Higgins Hullaballoo

Music Monday

2012-01-23T10:08:00.002-05:00

This week's Music Monday is a song that is one of my favorites right now. It is by Kari Jobe, and again, there isn't anything I've heard by her that I don't love. This song is so challenging and reminds us of what we are - the light. If we don't shine, no one will know who we belong to. I live up on a hill and as I was listening to this song I thought about how we can look up at the lights on a hill and see them shining in the dark. It's beautiful. Are we shining?

Music Monday (and success!)

2012-01-16T17:00:00.002-05:00

Ok, before I get to Music Monday, I have to tell you that not only did we catch one mouse last night, we caught 2 mice!!! Excuse the exclamation points, but you have no idea how excited I am! Especially since Sunday morning I found all the peanut butter eaten off the snap traps again. I felt defeated. But a little cheese and we are in business. Thank you for indulging me on my mouse rants this week.

Onto Music Monday.

You all have probably heard of Jamie Grace. She's everywhere on Christian radio right now. She is a fun girl who loves Jesus and is cool while doing everything! I love everything by her. Her song "God Girl" is my ring tone right now and it says how I feel.

I'm a God girl, that's who I be

From the top of my head to the soles of my feet

No I can't deny it, wouldn't even try

I'm your girl in a crazy world.

That's what you hear when my cell phone rings and I hope it's what you see when you look at my life.

Now what?

2012-01-14T21:05:00.003-05:00

In my Monday post I told you all about my mouse situation. Well here is the rest of the story.

On Monday I got the heavy duty mouse traps, baited them with peanut butter (since the mouse apparently loves peanuts) and went to sleep. Tuesday morning - more mouse poop, no peanut butter and no mouse. I was not happy. Tuesday evening D. and I had to go to church for a meeting. I was gone for an hour. Came home - more mouse poop and no peanut butter, no mouse. I declared war. All I had was glue traps though. So, we put a couple of sunflower seeds smack in the middle of them and left them there.

Tuesday night we went to bed around 9:45. At 10:30 I got a text alert from my phone (which was in the kitchen) and that is unusual so I got up to check it. I also checked the traps. There was a mouse in one of the traps!!! I almost shrieked with excitement. It was still moving so I left it there. I figured it would wear itself out and it would be there in the morning. I did try to tell D., but he was sleeping and didn't want to wake up. So, I get up the next morning and NO MOUSE and NO TRAPS!!! Yes, you read that right. Part of the problem is that the back of the cabinet has come away from the bottom in the back leaving a 2-3 inch opening to the floor under the cabinets. Well, I could hear the mouse under there, but I was livid! How dare that stinkin mouse? D. got his gloves on and a coat hanger and fished out one of the traps. It was chewed to shreds on the ends. Un. Be. Lievable. I was so freaked out that the mouse would die under there stuck to the other trap. So D. came back home soon after he had left with real snap traps and poison to put under the house. He also fished around some more hoping to get the mouse. But, all he got was another glue trap chewed to shreds on the ends.

The crazy part of the story is that we have had the snap traps set ever since then and no mouse! And all of my mixing bowls, placemats, mixer, etc. is still on my counter. So what should I do? Put it back and risk having to wash it all again? I dread that thought. But how long is long enough? Ugh. I just don't know.

If you have any suggestions I am certainly open to hear them! And if you made it this far, bless you.

Happy Day!

2012-01-12T09:07:00.004-05:00

Today's post isn't about me or my kids. It's about another member of our family. Today, January 12th, is my nephew Jay's 5th birthday! You know the Southern saying, "I could eat him up!"? That's how I feel about Jay. He belongs to my sister Leah and her husband Chris. Jay and Mallory are 6 months apart, so it has been fun to have him and Les grow along with my kiddos. Even though he and Mallory are close in age, he adores Aubrey. Now that their family lives close, we try to take full advantage and see them as much as possible. All of the kids love it!

Jay is one of the funniest kids I have ever known. He says the funniest things and does the funniest things. He tells his mom, "Mom, you're the best mom, but I love Aunt Sarah the best." I mean, who wouldn't love a kid like that? Jay also loves his brother and cousins to pieces. Someone recently hurt his brother Les and as Jay was going to bed that night he told Leah, "The next time I see that boy I am going to punch him in the stomach!" Of course Leah told him that was not ok, and although she loved how he loves Les he can't punch people. I just thought that was so sweet. Then this week before we were going to meet for Jay's birthday dinner at ChickfilA (our favorite meeting spot) Jay wrapped a few Lincoln Logs up for Aubrey in tin foil and tape "because I love my cousin so much, Mom". What a sweetie!

He is such an active boy. He goes 100% in everything he does. Smart as a whip, always asking questions and wondering about things. Wheels always turning. Honest to a fault (he never lies when in trouble, often getting him in more trouble!) Rough and tumble just as a boy should be.

All this to say, our lives are so blessed to have Jay or "Birdie" as he is called much of the time (Jay"bird") in them, so I wanted him to know how much his Aunt Sarah, Uncle D., Aubrey and Mallory love him. Happiest birthday to you, Jay! You are so special and wonderful to all of us! We love you and pray God's richest blessings on you as you grow!

M stands for...

2012-01-09T13:26:00.003-05:00

It has been my semi-traditional tradition to have Music Mondays. However, this Monday,

M stands for "MOUSE". I'm not talking about the cute black ears from the magical place down south. No, I am talking about the destructive little bundles of fur that get into your house and make you crazy. Well maybe they don't make you crazy, but they are making me cr

azy. (see picture to the right) About a month ago we realized we had a mouse under our stove. (our
stove vent goes under our floor to the outside b/c our stove is in the middle of my counter) I cleaned everything out, and by everything I mean everything - all my mixing bowls, my Kitchen Aid stand mixer, all my kids' placemats, my toaster (last time I threw it out) and a few other things. I cleaned like nobody's business because I was so grossed out and we put a mousetrap under there. We never saw anything under there again that would make us think the mouse was back. Until. Last. Night.

D. had gotten a huge bag of peanuts from Sam's. It was so big it wouldn't fit on my pantry shelves. So, we put it under the stove. I know you are probably thinking, "What? Under the stove?" And in hindsight it wasn't a good idea. But it was ok for awhile. D. had some peanuts last Thursday and all was well. Last night he got the peanut bag out and peanuts started falling out. D. said, "I think the mouse is back." We looked into the cabinet and peanuts, peanut dust and mouse droppings were everywhere! Aaaahhhh!!!!!!

So today I am cleaning. Again. And I got some even heavier duty mousetraps. I am praying they do the trick. And yeah, we won't be putting peanuts down there ever again. So this is the segway to my Music Monday post. This song, "One of Those Days" by Joy Williams has become a favorite of mine. We have all had them. This one makes them sound almost fun. I am definitely not crazy about the video to it, so maybe just minimize your window while you're listening! Check her out though, because she has some really fun music.

One Word

2012-01-05T08:57:00.003-05:00

I'm back to the blog. I really want to blog on a regular basis. It's one of my goals for the year.

I'm hoping to get here at least twice a week. We'll see how that goes.

Each year for the past few years I have chosen a word for the year to focus on. I got the idea from Ali Edwards I have taken a good amount of time thinking and praying about which word to choose each year and this year was no different. I also decided last year to find a verse to go along with my word. Last year my word for 2011 was "heart" and my verse to go along with it was Matthew 6:21, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

This year for 2012 my word is "strong" and my verse is Joshua 1:9, "Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." I am really working on being physically strong, but I also realized there are other areas in my life where I could use a little (or a lot) of strength. So that is my prayer and focus this year. I need a lot of prayers and encouragement in this area!

I am hoping to be back here later this week! I have so much on my mind I want to share.

Music Monday

2011-07-25T15:24:00.004-04:00

I know I have been so sporadic about blogging, and for the most part it's been my fault. Lately, however, my computer died so just as I was ready to blog again I got stopped! But now I'm back with a semi-quasi-regular installment of Music Monday. I follow Francesca Battistelli (one of my fave singers) on Twitter, and recently she tweeted about an up and coming new artist named Dara McLean. I went to itunes to check her out and her album was on sale. I put the album on my ipod and have been loving it. She is kind of soulful/mellow and has a seventies vibe to her music that I love. So check her out. You'll be glad you did! Dara MacLean Sorry I only have a link and not a video. Wasn't able to get one this time!

Birthdays!

2011-06-30T09:09:00.004-04:00

I was having dinner last night with my 3 blog readers and they all got onto me for not posting for so long. I often think of things to blog about, but my time gets away from me and it doesn't get done. But, I did want to post pics of the two birthday parties we have had here at our house in the past two months since I've posted. (that's kind of embarrassing!) There is too much to talk about with both of them, but today I will start with Aubrey's party.

Aubrey turned seven in May. I still can hardly believe he is seven since I just brought him home from the hospital a few months ago it seems. He is into all things boy, but mostly he loves Legos and Nerf guns. We had a Lego party last year, and he wanted a Nerf gun party this year. I first thought I would just have all the boys bring their own gun, but then my sister showed us a homemade blow dart gun her son got as a party favor from a party he went to. My wheels started turning as to how we could use these at our party. I knew I would use the guns, but needed a way the boys could use them without darts laying all around our yard. So, the felt vest was born. I took regular sized felt and made a vest (front and back) with duct tape. I wish I would have taken a picture while I was making them, but I don't usually think of those things. The dart guns were made with small circumference pvc pipe cut to about 2 feet. I used colored electrical tape to add design and color to each of them so the boys would know their's just from the color. We did also write their name on them. I bought several packs of the velcro Nerf darts. Each boy got a small tin bucket with their name on it to carry their darts in. Then they each got a vest. They divided up into teams and played dart tag for a very long time. They each got to take their gun, darts and vest home as a favor. They loved it.

My sister's neighbor is a baker who makes fabulously decorated cakes. I sent her a picture of one of Aubrey's guns and she made an exact replica. It was so cool, and Aubrey loved it! Aubrey had been to a spend the night party a few weeks before his party, so he decided he wanted one too. The good thing about the dart tag was that most of the boys were worn out and quickly went to sleep.

My quantifier for parties is that they are what my kids want. Not what I want, or what is popular on the web, or what will look cute in pictures. This party was it. Aubrey was so pleased with his party. It was exactly what he wanted, so it was a success!

One Thousand Gifts

2011-04-18T15:44:00.004-04:00

I have just started reading the book One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. It is a small book, and I know I could read it in one sitting if I wanted to. However, I have been reading a chapter a day, just chewing on it and thinking it through each day so I can really "get it". The main point of the book is that in order to truly live fully we must live in a constant state of thankfulness. Ann was challenged to make a list of one thousand things she was thankful for and it changed her life. I am joing in. I am not going to tell you any more about the book other than you need to read it. It's really good, and her writing is fantastic. She has a beautiful way with words. I have been getting her daily emails for months and did not realize they were from Ann!

So, here is my jumping in for my one thousand gifts. I'm linking up with Multitudes on Mondays and oh so thankful.

1. Quiet mornings

2. Sweet teachers

3. Dirt from my hard working husband on the floor

4. Loads of laundry that can get done in a machine

5. North Georgia mountains that never look the same

6. Birthdays to celebrate those that I love

7. Birds chirping all day

8. Sweet little girl fingers and toes

9. Seeing my sweet son in the pick up line

10. Warm water

It occurred to me that the song in my last post kind of goes along with this book. I think the Lord is trying to tell me something. Love it when that happens!

Music Monday

2011-04-18T08:43:00.003-04:00

It has been forever since I did a Music Monday, so as I was all choked up while driving in my car listening to this song it ocurred to me that it might be a good day for one! Especially since it is Monday! I love Laura Story, and this song is just icing on the cake. What lyrics. I pray that I look at Jesus and life as this song explains.

I hope it has blessed you the way it has blessed me!

Craft Day

2011-04-13T21:17:00.003-04:00

On Monday I hosted my third Craft Day. I got the idea this past fall when I saw a fun wreath I wanted to make and I thought, "It would be so fun to get a group of friends and make these together!" So I did, and Craft Day was born. We all bring our kids, our supplies, and a yummy food to share for lunch. This time I found a great Easter craft from here. Cathe Holden at the Just Something I Made blog has the neatest DIY ideas, and this one was so fun and easy. It is an Easter Egg holder vase. I got a variety of spoons at our local thrift shop and used a pickle jar for the vase. It only probably took us maybe 30 minutes to complete our projects. Of course, that didn't stop us from using a whole day together to chat, eat and fellowship. Such a fun, useful way to spend a day. Good for our souls and our home decor! (I didn't get pics of everyone there - totally meant to but just forgot!)

No Skeletons in this Closet!

2011-04-12T16:16:00.003-04:00

Last week while the kids were on spring break, I decided to tackle our mud room. It is a room that is off of our laundry room. It often ends up being where we place (or throw) things that don't have a good home. So, after this happening all winter long, it was a huge mess. Because it also opens to our carport, it's hard to clean it out while the weather is cold (at least for a wimp like me) One day we had perfect weather, the kids were outside playing,and I decided to go for it. It was wonderful! I love, love, love getting things organized. Last year my husband put great shelves in our mudroom for me, so I just had to rearrange, throw away and donate the things in the room. This is the end result:

Don't you love the fancy sidewalk chalk holder?

Now you can tell there is a door in there! I still need to paint the steps, but now it is a fully functioning mud room where D. can come in with his dirty boots and clothes on and not get the rest of the house dirty! Mission accomplished!

Hello? Anybody there?

2011-04-02T08:34:00.003-04:00

My poor blog is so neglected. If there was a Department of Family and Children Services for blog mommas, I would be turned in for sure. I haven't been on the computer as much lately because I got an iphone for Christmas so I get all my emails on it, and I gave up Facebook for Lent, so I hop on the computer to read blogs and then get off pretty quick. Almost every day I think of something I want to write about on my blog, but just don't get to it. I'm hoping to get back to it soon.

But, I found out about a new site that I just had to share with you. The way it was explained to me is that it is what might happen if etsy and groupon had a baby. It's called

heartsy

I think it is the neatest thing if you like (or love) etsy like I do. They have deals for different shops on etsy each day. How cool is that? I would almost always rather buy handmade than commercially made stuff.

So, sorry I don't have any new stories or fun ideas right now, but I promise they are coming! I thought you all would love to know about heartsy if you didn't already and see a pic of my latest knitting finished project - my French Press slippers. It was my first felting project. I was so excited when they were finished. I wear them all the time now. Hope to see you here again soon!

Book recommendation

2011-02-05T11:26:00.003-05:00

This week I read the book, Dwelling:Living Fully from the Space You Call Home by Mary Beth Lagerborg. I picked up the book at MOPS a month or so ago. It looked like something that would encourage me and give me some ideas. I have to say that I loved it. Mary Beth doesn't really focus on decorating or the material part of our homes, although she does talk about it. It is really about using our homes to be the people we are supposed to be. What we want our homes to "feel" like, and how we want people to feel while they are in our homes. She also discusses community and how we can increase our sense of community through having people in our homes and neighborhoods. I would highly recommend it to you. I will be returning our MOPS copy next time I'm there, so you can check it out next!

Also, on the home front, I have never loved a home appliance the way I love my Haan steam cleaner. My sister got a Shark steam cleaner last year and I checked them out, but decided on the Haan. It only uses water, so it is better for the environment and our homes, and it sanitizes as it cleans. I am actually happy to clean my floor with it. And as you can imagine, that is a new feeling! So, although I can't give one away, here's another great recommendation. I promise you will love it if you get one!

My great project

2011-01-27T11:24:00.002-05:00

I find it so neat how when God puts something on our hearts, He keeps reinforcing His call if we are open and listening. Since feeling like my word of the year should be "heart" I have felt His reinforcement over and over. It began with a discussion with my sister in law about how easy it is to let our homes and families play second fiddle to all of our other commitments and how our lives feel out of control and unbalanced when that happens. I don't believe that is how God wants me to live. Then another conversation with a friend, Kristin, about how even when we have a day planned doing laundry, cleaning potties, etc. if someone asks us what we are going to do we say, "Nothing." Really, doing laundry and cleaning potties might seem like nothing, but it's a big part of keeping my family happy and moving in the right direction, but it's sooo easy to push these things aside for funner, lesser things. And then, when I went to MOPS on Friday, our devotion by my sweet friend Kimberly was about Nehemiah and how he kept being interrupted and he told the important people trying to talk to him, "I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down." (Nehemiah 6:3) She had heard Andy Stanley do a sermon on this. Whatever it is that God has called us to do is important. For me right now it is being a faithful, loving wife and mom. So, doing the dishes, laundry, cleaning potties, etc. are important because they matter in my great project. I almost cried while she was talking about this because it was like God had his hand on my shoulder squeezing it and encouraging me to stay strong in my resolve. Then, I was doing the dishes later in the day and heard Sara Groves' song "Generations". It is all about doing things to leave for future generations. It again reminded me to press on in my great project of being a wife and mother. It's so neat how God has whispered and used so many things to keep my focus. Even today I turned down a request to go shopping. (I know, the horror, right?) But, I need to get things done around here. Just the usual, but I don't want to get behind much more. I am rambling, but wanted to share my encouragement with you all so you too can say about whatever it is God has called you to do, "I am carrying on a great project." Be encouraged that if God has called you to do it, He will see you through on your journey, no matter how small you feel it is.

Total shallowness

2011-01-07T20:50:00.003-05:00

Just a quick post to see if any of you know about this? I saw an advertisement for the Invisibelt in a magazine I believe and thought, "That is a great idea!" Then I went Christmas shopping at a gift shop in Oakwood that I love, Nest Feathers, and I saw it! I was so excited. It works. It keeps your pants up while you are wearing a shirt untucked, but there is no bulge like there would be from a regular belt bucklet. Anyway, I thought I would pass it along to my friends as a PSA. Consider it my Random Act of Kindness today. ;)

One Word

2011-01-01T10:07:00.003-05:00

Each year for the past few years, scrapbooker Ali Edwards has chosen one word to define her upcoming year. She has encouraged and inspired many, many of us to choose our own word. I have done it for the past 3 years. I didn't know what it would mean when I started, but it has been fun and it has helped me focus myself when I needed focus. This year I have chosen the word heart. I have been very convicted lately about doing too many things that do not encourage or help me with my spiritual life or as my role as a wife and a mother. All things that are the most meaningful to my heart, and what I feel my calling as a woman is. My verse for the year to encourage and remind me is Matthew 6:21 "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." So, friends and readers, if you see me or find me doing things that might not go hand in hand with my word or my verse, please let me know. I am sure I will need all the help I can get. What is your word for the year? I'd love to hear!

Music Monday

2010-11-01T17:32:00.002-04:00

In honor of my fabulicious (my new word) weekend, here is a tribute to my dear Gators.

]]

18 out of the last 21 years isn't bad! Go Gators!

I'll post Halloween pics soon!

Day out!

2010-10-21T15:31:00.007-04:00

Last Saturday D. and I started talking about how it had been forever since we had eaten at the Dillard House in Dillard, GA, and how we would like to take the kids up there. We got on there website and saw they were doing a fall/pumpkin special. We also saw they had a petting zoo and horseback riding. We said, "We can do that today!" So, we got ready, jumped in the car and away we went. It was a perfect fall day. The air was crisp with a slight breeze and not a cloud in the sky. We got up there and had an absolute blast. The kids loved the petting farm/zoo. The wagon ride to pick up (not pick a pumpkin, they were just in a big pile) was fun, and the horseback riding was the highlight of Aubrey's week, maybe month. He has been wanting to ride a horse for a very long time. He was so cute, and so excited about it. Mallory only lasted about 5 minutes, but it was more than I thought she would do, so I was very proud of her too.

We wanted to eat dinner, but we still had about an hour and a half before they started serving dinner, so we asked the lady at the front desk what we could do. She suggested Black Rock State Park back towards Clayton. We thought, "Why not?" and headed up there. It was such a pleasant surprise. It is the highest state park in Georgia, and on a clear day (which it was) you can see into South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee from there. It was so beautiful up there. We looked down over Clayton (which Aubrey called "the village" because it was so tiny from up there) and all around. The leaves were just starting to change colors. In a week or two it will be spectacular. We really enjoyed our visit there.

Then we headed back to the Dillard House for a wonderful dinner. D. loves country cooking, and I don't do much of that kind of cooking, so he was in hog heaven! (literally) The Dillard House was recently featured on the Food Network's The Best Thing I Ever Ate for their country ham. It is Alton Brown's favorite. Neat, huh?! You can go to youtube to see it.

Anyway, D. works many Saturdays, so this was a super day of being together and just enjoying life as a family. It was a highlight for me this fall season for sure!

Music Monday

2010-10-11T11:26:00.003-04:00

Oh dear. I just can't seem to get it together where blogging is concerned. I thought maybe having set days to do it would help me, but it has actually just made me a little more stressed about bloggins. So, I'm going to blog when I can, and not feel bad when I can't (or don't want to) Today I am at home with a little boy who doesn't feel too well, so I have a little free time. This is one of my fave songs of all time. I would melt into a puddle if someone sang this to me.

I am so sad I never got to see John Denver in concert. It's one of my regrets in life. (although not one that keeps me up at night) ;)

Tardy Tinkering Thursday

2010-09-25T19:29:00.005-04:00

Ok, excuse my alliterative title. I couldn't help it. I am late again on my blogging, but I live by the "better late than never" motto. (just ask anyone who has any daily dealings with me) Anyway, I have been a crazy knitter lately. I started working on this shrug for Mallory in June. I put the finishing touches on it a couple of weeks ago. I love it. It is so cute on her too!

While I was working on her shrug I also finished a baby blanket for a friend who just had a baby, and did these three other projects. I did this hat just because I thought the pattern was so neat. It's called Really Warm Hat. It is very warm, but I haven't decided what I will do with it. It will probably be a Christmas gift. I made this baby hat for my friend who just had her 6th baby. I admire her for so many things, and this is just one of them. It is called the Umbilical Cord Hat. Cute, huh?!

I made this scarf for my sister Beth in Arizona. Her son Jake, my nephew, plays football for California Lutheran University and their colors are purple and gold. Beth and Steve go to almost all of his games, many of which are in colder climates. I thought this might help her show her school spirit while also keeping her warm.

So there you have it - all my knitting projects for the last three months, with the exception of the baby blanket which I forgot to take a picture of before I gave it away. (late, of course. It took much longer than I had anticipated, but no worries, it's still too hot here for it.) Now I'm casting on to slippers and a sweater for me! Yippee!

Hope you like my tardy tinkerings! See you Monday! (maybe)

Music Monday - Flower Duet from "Lakme" by Leo Delibes

2010-09-13T16:59:00.004-04:00

Once upon a time, I thought I would be living a gypsy life now. I had dreams of being an opera singer, performing in fabulous concert halls and theaters around the world. When I got to Brenau, I got the lead role in our opera that year. I loved the performing, but as I moved along in my major, I realized what an all consuming goal I had set for myself. In order to become a major opera star, it must be your life, and most opera singers don't reach their peak vocally until their mid-thirties. My professors wanted me to go to Italy the summer after my sophomore year. I was in love, having fun in my sorority, missing my family, and just didn't think I could do it. I also realized that my other dream of being a wife and a mother would be put on hold for at least a while as I pursued my dream. So, I decided that the operatic life wasn't for me. I have often wondered, "What if?", but I know that the things I hold dearest to me probably wouldn't be in my life right now if I had gone that route. I still love the music though. You all know that D. isn't really the opera type, so I haven't attended an opera in years. I catch it when I can on tv and recordings. This duet is one of my all time favorites. It has been called one of the most beautiful songs ever, and has been in many movies and commercials. You may recognize it. It just soars, and when it does, your spirit will too.

Tinkering Thursday

2010-09-09T14:04:00.003-04:00

I am going to begin another weekly posting to help me stay on top of blogging and also to share projects that I have been working on. I am calling this weekly post "Tinkering Thursdays". As you all know I scrapbook, knit and just generally love to craft, so I will share whatever I have been working on for the week with you all. This summer I did many projects, but one I thought was easy and could work all year long was my tiered planter I made for my front porch. I got the idea Here I pretty much followed the directions, but used colors that worked for me. I also used impatiens, asparagus fern, and spiky dracena in my planters for the thrill, fill and spill. I haven't decided if I am going to use it year-round, but it will be most of the year at least. I love it because it was easy, reasonable in price, classic in design and fun to do and change the plants in. If any of you have done these or do them in the future, please let me know!

Music Monday

2010-09-06T09:19:00.003-04:00

In my attempt to get back to regular blogging, I am going to start two new weekly posts. The first is Music Monday. I have loved music - singing, playing piano, listening to many different kinds of music - for as long as I can remember. I sang my first solo in church when I was about 6. I thought it would be my career, and for a while it was. Now I just love it again for the joy it brings me. So, I would like to share with my readers some of my faves. I will share all kinds of music that I love for many different reasons. This first has been a song I have loved for a long time - it's not new, but every time I hear it I'm reminded of the Truth. It is by Christian artist. Sara Groves. She has sooooo many songs that I just love. I love that she writes many of her lyrics and songs. That is such a gift. This song reminds me that I always have exactly what I need to get relief/wisdom/encouragement, etc. for any situation I am in. It's The Word, and God gave it to us so we will always have just exactly what we need when we need it. It will always be more than enough for us no matter what.

Ahhhhh

2010-08-24T18:09:00.003-04:00

I feel like I have just exhaled from a big, deep breath. Summer came not as the lazy days I remember, but as a whirlwind taking us from one fun activity to the next. I loved our Summer List, but also realized that I always feel like I have to check off everything on my list and it did contribute to a little of the frantic pace of our summer. I hated for it to end. We did have a wonderful time as a family. BUT, I am thrilled that we are back into routine, getting a new rhythm to our life with Aubrey in first grade and Mallory at a new pre-school this year. I have lots of pictures and stories and projects from the summer, but I will post them when the dinner isn't just about ready. Thanks for sticking with me if you're still here!

P.S. - I would post a picture of us, but I haven't even gotten any pics loaded to my computer from this summer yet!

Helloooo??? Anyone here???

2010-07-09T10:12:00.002-04:00

Well, I'm here, but not for long or with any major news. We're just enjoying our summer, checking things off our list and having a great time. I am not really worrying about my blog (as you can see by the messed up layout. I changed it, it doesn't work, and I don't know how to fix it. If any of you would like to volunteer I'll make you some homemade cookies and love you forever.) Some of my friends have 16 posts on my Google reader that I haven't read. If I haven't commented know that it doesn't mean I don't love you or cherish your stories anymore, just that I'm not really online much right now. So I just wanted you all to know that I'm kind of on a blog hiatus right now. I have much to show (lots of scrapping and knitting) and tell (stories from the lake, camp, birthdays, milestones, etc), but it will all have to wait. I hope you all are having a wonderful and blessed summer. (and you're still with me when I come back! :) )

Sssssummer's here!

2010-06-07T08:14:00.006-04:00

We are having such a good time already this summer. Only one week in, and we have had so much fun! I haven't really looked forward to summer like I have this year. I think it's because this was Aubrey's first year of real school, so we really did need a break. I saw this Summer List idea here at Meg's blog. I thought it would be such a neat thing to have things to look forward to, keep us on track, and help me be more intentional about doing things this summer. Aubrey and I mostly made the list with some input from D. We also left a little space in case something comes up. We have already been able to check some things off our list. (which always feels good to me) I am going to take pics of all we have done, as well as save tickets, receipts, etc. Then I will make a small scrapbook of our summer list. Something very small - probably a photo book with a little journalling and embellishments.

We are also working on responsibility with Aubrey this summer, so he has his own chart. We are learning a Bible verse a week together as a family, so that is on his chart. (I'm also going to make a book of all of our verses so we can review them.) He is also reading 50 minutes a week, doing some homework that I put together for him, and learning 5 new words a week. I really didn't want him to lose any learning this summer. We're being light about it, not stressing, just keeping our brains working. He is also learning how to make his bed, in charge of feeding Piper and other small chores. I am letting go of some things even though it is hard for me to let him do things because he doesn't do them exactly like I would. He needs it though. I probably do too.

Anyway, that is what is going on here right now! I feel such a feeling of relief now that summer is here. I didn't realize I needed it so much. And, I had to throw in this pic of the snake I made for my nephew Les. I finished it months ago, but never posted a pic. He loves it. And it was fun to make. Have a great week!

moving upward and onward

2010-06-04T07:18:00.005-04:00

Many of you know how much I absolutely love our local elementary school. I taught there for 2 years before I had Aubrey, and I loved it then. I love it even more now. Public school isn't perfect. There is too much to do, with too little funds, too little parent involvement and a host of other ills. However, I found during my 7 years of teaching that almost every teacher I taught with loved his/her students and was teaching because they loved kids and wanted to make a difference.

Last summer I prayed a lot. I prayed for Aubrey's teacher, Mrs. Costley, who I didn't even know about. I prayed for Aubrey's classmates. I prayed for Aubrey's safety, physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally. I prayed for all involved in his first year of school. I couldn't even think about it without tearing up. As a former kindergarten teacher I know how important the first year of school is. I had all kinds of people giving me their opinions on where to send him, what to say, what to do, what not to do, etc. I even had a friend tell me she would be praying that I would change my mind about sending Aubrey to our local elementary school. That hurt, and actually it made me mad. As his mom, I would never do anything to put him in a position I thought would be detrimental to him in any way. So I prayed and prayed and prayed. God heard my prayers. He knew the desires of my heart and how tender I was about this journey. He couldn't have been more perfect.

Aubrey's kindergarten year has exceeded anything I wanted or hoped for him. His teacher was so wonderful for him. She cared for him in such a special way. I know she does it for all of her students because she let me come in once a week to do an art project with the kids. This was such a sweet time for me. I got to know all the children Aubrey talked about. I got to see how he interacted with his teacher and class. I felt like I wasn't just dropping him off at school, but a part of what he was doing. Mrs. Costley was so cautious about Aubrey's food allergies it made me feel secure. She called me to check on him when he was sick (which he was - a lot) and called me any time someone brought in food she wasn't sure if he could eat. Aubrey didn't come home asking me about horrible words, movies, tv shows, etc. I know that will come, but I had heard horror stories about it happening in kindergarten. His class was one of the sweetest classes I have ever been around. They liked each other. They were kind to each other. No behavior problems. No kid I didn't want to rub off on Aubrey. It was truly amazing, and I believe it was partly due to prayer.

Aubrey has matured a good bit this year. At kindergarted graduation he received the Explorer Buddy Award for being kind and friendly to others. The kind of award I hope he always receives. He learned a lot this year, both academically and emotionally. I am so thankful for Mrs. Costley, our administration and our entire school. It is a blessing in our life. I am sad to be moving on and up, but it is a fact of life. Now I'm just a little more secure in this change, and I know Aubrey is too.

Amazing weekend

2010-05-19T19:02:00.008-04:00

The weekend before last was a whirlwind, but a wonderful, sweet one that will always be remembered by our family. Saturday began with an entry in the Mt. Laurel Festival parade. I was not prepared to be in the parade. I had been told that the kids would be in the parade and I could just sit, watch and take pictures. I just put on a t-shirt and shorts, and headed out to the parade. When I got there, plans changed and I was in one of the cars. D.'s dad is running for County Commissioner, so we rode in 2 of his old cars. It was fun, but very hot. Those cars don't have air conditioning, and the engine heat comes right inside the car. We got to see lots of our friends watching the parade, and hopefully it was good PR for Mr. Higgins.

After the parade, we went to lunch, then home for a quick change of clothes. Aubrey had a t-ball game, but Mallory and I stayed home for a nap for her and vacuuming and cleaning up the house for me. Then, when Aubrey and D. got home, we got ready to leave for the Gwinnett Braves game. It was t-ball night there for our league, so a bunch of our t-ballers and their families were there. The boys and girls got to walk around the field and have their teams announced over the PA system. It started raining in the first inning and we thought that might be it for us, but it passed by quickly and we had a blast at the game. Definitely something we are going to do again.

Sunday was by far the highlight of the weekend. Sunday morning, Aubrey was baptized along with 5 other children in our church. It was a sweet church service, and something I know none of our family will forget. Even though Aubrey had asked if he could use his snorkel to be baptized, he did great without it. After the service, we had lunch together with the extra family members that came for his baptism, then headed home to get things ready for his party. Aubrey is way into Legos, so that was what we did for his party. Lego stores have party packs they sell for birthday parties. The packs come with a box full of Legos for each child, and the lade at the Lego store had told me these are great for the kids to play with at the party so that's what we did. I set up a table and each child had a tray with his/her box to build with. The kids loved it, and stood there for well over a half an hour building their Legos. My dad said it was the quietest birthday party he had ever been to! Then we had Aubrey's special Lego cake and ice cream. He was thrilled with everything. We had the whole family stay for dinner after that. It was a very full day, but one filled with so much love and excitement. Aubrey turned one year older, and showed his new life in Christ all at the same time. It doesn't get much better than this.

Night Out

2010-05-14T16:24:00.005-04:00

I have always loved music. In first grade I wrote that I wanted to be a piano teacher when I grew up. Then I began singing and still took piano lessons, but decided to become an opera singer. I went to college, did an opera, found out more about an opera singer's career path and decided it wasn't for me. However, I still love to sing and I just love music. I honestly can't imagine my life without it! I had listened to country music some, but after I met D., my musical horizons were greatly widened. D. loves country, most notably old country music. (like before we were born country music) I have developed a love for country, but still don't love the old stuff. One of my very favorite singers ever is Martina McBride. She is a classy lady who can just flat out sing. D. and I had seen her before in concert, but we went to see her again the weekend before last with our friends Terry and Libby. Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton opened for her and they were so much fun to watch as well, but Martina was the big star.

When we got to the concert D. was looking around and said, "They are going to fly someone over the audience tonight." We said, "How do you know?" He showed us a beam overhead that had no other reason to be there. Well, Luke and Blake sang and nothing. Martina came out and nothing. There was also a round stage in the middle of the floor right in front of us and we thought someone would use it, but nothing happened. Then, Martina said, "I'd like y'all to listen to my fiddle player." and the arena went dark except for a spotlight on the fiddle player. I saw people moving down towards the round stage and I thought, "She's going to be there!" So, I grabbed Libby and said, "Come on, we've got to go down there!" We ran down to the stage, but started feeling dumb when Martina came back out on the front stage. She was sitting on a crescent moon. We about passed out when the moon started to rise with her on it, and we saw that it was headed our way. We were so, so excited. D. was right, and we were going to be close enough to touch her. She flew across the arena on the moon and landed in front of us. It was so neat, and we laughed and laughed as we took our pictures in front of her. We could see her cool jewelry and black fingernail polish. She left after a few songs, but it ranks up there in my fave concert happenings. Of course after the concert we were equally as excited to see her up close as well. All in all, a super fun night out for this homebody.

Chickens

2010-05-12T14:07:00.005-04:00

I might surprise some of you when I say I would love to live in a farmhouse in the middle of the country with my family and my animals (outside in the pens/barn of course) to keep me company as we played, cooked, read, knitted, created, etc. Reality is this will most likely never happen for me. That's ok. I'll do what I can to make as much of it happen here where I am.

I am trying to live simpler, and part of this is having a garden, and hope to someday have a chicken coop with a few chickens for eggs. I asked for a chicken coop with chickens for Mother's Day this year. On this past Tuesday I was driving toward the school for a meeting (and running kind of late) and D. pulled in front of me and motioned for me to follow him. I wasn't very thrilled, but I did it anyway. We drove to one of the shops they have for their heavy machinery and we got out and he said, "I want to show you something." We walked over to one of the machines and he pointed down in between parts of it. There was a beautiful chicken! And she was sitting on 11 eggs. I was so excited! I told D. that God had answered my request for Mother's Day and he didn't even have to pay for it! We took pictures and did research that night to find out what kind of chicken she was (Old English Game Hen). We looked at coop design and I was getting so excited! The next morning, D. left for work and about 20 minutes after he left the phone rang. He told me that something had eaten the eggs during the night and the chicken was gone. I was so sad. So, I'm still on the search for some chickens for my backyard. If any of you help me, I promise I'll keep you supplied with fresh eggs!

check it out!

2010-05-10T07:20:00.002-04:00

My dear friend, Jill, is a wonderful photographer, and she was one of the photographers showcased on Becky Higgins blog here. Jill has a photography business, and Becky asked any professional photographers if they would be willing to donate a session. Jill jumped right on it, and was the only photographer who did so for South Carolina. She actually lives less than an hour from me in Georgia, so if any of you need a wonderful photographer, please let her know! Those are my precious children in the first picture on the red truck. She does an amazing job with kids. We're actually meeting today to get Aubrey's 6 year old pics done. I can't wait to see what she comes up with. Check her out! You won't be sorry!

Happy Birthday, D.!

2010-05-08T08:49:00.003-04:00

Just a quick post to say Happy Birthday to my sweet husband, D. He is a year older than me, and we are officially in our mid-thirties. Of course he's a little further in than me, but that's ok, just an extra year of wisdom. I have probably told y'all that D. and I got set up on a blind date by his sister Amy, a fact that I never forget to remind her of. D. and I are so different. He's quiet, I'm loud. He's rational and logical, I'm emotional and flighty at times. He's calm, I'm not so calm. But I still believe God meant for us to be together because he balances me and I think I do the same for him. He reigns me in at times and I pull him out. Everyone thinks he is so serious, but he makes me laugh daily. There isn't anything in the world he won't do for me. He takes such good care of me and Aubrey and Mallory. He has been an even better Dad than I thought he would be. And though we are almost complete opposites, we fit together. Happy Birthday, sweet D. I hope we have many, many more years of your birthdays together! Love you!

mom thoughts

2010-04-24T10:10:00.004-04:00

I know confession is good for the soul, so why are we so scared to confess our flaws/sins/struggles with each other? For me, part of it is admitting I don't have it all together and another part of it is having been burned/hurt by others when I have confessed or admitted stuff to them. It scares me to leave myself open like that to others than my very closest friends. But, I'm doing it anyway today. I have been struggling as a mom. Not the whole mom thing, but I am struggling with my Mallory. She and I are so different. Being a mom to Aubrey has been "easy" (I say that lightly). He and I are so alike. I "get" him. I know how his brain works (for the most part, I mean, he is a male). But Mallory is tough for me. She is much more strong willed than I ever have been, constantly says, "NO!" and screams. a. lot. It nearly puts me over the edge. D. said last night, "I understand child abuse." I totally agreed, because when the screaming won't stop, it's hard to know what to do. I love her so much it feels like my heart will explode, but she can get me madder and more irritated than I have ever been before. I have tried spanking, time out, hot sauce (which I think has lost it's potency with her) and nothing has stopped it. I'm struggling. If it weren't for prayer and my knowledge that this too shall pass, I would be a mess. So mom friends, here it is. My confession and struggle. I have been hesitant to post anything like this because I have recently been hurt by comments about talking about my children, but here it is. I'm open for suggestions, advice and lots of prayer.

On a much happier, mom encouragement note, last Sunday Aubrey went forward in church to profess his salvation in our Lord Jesus Christ. It was the most joyful moment in my mom life so far. In my opinion, it is the single most important decision he will ever make because it is an eternal decision. He had prayed the prayer back in November, but was finally ready to make a public confession of it. Oh, my heart was about to burst. I love how God takes times when we are struggling and lifts us up in the midst of it to remind us of His mercy and His care. Sunday did it for me. As much as I think I have to do it all as a mom or a parent, Aubrey and Mallory really belong to Jesus, and He is allowing me to care for them while they are here. What a responsibility and privilege. I love you, all my mom friends. Have a wonderful weekend.
And, while you're thinking mom thoughts, head over to my sweet friend Tara's blog. She is hosting a great give away. Her post above the give away was an encouragement to me as I wrote my post. She's an honest blogger, which I love! So go over there and check it out!

good times

2010-04-19T08:21:00.005-04:00

I promised my (supposedly) loyal blog reader, Jennifer, that I would post about our weekend. D. and I went to a celebration for my sorority, Alpha Delta Pi's 100th anniversary at my alma mater, Brenau University. ADPi was the first sorority ever, and Brenau's chapter was one of the first ADPi chapters, so this was a big deal. All Brenau ADPi alumna were invited, and many of my sisters were there that I hadn't seen in a long time. It was a wonderful night of laughter, remembering college times together and catching up on what's going on with all of us now. I got to get a new dress and shoes and actually dress up! The program was a nice time of reflection on our sorority and specifically Lambda chapter at Brenau. Being an ADPi at Brenau was one of the best things that happened to me in college. My sisters encouraged me, challenged me and helped me become the student and campus leader that I was while I was there. This in turn, helped me become the woman I am today. I will be bonded to my sisters no matter the time and space that separate us. Happy Anniversary, Lambda Chapter! And Jennifer, don't forget to put your 2 cents in. You promised you would! ;)

One year

2010-04-08T15:19:00.005-04:00

One year ago on Tuesday, my sweet sister Leah, her husband Chris and their son Jay welcomed a miracle into their family. Precious little Les was born. Leah and Chris had found out only 5 days earlier that their baby boy would be born with a cleft lip and palate. What they didn't know though, was that Les was truly a miracle, as his umbilical cord had a complete knot in it and he shouldn't even be alive. When he was born and the dr. told them this amazing fact, Leah and Chris knew even more that the Lord had a special plan for Les' life. He does for all of us, but Les was a perfect picture of God's amazing grace and mercy. Les has had 3 surgeries and faced some tough times, but through it all he has been such a happy, contented baby. Leah and Chris' faith and belief that God hasn't changed one bit from one year 5 days ago until now has been an inspiration and witness to all who have met baby Les and the whole Lane family. I have been amazed and so incredibly proud of the way Leah and Chris have dealt with the issues that have surrounded their journey with Les.

This past Saturday family and special friends gathered to celebrate Les' first birthday. Although all first birthdays are exciting and special times, this party was especially so. We got to meet a special friend of Leah's, Angela and 6 of her children. Angela's 7th child was born with a cleft lip/palate and Leah met her through an internet search of cleft palate feeding issues before she moved to Jefferson. Guess where Angela lives? Yeah, Jefferson. It has been such a God thing. She and her children are amazing Christians who have been such a blessing to the Lane family. Her daughter Katie babysits for Les, because she knows how to feed/handle palate babies from helping with her brother. Amazing. Leah and Chris thanked everyone there, but gave special thanks and witness to God, who is unchanging and faithful in all things, and has been especially real to them through all of this with Les. The feeling in the room from all those who have loved and supported the Lanes through this year was so sweet. Les loved his cake and even took a couple of steps for us while we were there. It wasn't just a birthday party, it was a celebration of God's faithfulness and hope for a wonderful future for Les. Happy Birthday, sweet boy!

Good Friday

2010-04-02T13:35:00.003-04:00

I don't like to think of what happened on Good Friday. It's hard. It's almost unfathomable. I was listening to this song Sweetly Broken the other day, and it chokes me up every time I hear it. When I found it on youtube it was almost too much. I like the original Jeremy Riddle version the best, but when you watch this while you listen to the words, it's really amazing. If it weren't for the crucifixion, there wouldn't be a resurrection and we wouldn't have everlasting life with our Saviour. It's Friday, but Sunday is coming! Don't forget to turn my music off on the right side of the page first!

crazy ordinary life

2010-03-23T14:48:00.002-04:00

So it's been almost a month since I last posted, I thought I'd check in and let you all know where I'd been. (I'm sure most of you didn't even know I was gone!) I have been crazy busy with life, but also adding in a trip away for me and D. (first one ever without kids!), a very sick child, a very sick husband, a new puppy, child playing t-ball, and the usual pastor search committee meetings till 11 pm. Yes, you read that right, last week we didn't leave till 11:20. Anyway, now I'm kind of getting a handle on things I thought I would just say hey. I'll post pics of a few momentous things later this week. Hoping to slow down and catch back up on all things soon! In the meantime, enjoy the pic of my silly little ones enjoying the bath. (hairstyles by mom)

Your hands

2010-02-26T08:19:00.003-05:00

This song is so real. I just love it. I have several friends who are going through some major stuff in their lives right now, and this song just seems so right for those times. I hope it touches you too. You might want to turn off my music on the right hand side first.

8 years

2010-02-23T11:58:00.002-05:00

Eight years ago today I was marrying the most wonderful guy in the world! My wedding was perfect (besides the minister forgetting to tell us to kiss, therefore it happened halfway down the aisle), and even though I'd like to say that our marriage has been perfect, it hasn't. However, I wouldn't change anything about our life together. There are so many hokey sayings about marriage and love, but they are probably mostly true. I am more in love with D. now than I was 8 years ago, and I never thought that would be possible. He blesses me every day. I thank God for him and the life we have together daily. I hope we have 8x8 more years together.

I tried

2010-02-22T08:31:00.003-05:00

Many of you know our family's story with our dog Callie. Callie now lives with my in laws. It is a long story and one that drags up much guilt and sadness for me so I won't go into it here. But, the result was that I said I wouldn't get another dog for a very long time. I also said it would not be another Springer Spaniel. Springers are very energetic and let's just say it - I'm not. However, D. grew up with Springers, and we both wanted our kids to grow up with a dog. I suggested a couple of other breeds of dogs, but we kept being drawn to the Springer pups. D. has been looking for a while, but I didn't think he was very serious. Yesterday though, he found an ad for puppies very close to us. We were going to "just look", but when I heard him get a check before we left, I knew we were really going to pick out a puppy.

When we got Callie, the people had a horse in their front yard. Aubrey looooooooved it. Believe it or not, when we got to the house yesterday they had two Shetland ponies in their front yard. I laughed so hard. It was hilarious. Well, when we saw this precious face and the beautiful mom and dad, it was impossible to walk away and not know one of them was coming to live with us and be a part of this family. We couldn't bring her home yet because she's only 3 weeks old, which is good. It's giving us time to get things ready - we're going to get an electric fence, which was one of my stipulations for getting a new dog. And of course, the food, beds, etc. So, although I thought we wouldn't have another puppy for a while, here we are again. We haven't named her yet though. Any suggestions?

Ten Loves

2010-02-13T13:06:00.012-05:00

I got tagged by my friend Jil l, and the order was to tell ten things that make you happy right now. Here are the rules for being tagged:

List ten things that make you happy.

(Try to do one of those things today.)

Link back to the person who tagged you.

Tag 10 bloggers that brighten your day!

Here are my 10 things.

1. Snow! God finally heard my prayer and gave us a beautiful snow. Just enough to cover everything and make it pretty.

2. The Olympics! I love, love, love the Olympics, and am pretty much glued to the coverage during it's duration. (watching ski jumping and speed skating right now!) If I could participate in any sporting event, it would be the Olympics. I told D. and Aubrey that last night and Aubrey said, "You'd probably be bad in it, Mom." I told him I wouldn't care, I would have no hopes of medalling, just being there would be enough.

3. Valentine's Day. I love Valentine's Day. I have since I was a little girl filling in my Holly Hobbie valentines for my class. I have had so much fun decorating for it and making things for teachers and the kids' classes. Here are the dipped Oreos I did and the candy bouquets. Nothing original, just fun.

4. Knitting. I have been having a blast getting some knitting projects completed. Here is baby Elsie in her hat, Aubrey in his camo hat, and my scarf that is over halfway finished. I'm hoping to finish this weekend. I can't put it down, so I'm sure I will. I took a cable knitting class, and I love it! I have always loved cable knits, and the fact that I can do it now makes me very happy. I can't believe how addicting knitting has become, but how perfect it is for cold weather and what a great on the go craft it is.

5. My children's schools. They are not perfect, and I am not blind to their flaws. However, they are sweet community schools full of people who work extremely hard and love my children immensely. As a former teacher I was worried about my response to Aubrey being in school. I have been so thrilled. God has given me such a huge blessing through these schools. I am so grateful.

6. Project Life. Although it does add a little stress in my life b/c I forget to take pictures, I'm loving it.

7. Jazzercise. I just started the 12 week Jazz It Off program. We're having a competition to see which teams lose the most weight and body fat percentage. This is something I have struggled with almost my entire life. Ugh! But, my partner Pam and I are determined to win.

8. My sisters. We had such a great week last week when my sister Beth was in town. And I still love that Leah is so close now. It is just wonderful. Beth spoke at our MOPS group and it was really special for the three of us to be there together. My mom and aunt are also in this pic.

9. My husband and children of course. We have had a lot of fun hanging out in front of the fire, with the Nintendo DS and Wii and knitting, and etc . . .

10. Sweet blog friends. I have "met" several wonderful women from reading their blogs. Some of them were friends before blogging. But, I am blessed to have sweet women in my life. So go give them some love. Because they have been "tagged"!

1. Laura

2. Kim

3. Merideth

4. Jennifer

5. Jennifer D.

6. Tara

7. Cindy

8. Carolyn

9. Amy - Amy is a friend from high school whose family are missionaries in Paraguay. They are an amazing family.

10. Kristin

No girls allowed

2010-01-30T11:46:00.002-05:00

This is one of my pictures of the day, and it is where we are at with Aubrey some days. He originally put one sign up. In case you can't tell, it's a girl with an X through her, meaning No Girls Allowed. He apparently didn't think we took him seriously enough, so he made another sign and hung it up too. He has told me it doesn't apply to moms though, so I was relieved. Agh, stuff like this makes my heart break because he is growing up so fast!

Sarah Got Her Groove Back

2010-01-20T08:23:00.008-05:00

I've never seen the movie Stella Got Her Groove Back, but that's exactly how I felt this past weekend after I got to spend a bunch of time creating. I don't know what it is, but my soul needs creative time like that. It just refreshes me in a way nothing else can. On Saturday, D. was napping in front of the fire/football game on tv, Mallory was napping, Aubrey was playing and I was scrapping. I had already finished a baby hat I was making for a gift, so that was also fresh on my mind. As you have read, I have been feeling overwhelmed by stuff recently, so I just sat down and dove in. Between Saturday and Sunday I got 8 layouts done and began my Project Life book. For those of you who have done/are doing the picture a day thing, this is how I am doing mine. I didn't get a kit before they sold out last year, but this year snatched one up. It is gorgeous and manageable, and I am loving it. I'm also playing along on Janna Wilson's Stress Free 52 Week Challenge so I did a layout for it. I got to take a cable knitting class yesterday that was so much fun. Going to the yarn store is just a wonderful trip for all of my senses. Beautiful yarns displayed, soft music playing, and the smell of coffee brewing while I'm knitting. Ahhhhh. Anyway, I'm posting a couple of pics of my creativity this weekend. It has made me happy and has gotten my mojo working again! Woo Hoo!

What's the Buzz?

2010-01-12T14:07:00.003-05:00

So, the buzz around here is that Christmas and New Year's have come and gone and I'm still as overwhelmed as before they were here. Hence, the blog has not been updated. I'm not sure why I'm still blogging, but I know I will get back to my more organized, peaceful self one of these days! (I hope and pray!) We had a wonderful holiday season, full of love, laughter and togetherness. The past few snow days have been great too. However, I am still trying to get back into my routine and the security for me that comes with that. My husband was very supportive and encouraging last night when I was telling him how overwhelmed I am right now. It made me feel so much better. I'll be back with more pics and kid stories. This pic is from the day D. and I got to spend with Aubrey at a Georgia Tech basketball game. We went to the game, the Tech bookstore, then dinner and Toys R Us & Game Stop. It's so nice to spend one on one time with your children sometimes. Much needed in our case, and a very fun time for us all.

back again!

2009-12-17T18:40:00.002-05:00

My blogging is way behind because I was computerless for almost 2 weeks. I am back with a new computer (which I love), but all of my pictures are still on my old computer so I have no pics for this post. Right now our life is filled with school, church and other Christmas happenings. I have been way busier than I like and away from home a bunch, which I absolutely hate. I love being at home, so times like this make me a little crazy. I am looking forward to next week having the kids home and no place to go. We may even have a pajama day. (in fact I can almost promise it!) I am really trying to pray my way through this busyness and keep the gift of the sweet baby Jesus at the forefront of my thoughts as I go through my days. I know it sounds trite, but I am really trying to keep the "Christ" in Christmas. If you have any ideas of how you do this, or suggestions for us moms, please post them below! I love hearing things like that. We can all do better at this I think!

So thankful

2009-11-26T08:53:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I got an email from our Women's Enrichment Director at church and it had a quote in it that said,

If all you had today were the things you thanked God for yesterday, what would you have today?

Whoa, that is heavy, isn't it? It really made me think. I am an overall pretty grateful person. It's something my mom and dad really stressed when I was growing up, and I am pretty aware of my blessings. Sometimes though, life gets crazy and I can complain. And you know what? I really don't have anything to complain about! Broken dishwasher? Well, I have dishes to wash and food that we ate on the dishes, as well as hot water to wash them in. A husband or kids that don't do exactly what I want them to when I want them to? Well, I have a healthy, great husband and children. So, I'm going to try not to complain as much as possible. If I do, I'm going to try to turn it into a thanks to God for whatever is getting on my nerves. Because all in all, nothing should get on my nerves.

I hope you all have a wonderful and full of thanks Thanksgiving! I'm thankful to be spending it with the cute Indian and pretty Turkey above!

new things

2009-11-18T08:37:00.005-05:00

I have always been a person who gets excited about things pretty easily. D. teases me that I have too many "favorites", and he's probably right. But, here are a few new things that are making me happy today.

These two books came in the mail yesterday! I love books, and I can't wait to make things from both of these books.

This is a seasonal flavor which only comes out around Christmas. I had this in my coffee this morning. It's so good, and definitely a fave.

And last, but certainly not least, here are my new creations! I finished my first two knitted hats! I am so proud of them even though they are just little things. I'm now on to bigger and harder knitting! (yeah, right) I also finally got a free hour to scrap and got to do a layout for the Scrap Whispers challenge. I love how it turned out, but I can't share it till the layouts are shown on the site.

So none of these things are very big things, but they are bringing me happiness right now! What's making your day brighter right now?

the rear view

2009-11-15T08:06:00.005-05:00

So much of the time as a mom I feel like I'm looking in the rear view mirror of life. Thinking about the kids when they were younger, and missing those days sometimes. At times I'm scared to look ahead because the future is uncertain and the world is so scary. I can only wonder what it will be like when my children are in middle school and high school. I am constantly reminding myself to live in the moment. But, I also look in the rear view mirror of my car way more than I did before children. I have been known to appear as a drunk driver, swerving as I try to find Mallory a book or Aubrey a car. I have absolutely loved listening to them jabber as babies in the back seat, Aubrey's running commentary about every truck on the road, and now Mallory's talking about whatever comes to her mind - most notably baby deer. Here are two pictures I have seen when I've looked in the rear view mirror in the past two weeks. And for the record, I didn't put the Nerf dart on Aubrey's head. He did that himself and D. and I just laughed and laughed when he fell asleep with it on his head.

pigs are flying

2009-10-28T16:43:00.003-04:00

Yes, swine flu, that's what's been happening at our house. Aubrey came down with it really fast on Friday, so we've been resting (well, some of us have - I won't mention who hasn't) and sanitizing everything. So far the rest of us are still healthy, but I haven't had time to update the blog. After I upload some pictures, I'll post what else we've been doing. Just didn't want you all to think I've fallen off the face of the earth. I'm still keeping up with my October album, so I'll post pics probably tomorrow.

RIP Red

2009-10-18T21:41:00.004-04:00

Yesterday we said goodbye to a member of our family who most of you never even knew as a member of a family. On Thursdsay when we were at Wal-Mart, Aubrey asked me if he could get a Betta fish. I said sure because we already had a fishbowl and fish are easy pets I think. When we got in the car I told Aubrey he had to name the fish and he said, "I already did! His name is Red!" Of course! What else would he name a red fish? (He also helped name his class gerbils lighter and darker. Yes, because they are lighter and darker.)

We got home and put the fish in Aubrey's room. I told him that he could not play in the water because he was putting his fingers in it. I thought (mistakenly) that would be the end of it. I caught him a couple of times after that on Thursday and Friday playing in the water. I finally told him on Saturday morning that if I saw it again, the fish would come live in the kitchen area where I could keep a better eye on him.

Aubrey's cousin and partner in crime, Hayden, came over to play on Saturday. They play so well together and have a blast. I was doing things around the house and was going to put some towels away in Aubrey's bathroom. To get to the bathroom you have to go into Aubrey's room, but when I tried to open the door it was locked. I knocked and Aubrey opened the door. I walked in and said, "What are you guys doing?" They just kind of looked around and said, "Nothing." (you know the word that means I'm doing something I'm not supposed to be) I looked over at the fishbowl and there were water droplets . I said, "Aubrey, what are you doing with the fish?" He said, "I just wanted to pet it!" I said, "What did you do?" He told me that he picked the fish out of the bowl by his fin. So, I reminded him that now I had to take Red into the kitchen to live. When I got Red to the kitchen, I noticed that he was at the bottom of the bowl! I couldn't believe it. So, to finish this long story, Red ended up (after about a half hour of suffering) going to the great fishbowl in the sky. Aubrey was devastated, crying and saying that it was all his fault. Of course I couldn't argue with that, but reminded him that this was a hard lesson in obedience-that we have rules for a reason.

One final note - While we were having Red's funeral in the bathroom, I said, "Goodbye, Red, you were a good fish." Aubrey was crying and said, "Oh, I forgot to tell you I changed his name to "Black/Purple/Red"." Well, he's consistent if nothing else. And there went a member of our family as quickly as he joined us.

the latest

2009-10-16T12:22:00.005-04:00

I haven't kept up with my October pics on here, but I have been taking them every day. I've been kind of bummed though because my good camera is broken so I'm just using my point and shoot. However, I keep reminding myself that the quality of the pictures isn't as important as the memories I'm recording. Here are a few of our latest activities.

My October album

Aubrey and Mallory have been dancing before bed to Aubrey's Veggie Tales "Boyz in the Sink" CD. It is hilarious, and usually wears them out. Aubrey has quite the moves I must say.

At the park on one of the rare sunny days this week. Check out Gus' sunglasses. He is one cool dude!

We met Jill, Jameson, Leah, Jay, Les, and my mom and dad at our usual place, Chick-Fil-A. This picture cracks me up because of the way Jay is looking at my dad. Like, "What is this crazy man doing?" They are both such characters!I am doing this Bible study right not and oh boy has it been good for me. I can't wait to meet Queen Esther in heaven and get all the scoop from her. What a woman!

This was the view from our backyard the other morning when I got home from Jazzercise. The sun was just coming up, and since we are up so high we were above the fog. With the fall colors it was just amazing.

More pumpkin!

2009-10-13T07:54:00.004-04:00

Yesterday I decided I would use up the rest of the fresh pumpkin I had left. I saw a recipe on one of my very favorite blogs so I thought I would try it. Sherelle Christensen has such a great blog. She is a wife, mom, and lover of crafty, vintage things and just has wonderful taste. I lover her postings about her children and their farm life. She recently posted a recipe for iced chocolate chip pumpkin cookies. I wasn't sure I'd like chocolate chips and pumpkin together, but thought the recipe looked good so I gave it a go. Let me tell you, it is a new fave. They are absolutely delicious. Sherelle says to double the recipe on her blog, so I did. It made 5, yes 5, dozen cookies. And I didn't make them small. I used my Pampered Chef scoop and it still made that many. I made 1 dozen without chocolate chips so Mallory could eat them. The icing is so good I wanted to eat it with a spoon. Try it, you will not be disappointed. And go give Sherelle some love for them too. I asked her if I could link the recipe here and she was very gracious and said, "Sure!"

Here is a pic of the kids helping to clean up after our cookie making. You know the best kind of clean up! Sorry it's not a good pic. I had my camera on a funky setting and didn't realize it. Oh, and by the way, I still have about 3 cups of fresh pumpkin left so I will be baking more today or tomorrow. (what hasn't been decided yet)

I will post more October pics soon, but I just had to share this recipe first. Happy baking!

Pumpkin Bread

2009-10-08T21:25:00.005-04:00

The other day I was talking with my friends Erin and Laura about making pumpkin bread. I told them I used fresh pumpkins and they told me I needed to post pictures of how I bake them to use. I am passing on knowledge that my sweet friend Jill taught me. So, here we go.

First, buy pie pumpkins. I got one at the grocery store because Aubrey had to have a pumpkin so I let him get one I could use. But, I usually like to get them at the local market.

Pre-heat the oven at 350 degrees. Place the pumpkins in the oven. (Tough stuff here I tell ya.)

Bake the pumpkins for about an hour. They will get a little brown.

Take them out and let them cool. The one from the grocery store got a little mushy, but the ones from the market felt crispy.

You will be able to crack the rind and it will just come off. Peel it off and scoop out the seeds and "guts". (I strained the seeds and roasted them also.)

You can then mash your pumpkin and use it however you want! I got about 7 cups of pumpkin from the 3 pie pumpkins. I made 4 mini loaves, 3 big loaves and 24 muffins and still have at least 3 cups of pumpkin left over. I will be baking more this weekend.

That is my contribution to the cooking knowledge of my sweet friends. If you would like the recipe to the pumpkin bread I make, just make a sweet comment and I'll send it to you. It's actually my mom's recipe, but I found the same, exact one in Paula Deen's new Holiday Baking magazine out this week. Cool, huh? Must be good if Paula likes it.

I will post my October album and pics this weekend. Have a great Friday!

Four days!

2009-10-04T16:49:00.006-04:00

Well, I didn't make it back to post my pic for the first two days, but here are the pics for the first four days of October.

I had to get Mallory a new fall jacket because she didn't have one for cool but not cold weather. I found this one and while I was there found this shirt. I couldn't pass it up. A corduroy owl with button eyes is just impossible to pass up.

Here are Aubrey and Mallory with our sweet friend (and babysitter) Kaitlin. She was on the Homecoming Court as a Senior Representative. We have known Kaitlin since before Aubrey was born, and she is a beautiful girl inside and out.

Here's Aubrey at the Big Red Apple Festival. He had a blast holding all of the snakes at a certain vendor. I would never have believed he would like this if I hadn't seen it myself. I have a bunch more pics of the Festival, but this one was so funny to me.

Here is Aubrey today after lunch. He got this mustache in the gumball machine at lunch today. Isn't this the cutest thing you've ever seen?

I've been crafty this weekend, scrapping and knitting. I'll post pics when the album is finished and the hat I'm knitting is done also. I just love when it's cool outside because it makes me want to be crafty and bake a lot. It's been a fun weekend.

October!

2009-10-01T15:44:00.002-04:00

I know many of you probably saw the December Daily album I did last year of our happenings during the month of December. I took a picture each day and made an album with each day being a layout. My sweet friend Jill gave me the album decorated for a present and I did the layouts. Well I have decided to do an October Daily album this year. This is my absolute, hands-down favorite time of the year. We always have so much going on in October and so many fun happenings, plus the great weather, beautiful foliage, etc. I could go on and on. So, I will be posting my October pics on my blog. Then I will show you my album when it is finished. I got recycled binders really cheap at Office Depot a couple of months ago. They are made with Kraft paper, so I think it will be great with all the fall colors in it. I meant to take a picture this morning at 5:45 AM! when I went to Jazzercise, but of course forgot. (who could blame me that early in the morning though) I'll try to post daily, but I'm pretty sure I won't make it so we may have posts with several pics in one post. You know, that's just how I roll. I'll be back tomorrow though. at least that's the plan ;)

A month

2009-09-23T14:11:00.002-04:00

It has been a month since I've posted on my blog. I don't really know why. I'd like to say it's because I've been so incredible busy, which would be partially true, but not really any more than normal. I really have just taken a break. I have been wondering if anyone reads it, and what I say that's really important. So, I just took a break. I've had so many prayers and praises in this past month. God is so good and gives us what we need when we need it. I read it on another blog today and it made me shake my head that "What we think we want is not always what we need." Isn't it amazing that we can put our hearts and lives in God's hands and let Him give us what we need. That's the hard part for me - putting it in His hands. He's teaching me and molding me though every day, and this season of my life it seems to be more so than usual, or maybe I'm just more aware of it.

Anyway, there are a few things I have been loving lately, so I thought I would share them with you. One is I'm an Organizing Junkie I have been using the Menu Plan and I have never enjoyed cooking or making dinner so much. I now have all of my ingredients ahead of time and we have been eating at home a ton! (even on a Friday night!!! That is huuuuuuge for us.) So check it out. There are all kinds of organization tips and downloads on there.

I have also been loving the beginning of fall. It's my favorite season of all. (That rhymes!) Anyway, I'm getting into my crafts more, baking more and loving the weather and of course, football. You know the Gators have been getting my blood pumping!

One last thing - I have learned how to knit! Now I'm not an expert by any stretch, after all I'm only working on my first two hats, but I went to a class with my sweet friend Erin last week and I am hooked (yes, hooked, I crack myself up). Anyway, I am loving, loving it, and might even go to Open Knitting by myself next week! So don't be surprised if you start getting scarves or hats as presents from me! :)

Have a wonderful week. I have some funny kid stories and pics, so I'll share them soon. Well, within a month at least. Hugs to you!

by the numbers

2009-08-22T10:24:00.006-04:00

I'm not a big numbers person, but so much has happened this week I thought numbering them would be the easiest way to post about them.

0 - The number of stitches Aubrey had to have after splitting his head open at school (in the library!) I got a call from the school while I was in the Eddie Bauer dressing room saying that Aubrey was leaning backwards in his chair in the library and fell, hitting his head on the bottom shelf. Misty said he was bleeding pretty bad and she thought I should come get him. I told her I would get right on the road, but it would be at least 30 minutes. I then called D. He was at the office and got to the school in about 5 minutes. All afternoon we debated taking him to the dr., but after his bath when his head was still bleeding we called our friends the Garretts. Josh was on call in the ER, and Laura told him what was going on. He said we should come in, so we did. Dr. Josh was able to use glue for Aubrey's head instead of having to stitch or staple it. Something we were very thankful for. I might add that zero is also the amount of normal people (besides us) in the ER late at night.

1 - Day this week I was able to spend in Aubrey's class helping his teacher and being with Aubrey. It was so much fun. It was almost fun enough to make me miss teaching. I so love those sweet kinder kids. They are so funny, and it was great to be able to put faces with the names Aubrey talks about.

2- Days a week my sweet girl is going to pre-school now. I have felt guilt about sending her, but in order to work in Aubrey's class, I needed to. Mallory is also a big mama's girl, so it is good for her to be away from me also. I love our church pre-school, and she has the same teacher Aubrey did last year, so everything is good.

3 - Days I worked at the Jazzercise center and did a class. I love it, and am seriously considering trying to be an instructor. We'll see what happens. Three is the number of deer Mallory and I spent time watching on Thursday - a mama and two babies. She loves "baby deer" and calls for them every time we drive down our driveway. Three is also the number of times Aubrey has cut his own hair in the past year. We discovered the third time in the ER while examining his head. Happened at school when some girls told him too. Yeah, great.

4 - Number of kids consistently at our house yesterday. My sister Leah and her 2 came over and played, which is such a neat treat. We are all loving them being so close now. I got to see her 3 times this week. After they left, our neighbor kids came over and played till 8:30pm. Lots of outside fun.

5 - Number of days I think it has rained this week. This is not good for D.'s job site. While we love the rain, we are looking forward to some drier days next week.

6 - Number of loaves of banana bread I baked this morning. I love my mom's recipe. I will give some away, but first I had to try it, and it is still good.

As you can tell, it has been a busy week for us. This is only part of our crazy week, but you get the idea. I also want to ask you to pray for our sweet cousin Baby Les (Leah's baby). He is having surgery on Monday to repair his cleft lip and give him a nose. Be in prayer for Leah and Chris and baby Les. The day will be hard for all of them. We are so thankful for the lessons we are all learning through baby Les' journey. He is a blessing.

Oh, I almost forgot -
2 weeks from today - The Gators begin their run at their next BCS Championship title! Woo Hoo! Can you tell I can't wait?

Kindergarten musings

2009-08-16T17:17:00.002-04:00

So the first full week of kindergarten is over and we have had a great week. Aubrey has loved school, but frequently tells me the funnest part of his day is "coming home". You know I love this, but I know he is having a blast at school too.

He has had some funny things this week starting on Tuesday on our way to school. He said, "I don't like going to school every day. Being five is hard." And as much as I wanted to empathize, I bit my tongue because I think being 34 is pretty tough at times. That afternoon when I picked him up from school, the principal put him in the car and said, "You know you have a talker here." I laughed and told her I did know that. (though I have no idea where he gets it from!)

The next morning on Wednesday, Aubrey looked out the window and it was raining. He came into the kitchen and said, "I guess we don't have school today." I said, "Why?" He said, "Because it's raining!" I explained to him that we don't usually go to school if it snows or is icy, but we do go if it's just raining. I stopped the principal that morning and asked her if her remark the previous afternoon was a polite way of telling me that my son needed to stop talking so much. She said, "No, he's hilarious! We talked to the kindergarten classes about expectations, and Aubrey had a remark for everything we said. But, they were all relevant, and very funny. I love talking to him!" That made me feel better. Of course, it didn't last for long when he came home and told me he had to move his clip for playing in the bathroom. I knew he would move his clip eventually - he is a 5 year old boy, but I thought we would make it past the first week!!! Anyway, his teacher told me not to worry about it - that he wasn't being bad, just a boy. He had already told me, "Mom, it's just yellow!" (which is just a warning on their new behavior system and was word for word what his teacher told him) So, I'm learning not to freak out, and he didn't move it again - yet. He has already forgotten his backpack, only eaten Cheetos for lunch and gotten spit on by a little boy waiting for me to pick him up. You know - all the normal kindergarten travails.

Mallory starts 2 day a week pre-school on Tuesday. I almost backed out of it last week when I really thought about leaving her. But she needs some time away from me. She's a momma's girl, and clings to me way too much. This will be good for both of us, as I'm going to help out in Aubrey's class each Tuesday, and she will learn to be on her own a little. We're all learning this year.

adjusting

2009-08-10T12:07:00.003-04:00

I am sure many of you are wondering how the first day of school went in the Higgins house. Well, I am very pleased to say that it went way better than I had anticipated. I truly believed I was going to dissolve into a puddle outside of Aubrey's classroom, but amazingly enough I didn't. I was in and out of his class in about 3 minutes. I didn't even look at any of the other children there. D. asked me questions about the other children and I couldn't answer him because I was so worried about getting out of there without crying. I quickly told him I loved him, hoped he had a great day and I was out of there. I got choked up in the car, but I prayed and told God that I knew He loves Aubrey even more than I do, so please take care of him today. God always comes through. I also wanted to keep it together because my friend Nancy and I hosted a brunch for kindergarten mommas at my house that morning. We thought it would be a fun way to keep our minds off of our missing children, and it was. There were a few tears, but much more laughter. It was a good thing for all of us I think. Aubrey told me his day was "Great!". The assistant principal told me at the end of the day that Aubrey was the most enthusiastic student she and the principal encountered when visiting the classrooms. That made me feel better. You know I thought I was going to be in agony all day long, but my mantra was, "Be thankful, not sad." and it really worked. I am so thankful I have a happy little boy who is healthy and smart enough to start kindergarten. That isn't to say I haven't had any tears, but they are much fewer and far between than anticipated. Thanks for all of your prayers. Now our family is adjusting to earlier bedtimes and waking times, a new schedule for me and the kiddos, and having an elementary student. Mallory will start 2 days of pre-school next week so that will be another adjustment. But, life is still good, and so is God.

new stuff

2009-08-05T08:59:00.004-04:00

Just a quick post to put some new layouts on here. I am being featured on the Scrap Whispers blog this week, so I wanted to have some things for those friends to look at. I had hoped to have Aubrey's teacher gifts on here, but they aren't quite finished yet. I'm also working on a clipboard for Aubrey's chore chart. As soon as I finish them I will post them. Here are a few layouts I got done at the lake a couple of weeks ago.

This is the one I did for the challenge at Scrap Whispers to use different fonts in my title.

Mallory and her crazy bed hair.

Mallory as our sweet owl last Halloween.

How I feel about Aubrey.

On another note, I have been having some health issues and after bloodwork and other exams, the dr. feels that it is fibromyalgia. I am praying that it is not, but right now we are treating it as such. Please pray for me that God's will is done with this and I listen to Him for all the answers. Thanks, friends. Oh, also pray for me on Friday when Aubrey starts kindergarten. My heart is aching over this even though I know it is a very good thing and the way things should be. Being a mom is tough. Sigh.

Since I've been gone!

2009-07-30T08:23:00.005-04:00

Well, the summer is almost over for us and we have been so busy. The blog has been neglected lately because we:

Spent a week at the lake

Spent a week at soccer camp (Aubrey)

Spent a week helping with Camp Agape at church. (all of us - even Mallory)

Have been blueberry picking (um, so good)

Had cousin Jay stay with us while Chris and Leah moved (so, so excited about this!)

Went to see GForce (Aubrey's still quoting lines)

Have been busy getting PTO stuff going

Went to our Back to School Fair

Have been working on Pastor Search Committee stuff

Had a Chez Ami children's clothing party

Have been hanging with cousins and friends quite a bit

And have just been busy with life. I have scrapped quite a bit, but will post pics later when I have a few more minutes. Once we get in our school routine I'm sure I'll be back to my regular posting schedule.

overheard

2009-07-10T09:08:00.003-04:00

Last night when we were waiting for our dinner (a very, very long time at an unnamed establishment) I got a snippet of conversation between Aubrey and Hayden. I'm not sure what preceded this comment, but Aubrey said, "I'm going to marry someone who is pretty." Whew! Another thing to check off my worry list! Now I have to start telling Aubrey, "Pretty is as pretty does." and "Beauty is only skin deep." Boy, this kid keeps me on my toes! Fortunately we have a few years to let these words of wisdom sink in.

mornings

2009-07-09T10:20:00.003-04:00

I am not a morning person. However, I do love lazy mornings when we don't have to do anything but hang out. I have been so fortunate that up until now in our lives we have had many mornings like that due to the fact that Aubrey has only been in pre-school 2-3 days a week. On mornings he didn't have pre-school, we usually end up in either his bed or our big bed and watch cartoons, snuggle or read together. The other morning, Mallory and I went into Aubrey's room when he woke up. We were laying there together talking and giggling, and I thought, "We aren't going to have many more mornings like this together because Aubrey is almost in kindergarten." I know that may sound overly dramatic, but I feel like our life together as a mom and children is about to have a major shift. Each morning we will be up early, getting Aubrey off to school. And as excited as I am about him starting school, I am a little melancholy about missing our lazy mornings together. I mean, just look at these sweet pajama babies!

two

2009-07-02T08:43:00.003-04:00

Two years ago at this time I was in labor with my sweet little girl. She has been such a sweet addition to our family. When I used to think about having children, I only wanted little girls because that's what I had grown up with. Then I had Aubrey, and I didn't care if all I had was little boys because he was so much fun and so sweet. When I found out Mallory was a girl I was of course so excited, and now I can't imagine not having a little girl in our house. I think it's made all of us sweeter. She is such a little prissy thing, loving purses and babies. She has stayed so tiny, but she's so full of personality. She makes us laugh every single day. My prayer has been that we can help reign in her strong will without tempering her sassy personality. I know that God has a plan for her life, and I can't wait to see what that will be. Until then, I will be content and thrilled with being her mommy and love her more than I thought possible.

passing the baton

2009-06-29T06:44:00.004-04:00

I have really been thinking lately about my role as a mom and what this entails. One of the biggest parts of my job as a mom for me is to be a protector of my family. While I do try to protect them as much as possible physically, I feel that protecting their hearts, minds and spirits is my most important job. Aubrey often gets aggravated at me because I won't let him watch certain shows, or wear certain clothing, but what we bring into our own homes is something that we can control. I'm not the best at it, but it is really on my heart to be on guard against things that do not promote the values and godliness I pray we have as a family. I also feel that protecting our family time is a major issue, and one that we as a society do not do a good job with. We are all so busy that our family life can really suffer.

I have been reading a book called Engraved by Grace, Creating a Legacy of Faith for Your Children, by Esther Burroughs. I had the privilege of meeting and hearing Esther speak at a WMU conference this past spring. I went to the conference on Saturday morning because I was asked to sing the special music, but left so encouraged and excited because of her message. I am loving her book because it is about how we can pass the baton of faith down to our children, and their children, and so on. It is filled with Scripture and stories, but also practical ways we can use to teach our children about Jesus and our faith in Him. This morning I was reading the book and it had this Psalm from The Message translation of the Bible. It was so neat, I wanted to share it.

Psalm 78:1-8

"Listen, dear friends, to God's truth,

bend your ears to what I tell you.

I'm chewing on the morsel of a proverb;

I'll let you in on the sweet old truths,

Stories we heard from our fathers,

counsel we learned at our mothers' knee.

We're not keeping this to ourselves,

we're passing it along (the baton) to the next generation-

God's fame and fortune,

the marvelous things he has done.

He planted a witness in Jacob,

set his Word firmly in Israel,

Then commanded our parents

to teach it to their children

So the next generation would know,

and all generations to come-

Know the truth and tell the stories

so their children can trust in God,

Never forget the works of God

but keep his commands to the letter.

Heaven forbid they should be like their parents,

bullheaded and bad,

A fickle and faithless bunch

who never stayed true to God."

Whoa, huh? Esther reminds us in the book that we need to be teaching our faith stories to our children and teaching them to be looking for what God is doing in our families daily. It's a bit overwhelming, but I'm praying that God will help me do that with my children. When this is what they look like on a day to day basis, how can I let it slip by without teaching them?

This is a peek into the day to day of what our summer is like. Miss Mallory walking around with a purse (just like her Aunt Leah used to do) and Aubrey with some sort of tool and mud. For the record, as soon as I finished taking the pictures I made him put the hoe away. (I know some of you are aghast right now that he's holding that thing)

Oh deer

2009-06-24T14:01:00.005-04:00

I used to like deer. We have them in our yard all the time, and I used to just love to watch them walk or run through, or even stay and graze in our backyard. Now I strongly dislike them. I would say hate, but hate is a word I try to stay away from. Our garden has been doing so well until the past week when the deer visited. Our beans have been decimated, our tomatoes have not fared much better, and our okra is halfway gone. It just kills me! I have been so excited about our garden and all we were producing and then those animals just came and wiped out all that work. D. didn't want to put a fence up even though I strongly suggested we do so. (you wives know how that goes) So, go ahead and get the animal rights activists after me. I don't care. I no longer want any deer in my yard.

P.S. - The good news is that the yellow squash, turnips and cantaloupes are growing like crazy. We had squash and turnip greens last night for dinner and it was delicious.

P.P.S. - I have strong reason to believe the deer may be getting some help from the local rabbits. They are all in cahoots, I tell ya.

Exhibit A - my decimated green beans.

My beautiful squash plant!

My turnip greens which are overflowing!

Tassels on our corn!

These boys

2009-06-23T16:33:00.004-04:00

These boys are the sweetest, funniest boys I know. They are having so much fun playing together this week. Jay came to stay with BonBon and Bompie this week and has been spending lots of time with us as well. This afternoon they had a blast riding Aubrey's four-wheeler. Jay was pushing the gas pedal and Aubrey was steering, which made for a hilarious combination. Aubrey would yell, "Stop, Jay, Stop!" and Jay would just laugh. Aubrey finally had enough and said, "That was crazy riding." Boys and their toys. So much fun.

aaah

2009-06-15T08:43:00.002-04:00

Last week was such a flurry of busyness. It was great - VBS and a visit from Aunt Beth, but it was really busy and we had 2 very tired little ones by the end of the week. Friday night we went out to dinner and before our food could get to the table, Aubrey was sound asleep sitting up. We couldn't wake him up to eat. It was so cute.

So we are really going to enjoy this week of doing nothing but whatever we want. Sleeping in, enjoying the pool and working in the garden are the only things on our list. (I do have to do laundry so we have clean clothes.) Other than that, our schedule is clear. Just the thing to make me say, "Aaaahh."

Back from the beach!

2009-06-10T07:17:00.008-04:00

We made it home safe and sound from our beach trip. It was wonderful and consisted of lots of things.

Lots of riding in the car to get there.

Lots of luggage.
Lots of visits from Aqua Man. (Aubrey loves, loves his goggles)

Lots of putt putt. (Aubrey had never played before, but quickly became hooked)

Lots and lots of swimming.

Lots of playing in the sand.

Lots of kite flying and walking on the beach.

Lots of looking for sand crabs. (He's right at the end of the stick. Totally camouflaged. Isn't God's creation amazing?)

Lots of duck feeding. Both children loved watching and feeding them.

Lots of cute looks from our bathing beauty.

Although I didn't take any pictures, there was lots of lounging in the lazy river pool for me. I need one of those in. my. backyard. It was truly the life for me. I also got 4, yes 4 books read while we were there. My favorite way to spend time at the beach or the pool.

There was also lots of seafood eaten by me and D., and avoided by the children. Having children who are allergic to fish and shellfish is a challenge when dining out at the beach, but we didn't have any problems, thank God.

Now we're back and in the midst of Vacation Bible School. We're also anticipating the arrival of Aunt Beth today! Yippee! We haven't seen her since last July and it's just awful. We are going to have a great rest of the week. Please be in prayer for Chris and Leah as they try to sell their house, buy a new house and manage as a family while Chris is working away from home at his new job most of the week.

Aaack!

2009-05-26T08:14:00.002-04:00

Last night I got to go to Lowe's all by myself! I had to get something for the garden, and D. didn't want to go. I was thrilled to get out and enjoy some peace and quiet after being home with the kids all day long. So I went and walked through the plants and flowers in the garden center. It was just nice. Then I came home to this:Yeah, it wasn't worth the trip.

Whatsa happening hot stuff?

2009-05-25T10:33:00.008-04:00

(Title taken from the movie Sixteen Candles, which was one of me and my sister's faves from back in the day. We still quote that movie!)

So, we have had a lot going on in the past week or so. I thought I'd give you a run down on each family member.

Here goes:

Aubrey - turned five, had a wonderful party, learned how to ride his bike without training wheels (that was big), graduated from pre-school (sniff, sniff) and had his last day yesterday.

Mallory - is just full of preciousness still - of course she's full of sassiness already too - she is constantly trying to get into Aubrey's Legos (of which there are literally thousands in our house now) and wants to be outside all the time, is obsessed with babies and dogs, and also loves hiding in our closet -which is the pic to the right

D. - just got the bid for the site work for our new high school - this means he will be very busy this summer - he has also been working really hard in our garden, and taught Aubrey how to ride his bike

Me - just keeping all of us going and getting us where we are supposed to be - i have gotten a little scrapping done, but not nearly as much as i'd like, working outside a lot in our yard and the garden (it's coming along beautifully!), drowning in laundry and legos seems to be my mantra these past few weeks

Callie (can't forget our little guard dog) - she's busy keeping us safe from fierce groundhogs and getting us calls from the neighbors about her annoying behavior (yeah, i loved that one)

I had my friend Jill take Aubrey's five year pictures since she is just starting her own photography business. I wasn't prepared for how much I was going to love them. They are awesome! I am so excited for Jill because I know if all of hers are this good, she is going to do really well with her business. Check them out here. You will love them! Of course her subject matter was pretty fab too.

The most exciting news is this - We are going to the beach on Sunday for a week! Woo hoo! I can't wait. We are all looking forward to it so much. I'll be MIA on here for awhile, but will be back with lots of fun pics I'm sure. See you after I'm tan and relaxed!

Birthday fun!

2009-05-18T20:39:00.004-04:00

Just wanted to post a couple of pics from Aubrey's birthday party this weekend. My sweet friend Jill took these for me. I made the banner for him thinking we were going to have the party at home and we were going to decorate like a castle. It still added to the theme at the gym. Aubrey and I had so much fun making his castle cake. I looked at a bunch of pictures of castle cakes online and then we amended them to fit what we had to work with. He loved it. He told me over and over, "The cake is awesome!" I was glad he was so pleased with it. The party was fun. The boys definitely loved the inflatable swords and shields. The dragon pinata was a hit too (no pun intended). Very fun time was had by all.

Aubrey is so excited to be five. Every time we have talked to someone in public (people we know) Aubrey tells them out of nowhere, "I'm five now!" It's so cute.

Five things I love about my five year old:

1. He is so excited by the smallest things - our garden, bugs, cute animals, etc.

2. He is such a snuggle bug. (and I love to snuggle)

3. He is already particular about his hair and his outfits.

4. He loves, loves, loves Legos right now. I am amazed at his creativity with them. Way cool.

5. He has a humongous heart. He is such a sweetie. I am especially thankful for this part of him.

There are many, many more things I love about him, but I won't ramble. Love you Aubrey!

5 years ago

2009-05-16T07:54:00.004-04:00

5 years ago today I became a mom. It was the most wonderful thing that has happened to me as a woman. I always wanted to be a mom when I was little, and my sweet little boy Aubrey was more than I could have imagined. He was a wonderful baby, eating and sleeping really well. He was content and happy. The past 5 years have flown by, and Aubrey is a wonderfully sweet, kind, loving little boy. He makes us laugh every day. He is such a gift from God. I am so privileged to be his mom. He teaches me as much as I teach him. Today we celebrate him.

This week we have been getting ready for his party. When we started talking about what kind of party theme he wanted he wanted a construction party. Then all of a sudden he wanted a "knight party". He was a knight for Halloween and is really taken with them. So, we figured out what he wanted and we have been working on it. I made a knightly banner and he and I made his homemade castle cake yesterday. He is so excited about it. We're having it at the church gym because it's supposed to rain, and 8 boys with inflatable swords and shields running through my house wasn't going to work for me. I will post pics of the festivities later.

Happy Birthday D.!

2009-05-08T07:46:00.002-04:00

I just wanted to say Happy Birthday to my sweet, loving husband. He is such a good man, and I am so thankful that he is mine! Of course it doesn't hurt that he will always be older than me! (especially now that we are officially in our mid-thirties) I hope he has many, many more wonderful birthdays.

All things grow with love (I hope)

2009-04-28T07:30:00.007-04:00

I have been wanting a garden for a few years. We did some container gardening with a little success, but I wanted a real garden. So last week I started talking to D. and doing some research. Then we stopped by our friends' house and he started talking about his garden. Well, I think it got D. going. On Sunday I had to help with a 5k race here in town. D. said he would till a plot for a garden while I was gone. This is what he used to plow our garden.

No handplowing here! This thing is huge. He uses it on his job sites. It's still in our backyard. Isn't that hilarious? I had a small plot in mind, maybe 8'x8'. Just a small garden to start. When I came home, this is what I saw - in our backyard!

I about fell over! It's huge! But, I was so excited because D. was into this project, so off to Lowe's we went to buy seeds. We came home and planted corn, tomatoes, broccoli, okra, chives, turnips, carrots, yellow squash, cantaloupes, watermelons, green beans, and of course, sunflowers. (I had to grow some of those if we were going to have a garden!) We still need to stake it off. That's going to happen later this week.

I have also been doing my containers for the summer. I love when everything gets growing and it's so lush and colorful. We always have hummingbirds that visit my flowers when it gets warm and I love to watch them. One already visited the other morning and I just sat and watched it zip around. I did my front bed with impatiens and red caladiums because it doesn't get much sun there at all. This is my usual combo for that bed and it is gorgeous when the impatiens spread out.

Then I did my hanging baskets a little different this year. I have been looking at different color combos and plant combos so I got a little braver with my picks. I used white new guinea impatiens, some burgundy spiky thing (I'm sure that's their scientific name), burgundy sweet potato vine and variegated vinca. I think they are going to be really neat when it all gets growing.

And then I did begonias and more spiky things.

I also found these beautiful geraniums called Martha Washington geraniums. They have beautiful multi-colored blooms, and the leaves are kind of jagged. Spiky, almost. I have a big pot of them on our back patio.

I have several more things to plant in our front yard, but that will be tomorrow or Thursday. I've also been wanting a few chickens for fresh eggs, but so far D. hasn't built a coop. Keep saying your prayers though. He isn't buying into the chicken coop yet. This is the kind of coop I think would be so fun! We'll keep thinking about it. I'll keep you posted when things start sprouting in the garden!

Scrap stuff

2009-04-25T14:51:00.004-04:00

I promised a few new things a while ago. Here are my creations I did for my stint as the April guest designer for Vintage Plum. If you haven't checked them out yet, you should. They are a great new kit and a really fun site.

We're in the middle of a great weekend. I'll update you more later!

Crocs and creations!

2009-04-24T07:34:00.003-04:00

Yesterday we spent part of our day in Commerce with Jill and Jameson in Commerce. We had such a good time - We were at Chick-Fil-A for almost 2 hours! We promised them we'd go home by bedtime, so we left, but it was a fun afternoon.

I had to get both of the kiddos some new shoes, so we got Aubrey new church shoes and also found out that Mallory was finally measuring a 4! This might not seem like a big deal, but most children wear a 4 somewhere around age 1. She has the tiniest feet. I got her some new Keds for the summer, but I had to get her some Crocs (I have wanted to forever, but she's been too small for them!). Aubrey pretty much lives in his, especially in the summer. So we went to Davis Bros. and they had the most precious little pink Crocs you've ever seen! They just happened to match the outfit she had on perfectly, so she got to wear them home. Our fashion maven is just beginning!

Aubrey and I got to enjoy the beautiful weather we are having by spending the rest of our afternoon outside. We got out the sidewalk chalk and went to town. Aubrey amazes me with his drawings. He has really blossomed in this area this year. He loves to draw pictures, and now you can really tell what they are! Unfortunately it rained last night after dinner, so our pictures aren't there anymore, but they were for a little while and I got pics.

On the Aubrey front, he has been keeping us in stitches with his imagination. This boy has got one for sure. Yesterday as we were going into Commerce, I said, "Aubrey, look at that big pillar of smoke!" (He loves to look at big fires and figure out what is happening) He said, "That must be where the meteor crashed. That looks just like meteor smoke." I just about cracked up. Then on the way home he was telling me about a sound he hears when he makes the turn in our driveway on his four wheeler. He said he was pretty sure we have a Yeti living in our backyard. I told him they only lived in the cold weather areas and noone really knows if they exist, and he told me that it had moved. He said the sound could be a Yeti or the "wind whistling over the mountain" (we live on a hill), but he's "pretty sure" that it's a Yeti. That boy is so silly, but just as serious as he could be! Anyway, he keeps us entertained.

I will post some layouts tomorrow I promise. The kid stories are just more fun right now!

Recent happenings

2009-04-20T10:04:00.007-04:00

Warning! Picture Heavy post!

I am late with these pics because I left my camera at the Higgins' house on Sunday. So, proceed with caution! Lots of preciousness ahead!

We went to Goats on the Roof last week over Spring Break. It's a local store that has goats on the roofs of the buildings. There are feeding stations where you can work the contraptions that feed the goats. They also have chickens and bunnies. We went with cousins Hayden and Haley and Golly (Grandma Sally). The kids loved it!

Aubrey had to work hard to get the can down the ramp! You have to pedal the bike to get the can of food up to the goats.

Mallory loved the animals. She couldn't get enough of them!
Here is another way you can feed the goats. You pull the pulley across to the other building.
That night Hayden spent the night so we had a fun day of Easter crafting and cooking!

Dyeing eggs with Hayden!

We also cut out and decorated Easter eggs. Mallory didn't get much decorating done because her icing kept disappearing!

Easter was a beautiful day and a special time of worship at church. Our Easter cross is one of my favorite traditions at church. We all bring flowers to decorate the church Easter morning. It's beautiful!

We went to the Georgia Tech spring game on Saturday. We met Amy, Keith, Hayden and Haley there. It was a beautiful day and it was so fun just being outside watching the Jackets. We are looking forward to football season for sure now!

Lots going on lately! I've even gotten some scrapping in, so I'll post pics of those things in a couple of days. We're loving spring and looking forward to possibly seeing the Lanes and sweet baby Les this weekend!

He Lives!

2009-04-12T17:03:00.002-04:00

He Lives! He Lives!
Christ Jesus lives today.
He walks with me and talks with me along life's narrow way!
He lives! He lives!
Salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives?
He lives within my heart!

I can't think about Easter without singing this song. I hope Jesus lives within your heart today too. We had a wonderful Easter morning at church. I'll post pics of our fun day tomorrow!
Happy Easter!

How Deep the Father's Love for Us

2009-04-10T14:31:00.002-04:00

Here is one of my favorite hymns that is so perfect for today - Good Friday. I don't ever want to take for granted what our God did to save me. It's Friday, but Sunday's coming!

How deep the Father's love for us
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
And make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon the cross
My sin upon His shoulder
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts no power no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

Sweet Baby Les

2009-04-09T07:03:00.003-04:00

Sweet baby Les is home and doing so well. Leah and Chris (and all of us) have been so blessed by all of your prayers. He is eating well with a special bottle and having great diapers. He is doing all of the things you would want for any newborn. Jay got to go to the hospital and see him and just wanted to hold him and kiss him. He is going to be a wonderful big brother. So, here are a few pictures I took in the hospital on Monday when he was just about an hour old! I'll post more when Leah sends them. Love to you all!

Happy Birthday, Les!

2009-04-07T07:31:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was such a special day for our family. Not only was it my mom and dad's 35th wedding anniversary, but it was the birth day of our newest family member, Lester "Les" Wilson Lane. (Lester is my dad's real name, so Les is his namesake - very special for my dad)

It was an emotional time for everyone. Last Wednesday, Leah went in for a final check-up before her induction on Monday and had one last ultrasound. The ultrasound showed that Les had a cleft lip/palate. Leah and Chris were shocked, but responded with such grace and faith that it inspired the rest of us. They knew that God has a reason for everything and this was part of His plan for little Les.

My parents and I caravaned down to Columbus yesterday morning. I was so worried that Les would be born before I could get there. But, he didn't, and we were able to spend some time with Leah and Chris before she was ready to deliver. Leah was pretty even in the delivery room. She had her hair and make-up done just like usual. I loved watching the monitors and telling Les to come out and meet us.

At about 4pm, the nurse said Leah was ready and Les' heartrate had dropped. They got everything ready and Leah only had to push for about 5 minutes. We were amazed that the dr. said Les is truly a miracle baby because the cord was in a complete knot. This is why his heartrate dropped so low when he was ready to deliver, and the dr. said he really shouldn't be alive. All babies are miracles, but Les is an extra-special little guy. He is probably going to need several surgeries, so keep the Lane family in your prayers. He is so precious. He has the cutest little apples for cheeks and the most precious little pointy chin like his daddy. He has peach fuzz hair and bright little eyes. I only got to hold him for a little while because I had to share him and then I had to come home. I am so thankful I got to be there for his birth though. God is so faithful and His sovereignty is hard to grasp sometimes. I believe His hand is on Les and He has something special for that little guy. Of course, He does for all of us if we only let Him. I haven't asked Leah if I can post pics of him yet, but when I do I'll get them on here. I can't wait to get down there to see him and the Lane's again! Thank you for all of the prayers for the Leah, Chris and baby Les yesterday. I know they could feel them. I'll keep you all posted!

Woo Hoo!

2009-04-02T07:54:00.001-04:00

Check this out! ME! You won't believe it! I am so excited and have wanted to tell everyone, but I couldn't until now! Woo Hoo!

Mysterious ways

2009-04-01T08:32:00.003-04:00

The Lord works in mysterious ways for sure! As I'm sure most of you who know me know, I constantly struggle with the weight/food issue that so many of us do. Well, this morning I was going to splurge and have a donut. I had promised Aubrey some for breakfast this morning because he was wonderful at the grocery store. (yes, I know that's bribery, but sometimes it's what gets us through the day) Anyway, this morning I got my donut out, sat it on the counter and went to make my bed while my coffee brewed. When I came back, it had disappeared. It seems that our dog Callie had jumped up and taken it off the counter. I just had to laugh as the Lord was obviously telling me to have my Fiber One banana nut muffin instead of a donut. So I did, but I got a good chuckle out of it. I thought you would get a kick out of it too.

Keep my sister Leah in your prayers - looks like I'm going to be an aunt again any day! I'm so excited to meet baby Les, I can hardly stand it.

Here are a couple of layouts I did for the Vintage Plum kit. I am loving being a part of their community. I'll have more to share in a week or so.

Hey Strangers!

2009-03-25T16:03:00.006-04:00

I know some of you have been wondering where I've been and waiting with baited breath for a new blog post. But, the past week has been one filled with craziness for me and unfortunately the blog is the first thing that gets ignored. I won't go into all the craziness, but some highlights (or lowlights) of the week included: Mallory's poop in my foyer (funny story actually), Mallory in dog poop, coffee falling all over my head and my car, Aubrey giving himself his own haircut (AGAIN! Look at all the hair he cut while playing "Barber"), sliding into throw up at Monkey Joe's, spraining his ankle, and me being in charge of crafts for MOPS and our Spring Retreat. Nothing in my week was really bad, but added stress and interruptions. It was funny though, because in my Bible study last week, Priscilla Shirer talked about how our interruptions are really God trying to get us to stop and change our focus or view. So I kept asking Him what I was supposed to be seeing! It was a crazy week, but one that kept me looking above, so I guess that was the point of it all. Our MOPS retreat was so fun, and made me laugh harder than I have in a very long time.

Anyway, today was a bittersweet day for me as a Mommy. I registered Aubrey for kindergarten. I realize the ultimate goal for moms is for their children to spread their wings and fly away (as told to me by my all-knowing sister) but I'm really not ready for Aubrey to fly yet. To continue the bird analogy, I like feeding him and sitting on him in our nest. I know that's not good for him for long though, so pray that I will be able to nudge him out of the nest this fall. I'm really praying that God will give him a Godly teacher and Godly friends and surround him with things from above. It's scary this big world we live in.

I have been scrapping and crafting some. I did a couple of layouts for challenges and fun at Vintage Plum. I haven't taken pictures of two of them, but when I do I'll post them I have really been enjoying hanging out there and using the fun kit they had in March. I am really looking forward to the April kit. I also did this snail for Mallory's bathroom. I got the snail from damboise designs on etsy. She has some really fun shapes and letters to alter. I will have more scrappy news on the way, but I can't share right now. Stay tuned!

Fun site!

2009-03-12T14:19:00.002-04:00

Just a quick post to let you know about a great site for ladies t-shirts that are super stylish, but have great Scripture verses on them. It's called Wild Olive tees and they are so fun. So, go check them out and order one while you're there! I don't even have a favorite because they're all so neat!

A few things

2009-03-11T15:18:00.007-04:00

My new blog picture is our family portrait done by Aubrey. He was so proud of himself that he asked if he could stand by the picture when I took it. I loved it. And the round things on my body aren't what you might think, they're my knees he told me. I was a little worried when I asked him!

Before: After:

Mallory got her first haircut on Monday! Such a bittersweet occasion. I had been hoping that the rest of her hair would catch up to her "wings" on the sides of her head, but it wasn't happening so I decided to go ahead and have it trimmed. My mom, who cut my hair until I went away to college, cut it for me. Mallory was so good. She sat as still as a 20 month old will sit and never cried or fussed. It looks so good now, and my mom and sister are very happy that I finally did it and I am too.

I promised pictures of a couple of things I did for my class at Get It Scrapped. One of the layouts is actually about Mallory's hair after her Daddy got ahold of the comb at bathtime. The other is about Aubrey's pony ride this past fall. My class is over now, but it was a lot of fun. I am going to take another very soon.

Yesterday we went and spent part of the day with Jill and Jameson. The weather was perfect so we got to go to their "beach" on their lake. The boys had so much fun, especially since they got to ride their bikes to the beach from Jill's house. As soon as we got in the car to come home Aubrey asked me when we could go back to their beach. It wasn't a big deal of a day, but it reminded me again of how special it is to have good friends to hang with. I had lunch with another sweet friend today. God has been so good to me to bring such sweet Christian women into my life.

I have a couple more book recommendations, but I'll save it for a later post. Email me if you have to have something to read right this minute though!

Whew!

2009-03-07T08:38:00.003-05:00

I haven't posted in forever! Ok, it's only been almost two weeks, but it feels like forever. I have just been busy and just haven't taken the time to post. I don't usually go this long between posts and I don't like it! This week has been especially busy. I had to get all of our used children's clothes together to sell at two different consignment sales this weekend. I did that, and am actually going to volunteer at one of the sales today. I have loved being able to get rid of our things like this. And I have actually found things for Mallory at the sale, so it's a good trade. But getting over 150 items hung, tagged and ready to sell is a chore.

One of the most fun things I did this week was have a chat with Christa Parrish, the author of the book we read at Book Club this past month. We read her book Home Another Way and just loved it. Since I lead our book club, Bethany Publishing sends me books for free to preview for our group. As soon as I read this one I knew we had to read it. I wasn't disappointed. The ladies just loved it too. One of the ladies said it was her favorite book we had read in the two and a half years we have been meeting. That's pretty amazing because we have read some good books by some pretty prolific authors. Anyway, Bethany also gave us the opportunity to have a teleconference with Christa. I jumped on that offer and we had such a good time talking with her about the book and her writing. This was her first novel, which just amazed me. She is young - as I had to ask her age, which was inspiring to me. So, go out and buy the book. You will not be sorry.

On the crafty front, I finished the last week of my scrapbooking class at Get It Scrapped. It has been so much fun and I have learned a lot and gotten more done than normal. I will post my layouts this weekend after I scrap some more. I am thinking of taking another class there from the same teacher, Doris Sander, because I have enjoyed her so much. I'm also thinking of applying to a design team for Vintage Plum. It's a brand new kit club made up of all American made scrapbooking products. I'll keep you posted. We also had MOPS yesterday and made some fun cookie sheet message boards and I made some Easter eggs with yarn that are fun. I'll post pics later this weekend. We had a great time. My friend Kim came and my other friend Laura gave a great devotional about our jobs as moms and doing everything for the Lord.

Have a great weekend! I will be back sooner rather than later this time!

Seven years!

2009-02-23T07:52:00.003-05:00

Today is our anniversary - seven years! Somedays I can't believe it's been that long, and others seem like it's been forever. When D. and I got married, he started crying really hard in the ceremony. He didn't stop until we got outside. It really freaked me out because D. just doesn't cry very often (unlike me who cries anytime the wind changes). So when we got out of the wedding ceremony, we came around the corner of the church and I said, "Stop right here. If you don't want to be married, tell me right now so I don't have to go to the reception and pretend like everything's alright." D. assured me he was fine and did want to be married and we went on and had a great time. I'm sure there have been times when he has looked back and wished he could have answered me differently. But, I have loved being married to him. He is a wonderful man and does so much to keep me happy. We have both grown so much in these seven years and I know this will only continue. I am so thankful for him every day. Here is a list of seven things (one for each year) I love about D.

1. He is so doggone handsome!

2. He makes me laugh all the time. He really is silly even though he puts up a good front not to be.

3. He has awful taste in old country music, so he has expanded my horizons.

4. He is a really hard worker. I love his work ethic. I am so proud of him for it.

5. He is the best father. I couldn't have imagined how good he would be. I love watching him play and interact with Aubrey and Mallory.

6. He helps out at church and wants to do what God wants us to. He has strong moral convictions about things I wouldn't have thought he would.

7. He loves me! He knows all about me and loves me anyway!

There are many more reasons, and I have generalized some of these, but he is so great. I love him more now than I could have imagined 14 years ago when we met.

I am praying that we have many, many more wonderful years and anniversaries to come.

good times

2009-02-19T16:30:00.005-05:00

Nothing major going on here, we've just been doing the usual stuff. I started a new Bible study at church by Priscilla Shirer, He Speaks to Me and it is wonderful. I really love her and am already learning a lot in the short time we have been doing it.

Last Friday the kids and I went to the park for a picnic and playtime with my friend Kim and her son Jackson. Kim and I had fun watching other children get really muddy on the merry go round with the trench of mud around it. We just laughed at the fact that other mothers didn't have any idea what their children were getting into. Of course, those other mothers might just have been a lot less uptight than we are and feel like dirt and mud is all a part of childhood fun. Crazy, I tell you, but it's possible. And it was a good lesson too. We had told Jackson and Aubrey that they couldn't ride it because they would get muddy, but they assured us that wouldn't happen. After seeing a little girl get dragged around in the muddy water and run off crying, they didn't ask us again even once after that. All of us had fun, and Mallory was stuck to the slides. She couldn't get enough of them, even after she was knocked off of one by a bigger kid. I think we might have a daredevil on our hands.

Leah and Jay were here to visit this past weekend, so we had lots of fun with them playing and just hanging out. Jay loves Aubrey and Mallory and they feel the same. Of course, I think Jay really just loves Aubrey's train set, but for now that's good enough. We took them for a quick shopping trip on Monday and they had fun on the mechanical horses at the outlet mall. We are always sad to see them go, and hope that it's not too long before our next visit. Thank goodness for Skype. We have lots of face time with it.

On another note, Callie is home from obedience school. (I may have mentioned this already.) She is doing so much better. She sits and stays as well as knowing her place to lie down. It has made a big improvement in our home. Hopefully we'll only get better!

Random craftiness

2009-02-15T14:59:00.005-05:00

Just a few crafty things I have been working on or involved in lately.

I finally finished my Valentine's crafts. Aubrey and I made his class Valentines. I didn't think of it myself, but I got plastic shovels and made tags that said, "I Dig You" and put them in a cello bag with conversation hearts. I tied it with ric rac and they turned out so cute. Aubrey was so excited to give them to his friends. He is in a pre-school class of 6 boys, so this was perfect for them.

I also decorated red pillar candles. I gave one to Aubrey's teacher for Valentine's Day. I just took ric rac and ribbon and secured them with thumb tacks in the back. So easy, but a cute decoration for the holiday.

I finally finished my Valentine garland. I hung it up on Valentine's Day, so it got a little use this year. Next year it will be out for the whole season.

Aubrey and Grandma Bonnie made homemade sugar Valentine cookies. It was a fun day for all of us.

Also, on the scrap front, I was so honored to be featured on Becky Fleck's Pagemaps site. She posts sketches of layouts, cards, tags, and others on her site. Then she has others use the sketches to make them and posts them on her site. I am featured here in the tagmaps section for February. I was so excited to do this! So go check it out. The whole site is great.

Then, last week I found out I won a contest on Stephanie Howell's blog. I love Stephanie Howell's scrap style, and her blog is so much fun. So it was a special surprise. I won an entry into the Product Pizzazz class at Get it Scrapped. I am enjoying it a lot. There are all kinds of great classes over there, so run over and sign up for something. You will be glad you did!

And finally, I just finished my layout for the ScrapWhispers blog. It's basically like the game "Telephone" where someone tells someone a secret and it's passed along, but this is with scrapbook layouts instead of secrets. There are 6 teams, and the team who stays closest to the original layout wins the round. I can't wait to see how our team turns out. I had a great time doing my layout.

I will have more kid pics this week, since we are having a fun, long weekend. Happy President's Day!

What's up? Warning! Long post ahead!

2009-02-10T07:13:00.008-05:00

I'm sure all 4 of you who read my blog have been wondering where I've been. Well, I don't really have a great excuse, but last week 3 members of our family had a stomach bug that left me constantly changing sheets, towels and clothes and running our washing machine non-stop. I told D. that our washing machine was just going to fall over from exhaustion. We are now back to our normal selves pushing each other around the house in the laundry basket for entertainment, thanks be to God! It was awful!

I also wanted to wait to post pics of my Valentine's garland and topiary I've been working on. Alas, I am not finished yet, but I didn't want to wait any longer. I will post pics when I get it finished. We are going to put Aubrey's valentines together today and I am going to work on my garland so hopefully I will finish today.

Aubrey's pre-school sang for us in church on Sunday. They were so cute, and Aubrey sang so well. Not with an abundance of enthusiasm, but he said he was nervous. So sweet.

You may know that we have a dog, Callie. The past 3 weeks Callie has been away at obedience school. I have had such a nice break. While I love Callie, she was not trained at all, and did a lot that made our lives a little difficult at times. We have visited her at the training center a few times, and the change in her is amazing! I am actually looking forward to her coming home. D. and I have to go for the next 3 nights to learn how to keep the training going once she comes home. Then we get to bring her home on Thursday. I'll keep you posted.

I thought I would show you what Mallory got into about a week ago. I was in the kitchen and she was in the laundry room. I didn't think anything of it until she walked in and I realized she had gotten into Aubrey's art supplies. I have no idea how she got them even on the backside of her jammies! I guess the apple doesn't fall very far from the tree!

We miss Daddy!

2009-01-29T07:47:00.006-05:00

This week I have been on my own as D. has been in Augusta working. He left Monday and will come home tonight. It sure has made me appreciate single mothers and those moms whose husbands travel a lot. I have enjoyed staying up a little later (D.'s a night owl) and not being awakened early early in the morning, but I have missed those things too. I know the kids will be so excited to see him tonight, as I sure will. It's a good reminder that absence makes the heart grow fonder!

We have managed to keep busy though. On Monday my friend Jill and her son Jameson came over and we had a slumber party! The boys had a great time playing the Wii mostly, and Jill and I were able to have girl time just vegging out.

We've been up to the usual other than that. School, church, meetings, shopping, etc. Trying to get Mallory to drink coconut milk or soy milk or goat's milk. She just doesn't like them. So say a prayer that she takes to something soon.

I have been able to scrap quite a bit lately and that has made me happy. These are a few of my latest layouts. Today I am going to start working on a Valentine garland. I'll post pics when it's finished!

Sad Goodbye

2009-01-20T08:39:00.004-05:00

I am sad today. I don't want to turn this into a political rant (because I most certainly could), but I am so sad that we are saying goodbye today to one of my favorite presidents, George W. Bush and his beautiful wife Laura. I have been so thankful for the way they have led our country with such dignity and integrity. I am thankful for the way that President Bush has relied on his faith to guide him through such difficult times. I am thankful for the fact that our First Lady has stood up for women and girls around the world, and been such a support for our President. She is the epitome of elegance and grace. So, as we move into a different direction I just wanted to publicly thank President Bush and First Lady Laura for their service to our country. I wish we could have 8 more years with them.

However, having said all that, this is a good test of my faith and a reminder that my trust must be in our Lord Jesus and not in our political leaders. They will change and fall, but God will stand forever. And someday everyone will know who is the real King of Kings. So even as I am sad, I can rest in the knowledge that my future is secure because I know who is really in control of our country and our world. Thank you Lord.

Sweetness

2009-01-11T20:02:00.004-05:00

Sometimes when you're a mom, things just happen that melt your heart. As Mallory gets older, I am seeing the relationship between Aubrey and Mallory blossom. Now I know that they will not always get along. I mean, Leah and I had knock down, drag out fights when we were younger, (I'm sure you can't imagine that) but right now Aubrey is pretty sweet to his little sister. And since I always wanted a big brother when I was younger, I think it's neat.

The other day Mallory wanted to look at "book" so we went in her room to read. Aubrey climbed up in her chair so of course Mallory wanted to get in the chair too. Aubrey scooched over so she could sit with him. Since Aubrey has heard me read many of our books over and over he pretty much has them memorized. So he sat and "read" to Mallory. Mallory would just look up at him and grin and giggle. It was so incredibly cute. I had to get my camera. Then Aubrey put a bow in Mallory's hair, and she kept it there, which she never does for me. She loves that brother. So sweet.

Woo Hoo! Go Gators!

2009-01-09T20:49:00.002-05:00

I am so tired, but it was so worth it. I didn't go to bed last night until 1:30, which for me is extremely late. I stayed up watching my beloved Florida Gators win the BCS National Championship game. Today I have watched and read many pundits and journalists disect the game and bowls vs. playoffs. I have heard so many people talk about how you can't tell that Florida is truly the best team in the nation. Well, that gets me going obviously. But, I read this article and thought it was really worth posting.

Is Florida Really The No. 1 Team? Pete Fiutak / CollegeFootballNews"Excuse me. l'm askin' Your Honour, is this justice? ls this justice?""Never stop fighting till the fight is done.""What did you say?""l said, never stop fighting till the fight is done.""What?""You heard me, Capone. lt's over.""You're nothin' but a lot of talk and a badge.""Here endeth the lesson." ... I cannot believe I have to write this because it's so obvious, but apparently, I have to take time from my post-season nap because of all the dopey talking heads out there, along with an incoming president who needs to spend every waking second figuring out how to come up with 3 million new jobs, who can't seem able to compare and contrast teams by actually turning on this new-fangled thing called a "TV" to watch them play.Florida is the best team in America for 2008 by every and any measure you want to go by. Period. End of story. National champion, Florida Gators. Done.If you want to rail on the system, go right ahead, but your day was a month ago when the final BCS standings came out. If you want to debate Florida vs. the rest of the country, as the Clovers would say, bring it on.This is not an anti-USC, Utah, or Texas argument, but today, and this season, is all about Florida. And here's why ...1. Florida played 11 bowl teams. 11, and that doesn't count Tennessee or Arkansas. Take a step back and let that one sink in for a moment. It beat two No. 1 teams, and outside of the loss to Ole Miss, before the SEC championship game, no one came closer than 24 points.2. If you're going to bring up the Ole Miss loss as evidence of anything, you either a) didn't actually watch the game or b) are totally incapable of putting that game in the context of the other losses out there this season. From a blocked extra point, to two missed touchdown passes late, to Tebow getting stopped on a fourth and inches, to a blown coverage, several things had to happen for Florida to lose to the eventual Cotton Bowl winner, and 15th ranked team in the final polls, by one point. Absolutely, a loss is a loss, but it's not the indictment you probably think it is.3. Stop bringing up the fact that Utah beat Alabama by 11, just like Florida. No, I don't believe Bama beats the Utes if Andre Smith was playing, but if you can't understand how vital the No. 2 pick in the NFL Draft and the best left tackle in college football is, and how Utah was able to destroy the Tide offense that was down to a third string left tackle, then I can't help you. Also, Florida beat the Tide without Percy Harvin, arguably one of the five best players in America. If you don't think that matters, you didn't watch the national title game.4. Again, notice the margin of victory in the Florida games this year. Utah needed missed kicks and an epic late drive to get by a TCU team that Oklahoma throttled. The Utes also got pushed by a miserable Michigan team and played three other games this year decided by seven points or fewer, including a 13-10 tussle with New Mexico. If you think that Florida's defense, the one that held the greatest scoring machine in the history of college football to 14 points, couldn't deal with the speed and precision of the Utah attack, then again, I can't help you.5. USC couldn't handle Daryll Clark and the Penn State offense in the second half of the Rose Bowl, so what makes you think for a split second that it could stop Florida's offense? Don't you dare. Don't ... you ... dare ... suggest that USC's D took its foot off the gas in the second half of that game, because then I'll have to give you a helmet and a shiny ball of tin foil to play with over in the corner. If you try to bring this up, then you simply have no clue about the pride of a USC defense that wanted DESPERATELY to make an all-timer of a statement against the Nittany Lions.6. USC would've beaten Ohio State no matter what, but it has to keep being brought up ... if you can't tell the difference between the Ohio State team that battled Penn State and lost to Texas and the one that soiled itself against the Trojans, again, can't help you. If anyone out there actually bothered to watch the 17-10 win over Arizona, the 17-3 win over Cal, the 28-7 win over UCLA, the Oregon State loss, and also watched the entire Florida season, and yet still wants to make a case that USC is the best team in the country based on speed, talent, and any other measure, then again, can't help you. If you want to thump your chest over shutting down Arizona State, Washington State, Washington and Notre Dame, and you want to compare that to beating 10 bowl teams and two No. 1s including an Oklahoma offense that scored over 700 points ... yeah. You know.7. In deep down places you don't talk about at parties, when you watched Texas need everything in the bag to get by Ohio State, did you really think that this was a national title team? If the Ohio State defense could keep the Longhorn offense in check, and if a still-emerging player like Terrelle Pryor, who wasn't allowed to throw the ball five feet in front of him, could get the offense moving just enough to get by, then can you imagine what Tim Tebow, Brandon Spikes, and the motivated Gators would've done? In the end, yeah, there's no dogging the Texas win over OU or the Longhorn season in any way, the Texas Tech loss might be the most forgivable big-game defeat of the regular season, but the second best regular season win was against ... Oklahoma State? Missouri? Don't laugh, but Rice? If the Big 12 turned out to be exposed this bowl season, and the SEC turned out to be strong, then Florida has to be given more than just the benefit of the doubt here. People, it's not like I have any horse in this race. The last thing I need in my world is yet another off-season of dealing with jazzed up SEC fans who don't believe the rest of the country plays college football, and I'm going to waste at least 19 days of total time in 2009 explaining to them that teams like USC, Texas, and even Boise State, going into next year, really are fantastic. If the shoe was on the other foot, and USC had done what Florida had done this year, I'd be Mr. Trojan right now (keep your comment to yourself). But for otherwise knowledgeable media types (cough, Mel Kiper, cough) and others to claim that there isn't a No. 1 team is absurd.Florida won the national title. Don't like it? Then play up to your talent level for 12 games next year, USC, and you'll get your chance to knock the big boys off the throne. Win all your games in blowout fashion you non-BCS team, so fartknockers like me will sit here and beat their heads against the wall defending your case. Beat Oklahoma again next year, Texas, and you'll get the benefit of the Big 12 doubt from everyone.The issue was settled on the field this year. Debate over.

I know some of you aren't Gator fans at all, but I know you love me anyway! I'm going to be scrapping this weekend, so I'll post some crafty stuff soon!

There's something different about him

2009-01-06T15:03:00.007-05:00

This morning as I was getting the kids ready to leave the house (in a rush as usual) I was brushing Aubrey's hair to get rid of the bed head he always has. I thought the front looked funny, but his hair always grows kind of jagged, so I just thought it was from being asleep and went on. We went to the dr. and then met Jill and Jameson for lunch at Chick-Fil-A, our favorite lunch date. When Aubrey walked into Chick-Fil-A with Jill while I got Mallory out of the car, Jill said, "Aubrey, did you cut your hair?" Aubrey replied, "Yes, I did it last night but my mom doesn't know!" When I walked in the restaurant, Jill was cracking up. She said, "Did you know that Aubrey cut his hair?" I started laughing, and then realized that's why it looked so funny to me this morning. Obviously I hadn't had my coffee that early this morning. We laughed and laughed, both at him doing it and at me not noticing it.

When we got home I asked him where the hair was. He told me it was still in Mallory's toy basket, and sure enough, there it was. He said, "That's a lot of hair, isn't it Mom? It looks cool, kind of brownish like yours." He was so proud of himself. So once again we had to talk about how scissors are for cutting paper only. I just chalk it up to one more childhood milestone we have now reached.

Mallory had her 18 month check up today and she had not gained very much weight at all. She fell on the growth chart for weight. We believe this is mostly due to her being allergic to milk and not being able to eat many foods that are high calorie/high fat. The dr. is going to talk to a pediatric nutritionist to see if we can find other ways to help her get some meat on her bones. Other than that, she is doing great.

On another note, I am getting pumped up about the Gators playing in the BCS National Championship Game this Thursday night. If you don't know anything about Tim Tebow, our quarterback, read this. Besides being a Gator, which already makes him way cool, he is a wonderful Christian young man. (Calling him a young man makes me sound really old, doesn't it?) Even some of my Gator hater friends (I know, that is an oxymoron for me isn't it?) admit that they like and admire Tebow. So, I'm not sure if God pays attention to football, but I do know that He honors those that honor Him. Maybe that will work in our favor this Thursday. If you don't hear from me for a couple of days after the game, you'll know I'm in mourning. Mallory's already getting ready for it too. Isn't she precious? I'm hoping the game will be a bright spot in this dreary, rainy week! Go Gators!

My Sweet Friend

2009-01-03T15:15:00.007-05:00

My friend Jenny (or Jen as she now goes by - she'll always be Jenny to me) has been my friend longer than anyone else. She and I met in Mr. Brinson's 7th grade Geography class. We didn't become close until high school, but she has been with me through thick and thin (literally and figuratively!) She and I even traveled to Venezuela and lived through a coup attempt together on a mission trip there. We have many, many fun memories and also some not so fun. If you want to know some of my most embarrassing moments, ask Jenny. You can also ask her what she thinks about my taste in movies. (; After high school Jenny went to Columbia Women's College in Columbia, South Carolina when I went to Brenau Women's College in Georgia. We were fortunate that my sister was living in South Carolina near Jenny's school, so we were still able to see each other. Now we live about 2 hours away from each other and try to get together as often as possible. Sometimes it's quite awhile between visits, but it's still wonderful, and she's still such a sweet part of my life. She has been a blessing to me for a long, long time.

Yesterday the kids and I met Jenny halfway at a Cracker Barrel for lunch. Of course both of them had to throw up on the way there, and it was raining and 37 degrees, but totally worth the trip. It was so nice to see her and catch up. Talking on the phone is fine, but seeing friends in person is so much nicer. We of course had a great lunch, and had fun talking about all the friends we have found from high school on Facebook. I finally convinced her to join, and we have had a blast finding people we haven't seen since graduation. I wish she lived right next door so we could do things like that all the time like the old days. But, we'll take what we have and enjoy the times we can get together. Aubrey, 4, took this picture of us and I think he did a pretty good job! Jenny, I love you and am so thankful for you!

Christmas pics

2008-12-30T09:04:00.010-05:00

Hi everyone!

I hope your Christmas was as special and wonderful as ours was. We had a wonderful day at home just being with family. I wanted to post pics while it was still fresh in our minds. I didn't take many pictures on Christmas, but I had a few to show of our fun day.

Here we are making cookies for Santa! As you can see, everyone really got into it. Aubrey got to choose what kind of cookies we made, and he thought that Santa would like sugar cookies, so we had fun and made a big mess making Santa cookies. I know he loved them. (So did Mrs. Claus)

Aubrey and Mallory both got things to ride on this Christmas. A bike was all Aubrey asked Santa for. Actually he asked him for a "four wheel bike", which I had to translate to Santa meant a bike with training wheels. After we left Santa, Aubrey was upset because he had forgotten to tell Santa he wanted the bike that had a water bottle on it. I assured him that Santa would know. And sure enough, Santa came through. Aubrey couldn't even wait to get outside to ride his bike. Fortunately we have a long hallway, so he got to practice a little inside. Our hallway has miles and miles of Aubrey riding various toys up and down it. Mallory always wants to ride on Aubrey's four wheeler, but she isn't big enough yet, so she got her own little "four wheeler".

Bompie and Grandma Bonnie came over for lunch and we had fun playing with them. Then the Higgins clan came over for dinner. I channeled my inner Paula Deen and made her Peppermint Cake. It turned out good, especially with Mayfield Peppermint Ice Cream. Perfect for Christmas!
I'm always full of mixed emotions when Christmas is over. I love the decorations and special days, but I'm also ready to get back to "normal" (whatever that is). So today I am cleaning and putting away all our decorations. It actually feels really good and refreshing. It's still nice to have Aubrey home and all of us able to stay in our jammies for a long time in the mornings!

Also, if you would like to win $150 worth of Cosmo Cricket scrapbooking supplies, head over here Leah, not my sister, is giving them away. She is a wonderful designer for their team, so check out her blog. You will love it!