted to include a picture of our awesome dog but Lucy is terrified of the camera. I am going to keep trying but I can't promise anything.

First Day of School

2009-09-08T09:01:00.005-04:00

I'm finally getting around to posting some pictures of the first day of school for everyone. It was a little staggered this year. Jack started first. His first day of school was August 25. I left everyone else sleeping and headed out to take him to school. When we got there, there was a boy screaming and kicking and Jack said, "What's wrong with him?". I am so glad that my kids do not have any separation anxiety. I have been lucky with all 4. Anyway, this is Jack walking in the school. No problem.

Then on Sept. 1, the other 2 big boys started school. Well, of course, they are just about "too cool" for pictures but I did manage to snap a couple before we headed out.Gabe insisted on wearing his football jersey so I did give in. I am learning to pick my battles.

I can't believe how big they are.

Maci Clare started on Sept. 3. She is going to a Mother's Morning Out 2 days a week. I love it and she does too. She just acted silly when I was trying to take her picture. But I finally got a couple of good shots. I had to take one of all 4 of them. And we had to get the shot of Maci Clare's back pack. It is almost as big as she is. She couldn't wait to get to school. And she loves it.

We are back in the swing of things and I will be posting some of the highlights of our summer and a few football pics soon. I'm trying to get back in t

Been A While

2009-08-31T22:18:00.002-04:00

I promise I am here. I am reading and sometimes commenting but never posting. I decided for the summer it would be best if I let the blog go for a while. So that's just what I did. I have been hanging with my peeps and having a great summer and now it is over.
School starts tomorrow. (Jack started last week.) We are already very busy. Running to two football fields (most of the time not in the same town), Cub Scouts, music lessons and performances, and the other everyday things like trying to get enough groceries to feed everyone.
Maci Clare will be starting "school" on Thursday. This is a much needed break for mom. So there will be pictures to come and details of all the fun we had this summer. Just hang on! I'm coming back!

We Appreciate You, Cows!

2009-07-10T15:09:00.006-04:00

We celebrated Cow Appreciation Day for the 2nd year in a row. We had a lot of fun and it was all free. I couldn't get any pics at Chicfila because the big cow was walking around so Maci Clare was terrified and wouldn't get out of my lap. There were a couple of families dressed up and getting free food. Lots of teenagers and college age kids. It was fun and we will do it again next year.

On a more exciting note, the Cricut is AWESOME! Here are some of my projects:
I found these cute reusable mesh bags at Dollar Tree. They come 4 to a pack and when I bought them I wasn't sure what I was going to do with them but this is it. I put names on each one and we are using them to transport clothes and towels. Then you can put the wet clothes and towel back in them to bring them home.
This is what they look like with clothes and towels in them. All ready to go. I am also going to get some of them and lablel them to use as reusable produce bags at the grocery store. I can probably think of some other uses but right now this is what I am going with.

I also did this on my bedroom wall (over the bed)I love vinyl letters and this was perfect for my bedroom. I will definitely be making some more letters and things to put on the wall.

And these are my favorite.Paper Dolls! I can see Maci Clare and I (and the boys, too! But they won't tell you that.LOL) having hours of fun with these things. I also have lots of shirt making plans for these things.

I just can't get enough. We used the Cricut this year to make our 4th of July tshirts but I will post them later. (I forgot to take pictures so i have to get them on the kids again.)

And I don't know if you remember my creature post here. But here is our latest creature.
A beautiful king snake. Of course the snake was not very happy as Jim was trying to stretch him out for us to see. And he was very strong. Everyone got to touch him and then he was released in the woods behind our house.
I will do a post soon to show you what we did 4th of July weekend. It was a really fun experience especially for the two older boys. So hopefully I can get that up in the next couple of days.

Highlights of June

2009-07-03T23:17:00.010-04:00

We have had a fun and busy summer (by choice, of course). I thought I would share some highlights since I haven't been posting very much lately.
At the first of June, I posted about Vacation Bible School at my dad's church. It was a blast. The last night there was even a big inflatable slide and a cute program performed by all the kids who had attended all week. Here is a picture of Jack and Maci Clare (not really performing more like just standing).Jack is in the brown John Deere shirt and camo shorts and Maci Clare is in the pink hat on the front row.

We started the summer off with a back yard campout. All the kids were inside by 11:45pm claiming to have heard a bear in the woods.

We have been to several of our library programs this summer. My kids are just reading, reading, reading. We are finishing (me included) 2 or 3 books every week or so. Their teachers would be proud. We attended the Mad Science program(geared more for the bigger kids), a marionette show (awesome for all ages), and a magic show (we love Tim Sonefelt).

We have been in the pool almost everyday. I love it. Jim has now put in the fence and added the solar lighting. It has been so much fun to spend time with the kids and their friends out there. Especially when it is 100 degrees outside.

My inlaws came from Iowa and spent a weekend. It was great but I didn't take one picture. I hope my MIL decides to share some of hers with me. (Hint! Hint!)

Jim and I went to an awesome 80's concert. Can you guess who it is? 38 SpecialREO Speedwagon

and Styx!

We went with our great, awesome friends.

This is me and my friend, Melonee. We wanted Cindy in the picture too but she was too busy talking on her cell phone. You can only see half of her.

This is Cindy's husband, Doug, and Melonee's husband, Brad.

And Jim and Brad are rocking out! BTW, we traveled to this concert in a mini van. That just struck me as hilarious. You know you are getting old when you go see a concert in a minivan. It was so hot! But we had a blast!

We finally have a chicken coop, otherwise known as a chicken tractor because it is movable. The chickies are happy and now I am waiting patiently for the laying to begin. We really are enjoying our chickens. I will be buying a few more soon.

And Finally! Last but certainly not least! I got what I have wanted for the last 6 months. TADA!
The CRICUT Expressions! I am in love with this machine. I can't wait to show you some of the things I have made with this thing. This is the best money I have spent in a long time. If you are thinking about buying one, DO IT!
So there you have it! Our favorite things from June. I hope that I will find a little more time to post some of the things we are doing and some of the projects we are working on. Hope everyone had a safe and fun Independence Day.

Giveaway Winners

2009-06-29T23:08:00.003-04:00

The winners of the All Detergent coupons are:

Ashely from Lil Blue Boo and
Carol from Frugal Finds

Congratualtions, ladies! Email me with your address and I'll get your coupons in the mail.

Back With A Giveaway

2009-06-25T14:42:00.005-04:00

I've been pretty scarce lately trying to establish a little bit of a routine for summer and blogging is on the back burner. I say I'm going to post everyday and then it is 12am and no post. So today all the kids are sleeping. Yep, even Gabe and Zane. We've had some really late nights the last week or so. So I am back (at least today) and I have a GIVEAWAY!

The wonderful people at Mom Select sent me a 96 load All Detergent to try and guess what?
Two coupons to giveaway to you. So if you leave a comment, you have the chance to win a coupon good for free laundry detergent. This detergent is great. It smells great and I love the bottle that it is in. So leave me a comment before Sunday June 28 and you could win your own All Small and Mighty.

Big Camping Party

2009-06-09T09:00:00.000-04:00

The kids were supposed to camp out Friday night at our neighbor's house but it rained and stormed so much that they didn't get to. So they decided to do all the camp out activities they had planned on Saturday night without the actual camping out. We had a blast.

We got there at 6 after being in our pool all afternoon and went straight in their pool. Their pool has a slide and Maci Clare loved it. She would shoot off the end like an airplane. Because she is so little she flies.

We had hot dogs and chips and cookies for supper. Very Yummy. My mom made all the chili for the hot dogs so they were great. Her chili is the best.

Right after we ate, the kids were told a story about some rare bird (not sure because I didn't really hear the whole thing) and then sent off on a nature hunt. Of course, Jack found a "kicket" (cricket) and put it in his bag. He never bored of the nature hunt. He loved it.

Then the water games began. They had several water balloon relays and other water stuff. Girls against boys, of course. Then they all ran for the pool again, while our neighbor started a fire.

We ended up sitting around the fire telling silly camp fire stories until about 10:15. It was so much fun. But my kids were exhausted. We threw them in the bed and gave them showers this morning. What an awesome way to spend the first weekend of summer. (BTW, this was Bible School Kick off for my dad's church.) So we are off to VBS every night this week.

Fishing Rodeo

2009-06-07T16:43:00.002-04:00

Our local DNR sponsors a fishing rodeo every year. Saturday was the day. We met 2 other families and headed out about 7:45am on Saturday morning. When we arrived there was a long line to stand in but it moved really fast. The kids were so excited they didn't care.
They gave every child a brand new Zebco Rod and Reel and a reusable bag full of goodies (stringers, book covers, candy, etc.). Then we had to fill out post cards to fill out for random door prize drawings. As soon as we had our rods we headed to the tent to get bait and have the boy scouts put on the hook and sinker.
This is Jack waiting patiently for his rod to be put together. He is holding a cup of corn but you can't see it.

The big boys took off with their friends to fish. But Jack and Jim stayed right there together to see if they could catch something. And they did. Jack was so excited.

Maci Clare and my mom hung out with her friend Caleb and his mom. They didn't get much fishing done but they sure had a good time chasing each other around.

After fishing for about an hour and a half, we headed back up to have a hot dog. Everything was free. We ate hot dogs, chips and any kind of drink you wanted. Then Pet Dairy was out there giving away ice cream. I want even tell you how much ice cream we ate. Especially me and Maci Clare. We headed home about 12:30 with 4 new fishing rods, 4 goodie bags full of stuff, and full bellies from all the free food. So this was a completely free morning and we had a great time.

Official Start of Summer

2009-06-04T14:54:00.004-04:00

We finished up the school year this week. On Monday, we went to Jack's end of the year program at school. I have several pictures but there are so many other kids in them I decided to just post this one of my kids.The 3 year old theme was "He's Still Working On Me". They did sing that and "God Made Me". They said 3 scripture verses and one little poem. Very cute.

On Tuesday, the awards at the elementary school.
Gabe: All A Honor Roll for 4th 9 weeks, All A Honor Roll for the year, Reading Award (highest number of Accelerated Reader points=272), Citizenship Award, 1st place ribbon in Field Day Football Throw, and 2nd place ribbon in Field Day Football Punt

Zane: All A Honor Roll for 4th 9 nine weeks, All A Honor Roll for the year, Reading award (highest number of Accelerated Reader points not sure how many), participation ribbon for Field Day (they don't compete until 3rd grade)
So we came home with loads of medals and prizes.

The last day of school was celebrated on Thursday at 11:00. I did get to go up and share the excitement of the last day. I love hearing all the kids streaming down the hall and out the door into the excitement of summer. My children woke up to t-shirts designed and made by mom.
They loved them and wore them to school. It was raining, as it has been for days, but that really didn't slow us down much. The plan was to swim. But because of the rain and thunderstorms we couldn't. I put this banner up before the kids got home and as we drove by they could read "Welcome to Summer."
After school we went to our favorite pizza place, Pizza Inn, and had pizza with dad. Then we signed Zane and Gabe up for football. We spent about an hour in the library picking out movies and reading books on the floor. We did bring a few books home. The kids' goal for reading is 21 hours so we plan to get lots of books throughout the summer.
Our neighbors and dear friends from through the wood, Julie and Johnny, came over after dark. The kids played a loud and wild game of dodge ball in the living room while they were here. They went home and told their mom they could see why I needed a night out every once in a while. LOL
We are working on a list of summer activities and things we want to work on through the next 3 months. I also made a Summer Boredom Blasters Jar with loads of activities that we can pick out when we don't seem to have anything else (which won't happen often).

Yesterday was our organizing and cleaning up day. We all worked on the house all morning. It was raining again. After we finished, we played a game of Hide and Seek. It was really fun. That lasted for about 1 hour.
So we are ready for our summer fun to begin. And it did this morning. I will post about that tomorrow.

Frugal Teacher Gifts

2009-06-03T17:05:00.002-04:00

I always give our teachers something at the end of the year and this year is no different. Tomorrow is the last day of school and I have been using all of my brain power to try to come up with a frugal but nice teacher gift. This is going to sound really unappreciative but I really hated to get Dollar Store Junk that I couldn't or wouldn't use. You can only sit so many #1 Teacher trinkets around your classroom and I really didn't want them overflowing into my house. With that being said, I really like to get a teacher a gift that he or she will use or enjoy. I usually get gift certificates to Bath and Body but I just haven't had time to go to Greenville. So this is what I came up with.

I bought Dollar Tree crap and made it better. The pots were these ugly yellow terra cotta pots with big ugly flowers painted on them. I spray painted them black and hot glued the pink and black ribbon on them. This morning, I found the flowers (Begonias) at the flea market for a dollar each. And the other is Amish Friendship Bread made with chocolate pudding and chocolate chips wrapped in aluminum foil and tied with twine. They will also get a handwritten thank you note from Gabe and Zane. Who doesn't love Chocolate and flowers? And it was a lot cheaper than gift certificates.

Happy Birthday, Baby Boy!

2009-06-01T14:34:00.005-04:00

My baby boy is turning 4 today. It's hard to believe. It just seems like yesterday we were here.

And now we are here.
Unbelievable! Happy 4th Birthday, Jack!

More Deals

2009-05-14T16:54:00.005-04:00

* I am updating this post for Marian. The breakdown of how I got these groceries so cheap is in red.
Maci Clare and I ventured out to get more great deals at Bilo.

Here are my latest deals:

6 bottles of Kraft BBQ sauce B1G1 (.75 each) Had 4 $1/1 and 2 .35/1 coupons
4 Ritz Toasted Chips B1G1 $2.29 for 2 Had 2 $1/1 coupons
8 Packs of Mentos Gum B1G1 $1.29 for 2 Had 8 .55/1 coupons
2 boxes of Jolly Time Popcorn B1G1 2.29 for 2 Had 2 .50/1 coupons
2 cans of Del Monte Green Beans .49 a can
2 cans of Del Monte Peas .49 a can
2 bottles of Kraft Salad Dressing B1G1 2.97 for 2 Had 2 $1/1 coupons
4 packs of Ball Park Franks B1G1 $3.29 for 2 Had 2 $1/2 coupons

All coupons .60 and under double. So there is how I got everything for so cheap. Coupons! Coupons! Coupons! I have been asked to teach a coupon class this summer. I'm still thinking about it. I may wait until the fall.

Totals = $30.71
Total OOP = $6.16 and a $3 coupon to use on my next purchase.

We'll go back again before the sale ends. That is way too good to pass up.

Publix and Bilo I Heart You!

2009-05-12T13:04:00.005-04:00

Last night when Jim came in from work, I headed out and tried to do a little grocery shopping. We are watching every cent because our goal for summer is to take a vacation with all cash. That means food, lodging, transportation, etc. Also, we are working on a fence for the pool and remodeling our bathroom. So we are trying to spend the least amount possible every week. So with that being said, I headed to my two favorite grocery hot spots, Publix and Bilo.
Here is the deal:
I went to Publix first.

Do you think I got enough cereal?Jack and Maci Clare are in the background and Jack kept saying, "Whoa, that's a lot of stuff."
Some highlights of my trip are the Post Trail Mix Crunch for 10 cents a box. Also the pineapples were 1.74 each. Cheaper than even Sam's Club prices which usually has the lowest. The bread was the 1cent item.
My total was $73.33 My OOP was $33.33

At Bilo, I had just a few things I wanted to get. I love when Bilo does the Meal Deal thing. You buy one item that will be your main dish and you get drinks, side dishes, and dessert for free. This week it was a Family Size Stouffer's Lasagna for $9.99. You got Coles' Breadsticks, Mrs. Smith's cobbler, Southern Home Whipped Topping, and a 6 pack of Coke for free. They also let you use coupons on the free stuff. Wise Cheese puffs were B1G1 and I had 50 cents off 1 coupons.

My total was $12.98
My OOP was $10.08

Today, Maci Clare and I had to go get the oil changed in my car and we decided to make one more trip to Publix before this sale ends. So we bought 2 more of those Nabisco Multi pack cookies/crackers, 1 box of Froot Loops, 1 box of Corn Pops, 4 cans of Green Beans, and 2 cans of Spinach.

My total was $14.25
My total OOP was $10.25

I also made one more trip to Bilo for more cheese puffs and the meal deal again. I also had to get a can of Rotel for a recipe that I am going to make this week.

My total was $18.23
My total OOP was $10.10

So in two days, I saved $55.03. I HEART COUPONS and the stores that double them. They make it that much easier to meet our financial goals.

Not Busy- Just Turned Busy

2009-05-04T20:36:00.002-04:00

My not so busy week just got a lot busier. This morning when I woke up, I was excited because I was getting my groceries and I had nothing to do the rest of the week but organize and clean. And I thought I might even get some scrapbooking done in between. But then around lunch time, things started to go down hill.
This all happened today:
Tuesday: Doctor appt. for Jack (all the way to Greenville) might as well make it a fun day and hit the park if the weather allows.
Wednesday: Chaperoning a field trip because they needed some adults at the last minute due to a teacher appreciation luncheon. Gabe will have fiddle and mandolin practice because they are recording a CD. (Just found that out about 45 minutes ago.) How exciting!
Thursday: The CD will be recorded. YAY!
Friday: Nothing yet! But I'm sure something will come along.
Saturday: Cub Scout camp out (I knew but forgot) so I am responsible for baseball this weekend.
Sunday: Another Great Mother's Day with no husband and kids around to celebrate and honor me. (I'm being sarcastic)
So you see what a difference a few hours can make. Maybe next time I won't answer the phone.

Yard Sale

2009-05-02T12:38:00.005-04:00

I decided to hit a few yard sales Saturday morning. I hit the jackpot at several.
Here's what I bought.

Pair of Old Navy Diva Jeans $1
Pair of Old Navy Boot cut Jeans $1
Pair of khaki Banana Republic pants .50
Pair of Ann Taylor The Loft trouser jeans .50
Pair of Liz & Co. jeans $1
Pair of navy blue sweats (not pictured because I was wearing them) $1

White long sleeve Mossimo T shirt (not pictured because I was wearing it) .50
Rue 21 Khaki jacket .25
Anna Black and gray striped sweater $1

Old Navy brown Sweater $1 White long sleeve Old Navy polo type shirt .50
Peach cami .25
Brown bikini top .25 (I'll explain the bikini top in a just a minute)
White short sleeve Old Navy top $1

All three of these bags were $1. The pink one will be my mom's Mother's Day gift bag ( I hope she doesn't see this post before Mother's Day). Maci Clare got a few things too.brown pants and cute top with flowers $2
Jumper with diaper cover $1

Pink Carter's dress with Diaper cover $1white sandals .50
Polka dot wedgies $1

Now back to the bikini top. If you remember last year, at the end of the summer, I bought several bathing suit bottoms at JC Penney for $1.97 each. Look here if you don't remember. So anyway, I never found tops to match of them. Well, today I found the tops for them. And the price was too good.

I spent a total of $16.75 for everything. You just can't beat a yard sale.

Bloggy Slacker

2009-05-01T13:32:00.005-04:00

That is exactly what I am lately. We have been so busy I hardly have time for anything. So my blog has suffered. Last night we celebrated my mom's birthday at Olive Garden. (Happy Birthday, Mom!). Thanks to Marian and Brent we used the gift card that they gave us for Christmas for the second time and our meal was pretty cheap. (Thank you, Brent and Marian!) Anyway, my youngest brother, Chris, told me I have been letting my fans down. LOL So Chris, this post is for you.
My printer is messed up (The HP we just bought a couple of months ago is a piece of crap) and so it is very frustrating for the me because I love to print coupons and they are always there to print. But I can't so I have stayed off the computer.
While I have been off the computer, a lot is getting done around here. My house is actually staying pretty clean. My small garden has been mostly planted ( just need to add a few more plants). And my chickens are being well cared for. We have 3 survivors. We have moved them from the Rubbermaid box to a big dog cage. I think they like it a lot better because they can see us coming. Lucy is the protector. She lays by the cage and looks at the chicks. When we were moving them yesterday, I went in the house to get something and I when I returned this is what I saw. I hope none of our neighbors drove by. This weekend we will work on building a coop and cage for them. No, I will not have cage free eggs because I am not going to allow chickens running around my yard. We would have no plants left and probably no chickens left when the foxes, raccoons, coyotes, hawks, and many other mountain animals got finished with them. So the cage is going up.
On another note, I have been asked to speak at a Mother/Daughter Banquet next Friday night about Frugal Living and Saving Money. The theme for the banquet is Moms Making Ends Meet and who better to talk about that than me. I'm nervous but also excited. Even though I am a teacher I am not a very good public speaker. So keep me in your prayers as I prepare what God wants me to say to these lovely ladies.
We have started the opening process of the pool and I am ready. I don't necessarily want to swim just lay in the sun. The water is always too cold for me even in July and August. We have finally picked out the fence (it only took us a year to agree on something) and hope to have it up by the first of June. All the pieces have to be ordered. I am ready for landscaping and prettiness around the pool.
Tonight is the last fundraising supper for the bluegrass kids. I'm glad because I have stored lots of baked goods in my freezer. Now my freezer is empty for my summer bounty. Here is the basket of baked goods I am taking to the supper tonight.
We have one month left of school. I will be glad for lazy days. My kids are really ready too. It is getting harder and harder to get them up in the morning.(And me too!) We are going to make it.
Maci Clare decided yesterday that she wanted to be a rapper. I did not pose her for this picture. She crossed her arms and everything. So, watch out Queen Latifa, here she comes. She is learning several songs. If she can learn to rap "Jesus Loves Me", we will be in business.

I sound just like my dad...

2009-04-23T12:56:00.003-04:00

This morning on the way to school, Gabe informed me that Zane was going to wear his hair in a ponytail when he gets older. Zane screamed out, "No, I am not!" But then went on to say, "Can I let my hair grow out so it will be curly like Maci Clare's> What was my response? "You're not oing to look like a hippy!" I can't count how many times my dad said that to my brothers when we were growing up. And then I turned to the boys and said, "Be quiet, You're making me sound like Papa." They laughed.

Trip To The Flea Market

2009-04-22T13:07:00.006-04:00

In our little town, we have a flea market that is every Wednesday morning. You can buy anything you want there. I usually stick to produce and plants. Sometimes you hit the jackpot because people bring their yard sale items out and rent a table and sell. That is my favorite. Last week I bought some really cute name brand tops and a pair of khaki capri pants for $1 each. A woman had a consignment business that she quit and she brought all her leftovers and let them go for a dollar each. Last week I also bought my tomato plants and I always get fresh eggs. You can get 30 brown double yolk eggs for $4 and 15 for $2. You can't get eggs that cheap in any grocery store especially fresh eggs.
Maci Clare and I went back this morning just to get out because the weather has been so nice. I bought another 15 eggs ( bought 30 last week and we only 4 left).
I found these cute shorts and jeans for Maci Clare. The shorts are Old Navy. I only paid $1 for both. I also bought 2 crooked neck squash plants and 2 cucumber plants. I wanted some herbs but couldn't find them cheap enough. I bought a basket of tomatoes for $2.
I bought these delicious strawberries for $2. (Jack has already eaten aobut half of this bowl). I bought two of these. I'll go back next week and see what deals will turn up. I have never been to a flea market as cool as that one. It is just as addictive as yard sales.
This is Jack's new thing. He has a campout every day. He is inside this little box of pillows sound asleep.
Gabe was chosen for Limos For Learning again this year. So he did the whole Limo ride thing again. One of his best friends got to go too.
We did go get our 50cents iced coffee at Dunkin Donuts yesterday. Jack was so funny because as soon as he tasted it he said, "I should not have got this thing."
We all agreed that they were yucky. I know that Dunkin Donuts is all the rage but I just don't like it. For my Northern Peeps, you need to come South and try Krispy Kreme and you will never do Dunkin again. I especially don't like Dunkin's coffee. Starbuck's is number one with me but McDonald's is a close second. I usually order just plain coffee from Mickey D's and it can't be beat.
On a more solemn note, we are down to 4 chickies and one of those is not very healthy. I seriously think that they were taken away from the mother chick too early. We will keep trying. I am going to get a few more in the next few days. I started to buy some at the flea market this morning but decided I would wait and get a few more free ones first. I'm determined to do this. I have them in my kitchen now under a light and beside the heat vent. Hopefully this will keep them warm enough until they are big enough to survive without the heat. I will keep you posted on my adventures in chicken farming.

New Addition to Our Family and Getting Things Done

2009-04-19T23:24:00.004-04:00

No, I'm not pregnant again. We are trying our hand at raising chickens. I have always wanted to try it but it took me about a year to talk Jim into it. He says he thinks I'm crazy but secretly I think he likes the little things. We got 8 babies yesterday but 3 died this morning. So we are left with 5 and they seem to be pretty strong. We are waiting to see if they are hens or roosters. I really want a few laying hens and that is the whole reason for this. The pictures are not very good. It has been raining so we couldn't get out in the yard with them and take pics like I wanted to today. I will try to get some better ones of the five we have when it stops raining. Just call us the Chicken Farmers. Jim loves that!

We seem to have a little more time to get things done around here lately. Or maybe we are just managing our time better. I am trying to do all my grocery and household shopping one day a week. So that leaves the rest of the week for working in the house and working on projects. This weekend I went to a Ladies Spring Banquet. It was really fun. A comedian, Dennis Smith was there and he was hilarious. I laughed so hard my side was hurting. My mom bought his DVD so Jim and my dad could watch it.
Saturday, the Azalea Festival was taking place downtown. Gabe went to play bluegrass (of course) and we walked around and ate good food and just enjoyed the beautiful day. Gabe and Zane had a baseball game at 2 so I brought the two little ones home for a rest. Maci Clare slept and Jack and I planted our tomatoes. We planted two big ones and 3 grape tomatoes. We will be adding a few other veggies to our plot this year and a few herbs. We are just working on a little at a time. We went to a fish fry last night but when we got there they were out of fish so we had baked chicken instead. I was a little disappointed but we will try again next month.

Today, we went to worship and then had a celebration dinner to go to. I made my mandolin debut by playing the only song I knew, "Bile Them Cabbage Down." It was terrible but I think I'm hooked. So Gabe will be trying to teach me a few more. Maybe one day we will be on "America's Got Talent" and have some cool bluegrass name for our family band. HEEHEE By the way, doesn't Zane look cute sitting there with his big 'ol guitar. He looks so little when he is holding that thing.

This is a picture of Maci Clare wearing my comfy bedroom slippers. She loves to get in my closet and pull out my shoes. Lord knows I have enough of them. She can even walk in the high heels. It just amazes me but I thought this one was too cute because they are on the wrong feet and it looks like her feet are on backward.

Can't Help But Smile!

2009-04-17T10:34:00.004-04:00

Until I walked out of the room and came back to this.

Surgery Day

2009-04-16T11:51:00.006-04:00

This morning, Maci Clare had her adenoids removed and tubes put in her ears. We had to be in Greenville at 7am. Instead of having it at the hospital we went to the new surgery center. It was very nice. In the waiting room, Maci Clare entertained all the older people that were waiting.

After they called her back for preop, she had to put a hospital gown on.And this cool hat.

She was really clowning around with her daddy until the Lortab kicked in. She is patiently waiting for the nurses to come and get her.
This was the calm before the storm. When she showed up in recovery, she was screaming her head off. We finally got to leave about 9:30 but not before she ate a popsicle.
Now we are home safe and sound, watching Dora, and eating noodles.

What We've Been Up To

2009-04-10T22:37:00.008-04:00

We have been quite busy during our Spring Break. We have had kids in and out all week. We've had 3 nights of spend the night guests and I've just been hanging out. My house has stayed really clean. Gabe and Zane have stayed on board with my version of " The House That Cleans Itself". I have to admit, that I have not finished the book. (There is so many fiction books on my list and I really don't enjoy non-fiction but I am going to finish it.) I have been organizing and cleaning. I cleaned Zane's room the morning before we left for Tybee and it took me 2 1/2 hours. This is the before picture. I haven't taken the after picture yet but I am going to try to do it soon so I can show you how much better it looks.

We had a tree about to fall out beside our driveway. We really thought it might fall on the house. The only thing holding it up was another tree and unfortunately they were both pines. So a strong wind could've flattened our house. Anyway, Wednesday, when Jim came home from work, he got out the chain saw. The kids were at church and I was having a nice quiet night until I heard a big BOOM! The tree hit the house. When I walked outside, this is what I saw. The damage was minimal, thank goodness.

Thursday, Gabe and Zane went with a friend to my dad's house to play Wii. So this is what Jack and I did. I saw these at Bakerella. You should see the things she creates candy and cake. She had ideas for rabbits, sheep, and chickens. We thought the chickens would be easiest seeing as we had to use icing instead of the candy that she used on here. Her pops were a lot better than ours. Much more professional. We called them "chicken pops". They did taste good even if they didn't look too great. The picture is not good (too fuzzy) but you get the idea. I thought they were a cute project to do with Jack to keep him busy for the afternoon.

Jim was off work today and the plan was to work in the yard. We have so much to do to get the yard looking good. I also want to get my plot ready for my herbs and tomatoes. I'm thinking of planting a couple of other things too. Jim, Jack. and Maci Clare planted some seeds in the corner of the plot yesterday just to keep the kids busy. Anyway, we woke up to rain and thunderstorms. The power has blinked off and on all day. (That is the norm when there is a thunderstorm.) I have been looking at hairbow holders on the internet and decided instead of paying a fortune for one, I would make one. So this afternoon that is just what I did. I love it. Maci Clare thought she could wear and then Jack did too. But after I got the bows on, they understood what it was for. Anyway, I am thinking of making one for my next giveaway. (I know I promised a long time ago, but life has been so busy.) My last project for today was Amish Friendship Bread. I have a starter that I am keeping up and today was the day to make it. Now I have 4 starters. It is so yummy. I think I am going to do all 4 starters and put some bread in the freezer for gifts. Jim also likes to take treats to work sometimes. By the way, the plate that this bread is on was bought this weekend at a yard sale for .25. Can't beat the price and I think it is really pretty.
We are headed to Columbia to the Riverbanks Zoo tomorrow. Gabe's friend, Tanner, is here tonight and will go with us tomorrow. We are going with Zane's garden club. Hopefully, the weather will clear up tonight and it will be sunny. My kids are out of school on Monday too. Maci Clare has her pre-op appointment and will have surgery to put the tubes in on Thursday so keep us in your prayers. It shouldn't be a big deal but the anethesia always makes me a little nervous. I hope you all have a nice Easter. We will spend the day at church and then with family. Happy Easter!

Relaxation

2009-04-08T14:35:00.005-04:00

We had such a great weekend! You know what we did? Absolutely nothing. Yep, you heard me right. We spent too much money going to eat at fabulous places and the rest of the time, we just rested. We sat on the beach (a little too long and that story is coming up) and watched movies and slept. I actually finished 3 books.
We arrived at Tybee about 9:30 and crashed. The beach was awesome as usual. This is the view from the balcony of our room. (We always stay in the same condo.)
On Saturday morning we headed out and ate a late breakfast. We went to two garage sales. At the second sale I bought Maci Clare several items of clothing for .50 each. Most were Gymboree or TCP. It was well worth it. We went and bought a cup of coffee and walked around the island a bit. We then decided aobut 11:30 to head back and relax on the beach. The day had warmed up really fast so we sat out on the beach until about 2pm. My first mistake was turning my chair to face the sun. My second mistake was not wearing sunscreen. I know, I know, I'm crazy. Even thought the sun was warm, the wind was chilly and I never felt like I was getting burned. Boy, was I ever wrong. I have a severe sunburn. In fact, my legs seemed to be the worst. I couldn't put on pants and had to wear a mini skirt the whole weekend. Jim had to go buy Aloe with Lidocaine. It was not pleasant.
We did head out to Savannah, where there was a music festival. I never really saw anyone playing music (except the guys who play one instrument on the street and want you to throw money in a tip jar) but there were tons of crafts. We walked around a little while and then headed back to the island.
We made a stop at Uncle Bubba's (Paula Deen's brother's restaurant). Jim ordered Chargrilled Oysters (YUK!). I was just satisfied with my shrimp. It was probably the best shrimp I've had in a long time. The food was excellent.
When we finally made it back, we just decided to do nothing. I ended up sleeping on the couch just because I was scared Jim would touch my legs (that is how bad they hurt).

Sunday morning, I sent Jim out at 9:00 to get reservations at The Lady and Sons (Paula Deen). He sent me this picture with the subject "The Things I Do For You". He stood in line until 10:30 and then we didn't have a reservation until 1:45. We did go eat there but I think after you have eaten there one time, you really don't have to go back. I can cook most of the things that she has on the buffet so to pay $40 is a little expensive. We rented "Twilight" (just okay) and "Slumdog Millionaire" (really good). We walked on the beach and then it started raining. So you see, we had a really relaxing mini getaway. We left Sunday morning and went through Hilton Head to the outlets. Didn't find much of anything. After buying all those clothes for .50 it is hard to go pay more even at the outlets.
I wanted some pictures of Jim and I that I could print in black and white so we made a few on the beach.I thought this one was the best. We were really acting goofy in the other ones so they didn't really turn out to good. But the next one is my favorite. It was taken ont he balcony right when we were leaving Monday morning.
My face looks really bad in this picture but I still think it turned out pretty good. My face has actually turned out to be worse than my legs. I have seven cold sores on my bottom lip. I have more blisters around my mouth and nose. And now it is peeling something terrible. So I kinda look bad. Just in time for Easter when I was planning on getting some good family pics. Oh well, maybe it will be gone by then.

Upcountry Museum

2009-04-03T15:00:00.000-04:00

A few of the YAMs were asked to play last night at the Upcountry Museum in Greenville. For those of you who don't live around here, this is a history museum documenting the South Carolina Upstate's history. It is a great place to visit especially with older children. They opened a new exhibit today and the preview was last night. It was called The Dark Corner (which is a part of the upstate mountains) and it documented life in that part of the country during the Great Depression. Very interesting stuff. Anyway, Gabe played mandolin last night for 2 hours with just a little 10 minute break to go see the museum and grab a bite to eat. It was a great experience for us. Here are just a few pictures. This is Gabe's little "girlfriend". She plays guitar and most of the time bass. She is excellent on the bass and Gabe and his friends have a hard time without her.

Gabe switched instruments with Peyton (another one of the girls) to play a song called "Wild Indian" They did a little duet on this song. No one else knew the song.Here he is concentrating hard on the song he is playing.
Only 6 of them were asked to play. So it was a real honor to get to go do this. I'm sure we are in for a long road ahead with this bluegrass thing. I have started getting Gabe to teach me some of the music on the mandolin. Zane is taking private guitar. So one day we will just have a little family bluegrass band. We have to come up with a creative name though. HAHA HEE HEE!

Jim and I are headed out to Tybee Island to lay on the beach and watch the waves roll in. Hope everyone has a great weekend. I will probably be scarce the next week or so because Spring Break starts today.

For Your Listening Enjoyment

2009-04-02T21:25:00.003-04:00

Jack learns new songs almost every week at school. I decided I had to get this on video because I want to remember his sweet little voice singing about God. And I wanted to share his sweet little voice with you. So enjoy!

Bluegrass Music Festival

2009-03-30T22:57:00.007-04:00

Let me start from the beginning because I just realized I haven't really blogged about this gigantic event. So I received a call on March 7 asking if I would be chairperson of the bluegrass fundraiser festival. The details that I received that day were as follows:
1. I would work with another person (that person had not been ask yet).
2. That person and I would set up 5 committees to implement the plan that we would come up with.
3. Those 5 committees would have a chairperson each and we would be over those people.
4. The 5 committees would be Food, Publicity, Grounds, Volunteers, and Entertainment.

So what did I say? Of course, I said yes. I did not know at that time what I was getting into.

My partner ended up being a girl named Shannon with which I had only had a little contact. It was a perfect match. We worked for weeks trying to get everything together. The committees didn't work out that well. We had several people tell us they were going to head up committees or take care of things that never was completed. So we just started hacking through ourselves. Another girl, Kerri, came on in the last 2 weeks and between the three of us this is the result.

The pictures you are about to see were taken by a bluegrass friend, Jeff Catlin. He is a wonderful photographer and you can go here and see more of his awesome pictures.
The festival was supposed to be at a place called Willow Creek Ranch (outdoors) but it poured for 3 days before the festival. We changed the location to a huge barn in our local state park (which is only a mile from my house. It is called Table Rock State Park and the ranger is a friend of ours. This was the entrance to the festival.
This is a picture of the man the festival was named after. It was call the Papa John Foster Memorial Music Festival. He was a big supporter of all our youth learning to play the traditional music of our mountains. He died in June. The poem was written by one of the fiddlers (teenager) and this picture was presented to his family.
This was at the very beginning of the festival. The barn filled up really fast and we figured that we ended up with about 500 people coming in throughout the day.

This is some of the YAMs getting tuned up on the back porch. There was also a funnel cake man in the corner (that is the reason for the tables).I love this picture of Gabe.
This is our group of elementary school YAMs. There is also a smaller group called the YAM band that does all the performance outside our area. Gabe is the band and the even smaller group that they take other places.

A few more pictures of my favorite YAM.
There was also a tribute to two of the instructors, Dan and Normah. The picture that was presented to them was drawn by one of our local art teachers who retired a few years back. You can't tell much about the drawing but it was beautiful.

This little girl, plays the big bass and the guitar and at the moment seems to be Gabe's girlfriend. Although neither of them will admit it. But they won't deny it either.
This was one of the last bands to play and by far my favorite. They are called Tucker's Town (from Hootie and the Blowfish) and were more contemporary. The girl playing the bass is Papa John's granddaughter and she has a beautful voice. I am lookin forward to hearing them again.

We had a very successful day and I was exhausted when I finally made it home. We stayed at the barn for 12 hours on Saturday (this included set up and clean up) but it was well worth it. I haven't heard the final count on how much money we made but I know that it was well over $3000. I finally a bit more rested (after a nap on Monday afternoon) so I'm ready to start planning for next year. More important than the money, was that I made several new friends who will be friends for life (especially Shannon and Kerri.) We are having a big party to celebrate our success on April 19. So there will be more pictures to come.

I'm In A Bloggy Funk

2009-03-30T10:56:00.002-04:00

I am tired and bluegrass is consuming our lives. I will post more about the big festival (which was a huge success). I am waiting on pictures from a bluegrass friend, who takes millions. So I only took about 3. I was very busy and didn't sit down the whole day. But I will give you all the details and tell you all about it soon.
Now back to my funk. I can't seem to get it together to blog. I have lots I want to say. It is just finding the time (with no interruptions). This never happens. We are taking the weekend and going to Savannah (no kids) so maybe when I get back I will be more refreshed and ready to settle into a better routine. Spring Break starts Friday and I am looking forward to that. So just wanted you all to know I haven't forgotten about you we are just very, very busy and I am a little worn down. So pray for me and I promise I will get to the blogging shortly.

Rainy Day and Belated Birthday

2009-03-25T09:37:00.006-04:00

It is pouring rain today and I am making phone calls. I have been working on the bluegrass festival for weeks now and we still don't have enough volunteers. At this point (the festival is Saturday) we will have to make do with what we have and hope for the best. I guess the coordinators will have to take up the slack (unfortunately for me and my family). Anyway, in the middle of all the chaos, I didn't get a chance to post about Maci Clare's second birthday. She turned two on Monday.

My dad insisted she have a Spongebob cake (I hate Spongebob) so he gave that to her on Sunday.She started digging her fingers in the icing as soon as the box was open. This cake was actually 24 cupcakes. Really good to look at but not so good to eat. It was very messy.I couldn't get anyone to cooperate for a picture. Too many goofy faces. But Maci Clare loved the Spongebob.

I made a sheep cake. Much better than Spongebob for a second birthday. We had a little party on Monday night. My parents came and Jim's mom came via video conferencing. It was great that she got to participate even though she is miles and miles away.
I couldn't get this picture to flip but this is Maci Clare blowing out her candles. She blew them out about 6 times because we kept trying to get a picture and she was much too fast for Jim.

Jack grabbed my camera and caught this picture of my dad. It is a little fuzzy but doesn't he look like he is having a good time?

Jack was right on top of Maci Clare while she was opening all her presents so it was hard to get a good one of her.Her face looked like this as she opened every present.
Anyway, it was small and family only but we did have fun even though it was no big deal.
And after two days of partying, she was worn out. So she snuggled down in my bed with her new Dora pjs and it wasn't long before I found her like this.
Happy 2nd Birthday, Baby Girl!

We're Unplugged

2009-03-18T14:00:00.001-04:00

I made a decision that has not been very popular in our house. I have turned off all electronics during the week. No videos, video games, computer or TV. We are at the beginning of the second week of this new rule. And it is great! I kinda lost it and had enough of being ignored because everyone's heads were stuck to screens (which makes me invisible you know.) So I lost it last week and you know what? It is working. We are getting things done that need to be done.
Another great thing that has come from this is PLAY. Can you imagine? Play without any electonics. We have made Lego space ships and even played outside until dark. I am sticking with this rule even through the summer.
Monday, when the kids were out of school, we decided since it was raining to go do something fun. There is a new McDonald's in a neighboring town with a great indoor playground. Being in a different county, those kids had to go to school. We had the whole playground to ourselves. It was great. We played for about an hour and then headed out. On the way home we decided to go check out the World Of Energy. (This is a museum type thing that is at the Nuclear Plant) It was great!

They have a little area just for kids. (This has been recently added. It wasn't there last time we were there.) They had a small table with several activities and 3 video games that related to energy. Jack put together several puzzles. The other three built towers with Brio Blocks.

Then we found this and Zane was totally fascinated.
You can walk through the whole building and you push buttons and it turns on videos and other things and tells you about how the nuclear plant generates power. It started out in a room that looks like you are in space. I couldn't get a good picture. But you get the idea.The little kids would've been bored quickly but we kept moving. Most of the pictures I took turned out pretty blurry because of the crazy lights. It helped that there were not many people there. We had a lot of fun and I got this picture at the end of the walk through tour in front of the fish pond. I love this picture because everyone is smiling. The picture is a little fuzzy but I still like it. We had a fun day with no TV. We did watch "The Secret Life of Bees" on Monday night. This movie was great but not really a kid movie. It was a little deep for the kids. And the language wasn't great either.
To end this post, Iwant to share a short story about Zane and no tv. Zane loves movies and he was probably the one most affected by this unplugging. But I knew that I had made the right decision after Zane told me this.
Zane's friend that he takes guitar lessons with on Thursdays got into some trouble at school last week. His mom chewed him out all the way to guitar and Zane was in the car with them. The mom told her son that he wouldn't be allowed to watch any tv or play any video games for the week. The son was very upset. But Zane, trying to comfort him, said, "It's really not that bad. We don't get to watch tv or play any video games on school days. You can always read a book." So I guess they do get it!

Winner of Giveaway #1

2009-03-18T13:37:00.000-04:00

The winner of the Spring bows is Michelle over at Tiddly Winks. Congratulations, Michelle! Send me your address and I will send you the goods.

Those Naughty Leprechauns!

2009-03-17T21:59:00.004-04:00

We had a visit from a leprechaun last night. I always had leprechauns come to my classroom but never at home. Imagine our surprise when we woke up to a mess in our house. The plan was to catch him in this trap. The kids were really excited as you can see. We put a gold coin on the top so when he reached for it he would fall through the trap door on top.

Unfortunately, we didn't catch him. This is the way he left the house.The couch and chair were turned around. Furniture was flipped over.

And it wasn't just the living room. The kitchen, too.

The table was a mess. There were cookie crumbs everywhere. (We baked oatmeal cookies with green sugar sprinkles.) He left half eaten chocolate and you can't see it in the picture. But he took my decorator gel (green, of course) and wrote "Good Try", Maybe Next Year", "You Can't Catch Me" "Ha Ha" And on the island he wrote "Happy St. Patrick's Day"
Apparently, he fell into our box because the chocolate coin was in there along with several Rolos. The coin had been nibbled so it must have taken him a while to figure out how to get out. But he did it.
I forgot to take a picture of the green water in the toilets. The kids decided that the leprechaun peed in all the toilets (you know they pee green.)
He left a rhyming scavenger hunt and the kids had to follow these balloons to find the treat he left.
And he left the treats in their shoes. The shoes were scattered all over the hall and filled with chocolates.
After we cleaned up the mess, we had green pancakes to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Hope everyone had as much fun as we did.

Giveaway #1

2009-03-12T14:42:00.003-04:00

It is finally here. The first of 2 (maybe more) giveaways. Anyone who has or knows a little girl will love this. I have given bows away before but I decided to do it again. So here is what you get.
Since Spring is just around the corner. This is what I made.
Of course, Maci Clare has one of each too. The yellow and black one is a bumblebee (complete with wings, eyes and antennae) So, go on! Leave me a comment and you will be entered. If you blog about this giveaway, I'll enter your name twice. I am only leaving the comments open until Tuesday morning so hurry and enter. Good luck!

Just Call Me Martha!

2009-03-10T15:13:00.003-04:00

That's right! As in Martha Stewart. Martha has the "cookie of the month" thing and I so did bake cookies from scratch yesterday. It just so happened that I had all the ingredients on hand to make Oatmeal Cookies with Dried Apricots and White Chocolate. Doesn't that sound complicated and impressive and oh, so Martha? And for those of you who know me and know that I only use Pillsbury Ready to Bake, I took a picture. I knew you wouldn't believe me without a picture. So there. And they are so ugly. Just like homemade cookies are supposed to be. So that's what I did yesterday afternoon.

I did make a Publix run with some great deals but I'm too lazy to post it. Just know that I had a $60 total for $40 OOP. WE took a little walk down to the horse barn by our house yesterday. The horses are our closest neighbors. So we went and played with them a little while. It was 87 degrees. Northerners, don't hate me! I'm ready to open the pool now (not to swim but just to relax by the water.)
I had some issues at Walgreen's again this morning. It seems I always have trouble there but I keep going back. They were out of the diapers that I went in to get so I decided to just use my RR on some other things. I bought the Fusion Razor and the Lysol Wipes. My total was $8.90 after coupons. I gave her my $6RR and the register wouldn't accept it. So I just said forget it and gave her a gift card. (because I knew I could use it when I go back to get the diapers and I will push it then.) So then it wouldn't take my gift card. So I just paid the cash and left. I did get another $4RR so when I go back I will have $10 and a gift card. Diapers will be free. And I will push them to use the RRs.
This weekend will be busy again. My boy is going to be on national television. They are filming an episode of Wife Swap at a local farm and the little bluegrass group that played on local tv has been asked to play. So we are headed out to that in the afternoon.
Zane won the Pinewood Derby again so he has the district Derby on Saturday morning. So another busy weekend. I should've posted about Zane but I was cheating on Blogger with Facebook and Facebook got all the attention. So I might just do a Pinewood post later this week.
Now I guess my rambling is through. Aren't you glad?
(If you made it to the end, I promise the giveaway is coming. I'll give you a hint. It is more than one thing and both of the things are things I am making. I just have to finish them. That is why I haven't posted the giveaway yet.)

On My Birthday:

2009-03-06T14:58:00.004-05:00

On my Birthday, I did not:
1. make my bed
2. Clean the kitchen.
3. Cook
4. Shave my legs (just thought I'd throw that one in)
5. Do Laundry

On My Birthday, I did:
1. Feed my kids. (Yes, without cooking)
2. Go out alone with my husband for an hour.
3. Get food poisoning.

You read it right, I think that's what I had.

Now I'm better and this is what I got for my birthday.

My very own Bubble Gum Machine. Unfortunately, the glass globe was broken and we have it taped so we can use it. They are sending me a new one.

And my new Christian version of Pink, Francesca Battistelli. This is a great CD.

Thank you, Jim for the great presents! I love you!

Happy Birthday to ME!

2009-03-04T09:59:00.004-05:00

Today is my birthday. I am 39 years old. Only one year from 40. It seems like yesterday that I was 16 and I always thought people who were 30 were old. Well, guess what? I'm getting old.
Anyway, this morning, Maci Clare and I decided to do a little freebie shopping. And I think we did pretty good.
First we hit CVS. I had to get a prescription filled anyway. (BTW, the prescription was only $3.21, which I could not believe.) So here's what we got:

2 boxes of Glucerna Cereal
1 20 oz. Diet Dr. Pepper
1 box of Carnation Instant Breakfast
1 pkg. Super Sticky Post-its
1 small, compact Tape Dispenser with tape
1 Pentak Pen
1 pkg. of Romance Lotto Cards
Total=$21.10 OOP=$7.85 (really nothing because I used a gift card that was given to me by CVS for a new prescription.) I got $4.99 ECBs back.

Next, we went to Walgreen's. Here's how we did:2 boxes of Fiber One Granola Bars
2 boxes of Starbuck's Chocolate
1 box of envelopes
6 bars of Dove soap
1 bottle of Vaseline Intensive Care Rescue Lotion

TOTAL=$26.12 OOP=$10.55 I got $6 back in RR to use on my next order.
I am going to go back tonight and try to buy some more Starbuck's chocolates, soap, and lotion and maybe granola bars.

Yes, it did finally snow here but we only got about 1 inch. This was a very little amount compared to some places around here (right down the road from here was 3 inches or more.) So there was no school Monday. We didn't play in the snow. The kids didn't seem interested believe it or not and I didn't push it because it would have been really wet and nasty. We did, however, collect snow for my favorite winter treat. SNOW CREAM!

Maci Clare ended up with hers in a cup because she kept trying to tip the bowl up and drink out of it.

Gabe poured tons of chocolate syrup in his (and ruined it in my opinion).Jack is just being goofy!
Zane was too!
This is what it looked like outside so you see I wasn't exaggerating when I said we really didn't get that much snow. I think the kids just enjoyed the peace and rest. We also lost power for quite a while so we had lots of rest time.

I have not forgotten about the giveaway just having a hard time trying to make time to get to it. But I promise it is coming. Jim and I are going to Atlanta on Saturday afternoon and spend the night (another trip to IKEA, YAY!) So I will try to post the giveaway before I leave.

Finally Friday

2009-02-27T12:42:00.004-05:00

It is finally Friday and we are heading into another busy, busy weekend. We have Pinewood Derby races tomorrow and Home Group on Saturday night. We are watching "Fireproof" at HG so I am looking forward to that.
I didn't get to all my goals yesterday and here is the reason. I started working, yes, "working" my way through The House That Cleans Itself (HTCI). I really like it but I am not putting everything into practice. I am using this book as a Reference book and making lots of notes in it and highlighting all kinds of things. I already have some systems at work (even though they are fairly new they are working) and I'm not willing to change that. However, there are other areas (so many other areas) that need work.
So I learned that yesterday my Home Base Zone is my kitchen. The kitchen's cleaniliness is not only important to me in my home, it is also important to me in other people's home. Especially if I am eating what you cook in your kitchen. If your kitchen is nasty, I'm not going to eat what you cook. So I decided to tackle that and yes, it is shiny and clean. The Home Base Zone or HBZ is the place in your home that when it is dirty you feel irritation and stress and when it is clean and organized you feel satisfaction. That for me is more than one area but the one that I feel the most strongly about is my kitchen. So because of this I had already organized and cleaned out everything. So it only took me about 30 minutes to deep clean and re-organize a little bit. The pics I took are fuzzy but you get the idea. (The wooden thing on the stove is a recipe holder that Zane made.) And the books that you see in the corner are library books (cookbooks) that are actually going back soon.Hopefully soon, we can get the phone off the counter too and hang it on the wall somewhere.
This is definitely are trouble spot. The island is a clutter catcher. One day we hope to install a stove with a grill so maybe that will eliminate this problem a little bit.

I also finished my laundry room. In our old house we had a huge laundry room at the back of the house where we piled tons of junk. In this house, we have a tiny laundry room (especially with our HE dryer and washer) that is right in the door we use all the time. I decided some time ago that I would make this the Laundry room/Mud room. I have always wanted a mud room.
So I had Jim build this little bench (which is really a shelf). Underneath are places for laundry baskets that will hold dirty (and sometimes clean) clothes. On top, each child has a basket for shoes. Each basket is labeled with name and picture of child (pictures for the littles that don't know how to read yet.) I am heading to IKEA in a couple of weeks and already have metal hooks picked out for hanging above the baskets for book bags and diaper bags and things like that. In the middle compartment underneath, I have two red buckets with gloves, mittens, and hats. I labeled these with removable labels so they can be re-labeled in the spring and summer to be used for something else. We hung a low rack with pegs to be used for coats so that everyone can grab their own coat when we are headed out the door.
I still have a small bench (the yellow thing next to the washer) so they can sit and put on shoes. The shelf behind it used to be filled to the top with papers and junk that I need to sort through. It now holds my laundry supplies. The cabinet that hangs on the wall is a medicine cabinet in one side and the other two parts hold extra cleaning supplies. On top of this shelf is extra laundry baskets and the cleaning supplies that I use to clean now.
I love it now. It is so much more usable than it has been and the kids are actually using it too. So if they can remember to use it then I have accomplished what I set out to do. I will post more of the things we are working on later.

My Goals

2009-02-26T08:33:00.002-05:00

I have 2 sick kids at home today. Maci Clare is still battling the ear infections plus the antibiotic has caused stomach issues and really bad diaper rash (if it can even be called that). Jack has the stomach thing (or did last night) and unlike most parents if my kid throws up then I keep them home.
So being stuck at home has caused me to create some goals for myself.

1. Clear out the laundry room (that means no clothes and all clothes put away.)
2. Go through all the papers that are lying around and file them/throw them away/put in scrapbooks.
3. Sew for a few minutes.
4. Make a couple pieces of jewelry.

In reality I'm not sure how much I will get to but we will see and I will post pictures of the ones I complete.

Shopping Trips

2009-02-24T17:20:00.002-05:00

Yesterday when Jim got home from work, I immediately left for a quick trip to Publix. It wasn't a great week at Publix and my coupon savings amounted to only about $15. (I guess every little bit helps.) They were out of several things I went for so I thought I would try again today.
While I was in Easley, I decided since it K-Mart was having a spectacular double coupon even (double coupons up to $2), I would check in and see what they had. It turned out to be a great trip.

18 Qt. Rubbermaid Box
Lever 2000 6 pack
Red Turtleneck (for MC)
3 tubes of Colgate Kids Toothpaste
1 Kids Colgate Dora Toothbrush
2 Bags of Ricola Cough Drops
2 Bottles of Gilette Shampoo
2 bottles of Sunsilk Shampoo
2 bottles of Sunsilk Conditioner
2 boxes of Ziploc Sandwich Bags
1 Jumbo Pull ups

Total = $60.96 OOP= $30.12

Then this morning, my 2nd trip to Publix was pretty good.
1 box of NY Garlic Breadsticks
2 bottles of Crisco EVOO
5 cans of Pillsbury Crescents
6 cans of Pillsbury Pizza Crusts
Total= $26..83 OOP = $15.11 Plus, I will send in my receipt for a $10 Publix Gift Card

To make my trip extra special, IHOP is right beside Publix and Maci Clare and I stopped in for free pancakes. YUMMY! And it was to benefit a great cause (Children's Miracle Network).

Parents Just Don't Understand

2009-02-23T13:03:00.002-05:00

Remember the old Fresh Prince song, "Parents Just Don't Understand". This one line has taken on a new meaning for me. Just in the last few months, I have found parents who don't have multiple children have no clue what it is like to be in our shoes. Even if you ask and we try to explain, you laugh it off and say, "Oh, I couldn't do that." or "I don't know how you do that." But then you do not hesitate to tell us what we are doing wrong when we won't do what you think is best for your organization or the activity or cause that you think is most important. Parents of one or two children don't understand that we as parents of more than 2 have to draw the line somewhere. If we don't, we are sacrificing precious time. My view of precious time is time spent with my family, friends and husband. Time on other things is important but not as important as my relationships. So all that being said, I hope you understand when we say "NO" to Cub Scouts every week. And "NO" to more time spent on instruments and band practices. And "NO" to sports that you think my child should be playing because "he is so good". And "NO" to Poker nights with the guys or girls night out when I haven't seen my family all week. So be mad if you want. Say whatever you want about Jim and I. You can even whisper behind my back if you want but we will not sacrifice our marriage and our family because you think these things are best. So next time you feel you need to judge me because I said "NO", try to put yourself in my shoes and then maybe you will be a little more understanding about the word "NO".

My 1 year Bloggiversary-Better Late Than Never

2009-02-21T22:37:00.002-05:00

We just got home after a long day of Scout stuff and errands and all kinds of other things and I forgot that today is my 1 year Bloggiversary.

"Happy Bloggiversary to me, Happy Bloggiversary to me,
Happy Bloggiversary Dear Muddlin'Thru Motherhood.
Happy Bloggiversary to me."

I do have a giveaway coming soon. Just something to get you in the mood for Spring (even though it is supposed to snow tonight). So check back next week and see what it is. (Nothing to do with the Bloggiversary but a giveaway none the less.) I will try to post a few pics in the next few days too. Right now, I am going to relax. It is 10:40pm and it is about that time.

Baking Day

2009-02-20T16:54:00.003-05:00

Today was baking day for me. I have been baking all afternoon. However, none of it will go in the freezer and none of it will be saved for us. It is all going out of the house. First I made 5 Red Velvet Cakes for this: It is a volcano cake. It is 5 layers with chocolate icing and then white icing colored red, orange,and yellow for the lava. I made a whole in the top so we can put a votive candle with dry ice in it so it will smoke tomorrow. The Cub Scouts Blue and Gold Banquet is tomorrow morning and this is the centerpiece for our table. The theme is Jurassic so we are going to put plastic and a few homemade clay dinosaurs around the cake. I think the boys will love it. Especially the smoke.
Then with the left over batter I made a dozen cupcakes for a cake walk. And then I bake peanut butter cookies with kisses in the center to take to the bluegrass jam tonight. So I am through cooking and we are probably headed to eat out. Just because I don't want to cook anything else. TGIF!

I Got It! I Got It! I Got It!

2009-02-18T12:38:00.003-05:00

I am so excited. Everyday after I pick up the boys from school, we stop by the mail box (ours is a mile away from our house so you can't just walk out the front door and pick up the mail.) So Gabe reaches out the window everyday and wrestles the mail out. He is anxiously awaiting a new Harry Potter game for the PC so when he saw the package that was in the box yesterday he started yelling and then Zane joined in. Much to their disappointment, it was for mom. And then I started yelling. This is what I got.
I first heard about this book from Sarah at Life in the Parsonage . She even gave away a copy but unfortunately I didn't win. I requested a copy at the library only to find out that someone had stolen the only copy they had. So I ordered a used copy from Amazon and it came yesterday. I am sooooo excited.
I have been organizing and cleaning out. We are making another trip to IKEA as soon as we can find a time to get to go. I have big plans for my house. It is already getting better. Just with the major clean outs, it is easier to maintain. So that is why I am looking forward to reading this book. Thanks, Sarah for the suggestion.

The Rest of Tuesday's Post! Or Was It Wednesday? Oh well, anyway, here it goes.

2009-02-13T12:25:00.008-05:00

Where did I leave off? Oh yeah, on Monday! What happened was so exciting? Gabe's bluegrass group was chosen to be on the Your Carolina with Jack and Kimberly show. (This is a local show filmed in downtown Greenville for those of you that don't live around here.) We headed out to a final practice on Sunday night and Monday morning was so exciting. We took everyone else to school and me, Gabe, and Maci Clare headed downtown. Now get this, there are 83 YAMs and 9 of them were chosen to be on the show. Gabe just happened to be one of them. They did such a good job. Wait, let me share a few pictures. (You thought you'd get out of it, didn't you?)This one was right when we got there and they were tuning their instruments and getting ready to go.
They wanted everyone on the steps so the camera could get a shot of them when the show came on. I was sitting behind everyone so I couldn't be seen on tv.This is during the commercial break when they were trying to get everyone set up for the segment.I could tell the minute the camera was on by the looks on their faces. Aren't the funny?
The two hosts stepped off the stage and they were off. They did such a good job. They got to play two songs. One as the show was ending. But it was such a great experience. One they'll never forget. If you are interested in watching the segment you can go here and see it. It is worth the 6 minutes it takes to watch it. They sound like pros.
Now the rest of the week has been just as busy but we are finally slowing down. Today will be the end of busy-ness (at least for a couple of days). We really need some down time and Monday is a teacher work day so the kids are out of school. What will we do? Maybe just stay home and do nothing. Zane wants to go skating but I'm not sure we will be that brave. The weather has been great here. The afternoons have been in the high 60's and low 70's (aren't you people from the north jealous?) I can prove how warm it's been. Just look at my kids playing on the deck Wednesday. Jack took his shirt off because he was hot and Maci Clare laid in the sun.

We made these cute Valentine's for eveyone's classes. I thought they turned out pretty good (even though the picture is not that great.). The idea was here and there were so many to choose from we had a hard time. Gabe kept saying, "No, that 's too lovey." Boys!
I am off to set up for two Valentine's parties at the school (I am room mother for Gabe and Zane's classes.) Then off to set up for an after concert party. Then off to a YAMs Benefit concert (Helen White and Wayne Henderson). So it will be late when we get home tonight. Hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's Day!

The Craziness That We Call Life

2009-02-10T15:04:00.006-05:00

These past few days have been the craziest with schedules and activities. Our family has been up to so many things, it is hard to document all of them. It may even take more than one post.
Friday night, the boys went to the circus. They had a wonderful time. The circus hosted a boy scout clinic before the circus started and they got up close and personal.This was by far the favorite of the night. We have looked at this picture and zoomed in on the elephant's mouth a million time. He is feeding the elephant a whole loaf of bread.I had to include this picture because of the expense of it. Jim bought a bag of cotton candy at the circus and it was $12. I could not believe how expensive it was. I have eaten two meals today at McDonald's and it did not cost as much as that one bag of cotton candy. How can you afford to even do anything fun with your family? That is why when momma is along, momma says, "No!" We eat after the circus.
Anyway, Maci Clare and I went to Outback with my mom and dad, went to visit an old friend and stopped for a Hobby Lobby fix.

Saturday morning early, we headed out for Atlanta. If you've been reading my blog for long, you know that I participated in a Mission Trip to the International Village in Atlanta this summer. My dad's church collected school supplies to help one of the missionaries, Cathy Palmer, with some of her ministry activities. Our first stop was to deliver these supplies. If you want to read more about her mission field and the ministry of her family go to her blog.This picture was taken at the Clarkson Community Center where they were having an International Craft Fair. This is the group of kids that we were with.
Our next stop was the CNN building for lunch. (We only went there because of the food court.) Then on to The World Of Coca-Cola. I did not expect this to be fun for the kids but they loved it. There was so much to see and do there. I really didn't take that many pics just because there wasn't much to take pictures of .I love this picture because it was so not posed even though it looks like it. The bear was just messing around with Zane and chewing on his head and I snapped the picture. We had one of Gabe's friends with us that day so Tanner is the kid in the blue shirt to the right of the bear.
I want this chair in my house. All the furniture in the World of Coke was like this. It was funky but very comfy. Jack was sitting in the corner pouting because he didn't want to sit in anyone's lap. Oh well, you can't in 'em all!
After tasting every Coke product known to man, we left and went to IKEA. This was my first visit and I am in love. For all of you that have an IKEA close enough to go all the time, I don't know how you can stick to your budget if you visit there often. We stayed 2 hours and I felt like I still had so much more to see. There will definitely be a trip back there in our near future. We didn't get back home until around 10:30. The kids were exhausted.
Sunday morning the alarm went off too early. But Jim and I had to be at church bright early to work in the 1st grade room so off we went. After 2 services, we met my parents for lunch. By the time we arrived back home it was 3pm. (I am so glad we don't have church on Sunday night and I do not envy those of you who have to go back!) I took a short nap (by accident) and then it was off to an "emergency" practice for the Gabe's little bluegrass band. They were asked to play on Your Carolina with Jack and Kimberly (which is a local tv show) so they had to get in some practice time. We met at the house of the director and they ran through what they were going to play and nailed down all the instructions. We didn't get back home until about 8pm and still had to eat supper.
Now here is where the fun begins. You know what? I think I will leave you hanging until later. Monday was fantastic and I will post more about it tomorrow. Also I got some great deals at Publix I want to share. So I'll post more about all that tomorrow.
And one more thing, here is how the Scrabble tile pendants turned out. This picture is not very good but you can get a good idea of what they look like. The red one in the picture looks like it has some glue or something on it but it doesn't. It was the first one I made and definitely not as good as the other ones I have made since then but I still like it. I love them and I am going to make more when I get time. I have been wearing the black and white one everyday because I love it so much. I also bought some wooden nickels and round wood pieces to make some bigger pendants. I'll let you know how they turn out.

A Juicy Winner

2009-02-04T08:30:00.002-05:00

We randomly (wrote numbers on little pieces of paper and let Maci Clare draw out of a hat) picked a winner. And the winner is...
Sarah bs.webster@
Sarah, I sent you an email. Send me your info as soon as you can. Congratulations!

Random Pictures

2009-02-03T13:11:00.005-05:00

It seems I haven't had a lot to say on my blog lately. Just been posting grocery deals. But today I am going to post some random pictures. (My MIL will love me for that.)
The first picture (don't look if you don't like gross) shows you just how well the potty training is going.I was called in to take a peek at this so I just had to grab my camera. And of course everyone had to come take a look (you know how the boys are).I think this is hilarious because the boys thought the poop floating in the bathtub was great and Maci Clare was trying to look all innocent over there. Those Boys!

This is what Gabe spends his days and nights doing. He is reading the Harry Potter series and can't seem to get enough. He is on the last one now. I don't what he will read next because he will probably think nothing compares. But we'll find something.Jack patiently waits on his dad every afternoon so he can play "Better Batter Baseball". This is his obsession right now along with Game Boy. But he hasn't been outside too much because it has been raining. He is hoping for some time today. Speaking of Jack, after getting him up for school the other morning, this is where I found him. He was curled up on the island in the kitchen on his blanket asleep. When I grabbed my camera, he grabbed his too.

Since I haven't posted too many pics lately, I thought I would add this one. I just think it is funny. After Christmas when we gave the go ahead to eat the gingerbread house, this is what Maci Clare and Jack did.

And I am determined to make some of the Scrabble tile pendants that have become so popular in the bloggy world. So I raided our Scrabble game and I was counting how many I had. I pulled out four at a time and this was the first 4 I pulled out. How ironic is that? The 4 letters that spell my name.
Anyway, I will be randomly pick a winner tonight and let you know who won the juice giveaway tomorrow.

I Love Monday

2009-02-02T14:16:00.003-05:00

Isn't that unusual? But the reason I love Monday is because that is my Publix day. I haven't been in a couple of weeks. Jim went last week but it is just not the same. So here's what I did today at Publix.
Here is the list:
2 Tombstone Pizzas (not pictured)
2 Bird's Eye Voila Meals (not pictured)
4 boxes of Quaker Oatmeal
4 boxes of Wheat Thins
2 Boxes of Keebler Clubhouse Crackers
2 bags of Goldfish
Pam Olive Oil Spray
2 bags of Cheerios Snack Mix
2 bags of Chex Mix
2 boxes of Ziploc Freezer Bags
6 cans of Hunt's tomatoes
2 packs of McCormick Chili Seasoning
4 bottles of Elmer's Glue
Bag of Baby Carrots
2 Lysol Toilet Bowl Cleaners
Publix Special Roast Coffee
2 bags of Pretzel Crisps
2 containers of Sabras Hummus

Total= $63.16 OOP=$36.95
Then of course I had to make time for a quick trip to get my Hobby Lobby fix. I am working on something and if it turns out like I think I'll be posting pictures soon.
***Don't forget about the giveaway. I will choose a winner tomorrow night so make sure you scroll down and leave a comment.

Juicy Giveaway

2009-01-28T06:00:00.001-05:00

I love this juice. MomSelect in conjunction with Welch's sent me a bottle of this awesome juice to try. And I love it. My family guzzled the whole bottle in a day. This juice is a combination of water and juice with no added sugar. I was sent the apple juice and I expected it to be weak because of the water but it was excellent. We loved it and will definitely buy it again. And now for the exciting news. They are giving one lucky reader a chance to win a bottle of this Aqua Juice. So all you have to do is leave a comment on this post and I will randomly choose one winner. Make sure you leave an email so I can contact you to get your info.

It Has Been A Long Day!

2009-01-27T15:46:00.002-05:00

We were back to the doctor this morning (after a night of a screaming Maci Clare). Today was the scheduled re-check for both the little ones. In case I forgot to tell you and I think I did, Maci Clare has been to the doctor twice for the same ear infection. It didn't go away with Amoxicillin (Surprise! Surprise!) and now after 4 days of Omnicef it is still there and has migrated to the other ear as well. So on to our 3rd round of antibiotics. Augmentin (and this medicine has been a killer for us in the past.) I see tubes in the future.
Anyway, Jack cut school and his appointment went fairly well. They have added Singulair as a maintenance medicine for him. And the inhaler as needed.
After the appointment, we decided to go have a little fun. So we went to the mall. We did not shop or walk around. We went straight to the playground in the middle and played for almost an hour then walked right back out. It was fun and free. Then off to CiCi's Pizza for a great, cheap meal. I fed all three of us a pizza buffet for $6.87. I only had to pay for me. And my favorite thing about CiCi's is the cinnamon rolls. They are excellent. Then we had to go to Walmart.
Walmart is a big time Budget Buster for me. But I needed some things there. I ended up with $61 worth of stuff. I was a little perturbed because the cashier didn't send one of my coupons through. (I had a $3 coupon for $4 Cat food.) This seems to happen to me more and more. Next time I go in I am going to just take the cat food back and pay for whatever I need to get with the money they give me back. When they ask me why I am returning it, I'm going to tell them the truth.
I finally broke down and bought the High Efficiency Laundry Detergent. Oh my, but it is expensive. I hate my front loader. It has ruined all of our towels and continues to be a problem with smelly wash loads. If I bring it up Jim goes crazy and acts like a total nut case. So I am going to try the expensive detergent. You know, if you read my blog, I am not used to paying full price for anything and usually do not pay more than $3 or $4 for detergent. The cheapest they had was $10. So it just about killed me to do it but I did. We have tried the stuff you put in your machine for the stinky, wiping the rubber piece off after loads, several kinds of detergent, removing laundry immediately, and nothing seems to work. No one else I know seems to have this problem. I am frustrated (and can't talk about it with my husband) so I am unloading on ya'll. (Sorry!) So this is my last straw. I'm not sure what I will do if this doesn't work. (Possibly get rid of the washer and dryer and try something new. I don't know! If anyone has any suggestions, please, please let me hear them. Or just to know if someone else has this problem or has in the past would be helpful.) There! I think I feel better.
Now I'm home and getting ready to start supper. I am hosting a giveaway tomorrow so come back to see what exciting item I am giving away. And don't forget to tell all your friends.

More Grocery Deals

2009-01-23T13:44:00.002-05:00

Last night we ate at Pizza Inn (for the first time in forever). But after we finished, Jim took the kids home and I went back to Ingles to see what deals I could cash in on. So here it is.

2 boxes of Multigrain Cheerios
2 packets of McCormick's Chili Seasoning
4 cans of French's Fried Onions
1 jar of Morton's Nature's Seasoning
1 jar of Mrs. Dash
1 jar of Season All Seasoning Salt
2 jars of Roasted Red Peppers
2 Cans of Manwich
1 Jar of Duke's Mayonaise
2 boxes of Act II Popcorn
2 boxes of Jolly Time Popcorn
1 bag of Laura Lynn Chips
1 6 pack of Diet Dr. Pepper
1 box of Capri Sun juice boxes
2 containers of Helluva Dip French Onion Dip
2 individual containers of Horizon Organic Vanilla Milk
1 container of Pampers wipes
2 Whiskas Cat Treats
4 Johnson's Buddies Soaps
2 Laura Lynn Frozen Veggie Mix for Soup
Total = $63.15 OOP = $28.19 It would've been $2.83 since cheaper but she didn't scan my free mayo coupon and I just let it go because I was already in the car and I had already saved such a big amount.

Next trip:
I had to just pick up some things for our Home Group meeting but they finally had the Totinos Pizza Rolls in stock so I bought more of those:
4 boxes of Pizza Rolls
2 liter Diet Dr. Pepper
2 bags of fresh organic broccoli
1 box of veggie burgers (organic)
1 lb. of ground chuck
6 boxes of Jiffy cornbread muffin mix
2 Aerosol cans of Cool Whip
Total = $19.63 OOP = $12.43

I had fun doing triple coupons this week. I hope they don't wait quite as long in between this time. This week I've gotta use some RR and ECBs so we'll just wait and see what I can do.

Grocery Shopping Deals

2009-01-21T13:57:00.004-05:00

Last week I did okay at Publix. My total before coupons was $49.90 and OOP was $27.40. I did get a lot of stuff especially snack and lunch stuff but I won't list it all.
Ingles is having triple coupons this week. So I am doing several transactions this week.
My first was on Monday. Here is the deal:
6 cans of Chef Boyardee Ravioli
2 Bags of Wacky Mac
1 box of Quaker Instant Grits (would've bought two more but they only had 1)
2 cans of evaporated milk
2 boxes of Cap'n Crunch P-nut Butter Cereal
4 cans of Hunt's diced tomatoes
1 loaf of Sara Lee White Wheat
2 boxes of Puffs tissues
4 rolls of Bounty Big Roll paper towels
4 boxes of Toaster Studel
3 boxes of Totinos Pizza Rolls (wanted 4 more but they only had one kind and I wanted to have some variety)
2 bags Bird's Eye Steamfresh Sweet Peas
1 box of Fresh Spinach leaves
5 lb. bag of potatoes
2 loaves of French Bread
Total before coupons was $51.96
OOP = $27.76

Today I went back and bought:
2 boxes of Dominos Dark Brown Sugar
4 cans of Carnation Evaporated milk
2 cans of Glory Honey dipped Carrots
2 cans of Veg All Mixed Veggies
2 cans of Rotel
2 Jars of Pimentos
1 container of Almond butter
Dinner Plate (chicken tenders and mac and cheese, which was shared by me and the two little kids and there was enough brought home for someone else to eat.)
1 Diet Mt. Dew (Because I needed something to drink with my meal-we ate at the tables in the deli)
Total before coupons=$24.87
OOP = $15.72
If I had left off the dinner plate, the Mt. Dew, and the Almond Butter it would've only been $8.52

I am definitely going to go back and see what else I can cash in while it is triple coupon week.
Now I am off for a short little date night with my husband. We are taking the kids to church and going to have a cup of coffee.

I've Been Tagged

2009-01-18T20:43:00.004-05:00

I thought this would be kinda fun. I was tagged by Karen and this is what you do. You use the first letter of your name to answer all the questions. It has to be real people you know and you can't use the same thing as the person who sent it to you. So here we go:

WHAT IS YOUR NAME: Tami

BOY NAME: Tim

4 LETTER WORD: talk

GIRL NAME: Tabby

OCCUPATION: teacher

A COLOR: taupe

SOMETHING YOU WEAR: tanktop

BEVERAGE: Tea

FOOD: tilapia

SOMETHING FOUND IN A BATHROOM: toilet

A PLACE : Target

REASON FOR BEING LATE: truck crashed into my car

SOMETHING YOU SHOUT: Take it back!

I'm not tagging anyone but if you play alone leave me a comment and a link so I can look. I am going to try to post some of my grocery deals soon.

The Early Bird Catches The Worm (Or The Snow)

2009-01-18T17:27:00.004-05:00

This morning we woke up to this. I knew as soon as I woke up we would not go to church and I had to wake everyone up. Around here if it snows you have to take advantage of it immediately. You'll see what I mean in a minute. So I went around whispering everyone awake. The total excitement on their little faces as they stared out the window. We waited for an hour or so just because we need a little more snow to be able to play. And the bundled up in our best snow clothes (can you believe us Southern people were actually prepared for snow with snow boots and all?) (I bought 3 ski bibs and several pairs of snow boots last year at thrift stores and they all came in handy today.) The boys bolted out the door before I could get a good picture of them in their snow clothes.Maci Clare loved the snow.

Jack liked to eat the snow. (I tried to make sure it was white.)

And then the fun began:

Snow ball fight!

Zane was having a great time until Gabe busted him in the face with a giant snow ball at 2 feet away.

Jim loved it as much as the kids!

Here is our feeble attempt at a snowman. You can see in this picture that the snow in the South doesn't stick around very long. We played for about 30 or 45 minutes and then it was over. You could hear it begin to melt. So we headed in for hot chocolate.
By 11:30 there was no indication that we even had snow. But it was fun while it lasted.

Just Discovered

2009-01-17T20:15:00.003-05:00

I love the song "Never Let Go" by Jeff Johnson but for some reason had never thought to listen to any of his other music. Go here to his acoustic version.We sing it at church and it is one of my favorites. Now I have discoverd he has all kinds of awesome music. If you let the video play, you can hear more. One of my new favorites is "Ruin Me" These songs are just great praise music.

Don't know why the number one is in this post but I couldn't get it to delete so just ignore it.

Celebrating 2000th post at Thrifty Mommy

2009-01-16T15:02:00.002-05:00

Thrifty Mommy is celebrating their 2000th post with a Clorox giveaway. Go here to see how you can win. And tell everyone about it.

Chasing A UFO

2009-01-15T14:00:00.002-05:00

Last night I sent my whole family to eat supper at church and went to Walmart and Publix to try to get some groceries in this house. I just haven't been shopping as much so my stockpile was no longer a stockpile. Anyway, I made my way through the two stores and was determined to make it back by 8:00 to pick up the kids at church. I was headed home and as soon as I hit the dark mountain road leading home, I saw a huge bright light. At first, I thought airplane. Then I realized it really wasn't moving that fast and it kinda hovering. So I thought helicopter. But as I continued to look, I saw several aiplanes flying above and below it. And it looked so much bigger and brighter. So I watched it for a few minutes and then decided to call my scientific husband, who rushed out on the deck and informed me he could see it too. I thought maybe the reason it was moving was because I was moving. But Jim said no, that it was kinda bouncing. Let me say right off the bat that I do not believe in UFOs so I was throwing out all these logical explanations. Things such as DNR watching a mountain fire (which happens pretty often around here.) Or Sherriff's Department searching for drugs (which happens usually in the fall and during the day.) Or TV helicopter filming something happening like a prison escapee. Anyway, I went and got the kids and told them about it. When we got home, Jim was standing in the driveway waiting with binoculars (we don't have a good telescope). We all get in my car and take off toward the light. We found the perfect spot and looked through the binoculars. It looked like a huge ball of fire. We managed to scare Maci Clare and Jack and Gabe to death with the talk of aliens. So we headed home to google it. What was it?
The only explanation that makes any since (according to Google search and a friend of ours that is into astronomy) is Venus. I thought Jim got pictures but it is only video and I'm not sure it is small enough to download. So if you look outside tonight you should be able to see it for yourself.
Gabe said he couldn't wait to tell his teacher about it. I said, "Oh yeah, great! Now your teachers will think you have crazy UFO chasing parents." So I can't wait to hear what they said to try to cover up their shock at how crazy Gabe and Zane's Mom and Dad are.

Projects and Potty Training

2009-01-14T15:29:00.005-05:00

I hate potty training. I hate the mess and the pain that it is. Maci Clare tells me about every 20 minutes she needs to go potty so we go and take clothes off and get her on and then she does nothing. Only to pee her pants 10 or 15 minutes later. Today I put her diaper back on but she continues to tell me she has to go to the potty. So I just keep chugging along. If it was warmer I would let her run around in just panties but it is pretty chilly right now. I guess I'm just going to have to deal with it for now.
On to other more pleasant things. I am not finished with my bedroom but I am posting pictures anyway. My goal was to make our bedroom ours. No kids stuff. Not even pictures of the kids. I read one time that you should only put pictures of you and your spouse in the bedroom and keep it romantic. So here is what I have finished so far. I have plans for the rest. I just haven't had time to complete them.We painted the wall red over Christmas break. It was an ugly mauve color (can you say 80's?), which my husband actually said he liked. (Roll eyes here!) Anyway, he was way unsure of the color but quickly obliged me and now he loves it. These Live, Love, Laugh, Dream things came from Thirty One. I loved them from the moment I saw them and knew I had to have them.

This gooseneck rocker belonged to my grandma and it has always been in my bedroom. The little table was refinished by Jim and I after we were married to use as an endtable in our living room. I can't bear to get rid of it because it is one of the first pieces of furniture we owned. My wedding picture is waiting behind the chair for a new black frame and will go up beside the words. The round boxes were actually Christmas boxes from Hobby Lobby that were 66% off after Christmas. Jim spray painted the bottoms black (they were blue with Merry Christmas all over them.) And we left the tops alone. The look better in the picture than they look in real life. But you can't tell unless you are really close to them.
I bought these wall sconces at our local flea market for $5 each. They are Southern Living Home so the actual cost was probably high. They were still in the packages they came in . The top opens up so you can put flowers in them but I am not a plastic flower kind of girl so I am using them as shelves. Jim gave me this frame for Christmas. I saw it in Hobby Lobby and wanted it before Christmas. He went back and bought it for me. It says "Life is not measured by the breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away." Right now it has the three pictures that came in it still in it. I am going to put black and white pictures of us in it. We may have to get some made. I know I said I hate plastic flowers but the ones you see in the picture are the silk flowers that I carried in my wedding. So I can't get rid of those. This picture is just a cheap black frame with 2 pieces of scrapbook paper in it. I loved the black paper but because you could see through it, I had to back it with red. Now for my very favorite thing in the room.This old window came out of the very first house we owned. I took the glass out of it and spray painted it black. I then took one of the white letters from Hobby Lobby ($1.50 when wall decor was 50% off.) and mod podged it with scrapbooking paper. I hung the letter and 3 5x7 frames by black ribbon. The frame on the left is my bridal portrait. The one on the right is a picture of Jim posing in this tux at our wedding. In the middle I will put a recent picture of Jim and I. The iron thing over the window was bought at a yard sale for .25 and I spray painted it white. (It was an ugly cream color.) This whole thing hangs over my bed.This is our new comforter and shams. I will add some pillows. I want to find some red and prints that match everything else. We still have a few things to do but for the most part this is the look that I wanted. Now we are going to work on our bathroom. It is pretty ugly too. But it won't be for long.

Scripture

2009-01-11T09:02:00.003-05:00

I Can Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me.
Phil.4:13

Reading this earlier reminded me that no matter how much or what I have to do, I can do it with God. Sometimes I feel a little overwhelmed and stressed ou. I need a gentle reminder that I can do all the things I need to do as long as I know and stay close to the One who gives me strength.

For the Last Time, Please!

2009-01-10T19:48:00.002-05:00

I have the stomach thing again. This is the third time since Thanksgiving. Last night was a fundraising supper for the YAMs (the bluegrass group). I wasn't scheduled for it but was asked to help because 3 of the 5 team members bailed. Yep, that is usually what happens. Anyway, it turned out okay but I think it is a waste of time because we are not making enough money to work this hard. But that is another issue.
Anway, I was fine and this morning I got up and had my coffee and around 11:00am it hit me. So I have wasted yet another day lying on the bed. My dad took the 3 boys to lunch and they are still with him. Jack is gone to a birthday party thanks to my mom. And Maci Clare and Jim went to home group tonight. I really wanted to go but I just don't feel like it. I am still week but feel better than I did this afternoon.
To change the subject, we are in the middle of the last potty training adventure. I am sad but also excited. We have been buying diapers for over 10 years now. Maci Clare is loving her new "big girl panties". She wore panties all day today and did not have one accident. I just can't imagine it being that easy but we will see what is to come. She loves going to the potty and her favorite thing is to flush. So hopefully things will continue to go this smooth.
I am scheduled to teach tomorrow at church so I better get going on my lesson. I hope I feel 100% tomorrow so I can conquer the pile of laundry in my laundry room.

I'm not Ready

2009-01-09T13:50:00.002-05:00

I'm just not ready to post anything substantial yet. I have all these thoughts (and post ideas) and I can't quite get it together. I have not used my camera since Christmas. Jim hauled off a load of clothes from my side of the closet two days ago. This picture does not do this justice. Because I had so much stuffed inside those bags and boxes. But you get the idea. How can one person have so many clothes? And I'm not finished. That was just the closet. I have now conquered my dresser drawers and my shoes and these things are waiting patiently to be delivered to the thrift store. I am hoping to get some pictures of my new and improved bedroom soon. I want to share my accomplishments. With every piece I get rid of, I feel as if a burden is being lifted. My goal is still to SIMPLIFY.

Getting Back To Normal

2009-01-07T13:13:00.004-05:00

But really! What is normal? Well, normal around here is kids back in school and my routine back up and running. Can't you see my Meez in my sidebar doing the "kids are back in school" dance. I have been kinda sporadic in posting lately just because I'm trying to limit my time on the computer. I feel like I can easily waste lots of valuable time. I have been keeping up with most of you during the holidays because that is the one thing I can't quit. I can't quit reading blogs. I have to know what you are posting. So hopefully I will be back in the groove of normal posting along with my normal routine soon.
BTW, my sister in law, Marian, has finally started a blog. So go here and show her some bloggy love.

SIMPLIFY

2009-01-06T15:29:00.001-05:00

I am in the process of cleaning out everything. I can't remember if I said it but my goal for 2009 is to SIMPLIFY! And that's just what I am doing. Today I worked in my bedroom. Over the holidays, we painted and re-decorated and I want things to look sleek and new. So I am getting rid of everthing. Right now I have a huge load to take to Goodwill or wherever. And it is just clothes. I still have some things to go through. I am headed to go through some more of my closet. I've decided to try to finish the clothes tonight and dump them tomorrow. I'll post pictures as soon as I have some worth posting.

I'm Finaally Getting On Board

2009-01-02T13:29:00.007-05:00

Pictures to highlight 2008. Jules over at The Roost hosted this New Year's Party and I had to get in on it. It is only supposed to be 10 but I just couldn't stop at 10. There's only 13 so I only missed it by 3. So here are my pics.

Jim and my mom taking advantgae of our first and only snow of the year. (I should say once every 3 years we get one like this.) But we do take advantage of what little we get. All you northerners can go ahead and laugh because this is the way I like it.
A addition to our family. Welcome, Lucy!We celebrated 100 years with Jim's Grandma MaxineMaci Clare turns one. Boo Hoo!
Installation of the in ground pool.
Addition of Baby Tess to our family.

Zane earns his Tiger Cub badge.

Gabe learns to play fiddle.

A trip to Dollywood with our Mid-Western cousins.

Jack started Preschool

Time alone at the beach

Thanksgiving trip to Disney World

Christmas with my children.

Happy 2009!

What Are We Doing?

2009-01-01T23:08:00.002-05:00

What have we been doing that I can't get back to my blog? We are doing a little remodeling. Nothing major! Just paint and a couple of new pieces of furniture. I will have pictures up soon. But we are overhauling and my goal for 2009 is "Simplify". So that's what we're working on. And I promise I'll be back with loads of pictures. So be patient.

Wonderful, Relaxing Christmas

2008-12-26T21:06:00.002-05:00

We had a wonderful, relaxing Christmas. Jim bought me way too much (as usual). In fact, I am ini the process of figuring out everything on my new laptop. I am so excited to have this awesome gift. Now I can take all of you with me everywhere I go. Santa brought Gabe and Zane a Nintendo DS each. So Gabe and I have decided we need to go hang out at Starbuck's with my laptop and his DS. Just because we can.
Jack got 2 new pieces to his Geo Trax. He was so excited he jumped up and down. Maci Clare got a Bye-Bye Chou Chou baby and a stroller. She has been pushing her baby around the living room. She also got Tinkerbell. We've watched it 4 times already.
My friend, Belinda, (who I haven't seen in forever and I am making it a point to call her and drop by one day after the kids get back in school), made me a beautiful bracelet with all the kids' names on it. I love it. She made me one with the 3 boys and I gave it back to her to add Maci Clare's name and we just never got around to it. Jim called and she fixed it up for me. It was in my stocking. It is my favorite gift.
I also got a Pink CD in my stocking. I love Pink. I did get the clean version of Funhouse so I can listen to it and not worry about what the kids are listening to.
My mom and dad and grandma spent the afternoon with us. My mom cooked lunch and brought it all to my house so that the kids could stay with their toys. My mom is awesome like that. The 3 boys went home with my parents last night and Jim and I watched Hancock. We also had the 1st 3 shows in the first season of Weeds. Have you seen this show? OMG, it is pretty vulgar but you just have to keep watching to see what happens. Anyway, I'm going to try to post a picture of my bracelet when I figure this laptop thing out. I want everyone to see how talented Belinda is. But she just refuses to sell her stuff. She has 6 kids and I think she just doesn't want another thing to think about. But she makes beautiful jewelry and she enjoys doing it for her and her friends. Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas. We sure did!

Twas The Night Before Christmas...

2008-12-24T10:40:00.004-05:00

And everything is finally ready. (Except I have to clean up a little bit today.) But my presents are wrapped and ready for tomorrow. Jim made the comment that he thought we were going light this year, But as you can see that is very hard for me to do.

I also finally put my Nativity up. I have more than one but this is my big one. The lights look funky in this picture but it is really pretty. Now I am wishing for the Willow Tree one. I think I'm going to just start buying one piece a year until I have the whole thing.

I usually add a decoration every year. This year I didn't think I would have time to get a new one but I found this beautiful angel at Mast General Store Friday night when Jim and I were downtown. I loved her and she was 50% off making her only $5 so I knew she was coming home with us.

We made a Ginger Bread house the other night. In all its imperfection I sill love it because it was decorated by my family.
Lots of the candy went in to Maci Clare's mouth but we still had enough to finish it.
Here is the finished product. The kids were very proud. But Maci Clare keeps sneaking up on a stool to steal candy off of the roof. So we are left with one side bare now.
We decorated Jim's bald head and nose too. Jack thought it was funny to lick the icing off of Jim so I snapped this quick picture. We really had fun.
Now we are just waiting on Santa and tracking his progress at Norad.
We are headed to church for a 4pm Christmas Eve service. We are going to the nursing home to see my grandma (and deliver some packages to those ladies that don't really have family), then back home for grilled hamburgers and Santa tracking. Hope you all have a Merry Christmas and I'll be checking back in sometime this weekend.

The Verdict

2008-12-18T23:14:00.003-05:00

Okay! We finally know what is wrong with Gabe. He has an ear infection and, get this, Walking Pneumonia. Now we know why he felt so rotten. Thank God we have an antibiotic. Hopefully this is the end and we will be well for a while. He was not happy to go back to the doctor but I was very relieved to find out what was wrong for all these days. Now Jim and I are headed out tomorrow and get things wrapped up. My mom is going to babysit and even volunteered to spend the night if we wanted to stay out late and do something.
I have baked 120 cookies in the last 2 days. I decorated 55 or them tonight. 35 of the decorated ones are going to Gabe's class. 20 are going to Jack's class. The ones I didn't decorate are going to Zane's class along with icing, chocolate chips, sprinkles and marshmallows and they will decorate their own. Tomorrow is Polar Express Day(which I hate because I'm sick of the movie and I know the kids are sick of it.) But anyway they are having hot chocolate and cookies. Easy enough and would've been easier except for all the sickness. Jack's class is having a birthday party for Jesus and they are doing McDonald's Happy Meals. They will all start Christmas break tomorrow afternoon. The big boys get out at 11 and Jack gets out at 12 and we finally have a break.

Gabe had a little concert tonight and he and another kid played The Arkansas Traveler. He did a good job. I have a video but it is so big I'm having problems uploading it. I'll try again later because he really sounded good tonight.

BTW, Gabe has lost 6 pounds since last Thursday. I told you the quickest way to lose weight is to get sick. I am going to try to post a couple of videos throughout the weekend of the Christmas programs that we have been to this year. Most of you will probably get sick of seeing my kids performing but bear with me. This is for my MIL because she is so far away.

Here Again!

2008-12-18T13:24:00.002-05:00

This morning, Gabe is still sick. He just can't seem to shake this stuff. So we are headed back to the doctor this afternoon. He went to school about 11:30 to try to take the last 2 tests he has to make up. He has a fiddle/mandolin duet with another kid tonight at the concert at school. So he is going to stay for about 10 minutes after school to practice and then we are headed to Greenville for the third time. He doesn't know it yet. So needless to say, I still don't have everything done. I am working on clearing out my laundry room and laundry baskets full of clean clothes.
Last night as I was still trying to do some internet shopping the power went out. It was pitch black in here and I couldn't see anything. I woke Jim up and he got up and found candles and went to check on kids. So while the power was out, I ate a bowl of cereal and tried to read a little. but then the flashlight I was using went dead and so I just went to sleep. I am going to try again tomorrow. Oh well, maybe I'll have something a little more positive to say on my next post.

How Did I Get To This Point?

2008-12-17T15:31:00.002-05:00

4 kids at home this morning! Yes! 4 kids at home this morning! Yesterday, Gabe started to come out of his funk. So, we worked on a little school work and studied for the many, many tests he has to make up. At about 4:00, when I asked Zane to start his homework, he started to cry and say his stomach hurt. Well, this being his standard excuse and me being the horrible mother I am, said, "Oh, just go do your homework. You're not sick." When Jim came home 15 minutes later, Maci Clare and I headed to Walmart for the rest of the stuff for the school parties that I am in charge of. At around 6:00, when I called, Zane had just thrown up all over the couch and floor. So much for getting over the sickness. He proceeded to throw up for the next several hours. Not just throw up but throw up accompanied by screams and cries. (Zane never throws up so I guess it caught him a little off guard to feel like that.) Jim headed out to the Cub Scout party when I got home and the rest is history. So this morning, everyone stayed home.
Gabe went to school about 12 and is feeling much better than he has in days. Zane is now eating and normal again. And so far (I'm keeping my fingers crossed and sending lots of prayers heavenward) no one else is sick.
Tomorrow, I will be free to try to get some stuff done. Then Friday, Christmas break starts.

Another Monday

2008-12-15T21:58:00.000-05:00

It was another very rainy Monday. Gabe is still at home running a high fever and can't seem to get moving. He is coughing and throwing up. Needless to say, we are headed back to the doctor tomorrow. I wanted to try to get some shopping done today. So where did I go? The internet. I got quite a bit bought but I don't usually shop on the internet and it was very frustrating to me. I probably will avoid this unless it is a necessity next time. I am going to try to get a few more things done. You know, Santa brings all the presents so the parents don't really have to do that much. I am getting a little stressed this close to Christmas and everyone keeps getting sick. Oh well, it will be alright I'm sure.

A Shepherd with No Sheep

2008-12-15T07:13:00.003-05:00

Yesterday as I was getting Jack ready for the church Christmas program, he looked at me with his big eyes and said, "I can't be a shepherd today." I thought to myself, "Oh no, here we go." Last year he was supposed to be a wiseman. He made it to the stage and I was on the floor below him. He turned and took a flying leap right into my lap. So I just pictured the flying leap without me sitting below to catch him. So I bravely said, "Why not?" And he quietly said (with a little panic in his tiny voice), "I not have any sheep." So what is a mother to do when her shepherd boy has no sheep? Take two stuffed sheep. He was perfect.

This is Ridiculous

2008-12-13T11:57:00.002-05:00

What is going on in The Sickels' house? Yesterday, I got up to wake Jack and Zane up for school and Jim was laying in the middle of the living floor under a pile of blankets. He was running a fever of 101.5. No work for him. Gabe is still running a fever and went back to the doctor this morning. They gave him more medicine and hopefully he will be able to participate in his Christmas program in the morning.
And now for the real kicker! When I got home from taking the boys to school, I started throwing up. Yes, can you believe it? Another Stomach Virus. I was so disgusted. So I was in bed all day. I am much better today and Jim is up and moving too. So hopefully the worst of it is over. Now I've got to get busy Christmas shopping. I am not even close to finishing and that is so unlike me. I need to get it in gear and shop, shop, shop!

Another Tree

2008-12-12T18:00:00.000-05:00

This one will be short. I promise. But I just had to share Maci Clare's Christmas tree. Last year, I looked and looked for a pink tree and much to my dismay could not find one. I saw them around Thanksgiving and then they were all gone. I couldn't believe that many people wanted pink trees. So here was my solution.A white tree with pink ornaments. I found all this at Big Lots and the white tree came from Dollar General. I couldn't resist.It is looking kinda rough right now because Maci Clare un-decorates it as often as she can. I love this tree and to top it. What else?A Princess Tiara

A Few Of My Favorite Ornaments

2008-12-11T19:07:00.004-05:00

Finally, I am putting up a Christmas post. I love my Christmas tree every year because every ornament on it is special. Each ornament has meaning. We do not do fancy, themed trees. The theme of my tree is family and friends. Because that is where each ornament came from. I wish that I could show you every one but I know you quickly bore. Some of the pictures are dark but you can get the idea. So here are just a few of my favorites and why they are so special.
The first a close friend of mine gave to me. It is a pig (I used to collect them) with wings sticking out of a Christmas stocking. It is made from Georgia Clay. And it has a little story to go with it about the Pig Angel.
The next one is a cute Santa with movable legs and arms. I love this ornament just because I think it is so cute. It was given to me by my mother-in-law.The first year we were married, we needed Christmas ornaments. So we drove around and everywhere we went, I would pick up cheap ornaments. This was one of them. I love it because it is just a Christmas ball but it has a picture of Santa kneeling at the manger.
Another pig that I actually bought just because she was handmade and oh so sweet. She is an angel. Jim hates this ornament.I have several teacher ornaments but I love this one. It has my name, the child's name, and the name of the school where I taught.
I threw this one in because we look like babies. It was our first Christmas together and we spent it alone. We lived far from our family and decided to stay put. It was awesome to get to spend that first Christmas together.
This one is my favorite. I bought it last year less than a mile from my house at a little gift shop that is hooked on to a convenience store. I love the message. I know you can't see it but it says,"Who else would think of sending a message and wrapping it in swaddling clothes."

Now here is the whole tree.
My tree topper is very simple. It is a handmade angel that my mom bought me at a craft fair a long time ago. She sits on a marble top table all year in my living room and at Christmas she goes on top of the tree. I stick lights around her because she doesn't light up. Sometimes I wish I had something else but I can't find anything that I like better. I think she is so pretty and so simple for our special tree.
Like I said, I have lots and lots of ornaments. Some made by my kids and all very special. All of my kids' "Baby's First Christmas" ornaments are on it too. But I couldn't pick just one. So there you have it. My shabby but beautiful Christmas tree.

A Little Motivation, Please

2008-12-11T14:15:00.002-05:00

I needed a good kick in the pants to get motivated for Christmas and after reading several blogs and looking at beautiful Christmas decorations, I may finally be getting there. I can't say that I'm in the mood yet. But I better get there in a hurry. Gabe and Zane are counting down everyday. So I will share some of my Christmas stuff a little later. (I hope tonight if things settle down a little.)
Gabe went to the doctor this morning. They say it is a virus. They checked his blood count for pneumonia and did a flu test. And both were fine. So now we're just waiting it out. No medicine except something to control the cough a little. So maybe tomorrow he will feel a little better. We came back by Ingles and rented Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Fred Claus, and Wall-E. So at least he won't be quite so bored. I'll share pics later.

A Rainy, Yucky Day

2008-12-10T18:55:00.005-05:00

Gabe is still home sick. His temp is still 103 so tomorrow we will probably just head to the doctor. I don't really think they will give him medicine. But we really need a doctor's excuse for school. He really doesn't need to miss these last few days before Christmas but he doesn't have a choice.
Anyway, my dad wanted to get out of his house today (the cleaning lady came and he doesn't like to be there) So he came here and stayed with Gabe. Maci Clare and I headed out. Our first stop was Dunkin' Donuts for a quick, unhealthy breakfast. She wanted a doughnut so I got one too. Toasted Coconut. DELICIOUS! Then it was off to Walmart to try to find some of Jim's Christmas list. No luck. I bought him one thing. It was not even on his list. Oh well, I'll get there one of these days.
Our next stop was my very favorite thrift store.
We found a few good things.

An American Girl Family Album (hardback book for filling in some Grandma and mom stories for a girl.)
A Spiderwick Chronicles book
A Wiggles Song Book that really plays 6 of the Wiggles Songs
Guess How Much I Love You Board Book
A paperback copy of Blueberries For Sal
I paid 10 cents each for these books.

Then I bought The Brethren by Beverly Lewis
And 5 books by Wanda E. Brunstetter ( a couple in the Daughters of Lancaster series and 3 in the Brides of Lancaster series)
These were .25 each.

All these clothes were $1 each. Can't beat the prices.
This was too cute to pass up even though it is a Cherokee brand (probably from Target.)

These pants are Gap and size 2T (too big for MC now but she'll grow into them.)

They have this cute little horse head hanging from the belt loop.This is a Gymboree dress shirt that I found for Jack.
We love Spongebob and pajamas for a$1? Can't pass that up.

This Nautica Sweatshirt is Gabe's size but it looks a little small. He hasn't tried it on but if it is too little, Zane will get it. (He will get eventually anyway.)
So it was a pretty good trip. Now I guess we will head to Greenville to the doctor tomorrow. I'll let you know what they say when we are back.

Walgreen's and CVS Trip

2008-12-09T12:59:00.002-05:00

This morning, I decided to make a Walgreen's run before I picked Jack up. Here is the deal.

2 3 packs of Scotch Gift Wrap Tape
2 packs of Reynold's Wrap Aluminum Foil
3 2 packs of Sharpie Markers
3 packs of gift Tissue (24 sheets)
6 plastic light organizers (we needed these bad)
3 packs of plastic cutlery
2 dozen eggs
1 pack toothpicks (250)
Total = $12.88
I will get a $2 rebate on the tape and the aluminum foil was free because it was on sale for .99 and I had 2 $1 coupons.
I also bought a 1.5 quart crock pot. She forgot to charge me for it and when I realized it, I went back in and paid for it. I got a $3 RR. So it was really only $6.99.

Then we headed over to CVS. I bought:
6 bags of Hershey's Bliss Candy
2 bags of Hershey's Kisses
2 Vitamin Waters
1 Powerade.
Total was 28.80 and I paid $14 for all of it. I paid with the $25 gift card which didn't cost me anything. And I got back $11.49 ECBs. I will go tomorrow and use these to buy diapers.

All in all, a pretty good shopping day.

Tonight is Jack's school Christmas program. Maci Clare has been throwing up today (because of drainage). Gabe came home from school about 12 with chills, fever, sore throat, and a terrible cough.
Jim's comment: "Maybe we're getting it over with before Christmas."
I sure hope so.

A Belated Birthday Wish

2008-12-08T15:44:00.004-05:00

To my wonderful husband. I really didn't forget his birthday. We had a big bonfire/party and I spent every minute getting it all together. So now I have a little spare time to sit down and show you our party. We had so much fun. We really weren't calling it a birthday party. We usually have a bonfire in the fall and this year there just wasn't enough time.
A lot of guys from Jim's job were invited and all but one came. Of course, the men stayed outside by the fire while the women huddled in the kitchen. I had to force myself to go out in the 29 degree weather to get these pictures. But I did not stay out long. It was actually warm by the fire.
This picture is a little funky because of the fire fumes. This is Joe and his wife Crystal and Steve. They all work with Jim.Jim was nice and toasty. Chris is the one sitting beside Jim. He is an intern and he is graduating and has accepted a job back where his parents live. He was funny. Notice he has on flip flops. Needless to say, he came and huddled in the kitchen after a short time. Beside Chris is Don, Jim's boss and then Brett. Brett used to work with them but went to another company.
This is another guy that works with Jim. His name is Kevin and he came alone. His wife didn't want to come out and freeze her rear end off.
Zane loves fire and stayed outside until it was time for him to go bed. He kept a stick in his hand the whole time.

Jack was in and out. When he was out, Lucy wouldn't leave him alone. But he didn't seem to mind.Brad is one of our best friends. Of course what is a bonfire, without marshamallows and hot dogs.

Hunter played on Zane's football team. His mom and dad are new friends and I'm so glad they got to come.

Now if you are offended by boobs, do not go any further. I made this cake for Jim. I thought it turned out pretty cute. But no one even took a bite. So we have it in the freezer.

There were not very many pictures of the girls. I'm not sure why I didn't take them but Jim's friend, Connie (who is Swedish) took a couple. Here is one of them.

We had good food and good friends and we had a really good time. We are trying to plan another one after Christmas and hopefully the people who didn't get to come, will get to come in January when things are not quite so busy.
Jim, I'm not sure I even told you Happy Birthday because I was so busy. So Happy Belated Birthday and I love you!

Today

2008-12-04T12:43:00.003-05:00

Creative title, huh? Anyway, tomorrow is Jim's birthday and we are planning a big bonfire/party. My time line for getting ready is all screwed up. Guess who is home sick today? JIM! He came home about 10:30 and is in the bed with stomach issues (not sure what because he won't elaborate) and I think he is feverish. So I'm blogging and reading email and playing a little blog catch up reading right now. But soon, I will have to revise my plan and get something done.

Magic Kingdom

2008-12-03T13:34:00.008-05:00

And it was truly magical. We had a great day . As we were going in, I stuck my camera out of the sunroof and this is the picture I took.

When we made it to the monorail, we asked the little guy standing there if we could ride with the driver. So me and the boys got to ride up front.Jack was not at all thrilled to be there. Can't you tell? But after we got going he was better. I thought it was pretty fun.The driver was so nice and this is the view out the front window.You can't go to Disney and not take a picture in front of the flowers shaped like Mickey. Unfortunately, I look pregnant in this picture. Oh well, I'm not!
As you are walking down main street, Cinderella's castle looms ahead. I just love that castle.
Since the kids weren't really into the characters, I didn't take very many pictures. In fact, the only character I even got close enough to to take a picture was Scrooge McDuck.

Maci Clare and Jack wanted to look but no way were they going close enough to touch. They really like It's A Small World. That was always my favorite when I was little. I had a vinyl 45 record of that song that I practically wore out.
Jack barely made the 40 inch requirement to ride some of the milder thrill rides. So he did get to ride Thunder Mtn. Railroad (a roller coaster)
He loved it! Looks like my mom did too.
This guy was walking around the park wearing these pink mouse ears. He turned around at one point and said, "My daughter won't wear this and I paid $16 for it. Somebody's gotta wear it." I just thought that was a perfect Disney moment. Everything is soooo expensive.
We didn't go to any parades but we wanted to be sure we made it for the fireworks and Tinkerbell's descent.
This was Maci Clare watching the fireworks and here is why she looks like that.
Not only was the castle lit up with different colors, there was also lights draped over it. It was so pretty.

The little light spot is Tinkerbell. I couldn't get one better than this. But you get the idea how far up she was.

These pictures are a lot better when you can see them big. But I just wanted to share so you know that the fireworks are well worth staying late in the park.
We fought our way to the gate after that. It took us about 45 minutes to get out and get to our car but we had a great time.
Thursday night Jim and I took the boys to Downtown Disney because they had heard about LegoWorld. It was something to see. That was the only place we went but I took quite a few pictures of the things made of legos. This is the Loch Ness Monster. He was built in the water and I just couldn't get a great picture. I think he was my favorite Lego Creation.

There was a family made of Legos. A mom and dad (both holding cameras) and 2 or 3 kids holding leashes to which these dogs were attached.

And if your kids are scared of Santa, why not take a picture with Lego Santa? My boys loved the lego stuff and spent quite some time in the store.
You guys know what happened the next morning so I won't tell you again. But we did have a wonderful time. No matter how crowded I would recommend this experience to anyone.

Finally! A Minute To Post!

2008-12-02T20:36:00.007-05:00

I have not had 2 minutes in the last two days to get to spend some time with my friend, the computer. Zane has bronchitis and had to go to the doctor yesterday and I had an orthodontist appointment and today has been run here and run there so finally! I can take a deep breath and post a few pictures of Florida. Sunny Florida, how I miss you! Anyway, on with the post.

We made to Orlando on Saturday night and decided to just chill out on Sunday. Chill out to me was a trip to the best outlets in the world. They even had a Victoria's Secrets outlet with panties 10 for $30 and bras for 9.99 and under. It was awesome.

Gabe's birthday was on Monday so we celebrated on Sunday night since we were going to head out early on Monday.. I baked brownies and we put candles in. We let him open his presents. He only asked for a pair of Georgia Boots, a Clemson Sweatshirt and a new football. How much easier can you get than that. My mom and dad got him the football and gave him some money to spend (he saved it).
Jack put on his boots and modeled them for us.

Monday we headed to Animal Kingdom. There was a crowd but nothing like it could've been. We went for the 2 big rides first. The Safari and Expedition Everest. The longest we waited on anything was 30 minutes. So we thought that was great.
We went to Animal Kingdom a couple of years ago and it was pretty much the same. This time Jack was old enough to enjoy everything. I really didn't take that many pictures. The two little ones were scared of all the characters so we didn't pursue that whole deal (which saved a lot of time.) And there just wasn't that much to take pictures of. We did get our picture made in front of Mt. Everest but the guy who took it (a guy who worked at AK taking pictures) didn't use the zoom so I don't think it is that great. The tall guy with the Elvis glasses and hair is my "little" brother, Chris. He is ten years younger than I am and soooo much fun. The other two are my mom and dad.

This was actually standing in line at the Everest ride. My dad even rode. He was brave. It was a lot of fun and I think it is by far one of the best coasters I've ever ridden. (Which is probably not saying much)This is right before the roller coaster took off.

After that, we went over to the Triceratops ride (like the Dumbo ride). I can't ride anything that goes round and round so I sat that one out. This is the picture I got from Jim. Oh well, better than nothing and at least it shows Maci Clare and Jack having fun.Toward the end of the day, we got on the train to Rafiki's Planet Watch. I snapped this picture before jumping on. Rafiki's Planet Watch is really just a petting zoo with a couple of llamas and lots of goats. We didn't stay there long but it was long enough to get a picture with Jiminy Cricket. He was the only character we took a picture with the whole trip and you can see Maci Clare was thrilled.Chris jumped in and got his picture made too. I love it!
Chris and my dad had made plans to go to an Orlando Magic Basketball game on Monday night so they headed out about 5:00. We headed to the Festival of the Lion King show. It was great. We loved it. After that we headed back to the hotel and ate supper. We didn't eat in the Animal Kingdom at all because I packed lots of food to take in with us.
The next day, my mom took the boys to the pool and we just relaxed. We decided to do Thanksgiving on Tuesday night because we weren't sure what our plans would be. So that's just what we did. We had turkey, dressing, broccoli casserole, green beans, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce (fresh), and biscuits. Have you figured out that we didn't really stay in a hotel? We stayed in a condo. It was very nice. I wish that I had taken more pictures of the place we stayed. My mom and dad had their own room with 2 bedrooms which turned out to be more like 2 condos. So Gabe and Zane stayed in their own little condo with kitchen and sitting room and bedroom and bathroom. Jim and I stayed in a one bedroom with the 2 little ones and my brother Chris stayed in a one bedroom. It was great and we had lots of room and a place to cook all our meals. I did take a picture of little Maci Clare in the gigantic bed in our room.
And this was, by far, Jack's favorite place to be.We had a huge hot tub in our rooms.

Jack poured lots of baby soap in the hot tub and this was the result. My brother went and bought them some bubble bath after that.
I guess I'll stop for now, because I have to save Magic Kingdom for another post. It was so much fun and we had a great day with a little mishap that turned out to be great for us (not so much for my mom.) So I finally have a whole day to get some things done tomorrow. Zane is going back to school and I will maybe get a chance to do one more post about our trip. And then I promise I will move on to something else.
By the way, my shopping trip to Publix yesterday was AWESOME! My total was $48.15 and I paid $15. 67 OOP. Can't beat that. I may try to share more about that later.