Happy Mommy

Christmas Time

2010-12-12T14:58:00.002-05:00

Do you remember how excited you were as a child for Charlie Brown to come on, it's not quite the same for our kids they have the movies on DVD. I have tried for over a week to get the kids to watch Prancer with me to no avail.... (Prancer is my favorite) I think the older I get the faster the whole Christmas season flies by! I no more than get the tree up than its time to take it back down again. This year we are in such a small house it has been really hard to get excited. Our old home has yet to sell and we are still living in the small house we bought to use as a rental. I searched our storage unit for our Christmas decor and found 8 large boxes and appently that was not all of it, I never found the Christmas star so I made a bow. I never found the nativity so this year we don't have one, that really stinks because well it is all about Jesus!

Tonight we are having a Christmas program at church, the kids are so excited and I am enjoying each minute of watching them grow into such fun personalities! We have baked 5 kinds of cookies, that part they love!

Just wanted to stop in and say hello and Merry Christmas bloggy world! From the Happy Mommy Family

We are still on the move

2010-10-03T16:24:00.001-04:00

We moved yet again in July, only 6 months from our first big move we made another big move. We are now somewhat closer to our old home, we are now back in the same state just several hours from our friends.

We are really really happy here, this is a small country town with southern charm to say the least. We are becoming active in our new church and the kids have jumped into football and dance classes and are really loving it here.

Still no baby in our future as of now, but I will say as time continues to pass we are more at peace. We are really in no position to have a baby with 2 mortgages as we wait for hour old home to sell. Just recently we moved my mother and grandmother to this small town to live closer to us, they also love it here.

Things have been looking up

2010-04-22T08:38:00.002-04:00

We moved....

HD's company moved us to a neighboring state. I really hated it at first, to be honest I felt like God was just not listening to me anymore, after two years of begging, pleading and crying for a baby still God was saying wait or maybe NO and I was not hearing very clearly. Then we were moved away from our comfort zone. From all of our friends, from our beautiful home.

Have you ever felt like GOD where are you? Boy I have felt like that more in the last few months of my life than any other time. Yet he is right here. He never pulls away, we do, He never leaves when we don't do what He want's us to, Yet when He doesn't do what we want we pull away, He never stops loving us.

I have started to make some friends here and it is not the worst place in the world to live, it is colder which if you have ever read this blog you know there are two things I hate more than anything else, Rain and snow... But even with that I am adjusting

We are renting a small house in the city, talk about big change from a 12 acre mini farm with our own chickens to the city with a bus stop right in front of our house! CRAZY! The kids like it, it only takes 5 minutes to get anywhere. There are great restaurants on every corner, that is nice too!

We have a basement to play in, a walk up attic to hide in, and they have made the best of it. HD and I have really relied on each other for friendship which I had never realized had shifted, we had so many friends back in our old town that we didn't need to talk as much. Here we only have each other, it has been nice to get back to ourselves and the relationship we value so much.

This area is not a churched community, that is a big difference from our old city which had one of the biggest Christian Colleges in the country. I know God wants us here, I know our story will help more people here, I know I don't always get what I want.... I also know God loves me even when He tells me no....

Is anybody out there?

2009-12-08T01:26:00.002-05:00

I am sure by now anyone who ever read this blog is long gone! I am up late this evening and I thought I would up date my life on the WWW....

My husband HD is losing his job at the end of January, we will be moving to a bordering state. We are just so sad about the move! We have not told our children yet and don't plan to tell them until after Christmas.

We have put all baby dreams on hold after a failed attempt at artificial insemination this past October, it was a really hard decision to do the IUI and after it failed I just think we need to take a step back. God has made it clear I am no where near ready to think about adoption and with HD not having a job God is in control.

We are busy busy with life and at times I do miss this blog, I sometimes think of things I would love to say.....

Well, there is more than one way....

2009-07-22T09:05:00.003-04:00

I last blogged about how my wonderful church family surrounded HD and I with love and prayers, helping us to step into the forgiveness God had given us from our past mistakes.

Over the last two blogless months, we have traveled and spent time with family and friends. First the kids and I went and visited Dana and the babies up in DC we went for a week, we swam and had a great time. During our visit we met a family at the pool who our kids played with. It was so much fun.

We came home just in time to have our annual 4th of July party, we had my brother and sister in law, and their children, Dana and Joe and Babies, and our Soldier girl Regan, as well as our family and friends from here, for a big party. It was so much fun! Except for the part where my niece "C" choked really choked on a War head candy, I had to do the Heimlich maneuver on her, word of advice this candy is so sour that at 6 it locked her jaw and she almost choked to death, very scary! Thank you Mr. Heimlich for your maneuver.

Let me back track I get away with myself, I have so little time to blog these days I want to type as fast as I can before a child needs me....

Over the last few months, after we asked our group for prayer, yet again our hearts are changing, funny how when you give God control he takes it! See my wonderful husband came to me a few weeks after we had the Wed. night prayer and asked me if I ever thought the reason we weren't pregnant yet was because God really wanted us to adopt? I said " Well I hadn't really thought about it, I kind of feel like that's the last resort." At this point he says I think maybe it's supposed to be the first resort... WHAT? HD goes on to explain that he is feeling God leading us to adopt, we know we really want a little girl we want Daisy to have a sister so much, and we feel like we should already have a child, I often feel like a 2 year old girl is missing? So maybe just maybe God wants us to adopt our child and then and only then will he continue with his plans for us, to either get pregnant or not... HD admitted to me he has always felt like we should adopt and if I was to get pregnant right now he would never seek out to adopt a 5th child ( he would like us to be able to eat) but if we adopt and then go on to have 5 or more children he would be fine with that! WOW! I have to say yet again, my husband is wonderful, a man who is totally happy with 3 kids, has a vasectomy reversal because he loves his wife so much, and now God has went on to show him that not only is he willing to have one more but all that God has for us is just what we both want.

I have to tell you that it has been a whirl wind, we have looked into the Foster program in our state, with children who's parents, parental rights have been terminated and are for adoption, we are going to get the process started on that end. We also found out that HD's company will give us 10,ooo$ toward the adoption of any child, infant or older. We know that we want a girl, we also know she needs to be younger than Daisy. To tell you the truth, I really have started to feel like my daughter is already born, and an urgency to go get her has formed in my heart.

After our 4th of July party HD had to go out of town for 2 weeks and when he got this job and stopped traveling we made a commitment to always be together, so when Daddy goes we go! So off we went back to DC. so I had 2 more weeks of fun swimming and playing and visiting Dana. I spoke earlier of some people we met at the pool well, one day she mentioned her child's birth mother and my heart skipped a beat, I said "did you say birth mother" You know how when anything big is going on in you life you like to find people who have already walked this road and pick their brain, God placed this woman in my path and she was more than willing to fill me in on the whole process. She told me of an agency in our State Capital who deals with foster adoption, infant adoption and placement. I just know God put us together.

I am making a phone call this morning to this agency and I am praying that his will be done. I am now ready to start this process and I am ready for what God has for us. I am sure this will be a long road, but no longer than the waiting I have already be doing. So for those few who still read this from time to time pray for us, pray we can help a little girl have a better life, pray for our children who ask God daily to give this family more children, pray for me that I can remain calm and steadfast in this time. Thank you.

Wednesday night

2009-05-09T08:24:00.003-04:00

Last Saturday my sweet friend "K" came over to help me paint our kitchen (the kitchen is being remodeled and it in total disaster mode) I think in the 3 years that "K" and I have been best friends we have only ever been alone (with out 5-6 kids running around) one time. Saturday we had it all planned out my mom watched my 3 and her mother in law watched her older children.

Let me go back a bit further, when HD had his vasectomy reversal the day we to fly out to TX "K" called me at the airport and she told me she was pregnant. WOW I really at that moment thought of all the things we could do pregnant together, I would be a liar if I said that over the 9 months she was pregnant and I was still not that jealously crept in from time to time.

Now that little "H" is here he is such a joy! In the last few months I however have felt so much pain by not being pregnant that I have almost tried to distance myself from this little baby who if we wouldn't have been willing to share our story of pain and struggle after realizing that we had made a horrible mistake would not be here today, see "K" and her husband "Z" we going to have a vasectomy when we met them and our story touched their heart and now we have baby "H".

Last Saturday as we sipped coffee and talked I held baby "H" and I told my sweet friend that I was so sorry because I have tried not to hold this little blessing because of the deep pain I feel in my heart.... She said she knew why I didn't hold him so much. I was surprised because I thought I had done a good job of not talking about wanting a baby, I really don't want to be "That woman the woman who wants a baby bla bla bla" I held baby "H" and just sobbed my sweet friend sobbed with me. My heart was broken my heart is broken. I told her how I try not to talk about it, that so many well meaning Christian friend have so many options about my fertility that its hard to talk about in small group or Sunday school. I am tired of being told maybe you need to adopt or maybe God doesn't want you to have more children. "K" encouraged me to talk to our small group to be real with them. I felt healing start as I loved on this little baby, that day I decided I was not going to miss out on "H" being a baby because each time I have to hand him back I want to die inside, no I was going to love on this baby, I was going to let go and let God use me as part of his life.

Wednesday night on our way to church I asked HD to ask everyone to pray for us, I didn't want to do it I didn't want to cry I didn't want any opinions (although I myself always have one, hmmm that's not really fair is it). When it was my turn to give prayer requests I asked for everyone to help us get our kitchen done and various things that were of no real importance to me and at the very last I asked for prayer for HD and I to have a baby, I did say that this was really hard for us and that I was struggling as soon as I started to get choked up I stopped talking. At that point a very Godly man who is also a Prosecuting Attorney asked me a question I was afraid might be asked he asked me very kindly how do you know God wants you to have more children, this story I had never shared with our group, I have a hard time talking about it its painful, I like to be the happy one in the room not the grieving one not the one ready to cry the moment the mention of a baby comes up, I want to be the life of the party....

So with apprehension I started to talk. I told our group how with our first child we found out I had an infertility disease and might never have children but after 2 years of pain and fertility drugs we were blessed with our son Luke. I told how when we were visiting Chicago we went to a prayer meeting and out of the blue a pastor came to me and asked if he could pray for me that pastor changed our life that day, he told us "God is going to heal your womb" and I told our group that at that very moment I saw a silhouette of 4 children, I told our group how I was healed and had our next 2 children with no problem. At this point I was really struggling to talk I felt not only a knot in my throat but a knot in my heart. I told our group how when our baby girl was only 6 months old I was at Sams club and with a 4 year old who started throwing up a 2 year old who fell out of the cart and an infant who just had a blowout in her diaper, I made a call to the doctor and scheduled HD's vasectomy from the parking lot, I shared how we didn't ask God we did it, I pushed HD to do it. I shared with this group how I carry the guilt of killing our 4th child, the guilt of ending the lives of the children God wanted for us.

I went on and shared how very quickly after his vasectomy I knew how wrong I had been not only for wanting HD to have a vasectomy but for pushing him to do it, not letting HD lead our family. I told how I then asked and begged for over 6 months for HD to have a reversal, and how one day late summer he pulled the car over after one of my tearful begging sessions and HD told me never to ask him again he was so over it, he had a very painful surgery because I wanted him to, he has given in and done alot of things I have wanted him to but not this time. He was happy with the 3 children we had he wanted me to focus on them and never to ask him again as long as we lived! I didn't ever ask again, I prayed, I prayed that God would change MY heart and take away the desire to have more children or change HD's heart. Six months later HD came to me and told me God has changed my heart and I want to have children with you, we were wrong, he explained that he was happy with our 3 children but he knew that I would always miss the child God showed us on that day may years before, he explained how he would be happy with our family if it was 3 kids or 4 kids or more, he felt blessed.... so as you know we had the reversal and after 15 months we are still not pregnant.

As I told our story every face in the room changed, I do not know what the opinions of this group were before I told this story but I do know after I was done they too knew that God's plan was for us to have more children. I am very thankful for this Godly man who asked some questions, that he really wanted to understand why I was asking for prayer why I felt so sure, it's easy to have surface prayers and not really share when you have shame and quilt, its hard to open up and admit that some days you don't want to get out of bed, its hard to admit that you only act like the life of the party, you are really hurting inside. At that point something very amazing happened the whole reason for this post.

Our leader stood up and asked HD and I to come to the middle of the room and let everyone place hands on us and pray. I can not tell you how humbled I felt, we came to the middle of this group and with open hearts they took turns praying for us, praying for God to wipe away the lies Satan has put in my head about not being a good enough mother, the lies that we won't have children again, the lies that I am not good enough lies I didn't really realize I had been believing. They prayed and plead with the Lord on our behalf, I felt like with each tear that fell, the pain eased, I felt with each tear that fell I gave God control.

I realized that over the last 15 months I have always tried to be in control, I have wanted to have a child like right now because our kids are getting older and I have always had a plan I have spent very little time really wanted Gods time. I really today feel free, I feel like I am so blessed with the 3 children I have and I really want Gods time, it is perfect. I feel lighter, I know there will be days I will feel guilty but I will remember I am not I am forgiven.

We are so blessed with our church family, we are blessed with a church who believes in the power of prayer we are blessed with Godly men who will ask questions to make sure your heart is in the right place, we have a teaching and preaching staff who teach biblical principals. HD and I left our group knowing God is going to continue to bless this family. We are a blessed family.

I do not know when God will give us the desire of our hearts I don't even know how, but I do know we are open, if its our own child or an adopted child, we are open, we are not in control Thank God....

Vacation part 2

2009-04-30T09:52:00.003-04:00

So our cruise was amazing! I loved every minute on the ship, I had really been worried about motion sickness but I never felt even the slightest bit ill the whole time. Now let me tell you something you might not know about cruising, the staff of the ship act like you are someone famous! Really you are treated like Royalty for a whole week. Every time we left our cabin our stateroom attendant Michael would come in and straiten up, like 5 times a day.

We left the ship early on Saturday morning and off we hurried to the shuttle bus and back to the airport to catch our flight to the Bahamas. Our plane was not much bigger than a tin can, it even had propellers on the sides, I like big planes this was very far from big. So we all crammed in to the "little plane" and we were off!

We landed in the Bahamas with in 45 minutes. As we entered customs things get interesting the man helping us with our bags being that we are such a big group, 2 wheel chairs, 2 strollers, 3 small kids with over loaded back packs and 4 other adults all pulling carry on luggage he took us to a special window were an over sized woman sat filing her nails. As we approached she made a funny face at me and then went on to say "I can not believe you have brought these people to my line you have ruined my whole day" at this point I look around because I know she is not talking to me like that, HD kind of got a chuckle out of that.... Now let me say she was not saying this jokingly she was saying this with the chicken head bob'n back and forth she was mad we had interrupted her nail filing session, I could not believe it! Could not! I still can't. We finished our documents while she huffed and puffed at us and then we ran off to collect our bags.

We had prepaid for transportation from the airport to the resort Atlantis. We got on our bus, all eleven of us and 2 other couples. Again I am shocked the woman driving the bus starts telling us about the local fair and she starts using crude humor, we did not laugh, my 3 kids are on this bus and she is talking about sex and saying things that are totally inappropriate, now I am huffing and puffing and sighing loudly but she just talked louder. Did you know they drive on the wrong side of the road in the Bahamas? They do. As we pulled up to the resort she says check under your seat and make sure you have your purses and wallets because big mama does not return things left on her bus I will be having a party tonight.... Then get this she wanted a tip she hoovered around like she would get a tip for driving us now mind you we paid over 100$ for our 15 minuted drive. I looked at her and told her strait up the only tip you are gonna get is "not to tell jokes about stealing from me if I leave something on your bus!" I then walked away!

The resort was huge and it was beautiful! We hurried inside to check in, that went smoothly. I will tell you more about Atlantis and the people of the island in a few days....

Our vacation part 1

2009-04-28T08:55:00.005-04:00

Hi do you remember me, Happy Mommy the sometimes funny, sometimes sad, sometimes overwhelmed woman who used to write here? It's me and yes we are alive! I know its been forever and I have been thinking alot about just shutting this whole thing down, but then that means I can't come back, and what if I want to write something. So I figure if I write every now and then and not just for the comments which you all know I love but I write because I want to this might just be fun again. I will not shut the site down I am going to keep writing but as I said before, when I can. I am happy to say HD still has a job and we do not have to move. God has stepped in again and made a way for us to remain right where we are and I am so grateful and thankful!

Now on with part one of our family vacation~

We left our house on March 27 for our two week vacation, we drove to DC which is about a four hour drive. We left that evening after HD got off work so we were getting a late start. I had the car packed, I don't know how I did it I really don't we had 5 large suitcases, 3 back packs, 2 carry on suitcases and my purse. By the time we arrived at Dana and Joe's house it was after 9 pm and HD immediately started helping Joe pack his minivan too. Did I mention we had 11 people going on this two week vacation? ELEVEN! That's 5 small children 2 of them are not potty trained, two couples and my mom who is handicapped and can't walk long distances and my grandma who is 78 and also can't walk long distances....

Very shortly after we got to Dana's and I mean very shortly only about 15 minutes my mom called me down stairs and said something was wrong with my son Bo. I started to come down the stairs as he was coming up to show me. He held out his had and it was evidently broken! I took him by the shoulders and told him to sit down right where he was I told him he had broken his hand and that it was going to be ok, we were just going to go to the hospital and he would be just fine, all the while he was white as a ghost and was starting to shake.

I told HD to get directions from Joe and off we went. I could totally tell this hand was broken at the bone where the pinky finger attaches to the hand, fingers are not supposed to stick out sideways like that!!! On the drive over to the hospital HD said yeah it's broken, when he showed it to me I kissed it and said it's ok buddy, At this point I am not sure my ears are working correctly, I ask him did Bo come to you BEFORE he came to me? HD answers yes, I know it looked funny but we are going on a Cruise in less than 12 hours so I didn't want it to be broken. Again I say WHAT! He said I sent him to you, I needed a minute to think about what I just saw and I know fingers are not supposed to do that.

After a very short time at the hospital, and a few Xrays later yes he has a broken bone, the one between his pinky finger and his hand, they made a removable cast and we would be able to splint it while we were in the pools and on the beaches during our Cruise and then while we were at Atlantis as well.

We got home at around mid night and he was still doing really well for breaking his hand. He never cried, he is really a trooper! We hurried off to bed, we had to get up at 4am to be at the airport at 5.

The airport with that many people is crazy. We had a child with a broken arm who now was not feeling so well. We had two babies who where crying because well its 5 am, and two women in wheelchairs, if we wanted to draw attention to ourselves we accomplished it that's for sure.

The flight to FL was short only about 2 hours, the kids all did really well, until we landed and Reese was very sick! She started throwing up. By 2 we were finally on the ship. We went on Royal Caribbeans Liberty of the Sea. It was amazing. I really had no idea of how big these ships are it really is like a city on the water!

It' been a long two weeks!

2009-03-10T10:24:00.002-04:00

We have had so much going on the last few weeks. We are still very uncertain about HD's job, the good news is with so many people loosing their jobs, we might have to move but he will have his job. I don't really like the choices they are giving us but we will see. This Thursday the official offer will be given and we have a week to respond. We will take the offer and we plan to move. I really hate this for our kids we have such a great church family and they love it here.

I have been praying nonstop about what God wants us to do and I feel like no matter where we live he will use us and we will be blessed! He tells us in his word Go and spread the Gospel, so we will go and He will guide us.

We had 14 inches of snow which totally wiped our community out of power, we were with out power and with a well that also means with out running water for 2 days some people were with out power for over a week. We ate hot dogs in our fireplace for 2 days, oh and sweet potatoes roasted in the fire. On the up side we had a great time playing in the snow and eating snow cream.

I will post some snow pictures later today. I am off to teach some math! Happy Tuesday!

Employment woes

2009-02-20T09:26:00.003-05:00

Back in late October we had a scare with my husbands company you can read about it here, basically they told us we had to move, then a few weeks later they told us we didn't have to move. For the last month or so every time we get together with Bible Study groups or Church friends, HD is always praying for our economy. He is a really good citizen but there is much more to it! With the economy in such trouble that places HD's job in jeopardy.

Yesterday the company HD works for filed an article 35 which means they are offering 70 people an early retirement buyout. And if they do not receive the amount of buyout notices they want they are making a forced adjustment which is a nice way to say alot of people are about to lose their jobs.

I will be the first one to tell you that God gave HD this job in the first place, and that I believe he can protect it! I also will tell you that being a Christian does not always mean you are comfortable, and we have always had a very comfortable income. I am praying that we can stay right where we are! I am praying that they drop the whole article 35 I am praying we don't suffer lose of money.

HD is worried which worries me! He never worries, never! We spent a good part of the evening last night searching jobs all over the country and we will move as long as we can be together. HD traveled for 11 years, that is not an option for our family to be without him, I love our church, our friends or community but being away from each other is not going to happen!

Pray for us we want clarity and certainty in this time of such confusion. Pray for Gods will and for confidence. Thank you!

We are leaving this evening to go and visit Twice Blessed Mommy it is the twins birthday! Two years! I will post some pictures later.

Fro Me to You~ Family Picture

2009-02-19T08:47:00.003-05:00

I am posting what looks like a nice family photo, see looks are deceiving! See our camera ran out of batteries and my kids we cracked up on candy canes and coffee punch. Dinner was 3 hours late, and we still had a 3 hour drive ahead of us. I had PMS and was so over it, this was the best of the 10 pictures Twice blessed Daddy took. Some of them had gritted teeth. Nothing says Merry Christmas like screaming at your kids to sit down and take the Christmas picture so we can remember how happy we were!!!!! So here is our Family picture, I can laugh today.

Check out We Are THAT Family for some laughs.

I will not complain I will not complain I will not complain

2009-02-19T08:25:00.002-05:00

Hello there Blog world it's me HAPPY Mommy, remember me the Happy one.... Oh, you forgot who I was, sorry that's because I was very miserable for about a week now.

The big fat shot in my hind end really helped, the doctor gave me a shot of steroids to help my spastic lungs, doesn't that sound nice. I am not complaining, no not at all, I slept last night.

Yesterday was a horrible day, the kids we awful and I was in a very bad mood! I am feeling much better now, thanks to a very good friend (THANK YOU "S") my friend "S" reminded me last night that my kids are young.... Profound isn't it. Young. To be honest, I was unprepared for a Dr. visit I brought no books no toys, no coloring books or drawing paper, and I truly expected my three young kids to sit and not move because I felt like crap.

Well that plan fell apart fast. I left that appointment feeling like a bad mom, which I am not, my kids are sick, I am sick and we had a bad day. Life goes on, chin up!

My friend "S" reminded me to set some rules that really matter, don't bust down on everything make somethings rules to live by. Like if it is my major issue, teach them, like I get the maddest when I am ready to leave and I ask the kids to get there coats and shoes, oh 12 times. Funny this is also "S's" major thing too. So I have decided from now on to go to my kids and tell them in their face get your shoes and coat, if the tv is on I will turn it off, I will no longer allow myself to get upset before we head out for the day!

I also hate when the kids act up in public, who doesn't right! I have had a lot of success in the past with packing a bag for the car with books and scissors and paper, for some reason I got away from that and so I packed a car bag this morning, I realize I can't expect a 7, 5 and 3 year old to sit quietly with nothing to do.

I am thankful for friends who have kids a few years older they have had these days too! I am thankful for my kids who just this morning told me I was the best mommy in the world...

I am thankful we get to go to bed and start over each day! I am Thankful God Loves me even when I act ugly!

See no complaining today! Happy Thursday!

I am going where...

2009-02-18T10:04:00.004-05:00

UPDATE:

I went to the doctor who must me paid by musinex because she said try musinex at least 14 times in the 10 minutes we were with her. I have a virus, Luke has a virus which means that I wasted 30$ because they do nothing for a virus. Oh and my children acted like wild animals at the doctor, Daisy actually ran out of the room while the doctor was listening to my chest. I had to stop and think are these my children? We had a kicking incident at the pharmacy. The Pharmacist wanted to visit, he came out and asked the kids their names and I was so ready to leave, what really gets me is why in the world would he want us there one minute longer than we had to be, because right about then, Daisy laid out in the floor and had a fit over a pack of gum, oh and as we were about to leave the question of the day where do you go to school, I had to tell the man that I spend all day with these lovely children and I must be out of my mind because I want more! And if things couldn't get worse which they always Always can, the car door slammed shut on my hand, I now have hotdogs for fingers. And let me just say if the car door shuts on your right hand it is very difficult to open with your left. So I am now going to go take a nap....

We are planing to go out of town for the twins second Birthday this weekend. I am still coughing up my left lung, and Luke is just as sick. Thankfully Daisy and Bo are much better and making messes as we speak. I am not only planing to go, I am the one making the cake...

I need your prayers because the only way we are driving 3 hours from home 2 days from now is a Divine intervention!

I still need to pick up an extra gift for them and I am scheduled to teach astronomy to some of our home school group on Friday. Wow, I am overwhelmed just writing it.

Please pray for the sick family!

I flu the coop!

2009-02-17T18:01:00.002-05:00

I have to confess this was the worst Valentines Day in the history of all the Valentines Days in my married life! Or better yet in my whole life!

I had all my favorite people with me Twice Blessed Mommy and her babies, HD's sister Regan, and of course HD. Regan drove down from here station in KY she took a 9 hour drive to spend the long weekend with us, Friday was a wonderful day with our homeschool group I did however find out that Luke gets stage fright and the poor boy almost fainted while giving his report on Beowulf, the kids had a Valentines party and besides stage fright all was well. We finished up packing my grandma's house at which time I started having some trouble breathing, now I totally attributed this to old paper and unwrapping dishes.

By Saturday morning I was sick, all out sick. But I can't be held back we went out to dinner and to the movies all the while I sneezed and coughed and while at CVS buying NyQuil to insure that I would be able to sleep the worst thing ever happened, I thought I had to pass gas, I will leave it at that, because it was horrible and I am still trying to recover from the incident!

I woke up sometime in the night with a fever and was shaking horrible, I stayed in bed until today, I had the flu and Sunday all three of our children came down with it too. First Bo said he had a headache and he started crying a few minutes later he was throwing up, Daisy was behind him only by a few hours. Luke has been coughing so hard he is throwing up too.

So as I said originally this was the worst Valentines Day of my life! Regan went back to Base yesterday and the poor girl is sick as a dog!

The only good part of the whole thing is HD bought me the most beautiful Milk glass candy dish. I had mentioned that I love milk glass and he went to my favorite antique store and bought me a piece, I love thoughtful gifts that don't die!

Happy Birthday HD

2009-02-10T10:00:00.002-05:00

Today is my sweet, handsome, loving and wonderful husbands birthday. Today HD is 34! This is the 14th birthday I have spent with my husband. I remember each and everyone too. I have been with HD since I was 16 years old. He has been my very best friend from the beginning, and for that I am grateful! Today I want to tell you 34 things I love about my husband.

1. You are a hard worker

2. You can fix anything

3. You never yell

4. You forgive me when I yell

5. I can tell you anything

6. You love me no matter what

7. You are a wonderful Daddy

8. You love the Lord with all your heart

9. After 14 years you still grab my butt every time you walk by...

10. You didn't complain when I was really over weight

11. You had a vasectomy for me

12. You had it reversed for me

13. You are willing to adopt for our family to grow

14. Your smile lights the room

15. you diet when I diet

16. you call me to say you love me for no reason

17. You hold my hand all the time

18. You open doors for me

19. you look me in the eyes when we talk

20. You teach our boys how to be men

21. You pray for other people more than yourself

22. You will pray for me anytime anywhere

23. You say I am the best cook

24. You hug me and our children no less than 5 times a day

25. You are generous with your time and money

26. You are a very good friend

27. You are honest

28. You encourage me daily

29. I love that you remember things you read

30. I love that you help me fold laundry and you don't complain

31. I love that you are so good looking

32. You snuggle me all night

33. I love that you help our kids with sports

34. I love that you tell our daughter she is the prettiest girl in the world

This is only 34 of the things that I love about you, I could go on all day! I love you with all my heart and am so Thankful God blessed me with you. I look forward to the next 34 years...

Happy Birthday HD!

Another Pie Post

2009-02-07T07:56:00.002-05:00

Tonight I am having a get together. HD will be 34 on Tuesday, yikes my man is getting closer to 40! I am making baked chicken, fresh green beans, a sweet potato and apple casserole and a pie, a Turtle cheese cake actually, is cheese cake, cake or pie you cut it like pie not cake, I think it's in the pie catagory and since I already gave this post the title of Another Pie Post, I am calling cheese cake pie, ok on with it already!

I decided that if I am going to eat this very fattening cheese cake you all should too, so please get to the store and make this with me, your friends will be thrilled your husband will be so happy (until swim suit season) and you will love it!

Turtle Cheesecake

1 3/4 cups chocolate gram crackers crumbs

1/3 cups butter melted

3 8oz cream cheese softened

1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cups sugar

3 large eggs

3 tablespoons lime juice

1 tablespoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

2 tablespoons chocolate syrup

2 tablespoons caramel ice cream topping

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Grease 9 inch springform pan.

Crust: Combine crumbs and butter, press onto bottom and 1 inch up side of pan.

Filling: beat cream cheese and milk until smooth, add sugar, eggs, lime juice and vanilla continue to beat. Now microwave the 1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips for 1 minute stir and microwave in 20 second intervals until the morsels are melted. Take 2 cups of the batter and mix it with the chocolate. Alternately spoon the batters into crust, beginning and ending with yellow batter. Bake 70 -75 minutes or until edge is set and center moves slightly. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes, then run knife around edge and let cool completely. Drizzle syrups on top, sprinkle with nuts and morsels and refrigerate for at least 3 hours remove side of pan before serving.

Eat and enjoy! I am off to fold laundry, clean toilets and pick up toys!

Happy Saturday!

Fro Me to You~ Christmas 2008

2009-02-05T07:51:00.006-05:00

I have been so busy lately that I just down loaded our Christmas pictures yesterday. I haven't even looked at them once until then. Here are a few of our Christmas pictures....

HD and I right before breakfast

Daisy and her Bitty Baby Twins, she has named them Jackson and Grace.

Look at my happy front toothless boy!

Bo is smiling so hard his little eyes are shut!

This is the best smelling perfume in the world! Viva La Juicy!

HD on Christmas Day, boy my man is handsome!

This was taken on Christmas Eve.

This was taken on Christmas morning.

Go to We Are That Family for more Fro Me To You.

Pie

2009-02-03T16:51:00.001-05:00

I did not win the pie contest on Saturday nor did HD win the chili cook off. The woman who won the first place in the pie contest also won 2nd place in the chili cook off and you want to know the worst part, she was pretty. Now I don't think I would have minded half as much if she would have been slightly over weight with a mustache...

But noooooo she was tall and thin and blond and pretty with a cute outfit to boot!

I wanted to share my pie recipes with you, because I love you and they are really good. Did I mention there were 41 pies entered into the contest? So its not like I lost really bad.

Pecan Cream Cheese

1 refrigerated pie crust

1 8 oz package of cream cheese

1 egg

1 tea vanilla

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 tea salt

3 eggs

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1 tea vanilla

1 1/4 cup chopped pecans

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Now with an electric mixer mix the first 5 ingredients until smooth. Set it aside. Now mix the next 4 ingredients well. Spread the cream cheese mixture into the bottom of the uncooked pie shell and sprinkle the pecans on top of it. Gently pour the corn syrup mixture onto of the pecans. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. ( you may have to cover the crust with foil about half way through keep checking)

A Prayer Answered

2009-01-28T04:45:00.000-05:00

As a parent my greatest concern is that my children will come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior and ask Him into their hearts. For some time now Luke has told HD and I that he is a Christian, and until yesterday I have felt like he might not really get it. Every time we have tried to sit down with him and read what God's word says about salvation he gets a little confused and I have felt like it was not really time yet.

Sunday at church 3 kids went up and asked Jesus into their hearts. After church he asked why is it they got to have everyone shake their hands? HD and I explained that they were Christians now and our church family wanted to congratulate them and welcome them into the kingdom of God. He said no one has shaken my hand yet, I'm a Christian. I prayed and prayed yesterday for God to guide me in how to know for sure and how to lead our son. When HD came home from work we went into our room with Luke and read him a few verses from the bible and he completely got it, he had great questions and ultimately he then prayed with us and he excepted Jesus as his Savior. After we had prayed together I asked Luke how do you feel and he started to cry, he said I feel so full inside. Of course I was crying too! I explained that the Holy Spirit has come to live in your heart. I know for sure that my son has eternal salvation and our prayers have been answered, each and everyday of each one of our children's lives we have prayed that they would come to know Christ and an early age and yesterday our oldest did just that.

We will speak to our pastor this week and he will be baptized soon. I am just so grateful that as parents HD and I could walk with our son on this journey.

I'm alive!

2009-01-27T09:42:00.002-05:00

Blog friends I really do miss you all, are you all there anymore or have you left my lack of blogging all together? I have found times in the last year where I never had trouble blogging I had endless ideas and other times where you all were my dearest friends. I have to tell you that lately I can't come up with one thing to write about. Not at all because I'm not busy but because I am so busy. More than anything I am so fulfilled in our new church, I knew back in November that something was missing a void of sorts. Now I realize I was very lonely, I longed for more friendships with women in our church and this blog filled that void, but lets face it most of you don't even know my real name. I was so lonely.

This last 2 months have been the best months I have had in years. My children are making friends and can't wait until we go to church and my husband is making friendships and going to men's bible study and he is also so happy.

I do feel bad for the lack of blogging because you all have encouraged me in bad times and laughed with me during happy times, you all have been a source of comfort when I didn't even know why I was so sad. Thank you. Although I can't promise to blog daily I am sure I don't want this part of my life to end. I have found in the last year that I love writing, I love reading your blogs.

So let me tell you some exciting things going on in our life. We are having a Chili cook off and pie bake off contest this Saturday at our church, we are also having a snow day, our church has rented a snow making machine and we are going to have a snow day. I am entering 2 pies into the contest, I will post the recipe this week and HD is making his famous Texas chili. My mom is going to enter a white chicken chili also.

We are still not pregnant and sadly it has been a year since HD had a vasectomy reversal, I will say I am becoming less hopeful as time passes. I also find that I have more peace as time passes also, see I know God wants me to be a mother again and I feel like God is leading my heart into different directions, I keep feeling like maybe we are to adopt maybe a 2 year old girl. I can't believe I am sharing this with you all but I really need your prayers for so long I have wanted to be pregnant and to nurse a baby and hold my own child but when it all comes down to it, none of that really matters I feel like if I can't have one maybe someone already has, and God wants us to open our hearts and home to a child that really needs us. Please pray for HD and I as we pray about this journey and ask God to lead us completely into his will for our family.

I hope you all have a great Tuesday! We are having freezing rain today so hopefully we don't lose our power!

Sincerely Fro Me To You ~ Family hunting trip

2009-01-15T15:19:00.007-05:00

Back in December we all went squirrel hunting as a family. We got our squirrel dog for our children Christmas 2 years ago. He is a very sweet doggie, even though he got in a fight with a skunk! On this Saturday morning we got out in the woods at 7am, we got 5 squirrels. Yes I do cook them and yes they kind of taste like chicken... They are good fried with gravy, but what isn't good fried with gravy?

Here we all are posing

This is Luke with his doggie

Go to We Are THAT Family for more Sincerely Fro Me To You.

confessions of a disorganized housewife....

2009-01-14T10:53:00.002-05:00

I still have my Christmas decorations up! Ok now that, that's out in the open I feel much better! I really want to get everything packed away but I haven't had a minute yet, except for maybe last Sunday but ya'll I needed a nap...

I am going to have HD get the boxed down from the attic tomorrow evening so that we can start on the job. HD works this coming Saturday so I can get everything done and have him put the boxes away. We are going to a Sunday School class get together on Saturday night we are to bring soup. I am making clam chowder, and some fresh bread. I love the New England creamy kind not the brown Manhattan kind.

We are enjoying our new church so much! I realized a few weeks ago that I really wanted to go to church, I actually couldn't wait to go. I have been going to church for many years but for the last few years I have not really felt like a vital part of a church family and even though we have wonderful friends something was missing. I have found it, it was a whole family of Christians. We have a small couples group we go to on Wednesday nights, I am really looking forward to meeting tonight. In two weeks our church is having a sledding snow boarding, chili and pie cook off festival of sorts. We have rented a snow machine and will be having a great time. HD, being a Texan and all has decide that he needs to win the first prize for the chili contest. I on the other hand want to have the best pie. But what pie, the rules do not say we can't make more than one pie so I think I will make 3 so I have a better chance to win, and you can never have to much food at a Baptist function, we like to eat. I am thinking I need a peanut butter pie and maybe a cream pie, I am unsure of the kind of fruit pie to make so if you have any ideas let me know...

So I am going to go vacuum around the Christmas tree's again and hopefully for the last time this year. As soon as we get the decorations put up we are starting on redoing the kitchen flooring and painting so that we can get this house on the market, maybe that's why we have been procrastinating so much we just have so much to do.

I have been getting up early every day to do the Wii Fit I have lost 4 pounds since I weighed in on Monday with a group of woman, we are calling our little group Weigh and Pray and we are following WW while weighing in on Monday mornings and praying for each other. I really want to lose 16 more pounds.

Have a great and Happy Wednesday!

Small things can mean so much

2009-01-09T11:40:00.003-05:00

Last night HD went to Walmart with me.... Let me tell you it really meant the world to me! I love grocery shopping, I really do. Nothing brings much more satisfaction than to fill our cabinets and fridge with healthy food and make nutritious meals for our family. The problem, shopping for two weeks at a time with 3 small children it toe.

So, last night HD went to the store with us, he got a cart for Daisy to ride in the front and Bo to sit on the coats in the back. He took the kids and would go fetch an item or two meet back up with me and I would send him on the next hunt. He really enjoyed the time with the kids and I was able to get our shopping done in less than 2 hours, and we made it to Sams Club too.

This is such a wonderfully kind thing because HD does not like shopping, he actually hates shopping unless it's at a sporting goods store.

On Wednesday HD took a vacation day to stay home and spend the day with us. I decided he should see what our school day looks like, he really doesn't get a chance to watch the kids do school so he really has no idea what a whole homeschooling day looks like. He was surprised, I guess he thought it went faster or maybe that it was easier... I guess he was unaware of how many times a day the kids interrupt me or that they have so many different needs or how different each one of their schooling is, from second grade to Kindergarten and even pre K with Daisy. He was full of compliments at the end of our day, from "it is really a hard job, you do" to "boy our kids are smart"! It was really good for him and in turn he realized my days are hard and last night he made my job as a ~stay home wife, mother, home school teacher, nurse, cook, and maid much easier!

Tonight we are going on a much needed date! My mom is keeping the kids over night she is even coming to pick them up to give me more time to get ready. We are going to Panara Bread for dinner. I have never been there before so I look forward to trying something new. We are also going to go to a movie, and maybe even to Starbucks for coffee. We have no curfew, no kids, I am really excited! I even scheduled a couples massage for us in the morning before we have to go pick up the kids. As much as I am in love with my husband and as attracted to him as I am and always have been, his sweet gesture last night has made me even more excited to be alone with him, and spend time with just us!

I hope your Friday night is great I know mine will be!

Money Well Spent

2009-01-06T14:44:00.007-05:00

I can't even begin to tell you how many times I have stressed and worried about what is the best gift to give. Hundreds of times probably! With Luke our oldest I wanted him to have everything and I over spent most every holiday. I never bought with in the age range which always turned out to be a huge mistake! With Bo I bought him expensive toys to make up for the fact that he had so many hand me downs. One Christmas, it was his first Christmas I think I spent $80 on a stuffed Octopus with bells and mirrors that was supposed to be very intellectually stimulating all because we had everything else. No matter how I spun that stupid thing he never would look at crawl to or play with it!

Now with Daisy being the only girl I wanted her to have barbies and babies and a toy kitchen and dress up clothes you know girly stuff. All way to early though, she was just starting to speak in sentences when we bought her the kitchen and she didn't even know what to do with it.

So with all that in mind I really did some research this year. I wanted to buy the kids age appropriate gifts that they would enjoy, learn from and remember. I love that the boys are interested in action figures, we invested in more Playmobil this year we got them a Cowboy and Indian set, they have played with it every single day, and a Forestry set because with HD being a hunter the boys love playing with this set as well. They were given the Tag reader, and it is worth every penny! Even Daisy loves it, she is picking up some of the words by using it over and over.

Daisy got Bitty Baby Twins this year and she has proven to be a wonderful little mommy, it will be no time at all until she is ready for her American Girl.

Luke was given a Ball of Whacks, this is a great gift idea for any boy who likes to take apart and put together. We got 2 really amazing board games one is an old classic called Shut The Box it is a math game and if you have kids who like to play games this is a great one it is fun and teaches math all at the same time. We also got Blokus and even I am hooked, we have played almost everyday, its a little to advanced for Daisy at 3, but with supervision she has played with the pieces sorting and stacking them on the board making her own game. The other game we got this Christmas is Cosmic Catch, I think this is my favorite game the kids got, all 5 of us can play together and it is not a long game.

Oh and we got the Wii Fit. I found it on Amazon.com for over the retail value but really it has been worth the extra money I paid! I have lost 2 pounds already. I have been getting up at 5:30 and exercising before I make breakfast and I feel good.

As far as I am concerned the money we spent this year was all on great toys and games. I wish I could say that about every year!

Happy New Year 2009!

2009-01-01T19:07:00.002-05:00

I really can't believe a whole year has past so quickly! I find that these days I am so busy I don't even find time to blog or read blogs. That's because we got so many fun games for Christmas we have been playing non stop for two weeks now. So I won't apologize for my blog absence because I have really been having a great time with my kids!

We have been doing the new Wii fit, playing shut the box and blokus, domino's, uno and many many other games all the while dressing and undressing Daisy's bitty baby twins.

Are you enjoying the kids during their school breaks? I wish it could last even longer but Monday morning I will be doing school again.

Do you have any New Years Resolutions?

Last year I had so many, this year seems so different, I had no idea last year we were going to have a vasectomy reversal and remain baby less, I really believed I would have four children by now.... I had no idea that I would lose my Grandpa with lung and liver cancer. Life just seems shorter to me I guess.

I do want to remain positive this year! I want to remain hopeful and thankful this year.

Happy New Years, I hope you day has been wonderful!

Merry Christmas...

2008-12-28T19:35:00.002-05:00

I had a wonderful Christmas how about you all? We enjoyed our time with our family! My children loved all the gifts they received and loved being with their cousins.

Christmas Eve did hold a really scary event! We went to a 4pm church service and came home to eat, once we got home and the ham was removed from the oven the olive bread was put in the oven and then it happened...

All of the sudden my mom noticed Reese (Twice Blessed Mommy's little girl) was laying in the play room on her side motionless, now mind you all of the kids were running around and playing very loudly. My mom picked her up and ran her over to TBM I came right over and she just didn't look right then she started to look a little blue, I got her to say mama and then she dropped her head and kept closing her eyes. I took her from TBM and ran into the foyer where there was more light. At that point she wouldn't stay awake we striped her down to make sure she was breathing, she was and TBM called 911, TBD and HD and I all gathered around her on the floor prepared to do CPR if needed she did start to perk up after the paramedics came and they took her to the hospital. Her vitals and oxygen were all good so after a few hours they were back home. With no diagnosis. On Friday TBM took her to the doctor who feels like Reese had a seizure.

The rest of our Christmas was really good. We have been playing board games, Wii games, resting and continuing to eat way to many sweets!

I am thinking up a list of resolutions I will share with you all this week.

Our new Church

2008-12-22T15:02:00.003-05:00

I few weeks back I shared with you all how we had realized we were in the wrong church.... God has blessed us with the church he wants our family to go to! We joined yesterday and were welcomed with open arms. I am really excited to see where God leads us in our journey with this church!

Now a funny story about some things that have happened in our new church already. A few weeks ago we had a Sunday school class party and all the kids played really well together, Luke was extremely fond of a nine year old boy who said things like "way cool" and "awesome" he also informed Luke of how he had a crush on a girl at church.

Now Luke being seven and all really didn't understand what the boy was talking about and Luke told us that the boy was crushing on the black haired girl, with the "Black Haired Momma" that two girls really liked this boy and they were going to crush him.... HD and I found this to be hilarious, I tried to explain that a crush mean that you really like someone but HD interrupted me and told Luke that that crushing someone really hurts and that Luke should never "crush on anyone"! We tried not to laugh from the front of the mini van but I was cracking up.

The next night at church the boys were all playing and the next thing I know one of the mom's tells me that Luke told her son that her daughter "Was REALLY HOT" the mom really thought this was funny because she was sure my sweet seven year old had no idea what that meant and her seven year old son didn't either. I asked Luke who told you to say that, he told me he heard the older boy say it, I told him that you don't say that, that's something Daddy's say to Mommy's he then became really upset and told me momma I don't know if she is hot, I have never ever even touched her never! He then told me she might be hot but I don't know if she is sick or something...

So it begins, boys crushing girls, girls crushing boys and maybe someone has a fever! I am going to let Luke think this is what they were talking about and just pray for him to stay more interested in action figures than girls for many more years.

We are opening our gifts tomorrow, so tonight is like Christmas Eve for the Happy Family. We will be going to Twice Blessed Mommy's for Christmas. I will try to post some pictures of our Christmas tomorrow!

Happy Monday.

Sincerely Fro Me To You ~ The Christmas Secret part 2

2008-12-18T12:39:00.005-05:00

Last week I shared with you a picture I hold dear to my heart, a picture of me at Christmas 2000, just days before I found out I was pregnant with our first son, Luke. This week I want to share two other very special photo's. I have had all of our child so far in the summer...

I found out I was pregnant again with our second miracle baby on Nov 22, 2002 you can read about how amazing it was to be pregnant without fertility drugs and to be cured from an incurable fertility problem here. I can remember very well how exciting it was to celebrate Christmas knowing we were going to have another child. Here is our family photo from that year.

Notice Twice Blessed mommy in the left corner. She was not dating Twice Blessed Daddy yet, but by the time Bo was born they were talking more seriously, he even sent us a beautiful gift for his birth. What I think was really funny is at 6 weeks pregnant I was wearing maternity overalls....

The next photo is of our family on Christmas 2004, I found out I pregnant with Daisy on Nov. 6, 2004. I was again so excited about having another baby, I prayed this would be our girl, and God blessed us with a daughter. By this Christmas Twice Blessed Mommy and Daddy were married, they are standing in the back with my mom and HD. My poor little Bo was so sick this Christmas, and we had 24 inches of snow in Ohio, everyone had a great time sledding but me because I was pregnant! I would give up sledding any day to be pregnant again!

Go to We Are THAT Family for more funny and charming pictures.

An award for me

2008-12-17T08:02:00.014-05:00

I found this morning that I had been honored with an award. An award for being an open and honest blogger. Thank you so much Amanda for thinking of me. I love this blog, I love how I feel like I can share anything with you guys and I have friends listening. I feel free to share openly here. I am grateful!

With this award I am to share 10 facts about me. I am also to share this award with 5 other bloggers.

Fact 1~ This last few months have been the hardest time of my life. I have never really experienced grief and to be honest it sucks! I have not been myself lately, not that I am unhappy just not myself, I even think I might be slightly suffering from the big D (depression).

Fact 2~ I have found that I have issues with rain, I know you all already know that I hate the rain well I not only hate the rain, I'm not so fond of the winter either, that being said maybe it's seasonal depression boy I hate that word Depression I don't think I am depressed I am truly happy inside lets say I am just a bit off.... That sounds like off my rocker, lets say I want to stay in my pj's all day and eat cookies and macaroni and cheese and watch TV with the kids.

Fact 3~ I always put my makeup on before I fix my hair, I do this because no matter how pretty my hair is, it's not right without makeup.

Fact 4~ On occasion I find a recipe I like, I change a few ingredients add a few things and call it my own...

Fact 5~ I am madly in love with my husband, he jokes and says if I could fold you up and put you in my pocket you would be a very happy woman.... I believe it's true.

Fact 6~ I don't like to be alone. I love having the house full of people. Maybe that's why I want more kids, so the house is full.

Fact 7~ I talk to strangers, I make small talk with people ever where I go, I will tell people how nice a sweater looks or how pretty a color of nail polish is, HD will say who is that, I will say I don't know and he just shakes his head, because he does not talk to strangers.

Fact 8~ I have been on a diet for the last 20 years, really TWENTY YEARS! I started drinking slim fast when I was 10. I have always went up and down with my weight. I am currently 18 pounds over weight. I just ate a slim fast breakfast bar. I do WW, I try really hard to stay slim and then it rains and I eat cookies and macaroni and cheese. If we move to AZ I will me very skinny.

Fact 9~ I didn't realize home schooling your children was like going to work full time. The laundry piles up the floor needs vacuumed for day's and it is left undone because I now have a full time job along with all my other responsibilities. It takes many hours a day to home school, it's hard work, it takes planing and organization. It is a job. It is also the most rewarding job I have ever done.

Fact 10~ I love to sing, I used to sing in school, I took first place in competition for the State of Ohio in the 9th grade. I have sang in church choir, I have even lead worship in a church plant for a short time while we were settling in. In that time I loved the attention, and in being honest with you I will tell you all, that I started not even hearing the words, I no longer praised God with my voice and my words let alone with my heart but longed for the next compliment. I sadly no longer have a voice, my singing voice is gone. When I sing or try to sing I can't hit the notes, and then I start to have an asthma attack. Some times at church I will start to sing an nothing comes out at all, I am left listening to the words and really letting them penetrate my heart. I have learned a really wonderful lesson, my voice was a gift from God, someday he may give it back but for now I am happy to listen.

I would now like to give this award to 5 woman who I feel are truly honest with thier blogging.

I want to award Linda at Growin' with it, Linda is very honest she touches me with her life all the time.

Wilma at Little Toes and Cheerio's is not only my cousin in law but a very funny honest blogger.

Twice Blessed Mommy is my Aunt and very best friend in the world, she has had more put on her plate in the last 2 years than anyone I know she has a lot to share with us all.

Kristen at We Are THAT Family is one of my first blog friends, I love her blog and she is very honest, I can't wait to read some new facts about her.

Giovanna at Giovanna Diaries is a very honest blogger, she is so sweet I love having her as blog and a facebook friend!

My Country Tis Of Thee

2008-12-16T08:14:00.007-05:00

I really love being an American! I love our mighty Country's traditions, I love our strength. I love America! One of my most favorite places in the world to go is to Washington D.C.! I have to tell you in the spring when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom it is so breath taking! At Christmas when the cold is in the air and the lamp posts are decorated and the trees sparkle and less fortunate people play instruments on the street corner, playing Christmas carols, it makes you smile you do want to reach into your pocket and give....

We spent this weekend in Northern Virginia, we went on Saturday to see the National tree it was beautiful. All around the tree they have placed a Christmas tree for each state with ornaments from made to represent the state. Texas had ornaments with little yellow roses. Ohio had ornaments with Cardinals and Ohio State memorabilia. There is a fire pit on the grounds where the tree is set, it is a huge fire pit they use a fork lift to drop logs from large tree's in, like huge stumps. A band plays while are walking around and a shop sells cocoa.

It was very very cold on Saturday like a high of 37, so to say the least we were freezing! Twice Blessed Mommy's little ones about froze to death! They could have had a much better time if the temperature was higher! I really feel for Twice Blessed, I can remember wanting to take my children even as infants to see sights and visit new places and when they are miserable it makes you miserable. Even though they were cold I am very thankful we got to be together to see the National Tree!

Here is Reese and Tate, this is when we started our day, they were cold but still happy.

Here is Daisy, we were at a really cool out door Christmas fair.

Here is Twice Blessed Mommy.

HD, look at that cool building in the back ground.

Me and my sweet boys all bundled up.

This is the National Tree.

The Tree sits directly across the street from the White House.

This was a Happy Mommy moment!

As we walked back, this is what we saw, look how amazing, the Capital building.

Look how the street was decorated.

HD snapped this picture of the National Tree as we drove out of the city.

Christmas Tree Oh Christmas Tree How Lovely Are Your Branches

2008-12-12T08:57:00.006-05:00

Today Kristen is having a Tree party, go to We Are THAT Family for more spectacular Christmas Tree Fun! You can also link up at The Southern Family, for even more.

We have several trees. I love putting up and decorating the house it is such a joyful time of year! This is a picture of the Family Christmas tree it is in our Great room where we hang out and spend most of our time.

I just love how the tree looks first thing in the morning with all the lights out!

This is our great big window that looks out over the woods, I love hanging lighted garland.

This is my favorite ornament! It was on my Grandparents tree when I was little.

This is our family ornament from last year, I edited our names to protect the innocent!

This porcelain nativity is one of my most treasured ornaments.

This is the tree you can see from my bed (and HD's pj's thrown on our dresser to the left)

Here is my bed, like the Holiday pillow?

This fiber optic tree is in Luke and Bo's room.

This pink fiber optic tree is in Daisy's room, see how she has placed a my little pony with her tree, she likes it like that.

To all my Blog friends~

Macaroni and Cheese

2008-12-11T19:07:00.003-05:00

My little bloggy, facebook friend Jodi from my hometown asked me if I had a Mac and Cheese recipe. Now not only do I have a Mac and Cheese recipe I have the best Mac and Cheese recipe you have ever tasted! I would love to take all the credit for this delicious master piece but it is actually my sister in law Jess's recipe. Jess does not have a blog so I will share it with you!

Jess's Macaroni and Cheese

1 cup macaroni

*All cheeses are grated*

1 cup provolone cheese

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup munster cheese

1 cup sour cream

1/2 stick butter

2 eggs

Cook your noodles as the box directions. Melt the butter and mix all the ingredients together. Sprinkle the top with paprika. Bake in a greased dish at 350 for 35 to 40 minutes.

I am telling you this is one amazing mac and cheese!

Sincerely Fro Me To You ~ The Christmas Secret

2008-12-11T08:10:00.004-05:00

When I think of Christmas it just puts a smile on my face! I love all things Christmas, its the time we celebrate and honor the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. The lights and decorations are simply beautiful. I have been known to play Christmas music all year long....

The Christmas of 2000 well the whole month of December 2000 HD and I were on pins and needles. We had been trying to have a baby our first baby for over a year and I was praying for a Christmas miracle! Early on in the month I had taken a fertility drug called Clomid, I took 5 pills in all, I took them every other day. So toward the end of the month I could take a pregnancy test every other day for 10 days.

This picture was taken on Christmas Eve at my Aunt Jan and Uncle Luther's house were our large extended family gathered for many many years to celebrate together. I had taken a pregnancy test the day before and it was negative but I was still very hopeful, tomorrow was Christmas!

The next morning, Christmas morning I took a pregnancy test and it was negative. I was so upset, I was just sure I was pregnant. Again on the 27th I took a test and again it was negative, by this point I was just so sad I am pretty sure I was ruining our trip home to Ohio with our family and my attitude sucked! The morning of the 29th we were having a nice breakfast with Zack and Jess and our little nephew R. I will never forget making the walk down the hall to take the test, it was the last test of the month and then on to more fertility treatments, I was filled with uncertainty and was really scared I would never have a baby of my own. R crawled into the bathroom while I was watching the stick for any sign of a pink line, then it happened it slowly came into sight! I had waited years and spent a small fortune in pregnancy test only to have them all be negative and finally all my prayers had been answered! I yelled for HD to come here, we hugged and kissed and we both scooped our little nephew up and kissed him he just giggled.

When I look at this picture it makes me so happy. Hidden deep inside my body was my baby, My first born son, Luke. I am very thankful for the way it all worked out! I was able to be with my family and tell them face to face that our prayers had been answered.

Go to We Are THAT Family for more Fro Me To You.

Better Much Better!

2008-12-10T15:32:00.007-05:00

By last night Luke and I were feeling just fine! I was so hungry I could have eaten a whole 12 inch sub from Subway. HD brought us home subs last night. By this morning I was back to my self. I whipped up some cookies for Daisy's homeschool party and we have had a pretty good day! I am praying that Daisy and Bo don't get sick because we have been to homeschool co-op and Walmart oh and to Toys R Us so we have pretty much given the flu to 5000 people if they come down with it in the next day....

Now lets talk toys, I went to Toys R Us with one mission in mind I was buying a Cozy Coupe for Tate and Reese (Twice Blessed Mommy's little ones) I was very disappointed to find that they no longer sell the old Coupe but a Pink and Purple girls model or a Fireman's boy model. Did I mention this is a gift for both of them? Now yes I do know there are woman firemen/women but when you buy a fireman toy it's not normally a girl you have in mind... I did go with the firetruck coupe because it would just be wrong to give Tate a pink coupe for Christmas. What happened to the old red and yellow one?

Have any of you started wrapping yet? I really need to get busy! We are going to visit Twice Blessed Mommy, Daddy and Kids this weekend to see the National Tree and have some fun together so I have to wrap all of our gifts to go up there, I will be wrapping all day tomorrow!

I look forward to sharing my tree with you on Friday, Kristen is having a little party where you can post pictures of your tree and Boo Mama is doing a Tour of Homes on Monday. So stay tuned for some tree pictures.

I feel really bad yall'

2008-12-09T13:07:00.003-05:00

Yesterday went like most others, school in the morning, rush rush rush. Monday's are ballet days for Daisy. As I drove across town Luke started to complain that his stomach was hurting. Within minutes of arriving at ballet Luke started throwing up. I hurried to my mom's house she lives really close to ballet, as I cleaned the car I felt a little nauseous but who wouldn't while cleaning up well you know....

We can right home and about 6 last night I started getting sick too. So far it has only been Luke and I. I guess we should have gotten our flu shot....

Hope you are having a better Tuesday than us!

Fro Me to You~ Open your eyes

2008-12-04T11:18:00.007-05:00

This is my fruitless attempt at teaching my Grandma how to keep her eyes open for a picture.

"see Grandma open them really wide like this!"

"No No that's not it" Open your eyes...

"Maybe if I look up here they will stay open"

"Oh Forget it!" We will just blog it!

For lots of fun with photo's go to We Are THAT Family.

Pictures from Thanksgiving 2008

2008-12-02T13:00:00.006-05:00

HD snapped my picture while I was cooking and I turned and gave him a great big smile. How does my hair look curly? I love big hair, Ruby Wife will say she loves it curly. HD loves it strait.

This is my Grandma's side of the family. There is a whole lot of us here but not all of us... Do you see Little Toes and Cheerios on the top right and Twice Blessed Mommy in the middle.

HD and I right before we left my Aunts house. I remembered, oh, three minutes before we walked out the door that we had not had a picture with each other all day, or with our kids....

This is a picture of my Dad and my sister Molly and I. We went over to my Dads house on Saturday for a few hours for an amazing breakfast. Have I ever told you all that I got all my cooking ability from my Dad? He could open up a restaurant, he is that good!

This is Jess and I, I sat just high enough in the chair to look like the tall one. I am a good 4 inches shorter that Jess!

This is HD with both of his brothers, Zack and Travis. Looks like Travis is a bit taller than his older brother Zack and a bit shorter than his oldest brother HD.

Regan and Luke snuggling up together! My boy will be singing All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth, for sure!

This is my nephew R. We exchanged presents while we were back home for Thanksgiving. Our boys played so well with each other!

This is my niece C, she and Daisy had such a good time while we were in Ohio!

These are a few of my favorite pictures from last week. Have a great night!

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-12-02T09:19:00.003-05:00

Thanksgiving was wonderful! We had really great food and the family was nice too! Just kidding! I loved being with our family. I had such a great time visiting with our extended relatives, my cousins are a lot of fun to hang out with. My cousin in law at Little Toes and Cheerios gave me the most amazing Christmas gifts, she had a Happy Mommy apron made for me, and she had a puzzle made for my kids, its a our last years Christmas photo, the last family picture we have of my Grandpa. I can't even begin to tell you how surprised and Thankful I was. Thank you so much "Wilma" I love you and getting closer to you on our blogs has been great!

Our time with HD's family was so much fun! I am really really blessed with my Sisters in Law! Jess and I had so much fun, we stayed up talking until 3 am all but one night. We also shopped and ate and played games, we played Taboo, have you all played Taboo? We played boys against girls and we had a blast! Now I will say that when HD was describing things his brothers just knew, I think it was a brother thing. When Jess was describing things her sister Jodi, helped us beat the boys every time! I am going to go buy the game this week! We got to spend time with Regan who was on leave from the Army for Thanksgiving. Regan stayed with us at Jess and Zack's house, our kids are just crazy about her, she is an amazing young woman and we are all really proud of her! We didn't get to spend much time with Travis, HD's younger brother, but we did drag him into a game of Taboo on Saturday and it was so much fun!

On Friday, I had a sister movie party. Jess, Regan, Molly and myself all went to the movies. Guess what we saw..... Twilight!!!! It was so good! We all have read all the books and we had to see the movie together. The movie was pretty true to the book for the most part which was great. I can't wait for the next movie, I'll have to drive to Ohio to go see it with my girls.

We are trying to get back to normal this week, I am starting school with the boys now and better go get busy. I will post some pictures of our trip later today.

Happy Tuesday!

COMMENTS!!!

2008-11-26T06:00:00.000-05:00

Just so ya'll know and understand....

Comments are like CRACK for the blogger!

We write with the thought that someone, somewhere, will read and like what we say!

We bloggers are opinionated people with an opinion to share.

With that said I will let you in on a secret, I am an only child and I like to talk. (and be heard)

I like to be the center of attention and I REALLY like knowing people are reading me!

SO COMMENT WILL YOU?!

ITS BLOG CRACK I SAY !

My Car and Shame, Shame people!

2008-11-25T06:30:00.000-05:00

*This is one of my very favorite posts and it is very fitting today, we are traveling to Ohio and I have to clean the car! While I am away I hope you all enjoy some of my favorite old posts.

So y'all know we are leaving at 2 am on Saturday for vacation and today was clean the car day, Daddy will not ride for 2 hours in the mess we call car/van more or less 14 so I promised to clean the thing up. Now I must say I was feeling very organized with my packing techniques and I had no idea the hidden dangers awaiting me in my minivan. Now this is one of those moments that I pray the Child's Protective Services doesn't read my blog because they might send someone for a home study after I tell you all the toxic situation in which I have been driving my beloved children in. I really have no idea how we fit with all the mess and am very thankful we have not been over taken by bugs of some kind.... So here goes the Shame!

1 temporary tattoo

3 stickers

5 Ponytail holders

2 used band aids

16 army men

8 ink pens

19 game pieces (and they don't even go together)

2 toy keys

plastic cat

12 candy wrapper

2 marbles

2 ninja turtle swords

Cheetos

9 barrets

2 sea shells

play coin

pop (soda) top

3 M&M's

5 books

17 action figures

plastic bat

spoon

2 drink lids

6 feathers (birds may have been here)

marker

marker top

12 gum wrappers

2 sucker wrappers

smashed chewed gum (very old and hard)

ice tea packet

mashed penny from Smithsonian

18 french fries (very old and very hard)

4 yo go's fruit snacks

dried up strawberry

gummy bear

13 sticky penny's

9 used Kleenex's

broken slinky

plastic soda cap

tic tac toe board

sun glass lens

2 pairs of sunglasses

plastic egg

plastic Gary the Snail (sponge bob)

plastic hat

battery AAA

receipt

7 straw wrappers

bouncy ball

toy skeleton

coffee cup

plastic rock

large rock wrapped in shiny foil

mega block

bouncy frog

ear phones

sucker stuck under seat

2 dimes

dried flowers

20 CD's

auto touch up paint

barbie shoe

fortune cookie

magnet

gift bag

diaper bag (my baby is going to be 3 she has no need for a diaper bag)

1 size 2 diaper

2 tooth picks

dental floss

toy cape

3 pull ups

2 pairs of socks (not matching)

child harness

prescription

2 business cards

Atlas

chain from broken necklace

twisty tie

5 cheerios

drinking straw

2 towel racks (I need to return)

1 toilet paper holder (also need to return)

stroller attachment (I don't even own the stroller anymore)

4 pretzels

plastic dog

jumper cables

bag of silk flowers

1 shoe

french fry container

jewelry box

umbrilla

5 sucker sticks

2 corn dog sticks

6 fishy crackers

1 sippy cup with moldy juice

1 sippy cup with milk ~~cottage cheese~~

broken Styrofoam cup

paper from Sunday School

price tag

baby doll sock

little people hay stack

toy purse

pop top

toy ax

medicine spoon

medicine cup

9 plastic dinosaurs

mesh bag

bible study book (lost and now found)

daughters short's

daughters pj's

3 pair of underwear

eye patch

coupon

Lego's

1 dried black olive

3 lip glosses

lotion

more crumbs than one person can count

hand gel (after sitting in this car we could lick the cart handle at Walmart and be fine!)

1 raisin (it probably started as a grape)

and one blanket......

So we could feed a small country with the remains of this nasty minivan, we can change clothes and even touch up our makeup not to mention my kids could entertain themselves for hours on the toys in here! I am really surprised, it's almost embarrassing but I know you all love me and I am just to busy painting my nails and educating my children while organizing our clothes to clean out the car. But I can promise you this if Daddy sees this list he will never buy me a new car, never ever!

I know I have won the award for dirtiest car but you can still head over to R ocks in my Dryer and see what others have found in their cars.

The Upcoming Week

2008-11-24T10:52:00.006-05:00

I will be taking a week off of this blog of mine, not that I haven't taken off a lot lately, I sure have. Sorry. We are going to Ohio tomorrow for Thanksgiving. We will be staying with my brother and sister in law and their family. We are going to my Aunt Brenda's house on Thanksgiving day where I will be spending Thanksgiving with some other bloggers you may know, Twice Blessed Mommy who is my Aunt and my best friend and my cousin in law Little Toes and Cheerios. We will be eating and having lots of fun for the next few days.

Yesterday at church we heard a sermon on Thanksgiving, we learned that so often we are thankful for the things we have forgetting that it is all about what God has given us and our thanks should really be directed at what he has done for us.

As hard as the holidays are going to be for me this year, I am thankful! I am Thankful for all the years I had my Grandpa, I am even Thankful that God took him home in his time without pain and suffering. I am Thankful for my wonderful husband, that I don't just have a spouse but a best friend. I am Thankful for my three healthy children, each one a blessing! I am Thankful that God knows whats best for me and even though I am saddened monthly by my lack of pregnancy He knows when and if he will bless us again, and his plan is greater than I could ever imagine. I am Thankful for Tate and Reese, they are a miracle, many families have lost a their child born way to early (25 weeks) and we have not one healthy baby but two. I am Thankful for my salvation, I will never deserve it, but Jesus came for everyone one in the world. I am Thankful for the daily encouragement and friendships from this blog. Happy Thanksgiving!

I will be posting some of my favorite post while I am away so you will be reading reruns... Enjoy!

Some Answers part 2

2008-11-21T05:00:00.000-05:00

I am really enjoying answering your questions.

Anonymous asked me how my day is set up, and if I have an advice on being a good wife and an marriage advice for a couple with young children~

I set my day up like this- We get up at 6 each morning, I set the coffee pot the night before so when we get up we have hot coffee waiting. HD and I spend a few minutes reading the Bible and then I pack his lunch and make breakfast. The kids get up between 6:30 and 7. We eat breakfast together as a family and HD leaves for work at 7:30, We pray together as a family before he walks out the door. I start school with the kids when he leaves. I am teaching 2nd grade and Kindergarten so I alternate, Math with one and then the other, phonics with one and then the other. I do some pre school with Daisy in between Math and phonics with the boys. We have lunch around 1pm each day and Daisy takes a nap at 2pm. I start dinner around 3 and when HD gets home at 5 its ready. We sit together at the table and share dinner. We will sometimes play a game after dinner sometimes we read books or even watch tv together. The kids go to bed at 8. I love to read so I read a lot in the evening. HD and I sit together by the fire or on the couch and read or watch tv or just talk....

My advice on being a good wife is very simple, if your husband loves to eat make sure you feed him after a long day of work, if he hates a mess, then spend a few minutes cleaning up before he comes home. My husband loves to eat and he likes me to be fixed up so every day at 4:45 I touch up my makeup and dinner is ready when he gets in the door. The very best marriage advice I can give anyone with kids or not is pray for your husband! Our husbands are faced with many challenges each and everyday and the best thing you can do is pray for him. Pray together and if you have a husband who does not like to pray out loud ask him if you can pray with him and take his hand and just pray for you both. Take time to be with each other alone also. I treasure my time with HD in the evening when our kids are in bed, lets face it babysitters are expensive so we have dates at home often, after the kids go off to bed I try and set the stage for a nice date sometimes romantic sometimes just fun.

Little Toes asked me if I had an easy cake recipe for Christmas~

I will give you my favorite cake recipe, its called Neiman Marcus Bars

Crust-

1 box of butter cake mix

1 stick of butter

1 large egg

Filling-

1 package of cream cheese 8 oz at room temp.

2 large eggs

1 tea pure vanilla extract

1 stick of butter melted

3 3/4 cups of confectioners sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees for the first step mix the ingredients together for the crust, it should come together in a ball. With your fingers pat it evenly into a 9x13 pan.

Next for the filling mix the first 4 ingredients together until smooth and then about a cup at a time add the sugar, mix until incorporated well. Pour the filling on top of the crust mixture. Bake in the oven for 45-47 minutes it should be well browned on top and just slightly jiggle when you shake the pan, Place it on a wire rack to cool for about 30 minutes, cut and serve. This is one of my very favorite deserts ever!

Growin' with it asked me three very good questions, What did I want to be when I grew up, If I was a superhero what would my powers be and what is my favorite color and why~

I had two career aspirations, I always and I mean always wanted to be a wife and mommy! My mother and I lived with my Grandparents from the time I turned 5 and the only really good relationship I ever saw was that of my Grandpa and Grandma, I would dream of how my husband would sweep me away and we would have 7 children, I even had all 7 names picked out -Carlotta, Calliope, Collette, Christian, Justine, Jasmine and Sky. I wanted a house full of girls.

My other dream job was to be a famous singer, not just a singer but a famous one, I wanted to be the next Reba! Now being that I am from Dayton Ohio and with no hint of southern accent, this is a problem...

If I was a superhero I would totally have the power to be invisible, I would use my power to listen in on conversations and rid the Christian world of Gossip! You would never know when Superhero Happy Mommy would be listening in and bust you for talking about your friends behind their back, so all Christian Woman everywhere would be kinder and way more careful about what they say, creating unity in the church like we have never known before! Hey God's invisible and always listening, that should make us think.....

My favorite color is red! I love red because I look good in red, red clothes, red lipstick, red shoes, and of course red nail polish. I think red is a powerful color and when you where red you get noticed, not in a "your hot way" but in a you know what your talking about way. I don't think I ever walk by a woman dressed in red and don't look twice. And all red food is yummy!

Sincerely Fro Me To You ~ Thanksgiving

2008-11-20T08:03:00.012-05:00

Over the last few years I have had so much to be Thankful for! We prayed and prayed for God to bless us with a daughter, and he did. We have 3 healthy children. We have been really blessed to have our family travel to be with us almost every other year. HD's brother Zack and his wife Jess come with my niece and nephew. My sil and I have grown into such great friends, she is one of my best friends in the world and when anything good or bad happens in my life she is one of the first people I think of, one of the first people I call. She is a great support in my life and I am so Thankful that God blessed Zack with her, I am sure most people have civil relationships with their sil's but I love Jess deeply and she is such a wonderful part of our family. These pictures were taken on Thanksgiving 2005.

We had a very small Thanksgiving in 2006, we stayed home and had our friends the "D" family come for dinner, they have 3 boy and one little girl. I am very Thankful for my friendship with Mrs. D, although we rarely get to see each other, I enjoy talking to her on the phone.

This Thanksgiving was not only memorable because we spent it with our friends, it is memorable because only 20 minutes after they left Daisy started throwing up and Luke, Bo and HD started the next day and me the day after that. Nothing like the flu over Thanksgiving.

I am so Thankful that my Mother and Grandparents moved here a year and a half ago. I am even more thankful for the picture of my Grandparents sitting at my table, last year was hectic, we had 20 people for dinner and I am not even in one picture. But at some point I took a picture of my Grandparents, this was the first Thanksgiving they had ever been at my home, I am really Thankful I got to cook my Grandpa such a feast.

We had Zack, Jess and their kids, Aunt Stacey and Aunt Ruth Anne, Dana, Joe and their kids as well.

I am also very Thankful for this Blog! I am always encouraged by you all. Thank you for taking these journey's with me. For more old pictorial fun go to We Are THAT Family.

Works For Me Wednesday~ Car games

2008-11-19T05:32:00.004-05:00

If you have kids I am sure you spend a whole lot of time in the car. It seems like we run almost every single day. I really thought that because we home schooled our kids I would be home more and able to keep up with everything (can you hear me laughing) that is so not the case we are always in the car!

I have found that if I am involved in a wonderful conversation with my husband the kids fall apart. If I am using my cell phone while driving the kids again fall apart. What I mean by fall apart is they are playing the "he touched me no I didn't keep your foot over there it's mine I had that first your not my friend anymore" game. If you haven't heard of that game yet your kids are still young...

I really started getting sick of ride with my own children in the car! I love them so much I did what any good mama would and I tried separating them, and then I started praying for God to reveal to me what I could do different. Very quickly I realized I was spending my time it the car for me, and that was not working! Is such cramped conditions we needed to talk and sing and play together.

I started playing a few games in the car that we could all enjoy together and it work! The kids stopped fighting and they started laughing and enjoying our time together! I can tell you it is much better to arrive at your destination with a happy family than 3 kids who have just acted like crazy monkeys and a mama who has blown her top!

One game we play often is What Am I Thinking Of, the game goes very simple you tell the kids either it's an animal or food or place or person and you start giving clues until someone (while taking turns) guesses. Even my 3 year old can play this game now granted she always describes an elephant and sometimes tells us it's a food, she is playing.

Another great car game is I Spy. We just take turns describing something we see in the front of the car or outside but far enough away that we can make a few guesses.

HD came up with a great game for the car we call it I Start The Story, One of us will start telling a story and we take 4 minute turns, the last person finishes it. We have had a lot of fun with that game!

I hope you can use some of these idea's to make you travel time easier with the Holiday's here. Remember if all else fails and you are going to be in the car for hours bring a portable DVD if your car doesn't have one. We will be going to Ohio for Thanksgiving and the kids will be watching movies for a good part of the drive I am sure!

For other helpful tips and great ideas go to Rocks In My Dryer.

Some Answers part 1

2008-11-18T09:22:00.006-05:00

First Thank you for your support with the church issue! I know many people change churches, but for us women it's hard when we don't feel connected. Thank you so much for your prayers. Now on to the question and answer portion of this post....

Jodi asked if I had infertility problems in the past~

The answer is yes. I had PSOS and you can read all about it here. I was blessed beyond measure when God saw fit to heal me and have had no other problems with my fertility since. I have come to believe as well as the OBGYN has offered information to us that it's not me. If we are having actual trouble with our fertility it is probably due to low sperm count with HD, having a vasectomy obviously changes things and having it reversed changes things even more. We do know he has sperm so we can get pregnant but as for actual counts we have not had that checked yet. We will probably do that after a year of trying if God leads us in that direction.

Twice Blessed Mommy asked what will I be wearing for Thanksgiving~

You are so funny! I am still about 15 pounds over weight and nothing and I mean nothing in my closet fits right and I will not be stuffing myself into anything making myself look like a stuffed piggy with an apple in her mouth. So with all that said, I have plans to go to Kohl's on Thursday after my massage (at the salon you got me a gift certificate at for my Bday) I want some nice Black slacks you know the slimming kind and some kind of sweater maybe in Black also, again very slimming and I will wear high heels to fill the gap in my height issues!

Little toes asked if I cook something everyday and when I grocery shop do I have a list and coupons~

Great question! Yes I do cook something everyday. I make breakfast (hot) at least 5 out of 7 days a week. That does not mean bacon and eggs that means hot cereal, or baked oatmeal or eggs and toast, muffins and sometimes bacon or sausage. Lunch is my most laid back meal, we eat sandwiches a lot and I heat up mixed veggies almost everyday for me and the kids. Dinner is of course our biggest meal of the day. I make chicken about 4 nights a week, we have soup at least once a week. If I don't cook, then we have left overs, we do that about once a week.

I write out a 10 day meal plan before we go to the store. My list includes all meals. I know that we will have cereal at least 3 times in a 10 day period so I make sure we have a few boxes on hand, the kids also like cereal dry for snacks. I list all the fruit we will need as well as frozen and fresh veggies. I make an menu for dinner and write out all the ingredients we will need. I do not clip coupons. We have a Walmart Super Center, I do all my grocery shopping at Walmart. I save money by buying the Walmart brand which I have found to be cheaper than the name brand even with a coupon, I think the Walmart brand is very good and only a few things do I buy the name brand, yogurt and mayo being the only two I can think of. Also when you shop think of the snacks you will need for the time period as well.

Keep the questions coming this is fun!

New church and a questioner

2008-11-17T19:00:00.001-05:00

I have been in such a funk lately. I have had trouble thinking of what to blog about, and it's not just blogging that's suffered it's everything. I have just been so sad. I don't want to feel this way, really I don't and today was good. I was able to get a lot of school done with the boys, Daisy had ballet and I even got dinner on the table on time.

Have I mentioned that during all the stuff lately we realized we were not in the right church for our family? I have really been struggling with this more than anything, going through a death without a church family is really hard. For me being connected at church is so important, I need people. We have lived about 35 minutes from our church for the last 3 years and I have tried really hard to make it work, but it's not. After my grandpa died I realized I only have one friend at church, and when I asked my kids to tell me a friend from church they couldn't, they don't have any....

We were going to an amazing church with great music and fun activities but for a homeschooling family we need people and we live to far to be involved like some of the other families so as hard as it is we are moving on.

We have been church looking and that's really hard to. Please pray for us. I feel strongly that we need to go to church in the community were we live and so we are looking at churches in the next town over, the town were we have land and are going to build our house. The church we went to yesterday was really nice and the kids had a great time. The boys knew 3 other boys and had a great time. Daisy knew 3 little girls who are in her ballet class and 2 little boys, she loved it!

I would love to have some fresh blog material but lately I think I have been very boring so thank you for hanging in here with me!

Now I want to open the comments to any questions you have for me. Ask away and I will spend the next few days answering, come on give me your best shot... Ask me anything. This might be really fun.

Happy Monday Night!

A one word meme

2008-11-16T05:28:00.000-05:00

Where is your mobile phone~ car

Your hair color~ brown

Your mother~ interesting

Favorite thing~ cooking

Your dream last night~ strange

Your dream goal~ consistency

The room you're in~ Familyroom

Your hobby~ Blogging

Your fear~ loss

Where do you want to be in 6 years~ here

Where were you last night ~ home

What you're not~ boring

One of your wish list items~ Table

Where you grew up~ Ohio

The last thing you did~ typed

What are you wearing~ PJ's

Your TV~ on

Your pet~ outside

Your computer~ MAC

Your mood~ sad

Missing someone~ Grandpa

Your car~ Minivan

Something your not wearing~ Bra

Favorite Shop~ Country Charm

Your summer~ wonderful

Love someone~ HD

Favorite color~ red

When you last laughed~ yesterday

When was the time you cried~ yesterday

If you want to do this meme, feel free and have fun!

Calzones and randomness

2008-11-15T08:35:00.004-05:00

I told you all yesterday that I would post a calzone recipe and it is so easy that I shouldn't even call it a recipe!

Calzones

1-2 pizza crust (in the can the roll out kind)

mozzarella cheese

pepperoni

good tomato sauce

I roll the pizza dough out into a large rectangle on a cookie sheet. I put pepperoni down the middle, make it thick. Now add as much cheese as you like. Take one side of the dough and fold it over the cheese, now take the other side and fold over the dough. Take the long calzone and flip it over so that the seem is on the underneath side of the calzone. Take a little melted butter and brush it on top, add a little garlic salt, and make a few slits on top. Bake at 375 for around 10 to 12 minutes, or until it is lightly browned on top.

I serve it with a really good chunky tomato sauce for dipping. Enjoy! It takes 3 calzones to feed my family so you might want to buy 3 or 4 packages of dough if you have a big appetite or company.

On to the randomness~

I hate the rain I have told you that 1000 times

It's raining and I doubt we are getting dressed

I get a headache if I don't have coffee the minute I get up

I think that means I am addicted

I know I am addicted

I only drink it black

No sugar!!!

HD drinks it like a girl with cream and sugar

He doesn't think that's funny

I do

I am going to do school with the kids

They don't know it's Saturday

I love online shopping

I don't have to get dressed and go out in the rain which I hate

I wish it would snow

It does not snow in the south very much

Maybe it will snow when we are in Ohio for Thanksgiving

I am not looking forward to the holidays without my Grandpa

I want to make it special for my children

I am really struggling

It's time to put up the tree

That might help

I don't like eggs

Our chickens our on strike they have stopped laying

An old farmer told us to put golf balls in the nesting boxes it will make them lay again

I think that's really funny

I am tired of trying to get pregnant

I realize I want to be in control

God needs to be in control he does much better at it than me

I again am struggling with that too

I ripped up our charts

God knows whats best even if it hurts

I don't want to miss out on the kids I already have thinking about the baby I want

Daisy got a haircut

She looks like Kit Kittredge the American Girl, she loves it

I am going to start school now, Happy Saturday!

Can you hear the jingle bells

2008-11-14T17:39:00.002-05:00

I have been listening to Christmas music all day! I am finally in the holiday mood and need to put up the tree! I finished all my kids shopping today! I think the only thing I have left is to buy things for the stockings!

I did most of my shopping online, I really believe I saved time and money this way! I am looking forward to the boxes rolling in so I can start wrapping!

I am having a small dinner party this evening so I must run. I am making calzones. So so easy I will post the recipe tomorrow!

Happy Friday!

Sincerely Fro Me To You ~ Ham

2008-11-13T16:52:00.006-05:00

Last Christmas Eve we all gathered at my Grandparents house for our traditional Christmas party and gift exchange. We always have heavy snacks. Last year I made a ham and brought some rolls for hot ham and cheese sandwiches with our snacks. We also had some chicken wing dip, its very good but just a bit on the salty side.

We enjoyed our party very much eating and having punch and presents.

Then we woke up on Christmas morning and I found my husband with his face so swollen from the ham and salty dip he could barely open his eyes. It is actually very very funny, I'm thinking how much dip and ham did you eat?

It almost looks like it's just a bad picture but it's not, he is swollen! Look at this one.

For more funny photo's go to We Are THAT Family.

Almost a good time... Has spread!

2008-11-09T07:21:00.002-05:00

Luke woke up this morning, stomach cramping, and he has thrown up already. It's only 7:22. I should had realized yesterday afternoon when he took a nap that sickness was stirring under the surface. HD offered to take the other kids to church, as kind as the offer I am sure they are next so we are watching church on tv.

We didn't make it to the toy store, Luke had a headache, clue number 2. So we improvised and shopped on line. The kids took turns in front of the computer. I found a great website full of learning toys, classic and well made toys at really reasonable prices too. The site is called Really Great Toys.com I found Playmobil at the best price I've ever seen. Do you have little boys? If you do they need some Playmobil! They sell some of the pirate and knight toys at Toys R Us and at Target. The store I mentioned has everything. We ordered the boys toys from the Forestry section which is little hunters and forest rangers, and we ordered them Cowboys and Indians, toys you don't see in the store.

I am at a loss as what to get Daisy. At 3 she is saying she wants everything she sees and she has so many toys already! I made the mistake of getting her toys before she was ready more than one time. We got her a top of the line $200+ kitchen for Christmas when she was 15 months old, she plays with it now but for almost 2 years it sat collecting dust. Last year we got her a $80 baby doll, a Lee Middleton doll that looks real, the doll is laying in the bottom of a toy bin as we speak. So ladies what do I buy my daughter, what does a 3 year old girl really need? She wants an American Girl doll, we got a catalog last week. She is way to young! What do you thing?

It's only 37 outside this morning and I am going to have HD start a fire. Happy Sunday!

Almost a good time...

2008-11-08T13:31:00.002-05:00

One of my favorite people in the world my friend "S" came with her 3 children yesterday. "S" lives over 3 hours away, we don't get together as much as we would like. We plan and plan and the day comes and usually one of her 3 children or one of my 3 children become sick and we have to cancel. Yesterday we were in the clear, not one of the six combined children had any type of illness not even a runny nose.

"S" arrived about 2 yesterday afternoon, we talked for 3 hours strait, which is simply wonderful. Face to face talk is so valuable when most of our talk is over the phone. Let me add now that we hugged no less than 10 times! HD came home at 5 and by 6 we were all ready to go out to dinner. At dinner "S" mentioned how cold it was, funny thing it wasn't cold....

She was very sick all night, I won't give you details you get the picture. We had plans to make soup and pie today, let the kids play and visit all day. She left at 11 only after she finally stopped getting sick long enough to leave.

We almost had a great time. I am pretty sure a few of my kids drank after a few of her kids so you all know what that means.

Now we wait!

Hope you all are having a great weekend. I think when HD comes home we are going to go to the toy store and write down everything the kids want. And then the shopping can begin!

Sincerely Fro Me To You ~ The view home

2008-11-06T14:58:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago when we went away for the weekend to the neighboring state that we thought we were going to move to. I was so unimpressed with the place we went it ruined the weekend. I let there so upset. When we drove across the state border this is what we saw and I started to cry. I started praying differently and believing that God would keep us right where we are. Thankfully he has, and we don't have to move!

Check out We are THAT family for more picture fun.

Works For Me Wednesday~ Christmas shopping

2008-11-05T06:18:00.005-05:00

Its time everyone, its only a little over 40 days until Christmas, time to shop! I think this is my most favorite time of year hands down. The food the smells the decorations. The birth of my Savior. I wanted to share with you how I shop for my children. First I will tell you that we don't "do" Santa and you can read all about it here, we love the big round guy we just treat him as he is fictional.

Since the kids know the gifts they receive are gifts from us and that it is all a celebration of Jesus and his birth, we want to have them choose wisely. Its easy this time of year for the kids to tell us they want every single toy that comes on tv. I understand I want a lot of things I see on tv too!

What we do is right around now the first or second week of November we take the kids to the toy store sometimes together sometimes alone and we have them choose 10-20 toys they think they would really like to have. At the end of the trip we ask each of them which toy do you want more than any other toy. There is nothing worse on Christmas morning than opening up the gifts and the kids not really getting at least one thing they really wanted, especially after we have spend so much money.

I have found this to be a great way to get my kids what they really want and they understand that we can't buy everything they want but we love giving to them and to others that's what makes this time of year so special, giving, just as God gave us the greatest gift of all, his son.

We are going to Toys R Us this weekend and I will have my list ready. I do find that Walmart normally has everything that Toys R Us has and if it's not in the store it is usually on the web site and Walmart does free shipping to the store its called Site to Store, and this has been a great savings to me.

Happy Shopping! For more WFMW go to Rocks in my Dryer.

I love the Orchard!

2008-11-04T13:01:00.005-05:00

We have been going to this lovely orchard every year for our Anniversary for the last 5 years now. We love making apple bread, apple muffins, apple pie, apple cake, apple sauce, apple butter do you feel like your watching Forest Gump?

We also love this orchard because it's nestled in the mountains and has breath taking views.

When we found out that my Grandpa had cancer we decided to go to the orchard for our Family photos this year, we planed to go this last weekend. We had no idea that he would die only 5 days after his diagnosis....

As a family we decided to move forward. We did go to the orchard this weekend and we took family photos, it feels strange to all be together without him, but yet we are still here, still a family and as hard as it was to take family pictures, I still want to capture those moments we are together.

News and Halloween

2008-11-02T18:59:00.004-05:00

We received news late this week that HD's company withdrew the mandatory move! We are so happy, thankful and blessed! I can't even begin to tell you how much I disliked the place they wanted us to move to, or how thankful that we are that God has blessed us and is allowing us to live right here. We are still going to put our house up for sale so that we can build on the land that we bought earlier in the year, which was our plan all along. Thank you for your prayers!

We had a wonderful Halloween! We carved pumpkins from our garden on Thursday night and we had Twice Blessed Mommy and Family come for the trick or treat fun on Friday.

Sincerely Fro Me To You ~ A day I'll never forget

2008-10-30T13:49:00.004-04:00

The day we buried my Grandpa was a beautiful sunny Saturday. Honestly, I don't remember a whole lot about the morning or the rush to get ready. I do however remember the lovely service. One of my Grandpa's best friends Brother Ron, came from Mississippi to preach his service. We had may laughs and tears as well.

On the way to the dinner in the bright sunny sky, we saw a rainbow. I was just amazed! Not a cloud in the sky and there was a big rainbow. God is so good to my family, we were so glad God gave us this little gift on a day that was so sudden and unexpected, unexpected for us, but not God he knew....

The dinner was wonderful, we had country home cooking the kind that was my Grandpa's favorite. We found ourselves again laughing, and I can tell you we were happy to be together, I know the only reason we could be happy, was very simple, my Grandpa left a legacy, he loved Christ he spend many years working to increase the kingdom and the moment he took his last breath he was in the presence of the Lord. So for that I am truly happy. I will always miss him, not a day has past in the last few weeks that I haven't thought about and cried about missing him.

For this weeks Fro Me To You I am sharing some photo's taken after the funeral. We all have so much fun sharing pictures weekly, just head over to We are THAT family for more fun.

My Grandma and I, at the restaurant.

HD and I. Not really sure why he has those glasses on or who they belong to...

Bo, outside of the funeral home, he is wearing my Grandpa's hat.

My family.

This is "S" one of my best friends in the whole world! The day my Grandpa died, she dropped everything and came to help me for 4 days, She handled my kids while we were planning the funeral, she cooked and cleaned, shopped and listened to me for hours on end. She is one of a kind, I am so blessed to have her.

Happy Anniversary!

2008-10-29T06:00:00.002-04:00

Today HD and I have been married for 12 years! It seems like we have been together forever! I am very thankful for that, I love HD more than anything else in the whole world!

Dear HD~

You are the most wonderful husband in the world, I am not just saying that because you are mine! I am thankful everyday for how good to me you are. You are not only a wonderful husband who prays for me daily, leads me spiritually and loving guides me you are my best friend! You know I have some great girl friends, but you, my love, are the best friend I could ever ask for! No matter what I need you are always there for me. No matter what I need to say you always listen, you always care. You are always my biggest advocate and encourager, thank you.

I knew even before our first date that you and I needed to be together, remember your girlfriend told you, how I felt. I love that you only dated her for 2 weeks! I love that your longest girlfriend was 3 weeks until you met me! I love that I am the only woman you have ever loved! I knew the very first time you kissed me that I never wanted anyone else in the world to kiss me but you, not then, not now, not ever!

The day you asked me to marry you on the steps of our little home, I was changed forever, I said yes with no hesitation, I didn't have to think, I knew we were created for each other and each other alone. There has not been one day in the last 12 years that I have ever regretted my decision, I would marry you 1000 times! You make me a better person! You are my favorite part of everyday!

When you made me a mother, again you amazed me, with your big hands you gently took our tiny son holding rocking and speaking softly to him. I will always remember the joy I felt, how amazing that I instantly loved you even more, I didn't know that was possible to love you more you already had my whole heart, and then each time we had another child our love grew even more, we were no longer just a couple but a family. I love how you are such an amazing father, our children are blessed beyond measure!

This year when you had a vasectomy reversal to grow our family, I was so grateful for your love to me. I was grateful that God again gave us the same desire and even though you knew how painful this was going to be you did it. I loved being by your side during the surgery. I will never forget the pain you went through that day to have a baby with me again. I don't know very many men who would do that for their wife, you are one of a kind! I love when you tell me you want to have a baby with me. I love how you hold me and pray with me, when I am not pregnant, how you wipe my tears with your thumb and how you are always positive about having more children, knowing and believing God will bless us in his time.

In the last few weeks with my Grandpa dying, I can't even begin to tell you how much your constant devotion has meant to me! You have kept me strong. I am so thankful that the night he died you held me all night, and that you have held me every night since. There were days when I felt like my feet wouldn't carry me and you held me tight and helped me along. All of the difficult decisions we had to make were easier with you by my side.

Waking up and going to sleep in your arms is the most welcome place in the world. Thank you for starting and ending each and everyday praying with me. Thank you for loving me! Thank you for being you.

I love you always!

Hunting with HD

2008-10-28T08:07:00.005-04:00

I have been at a loss for words lately, I like to think if you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all! So with my Grandpa's sudden death and HD's company trying to make us move to a state were people often say you can marry your brother, I haven't had much to say. So to my readers I am sorry. I am still here, I am trying to deal with this all and am still a teacher so my days are even longer than usual.

The weekend before last I informed HD I was going hunting with him, he smiled and said you are! I had my mom watch the kids and off we went. The woods is to be a very quite place, that's the hardest part for me, not talking at all. I went last year too, and in order to remain silent I read. It is actually very peaceful. It is bow season as in bow and arrow. We climb up in a big old tree and we sat in a two man tree stand. How long have you ever sat with your husband or wife with out talking just enjoying nature, it is very peaceful, from time to time he would touch my leg and smile. HD's favorite thing in the world besides me and the kids is hunting and I went because I want whats important to him to be important to me. I don't want to kill anything I just want to watch the action.

I was about 200 pages in to the Memory Keepers Daughter, (it was pretty good) when we heard a doe, she came from behind us and she came into full view HD drew his bow back and waited for the perfect moment. Unfortunately, he hit a limb of a tree hanging in the path, the deer ran away and we again waited. HD is an excellent marks man and he was so mad that he hit the branch, it was hanging from a tree a few yards away, he would never take a shot if he thought he might miss and possibly wound an animal.

About 45 minutes later as I continued to read quietly, out of no where it seemed a bobcat came running strait at the tree we were in, I have never seen a bobcat in the woods, they are big! It was looking all around and it looked right up at us, but with full camo and face masks on it never even noticed us there. I am pretty sure I was shaking and trying to remember to breath, it was so exciting! Again HD drew his bow back and this time made the hit perfectly. It ran only a few hundred feet before it fell. We got down about 20 minutes later and started to look for it. I was the lucky one to find the bobcat.

* I know not everyone thinks hunting is a good sport, but we do! HD provides our family with a lot of food that way. You might even ask why a bobcat, bobcats cause a lot of damage, killing cats, small dogs and chicken. This is the first time HD has ever killed one and he has said it would be the last, we will not be eating it so there is no need to kill one again. We are having it mounted it is beautiful. So if you disagree with hunting that's fine, to each there own, but please keep your negative comments to yourself on this issue.*

Now for some pictures and if you don't want to see the bobcat click away now....

All I can say is~

2008-10-24T07:24:00.002-04:00

Hold your head up! Wednesday night Bo hurt his foot on our trampoline, yes that making us not only part of THAT family but a national statistic! We went to the urgent care clinic for xrays yesterday morning, it showed no broken bones but an injury to the growth plate? I had no idea a kid could injury his growth plate. But guess what you can, and from what the doctor said it would be better to be broken.

We are living in 5 minutes to see an orthopedic surgeon we will see what they recommend, rest, ace bandage, cast.... We will see.

But I am holding my head up, God will protect my son. All this transfer stuff will go as God plans, and I will Survive. (I just broke out in song there can you hear it, I will survive I will survive)

Hope your day is great!

This makes me laugh

2008-10-21T08:25:00.003-04:00

I was checking over my emails this morning and a friend who knew I need a good laugh sent me this

You think this will come in handy with packing and moving and all the stuff that goes along with all that? I think I will order everyone in my family one for Christmas.

Life has become very complicated!

2008-10-20T14:36:00.002-04:00

Just when you think things are settling down...

HD's company tells us on Friday, that they are handing out termination letters, but being that he is in the union and works for a major phone company you know the one that says "can you hear me now" they have to first offer us a lateral move. The move is in a neighboring state but is still hours from where we live. Hours from where we just buried my Grandpa. Hours from our friends our church our lives...

So being that HD makes very good money we have to go. We have always been blessed beyond measure with his jobs and our health care. We wish we had more time or more of a choice but we have to go. They are giving us the offer on Nov. 3 and we have 1 week to answer. From that point I don't know when we will have to report to our new spot. We had a realtor come this morning to advise us what we need to do to sell quick.

As much of a shock as this is I am at peace. God has different plans for us than I knew about. Pray for us as we are going to be super busy! We have to paint and trim and we are having new Kitchen floors and counters put in.

So what I mentioned about moving was only a rumor in the company which came to pass this weekend. I will keep you all posted!

A Day to Give

2008-10-17T09:00:00.008-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO TWICE BLESSED MOMMY!!!!

I am posting this a little late in the morning because I am leaving my house at 5am to go and surprise TBM for her birthday. It is going to be a long holiday season with the sudden death of my grandpa, her dad. So to say the least this is going to be a very hard birthday for her! He always called us and sang happy birthday to us. Our family makes a really big deal about birthdays! So I want her to be happy today. I want her to smile even though we want to cry! I am taking my mom and grandma with me we are only going to stay for a few hours and then we have to drive back home. It's 6 hours of driving but it is so worth seeing the look on her face when we walk in singing. But we will get to tell her we love her and we can sing her happy birthday and we can give her presents in person. I Love you Dana! So today I am giving time to Dana, because I love her and my Grandpa would have wanted her to be happy, she is one of my favorite people in the whole world, I thank God for her often! I love her so much I'm not even going to tell you how old she is.

Go to We Are That Family for more Give of yourself goodness!

I also want to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Jess! Today my wonderful sister in law Jess is 30! I am so glad you can join me here in the 30's! Just last month when I turned 30 Jess sent me 30 one dollar bills, she is a funny gal! Jess is not only a wonderful sister in law who I love dearly she is one of my best friends in the world! She is the best thing that could have ever happened to my brother in law Zack, she is a great wife and mother! I wish I could spend today with you, turning 30 on a Friday, we could have some fun girl! I hope your day is amazing! I love you!

Now I want to have a good laugh with you all...

From time to time when I need a good laugh I check my stat counter and see how people ended up here like a keyword analysis. And by the way I have over 100 readers daily and only about 20 comment, where are you people who are you people just say hello every now and then! We bloggers call you non commenter's lurkers! So come out of the closet and say hi!

So on with the keyword analysis~

1. Should I home school if I am not a Happy Mommy?

I would answer that question very simply how unhappy are you? And do you like to teach it might make you happy...

2. What rhymes with infection?

oh maybe perfection

3. Let me tell you a Story Mr IRS

I have no clue how you got here and am sorry, really because I don't want to know

4. Vasectomy Regret

I totally understand I regret it to!

5. Funny stories about dogs getting sprayed by a skunk

Laugh laugh it up but let me tell you its much funnier to read than to have happen to your dog!

6. Happy with my car

I am happy that I cleaned my car, but to be honest it's pretty bad again!

7. Walmart cake decorating job

I do love walmart and I enjoy cake decorating but I do not work there

8. Fear of Vinegar

What? Vinegar is great to cook with and clean with....

Have a great Friday!

Fro Me to You~ For the Love of Hats part 3

2008-10-16T07:52:00.008-04:00

I have been sharing my children's love of hats with you the last few weeks. I have come to realize that Daisy does not posses the same deep love as the boys. She does however have a deep love for cordanating hair accessories! She is also all about cute shoes. Now don't get me wrong she has a few hats of her own she just isn't as deeply in love with the hat as the boys.

This was taken at my girls dedication. I know it's not really a hat but look how beautiful she is!

Next is the apple orchard with Aunt Dana you know Dana as TBM, Daisy loves her Aunt so much look how happy she is!

Now she is a Flower.

And now she is a pumpkin.

I saved the best picture for last, she is a princess cowgirl, she is wearing a beautiful pink disney princess dress, high heels and a cowgirl hat!

Go to We Are THAT Family for Fro Me To You!

Time flys and not just when you are having fun

2008-10-15T07:49:00.002-04:00

It has been a week since my Grandpa died, a very long but fast week. I find it so hard to believe that he is gone, yet he is. I guess with a death so sudden it takes awhile to wrap your mind around everything. I am trying to keep my mind on the tasks ahead and keep myself from becoming to sad or overwhelmed at least for my children's sake. My Grandpa would not want me to stay in a state of sadness he was a very jovial and fun person.

This morning we have a little school to do and then we go to our home school co op, we are taking Ruby Wife and new baby dinner this evening. I tell you seeing a new baby makes me very happy! Have I mentioned how much I love babies? Oh, only about 18739847198374549 times here on this blog!

A blog friend emailed me yesterday with the news that she is finally pregnant! I am just thrilled! I want everyone to know that even though it has not happened yet for HD and I, I love hearing how God is blessing others! Sometimes I feel like people don't want to tell me because they think I will be sad for myself. It will be in his time. I can see now that with the recent events in our life being pregnant would have been a bad thing.... God knows the time and he will bless us.

Tell me if I did a Saturday recipe Swap here would you all like to link up and share? There used to be one and it stopped, I loved sharing recipes and so I thought I might start one up but only if you all want to play! I don't like playing alone being a people person and all so let me know if you are interested.

A new day

2008-10-14T14:22:00.002-04:00

As much as we have been through in the last week, I have missed blogging. I am so grateful for all of your kind words during this tough time! Our friends and family were simply amazing to surround us with love!

One of my closest friends in the world Susan dropped everything and came for four days and watched my children while HD and I made all the arrangements and got everything done. Susan doesn't like to be thanked for things, but she did so much for me I will always be very thankful for her!

Last friday Ruby Wife had her sweet baby. I got to meet him on Sunday after everything was over, he is beautiful!

I wanted to let you all know I am still here, I am getting by. I haven't really had anything to say, so I have been quite.

My kids are handling this all really well, Luke understands that his papaw is in heaven, he is comforted by that. Bo doesn't understand why we are sad at all, he just says papaw is in heaven why are you sad that is really exciting! And Daisy is still just to young to understand.

HD had to go back to work today, he has been off since last week. I have felt a little lost without him today. It might be that he has made me every cup of coffee, held my hand while I walked, made me sandwiches, cooked dinner, bathed the kids, talked to friends, made arrangements he did everything for me.

Please keep my Grandma in your prayers the up coming days are going to be very long for her. My Mother is staying with her right now while we make some decisions about the future, she will be moving in with us at the first of the year if our house doesn't sell before then.

My Grandpa

2008-10-09T07:57:00.003-04:00

Yesterday October 8, 2008 my Grandpa went home to be with Jesus. Although it was so quick it was also not painful for him. My Grandma, my mom, my Aunt Dana and I all were with him, in his last few minutes we told him how much we loved him, how wonderful he was to us, how thankful we were for him, and to please go home with Jesus. Every Thursday night for probably 20 years he served on a team at church that did visitation and witnessed to people, my Grandpa lead many many people to the Lord, he truly had a glorious welcome home yesterday.

I am very Thankful for all of your prayers! It all still seems just so unreal. He was my Daddy, I will never be the same. Please continue to pray for my family, this is so hard on Luke, Bo and Daisy are a little to young to realize that we are not going to see him here on earth again.

HD and myself are taking my Grandma to the funeral home this morning to make all the arrangements. We are going to try and have the funeral on Saturday, that way our out of town family can come.

Works For Me Wednesday~ Love language

2008-10-08T07:19:00.001-04:00

My small group is doing a study on The Five Love Languages, HD (Happy Daddy) and I read this book together before we started having children and let me tell you it is super helpful! I have learned that HD's love language is Acts of Service. My love language is Words of Affirmation. Now let me say it took me years to understand why it was that I would tell HD how much I loved him and he would smile and nod, he never seemed to get it, but if I cleaned the house and organized or if I ran an errand for him he was elated... HD is the kind of husband who is totally hands on he will jump in and help with the kids, he baths them and he will do any house hold chore I ask, he really felt like he was showing me love but all I ever wanted was to hear how he felt! All he ever wanted was to see how I felt.

So what we do is very simple, first we understand how each other loves, and even though it might not be our love language we still acknowledge when the other is trying to be loving. I pack HD's lunch everyday, that is very important to him, he loves that I get up early so that I can feed him which to him is an act of service, he likes hot breakfast which also is an act of service, now I always put a love note in his lunch box, yes everyday. I show my love that way, I give him words of encouragement or compliment something he has done, it's a win win situation.

HD is very helpful in our home, from the moment he walks in the door at night even though he has worked on his feet all day he is a 50/50 parent which shows his love language and he trys very hard to tell me how he feels, he compliments any extra work I have done as well as the way that I look which means so much to me.

After understanding how our minds work, it has made our already happy marriage even better, we don't let any good intentional deed go unnoticed. The Five Love Languages has worked for us, you should check it out it will work for you too.

For more wonderful ideas on what can work for you go to Rocks in my Dryer.

My Life

2008-10-07T11:09:00.003-04:00

My life as I know it changed dramatically on Friday morning. As you all know Daisy had her tonsils out on Thursday and she is still doing well, but because of her surgery I have been unable to attend some of my Grandparents recent appointments.

I mentioned last week that my Grandpa had a spot on is lung and we were checking it out. See, my Grandpa and Grandma helped raise me, I moved in with them when I was only 5 or 6. My Father has never been an active roll in my life but my Grandpa has been, he is my Daddy.

My Grandpa's doctor called me on Friday to tell me that he has lung cancer and it has spread to his liver. He started throwing up on Friday and he is now in the hospital, for dehydration, we have very little time left. We have made it very clear we want him to come home, we are getting him some IV fluid and we want home health or Hospice to come and be with us.

As of last week my Grandpa was still doing the grocery shopping and has been pretty active, making dinner and taking care of my grandma.

My Mom, Twice Blessed Mommy and myself are all devastated, its one thing to receive a diagnosis of Alzheimer's and go through the lose of my Grandma's mind but now we are losing our Daddy too.

I can't even begin to explain how grateful I am that we moved them here last year that we have had this time with them, I can't even begin to explain the shock of losing him this quickly.

Please pray for some time for us, we don't want him to suffer not even for a minute, but we want at least a few days to be with him.

My Grandpa is a Christian, he loves the Lord, he served as a deacon in his church for at least 40 years and has helped lead many people to Christ, many friends already waiting for him. He will finally be able to see his mother again, and he will soon meet Jesus face to face, yet we grieve, we want him with us....

Pray for my Grandma who told me just Saturday that 58 years is not long enough to be with the love of your live... Pray that this will not completely rob her of her mind.

Pray for our family we need it right now, we need strength and wisdom with all decisions that need to be made.

I was tagged

2008-10-03T05:08:00.000-04:00

I was tagged by One more equals four to share 5 things I have learned about blogging. One more has been one of my longest bloggy friends, she is the first person who I emailed outside of commenting on other peoples blog she is also the first person I told my real name to. She is my blog friend!

So let me see what are 5 things I have learned about blogging...

1. I love it! I was never a diary keeper or even a writer of any kind, but once I started writing I couldn't stop. This blog has helped me through some really touchy times like our decision to have a reversal and this blog has encouraged me.

2. I have learned that I might not be famous like Pioneer woman and that's ok... No I have learned that even though I have put famous bloggers in my blog roll does not mean they will ever read me, and I so ok with that, now! I have a great group of readers who encourage me and lift me up all the time, I love you guys!

3. I have learned to laugh at myself much more often! I sometimes sit at my computer and crack up at my life and its just fun to talk about it! Hey its much better to laugh than to cry, right!

4. I have learned that sharing my life gives me joy, I have had alot of secrets in my life and they bring nothing but pain, sharing my life is freeing!

5. This is a long one... I have recently learned that my sister reads my blog, now let me start with the fact that I have said that I am an only child, that is half untrue, I was raised an only child, my mother and father were divorced when I was 3, my father has always struggled to be my dad and that's for another post, so anyway he had another daughter when I was 10, her name is Molly. Molly and I were not raised in the same house and with my lack of relationship with my father I rarely ever got to see Molly. She was only 8 when I got married and moved over 12 hours away and so we have never really had any kind of relationship.

I have always kept my distance not wanting to intrude on her life her family. About 4 years ago I called my father and let him off the hook one could say, I totally forgave him and have since called him and he has called me, we have spent some holidays together, all the while I have felt like my sister really didn't want a relationship with me, and understandably, I have always thought of our dad as her dad.

Two weeks ago my sister commented on my blog, it rocked my world upside down. I was totally shocked she was interested in me?!?!? We very quickly went from commenting back and forth to emailing one another, and to my surprise she has been reading my blog for a long time, but what is even more surprising is she has always considered me her big sister and it has saddened her that we weren't close. I don't think 2 days have gone by in the last 2 weeks that we haven't emailed each other we have talked on the phone twice as well. She likes email that's her generation I like the phone but anyway, I can't even tell you all how happy this makes me, I have a sister and she wants to have a relationship with me, wow!

Amazingly we like and dislike many of the same things we have the same favorite color, same favorite food. Just tell me how great is that! So I have also found that blogs can bring family's together. Molly and I have so many years to make up for, and no better time to start than today!

Now I am supposed to tag 5 people to share the five things they have learned about blogging so I chose

Giovanna diaries

Twice Blessed Mommy

We Are That Family

Little toes and Cheerios

Pioneer Woman (just kidding, see I make myself laugh)

Mandigirl Muses

Growin with it ( I wanted 6)

Sincerely Fro Me To You ~ For the love of hats part 2

2008-10-02T05:00:00.001-04:00

*UPDATE* We are home from Daisy's surgery, she did really well! The ear tubes went in with out any problems and she didn't have any infection present today. She had no bleeding with the tonsil removal, and she actually has eaten 3 Popsicles, and drank 1 cup of Gatorade. So for now she is doing very well much better than I expected. Thank you for your prayers!

Two weeks ago I shared with you all my sweet son Luke's love of hats, and I promised to show you more... See the love did not die with Luke, no it did not it spread, Luke shared his love for the hat with his baby brother who in turn has a much deeper love for hats than Luke ever had.

And Bo has been so kind as to share his love for hats with his baby sister... but that's for next week. And speaking of baby sister, Daisy is have her tonsils removed this morning at 9 am please pray for her!

Now on with the hat party! This is Bo, and his early love of hats.

Bo likes all hats even if they belong to someone else

Now Bo had a love of this hat more than other hats, he wore this hat everywhere we went for almost a year and he paired it with bright green rubber boots

Bo called this his Night Night hat, he slept in this hat for almost 2 years every night

Bo also like matching hats

He decided to be Woody "boodie" for Halloween because he couldn't go without the hat

Stay tuned next week for the continuation of our love for hats, next week.

Go to We Are THAT Family for more fro me to you.

Works For Me Wednesday~ in the kitchen

2008-10-01T07:56:00.006-04:00

This weeks addition to works for me Wednesday it is all about organization in the kitchen...

I love to cook, I was born to cook, I love all things to do with cooking, so all that being said I spend alot of time in my kitchen!

I find it very helpful to plan ahead! I set our coffee pot the night before because it's not like we wake up and are surprised "oh maybe we want a cup of coffee" no its a given we are going to have coffee and so its all set and comes on at 5:55am so that when the clock goes off at 6 we can smell the sweet aroma.

I plan our meals that way too, before we go to be each night I decide what we are going to have for breakfast, sometimes it's a casserole I prepare it before bed, or baked oatmeal or even just eggs, but I always know what we are going to have, in early years of marriage I made a list and crossed off the meals as we ate them, that might work if you don't really like to cook.

I plan our dinners one or two weeks in advance, I write our grocery list according to the meals and then I am prepared. I start dinner every day at around 3 so that dinner is done when my husband get home from work at 5. We all know that dinner comes everyday so we need to plan for it, that will not only satisfy the family but you are much more likely to eat healthy if you plan ahead. I will even take a few minutes to peel veggies or double check a recipe in the morning if time permits. Planning ahead works for me.

For more Works for me Wednesday go to Rocks in my Dryer.

Thinking about

2008-09-30T11:43:00.002-04:00

Today is rainy I hate rain you all know how I feel about that!

I have been thinking today...

Daisy has her tonsils removed on Thursday

Winter is coming

I hate rain

Whats up with the follow me on the blog

I am now following blogs

I might be a follower

Chocolate is better hot

I need a good book

I want to go somewhere, I don't like staying home

I hate the rain

I want to be pregnant

Everywhere I look there are pregnant woman

If I am pregnant I will have a baby in June

June is the diamond birth stone

Hunting season starts Saturday

I won't be seeing much of HD

I need to clean out my closets

I need to go get Daisys pre ob testing done

I am stalling because she is going to have blood work and she is going to freak out

My Grandpa has a spot on his lung

He is having a second xray today

I want to see TBM and those babies

My sister Molly

Christmas is on a Thursday

I hate the rain

I hate when people say we need the rain...

Ruby Wife is going to have her baby any day

Babies smell so good

Ok so what have you been randomly thinking about? Please give me more to think about.

Our Weekend

2008-09-30T04:55:00.002-04:00

Our weekend started with an hour long couples massage, it was wonderful! We went to this elegant European day spa and talk about pure bliss, it was! HD bought me 3 really pretty nail polishes while we were there. And let me tell you now if I was a rich woman I would get a massage every week! After our massage we went out for lunch and then on to the hotel.

I went in to the bathroom to get freshened up and when I came out this is what I found...

For my 30th birthday HD bought me a 2.5 carat forever band. And had my diamond reset in white gold. It is absolutely breath taking!

Did I mention the love letter... HD wrote me a love letter, it was one of the most touching thing he has ever done, I will cherish my love letter forever!

Then we went out to this amazing restaurant sushi bar. I loved getting all dressed up, the best part was having my husband keep his eyes on me all night long, its incredible after 14 years we are still so much in love, I loved each and ever moment of our time together this weekend!

On Sunday we went walking around, we went out to breakfast and spent a great afternoon together. I hope we don't have to wait to long to be alone like this again. HD made me feel like a Queen, I never opened one door, he held on to my hand like I would fall if he let go,keeping me close to him every minute, everything was just so romantic and special. Thank you HD for loving me, Thank you for making me the happiest woman in the world, Thank you for being my hero, my everything, my forever and always!

Happy Birthday Happy Mommy - She's 30!

2008-09-29T01:15:00.005-04:00

Hi everyone...it's Twice Blessed Mommy here guest posting in honor of Happy Mommy's 30th (yikes) birthday. Here's a little back story for those of you who don't know~

HM is my niece and we are 14 years apart. I was in the 8th grade when she was born and felt so proud to become an aunt. I was the instant babysitter - me and my friends thought it was a lot of fun taking care of her. Over the years, HM and I became very close and actually, I felt like she was more like my little sister.

She is one of the sweetest persons you could ever meet and anyone who does meet her, wants to become her friend. I count on her for a lot in my life...marriage counselor, mommy guidance and sisterly advise. I know she is the one person in the world who would do anything for me without hesitation. She loves me unconditionally and loves my children with all her heart.

She was there for me standing right by my side the day I got married and she was there for me shortly after my little babies were born 16 weeks early. That really meant a lot to us to have her and HD there in the first few days for support. I don't know what I'd do without her in my life and hopefully will never have to find out.

I love this girl more than words can say and I wanted to tell you all about it on her big day. I've always tried to make sure she knows how special I think she is and how proud I am of her. So, with all that said, I'd like to share a few of her birthday pictures with you.

Here is one of my favorite pictures of her and my dad when she was about 9-10 months old? (I'm not exactly sure because there is no date on the back of the photo). Ok, this one isn't a birthday picture but I liked it anyway.

This next picture was taken on her 8th? (again, no date on back of pic) birthday. If you look real close, you can see me sitting on the couch with my slip showing..nice.

This last picture was taken on her 15th birthday. We were at Marion's Pizza (home of the square pizza) in Dayton, Ohio. She was growing up right before my very eyes. I really love this picture of her.

So, here's to you Happy Mommy....may you have many, many, many more birthdays to come. And just a word of advise ~ If you're freaking out about 30, just wait until 40 rolls around!

I love you! ~ Aunt Twice Blessed Mommy

Daisy did What!

2008-09-26T09:12:00.004-04:00

This week has been a whirl wind! I had the perfect picture all ready for yesterdays fro me to you and I didn't even have 5 minutes to sit down and do it!

We have had colds sweep across the house of Happy again! I totally emphasize the word AGAIN! i am so sick of being sick!

I am doped up on cold medicine right now trying to convince myself I am well I am well! All the while the smell of Vick's on my chest is not the perfume I think HD would prefer for our weekend away!

So guess what my sweet little girl did? She cut her hair! Yes she did, no I am not kidding she cut her hair! I flipped out! I yelled and ranted and raved and I believe there were tears hers and mine! I called Ruby Wife who thankfully swept in to save the day! She said come right over!

We did and my girl has a new do....

She is absolutely beautiful! I love her hair cut, I don't want to make a big deal about how beautiful it is or she won't realize just how bad this could have been, but on the other had she is so lovely and it is so stylish I can't stop telling her either.

So drum roll please.....

Here she is, beautiful right! Have a wonderful Friday and I will be having a great weekend!

A weekend review

2008-09-22T07:44:00.006-04:00

I had a very nice, peaceful, relaxing, quite, weekend. We had pizza on Friday, HD brought it home and that's just as good as him cooking dinner for us actually it's even better, if he would have cooked I would have had a big mess to clean up.

I finished the great book I was telling you all about last week, it was one of the best books I have ever read! Saturday the boys had a football game. HD coaches the team that Bo plays on, they lost by one point which is even hard than by 20 by the look on his face. I have never been as mad as I was at this game (about a game) Bo got tackled, that's life... As he got up this big kid much bigger than the average 5 or 6 year old comes up and tackles him again after the whistle was blown and to add insult to injury he kicked my kid! I was totally outraged, like I am so glad I wasn't sitting with his mama because I don't think I could have invited her to church after I told her what I was thinking. I hopped up and yelled for the coaches HD ran to Bo because he had the wind knocked out of him, I then jump up seeing that the referee is doing nothing and he tells me I didn't see it. I champ went back out and played but still doesn't understand why someone would want to hurt him and why he would tackle him after the whistle was blown, I tried to explain to my innocent son that in life alot of people cheat, Bo was upset because the team cheated with an illegal play at the end making the winning touch down and I again explained that sometimes it looks like the cheater wins but he never does he is left knowing the victory isn't real, he is let at the end of the day with nothing.

Luke's team also lost their game. They lost 36 to 6 and as I said before that's better than by 1 point at least to the kids it is. We came home from football after a quick stop at the book store so that I could buy the last two books in the Twilight series. When we got home Bo wanted to lay down, did you hear me Bo wanted to lay down so I did what any good mother would do I took his temperature because my children do not ask to lay down, not ever. He had a fever 101.1, whats up with the rash of sickness going through my family? I sent Luke and Daisy outside with HD and I settled in to read while Bo rested watching movies. I read the whole second book New Moon which is my sister Molly's favorite, and rightfully so it was a wonderful book!

Sunday morning Bo still sick, I stayed home with him and HD took the other kids to church, guess what I did, I read the next book Eclipse, did I mention that they are 600-700 page novels? Oh and if you have a morel aversion to Vampires the book is also about Werewolves. I love a good fiction book and they are not scary in the least. The series has a wonderful romantic twist, and the author is just amazing she is never smutty in the least, never talking foul or even having sexual content because they couple are unmarried, Wow a book with morels after all! I have read more smut in Redbook magazine than this Series by far!

So today is back to normal life no more book reading marathon, not that I don't want to curl up and read the last book in one setting I do, but education first! School, laundry, ballet at 2, dinner, football, and all the in between. Any way I want to make this book last since it is the last one.

Did I tell you all yet that my birthday is one week from today? It is! I will be ................. Drum roll please, the big 3-O! HD and I are going away for the weekend, to this beautiful castle like hotel in the mountains it is just beautiful here see for yourself,

Beautiful isn't it! I hope you all have a great Monday! I love the start of a new week even if it is one week from me turning 30.

Please pray for my nephew Tate this morning he is in Detroit having eye surgery, Twice Blessed has explained the whole thing on here blog you can read the details there, but please pray for him, eye surgery is never an uncomplicated issue.

I am hooked, hooked bad!

2008-09-19T08:16:00.003-04:00

I was reading Rocks in my Dryer last week when she gave a book review on Twilight. Have you all read Twilight? If so do not tell me a thing I'm almost done. I started reading it yesterday and well I am 400 pages in. I stayed up until 1:30 in the morning read last night, I just can't put it down!

Great book! Yes it is a non-scary vampire book, sounds kind of weird but it keeps you on the edge of your seat wanting more and more.

As I was saying I am hooked. I called my sister in law Jess yesterday who shares my love of books and she has heard all about it. I'll be done today and I might just send it to her it's that good!

I am starting my woman's Bible study time today at 9 so I need to get dressed and vacuum before anyone starts showing up. Or maybe I'll cancel and read my book. just kidding!

I will however be putting Daisy down for a nap at 12 promptly!

Fro Me to You~ For the Love of Hats!

2008-09-18T09:49:00.007-04:00

In the next three weeks I will explore the love of Hats with you.... My children have always had a deep love for hats, this week I will demonstrate Luke's love for hats. He still loves them very much! And even as I type this post Bo and Daisy are wearing a hat right now, playing dress up.

This might just been when it all started...

And then it grew, as so did my chunky monkey baby boy! Just look at those cheeks will you!

The love for hats just got deeper. We started finding coordinating outfits.

And by George if you can't find a hat make one!

And when you have a deep love for hats and you are two, you will insist that everyone have a hat party, even your Great Grandparents and your 2 week old brother hence starting his love of hats as well.

Although Bo does not seem to be loving the hat he will, come back next week for the proof.

Go to We Are That Family for more Fro me to you.

Wildlife abounds

2008-09-17T15:19:00.004-04:00

Here in the house of Happy we have had a few adventures as of late.... The skunk from almost 2 weeks ago has still been smelling up my house. We have only gotten 2 eggs a day since the horrible bear attack on Sunday, and I really think the chickens are still freaked out.

We haven't had any signs of the bear for the last few days and the wildlife biologist has not returned my call either, which really ticks me off!

Today while I was strolling through Walmart trying to skim over all the new stuff the phone rings, its HD who says where are you? Walmart. Good buy some formula. What for. A baby. A baby what! A baby flying squirrel.

Apparently HD forgot that we have a squirrel dog trained to kill squirrels, hello! He was working on a phone line some 30 feet up in the air and in the transformer box a mother flying squirrel had made a home for herself and her babies. HD is bringing them home for me to bottle feed until they are big enough to be let go. Isn't that a welcomed thought your husband working on a phone line 30 feet up and then carrying little squirrels down the ladder, not so much!

I guess it will be a good home school experience for the kids. Here is a picture of a flying squirrel if you haven't ever seen any before, they are also called sugar gliders in the pet stores.

The are cute, cuter than a bear and much nicer smelling than a skunk!

The bear and the ballerina

2008-09-15T20:19:00.007-04:00

We woke up this morning to an average day, nothing really seemed out of place until HD noticed our bird feeder was missing. HD comes over to our large window every morning to see if any hummingbirds are hanging out and this morning when he did he noticed our large squirrel proof feeder was missing. He went right outside and to our surprise it was in the yard, the feeder was hanging from metal cord but now the cord was ripped in two pieces. The feeder was about 10 feet away and beat all to heck! It was no doubt a bear, the bear who has been getting into our neighbors trash.

Minutes after we found our badly beaten bird feeder, I decided to call and freak my very bear phobic Mom. She immediately said I am surprised it didn't bother the chickens....

I ran to the window and two of our chickens were running around the yard, our chickens are not supposed to be running around the yard! I didn't want to scare the kids and I didn't know what we would find when we got out there so I yelled to HD "the B-E-A-R (all spelling this) G-O-T the C-H-I-C-K-E-N-S R-U-N, HD does not like the spelling game and me yelling spelling at the top of my lungs so did not keep the kids from getting scared, HD runs from the bathroom as I am running out the door and he tells me to wait! He went first and you won't believe what that bear did, it literally ripped two boards off the back of the chicken coop so that it could get to our little chicken, all we found of Henny was blood and feathers.

I called the game warden who very rudely informed me that during a drought lots of bears go into neighborhoods, I quickly stifled her by saying first of all I do not live in a neighborhood I live in the great big forest, and I have for the last 5 years and bears by nature do not go around killing things so I am not calling to tell you I have had a bear sighting but rather that a bear has ripped down walls to kill a chicken and left the corn meal which was easier to reach than the chicken to kill the CHICKEN! She then changes her tone, and puts me through to a wild life biologist who I never really got to talk to only voice mail, and she tells me oh we are dealing with an agressive bear that is out of character, so like is it come break down my door to get a cookie out of character or like hmmmm thats odd, she said she can't answer that!

We had to go on with our day but I will say we stayed inside, we kept looking out the windows, we kept our dogs inside too.

On a much better note, Daisy had her first ballet lesson today! She did fabulous for a first timer, she spun with the best of them! And I do believe she was the prettiest girl in the whole place, I might be a bit prejudice but she is simply beautiful!

We are leaving some lights on tonight so that we can see the bear if he comes back for another free meal, and I think we might leave our bedroom window open so we can hear any noise. HD has one of those digital outdoor camera's he is hanging on a tree as I type this, yes he is out in the dark with a very large bear looming around and he is not one bit afraid, me, me, scared to death! I told him to take a gun for crying out loud and he keeps telling me black bears are more afraid of us than we are of them, I say well you don't see me in his back yard tamping around do you?

If we get any pictures tonight I will let you know...

Did you know...

2008-09-14T16:37:00.002-04:00

Did you know that MAC has a photo booth?

Did you know we can spend hours laughing at ourselves on the MAC

Photo booth?

Handwriting

2008-09-13T19:43:00.003-04:00

I was over at Jenni's One Thing and she had taken a test here, it is very funny! So I went right over and took the test to, because HD is at the garden with all three kids and I am supposed to be resting so don't tell him, ok....

The test had very thrilling results it says I am an extrovert who does well in any size crowd, I am the life of the party and am emotionally responsible. I am very generous they figured that out from my "t". Oh and I am a leader or a teacher and very imaginative, and last but not least free from inhibitions.

So there you have it, go take the test for yourself.

The Low Down

2008-09-13T16:37:00.002-04:00

I tell you we have had a heck of a week. MRSA, Tonsillitis, Bronchitis, Double Ear Infections....

My oldest son Luke has been really sick! If you remember 2 weeks ago it was Bo and Daisy and this week was all Luke he is still so sick that he can't lay all the way down or he coughs and his ears are constantly draining like his poor nose. On a brighter note, I am feeling better and my leg is usable again at least. I will have a very small scar on my right shin from the MRSA but other than being really tired I am feeling better.

I mentioned that the medication for MRSA in unsafe in pregnancy and again this month that is no longer a worry, talk about double edge sword. I know with a very sound mind that if I was pregnant I would worry about the baby and I also know it was not the right time, but for some reason it doesn't hurt less... I still want us to have more children.

I do now however have a whole month to lose the weight I need. See we had the vasectomy reversal in Feb and I kinda ate like I was pregnant even though I so wasn't and now 7 months later I have 10 pounds OK I am telling a big fat lie it's closer to 20. I guess after doing so well with WW and losing over 95 pounds being at a size 10 doesn't feel fat (Now I know some of you think a size 10 is not fat and it isn't for everyone I am a shorty porty only 5'3 and others of you might just think that Happy Mommy is a lard "A" yes I did just type lard "A" I can't believe I even think lard "A" ok I am way off track here) but it doesn't feel thin either, and to be honest since I am all open like that my jeans are a bit tight these days. I know how it happens it happens quick, its a cookie here and a casserole there and then the chicken wing dip never helps.

I need to get with it and lose what I can before I do finally get pregnant I want the best start for the baby as possible! It was really funny but this morning while I was getting ready to take Bo to his game (he won 3 to 2 go Indians) I was standing in front of the mirror and after 3 kids it's really not to pretty but what came to my mind was "It must me jelly cause jam don't shake like that!" so I am starting WW again for the 83748716597109645 time and I will be Victorious!

Have I ever mentioned that I only have ever gotten pregnant in Oct or Nov guess what happens in Oct and Nov it hunting season, I think there might be a connection...

Happy Saturday, have fun, eat for me and my jelly belly will ya, oh and please pray for Luke!

My color

2008-09-12T18:04:00.004-04:00

Your Blog Should Be Blue

Your blog is a peaceful, calming force in the blogosphere.

You tend to avoid conflict - you're more likely to share than rant.

From your social causes to cute pet photos, your life is a (mostly) open book.

What Color Should Your Blog or Journal Be?

Let me tell you a story of a dog I once loved

2008-09-11T20:34:00.011-04:00

It all started last Saturday, HD was so excited about the first day of squirrel season and yes we eat squirrel and yes we are red necks and yes I make gravy with it and yes I am bare footed right now...

Anyway the Christmas before last HD talked me into getting the kids a little squirrel dog which means that he really wanted a dog y'all, and in honor of Jesus Birthday we gave our kids this little puppy his name is Bo

We love Bo he is a good dog I can count on both hand the number of accidents he had in the house as a puppy, he is smart! He is also a very sweet dog, he seems tender hearted if you will, he never needs to be yelled at like my other stubborn bull headed bull dog Star

I guess when you are 110 pounds you can be stubborn...

At 10 months old Bo got bit by a copper head snake and as HD ran him into the house his whole body froze with paralysis it was awful, we gave him mass doses of vitamin C and a shot of penicillin (we keep penicillin ever since the stubborn bull dog got bit by a copper head snake the fall before, big difference in size) We prayed all night, that when morning came we wouldn't have to tell our kids that while they were asleep their beloved dog the dog we had all grown to love so much had been bitten by a snake and....

God blessed our little dog he woke up in the morning moving slowly but better! He has now made it his personal mission to alert us to all snakes of all kinds large and small and make sure we remove them, his bark changes and he comes and gets us. For real like he really tells us.

He guards our chickens, never chasing them or barking, he is the all around dog.

His favorite spot is on the back of our couch were he can see out the window and watch for squirrels to go tree. At night he scoots under our bed, never on the bed but under it, He is a great dog.

On with the story, last Saturday they all headed out for a hunt, the first hunt of the year the gun has been sighted the kids were excited the dog was ready! It all started really well HD tells me he treed a few that's hunt'n terms (you just never know what your gonna learn over here at the Happy house)

I was at home preparing for my mom's birthday dinner, Twice Blessed Mommy was at my house and Ruby Wife was giving my mom a pedicure all was relaxing and well until the worst thing happened it is really almost to hard to talk about...

It started like this

And ended like this

My dog found this, and that's not a nice black kitty with a white stripe, OH NO it's it's a SKUNK!

Now let me say HD did a few things right in this situation, he told the boys to get back! He grabbed the camera, but he forgot to grab the dog, instead he took a picture of the skunk, and then the skunk sprayed our dog, the dog we love but can no longer be around, then he brings the stink dog home and opens the door to yell for me and lets it in the house, Ruby Wife is like ready to pop pregnant and she almost got sick right on my mom's feet!

We have bathed him in Tomato juice, lemon juice, mouth wash, mouth wash and dish soap, fabric softener, fabric softener and mouth wash, hydrogen peroxide and baking soda, we have tried every concoction known to man!

As for the dog we once loved, we love him but he has been spending a lot of time outside! We let him in right as we are going to bed and put him in his cage, by the time the sun comes up the whole house is stinking again so out he goes! I hope it starts to wear off before it gets cold!

Fro Me to You~ My pregnant friend

2008-09-11T07:54:00.022-04:00

* I had to delete most of the pictures from this post due to the large number they corrupted my blog! I will re post them in another post.

* The reason for my long blog break is not due to school, or vacation... I have been bedridden y'all! I had MRSA on my lower right leg causing me to be unable to walk. I have had 3 very strong doses of medicine and am on 2 different kinds of antibiotics. One of the antibiotics is iffy if you are pregnant and with us trying, it has had me scared. My cycle is over on Sunday so I don't even know what to pray except Gods will, I have wanted to be pregnant for so long but with such a horrible infection this doesn't seem like the right time.*

On Sunday afternoon I had the privilege of photographing Ruby wife and family. First let me say Ruby Wife is such a wonderful friend, she is beautiful from the inside out! I have loved taking pictures since Luke was a baby. Ruby Wife asked me to do her maternity photo's and I was honored and excited. We took over 200 pictures on Sunday over a 5 hour time period. I wanted to share some of the pictures with you all. Ruby Wife is so excited for me to share them as well. Her new baby boy will be making his entrance around 10/16.

These are my favorites

Hope you enjoyed Ruby Wife pictures as much as I did!

Go to We Are That Family for more Fun!

Mom and Me MEME

2008-09-08T12:36:00.009-04:00

I have been tagged to do a mom and me meme so here goes...

First post a picture of you with your children

1. How many children do you have?

I have 3 beautiful children for now.

2. What are their ages?

Luke is 7, Bo is 5 and Daisy is 3.

3. What time do you start your day?

HD and I get up around 6, we have our first cup of coffee together and start our Bible study, between 6:30 and 7:00 the kids wake up and we all eat.

4. What do you eat for breakfast?

We eat alot of different things, sometimes we eat eggs and toast, baked oatmeal, eggs in a basket, fresh fruit, yogurt, muffins, breakfast casseroles, pancakes, cinnamon rolls, eggs on English muffins with sausage, on occasion we even have cold cereal.

5. Do they watch TV?

Yes, my children do watch some TV, but not during school time, so we don't watch any TV until late afternoon, I let them watch cartoons on Disney and Nick, no real people shows like Hannah Montana on Zack and Cody, I think they have plenty of time for shows like that when they are older. I do make the kids watch one learning DVD each day like Magic School bus or Letter Factory.

6. What are their favorite activities?

Luke~ Loves Playmobile, Lego's. Bo~ Loves Lego's and Playmobile. Daisy~ Love to cut and paste, and play playdou oh and all things dress up.

7. Do you get a break during the day for some you time?

That is a very funny question! I spend the morning teaching school, after Daisy goes down for a nap I prepare our dinner, i.e. cut veggies or peel or chop. While the boys watch a DVD, I sometimes catch a shower and on the rare occasion I might read a magazine or blog.

8. How do you end your day?

We get home from football and hop in the shower, then we eat a snack and then brush teeth, say prayers and go to bed for the kids. HD and I will catch up on the day, we might look at the net together or watch TV.

9. What is your best parenting advice or tip?

The best thing I can think of is to remind you that your the greatest witness your small children have, and God will provide you with many opportunity's daily to share his love with your children if you let him, Don't get to lost in the daily activity's to show Gods love with the children He has blessed you with.

Now tag 5

Happy Mommy's Slap Yo Mama Chicken Wing Dip

2008-09-06T06:00:00.002-04:00

Chicken Wing Dip

4 lg cans of white chicken meat

1 bottle of Texas Pete Chicken Wing Sauce

2 8oz containers of cream cheese

1 bottle of Blue Cheese dressing (the chunkier the better)

8 cubs of shredded cheddar cheese

Place all ingredients in the slow cooker and simmer until melted and bubbly and serve with corn chips!

* I sometimes add extra cheese and blue cheese as well as extra wing sauce from time to time.

Hurry run to the store, you must have this very comfort comforting dip!

We are off to a football game Bo plays at 11 and Luke at 12, I am making snack bags and icing up some Gatorade, I''m team mom. And all the while baking my mom a birthday cake we are having a birthday party for her this evening. I am super busy today!

Happy Saturday!

A Baby Shower

2008-09-05T06:52:00.007-04:00

Today we are celebrating my best friend Ruby Wife's baby! He will be coming soon, his due date is Oct 16. Dia, Ruby Wife's other best friend, and I are giving her a baby shower today, tonight actually. I am so excited for this new baby to enter our lives! One reason is that I want a baby so bad that I will get to sniff, hug and squeeze one very soon, and you just love your best friends kids it's a given, another reason is that Ruby Wife and her husband have been with us through the whole process of our vasectomy reversal and when we told them initially about the mistake we had made they were contemplating having one themselves, after hearing the heart break of our having a vasectomy and regretting it, they reconsidered, and God has blessed them with another child. I have always been very open about our reversal and I truly feel that for us it was a big mistake and I feel like many times people rush into a vasectomy with the stress of little children and regret it and if my and HD's story can help one family then I am glad to share.

We are going to play the "Don't say BABY" game in which ever woman gets a clothes pin and if she says BABY the clothes pin gets taken away by who ever hears it, the woman with the most clothes pins at the end of the night gets the prize. We are also playing a game where I printed the baby's name at the top of some pretty paper and we see how many different words we can come up with the woman with the most words wins. Ruby Wife was adamant NO wrapping Toilet paper around my large middle or I WILL KILL YOU, I think were her exact words.

Dia is in charge of Chicken salad sandwiches and cake. I am making Chicken Wing dip, BLT Dip a veggie tray and Reese Cup cookies.

I realize that I have yet to share my Chicken Wing Dip recipe with you, that is really a sad shame because it is so good, so warm and cheesy so so delicious.

The End.

Just kidding, but you will have to wait until tomorrow for my Chicken Wing Dip, only because I have to start school now. Did I tell you all that Twice Blessed Mommy was here? She is I have been holding babies already this morning.

Really come back tomorrow for the recipe, it's well worth it and you will be sending me XOXOXO on super bowl I swear!

Sincerely Fro Me To You ~ Scooby Doo

2008-09-03T22:51:00.007-04:00

We went to Kings Dominion this weekend and had so much fun! We played all day, we had funnel cakes which are a must have! One of our favorite rides was the Scooby Doo Haunted Mansion, you rode in a 4 person Mystery Machine like car and shot at ghosts and zombies while riding.

For this weeks picture I wanted to share our Adventure with you all.

Go to We Are THAT Family for more Sincerely Fro Me To You.

WFMW- The first day of homeschool

2008-09-03T06:00:00.003-04:00

If you read this blog on a regular basis you know we home school. We love home schooling! This year we got a late start, we started yesterday. I think that things run more smoothly with a schedule. I wanted to share how we are doing things this year with 2 children doing structured schooling and a preschooler. Our day goes like this- 6:00 Wake up get dressed
6:15 Bible study
6:30 wake up the boys
7:00 eat breakfast
7:30 do short Bible story with all 3 kids
7:40 say Pledge of Allegiance
7:45- 8:30 Luke Bible and SS
8:30-9:00 Bo Phonics
9:00 snack time I also read a story during snack time
9:15-9:30 Daisy Preschool work
9:30-10:15 Luke Phonics
10:15-10:45 Bo Math
10:45-11:30 Luke Math

During school time the tv does not come on. I set up learning stations around the house so the children not working can still be learning. At one station we have pattern blocks and pictures laid out. Puzzles at another station. And construction paper with scissors and glue at another station. I will be switching up the items at the stations, some days we will paint while other days we will do play dough.
On Wednesdays we are going to a homeschooling group. We do a 4 day school week with Fridays open for tests.
What works for me is scheduling each minute of our school time, it gives us a guide line and helps me keep organized. What works for you? This week is backwards week for WFMW, so what can I do to improve our school week? I love ideas about school. For more WFMW go to Rocks in my Dryer.

Bo not ready to get up yet

Luke ready for a new year of school

My school boys

Me, the teacher

Bo and I doing his first phonics lesson the letter "L"

Kings Dominion and a Party

2008-09-02T09:25:00.018-04:00

*this post was originally posted 2 weeks ago but due to way to many pictures this is one of the reasons you all have been unable to read my blog so I have removed the pictures and will post only a few....

We had an absolutely wonderful weekend! The park was so much fun, it was really hot but still very fun! My kids had a great time! Twice Blessed Mommy and Daddy sure do give great gifts! They took our whole family for Luke's birthday, and then had a party at their house for him the next day. We were so blessed that Regan could go with us. Regan flew home on Monday morning, the kids are missing her already!

My Summer Vacation

2008-08-29T01:00:00.001-04:00

Just click the button above to be directed to all the fun! Kristen has been planing and planing for this fun party for months! She has door prizes and you will have fun just checking out all the vacation memories of all our blog friends.

I wanted to share a few of our summer travel memories with you today, I will start with Fort Lauderdale.

We woke up to this beautiful sunrise each and every morning! It was around 85 degrees out side at 6am when we woke up.

Luke enjoyed covering Daisy in sand.

Reese wasn't sure about the sand.

Tate was sure, sure he didn't like it!

Bo was very happy to be on vacation!

We went to a Polynesian Dinner Theater, it is was not as fun as we had thought it would be, it was very loud and Luke got a really bad head ache. And for a family of 5 it cost over $250, which made me about choke to death....

Here is a lovely picture of our children in the belly of a shark. This is at Cabala's. My sweet husband, bless his heart, thinks that we have to go to every major hunting store in the country.

HD made friends with the Pool Guy and he gave us fresh coconuts daily to drink.

My 3 guys looking for shells

I would love to tell you that I was fishing, but I was just posing for this picture with HD's new fishing pole.

Luke loved the fish that HD caught

This is the kids trying not to get dirty

Our last day in Ft Lauderdale

Then after the gas prices never came down we decided to have a Staycation which means that we stayed home for vacation and we had our whole family come for the 4th of July.

My mother

My niece C and Daisy

This is HD's Mama

This is my Father-in-law

This is my sister-in-law Jess

Look at the look on my nephew R and Luke's face after hours of the WII

My Grandpa and Grandma

Ruby Wife and her husband and children joined us for a lovely 4th

This is HD and his baby brother Zack

My mom with Bo and Daisy

Here is our soldier girl Regan with her nieces and nephews

Here I am with Jess, we stayed up until about 2 am talking

All the kids

TBM and TBD with their babies at their first family bonfire

Oh Marshmallows are so good with the ones you love!

I hope you have enjoyed my a walk through my summer! Don't forget to go check out all the fun at We Are THAT Family.