The Ring of Fire

100 Days...

2011-12-27T14:12:00.003-06:00

I can't believe I have made it this far!! It hasn't been without issues, of course, but God is good and I'm trying not to worry myself to death!! I don't want the enemy to steal my joy and keep me living in fear! I want to enjoy this time~ I am extremely thankful and grateful to have another baby Cvacho in our family!!

I just want to keep a record of all of these milestones!! I probably won't do this every week, but every one will be better than I did with Will or Francie! I think there is only one picture of me pregnant with Will! It will be fun to look back in a few or more years and see what exactly was going on in our lives!! :) Here goes....

*Size of Baby: 3 1/2 inches and 1 1/2 ounces~ the size of a lemon

*Gender: ????

*Maternity Clothes: Yes! A couple of pair of pants and I just got a couple of tops! Much more comfy than squeezing into my normal pants!

*Weight Gain: None

*Movement: I think I have felt a couple of flutters, but can't be sure yet!

*Sleep: Can't get enough sleep!! I am having the craziest, most vivid dreams though!

*Symptoms: Exhaustion, heartburn (a little), nausea (a little)

*What I miss: Energy!!

*Cravings: Anything Salty, Cheeses, Meat (sausage) and olives

*Best Moment: Hearing the heartbeat!! My friend let me borrow a fetal doppler so I can hear the heartbeat whenever I want at home!! There is nothing better than hearing the baby's heartbeat!

*What I'm Looking Forward to: Finding out if we are having a boy or girl!! :)

Where in The World Have I Been?

2011-12-01T19:56:00.013-06:00

Well, I definitely am VERY behind in blogging!! We have been quite busy this fall/ holiday season and I have been extremely exhausted!! Why? You may ask! BECAUSE I AM PREGNANT!! :) We are so excited!! The kids are just beside themselves!! :)

**I need to catch up on what we've been up to and then some pregnancy detailed posts will soon follow! :)

What We've Been Busy Doing:1. My mom had a Women's Retreat!! It was so fun to get away, laugh, relax and soak up encouragement from the Lord!! :)

2. We went to Georgia to visit family!! :)

3. We have been practicing Basketball~ not all of us~ just Will!! :)

4. We have been sleeping ALOT!! Not all of us~ just me!! I have been so tired lately~ I have been going to bed around 8 or 8:30! I just really feel 34 and pregnant!! I can definitely tell I am much older this time around!! :)

5. We have been at school!! School during this time of year is super hectic!!

6. We had a Happy Thanksgiving in Huntsville this year!!

Trunk or Treat!!

2011-11-02T17:29:00.008-05:00

Our church did their very first Trunk or Treat this year!! We also still had the normal games, bouncy houses, pony rides, cookout and friends!! We had a blast!! There were some really cool decorated cars!! The kids had the best time!! :) I hope the church does this again next year!!

*Will on the Motorcycle!!

*The Mystery Machine!!

*The Waffle House!!

*Our Small Group had the "Emergency Room" Booth this year! It was hilarious!! All the kids were getting bandages for a multitude of wounds complete with blood! Ha! This is Will, he had a shark bite!! :)

*One of our friends came as Rapunzel and her husband was Flynn Rider!! They looked great!! Francie just had to get her picture made with Rapunzel!!

*Rapunzel's Tower!! :)

*Francie and Flynn Rider!! :)

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T13:13:00.006-05:00

Halloween this year was awesome as usual!! It is always so much fun~ I promise it's one of my very favorite holidays!! :) Macie, Patrick and JR joined the festivities this year!! It was great to have them with us!! It is nearly impossible to get everyone to take a good picture~ this is the best I could do! We had a Jedi, a couple of Lalaloopsy dolls, Thomas the Train, a dinosaur, a lion, an angel, and Noah wore a morph suit!

*I creeped out this picture of me and Tiff!!!

Page and Macie... creepy!!

*Francie and Morgan!! :)

*The girls decorated these cookies~ they just looked disgusting~ they really weren't that bad!! :)

At School...

2011-10-29T10:46:00.015-05:00

The Fall colors have really begun to pop this week! I love it! This tree at school is always the most beautiful color red! (This picture doesn't do it justice)! It's like it has been painted! Gorgeous!

My sweet Jill in my class brought me back candy sticks and Apple Butter from Gatlinburg!! So thoughtful!! This class is one of the most loving classes ever! I am blessed to have them in my life!! :)

Apple gourd!! My sweet Caroline brought me and apple gourd from her family's pumpkin patch! I had never even heard of an apple gourd before, it is so cool though! She is such a sweetie!! Again, I am blessed beyond measure!! She also, brought her classmates tiny little white pumpkins- they were so cute! The kids loved them!!

It's amazing how God has been encouraging me at school! I am surrounded by the most amazing people- My co-workers, children in my class, their parents!! Mr. B, our principal, brought by a little goodie for us yesterday!! It really blessed my heart!! I am so thankful to be a part of the SMCS family!!

Fall Break!!

2011-10-25T20:48:00.015-05:00

Yay for Fall Break!! This past weekend we enjoyed some quality time at home!! No School Friday or Monday!! Mainly the only thing we did on our Fall Break is sleep!! We were all in need of REST!! On Thursday evening Francie fell asleep at 6:00 pm and did not wake up until close to 8 am Friday morning!! She didn't even eat dinner- she slept right through it!! Then, on Friday I went to bed at 8pm and slept until 8am!! There was even a 2 hour bonus nap on Sunday!! :) So much for the long list of chores I was going to catch up on- laundry, organizing the closets, deep cleaning the entire house!

Saturday we did manage to get out of bed to go pick out some pumpkins and enjoy some fresh air!! We went to a local church to pick our pumpkins!! We spent way more than I would have liked for 2 pumpkins but at least the money is used for a good cause- they use the money from the pumpkin sales for missions trips!!

Then we went for a walk at Star Lake!! Star Lake is always one of our very favorite places and it holds such special memories- Clint and I used to go on LOTS of dates there when we were younger!! It was such a beautiful day! I loved just being with my family and soaking in God's beautiful creation!! There just aren't enough days in my life like these!! I really want to savor EVERYTHING about them- my kids' smiles and laughter, my Sweetie holding my hand, the breeze, the way the sun comes through the goldish trees, acorns in the trees, how the sky is so blue, baby turtles, loud quacking ducks, skipping rocks across the water!! EVERYTHING!!

It was great- a real blessing- to have this time to relax and enjoy the company of the most important people in the world to me!! Laundry and house-cleaning will always be there but my babies won't, so I am seizing the day!! :)

Pumpkin Patch 2011

2011-10-19T20:04:00.009-05:00

Yesterday we went to the Pumpkin Patch!! It is always one of my very favorite field trips!! :) It was supposed to rain, but praise God- He heard our prayers and the rain held off until we got back to the school!! It was such a beautiful morning!!

I have a sweet, sweet, class and wonderful, wonderful parents!! It has been a great year so far and each day I am falling more in love with my class!! They really had their best behavior on the field trip!! Everything ran smooth!! :) It was one of the best days we've ever had at the Pumpkin Patch in all my years~ I think I finally have it down!

**Francie loved the Pumpkin Patch too!! Her favorite part was petting the animals!! :) There were goats, chickens, rabbits, and even llamas!! I wish I had gotten a substitute to go on the field trip for me, so I could have spent a little more time with Francie -just being a mommy! Sometimes it's hard to balance everything- at least I was there though!! :)

Us With Our Pumpkins!! :)

Happy Birthday Francie!!

2011-10-18T17:43:00.003-05:00

Francie is 6!! Oh my gosh- I cannot believe it!! I know I say it every year, but I really cannot believe my sweet baby is so big!! She is so happy to be six- she has been looking forward to it for several months actually!! I don't love it though! I miss a sweet, tiny girl who didn't talk back and who let me pick out her clothes!! ;)

This year we went to Pablo's, of course, and had cupcakes from YOLO!! It was so much fun!! We also have a very full weekend to look forward to- dinner at Nana's and lunch with Granny, Granddaddy, and the Dollar's!

Francie at Six:
~She can read now!! :)

~Her favorite color is Pink!!

~She likes to wear her hair down now instead of up in bows- Boo!! I still love a little girl with bows!!

~Is still the most cuddly, loving girl ever!!

~Wakes up with a smile on her face!! (Definitely gets that from her Daddy)!

~Writes songs! And is constantly singing!

~Still loves to play school!

~Looks up to her big brother!! She loves to play with him and whatever he says or does she does the same!! :)

~Beautiful inside and out!! She loves Jesus, she always wants to "help children who don't have food or family," and she would love for us to adopt!

~Told us the other day, "Somebody just put me on stage!" :)

A Very Silly Picture of Will, Francie, and Daddy!! (Daddy and Francie acting Serious)

I Love This Picture! :)

Francie,
You are a light to everyone around you! You make us smile, you make us sing, you are so sweet and loving and fun!! I can't imagine life without you, it wouldn't be the same!! Everyday I thank God to have you~ You are a blessing to us!! We love you so much!
~Mommy, Daddy and Will

"You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore." Psalm 16:11

The "Race"

2011-10-16T13:21:00.015-05:00

This past weekend I did something I have never done before... I did a race! Of course, I didn't run! I walked! :) But I did "train" (I use the term loosely) for a couple of months to kind of get ready, even just to walk. I haven't done any kind of working out really since highschool (I did Curves after Francie was born, but I didn't really stick with it)! So my friend and I have been trying to hit the gym at least 3 times a week just to build my endurace!! I really must say- it has helped me!! All I mainly do is run/walk on the treadmill- but I am definitely building the endurace! The first time I went I could only run 2 minutes at a time and now I'm up to 22 minutes!! I thought for sure it would kill me to just walk 3 miles- but I am so happy to say I did it and it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be!

Melissa- My "Trainer"

Saturday, friends from school and I walked/ran in the Susan G Komen Race For A Cure 5K!! A teacher we work with was diagnosed with breast cancer this summer and we did this to support her!! It was so wonderfully precious to see how moved she was to see all of us there!! I must say it felt good too- to do something sweet for a fellow believer, friend, co-worker!! It was such a beautiful day and so nice to hang out with friends all united in a cause and in love- being the hands, feet, and heart of Christ!!

"A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones." Proverbs 15:30

Homecoming Week!!

2011-10-14T20:53:00.022-05:00

This past week was Homecoming week at school! Usually I dread Homecoming week- it always makes the children NUTS!! But this year I just embraced it and every night we laid out our outfits or dress up clothes- I went with it instead of fighting it and it was really a lot of fun!! I can't believe we participated all week- that was a first for the Cvacho's!! It was fun -but it can did make the week a wee bit out of control!!

Monday- "Tacky Day" -the Kindergarten teachers dressed in the most tacky thing ever- Auburn shirts!! Yuck!! ;)

Tuesday- "Character Day" -Will was a Jedi, Francie the Little Mermaid, and I was Minnie Mouse!! This was the most fun day!! Everyone was adorable in the their costumes!!

Wednesday- "Backwards Day"- No picture! Boo! It wasn't the cutest dress up day anyway!

Thursday- "Spirit Day"- Green & Gold!! GO EAGLES!!

Friday- "Black & White Day"- Black and White was the theme for Homecoming this year!!

The Homecoming Tshirts looked Awesome! They used a great verse on them... "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined." Isaiah 9:2

Fire Station!!

2011-10-14T10:38:00.014-05:00

A couple of weeks ago Francie went on her very first Kindergarten Field trip!! We went to the Hoover Fire Station!! I am so excited this year- I get to go on every field trip with her since she is in K5!! I get to be Mom and Teacher!! It is just too much fun!! While we were at the fire station we watched a fire safety video, took a tour of the station, and climbed up in the fire truck!! The firemen are always so great with the children! They even got coloring books and fire hats!! :) It was a beautiful day and I have the best class with the most amazing parents ever!! We had such a great time!! This has really been a wonderful year so far!!

Best Friends before the field trip!! These girls are too sweet!! :) BTW- I am loving our new field trip shirts!! They have one of my favorite verses on them... "Let your light shine"

This is up inside the front of a big fire truck!!

I go on this field trip every year and usually I don't enjoy field trips so much because I get too stressed out! But this year was by far the best because I had my sweet Francie with me!!
Next, we go to the Pumpkin Patch!! That one is my VERY favorite field trip of all time!! I can't wait!! :)

What's Up

2011-10-13T20:13:00.020-05:00

This time of year is sooo busy for us!! I know I say it every year -but it seems like time is speeding up exponentially! The week days and weekends are just full!! What are we up too? Well...

~The Fall Festival!! Last weekend we went to our school's fall festival- there were booths and candy, hayrides, and bouncy houses, and friends!! This year we were without Will, which was a little sad, but he was with Granny and Granddaddy in Chattanooga having a great time! We had a really great time too!! :)

~Drinking Salted Caramel Frapps or Mochas!! The most delcious drink ever- I love them both!! I really have to watch it, I am sure they have 1 Billion calories! I always love when Starbucks puts out the seasonal drinks- it really gets me in the mood!! :)

~Trying on Halloween costumes!! ;)

Totally, on a different subject, this was the sky today on my way home! It was beautiful and frightening at the same time! The black clouds against a blue sky- so strange, and lovely!! :)

In peace I will both lie down and sleep,
For You alone, O LORD, make me to dwell in safety. Psalms 4:8

A Few Faves...

2011-10-06T21:43:00.010-05:00

These are a few of my favorite things this week:

1. Will's Jay Barker puppet!! Will had to read a biography about a famous Alabamian, so of course he chose a football star!! Then he had to make a puppet of the person and give a 1-2 minute book report! Such a cute idea!! I think he did a great job!! :)

2. My sweet Luke in my class brings me a Twizzler everyday and he leaves it on my desk!! I LOVE Twizzlers! I have the best class this year!! I am enjoying them so much!! :)

3. Beautiful Francie- all dressed up and ready for Halloween!! :) She is a cutie!!

I Wish...

2011-10-03T22:03:00.003-05:00

I wish I didn't feel so helpless
I wish I didn't act so selfish
I wish I didn't wring my hands night and day
My hair was a little bit smoother
My jeans fit a little bit looser
And I always knew the right things to say
And I wish I wouldn't hide what's been going on inside
And I wish you wouldn't get scared and run away

I wish I was doing better
With all the things that matter,
I guess I got some learning to do
I wish everyone had someone
To hold em and to love em
The way I'm always gonna love you
I wish wishes came true

I was there was a cure for cancer
I wish somebody had an answer
And all God's children, never got hurt
I wish Eve never bit that apple
You men never went to battle
And I didn't get so mad at the world
I wish I was more like Jesus
And could pick up all the pieces
And make a better life for my baby girl

I wish I was doing better
With all the things that matter,
I guess I got some learning to do
I wish everyone had someone
To hold em and to love em
The way I'm always gonna love you
I wish wishes came true

For everything I am wishing
I know God is up there is listening
So, I say my prayers when I go to bed
Ahh, ahh, ahh
Oh pray my wishes come true
Oh

I wish I was doing better
With all the things that matter,
I guess I got some learning to do
I wish everyone had someone
To hold em and to love em
The way I'm always gonna love you
I wish wishes came true

I know wishes come true
I wish, I wish

written by: MADEIRA, PHIL / MORGAN, CINDY;
Lyrics Â© Warner/Chappell Music, Inc

I absolutely LOVE this song!! It captures exactly how I feel right now!! I do wish I was doing better on all the things that really matter ~talking, playing, loving on my children, being there for my friends, spending time with my husband, loving like Jesus, being kind to everyone I meet, praying more for others, sharing, giving, trusting, helping, encouraging, seeking the LORD in everything~ the list could go on and on!! I want to slow down, breathe, be in the moment, and enjoy all of the opportunities and blessings that God gives me everyday. To focus on the things that really matter most. I don't want life to just pass me by. *** It's like the theme of my life right now!! :) More like Jesus!!

Remember When...

2011-09-29T21:56:00.002-05:00

The LORD is My Light....

2011-09-28T21:45:00.011-05:00

"Though the cherry trees don't blossom and the strawberries don't ripen,
Though the apples are worm-eaten and the wheat fields stunted, Though the sheep pens are sheepless and the cattle barns empty, I'm singing joyful praise to God. I'm turning cartwheels of joy to my Savior God. Counting on God's Rule to prevail, I take heart and gain strength. I run like a deer. I feel like I'm king of the mountain!" Habakkuk 3:17-19 (The Message)

I have felt a little down lately! August and September are some of the toughest months out of the year for us! But the LORD has been right beside us the whole way and he gives me little reminders of His love each day! I'm always on the look out for the tiniest whisper of love He gives... a sweet note, a hug from a child, sunshine, playing with a sweet girl's hair, a visit at the lunch table from little boy who is now not so little, laughing until I cry with a friend... the list goes on and on!

*These pictures are just a couple of regular ole sunrises on the way to school- but really they are so much more to me- my creator, the lover of my soul, my Jesus, my Savior blowing me sweet kisses in the morning!!! :*

This was the most beautiful sunset the kids and I saw on the way home yesterday!! It reminded us of heaven and we started talking about how beautiful and wonderful heaven will be! It warmed my heart to hear my kids talk about their love for Jesus and wanting to be with him someday! We talked about living for Him while we are here on earth! And that He is here with us in our hearts!! Then in Chapel today, we learned about Sanctification (I think I get more from Chapel than any of the kids do)! Our speaker told us that Sanctification is just the process of becoming more and more like Jesus! Which turns out is exactly our purpose! With all my heart I want to be more like Jesus- While I am here on earth I want to look like Him, talk like Him, move like Him, trust and obey like Him! I want to give like Him and see like Him! I want to touch and help like He does! It's hard though and everyday I mess up(A LOT)- and everyday with the help of the Holy Spirit I can become more and more like Jesus! Thank the LORD I have hope... that He who began a good work in me is faithful to complete it!! :)

I'm Baaaack...

2011-09-27T21:06:00.024-05:00

I know everyone, I mean all two of you, have been wondering if I'm still alive and breathing! :) Yes, I am, I have just really been so busy/lazy that I haven't been able to keep up with the blog!! So much has happened (and by "so much" I mean "school started") I'll have to catch up- so hang on...

~We went to the beach the last week of July! It was amazing!! We had THE BEST time!! It was just perfect- such a blessing!!

~We started school!! Will is in 4th grade!! I cannot believe it- really it is unbelievable- my baby is so big!! Francie is in K5!! She has been waiting for YEARS to be in Mrs. Vigneulle's class! ;) I know this year is going to be so great for her!!

~We celebrated Murdy's First Birthday!! She turned one year old on August 17th!! She is still as crazy as ever, but she is becoming more and more a part of the family every day!! I almost can't remember what was like to not have her!

My Birthday!! (Too Many Pics)

2011-07-24T23:45:00.000-05:00

This year my birthday was one of the best ever!! I know this sounds crazy, but I think my birthday celebrations are better than when I was younger!! When I was little and growing up I didn't LOVE my birthday, I think because I didn't like all the attention! But I am all about the attention now!! ;)

We celebrated my birthday for longer than ever before - which is always fun!! I love when birthdays drag out cause that way i am always looking forward to something each day and that just makes me happy! This year there was bowling, YOLO pink champagne cupcakes, the farm, bbq with wonderful friends, Petrucelli's, TOMS, flowers, The Melting Pot, family and friends, home cooked pot roast, red velvet cupcakes from Pastry Art, gift cards and cash!! Now why would I not LOVE it!! :)

A Barbeque at the farm with some of the most wonderful people I know!!

YOLO with my sweet sister!! We had just finished bowling with the 6 kiddos- we deserved the treat!! ;)

Family Dinner at Petrucelli's Restaurant!! Yum!! It was perfect!

My mom has started THE BEST tradition for our birthdays/ girl time... Cheese & Chocolate at The Melting Pot!

Karyn and Page!!

Tiff and Me!!

My mother in law made me the yummiest home cooked meal- my favorite- roast!!

I hope this 34th year of life will be as great as the celebrations that ushered it in!! I am thankful for so many blessings! God is so good!

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21

Just Some Stuff...

2011-07-19T20:00:00.015-05:00

1. My Sweetie and I finally got a date this past weekend!! It has been 3 months- too long!! We did something we've never done before, we went to the "Who Shot Rock-N-Roll" at the Museum of Art!! We saw polaroids of Madonna and Courtney Love, there were pictures of Elvis, the Beatles and a whole lot more!! We had a wonderful evening!!

2. I'm a little (no a lot) sad that we didn't get to shoot our Fireworks on the 4th of July!! We bought a kind of large pack and some extra large parachute bottle rockets and also butterfly bottle rockets and we didn't even get to use them!! It was so yucky on the evening of the 4th and I was in a tizzy trying to get everybody's everythings all washed and packed to go to Virginia- which I have forgotten to post about- whoops!! Be on the look out for a post about our trip to Virginia! It was great!!

3. Confession: I am totally a trash tv addict!! I mean I love "Real Housewives" of anywhere, "Keeping up with the Kardashians", "Ice Loves Coco" and now thanks to Clint, you can't tear me away from "Celebrity Rehab"!!!

4. Just in case you were wondering Rolo McFlurries are To. Die. For.

5. My sister and I took all the kids to see Judy Moody and the Not so Bummer Summer!! It was adorable!! I was cracking up- I think I liked it more than the kids!!

6. 13 more days til school starts (for the teachers)! Boo!! I must admit I am very sad about that- but I cannot complain because we have had such an amazing summer!! God is so good!!

"...But those who seek the LORD lack no good thing."
Psalm 34:5 & 10

Fill in the Blank Friday!!

2011-07-15T10:39:00.009-05:00

1. I am a (morning, evening, middle of the day person) definitely evening person!! I think I get a boost later in the day that helps me keep going!!

2. My favorite Pandora stations are I don't know I don't have or do Pandora! I feel stupid, I am slowly coming into the 21st century, forgive me!!

3. 3 of my "must-have" songs for a road trip playlist are anything by Lucero, Bon Jovi, or Johnny Cash!!

4. My favorite pattern is I'm not really a pattern type, I'm a little plain, but if I had to choose I probably would go with houndstooth!!

5. My favorite perfume is Chanel No.5!

6. Rules are fine. I don't hate them, I don't love them. I'm not a real rule-breaker, but I don't just follow rules perfectly!

7. My most overused phrase or punctuation is I don't know if I overuse a certain phrase, but I do need to learn a few new adjectives everything is always great, wonderful, awesome! I do know, however, that I definitely overuse exclamation points!!!!!!!!

Happy Friday!!! Have a wonderful weekend!! :)

This Weeks Simple Things in Life!!

2011-07-14T21:24:00.014-05:00

I would link up with this other blog -but I don't actually know how to link up! This is a great idea... it's nice to keep in mind all of the blessings I have!!

*ordered new glasses (I cannot wait til they come in)

*snickers ice cream bars

*my bed (we were out of town last week and it's nice to sleep in my OWN bed)

*my sweetie (among the millions of reasons why I love him... tonight he made dinner)

*long conversations on the phone with my sister

*my mom and dad who show thier love for me by always being there for me- they are amazing and always go above and beyond

We've Been Feeling Bad...

2011-07-12T22:09:00.003-05:00

Well lately we haven't been 100%! Boo! Will had a cold the week of camp that turned into an ear infection that turned into a fever virus! Yuck! Francie has had a cold too, that has turned into asthma so we've been giving her treatments alot!! I cracked up when I look over at Francie playing and she is giving her baby a treatment!! Ha! Well now you know what we've been doing!! Will and Francie are both on antibiotics now so hopefully they'll be on the mend!! :)

"Just Another Mountain"

2011-07-11T11:12:00.009-05:00

This life is so temporary so I will treasure my time, yeah
I spend my days bringing comfort to the lost and left behind
The struggles that I face, some days they weight me down
And all this tragedy, I just don't understand
So love is the song I keep on singing, preach it to my soul

And love is the gift that God keeps giving, He is in control
When all is lost and seems forgotten, it feels so out of reach
It's nothing He has not seen before
This is just another mountain
Just another mountain.
by Jamie Slocum

This song has been a favorite of mine for a few months! I really feel like this lately though! It's just encouraging that God is bigger than any of the "mountains" in my life! I am working on trusting Him with EVERYTHING in my life (not just the mountains- but also the hills and valleys)!

LORD God, you stretched out your mighty arm and made the sky and the earth. You can do anything. Jeremiah 32:17

Celebration Sunday!!

2011-07-05T16:30:00.010-05:00

After all the fun at my brother's, we didn't want it to end so on Sunday we headed to Daniel and Traci's for a little Fourth of July cookout!! We always have the BEST time at Daniel and Traci's and we just don't get to hang out with them enough!! They are always so fun and our kids just play so great together so everyone ends up having a wonderful time!! We ate ribs and bacon wrapped chicken, blackeyed pea dip- we had cherrycoke floats and grapico floats!! The kids did the slip-n-slide and played video games, played football and jumped on the trampoline!! It was an awesome time!! I love Clint's family!!

Will and Seth!!

Francie and Grant!!

Baby Brooke!!

Cherry Coke Float!!

My strawberries I made to take and completely forgot to take them- I left them sitting on my counter! BOO! But they were so cute and delicious!!

Have A...

2011-07-04T22:18:00.019-05:00

Happy

Fourth

OF

July!!

Celebration Saturday!!

2011-07-03T21:50:00.003-05:00

Yesterday we had the best day at my brother's house!! We had an impromptu family get together for Jason and Isaac's Birthday!! It's so sweet they share a b'day!! :)
We had a wonderful time of swimming and laughing and just hanging out watching the chillin's play!! My brother can grill like nobody's business and he made some delicious chicken wings and Page made "pupcakes" -they were so yummy!! It was so great to get all the kids together, usually it only happens on Christmas or Thanksgiving!! We really need to make time to do this more regularly!! I love my family!!
**We were too busy having a great time- I didn't get that many good pictures!!

Chad in the pool with KT!! She is the cutest puppy!!

One of the Birthday Boys!!

Turner! If you can't tell, he's a MESS!! ;)

Will in the pool with the football and his daddy's camo glasses!! :)

Happy Campers!!

2011-07-02T20:51:00.002-05:00

This week the kids have been at Camp Straight Street! Will was a little skeptical about going to camp because it's at our school- but I assured him it is NOTHING like school!! They remove every desk in the entire building and there are pretty much no rules except for 1- which is HAVE FUN!!! I have always heard great things about the camp, but we've never sent the kiddos!! I am so glad we did this year though, they LOVED it!! It really is an awesome day camp! They have rallies, Bible, crafts, slides (three huge water slides), and games!! They also have a room full of big screen tv's like 6 or 8 of them all with x-boxes, this was definitely one of Will's favorite parts of the week! This week's theme was Crusin' Camp- so it was all about cars and racing- I think they even raced around an obstacle course!! It was perfect timing in the summer to send them, I think we were all starting to get on each other's nerves at home together, so it was good for all of us to get a little space!! ;) Not to mention they were pretty much worn out in the evenings!!

***I was so proud of Will he got "Camper of the Week" for his team!! Yay Will!!

(Don't you just love their camp t-shirts!! So Cute... Mustaches!! Will's shirt is called The Bandito and Francie's is The Gunslinger!! Ha! I think you can tell a little about each of their personalities by the shirt they chose)!! :)

Happy Birthday Page!!!

2011-06-29T20:38:00.004-05:00

This year my "little" sister turned 31!! I can NOT believe she is in her 30's and I am even older! Boo!! We had such a fun birthday celebration though!! Mom took us to The Melting Pot!! I have always heard how awesome this place was- and it is!! Me, Page, Mom, Karyn and Delilah enjoyed Wisconsin Cheese Dip and Spinach Cheese Dip!! It was delicious!! But the most amazing part was dessert!! We got two (of course)... S'Mores Chocolate Dip and Turtle Chocolate Dip!! We just laughed and talked and ate SO much!! :) I am definitely going to The Melting Pot for my birthday celebration too!! ;)

Page,
I am so blessed to have you as my sister!! You are always so fun and encouraging! You have always been there for me!! I know you would do anything for me and I am thankful for everything you do!! My hope and prayer is that with each year that passes we grow closer and closer!! You are the BEST!! I love you!

The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made. Psalm 145:13

9 Years Ago...

2011-06-26T11:33:00.005-05:00

I faced the darkest day of my life! Will had open heart surgery on June 26, 2002 when he was only 5 months old!! We had so many people praying for him and for us that we could feel the presence of God and his amazing peace!! Angels guarded Will during his heart surgery and he came through great! He was adorable, even in his little hospital gown! I'll never in my life forget rocking my child to sleep and placing him in a crib they would take to surgery and not knowing if I would get to see him again!! A couple of days later, though, we took home a different child! He was such a brave heart!! (Mommy not so much)

Of course I scrapbooked all of this in Will's Baby Book!! I thought I would share those!! (don't forget this is before digital camera's and laptops)!!

Us the day before we had to be in the hospital!!

Will a few weeks after his surgery!!

"Where there is great love, there are always miracles"

I thank God everyday for the gift of Will!! I am so grateful to have had these nine years to spend with Will!! He is THE BEST boy in the world!! I love him so much!!

"The LORD has done great things for us, whereof we are glad." ~Psalm 126:3

Bolivia Part II: Day One

2011-06-06T20:56:00.000-05:00

After getting in bed around 4 am, we had the chance to finally get some sleep...at least until 9:30. We woke up and got our first taste of Bolivian winter, which translates into perfect weather. After two solid days of airport fast food, we got the chance to sit down and eat a real breakfast. I don't know if it was because we were still jet-lagged (despite only moving into the Eastern time zone, we had only slept a total of seven hours out of 48!) or because we had been deprived of real food, but I do believe that was one of the best breakfasts I have ever had.

After this we headed off to the mission to start our, uh, mission. When we had been driving from the airport earlier that morning at 3 am, we saw a billboard for Roman Jeans that was, truly, one of the cheesiest things I had ever seen. It was this dude with three denim-clad women crowding around him. It was ultra-Latin and I pointed out with excitement that we were officially in South America at that point. Our guide, Kattya, then told us innocently that the male model who was on the billboard was named Diego and he worked for Amistad. We all laughed that over-tired-where-everything-is-ultra-funny laugh and looked forward to meeting him. When we arrived at the Amistad, we found out it was true...and he was a total rock n' roller. He was completely humble and was more than willing to joke about being the Roman Jeans guy. (At this point I need to point out, ladies, that he is still not a valid reason for you to want to head off to Bolivia.)

We were shown around and one of Silena's favorite spots was Ms. Rosie's room. It was called the "Good Shepherd" and it was for kindergarten aged children to learn about the liturgy of the church. (Remember, we're in a Catholic country) Whatever your thoughts on high liturgy are, it was very cool. The kids really learned about the church calendar and were taught about the meaning of communion, even being allowed to set up the sacrament table made just for them.

One of the coolest parts was Ms. Rosie's table of Bibles. She had Bibles in an assortment of languages so the children could understand the reality that Jesus Christ came for all people, not just Bolivians. It was inspiring to see this lady instilling such truth in these young kids.

After a good lunch, we returned to the Saint Francis house to do some painting. We did some work, but we were just starting to realize that this mission trip was not turning out like we thought it would. It was becoming quickly apparent that Bolivia was doing much more for us than we were for it. The people we met were so genuine and full of life and love that we were already becoming convicted and began to feel great anticipation of what the Lord would do with the rest of the week in this amazing place.
Jasmine, Kendal, Mike, and Dedrick painting.

Silena and Ms. Cookie.

Bandanna of the day: Green.

Silena and our guide, Kattya. (One of our new favorite people.)

The team after a day of work. (Sort of)

Bolivia, Part I: Getting There

2011-06-05T20:46:00.009-05:00

When our group left Birmingham on Sunday at 12:30 we were feeling a mixture of excitement and nerves. For the most part, however, we had great confidence about the week ahead. We were going to an orphanage in Cochabamba, Bolivia called the Amistad Mission to help out in the name of Jesus. We also had Elizabeth Elliott (not that one) with us who majored in Spanish in college and had spent a great deal of time in Latin America doing mission work. (That's the red head in the middle of the picture.) With all of that going for us, what could go wrong?

The flight to Miami was very routine and when we landed we even got to walk down the set of stairs onto the tarmac just like in a movie. I think we were all a little distracted just thinking about the seven hour layover we had in this tropical city. There were a lot of jokes about heading to South Beach and even staying for a while. There wasn't a great deal of talk about the mission ahead. It's funny how the Enemy can lull you into submission. Sometimes, however, he's not so subtle. We found this out later that evening.

Our flight with Aero Sur (we had never heard of it either) was scheduled to take off at 11:00 pm. We actually made a few friends with the people who were going to be on the flight as we waited in line to check in that afternoon and as we spent the evening waiting in the terminal for our flight. By 11 we were all boarded and hoping to get at least a little bit of sleep on the 6 hour flight into Santa Cruz, Bolivia. This was a hope that was to be unrealized, however.

About 15 minutes into our flight the captain's voice came on the cabin speakers and the only words I could understand from his Spanish were "problemo" and "Miami." We did leave about 5 minutes late so I just assumed he was apologizing for us leaving a little late. When I looked down our row and saw Elizabeth's face, however, I knew there must have been more. She had been asleep when he started his message and now she was sitting straight up with absolutely no color in her face. We asked what he said and she told us that there was a problem with the plane and we were going to have to return to Miami.

Immediately following this, as if on cue in the unfolding disaster movie, we hit some pretty intense turbulence as we were beginning to descend. The plane was mostly full of Bolivians and people from other South American countries so there was a dramatic response from those on board. I was not very disturbed until the flight attendants began looking out the windows of the emergency exits at the wings. They also began crawling over passengers to look out the windows, even using flashlights. They were completely ignoring the various questions coming from the increasingly nervous passengers, "que problemo?" Even the copilot came back to look and at one point they even had one of the passengers inspecting the still mysterious problem.

I don't know how many of you have ever been at a point where you had to ask God to spare your life but I, and many other people on board that night, were. All over the plane, as we were coming in for a landing, people were muttering prayers. One of the teachers that went with our group and I even made the comment that "if" we got out of this alive we were going to rent a van and drive back to Birmingham. (This was said where no one else could hear, because we had six very frightened students with us.)

To make a long story a little shorter, we did land safely in Miami and spent the next four hours waiting to see if they could repair the problem (which was not as big a deal as we thought). During that time we got to be removed from the situation enough to discuss the fact that we have an Enemy who wants to frighten and distract us, but we serve a God who is bigger and who holds us in his hands, and He had proven to be faithful to us in a very real and tangible way. You see, God used this seemingly terrible beginning of our trip to focus our attention on Him.

The problem with the plane could not be repaired and we were sent to a hotel to get a few hours of sleep, not arriving until 5 am! We did not leave Miami until 6:00 Monday night and by that time we wanted to be in Bolivia more than anywhere else on earth. Just like the Israelites who complained about manna in the desert and got quail until it was coming out of their noses, God gave us Miami until it was coming out of our noses. There were no more jokes about hanging out at South Beach and taking it easy, we were ready to get to Cochabamba and the Amistad Mission.
We didn't arrive until about 3:30 in the morning and Kattya (our main guide, standing next to Silena in the black coat) and Jose Luis (our rock n' roll bus driver standing on the end next to me) were waiting for us. When we got to La Morada, the house we stayed in, we also met Donya Celia (the lady that cooked for us all week, standing in the front center with the black scarf on). Silena and I fell into bed (below) completely exhausted, but happy to finally be in Bolivia. After this we had no idea what the week would have in store...

Dance Pictures!!

2011-05-28T22:27:00.005-05:00

I totally missed "Picture Day" at dance this year!! Boo!! It was an ugly evening (pouring rain) and they changed the photographer- so I am kind of glad I ended up messing up and missing the whole thing!! Instead... I took Francie to Samford with her costumes and took some really great pictures!! I think they turned out way better than the ones done in the studio- I saw some of the other girls' and they were more along the lines of school picture type!! Well, this year for recital Francie has three different costumes- ballet, tap, and jazz!! For ballet this year she is "China Doll", for tap she is "Tiger Lil", and jazz she is "Italiano"!! She is really the most adorable thing!! She looks so sweet in her costumes!! See for yourself...

China Doll

Tiger Lil

Italiano

School's Out for the Summer!!

2011-05-27T20:16:00.010-05:00

Well... school is finally out!! Thank you Jesus!!! I totally bombed the blog in the month of May!! The end of school always makes me CRAZY!! There are about 14,000 things to do in like two weeks!! Of course then what do I do?! Nothing- I think I get too overwhelmed to even know where or how to begin!! But we made it!! I am so proud of my Will, who made A/B Honor Roll!! Third grade was so great!! Will and I will both miss Mrs. Barber!! She was truly an answered prayer! God is so good!!

I am so proud of my Francie girl too!! I can't believe she will be in K5!! Wow!! She will be in Mrs. Vigneulle's class and we are both looking forward to that!! She is a wonderful teacher and a very dear friend!! We both love her very much! I know she will miss Mrs. Moore though!!

So what have we been doing this very first week of summer, you ask?! Well when I was uploading pictures of the week I noticed the main thing we've been doing is having fun and snacking A LOT!! We've slept late, hung out in our pj's some, gone out to dinner, to the movies, and to the park!! A great start to a great summer!!

Pink Champagne Cupcake from YOLO!! (my new favorite place)

Shopping with Will and Francie!!

Homewood Park for some play time!!

Dreamland for dinner!!

OMG!! Caramel and Sea Salt Cupcake from Dreamcakes!! (my other new favorite place)

Snow Biz!!

Happy Mother's Day!! (part 2)

2011-05-09T11:30:00.010-05:00

What is a Mother?

A Mother has so many things to do, from washing, ironing, cleaning to tying a shoe. She scrubs, she mends, she cooks and sews, she bathes the children and washes their clothes. When they forget to was their faces clean, and their clothes are the muddiest you've ever seen, Who repairs the clothes and scrubs them like new? Of course, that is what a Mother will do.

Who becomes the doctor or the nurse when they are ill, applying a bandage or giving them a pill ? Who becomes a teacher when a child has homework? She must never her duty shirk.
Who becomes a detective to find a toy or a book? For missing things she must look and look?
Who becomes a listener to every heartache, to every accomplishment that a child makes? Who scolds their children when they are naughty, or reminds them of God when they are haughty? Who tends her family with love and patience, too? Of course that is what a Mother will do.
-unknown

My family made the day so special!! I woke to open gifts- so sweet, some made at school and some bought!! Exactly what I wanted!! My Will and Francie are the best gifts I have ever gotten in my life!! They make every day amazing!!! I love them more than I ever thought was possible!! I am so thankful to be their mother!!

After church we had a wonderful lunch with Birki!! We had the best time visiting and catching up with each other!!

Happy Mother's Day!! (part 1)

2011-05-08T22:18:00.015-05:00

My mom...

*is so fun!!
*has a light that shines so bright in her!!
*is so giving!!
*supportive!!
*can make desserts like no one's business!!
*is pretty amazing!!

This Mother's Day was WONDERFUL!! My sister and I took mom out to dinner and a movie on the Saturday before!! We went to Petrucelli's -it was delicious!! We just laughed and talked and talked and laughed!! Then we had some time to kill before the show so we went to Lifeway Bookstore- Mom bought me a book for Mother's Day and I bought her one and she bought Page a cd for Mother's Day and Page bought her one!! We laughed a lot more!! It was so fun!! After that we went to get snacks at Walgreens to sneak into the theater and I found the BEST snack -too bad I didn't get a picture- but I LOVE Twizzlers and they had super long Twizzlers, like 2 feet!! We finally made it to the show - of course we went to see Water for Elephants!! I don't think Mom and Page were to impressed, but I thought it was great!! We ended up laughing our butts off after the movie some more!!! Really, I think this was one of the best Mother's Days EVER!! Thanks Mom and Page for such a special night!!

Easter!!

2011-04-25T10:44:00.000-05:00

"Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen." Luke 24:5-6

This Easter season "The Passion of the Christ" was playing on the t.v. almost every night! I had not seen the movie again since I saw it the year it came out at the theater, but this year I watched several times! I am so glad I did! I remember that I absolutely loved it- there were some really beautiful, artistic parts that really spoke to my heart! I love the part in the Garden where Jesus crushes the head of the serpent- so powerful!! Also, I think the part after Jesus dies on the cross and the camera pans back and you see a single raindrop start to fall to the ground from the sky -is so beautiful- it's like God's tear drop!! Watching this movie really reminded me how much Jesus did for me!! I would not be here without his loving sacrifice. God is so good to me and His love is so overwhelming!!

Easter is one of my most favorite holidays -we had some really great family time!! Unfortunately, we don't see my cousins much during the year and Easter has become the time when the whole family gets together!! We have delicious food, we laugh, we hunt eggs, we take pictures and catch up with each other!! Everyone is growing up so fast!! It kind of makes me sad!! I just want to slow down and take it all in!!

Hope you had a Happy Easter too!!

Family Pictures!!

2011-04-24T22:18:00.012-05:00

My sister has been taking family pictures for many of her friends and their friends and families since last year!! I have not been able to get with her to do our family until this weekend!! She was doing family pictures for her church friends at Samford, so we went too and I am glad we did!! These are some really great pictures and I will definitely be getting back with her to do more of our family pictures!! Enjoy!!

Party Time!!!

2011-04-23T21:33:00.001-05:00

Our God, we thank you
for being so near to us! Everyone celebrates
your wonderful deeds. (Psalm 75:1)

April is a very popular time to have a birthday! We have gone to birthday parties almost every weekend in this month!! I can't believe it! All these kids are growing up too fast! Baby Brooke's Birthday Party kicked it off!! We had such a great time!! We haven't seen our cousins in awhile, so it was nice to visit!! The kids played so well together! There was strawberry cake, an egg hunt, bubble wands, and a pinata!! Plus Looney made an appearance and surprised everyone! It was such a perfect day!!

The next weekend was Mary's Birthday Party!! She turned three and I can't even believe it!! Time is speeding up, I think! ;) I remember when she was tiny new! She has always been the sweetest thing- so laid back!! It turned out to be another beautiful day and we were with more cousins- what more do we need!! It was so fun! It was at my sister's church's new playground!! We had pizza, minnie mouse birthday cake and ice cream!! The kids just played and played and played!!

The following weekend was Baby Claire's second birthday party!! Her parents are such precious friends of ours from church!! *I forgot my camera that day -Boo- so I didn't get any pictures -but it was such a great party! Annah had the house decorated so nice with lights, candles, flowers and vines! Her theme was fairies -it was so fun!! The food was delicious!! I am honored we were invited and the kids were thrilled too, they love Baby Claire!! My personal favorite (of course) were these expresso cookie cupcakes with chocolate icing -WOW -incredible!!

4 Things I Love Sunday!!!

2011-04-10T21:42:00.029-05:00

1. My nails!! I did them myself- it was so easy and they look so cute!! *Nail polish strips!! I will definitely be getting more of these!!

2. Francie's picture of our lesson this morning in Children's Worship!! I am sure you can tell it's the story of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday! I don't know why it's facing this direction- I guess I'm having technical difficulties! Boo!

3. Will's drawing of Jesus dying on the cross for our sins!! Easter is on the way!!

4. Flowers I cut to put in our entry from our own lawn!!! I love flowers!!

March Madness!!

2011-03-31T19:11:00.038-05:00

Randomness in March!!! :)

~Dr. Seuss Celebration!! Francie as "Fox in Socks"!

~"Dream Cakes" cupcakes... my new favorite!! Mine was wedding cake, Will's the mint chocolate chip, Clint had the snicker, and Francie got birthday cake!! Yum!

~The Craziness that IS Penny Drop!!
**Our School raised over $76,000.00
Go Red Team!!

Go Green Team!!

~The Huge-est Coffee!!

~Birthday Cake Pops from Starbucks!! Try one or five!! ;)

~My Dogwood Tree Bloomed!! Gorgeous!! I LOVE IT!!

~Just Finished this Book!! Gritty- but Good!! Now just waiting on the Movie with you know who... Mr. Rob Pattinson!! ;)

Spring Break!!!

2011-03-28T18:00:00.004-05:00

Spring Break this year was so lovely! We had a nice, quiet week together at home!! The weather was beautiful!! Last year we took the Seniors from Restoration to Washington DC~ so it was good that this year we took it easy!! We went to the park 1 million times, Botanical Gardens, had about every kind of treat possibly known to man (TCBY, icees, Snow Biz, etc.), watched movies, went Ice Skating and to the Georgia Aquarium!! Francie and Will also got to spend the night at Nana's ~while mommy and daddy had a date night ~and they got to visit the Zoo!!

Quick story about ice skating then on to pictures from the aquarium!! We take Will and Francie ice skating~ which they love- early in the week!! About ten minutes on the ice a woman falls and knocks her head on the ice- she isn't unconscious- but she can't get up! Her teenage daughter freaks out screaming and crying!! Her head is bleeding! They clear the ice- everyone standing around whispering and watching... the ambulance shows up AND the firetrucks!! My kids are the ones traumatized!! We can't leave fast enough for Will! The place was very sweet to give us rain checks to come back- since we had literally been on the ice maybe 10 minutes!! Needless to say, everywhere we went for the rest of the week that's all the kids could talk about!! Ha! Now on to the fun part... The Georgia Aquarium!! We had the best time!! It is AMAZING- you really must visit!! :) We saw so many animals~ my favorites: otters, sharks, alligators, sting rays, manta rays, beluga whales, sea horses, jellyfish, sea turtles and penguins!!

The Georgia Aquarium!!

Albino Alligator- the coolest alligator ever!!

The Cutest Penguin!!

Whale Shark~ HUGE!!

Jelly Fish~ Amazing and Beautiful!!

Will and a Big Fish!!

My Cuties!!

We Are Silly...

2011-03-21T21:51:00.007-05:00

Just thought I'd share a few phone pics from a few weeks back!! They're funny!! Every time we would be out shopping we would find crazy hats and try them on!! ;)

YAHWEH!!

2011-03-20T17:51:00.001-05:00

Gaze
I want to Gaze at you
Soak
Soak in all you do
Sit
so simply at your feet
Listen
To your voice so sweet
And Let time Pass Away

As I simply Praise
Yahweh
My Lord I cry
Jehovah Elohim
The Lord Most High
and When my hands are raised
My Knees they fall
As I simply Praise
Jehovah

Cry
As I see your blood stains
Overwhelmed
As I see your pain
And I'll dance, dance, dance
Because I am set free
You are my conqueror
Jehovah Nissi
And Let time Pass Away

Do I believe that you're my God
That You're all I need That you're all I need
Do I believe that you'll sit down
and be crowned my king for eternity
So Let time Pass Away

My Daddy, My Abba, My Best Friend
YAHWEH
**song and lyrics by Tal and Acacia

I know this song has been around awhile, but I just heard it today for the first time and it's exactly how I've been feeling!! I really want to be a blessing to others- but I can't be on my own! I know I've got to first just fill myself with Him- my Savior, my God, my Creator and Defender!! HE is all I need!! :)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

2011-03-17T11:59:00.003-05:00

What I'm Loving Wednesday...

2011-03-09T21:25:00.013-06:00

{ONE}
Only 2 more days 'til Spring Break!! Yippee!!!

{TWO}
My favorite caramel chocolate... Yum!!

{THREE}
My new book... I love it... It is so great and I really needed to get a new perspective!!

Animal Day!!

2011-03-04T20:18:00.013-06:00

"Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom." Psalm 145:3

I can't believe I, I mean we, made it through Animal Day!! Every year the third grade does an extreme unit on Animals- complete with a one page written report, a 60 page binder with Animal characteristics and interesting facts on 35 different animals, and a musical program with costumes, and a luncheon at school!! Really I thought I hated Animal Day until the actual day came and it was so precious when it all came together!! The halls were all decorated with the children's artwork- all animal art of course! The kids did a fantastic job on everything!! They each had to read their animal reports- Will chose to do his report on the Wild Turkey!! He was a bit nervous about giving his report, but he did awesome!!

Then they put on a musical, performed skits, recited Bible verses and animal poems!! Everyone is dressed up in animal costumes or dressed as their character in their skit!! Will was a "hunter" his group performed Aesop's Fable about the Lion and the Mouse!! He was actually quite the performer- I didn't know he had it in him!! :)

Moral: "No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted."

After the show is my favorite part, lunch!! We eat delicious foods prepared by the parents such as... "bunny nuggets" (chicken nuggets), "monkey brains" (grapes), "dung beetles" (sausage balls), and "cow patties" (double chocolate chip cookies)!! :)

I am so proud of Will and all of his hard work!! I will always remember the many evenings we spent working on animal pictures and interesting facts- we just made it as fun as we could and we learned a lot! God is so good and so amazing!!

Interesting Facts we learned from Animal Day...
~a turkey can fly 55 miles an hour.
~a puffin can dive 200 feet under water to catch a fish.
~a humpback whale's heart weighs 430lbs.
~a sea snakes venom is 10x more poisonous than a rattle snake.

Birthday Wishes!!!

2011-03-03T17:24:00.002-06:00

Happy Birthday Clint!! I celebrate you today~ You are the most wonderful husband, father and friend!! I can't imagine a world without you and I wouldn't want to!! I know my world would not be the same!! You have brought sunshine and fresh air to my life... I thank God for you everyday!! When I'm sad you always make me laugh... I have the best times of my life with YOU!! I wish you an amazing year of peace, joy, and blessings~ of dreams that come true!! I love you!! Happy Birthday!!

"Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,
that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days." Psalm 90:14

February Smiles!!

2011-03-01T16:12:00.013-06:00

"Teddy Bear Sleepover" aka... Pajama Day!! Always a great day when you can wear pjs to work!! :) It's always fun- the kids bring their bears or stuffed animals the day before and the bears all spend the night in the classroom- when we return to school the next morning we find the bears have destroyed the classroom!! The kids LOVE it!! Then we all have Krispy Kreme doughnuts for breakfast with the bears!!

Francie and her Valentine Bunny!!

Beautiful snow out the window of my classroom!! We didn't have to come to school until 10 that morning and driving in the most beautiful winter wonderland almost made me cry~ it was so lovely!!

Daffodils... a hope of spring... these surprised me one day when I was cleaning out my car and I went around the house to the garbage cans!! They just thrilled my heart!!

The days getting a little bit longer!! Always a good thing to me!! I need all the sunshine I can get!! ;)

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." Philippians 4:8

Women's Retreat!!

2011-02-27T18:18:00.002-06:00

Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life—even though invisible to spectators—is with Christ in God. He is your life. When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you'll show up, too—the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ. Col.3:3 The Message

This weekend was our Women's Retreat!! I have never been on any of our church's Women's Retreats before and I was a little nervous/but excited! My roommate got the stomach bug the night before we were supposed to leave, so I was a little bummed about that! It was good though that it came before- instead of at the retreat- that would've been really bad!! The retreat was at the Children's Harbour on Lake Martin in Alexander City (about an hour and a half away)!! It was the most gorgeous weekend!! We had an awesome speaker and it was like the message was just for me!! God was so good!! He knew exactly what I needed and I could not have been more blessed!! We have such sweet, amazing women at our church and it was so nice just to hang out with them!! There was laughing, sweets, hand-made flower pins, smores and a campfire, laughing, chatting, flowers, beautiful scenery, door prizes, laughing, crying, hugging, testamonies, singing, and worshipping!! It was so fun and I am so glad I went!! I even won a special door prize- a little painting that our pastor wife painted!! She is a very talented artist (some of her things are at The Nesting Place in Cahaba Heights)! I have always wanted one of her paintings!! :) I am already looking forward to next year's retreat!!

On the way home I see this...

Amen.

This Little Light of Mine!!

2011-02-25T16:13:00.002-06:00

I LOVE this song!! Just thought I'd share- it just gives me hope!! Right now, I am just swamped! I feel behind in every area of my life and it's a little overwhelming!! Between all the sicknesses and laundry and housework and school papers to grade and appointments and projects I feel like I might just give up!! I am hoping/praying that over spring break some of these things might get tackled!! It's only 3 weeks away!! WooHoo!! Boy am I ready! :)

Valentine's Recap!

2011-02-20T20:38:00.014-06:00

I can't believe it's been almost a week since Valentine's Day!! I just love Valentine's Day!! I was so sad to take down my beautiful Christmas decorations that this year Francie and I got our craft on and started to make Valentine's decorations!! We got a pom-pom maker and made pink and red pom-poms in a garland to decorate the mantel! We also found an "I Love You" banner at Michael's and we made a heart paper chain!! During a couple of our snow days decorated felt heart ornaments with jewels and glitter for our tree in the dining room!! It was so fun making things with Francie she loves crafts like her momma!! It really got me more excited about Valentine's Day and helped ease the winter time blues!!

This year was a really special Valentine's Day!! Clint and I got to go out on a date to our favorite place The Tavern!! There was no line/ no waiting! It was so nice to just relax together and talk and laugh! Then we went to get dessert and coffee at the Cheesecake Factory!! Nothing says "Happy Valentine's Day... I love you" like Red Velvet Cheesecake!! Delish!! Will and Francie stayed with my mom and dad and ended up having a wonderfully special time too!! Mom and Dad took them to The Waffle House (a Cvacho household favorite)! The Waffle House had it decorated for Valentine's Day -there were white tablecloths, red napkins, and candlelight!! They loved it!! I always have a better time when I know my kids are having a great time too!!

Flowers from my Sweetie!!

Happy Valentine's Day, Silena!

2011-02-14T00:01:00.000-06:00

I want the world, or at least the eight people that read this blog, to know that I love Silena more than anything in the whole world! However, Silena has a problem, and it's a pretty big one. You see, this beautiful girl doesn't know how beautiful and wonderful she really is. More than that, I can't fully convince her of my love for her. She is always scared that I am going to get tired of her and run away. She thinks that since we have now been married for eleven years and have been together for fourteen and a half years that I am going to get tired of her. How am I supposed to do that, Silena? People don't generally get tired of beauty. Why do you think we go to such great lengths to maintain works of art in museums? Why do people spend so much money to travel all over the world to see places of great beauty? Why have people been obsessed with the heavens since, well, there's been people?

Silena and I have built a story, a story that was written in the stars. A story that will never die. The first thing I ever did with Silena was take her to see a comet. When we officially began dating a comet visited earth (Hale-Bopp) that was so vibrant and visible that some rascals out in California took to worshiping it and killed themselves so they could be united with it. When I think of Silena, I think of the heavens:

when I looked into your eyes
and I saw every star up in the sky
well, I knew...
the meaning of true love.

Silena is everything good and beautiful about this world. She doesn't know it, but I will never get tired of proving myself to her:

we could look out on the sea,
and beyond even maybe
and I would tell you a story about my love.
underneath the stars and moon
I will whisper that someday soon
you will see that my love is as big as the sky.

That's pretty big, Silena. Someday you will see...I love you. Happy Valentine's Day!

The Meaning of Murdy Fox

2011-02-13T19:34:00.003-06:00

My grandmother's step-father was a sawmill worker named Sam. It sounds like in a lot of ways Sam was about what you would think a sawmill worker would be like, but in a lot of ways he defied the stereotype as well. The most interesting people have a way of doing that, you know. Sam was part Cherokee and was born in Oklahoma when it was still Indian territory! This same guy lived to see man walk on the moon...and he understood the profound significance of that! He was a humble man who could be as big of a blow-hard as anybody. The story about Murdy's name is really about Sam, and it has been one of my favorite stories my grandmother has to tell.

Murdy Fox was an old spinster who was a family friend of Sam and my great-grandmother. One afternoon Sam was sent to pick Murdy up and bring her over to the house for dinner. You need to know something about Murdy at this point, she was legally blind and her vision was limited to recognizing different shades of light and vague shapes. I'm not sure why Sam was the one sent to pick her up because, apparently driving was not his strong suit.

On the way back to the house Sam began focusing on trying to change the radio station instead of driving. At one point the road hung a left but Sam didn't and the car pulled a Dukes of Hazzard into a cotton field where some sharecroppers were working. Sam started fighting the wheel and cussing like a sawmill worker while the sharecroppers started running and Murdy kept asking what was going on. Finally Sam managed to wrestle the car back onto the road and they made their way home.

When the story was told back at the house, Sam proclaimed, "it's a good thing I'm such a good driver or me and Murdy could have died!" Sam was an interesting dude...and Murdy is immortalized by a hound dog.

First...

2011-02-04T21:50:00.001-06:00

1 Corinthians 13:1-10

2011-02-01T16:19:00.002-06:00

If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first,"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.
Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompletes will be canceled. ~The Message

Amen. PTL!! (These are our memory verses at school for the month of February)!

Miscellaneous Monday!!

2011-01-31T19:46:00.020-06:00

Wow!! I can't believe it's the end of January- it really went by so fast!! I'm kind of glad- except this past weekend was beautiful and gave me hope!! But the winter is so dreary to me!! It was just so lovely on Saturday that it makes me excited about spring!! We've been busier than ever so I thought I'd play catch up, here goes...

-We celebrated 100 days of School!! It was the first time in two years no one was sick!! PTL! Francie was the cutest little old person ever!!

-We had Birthday Dinner at Sol Azteca with Graham and Julie for Graham and Will's Birthday (they share a birthday)!! We had so much fun!! They really are like family and I'm sad we don't see each other more throughout the year than we do! I am determined to get together more this year -even if it means I have to get Graham to build me bookshelves in my living room! ;)

-Last week was HORRIBLE!! Francie ended up getting strep!! EVERY DAY seemed like a struggle!!

-We went to see Country Strong, it's good, but it's so sad!! I bawled my eyes out the entire movie!! I love the songs though, I am going to get the soundtrack!!

-The video from my favorite song in the movie...

I LOVE this song!!! LOVE IT!

-Will split his cheek open during church service! He was sitting on his knees in the pew and lost his balance and fell face first on the pew in front of him (his hands were behind him)! And then in the floor!! It was pretty bad!! We had to leave in the middle of church and go to get stitches!! Who knew?

-No School again today due to power outages!! Weird!! I guess we'll be going to school forever to make up all these days we've been out!!

Will's Birthday Weekend!!

2011-01-18T21:04:00.032-06:00

I know I say this every year but really -I cannot believe my first born son has turned nine years old!! It is just amazing to me!! We had a truly wonderful weekend with Will!! He even got a day off of school on Monday (MLK Day)!! Friday we met cousins at Pizza Hut for dinner then we all headed to the Alabama vs. Auburn Hockey Game (aka The Iron Bowl on Ice -hehe ;) !! Roll Frozen Tide!! It was a blast and Alabama kicked some butt!! We left at the start of the 3rd period and it was 8 to nothing!!

Saturday we hung out at home together and later went to Nana's house for a delicious birthday dinner!! She had gotten Will cake bites that were to die for!! Will's not a big cake fan -so these were perfect -there was caramel, chocolate, red velvet (my fav), and white cake -she got them from a place in Homewood called Pastry Art (I think)?! You must swing by and get a few or a few dozen -they were great!!

Sunday was his real birthday and after church we met my family at Will's favorite, really everybody's favorite place, Pablo's!! We had fried icecream and just a plain ole' good time!!

Happy Birthday Will!! I love you more than anything!!

Blink...

2011-01-17T11:13:00.028-06:00

Teach me to number my days
And count every moment
Before it slips away
Take in all the colors
Before they fade to grey

I don't want to miss
Even just a second
More of this

It happens in a blink, it happens in a flash
It happens in the time it took to look back
I try to hold on tight, but there's no stopping time
What is it I've done with my life?

It happens in a blink
It happens in a blink

When it's all said and done
No one remembers
How far we've run
The only thing that matters
IS HOW WE HAVE LOVED

I don't want to miss
Even just a second
More of this

It happens in a blink, it happens in a flash
It happens in the time it took to look back
I try to hold on tight, but there's no stopping time
What is it I've done with my life?

Slow down
Slow down

Before today becomes
Our yesterday

It happens in a blink, it happens in a flash
It happens in the time it took to look back
I try to hold on tight, but there's no stopping time
What is it I've done with my life?

It happens in a blink....
*Words and Music by Revive

I heard this song a while back and just cried my eyes out!! I just thought about my life and especially about being a mother and how it seems like it's gone by so fast and how I've just missed out on a lot of stuff because I've been focused on the wrong things! I've been feeling this way for some time now!! My prayer this year is that I would live life!! Be in the moment -experience -really feel it!! I don't want it to just pass by -I want to love better -to be more intentional in everything I do -and really work on strengthening friendships and family relationships!! I can't believe that it is 2011 and Will's Birthday!! Before we know it, we'll be celebrating another new year!! I don't want to miss out!!

9 years ago...

2011-01-16T10:02:00.017-06:00

I was one happy momma!!

And I still am!!!

Snow Days!! 2011

2011-01-12T10:23:00.021-06:00

I can't believe we have gotten MORE snow!! Last year we had a snow day, but no snow!! This year has been completely different!! It started snowing on Sunday afternoon along with sleeting! Clint had been hunting with some of his students and some friends from Briarwood down near Auburn!! They ended up hunting til dark and by then it was getting yucky out there!! He made it back safe (PTL)! He just turned a 1 1/2 hour drive into a 3 hour drive!!

We were all excited to have a day off of school!! There was hot chocolate and fires, playing in the snow, watching movies, reading!! It was so nice!! The weekend just flew by so fast, so it was good to have a little longer off!! Thank goodness I was prepared with The Pioneer Woman's Cookbook ~I got it for Christmas!! I made her French Breakfast Puffs (delish) and her Olive Cheese Bread!!

Then, one day turned into two and then two turned into THREE!! Since we go to a private school where people travel a long way to get to us, we were able to stay off one more day! That completely caught me off guard! I am sure we will not have any more days off for the rest of the school year due to "Winter Storm 2011"! But I sure have loved easing back into the second semester!!

Enjoying Hot Chocolate by the Fire!!

Murdy Loved Playing in the Snow!!

The Most Delicious Breakfast Ever!!

Olive Cheese Bread!! Yum!

The worst part about the snow days was Auburn won the National Championship!! It broke my heart!!

Ladies and Hunters!!

2011-01-05T23:40:00.020-06:00

Last week, Francie and I got a little "girl time"!! It's always a pleasure to be able to spend some one on one time with her!! We had a very exciting day planned: First we went to lunch at everybody's favorite -Pablo's, with Granny!! Then we headed to the mall to get Francie's ears pierced!! I didn't know how things would go -so I was glad when Granny said she would go with us!! It turned out that Francie did AWESOME!! She didn't even cry!! (My heart was beating out of my chest though)!! After the ear piercing we headed downstairs to Francie's favorite place -Build A Bear Workshop!! She made the cutest gray kitty and got her a Hello Kitty dress and some pink heels!! Ha! She also got a Hello Kitty chair that the kitty can sit in!! Too Cute!! After we left the mall we dropped Granny off at home and headed to Mommy's favorite -Edgar's!! For cupcakes -what else?!

Granny and Francie at Pablo's!!

Brand new earrings!! And not even one tear!! :)

Francie at Build A Bear!!

Francie named her kitty Nancy!! ;)

Our yummy cupcakes!! Mine is strawberry and Francie chose a firework one!!

While we were doing all these fun things Daddy and Will were hunting with Uncle Chad and Cole and Turner!! I think they had a pretty awesome time too!!

Happy New Year!!

2011-01-01T18:34:00.005-06:00

January 1st- "My eager desire and hope being that I may never feel ashamed, but that now as ever I may do honor to Christ in my own person by fearless courage." (Phil. 1:20)

As I read these words on the very first day of 2011, my heart echoed this desire. The devotion book for the year is My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers!! Perfect! I've been thinking about this new year and what I really hope to achieve and above all I want to be in the will of my Heavenly Father! To do all that he asks of me ~ to trust and obey!! I cannot believe 2010 is over!! This was a really wonderful year ~so many blessings I didn't expect, just fell from heaven!! I am really excited to see what God does this year!!

Just thought I might share just a few changes I personally will strife to make (with much prayer) for the new year:
* say "I love you" FIRST more...
* turn to Jesus first...
* be a better friend... spend time, listen, encourage, help
* give more... be generous
* be thankful and spend more time counting my blessings... time to relax and enjoy my family at the holidays... a sweet puppy dog, who is so crazy she fits in with our family perfectly... my sweet kiddos! They are so fun to be around and love watching them grow and they just light up my world... my sweetie, who I can't get enough of, who also lights up my world... family!! They are like a breath of fresh air! Just being with them rejuvenates my soul!! :)

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurable more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:20

The Best Christmas...

2010-12-29T09:59:00.007-06:00

This Christmas was one of our very best!! This time of year I hate that I worry it away, but God in His sovereignty is so good to me!! I can't wait til the day that I finally learn to trust God FIRST and not to worry myself sick! He has blessed us beyond measure and I am truly thankful for His love!! Sure, we got some pretty cool things under the tree, but nothing compared to Him and His gift of love!! He went out of his way to show just how much He loves me this Christmas!!
*cards from friends far away and near, hugs from mom and dad, fun games with cousins, Christmas carols, snow on Christmas morning, laughter, cozy pj's, yummy dinners and breakfasts, toys, and clothes, and gadgets, handmade candy and desserts, evenings by the fire, Christmas movies, time off of work to hang out with the most wonderful family a girl could ask for... the list could go on and on!!

"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined... For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be ccalled Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore." Isaiah 9:2-7

"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12

Christmas Eve!

2010-12-28T13:18:00.018-06:00

Christmas Eve is one of my most favorite days of the whole year!! It is really better than Christmas Day to me (Christmas day is a little bit sad -we look forward to it all year and then it's over so fast)! But Christmas Eve is so exciting and magical! This year turned out to be super special! We had a beautiful candlelight service at our church! I love our church! It was so fun to see all our friends and wish them a Merry Christmas and give love! Nana and Granny Loon joined us and then we went to dinner with them after the service! Nana had brought the kids and me and Clint a Christmas Eve gift and we ate the yummiest dinner at Applebees (our first choice, Lovoy's, wasn't open, Boo)!! I got a Yankee Candle called "Christmas at the Beach" -it smells awesome ~coconut lotion with a hint of peppermint!

After dinner, the kids and I visited my mom and dad while Clint went home to get a few things squared away for later that night! We took pictures and laughed and the kids got their Christmas Eve presents from them - they always get Christmas pj's - it's a tradition my grandmother started when we were kids!

Finally we made it home~ it was late but we had a few more things on our agenda... making a gingerbread house, pictures in Christmas pj's by the tree and getting things ready for Santa! Oh yeah, we also opened a couple of gifts- I always let Will and Francie open their gifts to each other! Will got Francie a Hello Kitty necklace and Hungry, Hungry Hippos! Francie got Will a bookmark light and a Checkers/Chess set! So we played some games, set out milk and cookies and tried to go to sleep so Santa could come... Will was just a wee bit wound up so he actually didn't go to sleep until 1:30 or 2:00, which meant we didn't go to bed until around 3:30!! At 5:30 guess who was ready to check out the loot Santa had left? WILL! Needless to say we were a little tired, but it was so worth it to see his and Francie's faces light up when they saw what Santa had brought! They must have been pretty good this year, because they racked up!! ;)

A Day on the Farm!!

2010-12-27T18:02:00.016-06:00

I work with the BEST women ever- they are godly, loving, encouraging, beautiful, generous, helpful, and wonderful!! I am so thankful that God has put them in my life and I am thankful I get to spend my days with them!! My teaching partner is amazing and really, her whole family is ~they cook, sing, play instruments, etc. ~really amazing!! We got the honor of spending a day at their home and enjoying a delicious dinner, the weekend after Thanksgiving!! Her daughter is a talented photographer and she did a photo shoot for our family!! I have been wanting her to do this for 3 years... I just didn't have the money!! This year was different and so we were able to make my dream come true! (I had always wanted to do the pictures at their farm ~their land is beautiful and I had seen some of their family pictures done there that were GREAT)! I thought I would share a few of my favorites!! BTW- her name is Mandy and you can visit her website at www.mandyphoto.net

Family...

2010-12-21T19:10:00.009-06:00

We always have Christmas with my family a week early- it's so hard to get three families together!! We had the BEST time! First I need to let you know about the food (because, I mean, food IS more important than presents)! ;) My mom makes such wonderful things for us to enjoy and enjoy we do!! She made hamburger dip, ranch dip, and spinach dip... Then there was a Smithfield ham and a fried turkey... Brownies, puppy chow, and rice crispy treats, gingerbread, and chocolate pudding cake... Oh yeah, there were healthy foods too, a vegetable tray and olives and pickles!!

The whole time we are trying to keep the kiddos from having nervous break downs about opening presents (all day long Francie and Will were counting down the minutes til we go to Granny's -only 240 minutes to go)!!

Then it's go time... There were squeals of delight and shouting excitement!! I believe everyone had a great Christmas!! Will got an electric scooter and a nerf pistol... All the boys got nerf pistols... So the rest of the evening darts were flying nonstop!! Francie got a Hello Kitty diary with lock and key and a Vet Pet Station!! All were happy!

I am so blessed to have my family and lately I've been thinking about how I need to treasure this time because it won't always be like this!! It's like Taylor (Swift) says ... "I just realized everything I have is someday gonna be gone!" That's just life! But I want to savor this time with ALL of my loved ones!!

My Christmas Prayer...

2010-12-19T21:10:00.002-06:00

Holy God, you sent a star
To guide the Magi to the child Jesus.
I confess that I have not followed the light of your Word.
I have not searched for signs of your love in the world
Or trusted your good news to be good.
I have failed to praise your Son's birth
And refused his peace on earth.
I have expected little and hoped for less.
Forgive my doubt
And renew in me all fine desires,
That I may watch and wait
And once more hear the glad story
Of my Savior, Jesus Christ, the Lord.
In His name I pray, Amen.

A Visit!!

2010-12-14T18:37:00.000-06:00

"...Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked,'Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.'
...When they saw the star they were overjoyed ...On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and myrrh." Matthew 2:2, 10-11

Good News!

2010-12-13T17:19:00.003-06:00

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks by night. An angel of the LORD appeared to them, and the glory of the LORD shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.' Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and Saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.'" Luke 2:8-14

Surprise...

2010-12-04T16:31:00.007-06:00

Introducing the newest member of the Cvacho family... Murdy Fox Cvacho!! (Yes, her name has a story connection -I'll let Clint tell the story -he's better at that than me)!

Will and Francie got their Christmas present from Mommy and Daddy early!! We wrapped at collar and chew toys like a Christmas present so they could open something and then we told them we had to go pick up their new puppy!! :) Their faces were unforgettable!! They were so excited and shocked!!

She is a Southern Black Mouth Cur ("Old Yeller" was the same kind of dog)! She is red though, not yellow!! She is 15 weeks old and around 24 lbs. She is so sweet and beautiful!! So far, we've had a great weekend! I am sure it will take a little while for all of us to get used to everyone and everything!! But we are loving her!!

a list...

2010-12-03T17:08:00.008-06:00

These are a few of the things I hope to find under the tree this year!! ;)

**Pioneer Woman's Cookbook!! I love her!!

**I don't care I'll ALWAYS be an Alabama fan!!

**I heart this pattern!! It matches my lunchbox!!

**I really want a pair of these shoes!! They give away a pair of shoes when you buy a pair!! Glitter doesn't hurt either!! ;)

Thanksgiving Report!!

2010-12-02T22:07:00.010-06:00

I am blessed beyond measure!!

This year we had Thanksgiving in Birmingham!! We had a very nice time! Clint fried TWO turkeys ~they were delish!! I tried twice to make Clint's grandmother's eggnog cake but it fell both times ~which was kind of sad ~I really hope I haven't lost my touch (maybe it's just my oven)!! ;) We went to the movies a couple of times over Thanksgiving Holiday (we saw Tangled and Megamind ~loved them both)! We decorated for Christmas, did a little Christmas shopping, took Christmas pictures at the farm, watched a TERRIBLE football game (another sad part), and ate and ate and ate!! I really missed going to Huntsville this year with my family, but it was relaxing just to be home, too! It flew by too fast and now Christmas is right around the corner and I'm more behind than ever!! I just pray somehow, someway that God could just slow down time a bit, so instead of rushing around like a crazy person, I could just enjoy time with the family!!

A few pics from my phone:
*Me and Clint on Thanksgiving Day!!

*Me and Clint at Daniel's Party!

*Me and Traci at the Iron Bowl Party!

"... Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD." Psalm 4:6

ps- a surprise is coming soon... stay tuned! ;)

Thank You Jesus...

2010-11-16T21:10:00.013-06:00

really, for so much!!

**First, for my best friend and wonderful husband!! I promise I couldn't make it without him!! He is my EVERYTHING!!

**Second, for amazing friends, who are Jesus to me!!

Our friends in our small group have a condo in Orange Beach and graciously offered it to me and Clint to use for a long weekend!! We were shocked, overwhelmed with gratitude, and extremely thankful for such a blessing!! I had been praying for awhile now about getting some quality time with Clint, just not at home, but some time away -away from bills, chores, school, Fairfield, and children!! Clint and I have not had a vacation together since before Will was born (almost 9 years ago)!! TOO LONG! It was so exciting to have some alone time together!! We could talk to each other without interruption ~I could turn all of my attention on him and I got all his attention!! ;) It turned out to be such a special time!! The weather was absolutely perfect -mid to upper 70's and sunny!! We took a walk each morning on the beach (after enjoying coffee and beignets at Cafe Beignet) and then in the afternoon sat on the beach for hours -soaking up the sun and each other!! :) It was so relaxing!! I loved it!! We ate at my most very favorite restaurants -Oyster House, Sea & Suds, and King Neptune's!! We shopped some and I even got a pedicure!! It was definitely an answered prayer (the trip -not the pedicure... never mind the pedicure was an answered prayer too) hehe!!

Thank you John and Meredy for showing the love of Christ to us!!

"Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, His love endures forever."
1 Chronicles 16:34

Halloween!!

2010-11-02T17:50:00.015-05:00

This year was one of the BEST Halloweens we've had in years!! I think I may say that every year ~but last year I KNOW I didn't because we missed my sister and her family!! :) She and Jason and the cousins were all there this time -we even had Delilah and her kiddos come!! I want to send a special shout out to my parents ~THANK YOU MOM & DAD!! YOU ARE THE BEST!! AND YOU GIVE ONE HECK OF A PARTY!! Really, my Mom goes overboard ~we have a delicious menu (which you know is very high on my priority list) we have chili, hamburger dip, ranch dip, mummy dogs, cupcakes, rice krispie treats, brownies, and some new item... white chocolate toffee?! We hung out with family and friends who are like family!! It is always fun to see how cute everyone is in their costumes and watch them play and enjoy this childhood holiday!! This year was extra great too, because the kids are big enough to trick or treat on their own!! I mean, we walk with them, but they can go up the porches and knock and they already know the whole routine, which made it nice on the mommies and daddies!! Not to mention -this year was beautiful and the perfect temp.!! Some years it's like if we have a kind of warm and woolley costume then it's burning outside and the kids are screaming, and some years we have a chilly costume and it's freezing outside and the kids are screaming!! This year was perfect!! No one was even screaming!! ;) I have one billion jillion pictures so I'll post my favorites!! I think maybe I forgot to share what we were dressing up as this year ~Will was a Bears NFL Football player and Francie was Strawberry Shortcake!! I was so excited too, because when I was little I was Strawberry Shortcake!! ;)

There were waaaayyy more children than there have ever been!! So fun!!

Me and Tiff with the girls!! Morgan, a Littlest Pet Shop bunny and Francie, Strawberry Shortcake!! Too Cute!!

Mary is a kitty and Wyatt is a pirate!!

Tom Cruise in "Top Gun" and Jay Cutler!

It was a lot of fun -I must say though that I'm glad that's over!! I'm ready for Christmas and I can't even believe I'm saying that, but I am!!

Creepy...

2010-10-31T17:12:00.003-05:00

Love Me...

2010-10-27T16:50:00.008-05:00

He cries in the corner where nobody sees
He's the kid with the story no one would believe
He prays every night, "Dear God won't you please
Could you send someone here who will love me?

Who will love me for me
Not for what I have done or what I will become
Who will love me for me
'Cause nobody has shown me what love
What love really means

Her office is shrinking a little each day
She's the woman whose husband has run away
She'll go to the gym after working today
Maybe if she was thinner
Then he would've stayed
And she says...

Who will love me for me?
Not for what I've done or what I will become
Who will love me for me?
'Cause nobody has shown me what love,
what love really means

He's waiting to die as he sits all alone
He's a man in a cell who regrets what he's done
He utters a cry from the depths of his soul
"Oh Lord, forgive me, I want to go home"
Then he heard a voice some where deep inside
And it said,

"I know you've murdered and I know you've lied
I have watched you suffer all of your life
And now that you'll listen I'll tell you that I..."

I will love you for you for you
Not for what you have done or what you will become
I will love you for you
I will give you the love
The love that you never knew
{JJ Heller}

I heard this song yesterday and it pricked my heart ~it was so precious and beautiful!! I was driving down the road balling my eyes out!! I know people thought I was crazy, but it just caught me off guard!! I sometimes feel like this and maybe you do too... I sometimes feel like I have to earn love... like it's based on what I look and act like... like it's conditional... like any minute it could be gone/ just disappear never to return again... sometimes I feel like I'm not worth it... sometimes I feel like if anyone knew the real me it would be over... sometimes I feel like there isn't enough love to fill up my heart and soul... like I am negative in that department... I'm just too needy... no one has THAT much love to give ~no one except one person ~JESUS!! Praise the Lord for Jesus!!! He's all I ever need ~He is perfect for me!! I have to continually pray that I would receive His love and forgiveness, instead of listening to the lies in my head!! Nothing I do will bring me more of His love, nothing I don't do will bring me more of His love -it's mine because He gives it to me!! I pray to rest in His amazing grace, His abundant mercy and His unfailing love!!

"For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our LORD." Romans 8:38-39

Fall Festivals!!

2010-10-25T20:07:00.012-05:00

It's that time of year!! Yay!! :) Hay rides, bobbing for apples, moonwalks, candy, candy, candy, pony rides, and prizes!! It's Fall Festival time! This year both our school fall festival and our church fall festival fell on the same weekend!! It made for a very FUN weekend!! The kids loved it!! I am so glad God blessed us with such beautiful weather!!

SMCS Fall Festival Fun!! :) **I have a ton of pictures of Francie, but Will was running around with his buddies, he couldn't slow down long enough for me to take any pictures of him!!

We all wore our Alabama gear on Saturday afternoon!! Alabama was playing Tennessee that evening, so Francie wore her cheerleader outfit to the Fall Festival!! We had to represent!! :) RTR!! Francie got her hair sprayed pink with glitter and got a tattoo!! She went to all the booths and did the cake walk about 50 times~ we still didn't get any cake though! BOO!! Will ate candy all afternoon -he would play a booth and immediately eat the candy he got for a prize!! :) He enjoyed a hay ride and the bounce house -but I think his favorite was rolling down the hill by the gym!!

Altadena Valley Presbyterian Church Fall Festival!! **Again, Will was running around and I didn't really get a lot of pictures of him!! I'm a little bit sad about it!!

Francie decided to wear her Little Mermaid costume to the church Fall Festival on Sunday afternoon!! Will didn't want to wear his so he just wore a football t-shirt!! Francie got her face painted and rode ponies and went on hay rides!! It was so much fun!! Will ate ice cream and spent most of the time in the bounce house -he did LOVE bobbing for apples and he finally ended up getting one!!

It really turned out to be such wonderful weekend!! We made special memories with the kids and I just wanted to soak up every second!! I am going to focus this holiday season more on enjoying my family and savoring each moment with them!!

Pumpkin Patch!!

2010-10-22T21:12:00.010-05:00

Today was so beautiful and perfect!! The Kindergarten classes went on a field trip to Hargis Pumpkin Patch!! We had THE BEST time!! My class and their parents are the sweetest, most wonderfulest, ever!! I love them!! Everything went so smooth and we got to ride on a hay ride, visit a petting zoo, listen to a storyteller in a tepee, and roast weenies and marshmallows around a campfire!! It could not have been a better day!! Thank you Jesus for such a perfect day!!

"The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made." Psalm 145:9

My Sweet Girl...

2010-10-17T18:42:00.011-05:00

Francie is FIVE!! I cannot believe it!! It seems like just yesterday I was wrapping her up in pink blankies and putting her in a baby bjorn!! I would put tiny pink bows in her baby hair and put little ruffle socks on tiny feet!! She was and still is the sweetest thing!! I can't believe I am blessed enough to be her mommy ~I am the luckiest!!

Five years ago....

Today....

Francie at Five:
~loves to play school... she puts her friends in "time out" and they actually stay there! :)

~still sucks her thumb -what is she supposed to do? She doesn't have any binkies!! (I do though, a whole drawer of sweet girlie binkies!!)

~gets in my bed in the wee morning hours almost every day!! That's ok -because I get to snuggle with her and I adore the way she puts that little arm around me and hugs me and pats my back -it's the BEST way to wake up!!

~loves to wear my black high heel boots around the house!

~can be a little sassy at times!

~knows all her letters and sounds. She can count to 100 with help! :) She can write her name by herself -she makes her little "e" upside down!!

~makes up songs all day long!!

~loves her big brother so much!! She does everything exactly like him!!

****************************************************************

Heavenly Father,
Thank you so much for Francie and the joy she brings our family! I pray that you would draw her heart near to yourself! Bless her this year, make your face to shine on her, and be gracious to her, give her your peace! I pray you would rejoice over her with gladness, and quiet her with your love! In Jesus' name, Amen!

"This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

Pinkalicious!!

2010-10-16T22:03:00.018-05:00

Girl parties are the BEST!! Today we had a very special girl's birthday party!! The theme was "Pinkalicous"! There were tutus, fairy wings, wands, and crowns! We ate strawberry birthday cake (from Edgar's) -my favorite!! Everything was PINK ~cake, balloons, flowers, cookies, and candy!! There was a lot of squealing and bedazzling -we also did manicures!! The best thing about the party though, was how excited and happy Francie was!! Her eyes were shining and her face was glowing ~I am so glad we had this party!! She has some of the sweetest litttle girls in the world as friends and it was kind of a reunion for all of these girls to get together!!
*Mommy and the Birthday Girl!! :)

*Anna decorating her crown!!

*Morgan decorating her crown!!

*Beautiful Nails!

*Making a Wish!!

*Fairy Cate!!

*Fairy Mary!!

*Fairy Friends!!

*Fairy Family!!

"Every good action and every perfect gift is from God. These good gifts come down from the Creator of the sun, moon, and stars, who does not change like their shifting shadows." James 1:17

Pepper Place

2010-10-15T13:07:00.009-05:00

Right in the middle of all the stress of projects, report cards, and trying to plan a birthday party ~one of my friends from church invited me to spend a delicious afternoon with she and a few ladies from our small group!! It was an event at Pepper Place where restaurants from around Birmingham would let you sample food and drinks!! It was amazing!! I had never been to Pepper Place but now I want to go back every weekend!! There was live music and great weather -we laughed, ate and drank and drank, ate and laughed! It was exactly what I needed ~an answered prayer!! These ladies are the best ~there's nothing like "Girl Time" with friends ~my heart and soul felt peaceful ~it was like all of my stress just dissolved!! Thank you Carol for an awesome time!!

"Friends are kisses blown to us by angels." ~author unknown

Indian Project!!

2010-10-14T20:06:00.001-05:00

Well, it seems that everytime I do a new post I'm saying "We've been sooo busy lately -let me just review our week"! But seriously October is a month that everything in our life collides!! We have field trips, Francie's birthday, school projects, about 5 fall festivals, football games, and report cards due!! I am usually stressed to the max the whole month!! The past week and a half has been grueling, but great!! I got to go on Will's first field trip to Moundville with him!! I was really dreading it (because it was right in the middle of trying to get my report cards done and it's really hard to get a sub -it's just easier to be at school)! But I am so glad I got to go!! We had a blast!! :) Will's teacher rode with us and she is just precious -I love her!! They have been studying Native American Tribes in school and this was a culmination of the unit!! We also, worked on an Indian Project!! Will did his on the Creek Indians!! He had to make a visual and give a 2-3 minute explanation of what he learned!! We made little note cards, a poster, and fry bread for the class to try!! It was actually fun and so sweet!! It turned out to be a very special time with him! He did a wonderful job!! I was very proud of him!! He is really growing up so fast!!

*In front of a mound!!!

*Playing a game of stick ball!!

*A quick canoe ride!! Hehe ;)

*Best buds!! :)

*Will's poster!!

*Making Fry Bread!!

Today's Blessings...

2010-10-05T18:01:00.003-05:00

~ My Sweet Husband- he is my therapist, chef, yardman, maid and he is the shoulder I cry on, the hands that pick me up when I fall, my cheerleader, my coach, my biggest fan!!! I don't know what I would do without him -he's amazing!!

~ Health!! Yay! For right now we are all healthy! No stomach bugs, flu, strep, NOTHING!! PTL! I looked back at our October blog entries from last year and the kids were so sick around this time! I am praying for continued health for our family!!

~ Nice weather! I know I've posted about my need for sunshine -it has been absolutely beautiful!! It always helps my attitude and overall general mood -seeing as how I've been in the dumps lately, I couldn't imagine having to endure clouds and rain too!!

~ The sweet families of the children in my class!! This group of children and parents are just so dear to my heart!! I am extremely blessed to have them in my life!!

~ Friends -I am surrounded by some of the most beautiful women (inside and out) and I am very grateful for their hugs, thoughtfulness, generosity, wisdom, encouragement, laughter, acceptance, kindness, and transparency!! I know there are days I would NOT have made it through without them!!

~ Will and Francie!! They light up my life!! I am completely in awe of them~ they make me laugh, they make me cry, my heart has expanded about 3 sizes, they make me want to be a better person! I know this time is slipping by... (the pitter-patter of little feet, hearing them play football or play school) I can feel them getting further and further away from me... they are becoming so independent... they don't need me so much anymore and I want to make everyday with them count!! I am trying to make life fun and special... and soak them up!!

~ My Jesus, my Savior!! He's my perfect, spotless righteousness!! I am so thankful for His love, His sacrifice, His mercy, His strength, His grace... without these I would not last one second of one day!!

Catching Up!!

2010-09-27T20:14:00.025-05:00

Okay-I just thought I'd share this picture (it has nothing to do with the rest of this post) Francie's shirt is actually a dress she wore when she was 1 1/2 years old- now she just wears it as a shirt!! Too cute!! :) *Can you tell she likes to pose?

It has been so busy since school has started back- I haven't really been keeping up with what has been happening around here!! Since I want to keep this blog to kind of look back on our life, I want to be sure to share important/fun things we've been up to lately!

One highlight I didn't post was that Francie went on her first field trip to Build-A-Bear Workshop!! This year the class pet they built was a Yorkie named Scruffy!! It was a lot of F.U.N!! However, I didn't get the greatest pictures!!

Another thing that was nice was we went to see Nanny McPhee!! I loved the first one- but the second one was 10x better!! I mean, it has Ewan McGregor!! ;) But the story was just sweet and I guess as a mommy who sometimes feels like I'm losing it- I could definitely relate!! (you have to go see it)!! After the show, Will and Francie played in the arcade! They played some motorcycle racing game and it was hilarious!!

Just this past weekend we went to Clint's uncle's house in Scottsboro!! It was his grandmother's birthday and we wanted to take her out to celebrate!! We ended up staying to watch the Alabama game and boy was that exciting! I think I died and came back to life about three times!! I promise if they play another game like that this week- I don't think I can take it!! We had a wonderful time though!!

Other random fun:
*Restoration Football games!!

*Wings to watch Alabama and eat curly fries and honey mustard wings!

*Homecoming Week!!

Fall Survey!!

2010-09-24T16:32:00.006-05:00

1. Do you like Starbucks? And are you a fan of their seasonal coffees? Yes!! I love Starbucks ~but I try not to drink too many because of the calories (I learned that the hard way)!! I don't like seasonal drinks though! I have my favorite things I like to have and I don't really branch out much! Tall Mocha or Tall Javachip Frapp!!! Yum! :)

2. How do you decorate and prepare for fall? Well I just posted some decorations!! I love them!! One of my favorite things to do is put out pictures from years before of Halloween or Fall!! I have a picture of Will and Francie the year they were Peter Pan and Tinkerbell!! I have one of all the cousins in costumes at Granny"s, Francie was one year old and a pink kitty!! It's a tradition to be at Granny's on Halloween!

3. Will you participate in your college's homecoming activities? No! I don't think there are any homecoming activities!

4. What is your favorite fall item for accessory? I really don't have anything that is a favorite! I love jeans for fall ~I'd like to get cowboy boots for this year but they cost a fortune so I don't know if that will happen!!!

5. What was your favorite halloween costume as a kid? Strawberry Shortcake!! My absolute favorite! I can actually remember trick-or-treating in that costume! I even had my picture made in it too, professionally, not the mask though, just the dress!! Too cute!! I'm excited because Francie has chosen Strawberry Shortcake to be this year!! If we can find the costume!!
(It seems that whatever my kids choose to be is the most popular costume that year and we end up having to go with our second choice because we cannot find the first one)!!

6. Do you like halloween/horror movies? No! Not really anymore!! I mean, I would watch them as a teenager and I guess I watched them as a child ~my parents really weren't worried about us watching them (Kujo and Children of the Corn)! Dad would always say... "it's just a movie"!! But real life can be scary enough to keep me up at night sometimes, so I try not to add to my worries!!

7. What is your favorite fall activity? There are just so many... football, pumpkin patch, Homestead Hollow!!

8. What is your favorite fall recipe? I think it would be Clint's Grandmother, Looney's, Rum Cake!! I make it for Thanksgiving!! It is delicious!! (I'll have to post it later ~I've got to find it)!!!

***Thanks Jamie for the tag!! Let's hear about your fall fun!! I tag you!!

I'm in the Mood for...

2010-09-21T16:41:00.011-05:00

FALL!!

It's about 99 degrees out today, which is just wrong!! This past weekend I pulled out a few decorations for Fall and Halloween!! I couldn't wait any longer! I thought I'd share ~a sneek peek!! And now that some decorations are out, I'm just waiting on a nice, cool, crisp 78 degree day!! ;) I do LOVE fall, though!! I love: less humidity, pumpkins, chili, football, sweaters, mums, scarecrows, Halloween costumes, candy corn, hay rides, fall festivals, and beautiful colored leaves!! I still need to decorate the porch, I'm waiting on 1. another paycheck and 2. cooler weather! I want to put pumpkins on the steps and mums on the table by the rocking chairs- I think they would shrivel and die in 2 seconds if I put them out there already!! I need a wreath on the door and a new spooky welcome mat,too!!

This is my new candy jar!! I got it about a month ago at Walgreens for $5.00!! I've been wanting one for about 4 years, but I either miss them every time they come out- they come out early and I always think "Oh, I'll wait for a few more weeks and come back and get it"! Then they are all gone and nowhere to be found!! Or they just haven't been carrying them for the last few years!!

This is another new item!! I usually keep white lights on this tree in our dining room~ but I thought it would be cute and fun to have something different for Halloween!! I got these lights at Target for $5.99~ they are little jack-o-lanterns!! They are great!! I love them! I have been trying to add a couple of decorations each year! I have been lacking in the Fall/ Halloween decoration department!! I'm glad to have a few more pieces to add! I want it to be fun and exciting for the kiddos!! :) Hope you are enjoying getting ready for fall too!!

"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." (2 Corinthians 13:14)

One Thing Have I Asked...

2010-09-19T13:25:00.001-05:00

that I will seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple. For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock. And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the LORD. (Psalm 27:4-6 )

Better is One Day
How lovely is Your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty. For my soul longs and even faints for You.
For here my heart is satisfied within Your presence. I sing beneath the shadow of Your wings.

Better is one day in Your courts, better is one day in Your house,
Better is one day in Your courts than thousands elsewhere.

One thing I ask and I would seek: to see Your beauty, to find You in the place Your glory dwells.
One thing I ask and I would seek: to see Your beauty, to find You in the place Your glory dwells.

My heart and flesh cry out for You, the living God.
Your spirit's water to my soul. I've tasted and I've seen.
Come once again to me. I will draw near to You, I will draw near to You.

*****Our church service this morning was so encouraging and beautiful!! The music and message were great~ It was just what I needed after a busy week!! I just thought I would share some of my favorite parts!!

Because He Lives
God sent His Son; they called Him Jesus. He came to love, heal and forgive. He bled and died to buy my pardon. An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives. Because He lives I can face tomorrow. Because He lives all fear is gone. Because I know He holds the future and life is worth the living just because He lives. How sweet to hold a newborn baby and feel the pride and joy he gives. But greater still the calm assurance this child can face uncertain days because He lives.
**This is one of my favorite hymns~ it was so dear and precious to me during the storm of life that was Will's open heart surgery. I would sing it to him while rocking him. Everyday I sang it, just to keep going!!

"Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; your judgements are like the great deep; man and beast you save, O LORD. How precious is your steadfast love, O God!! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light." (Psalm 36:5-9)

God Bless You and Yours This Week!! :)

Labor Day Weekend!

2010-09-07T17:36:00.012-05:00

It was such a wonderfully beautiful weekend!! We kicked it off Friday night by watching the new Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam!! The kids loved it (and I did too- how can you not, I mean, it IS the Jonas Brothers)!!

Saturday we slept late and went to one of my favorite places~ Waffle House!! I love breakfast food and I was wanting a waffle! They have THE best waffles ever, I don't even have to put syrup on it, it is so yummy!! :) It really was a lot of fun!! The place was hoppin' and everybody was dressed in their Alabama shirts and all really pumped up about the football games!!

Then we went to the park, because, gosh, it was SO BEAUTIFUL! It really gave my soul hope!! The fall always kind of reinvigorates me!! We took a walk and Francie played on the playground and Clint and Will tossed the football! It was great!!

On Sunday, we had a brunch for Sunday School and it was real nice -alot of people were out of town for the holiday- but we had a great time! And our church service was awesome as usual!! I cannot say it enough, I love our church!! It is the most warm, friendly, transparent, caring, genuine, supportive, loving, Christ-centered place I have ever been!! My heart and soul can never get enough!! I always can't wait to get to church- to be at church!!
After church we had lunch at Nana's, Granny Loon was in town so we got to visit with her!! It was such a special visit~ she looked beautiful and it was so good to see her and hear that she is doing well!!

I hope everyone had a great weekend too!! And the best part of a long weekend is that we only have to work 4 days!!! I mean, tomorrow is hump day!! How great is that?! I love it!!

Loving My....

2010-09-06T14:46:00.009-05:00

1. Alabama Football!!

2. New lunchbox!! I saved birthday money to buy it!! It's Vera Bradley, the Barcelona pattern-my new favorite pattern!! I'm hoping to get this pattern in a purse for fall!!

3. New Lipstick!! Inspired, I think, by Twilight~ Just Bitten lip stain is AWESOME!! My favorite shade of course is "twilight"!! You should try it! :)

4. New Shoes!! :) Just in time for football season! Roll Tide!!

Before the Throne of God!

2010-09-05T11:57:00.003-05:00

Before the throne of God above I have a strong and perfect plea;

A great High Priest whose name is Love, who ever lives and pleads for me.

My name is graven on His hands; my name is written on His heart.

I know that while in heav'n He stands, no tongue can bid me thence depart,

No tongue can bid me thence depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair and tells me of the guilt within,

Upward I look and see Him there, who made an end of all my sin.

Because the sinless Savior died, my sinful soul is counted free:

For God, the Just, is satisfied to look on Him and pardon me, to look on Him and pardon me.

Behold Him there, the Risen Lamb; my perfect spotless righteousness.

The great uncangeable I Am, the King of Glory and of grace.

One with Himself I cannot die; my soul is purchased by His blood.

My life is hid with Christ on high, with Christ my Savior and my God.

words by C.L. Bancroft. music by Vikki Cook.

Five Questions Saturday!!

2010-09-04T20:58:00.005-05:00

Happy September!! Football, Fall, Fun, Family- just a few of the things I am looking forward to enjoying!! These questions are a teeny bit late, but I couldn't help it, last night I was soaking up the Jonas Brothers!! We were watching the much anticipated Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam!! So in case you were wondering....

**A short and sweet edition!
1. What do you do when you have time to yourself? Well, I can't remember the last time I had time to myself! But if I dreamed of a time, maybe, I would sleep, read, and shop for as long as I wanted!!

2. When you look out your kitchen window, what do you see? A bush, a bird bath and a fence!!

3. Who/What would you want to be reincarnated as? Maybe something beautiful like a flower!! Gardenia, rose, daisy!!

4. What is your biggest pet peeve about other people's kids? For the most part, other people's kids don't bother me!! I mean, I spend most of my days with them~ I'm a teacher!!

5. Regular or Diet soda? Regular COKE!! I am only gonna live once and I want to taste it!! I don't want to miss anything~ especially anything yummy!! ;)

Pictures of Our Last Week!

2010-08-30T21:45:00.009-05:00

How cute are these two before school?!

Francie gets so dirty at school, but she's having a blast!!

Will playing basketball afterschool with his best friend!!

It's that time of year again!! Francie started dance and this year she is taking tap, ballet, and jazz!! I hope we can continue -considering we will have to take out a second mortgage on the house to buy the 3 costumes for the recital!! ;) I am just so glad she loves to dance!!

We have been doing a lot of nails around here lately!! I put little purple and orange flowers on Francie's fingernails!! She is so girly girl! We also are getting pumped up for Alabama Football~ so we did red toe nails with white polka dots!! So cute!!

Just Some Stuff:

2010-08-22T17:19:00.005-05:00

This is Will with a blond moustache- his prize from the dentist for doing a great job!

~Tonight we are having a delicious Paula Deen recipe!! It is the yummiest roast I have EVER had!! :) I love Paula Deen!! I wish she was related to me/ sometimes I feel like she is! She's a doll!! Here's the recipe!!

Ingredients:
1 (3 to 4-pound) boneless chuck roast
1 teaspoon Paula Deen House Seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup thinly sliced onion wedges
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 bay leaves
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup red wine
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon beef bouillon granules
3/4 cup water

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Add the House Seasoning, salt and pepper to a small bowl. Rub seasoning into the roast on both sides. Heat oil in a large skillet and brown the roast, searing it on both sides. Place the meat in a roaster pan. Add onions and garlic to skillet for 1 to 2 minutes to absorb leftover roast juice. Place into roaster pan with meat and bay leaves.

Combine the mushroom soup, wine, Worcestershire sauce and beef bouillon into a bowl. Pour over the roast. Add water.

Cover pan with foil and bake for 3 to 3 1/2 hours or until tender.

Remove and discard the bay leaves.
(I don't use the bay leaves and it's still delicious)!!

~13 Days til Kickoff!! ROLL TIDE!!

~My class is adorable this year~ so cute and such sweet parents!! I must confess that I am a bit shocked! I had prepared myself to have a not-so-great class, see there is sometimes a pattern of every other year kind of stinking, and last year was just phenomenal, it looks like this class will rival them!! PTL! I am thankful!! God is so good!! I can't wait for all the adventures to unfold!

~I think it may be time for us to get Netflix- I am so behind on movies!!

~Last week Francie was sucking her thumb and Clint told her she doesn't need to keep doing it and she said "What am I supposed to do, I don't have any binkies!" It was so cute!! She is a MESS!!

~I want to see The Phantom of the Opera (the old one) at the Alabama Theatre this Halloween!! (In middle school I remember spending the night at a dear friend's house and watching it in the basement, it was great and creepy)!! Clint's never seen it, so I'm thinking it would make the perfect date -and at the Alabama, such atmosphere!!

That's all folks!! Have a great week!!

The First Week!!

2010-08-13T21:42:00.009-05:00

Well, the first week is over!! Hallelujah! We managed to make it through, even with one stomach bug~ poor Will~ a bee sting~ poor me~ and one HUGE knot on the noggin~ poor Will again!! Despite all of the "issues" it was a great week!! Will loves his teacher, she is new to our school and I think she is a perfect fit for Will!! :) That makes me extremely happy!! Today was Francie's first day (Will's was Tuesday) and she loved every minute of it!! :) She looked so adorable with her pretty new dress and Olivia backpack and Hello Kitty lunch bag!! I am so glad she loves school!!

I had my first day too!! My class is cute! They are so well behaved and excited about school and their parents seem really wonderful too!! I have a good feeling about this year~ I think it's going to be a great one!!

Free To Be Me!!

2010-08-08T18:53:00.003-05:00

*This is how I've been feeling lately!! I don't do well with change~ even though I am super excited about this school year!! I just get really freaked and then I get all loose cannon-ish! Once school actually starts I am sure I will snap out of it!! Maybe you can relate!! :) Enjoy this encouragement, I know I did!!

At thirty-three years of age
I'm still looking for a dream
A war's already waged for my destiny
But You've already won the battle
You've got great plans for me
Though I can't always see

Cause I got a couple dents in my Fender
Got a couple rips in my jeans
Try to fit the pieces together
But perfection is my enemy
And on my own, I'm so clumsy
But on Your shoulders I can see
I'm free to be me

When I was just a girl
I thought I had it figured out
See my life would turn out right
And I 'd make it here somehow
But things don't always come that easy
And sometimes I would doubt

Sometimes I believe that I can do anything
Yet other times I think
I've got nothing good to bring
But You look at my heart and You tell me
That I've got all You seek
And it's easy to believe even though

I got a couple dents in my Fender
Got a couple rips in my jeans
Try to fit the pieces together
But perfection is my enemy
and on my own, I'm so clumsy
But on Your shoulders I can see
I'm free to be me and you're free to be you

Words and Music by Francesca Battistelli

Last Five Question Friday & The Big Closet Reveal!!

2010-07-30T15:23:00.009-05:00

Well, I guess this will be the last 5 Question Friday for the summer~ I really won't be able to be that on top of the whole blogging bit when school starts!! I mean- I'll try my best!!

1. Did you have a favorite blanket or toy as a kid? If so, do you still have it? No, I didn't have a blankie or a stuffed animal that I just HAD to sleep with or have with me at all times!! My Will was attached to his binky and he has "Beary" that my grandmother gave him- he likes to snuggle with him at night!! My Francie has a blankie with a silky edge that she likes to rub when she is falling asleep!!

2. Do you dream in color? Very much so!! My dreams are so vibrant and real!! I don't like to dream though, because I always have weird dreams and they affect me emotionally!! So I always wake up sad, mad, scared, worried, etc.~ not a very good start each morning!! However, I did dream that Clint and I won a free vacation to Hawaii last night!! :) So that was a great dream, but still not fun to wake up and find out that it was JUST A DREAM!! :(

3. How tall are you? Do you wish you were shorter or taller? I am 5'3"! I always thought of myself as short!! I would definitely take longer legs over big boobs if wishes could come true!! But I wouldn't want to be too tall~ just average I guess~ maybe 5'6" or 5'7"~ but with long legs!!

4. If you could have anyone's (celeb or other) voice as the guide on your GPS, who would it be? I would love to have Ewan McGregor because of his Scottish accent (I think it's Scottish) or Mary Poppins or someone with an Austrailian accent like Crocodile Dundee!!

5. Do you return your shopping cart to the corral or leave it wherever in the parking lot? It depends... if the cart corral is close I don't mind returning it, but if it's too far- I'm just too lazy to run around the whole parking lot!! Sorry!! :(

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Now onto the- clean and organize the closet project for the summer!!
(I am a little embarrassed that my closet got THIS out of hand)!! It had really gotten so bad you could hardly walk in the "walk in" closet!! When I did get it all straightened up I couldn't believe my closet was so BIG!! I really need to paint and get a few more organizational baskets and stuff- but I don't have an extra $50 to spend for closet clean up- so this will just have to do for now! TADA!! ;)
Before:

After:

33!!

2010-07-29T10:28:00.022-05:00

A week ago~ I turned 33!! Wow!! I can't believe it!! Some days I feel older than thirty-three and some days I feel younger~ it's amazing how fast time has flown by~ I must be having a lot of fun!! ;) Thinking back... twenty years ago I was just becoming a teenager! Yuck! I wouldn't go back for anything!! ...Ten years ago I was a newlywed!! I had been married a little over 6 mos!! (Now I would go back there) ;) !! ...Five years ago I was preggers with a baby girl and getting IVs every week!! ****Yep!! I've been having A LOT of fun!!

My Birthday in Pictures!! :)

This is the Card Francie Picked Out For Me!! I Guess She Knows Her Mama!! Ha!!

Shangri La with Birki and the Kids!!

Pedicure!!!

Lunch Date at Pablos With Mom and Page!!

My Family Took Me to The Fish Market for Birthday Dinner!

Clint Suprised Me With A Birthday Cake at Our Small Group Fish Fry! (sorry about the hazy pictures- it was so humid)

Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
you formed me in my mother's womb.
I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking!
Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
I worship in adoration—what a creation!
You know me inside and out,
you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
The days of my life all prepared
before I'd even lived one day. Psalm 139:13-16

On My Mind...

2010-07-27T21:51:00.005-05:00

*Selena Gomez and I share the same first name and the same birthday (July 22nd)!!

*I don't like taking my two babies to the doctor for check-ups with shots!! Will got 2 and Francie got 5!! It was pretty bad! :(

*Brownies and vanilla ice cream help you feel better if you get shots!!

*I want the new Jonas Brothers CD!! I love me some Jonas Brothers!! ;)

*I LOVE school supplies!! I get more excited than the kids about it!! Crayons, markers, folders, pencils and pens, notebooks and glue!! I just love how everything smells and it's all clean and shiny and new! I can't wait to buy them!!

*We have a new 3rd grade teacher at school!! I can't wait to meet her!! I wonder if Will will get her this year!

*Getting sad that Noah and Anna won't be at SMCS this year!

*There may be a sign at Alabama Adventure that says "Show off your ugliest body part"!!

*I can't wait til the new Camp Rock 2 The Final Jam comes on tv!!

*Only five more days to chill before I have to go back to school!! Yuck!

*Still have to check~ read more, see a movie at the Alabama Theatre, finish cleaning and organizing my closet, see Karate Kid, and lay in the sun ~off my summer list!

*It's hard to sleep when you have a terribly bad sunburn!

It's Friday! It's Friday!

2010-07-23T10:29:00.008-05:00

Finally, I got the blog looking better!! And it's new!! It is still hard for me to change~ I don't like to have to change!! But it won't be long and I'll love this and be used to it! Well more random questions from Five Question Friday!!

1. What were your school colors? Green and gold!! Go Pelham Panthers! SMCS has green and gold for school colors too!! Go Eagles!! Behind crimson and white, green and gold are the best school colors!! ;)

2. What's the best compliment you ever received? I am really hard on myself so I don't ever remember many compliments!! I am too busy ripping myself a new one!! I know, I know, I can't help it~ it's my fatal flaw!!

3. Do you buy cheap or expensive toilet paper? I really don't factor in cost, I just by what I like best which happens to be Charmin Ultra Soft (I don't know if it is expensive or not)!! I feel really weird sharing that!! TMI!

4. Have you ever had a surprise party thrown for you? Or have you had one for someone else? Yes, it was either my fourteenth or fifteenth birthday!! The highlights I remember are... swimming pool, ruby earrings, skating rink!! It was a lot of fun and I remember feeling really special that my friends and family would plan something for little ol' me!!

5. What is one material possession that you "can't live without"? I know this sounds so strange, but I absolutely LOVE my robe!! Clint gave it to me for christmas and it just makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside and out!!

Now, off to do laundry, make beds, pick up, then go to my sister's to play!! Come on everybody, I'd like to hear your answers to these 5 questions!!