summertime is here!

my kids mark the beginning of summertime with the pool opening.... and it opened this weekend, so i guess at our house it is officially summer! i too ke the kids to the pool Sunday after church and they had such a good time splashing in the "baby" pool while i relaxed under the canopy and read a book...
CHelsea's gills have shown up, and she is a little fish, and wants to go everyday! I guess this is the first summer since we have lived here we will actually get our $200 bucks worth out of this pool... (we pay housing dues to use it).
We went again yesterday and i actually GOT IN!! I know hold onto your swimtrunks, i wore a bathing suit and got into the cold water (which by the way i HATE that first initial shivering jump) but after i was in, i stayed for a long time, teaching lucas to trust his floaties, and mia how to float using a noodle. we all had a great time, but were sure TIRED after we got home! Everyone went to bed early, and it was NICE for a change especially after spending the whole weekend roofing and doing yard work, we are worn out still, but are a little over 1/2 done with the roof, and plan to finish it this upcoming weekend. SO just about finished with the home makeover for a long while!
I guess that is it for this week....

setting a new record...

WOW twice in one week? i must be doing ok....
now that i have my digi i thought i would share a few pics that i took with it this week... lucas preschool graduation was last night, and i must tell you that i bawled like a baby! THey had a photo slideshow to music that song that says" you were mine for a while to hold, ... i pray that god will fill your heart with dreams, and that he will give you courage to go and do great things.... OH MAN talk about tearin a mommy all to pieces.. it just made me realize as many things do, how very quickly time passes and right now it is preschool graduation but in the blink of an eye it will be highschool graduation... OK I HAVE TO stop or i will start crying again! I really did ok, i teared up a bit during the slide show, but then his teacher got up to address the parents and just lost it.... and then i got that UGLY cry going the kind when your face is all screwed up and your breath comes in short lil gasps... and you are trying to be quiet.... NOT A DRY EYE IN THE HOUSE!!! she was so sweet and thanked us for sharing our most precious kids with her all year, and how much she LOVED them and will miss them each day SOB>>>>>
ok i gotta post pics... i am dyin here....

going DIGITAL BABY!!

I am soooo very excited my sweet husband finally gave me the go ahead to get my dream camera!! I did not waste any time shopping for the best deal before he had a chance to change his mind! haha
I bought a Nikon D70s package on ebay for a GREAT price and lots of extra accessories with 2 lenses, batteries, bag, tripod and all kinds of stuff!! I am so excited that i finally got it, and i already love it! Tonight is the first chance i got to play around with it after i got it charged and programmed. I took some photos of Lucas' tee-ball game... and i need to upload them to see how easy that process will be... i will be posting pics as soon as i can figure everything out.

In the mean time, everything at our house is still hectic, we finished all the floors and moved onto the ROOF... tearing off 2 layers of shingles, and putting new ones on... my mom and dad are here helping after work and we are going on week 2 of this process... HOT and very backbreaking work! Good thing they are 20 year shingles, next time around we will be too old for this junk and can hire someone else to do it for us!!!
Only 1 week of school left for chelsea and lucas gets out thursday.. they are both itching to get to the pool ASAP and i am sure we will be there ALOT this summer!
I guess that is it for now...

welll... i guess i really am bad...

at this whole blog thing i mean... i can't seem to keep up with it. i mean it has been since MARCH!! and really the only valid excuse i have has been in the last few weeks we have had the floors redone in every room of the house, and i did not have a computer for almost 2 weeks!! but other than that... nothin... i think i am in some kind of funk lately. I am tired all the time, i don't wanna do anything, not even scrapbook, and that is an extreme funk! i need to go back to the dr and get my thyroid checked, since it has now been 4 months off my meds, and i can tell by hormones are going crazy by my moods and the fact that my face has turned into a pizzaria of raging teenage acne... never had it as a teen, but i guess i am making up for it in my 30's- go figure! Oh welll, that is all that has been going on in my life, but our family has been blessed with 2 beautiful babies this past month of April! Kellar Reid born to Joey and Chrystal who is in Dallas and beginning to improve a tiny lil bit each day, is now up over 2 pounds... and is so beautiful... i just know God has great plans for this lil miracle!! And Sydney Elyse Kirkland born a week later to Courtney and Shane ( joey's sister...) i am sure she is beautiful as well, but we have not been blessed with any photos of her as of yet...?? so we have had 2 wonderful miracles added to this family this year following last summer's losses of dear to our hearts very loved ones... but the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away, and someday we will all meet again!
so that is really all that is up with me... going to crop at leanne's tonight, a good girls night out and i am looking forward to it, don't really have any idea what i am gonna work on... but i will figure something out!~
i will TRY to do better at keepin up this blog thingie...

in a world of insanity

aHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

this insanity MUST end soon!!!

ok in case you are wondering.. i am referring to the HOF calls STILL not made yet!
i know i don't have a chance and a really HOT place(see photo) will have to freeze before my phone rings, but ENOUGH already. I have broken the world record for eating the most THIN MINTS in the least amount of time (side note** WHY do they call them thin mints... i don't see any part of me getting thinner for having eaten a box of them!!! I need to write the dear Girl Scouts and have a nice chat with them about changing the name of those evil little cookies to: Makes your breath chocolatey MINTY fresh and your BUTT extra bootylicious)
where was I?? oh yes HOF... i do not hold out any hope of actually recieving this coveted call, however an HM would be very nice and much appreciated, and since LISA has not made them yet a very nice group of PEAS are going hysterical! SOOOOO

I have been tagged by Julsie!! ok so here goes...

What scrapbook lines/products, etc. do you dislike? honestly... CREATIVE MEMORIES makes me GAG!!
What is the hardest thing you have ever had to scrap? hmmm i made 5 albums for a man who lost his wife.. they had 4 children together and wanted 4 albums for them to remember their mother by... and i made one for him to have too. It was hard because i did not know them, and it was hard to see how happy their life was together, and now she is gone...
What technique do you use more than anything else? umm probably inking, sanding and painting
What is the smallest scrap of paper you save? 2x2 square.. i have a great system for scraps and it allows me to create cards and things in a snap!
Have you ever had any scrapbook related injuries?yeah i got one today actually... using kindergarten scissors to cut ribbon... and they cut my FINGER!! ouch!
Finish this sentence, "If I wasn't a scrapbooker/stamper, I wouldspend my money on..." hmm that is hard... probably books and or sewing stuff
Give us your best storage or organizational idea. i love my ribbon jars and i have all these little baskets of supplies in my desk, i looove it!
.You just won a week long scrapbooking cruise for 5. Who is going withyou? all my girlfriends!
When you received your first publication notification, who did you tell? And if you are not yet pubbed, who will be the first person you share the news with? i called tom and then all my girlfriends!

and now i am gonna tag some friends!!!

a trillion little reasons why...

ok so if you ever wonder what a trillion of something looks like... well just ask me, cuz i know! It is my sweet little daughter's fault... she started it all with a baking session in the kitchen of chef Mia... usomg BABY POWDER...yep a whole jug of it... dumped into her kitchen center, dishes, table and chairs, bed, herself, you name it the room was COVERED in it... but it sure smells nice...even a week after the fact!
So that started it. I had to wash EVERYTHING in her room to get it all out, the bedding, stuffed animals and a smooshy pillow. Harmless i thought, all the labels SAID machine washable... so i washed them and threw them into the dryer...
I get going this morning, and go to empty the dryer and guess what?! the smooshy pillow EXPLODED in the dryer, and now we have literally a TRILLION (yeah i counted) teeny tiny specks of styrofoam about the size of a PIN HEAD spilling out of my dryer and is embeded into the fabric of all that is in the dryer! Do not try to sweep these little things up ... oh NO it creates STATIC, and then they begin to float in the air and stick to every surface they come in contact with... so now i have them all in th floor, in my dryer, in all the clothes, in my hair, up my nose and in my mouth and i am laughing hysterically the whole time! Have you ever vacuumed out your dryer? that is a fun chore! So if you ever wanna see something really funny, put a smooshy pillow in the dryer and watch it explode!

bound to happen....

Well it was bound to happen... i mean we have virtually no health insurance aside from this little policy with a killer deductible until dh's insurance kicks in 90 days from now... so now is the PERFECT time for a major illness or accident... so i really should not have been surprised...

We went to the park Saturday, played had a wonderful time with no indication of anything bad about to happen...
we leave the park and head out to dinner, and Chelsea complains of a stomache ache, we think it is just that she is hungry and tired, and we go to dinner. She did not eat hardly at all. So we get home and she still does not feel good, and is now running a low grade temp. We put her to bed and we went to bed soon after, but i could not sleep and kept checking on her, and she did not sleep either. SO Sunday morning comes and I have nursery at church, and snacks for Sunday school. So i go to check on Chelsea again, and she is really hurting, so i gently feel her belly to find out where it hurts, and i get over to her right side, and she doubles over in pain and cries. So i said we are going to the DR NOW>>>>>>>
so i get dressed, and get her in the car and head over to PROMED which is the only thing open on Sunday (by the way.... why is it that kids get hurt or sick when their dr's office is CLOSED?!)
after a couple of tests, blood urine and stuff, the DR sends us to the hospital for an ultrasound.... she thinks that Chelsea has appendicitis.
So we get to the hospital, and wait, then get the ultrasound, which was painful to her, and the radiologist decides that her appendix looks like it has fluid around it (normally you should not be able to really see the appendix) and that she is gonna have to have surgery. So then we get sent back down to the ER to get checked into the hospital and meet with the Surgeon... this is about 11 am (we started the journey at 9am) and they decide she needs to have surgery now....so then the nurse comes in and has to do an IV on CHelsea... and she was so brave, and only shed a couple of silent tears during the procedure. Then she was tired and wanted to sleep, but they came and took her upstairs to pre-op and finished getting her ready up there.. gave her some medicine to help her relax but it knocked her out, and then they took her back to surgery. Now as a mother watching all this, I feel so completely helpless, and altho i know that it is such a routine surgery and that she is healthy and there is no reason for her to not come out ok, my mind is going a hundred directions, When they wheeled her back, Tom and I were both in tears, and all we could do was go sit and wait. Tom went down to get us some lunch, but i was not hungry, but he made me eat anyhow, and really about the time we finished eating the surgeon came in and said everything went great and that we could go up in about 15 mins to her room and meet her there. So we went to the gift shop really quick and got her some lovies, and then met her in her room. She was pretty groggy for a good 2 hours or so, and then woke up and wanted to eat... so they started her on popsicles and clear liquids, and up until 8pm she kept throwing up, so finally i asked them to give her something to help and that knocked her out for the rest of the night, and she woke up Monday morning, really chipper and wanted breakfast, we gave her toast and she held that down. Dr came in and told us we could go home, and we packed up and came home Monday morning about 10 am. She is on the mend, and is doing pretty good, sore, and somewhat tired, still running a low temp, but otherwise fine. WE thank every one for all the prayers and phone calls and visits, she loved all the attention, and we are so grateful for friends and all their support!!!

tag i'm it...

4 jobs you have had in your life? carhop at sonic, teller at a credit union, receptionist at a dr's office, mom
4 movies you could watch over and over? you've got mail, Lord of the Rings trilogy, Star Wars trilogy, and Gone with the Wind
4 places you have lived?Fort Smith, Mulberry, AR, Lawton, OK, Fort Smith
4 tv shows you love to watch? ER, CSI Las Vegas, Friends reruns, Little House on the Prairie
4 places you have been on vacation? Galveston, Disney World, NYC, Branson
4 websites you visit daily?www.memoryvilla.com www.twopeasinabucket.com, yahoo mail, and yahoo groups
4 of your favorite foods? sea food, italian, mexican, chinese
4 places you would rather be right now? church, scrappin with friends, gettin a massage, on a beach somewhere with my honey
4 bloggers you are tagging well everyone has been tagged so you are all safe!!

December's Child

Has it really been 3 years? It seems like only a breath since I brought this sweet angel home from the hospital. Time flies by so quickly and her baby days are over. We are in the midst of potty training, preschool, and lots of drama from this little girl. She is such a joy to us and we cannot imagine life without her. Little December's Child, we hope you never feel like you r birthday is an afterthought. It is only 2 weeks before Christmas and we will always try to make a big deal out of it so you have your special day!

welll what are your 2006 goals???

I have a dream... and a few goals too....
a dream to be more financially stable in 2006. to take control and not just let things happen and wonder how come we are always so broke....

a dream to finally FLY like the flylady says... i got off to a great start in 2005 but i wanna step it up a notch this year and really go for it!

a goal to spend more meaningful moments with my family, playing with the kids, reading stories, and just taking time to stop and enjoy their childhood.

a dream to be healthier... to stop eating so much high fat high carb junk food, and eat more fruits and veggies... and to try *gulp* to exercise at least one time per week (hey i am being realistic)

a goal that i would finally get in gear and really scrapbook when i say i want to, but never actually sit down and do it... i am going to get current on my photos this year if it kills me!!!

a dream to be more aware of the needs that surround me... my friends, family, and church home.... to be more sensitive to God's plan for using my gifts and talents to be something wonderful for His glory!

but that's just me...how bout you?!

happy new year!!!

I am trying to catch my breath from the holidays, all in all it was pretty nice with the exception of my 2 youngest waking up on Christmas morning sick, we had a great time.
We started a new family tradition this year... starting early in December, i bought a basket, and some "hay". Each night we would sit at the tree and talk about how we were getting the basket ready for Jesus' birthday, and we would each tell of one nice thing we did for someone and then place a small handfull of hay into the basket. We prepared that basket for a few weeks, filling it with love and kindness (the hay) and building up to the big night. Well by the time Christmas Eve got here, the kids 9, 4, 3, were so excited, and could not wait until in the morning to see if the Baby Jesus would be in the basket... so on Christmas morning they rushed in to the tree and were just jumping up and down saying "He's here... He's in the basket!!!" They came and woke us up, and exclaimed that the Baby Jesus was in the basket and we had to come see. Seeing them get so excited over a simple demonstration of what Christmas should focus on, really was so beautiful! They did not ask about Santa Claus, or their presents or any of that, they just wanted to see if the Baby Jesus came or not. So after that we all sat around the tree and I read a story to them... The First Christmas, beautifully written and illustrated, and they sat just enamored and passed the little doll i had wrapped in swaddling clothes around each taking turns and telling Him Happy Birthday. I seriously got so choked up i could not make it all the way thru the story... We want our kids to focus on the real meaning of Christmas, Jesus... and I think that this year we really got their attention and made it something they will remember and look forward to each year!
This coming year i am resolving to make more special memories like that one, just taking a little extra time and effort to really make their world a more beautiful and meaningful place.

Post holiday stress disorder...

Well we made it thru Thanksgiving, and boy am I thankful it is over! Actually it was rather nice, I cooked this year and the family lived thru it, then we travelled all weekend (the stressful part). Now mind you i love to go visit my family out of town... It is wonderful and we do not get to see them but a couple of times a year, so it is a treat, but seems to me like it used to be easier... that is before we had to take 3 little ones and a van full of stuff with us... ToYS, BOOKS, MOVIES, and all the clothes and diapers for 3 days... it was so sad, our van looked like a bunch of nesters lived up in there! But we went and had a great time visiting with the family and ate wonderful food and decorated my uncles house for Christmas, so all in all it was a great weekend, but i was sure glad to get home to my own bed, as were the kids!
I started babysitting a little boy the week of Thanksgiving, and at this moment he is almost 8 weeks old. A real cutie and a very good baby. Accomplishes a few things... I get my baby fix, get to snuggle and all that wonderful stuff, get to give him back at the end of the day and sleep all night, and get paid for it too! What a deal!!! So my DH Is really liking this situation, cuz it takes the pressure off him for me wanting another baby right now....hehe
That is about all i am up to these days... working on HOF entry for scrapbooking and I entered a design team contest this week, so we will see how that goes....
Got all my Christmas shopping done and wrapped... we went and got a tree yesterday, we are excited to have a real tree this year and it is so pretty, we did really good picking it out if i must say so...
Gearing up for the rest of the holiday season... full of joy and love and lots of goodies!

Back to the drawing board...

Ok, so I thought this blogging thing was going to be something i could manage and keep up with, but apparently i am not doing very good with it, because it has been a month since i updated!
In my defense i have been very busy lately with lots of things... the kids starting fall sports, family photos, a women's conference at our church that i taught at, and other things, but i guess that is no excuse! So what has been going on with me is lots of activity and craziness around my house! But hey FLYLADY is working and my house is clean, so i don't feel that stress on top of all the rest of the stuff!
My dear friend LeAnne took our family photos a week ago, and you see that they are absolutely breathtaking! I love every one of them, and her for taking these precious photos of our really cute family! She has such a talent for capturing those sweet candid not posed moments that happen during a formal photo shoot, and besides our formal posed shots which were terrific, she captured more importantly our relationships on film, and that is something no amount of money can buy!

So that is about all that is up with me, i am gearing up for a Thanksgiving cooking marathon, and travellling too my brother is getting married the day after Turkey day, (so much for shopping)hehe and so we will be going to Shreveport for that, and then coming back thru Texarkana to visit the rest of the family! Will be a fun weekend and lots of yummy food to look forward to!

I am sure that i will try to be more diligent about updating this, but it may be a few weeks again what with the holiday and all....

Back to the drawing board...

Just one more...

So everyone around me is having babies lately. My cousin is pregnant, two of my dearest friends just had babies and I am surrounded by all these pregnant women at church... I think i am coming down with a fever... Baby fever...
We have 3 wonderful children, they keep me so busy and the bigger they get the busier we get as a family, but sometimes I wonder what it would be like to add just one more. Our home would certainly get more crowded, but that is something we already are, so one more body, really would not make that much difference. Our finances could handle the expenses related to bringing along another child, so that is not so much an issue either. Time is the issue, time that we spend with our 3 little ones, and dividing that time between one more seems scary. Also time for us as a couple. It is almost impossible to get a sitter for all 3 kids at once. Usually we can get rid of two at a time without too much hassle, but it is that 3rd one that we are always toting around on date night... not that I would wanna change it, but sometimes couple time is so nice when it is just the two of us and we don't get that very often, so adding one more, would cut down on our private time that much more. Sleep is another issue. We got one out of our bed just in time to have our youngest decide that she liked our bed better than hers, who can blame her, the two people she loves most on either side of her snuggling together, feeling warm and safe... but she sleeps all night, and for the most part so do we. So adding another baby would mean no sleep for months (mostly for me) and a tired Mommy makes for a cranky Mommy too!
Adding another is a big decision, it will require more patience, more love, and more of a lot of other things too, but somehow I think that God provides you with the tools to use when you trust in Him... so for now, we will wait, and Pray a lot about what is best for us as a family, but in my heart I know there is room for... Just one more...

The Cleaning Diva.....

Well I'm back... I have been Flybaby-ing it now for weeks, and am LOVING how it not only makes my housework so much more manageable, and YES even dare I say fun, but also how it makes me feel so much more competant as a wife and mother to provide the organized and less stressful life my family deserves. I am feeling very confident, and actually have MORE free time to do the other things that I love to do, such as read, sew, and scrapbook with out feeling guilty that I am selfishly letting my house go to meet my "me time" needs. It is in a word WONDERFUL, and my husband arrives home to a relaxed atmosphere and I am almost always in a great mood, because I am not feeling the stress of "trying to do it all" with no plan on how to do it... Our relationship has taken on a new dynamic, because instead of me stressing about having to do...(fill in the blank), I actually have time and energy to carry on an adult conversation with him about whatever. He is so loving the new me and my new attitude, that without any prompting from me, has begun to take notice when things are out of place, and put them back. He said it was because he never noticed (fill in the blank) before I cleaned it, and now it looks so good, he wants to help keep it that way. So... suddenly instead of feeling all panicky and depressed about how out of control my home is, I am feeling like I could conquer the world one room at a time! I still have a lot to do, but it is not so overwhelming now that I have a plan of action.
So that is what is new with me, and everything else seems to be falling into place and running smoothly here on the homefront... but that's just me...

I'm a fly on the wall....

Well i finally did it! I joined up with Flylady.net to help me get my house in order. The clutter and disorganization is just too much for me to take anymore! So, a friend of mine Rhonda, introduced me to her friend the Flylady. She gives you all these fun and easy little tasks to keep your house all in order which for an organizational type person such as myself (not from looking at my home could you tell that, but i am) it is a great solution to regain control. So I spent the last few days taking baby steps into her routine, and now am on day 5 and am doing quite well... I feel better already, even tho I have not incorporated any of her "ZONE" cleaning yet, I am supposed to declutter for a whole month, and then begin with her other deeper stuff. I am motivated and refreshed and ready to get started!!! Her motto is "you can do just about anything in 15 minutes" and bases her cleaning around this premise... We will see!

Check it out for yourself, you will be amazed at the difference you will feel in just a couple of days!
www.flylady.net

What a bargain!!

Ok so we have been "remodeling" around our house, basically just cosmetic painting and stuff, but finally get to my DD's room. Painted, moved back in, bedding DONE... now I have been searching for the perfect piece of furniture to use as a dresser/closet all in one jobbie thing. Her bedroom is what used to be a formal living room, and has no closet. So I have been searching for this perfect piece of furniture right, so i have exhausted all resources in town and am planning to go out of town tomorrow to look for something. My mom suggests that I check out this store here called Rooms ETC. It is a consignment store for used high end furniture. So since I have not ever been, I decide to chec it out today... lo and behold they are having a 50% off sale on children's furniture, and also found not 1 but 2 pieces for a grand total of $205 tax and all..... Not bad considering I was budgeting that at least for just 1 piece... so what do you think i will do with the surplus funds you may ask?! Well I am still going out of town tomorrow, with a girlfriend, and I plan to shop til I drop for some new pants (search is still going on for that...) and some new scrap supplies (like I need anymore, but i plan on buying it anyhow) and having a grand day all the while patting myself on the back for a fantastic find while bargain shopping!

waiting for the call...

Well this is the week, after all the hard work and waiting, the new Making Memories Masters for 2006 will be contacted. Now mind you I have no illusions about me actually getting a call, I mean I have seen the competition, and I believe there are far more talented people who entered, but i would love am HM or even one or two of my humble little layouts to be picked up for publication. I am sending great big mushy hugs and winner vibes to all who entered and hope to hear something soon, the waiting to find out is the worst. But in the meantime, I plan on creating a few more layouts to pass the time, because after all, scrapbooking is not just all about the contests or getting published, but about making beautiful memories for your family to enjoy for a lifetime.