Valentines Gift Ideas

As I stated yesterday the linking possibility's are endless, so bare with me as I utilize my new found skills will you please.

I just wanted to share with any of you looking for great valentines gift ideas or what to tell your husband you really want, go over to Bonbon Charms and check out the great selection of charms necklaces and bracelets, I found this site from Boo Mama and if you enter in code BOOMAMA you will receive 20% off your entire purchase now through Feb 13.  I got this with Black beads, Daddy said well go on and order it for your valentines gift.

I really want to order myself this shirt to show my love for the best husband in the world.

So those are my gift ideas today and again I am ever so thankful to Stacey for your blog know how!

Happy Mommy

This is not my Husbands Real Hair!

I will start by saying that this is not Happy Daddys new haircut but only a picture of the process of hair cutting and the mohawk was a big hit with the boys!

I love to go on dates with Happy Daddy he is my best friend in the whole world so spending time alone with him is great!  I asked my mom to come and spend the night so she could watch the kids and we could go out to dinner and catch a movie.

We are going to go to Fridays and we have a $1 movie theater here so we will see a second run movie which is just fine with us, I am just to cheap to pay $8.75 per person for a movie that in 8 weeks will show for $1.  I have no idea what we will see yet, maybe Lions for Lambs or 30 Days of Night.  I like a good war movie but I also like scary movies, and with HD (happy Daddy) to protect me from the evil vampires why not...

Back to HD I am so in love with my husband, he grows his facial hair into a beard every winter which is not my favorite thing but he works outside and he is an avid hunter so a beard keeps him warmer, anyway, on Sunday he asked me if I wanted him to cut his hair really short and shave off the beard, I loving to see his face say YES.  

He went and shaved it off all but the goatee he always wears and he trimmed in a very short just following the jaw line , and I am in some serious love with his new look!

I love HD anyone who knows me knows that and I don't hide the fact that I think he is the most handsome man in the world either.  But now with his new style I can't keep my eyes or hands off my husband.  So I decided to work things out so we could go out on the town together!  I can't wait!  So the picture of his hair cutting process is to make you laugh really hard, I wish I had a picture of the finished product but the process was so funny I forgot to take a picture of his hair when it was done...  

By George I Think She's Got It...

So a sister blogger left me a little blog help info.  Lets try it out and see if it works.  I give all the credit to Stacey over at The Truest Thing.  From what I have read Stacey is a Christ follower and a very kind woman to help me with my shame of Linky no knowledge.  Thank you Thank you Thank you!  I will now have no limits Watch out internet here I come!  But if I could just have a pretty signature like the other girls....  There I go, really I need to work on being happy with what I have like linky knowledge!

I must now go and teach some first grade phonics.

Happy Mommy

I Must Admit

Ok, the only child in me just hates and I mean HATES to admit when I don't know how to do something, I normally work my way through or talk my way through but never do I say I can't or I don't know how, and when all else fails I read directions or goggle it or even go to Happy Daddy he like me normally knows a little bit of everything....

But for the life of me I can't figure out how to do a link thingie.  I really wanted to be in the blog carnival going on over at Rocks in my Dryer but I don't know how to do a link back, like it should high light Rocks in my dryer and then you could click it and go right there...

Also I wanted to maybe show you the most beautiful outfit from the gap and I could say look at THIS and when you clicked the word This it would take you right to the gap and show you a really nice skirt or something

I also want to be able while blogging to mention something about a previous blog entry and then you click and go right to that post.

Oh and some bloggers have pretty signatures at the end of each post, I want one too, which is probably also an only child thing.

So Blog Friends help me I must admit I just don't know how to do these things. Help Please.  I really do think knowing how to link might just take me to a whole new blog level the possibility's are endless, my excessive zeal is also an only child thing.

Sound familiar?

12:42 (AM) Daisy comes to our bed with her pillow.

1:15 I move her to the middle of the bed because I hear someone coming down the hall.

1:16 Bo comes to my side of the bed with his pillow.

2:30 I am sweating to death sandwiched in between a hot 2 year old and an even hotter 4 year old who even though he has brought his own pillow has decided to share mine

2:36 (still AM) Luke comes to our bed and squeezes in on Daddy's side

2:45 Daddy takes Luke back to his bed

3:15 Luke comes back

3:30 Daddy takes Luke back to his bed

4:00 Luke comes back (a persistent character can be a plus...  Right?)

4:07 Bo wakes up needing water and his leg hurts he needs chapstick

4:08 I give Bo water and chapstick and Tylenol

4:09 I move Luke into his sleeping bag on our bedroom floor

5:13 I take Bo who is sleeping with his elbow on neck and foot in my spine, back to his bed

5:52 Daisy kicks the covers off and lays on top of them just so I can't get them over my now cold arms

6:00 BEEEEEEEP  BEEEEEEEEEP  BEEEEEEEEP Daddy works on Saturdays and I now want to throw the clock across the room but that might wake these children so I get up and drink coffee....

Sound familiar?

Friday Double Bible Study (say that ten times real fast)

We started out our Friday with my woman's Bible study here at our house at 9am.  With four women we have 11 kids and one very wonderful college student who watches our children so we can have our study.  The book we are reading is called She's Gonna Blow, and it is very enlightening and funny.

We all are getting a great deal from this book, I would recommend all mothers read this.

After group my lovely friend (Above Rubies Wife) stayed on for a wonderful lunch of peanut butter and jelly with steamed broccoli on the side, now you know you are good friends when you can serve Pb&J and will stay anyway...

I love my time with Rubies Wife she is beautiful inside and out.  She is a wonderful mother who is always looking to better herself while giving her children the very best.  She is aspiring to be the wife of Proverbs 31 and doing quite well at it.  She gets up early and feeds her family and she works very hard to open her home to her friends for a weekly Bible study.

She is a few years younger than me and she reminds me often of myself at her age, I then had my first baby and was trying to keep it all together which is really hard to do at the ripe ol' age of 23....  I love her very much and am so blessed with her friendship I really wish all young women had such a heart to please God and serve their family and husbands.  This world would be in a far better place. 

Then we had a really quick dinner and went over to (Above Rubies) house where Daddy leads our couples group.  So we had Friday Double Bible Study.

Today Luke is running a fever with a sore throat and Bo sneezing and Daisy says her ear hurts so all three are somehow someway sick and cranky.  We will not be getting dressed today we will not turn the tv off we will veg out and do nothing while we snuggle and sit by a warm fire.  

I will be trying a new recipe Irish Bacon and Cabbage soup, I will let you know what I think.  

Happy Saturday

Only 19 Days till VACATION

I call it a vacation just a little loosely due to the fact that at the end of our trip Daddy will be undergoing a 4 hour operation on well if you read this blog you know where....

Daddy has started to say things like "Only 19 days till we go and get me cut open" or "Are you sure?" Oh and I love this one "Only 19 days till I get to feel like I got kicked in the ******* by a mule!" I think he is as excited as I am....

I have never been to TX and with Daddy being from Dallas we are really excited.

The boys have a rude awakening though, as we were talking about our trip at dinner last night the boys started talking about what they wanted to do in TX and it then occurred to us that they have visions of wild mustangs, roping cowboys, rolling tumble weed across the plains and of course some wild Indians....

Boy do they have a rude awakening coming...

So Only 19 days I can't wait, and statistics say that I could even be pregnant in as early as 2 weeks after the surgery. 

Lets Do A List Shall We...

Favorite Things to do when it rains

10. Play in the rain

9. Bake a cake

8. Talk on the Phone

7. Scrapbook

6. Read a whole book

5. Make a casserole

4. Watch girl movies

3. Read to the kids

2. Watch a crackling fire

1. Be with Daddy all by ourselves...

Favorite books

10. The Left Behind Books

9. The Yada Yada Books

8. The 911 Series From Terry Blackstock

7. The Jan Karon books

6. The Number 1 ladies Detective Books

5. All Taste of Home Cookbooks (yes that counts)

4.Sun Coast Chronicles

3. Stormie Omartian Books

2. Chronicles of Narnia

1. The Shack

Best Comfort Food

10. Chicken and Dumplings

9. Potato Soup

8. Chili

7. Macaroni and Cheese

6. Chicken casserole

5. Butter Cake with Chocolate icing

4. Chicken Noodle soup

3. Meat loaf with Mashed Potatoes

2. Cherry Cordial Ice Cream

1. Home Made Biscuits with real Honey Butter

Carpet

So we are all installed...  I am so happy about the carpet!  It looks great and it really makes everything else look good too.  The kids did really well with the installers here, much better than I expected.

The weather man is calling for snow tomorrow...  I would get a little excited except our weather man is a big fat liar!  I am from Ohio so I know snow the few flakes we get around here aren't even enough to make snow cream.  And from those of you from the south who have no idea what snow cream is I am soooo soooo sorry you have been deprived all your life!  Snow cream is this wonderful mixture of snow and lots of sugar and vanilla and just enough milk to make it snow ice cream.  It is a high light of every northerners snow storm and the best way to sit by the fire with hot cocoa in one hand and a bowl of snow cream in the other.

If any of you wanted to know why I struggle with my weight I have just managed to shed some light on that topic, my endless desire for sweets.

Anyhoo I wish it would really snow big flakes and lots of them about 10 inches of snow so we can sled and play and EAT snow cream.

I bet it will snow while we are in TX....

New Carpet

Today we are finally getting our new carpet.  I dropped the kids off at my mothers house to spend the day with her while they do the job.

The playroom and all the bedrooms will be getting new carpet.  It will change the whole look of the house.

I am sitting at the computer in total silence its almost creepy....  Some people might like quite, not me.  Some people might like a break from the kids, not me.  

I am such a people person I love noise I love chaos I love being with my kids.  

I hope the carpet goes in well and fast the weather looks like snow today and I don't drive in the snow, so if it gets bad these guys will have to leave and come back tomorrow.  

I will now go read Pioneer Woman who I am just in love with...  She is so funny and charming and she loves her husband, I love that about her!

Have a Good Day!

No Snow Days for the Homeschooler?

Although it was very icy and snowy today we did school....  Luke has no idea what a snow day is and I have no mind to tell him anytime soon.  I did how ever use the beautiful snow as a pawn to get the best school day in a long time out of him.   I simple let him know that I really wanted to go sledding and that as soon as we were done with all our lessons we could go, let me tell you what that boy can fly through some math when he wants to.

We played outside for about an hour and a half and had a great time!  Daddy had to work...  We always have a good time in the snow with Daddy!

We now rest while the kids are watching old reruns of Scooby Doo.  The dishes are done, we are all full and I plan on sitting right here and surfing the web awhile or at least until Scooby Doo is over.

Snuggle

I just realized it has been almost a week and I haven't even blogged one single time...

I sit here now Snuggling Bo he just loves to be held, when Luke was 2 he found his independence and no longer wanted to be held and Daisy likes to be held on her time and her terms...  But Bo he loves me to hold him.  He still creeps into our room every single night around 4 or 5 am and crawls into bed with his pillow and blanket he crawls in close and snuggles up with me, you might think this would be bothersome or interrupt my sleep but to hold my beloved little growing boy is just wonderful.  I drink in the smell of his hair and feel the slow rhythmic breathing and fall into deep sleep with my wonderful husband holding me on one side and my sweet boy on the other I sleep well.

After our battle with infertility with Luke I never thought I would have more children, I even for a time excepted that.  Until that summer the summer of 2002 when Daddy and I visited his Aunt in Chicago and we attended a church healing service at the end of the service we went up and introduced ourselves to her pastor and he said right then on the spot May I pray for you.  Well sure you can we said,  being such a large church he know nothing of our struggles with infertility so as he began to pray and said " GOD WANTS YOU TO KNOW HE IS GOING TO HEAL YOUR WOMB YOU WILL HAVE CHILDREN"  you can only imagine the rush of emotions we both had.  At that very moment I saw a silhouette of four children.  I have know that I was to have four children from that moment on.  Even through we didn't do as God wished I have always know I was to have four children.  So you can imagine why this vasectomy reversal is so important to us...  I pray daily for our fourth child, beliveing God will bless us with his plan.

We returned home from Chicago now with a renewed spirit no longer questioning if we would have more children but wondering how, will we use more medicine, whats next.  

One week later I had my first period YES you read that right, it was my first real not medically induced period, it lasted for 5 days I was like am I going to bleed to death or what.

30 days later period number 2 I now know God has healed my womb.  We tried to get pregnant in October and We did...

On November 22, 2003 I took a pregnancy test and it was positive, I have bought so many had so many no no no's that I just wept and thanked God I will have Children.  Our beautiful boy was born on July 16th 2003.

I do feel that All my children are miracles.  Bo is very special he is a renewing of my faith he is the beginning  of my healing he is my sweet boy.

And we snuggle still as I write.

Good Night.

Dressed up Brownies

I like to have dessert everyday...  But since I gained well 11 pounds from Halloween to the New Year I have had to down scale our dessert menu to about twice a week.  And if you gained weight over the holidays don't just blame the pumpkin pie, you know this all started when you where hitten that candy bag after the kids went to bed and the fact that the mini candy bars are so small why not have 3. 

Ok so I am back to point keeping journal writing and eating what I should so here is a brownie recipe I thought you Internet world might like.  It is 3 points per brownie if cut into 20 bars.

Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies

1 Box of Brownie mix

Prepare as directed 

Spray a 9x13 pan with non stick

Mix 1/2 cup peanut butter chips 1/2 cup milk choc chip and 1/2 cup semi sweet chips into the batter and spread into greased pan.

Bake for 20 minutes at 350.

Enjoy.

Lists

Today I will enlighten you with a few lists..

Favorite dinners

10. BBQ Chicken

9. Italian Sausages w/ Onions and Green Peppers

8. Pulled Chicken

7. Veal 

6. Italian Beef Sandwiches

5. Pulled Pork (smoked)

4. Eggplant Parmesan

3. Chicken Soup (Mother in Laws)

2. BBQ Ribs

1. Spaghetti 

Favorite desserts

10. Cheese Cake Brownies (Ruby Wives Recipe)

9. Yellow Cake with Chocolate Icing

8. French Apple Pie

7. Harvest Bars (My Recipe)

6. Peanut Butter Pie

5. Cheese Cake

4. Peanut Butter Cookies with a Reese Cup in the middle

3. Ice Cream sundae

2. Cherry Dump Cake

1. Cherry Cordial Ice Cream

What are your Favorites?  

Today

Today has been very warm.  If I wasn't a far Right Wing Republican I would start to question that whole Global Warming thing...  But since I am a Republican and all I won't even give it a second thought.  I don't like warm weather in January.  It's January it should be cold like where is the snow.  We played outside all day that was a high light.  I just want to use our snow boards and sleds at least one time this year...

We are going to go to the movies tonight.  Daisy hasn't been since she was a nursing infant so this will be her first official movie.  

Have a great day.

Bible Study and Monday ramblings

Today was our first day back after the holidays.  We had a refreshing conversation about commitment to our group and friendship.  Healing took place, we laughed and cried...  Amazing how in such a short time woman can love yet hurt each other.  

I am thankful for openness within our group and that we are willing to work past each others flaws and love each other.

So note to the Internet world- When someone anyone asks you to pray for them do just that.  This is not an opportunity to give any opinion or comment.  If someone wants your opinion they will ask.  But when someone asks for prayer its just that!!!!-

I am looking forward to the book we are starting it is SHES GONNA BLOW.  Do you ever feel like you are going to blow?  Like these children God gave you are going to make your head pop right off your shoulders if they whine one more time?  You should check out the book....

Daddy started his new schedule today he is Tues-Sat 8-4:30 I am really going to miss his 9:30 to 6 Mon-Fri.  I have enjoyed sleeping until 7!  

Do you here the that RRRRRRRRRRR AAAAAAAAAA RRRRRRRRRRRR AAAAAAAAA

That's the alarm at 5:30am!!!!!

So Good Night Internet world I am going to watch Medium.  And Please don't judge me I think it's a good little piece of fiction and I like it.

Kids when they are tired

I do believe that when children are tired they fall more often.

When they are tired they cry.

When they are tired they are loud.

When they are tired they whine.

When they are tired they start to run around.

When they are tired they say they are not tired.

When they are tired they fall asleep in 2 minutes.

When they are tired my job is harder....  Tonight was a bit difficult here, all three kids Where TIRED, and Daddy is sick and I don't feel so well myself.

God will make tomorrow better.

French Pastry Puffs

I made these wonderful puffs for breakfast this morning.

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cups sugar

1 1/2 tea baking powder

1/8 tea salt

1/2 tea nutmeg

mix all the dry ingredients together and make a little well in the middle.

3/4 cup milk

1 beaten egg

1/3 cups oil

mix well with dry ingredients.

bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes until lightly golden brown on the top.

while still hot roll in melted butter and Cinnamon sugar mix (1tea Cinnamon 1/4 cup sugar)

Ooooh these are so good!

Boy are just so funny...

Our morning started early around 6:15 with me coughing my head off!  Luke always the first to rise around here meet me in the kitchen already asking if he could watch TV. Answer- NO  I need to check the weather and the news.

Luke- You watched this same thing yesterday

Mommy- No Luke, its different today

Luke- Those funny looking guys were talking about cactus yesterday mom...

(How Cute) 

Mommy- its caucus honey.

Luke- any way I don't like this stuff!

We took a little drive over to my grandparents today and on the drive we pass many cows.  Bo yells "Happy MOOOOOO Year.

I rest my case boys are really funny!

Next Month

Well....  We made the appointment for the vasectomy reversal today!  We will go next month it was pretty amazing, the surgery will be on the same day only 2 years later as the original surgery.  So we get a chance to right our wrong on the same day we made the wrong only 2 years later.  I can't even begin to describe how I feel today, I am just so happy and joyful!  Daddy is just an amazing husband and his willingness to go through this, to have another child with me is an act of love that is taking are already wonderful marriage to a whole new level of deep compassion and love....

Now the big question is do we take the kids across the country with us or leave them with Aunt D and Uncle J?  I just don't know, we want to get away with each other and on the other hand want to have a little vacation with them.  We are going to pray about it I will let you know.

Oh and School was much better today, it was like all I needed to do was lay the ground rules and finale Luke got it MOMS NOT FULLING AROUND ANYMORE SHE MEANS BUSINESS!  So today has been a good day all the way around.  

Bo is having fun learning as well.  He is following along with Luke while we do flash cards its a win win situation Luke is teaching, Bo is learning and I am happy.  Daisy even repeats the flash cards as we go, I think she is the smartest 2 year old in the world and I am not even one bit prejudice!

Good Night and sleep well Blogging world..... 

Homeschool 2008

Did I mention that I resolved not to yell????  So today is day 1 back to school after oh a 3 week Christmas crafting, new toy playing, video gaming, way to much TV watching, brake.

We really did have a wonderful time over the holidays!  

Anyway Luke was all but thrilled about our big back to school bash...  He lost computer time by 10 and then lost TV by 11 it took 45 minutes to read a 5 page book and he cried no less that 5 times.  I on the other hand did not yell not even 1 time I did not threaten or lose my temper (I did grit my teeth twice)!  I prayed alot...  I prayed before we even sat down and I prayed with Luke that he would understand and be blessed with wisdom.

Some days I wonder if it would serve him any good to see what a whole day of school is like?I am no doubt sure if he spent one day in public school it would be a day with a sub and he would get to have recess all day and that would back fire on me big time!  He would lose his mind in a 9 hour day of schooling, he wants to be done with the 3 hour day we have, only after about 45 minutes.  I have decided boys need to play and play some more.  Luke would be happy to play all day.  

He is just such a perfectionist that he hates to read, in some crazy fear of mispronouncing or mistaking a word.  We are nothing but encouraging and supportive, so other than the fact that Daddy is also a perfectionist, I don't know why he worry's so much about reading to me his mama. He is a strong sounder outer (is that a word) he can read any word that follows the rules and he even knows many sight word but for just reading off the cuff he won't even try.   I truly want him to love to read as much as I do.

Books

I have read the most wonderful, thought provoking book I think I have ever read before...  Its called The Shack and it is just great!  I recommend this book to everyone who wants to get a glimpse of Gods love for us.  Just visit www.theshackbook.com for more information.  It was one of those books you can't put down, it took about 5 hours and I had read the whole thing.  

I am sick and so I took advantage of this little cold let Daddy watch over and care for the family while I curled up and read me a good book.  

Happy New Year.