Happy Birthday Elmo!

     Today is Elmo’s Birthday. So at our home, we are celebrating. We have had red shakes, read two Elmo books, learning to write the letter E, learning how to spell Elmo and for dessert tonight we will have some type of treat inside an Elmo cupcake paper. Not sure what yet but something. Ds is enjoying this day. One of his many Elmo’s was allowed to do his school work with him. Dd has also enjoyed the extra treats. It doesn’t take much for homeschool kids to enjoy. Lol.

    Ds is painting two Christmas ornaments that I picked up on clearance.  He is having a blast. These will go on our tree in December and will be taken out every year as a special reminder. Dd did similar ornaments when she was ds’s age. Sweet memories. I love those two children.

     Our neck of the woods is having a heat wave, 44 degrees. It is raining outside, so I am really glad it isn’t any colder. Hope everyone has a blessed day. I

12:37 - Tuesday, February 2, 2010 - comments {0}

Fuzzy Brain Kind of Day

This has been such a lazy morning for me. It wasn’t supposed to be but that is how it has turned out. Last night, I got on the treadmill after supper. Usually I get on before lunch. This just seemed to make me tired today. Weird. I slept well but took my medicine at the wrong times this morning. Everything is off. My brain is a little fuzzy this morning. The fog does seem to be lifting as the day goes on. Praise The Lord.

This past weekend turned out to be wonderful family time. We managed to go bike riding and enjoying being outside. Hopefully, Saturday will be a warm and sunny day so that we can repeat the events. We are planning to go to the City, do some specialty grocery shopping and bike riding in one of the parks. That will probably be followed by a picnic lunch.  

This week is payday week so it will be a busy week. I have to shop at Walmart and Food Lion this week. Along with the other weekly errands this can be time consuming. I do plan on getting up early Friday morning and beating the crowds to Walmart. That ALWAYS makes things so much easier. I am on bi-weekly allergy shots so that will be one fewer errand. That is always a good thing. Hope everyone is having a wonderful day. God Bless. I

10:32 - Tuesday, January 26, 2010 - comments {0}

Just our Wednesday

A cake is in the oven baking as I type. Yummy. It is making the house smell wonderful. The extra bonus is that the kitchen is warmer also. Just like everyone else on the blog, it is cold here. It has warmed up some today but it is expected to get colder for the weekend. My poor dh is working in the cold weather.

My new schedule is taking shape around our homestead. Things are finally getting done by ME and it feels wonderful. I felt that I was arm-chair parenting for so long. Praise The Lord that season is over. Dd and ds started back to school on Monday. This seemed to help me feel more human. Dh and I purchased a new laptop and this weekend, we will buy new curriculum software. I am praying that homeschool will be back on track for the New Year.

Tomorrow will be a day out. I have to get an allergy shot so all errands will take place at the same time. Thank God it will all take place on the warmest day of the week. Dd has finished a report on WWII and I need to proofread the paper. God Bless and stay warm. I

03:10 - Wednesday, January 6, 2010 - comments {4}

Happy New Year

Happy New Year!

Our home has been a busy place the last few days. I felt good so we worked on getting things ready for the New Year. The Christmas decorations are packed away waiting to be put up next year. The house is cleaned so that we can enjoy the long weekend with no worries. Several “hot spots” have been gone through and organized. The bills are paid and the phone calls are made. I do have several items to pack in a box for the UPS man but the task will be complete in a few minutes. Wonderful.

I started the morning in the Word of God and it has set the tone for my day. This year, I have to learn to control my stress level. This can only happen with God’s help. Stress was making me sick. Hope everyone is having a wonderful day. God Bless. I

08:44 - Friday, January 1, 2010 - comments {2}

Wonderful Family Time

     Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Our family was able to stay at home and enjoy our time together. Thursday was a day filled with FOOD. I cut down the amount of food that I normally make. I still ended up with a lot. Lol.

     This year, my family, put up the Christmas tree on Friday. I have felt poorly the last couple of years, so the Christmas Tree was always put up last minute. I am feeling better, most of the time. I try and get my to-do list done during the good times. We have enjoyed getting the house ready for Christmas and watching movies. I have Little House on DVR so this is one of our favorites.

     My family doesn’t know yet but by the end of the week they will be getting an early Christmas present. The Lord has blessed us so greatly. Don’t tell anyone because they don’t know it yet. I will be posting by the end of the week about this gift, Lord Willing. Hope you have a blessed day. I

01:16 - Sunday, November 29, 2009 - comments {5}

Are we well yet?

The family is finally better from the flu. There are a few side effects still lingering but we seem better. My daughter’s cough seems to be better. The side effects have been the worst. Dh went back to work yesterday which is a few days to early. He isn’t contagious anymore but he isn’t 100 percent yet. He has to work outside and it is cold and rainy for the rest of the week. I have two appointments tomorrow and I will try and make them. Two weeks in the house has been a lot. I want freedom. Lol.

Hope everyone has a blessed day. I

02:55 - Thursday, October 15, 2009 - comments {3}

Just another Tuesday

     The kids and I went on a field trip this morning. I needed to do something fun with the children. We went to a historical park and had a picnic. Ds was able to run off some energy on the trail. Mosquitoes were horrible. Thank God I brought some bug spray along. Our picnic was eaten in the car but it was a picnic anyway.

     Dd went to a HS teen night, Saturday, in the city. My dh put it best by saying, Country Girls are different from City Girls.

     I decided to venture out early, so that I might have some “energy”. It worked. I just kept going. Slowly. Praise God. I am wearing a 48 hr monitor and that made things tricky. I will go back to the doctor next week to find out the results. 

     Our picnic lunch was wonderful. I tried something new today. I made focaccia (sp) bread and used it for the sandwiches. Yummy. I have used the recipe several times but always used it as a side. This was wonderful and easy. Hope everyone has a blessed day. I

02:17 - Tuesday, September 15, 2009 - comments {0}

Monday

     Today is an actual cool day in NC. PTL! My dh can work without 100 degree temps outside. This is a blessing. Of course, it is raining outside but I do appreciate the temps.

     My list of things to do today is short. Wash clothes, make a lot salsa and bake. Simple and easy day. I am going to start the fall cleaning this week but not today. We are going to stop school for about a week. Dd and I have birthdays coming up so I like to have the house deep cleaned before our dinners. It is time again to clean the carpet. Dd and I are going to work on some craft/quilt projects for the rest of our time off. She is getting some things for her birthday that will help. I think we will take off tomorrow (to clean) and then work Wednesday and Thursday (school work). On Friday, we will do fun projects and Monday also. Not sure how many days after this but I need a break. Lol. Oh well. Hope everyone has a blessed day. I

10:27 - Monday, August 31, 2009 - comments {2}

Friday Night and Red Lobster

     Last night was wonderful. I realized on Thursday, that we would meet another house goal, early. Praise The Lord. We are in the short rows now. (Southern speak) I didn’t let the family know but I planned a surprise. I told dh that I wanted to go to Books A Million after he got off work on Friday. I wrote a note and put it in the side pocket of my purse.

     Friday night came and I was driving to BAM (hour away). I asked dh to look at my “list” in the zipper compartment of my pocketbook to see if I wrote down a certain book that I wanted. He looked and read the note and put it back. He thought that I had written the note ahead of time and when we met that goal I would show him the note. Dh was still looking for my book list. Lol. My dh can be so cute sometimes. Anyway, I told him that the note was real and that was my list. Then we went to Red Lobster. Yummy. That was our treat for this goal.

     Just wanted to say – This was and is not easy. We, as a family, have tried to make this a positive experience. Is that a want or a need? Do we need it know or can it wait? We have also made it fun. Being creative has been wonderful. When we wanted to get away, we packed a lunch and drinks. We also have celebrated milestones in our debt-free goal. Sometimes it costs money and other times it didn’t. Just depends on the goal. The most important thing in all of this is God. I pray for our finances. I ask the Lord to lead me and our family in the right decisions with our money. This has changed my life. Hope everyone has a blessed day. I

The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.  Proverbs 22:7 (KJV)

10:01 - Saturday, August 29, 2009 - comments {0}

Changing my days entry

This is so much better then my earlier post. MY BABIES. Hope everyone has a blessed day. I

10:20 - Sunday, June 21, 2009 - comments {1}

Monday

     The smell coming from my oven is wonderful. I am making an old-fashion pound cake. Yummy. I have some blueberries and will make a sauce to go with the cake. Dd will love this, along with the rest of us.

     Dh and I went out on a lunch date yesterday. Yes, an actual out of the house with no children date. It has been years. We had such a wonderful time. We ate Chinese food, went to Lowe’s and Walmart. It was weird not having to help someone with food. Dh and I got to sit beside each other in the restaurant. It had a wonderful calming effect. This will happen more often now. Praise The Lord. We were gone, under two hours and it was wonderful. We didn’t rush and just had a great time.

     I ordered my new camera bag. It will be like a fanny pack and will keep the weight off my shoulders and neck. My goal is to have all my pictures, print and computer, organized before I let myself use the new bag. I bought three picture boxes (look like shoe boxes) to house all of the pictures. I already have them separated but need to organize them into subcategories. (This is going to the extreme.) Oh well. That is who I am. We also found dh a bag to where for our family hikes. Can’t wait to use them and take some pictures.

     Today has been a wonderful day at the homestead. I am just thankful for all the people serving our Country and the people who have given their lives for our Country. God Bless. Hope everyone has a wonderful day. God Bless. I

05:24 - Monday, May 25, 2009 - comments {2}

Saturday

     I am listening to dd practice for her recital. Tomorrow is the recital and she has all the songs memorized. Dh went to Florida this morning, so he will miss the recital. He always attends (gladly and proudly) all the children’s performances. Please pray for his trip.

     Not a lot going on around the house today. I have a few kitchen cabinets to go through. I am also going to get rid of a few more pictures off the wall. During our trip to the mountains, I took some wonderful pictures. I am going to print and frame one for dh. He loved them and so this will be a little surprise. In my hallway, I have a drawer full of pictures. On Friday, I plan on buying some photo boxes. It is time! I love to take photos but am horrible on doing things with them. This is going to change. De-cluttered and organized is how I live my life. There are a few things that need to be worked to de-clutter. If I can get rid of fabric, I can get rid of anything. Lol. I truly try to get rid of something, if I buy something new. It also helps if you are cheap and don’t buy anything.

Hope everyone has a blessed day. I

09:29 - Saturday, May 16, 2009 - comments {0}

My crazy cleaning schedule

     Our family is changing out the winter clothes for the summer ones. This is always a long process. I am thankful for the stuff that we have and blessed to pass it on to the next person. For the last few years when we clean, we have had a yard sale. The money has been used for a special project. This year I decided to donate the stuff. I have heard about the different organizations not having a lot to sell in their thrift stores. (People aren’t buying a lot of new stuff and getting rid of the old.) This isn’t our problem. I keep age appropriate bins with clothes that I have purchased from yardsales and such. Not too much stuff has to be purchased for full price.

     We are working on dd’s room today and then we will take a break. My closet will take a little bit of money. I hope to purchase a tall filing cabinet to put in one corner. I MIGHT go ahead and get everything organized and then purchase the fc later. Not sure what mood I will be in at the time. There is one place in my home that is not organized at ANY time. Yes, it is my closet. Everything else is clean and organized. Oh well. I promise it is on the to-do list. Lol.

     I am hoping to post some pictures of our EOG picnic that we had on Saturday. We just had a special (simple and cheap) time with our family to celebrate the end of another school year. To me, this should always be celebrated. As a family, we have worked hard to complete the 6^th grade. That might sound funny to some but probably not to other homeschool families. Hope you have a blessed day. I

PS- All the closets have been de-cluttered. What a large task. I even cleaned out the black hole other wise known as my closet. I

05:50 - Tuesday, May 5, 2009 - comments {2}

Busy day and forgetting of a bill

     Hope everyone is having a wonderful Saturday. Our family has to start getting ready to go. I am being slightly lazy this morning. Ds and I are going to drop dd at her Grandmother’s for a day of shopping. Ds and I will head over to Wal-mart and do the bi-weekly shopping. I need to remember to put the cooler in the car. It is starting to get hotter in our neck of the woods so Summer time precautions will start.

     Please keep the people of Myrtle Beach in your prayers. They have a large mess on their hands. So much destruction and clean-up needs to be done.

     This is a very tight month financially. Everyone knows that I am working on paying off the house. I am CFO of our household. I try to take my job very seriously. Everyone makes mistakes. When we changed insurance companies last year, I wrote the wrong month down, on the calendar, for when the insurance was due. I had it due in June, not the beginning of May. Yikes. I did manage to scrap the money together but it did hurt. Things are back on track. I have another house payment “goal” for the end of this month. I will pray for this goal as always. The major things coming in the next few months are the new heating & air unit, the house goal, quick trip for dh to see his relatives, and a mini-vacation. The mini-vacation is because my dh said. Lol. This will come after the other two goals are met. I am the money person. Dh and I talk about money, with no arguments, but I am the actual one to the “grunt” work. Love this job, but this month is crazy. I will be in prayer about this situations and it just seems to always clear things up in my mind. Hope everyone is having a wonderful day. God Bless. I

09:04 - Saturday, April 25, 2009 - comments {3}

Apple Dumpling Recipe and pic

     When I lost parts of my memory, I didn’t know if they would return. Yes, most things have come back. Or maybe I have forgotten what I forgot. I feel so much better with daily living. I took dd and ds to the doctor (35 mins away), and didn’t have any trouble. Praise God. I am so thankful for my memory. I still can get lost in a box but this is because I am directionally challenged.

     I made an easy apple dumpling recipe. I hope the link works because it is simple and delicious. On Sunday evenings, this is usually made to replace a meal. It is filling and yummy.

     Last night, I cut out 5 swiffer covers from an old towel. I can’t remember who had the link but thanks. I wanted to stop using the throw aways and start using healthier cleaner. I only use a few cleaners that I don’t make but want to finish changing over to “green”. It does make a huge difference in my Asthma. Hope you have a blessed day. I

09:44 - Tuesday, April 21, 2009 - comments {1}

Easy Day

     Yesterday was a wonderful day in our Homeschool. We went on an educational field trip. Dd was able to learn a few things and ds was able to get rid of some energy. It seems like we do a lot during the spring time. During the summer months, dh is out in the EXTREME heat all day and likes to stay in the air conditioning whenever not at work. I can’t blame him. I have to be so careful with my skin. I have major pigment lose so I have to take a lot of precautions because of this condition. So this time of year is very busy. There is a lot of fun stuff going on in our area. I have made a list for the next couple of months. Praise The Lord that I feel better to be able to do things with my family.

     Today, I am going to stay in and do a few chores around the house. I don’t have a lot to do just “maintenance”.  Happy day! Hope everyone is having a blessed day. I

10:50 - Wednesday, March 25, 2009 - comments {2}

Spring Cleaning Complete!

     Spring cleaning is over. Praise The Lord. I finished cleaning the stove, oven and carpet. I had to reclean the house when everything was complete. (Takes a large mess to clean a small mess.) I am so glad to look around at a clean house. Dh appreciates coming home from work and seeing our home put in order. When I clean, I always light candles. I have two that smell like apple pie.

     Dd and I went to a piano concert last light. This is the first one for both of us. We had a wonderful time. Dd is auditioning on Saturday for a program. She has worked on these songs since the beginning of the year. Dd will do her best so that is all that is expected of her. We are already proud of her.

     Not a lot going on around the house today. I am going to have a lazy day. I will just keep up with the normal chores today. Hope everyone has a wonderful day. God Bless. I

09:33 - Friday, March 20, 2009 - comments {4}

Spring Cleaning

     DD and I worked on Spring Cleaning the house yesterday. So much to do. I always keep the house clean but there are always jobs that need to be done several times a year. We got so much accomplished. Today, I am cleaning my sheets and “erased” the marks on the walls. Tonight, I will clean the carpet. I have to do this close to bedtime because it will not be walked on as much by my children. Tomorrow will be cleaning the stove day. Yuck. I am going to work on being thankful for this job.

     Today is such a beautiful day in our part of NC. The sun is shining and the temps are not to hot. I am going to let the kids go out side a play. Ds is working on his number video and Dd is working on Spelling. I had a few minutes to catch up on HSB. Hope everyone has a wonderful day. God Bless. I

11:06 - Wednesday, March 18, 2009 - comments {2}

Dh's Birthday

     Yesterday was dh’s birthday. He went back to work and everything seemed to be okay. As soon as he got home yesterday, my ds (3) told him everything that we got him for his birthday. Lol. I didn’t purchase his present until the day of because ds would tell. Dh had a wonderful time. We had grilled salmon (first time), lemon brown rice and mixed vegetables.  Instead of “normal” cake, we had cheesecake. This is Dh’s favorite. Dd set the table with our china and I put the candles on the table. I also bought dh a dozen red roses. He loved these. I have horrible alleregies so I am not a flower person. Dh is. He also has an amazing green thumb and can grow just about anything. When he retires, he wants to have a large flower garden.

     Dh and I finally watched FireProof. We both loved the movie. It truly made you think. Dh already said that he would like to watch it again. Hope you have a blessed day. I have to get up and fix lunch. God Bless. I

12:23 - Friday, March 6, 2009 - comments {0}

Monday

     Hello everyone. We did not get the snow that everyone thought we would. Praise The Lord.  I did not want to deal with SNOW!

     Dh is still home trying to relax from his surgery. He did take the minivan to the dealership to get our remote locks fixed. This gave me and dd time to clean the house. It always seems harder to get things done while there is someone else here. The house didn’t get its second cleaning last week because of all the things going on. Our home is back in order and I am glad. I am hoping to get everything back on schedule this week.

     Dh and ds are taking naps and dd is working on math. This gave me a few minutes of much needed quiet time. It is nice to be able to sit and get my mind in order.

     Dd played for the recital yesterday. No mistakes. Yeah. Dh and I were so proud. She also got a plaque for winning her division. Next year, she also wants try out a hymnal. I didn’t know that they had a division and dd’s piano teacher told her about it. Dd asked us on the way home could she try for this, next year. This girl has always planned ahead. Ever since early childhood she has been this way. I am just so happy with her piano playing. This year I have seen my baby girl growing into the person that God wants. During the next few years, it will be amazing to see her turning into a Godly woman. Hope you have a blessed day. I

02:13 - Monday, March 2, 2009 - comments {1}