If you read a previous post, you know a dear friend, Miss Betty (as she has lovingly been called for years) died Tuesday from a massive heartattack.  It has been quite a shock because she was as healthy as a horse!!

So, today was her visitation, and I had every intention in going with a few girlfriends, but I called Jen late in the afternoon and told her I didn't think I could handle it.  I was trying to keep my mind busy today by putting in some time on my neice's wedding present (a scrapbook of recipes from my late mother, her grandma) and while flipping through three boxes of handwritten recipe cards, I just broke down into tears.  Something about seeing her handwriting, and remember times when she and I used to cook together, plus the fact that I found a poem in her handwriting about her relationship with God amongst the recipe cards, sent me into tears and memories of my mom and how much I dearly miss her.  It doesn't help that Mother's Day is coming up soon and all the wonderful touching Hallmark card commercials are all over the TV lately.  Lifetime and other channels are having a Mother's Day weekend of motherly type movies and I am having a terrible I MISS MY MOMMY type of day!  So after explaining all fo this to Jen, she understood taking me to a funeral home to see Miss Betty would not be good for me.  I would have been a wreck tonight and most of the weekend.  This way I can remember her as I last saw her.

Matthew came home this evening so burnt out and frustrated with work and his Supervisor riding him so hard and micromanaging him all week, that I would not have been suprised if he had quit today and walked out.  Thank goodness he didn't, but he told me tonight, he was going to burn tomorrow as a sick day, because he was afraid he was about to blow up if he went to work tomorrow.  I pray that he doesn't get in trouble for playing hookie.  He is going to pray about it this weekend, but I think he will go in to see his boss (the one over the Supervisor) and tell him that she is micromanaging him again (It took you 5.6 minutes longer than it should have on your last client, what were you doing??? Answer:  Um, ma'am I had to tinkle!!!  LOL  It is seriously getting that bad around there.  She is stressed about whatever, and she takes it out on Matthew...the only person under her.) 

Tomorrow Matthew plans on mowing the yard and getting some repairs around the house taken care of, and little Noah and I will be more than happy to have daddy home for an extra day!!!

Saturday is my neice's pinning ceremony from RN school and afterwards a BBQ dinner at my brother's house for a celebration of her pinning, and her fiance's birthday.  It will be a busy day, but thankfully, my friend Jen will babysit Noah while we are at the pinning ceremony (hoping he will be taking a nap during that 2 hours), and then we will pick him up for the BBQ.

Sunday is Mother's Day and Matthew has decided to cook breakfast for us on Saturday, and then I think he is planning on fixing supper for me in the evening.  I am delighted he has taken this weekend off instead of spending time on his second job as electrician apprentice.  We do need the money, but I need time with hubby as well!!!

Well, I think that's about all for now.  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

God's Blessings,

Amy Jo

I was feeling sorry for hubby yesterday and a friend told me they had peanut butter captain crunch cereal (my hubby's favorite and one thing I told him I was not going to spend money on since we are so tight financially this month) on sale at Save-A-Lot today, so..............I BOUGHT 4 BOXES!  LOL  They had them on sale for $2.00 a box and I couldn't just let hubby go COLD TURKEY after all!!!  I love him way too much for that.

So, on our travels yesterday (running errands and paying bills), we also went into Pamida and after returning some decorative hooks I had bought earlier that I no longer needed, I ended up getting my diapers for free (they were the same amount as the hooks I was returning)

While walking back across the street from the post office yesterday (I hate buying stamps!!!  I think I might start buying them online and saving myself a trip across town from now on.  Does anyone else do this?) I saw a ten dollar bill lying on the street.  I picked it up (no one else was around) and opened it and there was a five dollar bill inside!  So with that money, I was able to buy a jumbo size package of toliet paper (already on my must have, it is an emergency list of items we needed anyway), and 4 boxes of snacks for $1 and $2 each for Noah (vanilla wafers and cheese-it crackers). 

So, although I have spent a few dollars on needed items this month, none of this came out of the household budget bank account, so I really spent no money!!!  All our bills are paid up to date and our stimulus check should be in this week (according to the website anyway! LOL).  The stimulus check will be put in the bank for emergencies and for repairs on the house so we can put it up for sale.

Tonight I plan on making some cookies and muffins.  Matthew keeps telling me Hy-Vee (a local greocery store) has cookies on sale and he was tempted to buy them. LOL  I said wouldn't you rather have homemade?? He was afraid to ask me knowing I have been so busy and stressed lately.  Sweet? Yes.  But all he had to do was ask.  LOL  So chocolate chip cookies and blueberry muffins will be baked off tonight for his snacks and lunches throughout the week and weekend. 

Matthew has decided to work weekends for the month of May to get a few extra dollars put in our emergency fund.  (We are ok, but if anything would happen where we need to fix a car, or buy a new water heater, etc., we would be in trouble. It is better to have some to fall back on if needed.  We know God is in control of all things, and we trust Him to help us through whatever!)  So he wants snacks for this weekend for he and his friend Matt.

I have been decluttering some around the house when I have time, and have asked Matthew if he minds if I have another garage/yard sale.  I was already planning on having one anyway before we got in this tight money situation, and now I think it would really help us.

Blessings:  We have more than enough food to get us by till the end of the month, it just may not be the exact thing we want to eat at the time.  We have all the bills paid and up to date, so no problems there.  We have no debt except for our mortgage on our home.  We are all healthy and have some wonderful health insurance that helps with any prescriptions or doctor visits we may need.  We have a local health department where I can take Noah to get his immunizations for free (no co-pay that way).  We have already bought most of our summer wardrobes (used clothing from the thrift shop, Noah got some adorable outfits for his bday in April, and a few new items at good prices from a consignment sale shop and Wal-Mart.), and we are all ok on shoes as well. 

We are being definate home bodies this month (which has been kinda fun because we have been creative in finding other things to do to keep us busy.  We have loved doing chores together, washing dishes together, playing card games and etc.).  We won't take any extra trips anywhere unless needed.  (I ran all the errands I think we will need to run for the month yesterday and that is taken care of) 

What are some of the rest of you doing to save money, or possibly thikngs you may be foregoing or giving up for the sake of making your money stretch farther????

Another thing we are trying to do is have a meatless dinner once or twice a week.  Last night was a meatless dinner: Pancakes!! YUMMY!!

Although I should be taking care of other chores today in the house (laundry, dishes, etc. etc.), I have been compelled to clean out the closet that hubby and I share in our bedroom.  I have felt lately while putting away hang up clothes that the closet walls are closing in on me!!  The closet is shrinking!

Matthew has clothes in there that he doesn't wear and some that were given to him that he will never wear.  I am compelled to clean these out and put them in a box to take to the thrift shop this week.  I will do the same thing with my side of the closet which is full of clothing that I swear I will wear one day again after loosing some weight and that I probably never will because by then it will be out of style! LOL  Now don't get me wrong, I still want to loose the weight, but by then I am going to want some new clothing! LOL

I went through Noah's clothing 2 weekends ago and cleaned out the clothes that were too big for them, and put them in a box and labeled it, and put the clothing too little for him in a box and labeled them as well.  I will hang on to them just a little while to see if a friend or myself needs them with another baby boy though.  (We are praying for a girl, but geesh we can't seem to get pregnant anyway anyhow.  LOL  God is in control though and we know his timing is perfect!!!!)

Maybe it is the nice spring weather that is putting me in this decluttering mood perhaps??? I love looking arond at all my accomplishments of the spring cleaning, but I don't necessarily like it while I am doing it! LOL  Any of you feel the same???

Ok, I am off to get a few things done around here.  Talk to you all later!!!

It has been a difficult day anyway (my dear friend had to go to court today over a restraining order that kicked her and her 5 children out of the house, because her hubby is accusing her of abusive.  Of course it is nonsense but they still had to go to court about it.  I went along for moral support and the case was postponed till next week sometime.  She was a wreck today over it.) and then we received bad news on our arrival back from court.

We walked in our friend Tammy's house and she started crying as we reached the kitchen.  She told us she had really bad news and told us Miss Betty had died of a massive heart attack earlier that morning.  (We had seen emergency vehicles near where her apartment is when we were going to court this morning and had no idea it was for her.)  Miss Betty was the mother of a highschool girlfriend and she has the sweetest personality.  She was a helper and a giver and she had the sweetest most honset spirit you could ever find.  Her daughter and she never really got along and I don't understand that, because Miss Betty (we have all always called her that! LOL), was such a blessing.  She gave of herself and mostly her time to any need or cause that was out there.  She babysit, helped take people to the hospital if needed and even practically moved in with my friend Laurie when she was on bedrest and then when she delivered her baby a couple of months early and took care of her two older daughters.  She was amazing!!!  She wasn't sick as far as we know, but that heart attack took her just like that.

We know that she is better off where she is now in heaven, but we grieve the loss of her non the less.  Please keep her family, her church family, and her "girls" at the church in your prayers.  Many are so distraught over her loss.

God's Blessings,

Amy Jo

My days have been busy lately and I have been utulizing my 15 minute favorites as well as using my crockpot alot.  I thought I would share with you some wonderful websites I have run into while searching for more crockpotting recipes.

BTW, using the crockpot uses less energy than your oven and doesn't heat up your kitchen in the summer months as an oven would.  Also, it is easy clean up!!!  I love ours.

One of my favorites is A year of Crockpotting:  http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

Slow cooking Thursday:  http://chrysanthemoms.com/inthekitchen

Crockpot Recipe:  http://www.crockpot-recipe.com/

Family Crockpot Recipes: http://familycrockpotrecipes.com/

I often visit Crystal's Homemakers Homestead page (www.homemakershomestead.com) and I love to see what others are doing on the grocery challanges each month.  I am a member there, but have never entered any of the challanges there, but this month I am doing a huge challange for our family.

We are running a little tight on money this month with gas prices being higher, and with a few unexpected things we had to spend money on, so I declared the month of May we are buying NO GROCERIES!!!  Usually the first weekend of the month is my grocery day and I stock up for the whole month.  This month, we are not buying anything we don't absolutely need (milk because our two year old drinks milk alot! And bread because as much as hubby loves homemade bread, he would rather have our favorite honey wheat bread for his sandwiches he takes to work)  We are stocked up on all the other essentials except for toliet paper and diapers. (I will be buying those today)

Our pantry is stocked full and our standing freezer is full of pork and all kinds of other meats!  We have dried goods and I will be baking and cooking alot this month to save money on store bought snacks and cereals.  Matthew panicked last night when he realized he was out of Peanut Butter Captain Crunch cereal that he eats every day on the way to work (dry in a cup, no milk....yuck!)  I told him I would bake muffins for him and he could grab some toast or oatmeal before leaving the house.  I felt guilty telling him this and taking away his favorite breakfast food, but I am hoping (and praying) that by the end of the month, he will adore muffins and he won't want to go back to his peanut buttery sugary boxed cereal.

On the other hand, I will miss my chai tea mix when I run out.  I have never been a big coffee drinking, but I love me a hot cup of chai tea in the morning, or at night when I am relaxing and ready to go to bed. 

Anyway, it will be an adventure because although I know we have enough food to get us by this month, I know I will need ot be a little more creative in my recicpes and cooking this month.  I am hoping hubby will like my creative recipes and not balk too much without his favorites!!!

Anyone that knows me know I am not the most patien person on the earth.  Ok, God tries his best to teach me patience and sometimes I am better than others.  LOL  So my question is where is my stimulus check??? I read two different blogs here at HSB who have already recieved their money and have most likely already spent most of it (that money just seems to fly when we have bills and such doesn't it) and I looked at my account for mine and......................NADA!

So I am hoping I am just further down the alphabet or something and my money will be here soon.  I can't wait!!! *LOL*

If you read a previous post on the things we would like to repair on our house, you will know what we are doing with the money.  We have a budget of about $1200.00 and the rest we will use for a short overnight anniversary trip for Matthew and I in KC where we honeymooned. 

The $1200.00 includes a new front screen door and gasket, paint for both upstairs bedrooms, one downstairs bedrooom paint for the kitchen cabinets and shelves, new countertop and sink in the kitchen, a new medicine cabinet in the mini bathroom, some new outlet covers and other electric things throughout the house and garage, soil and a few flowers for the outside of the house and some touch up paint on the chipping paint on the outside as well. 

We currently don't have any debt except for our house and once again are trying to refinance the house.  We tried this a few months ago and our house appraised too high and that messed up the financing.  It is amazing that our house can appraise too high since we thought the property value plummeted when our teenage enighbors moved in next door and tore up their yard and continue to leave junk, toys, 5 bikes, some kiddie toys and trash all over the lawn. 

The neighbors are the biggest reason we would like to repair some things on the house and move to the country.  We have a small yard, but it almost always has "little presents" from two of our neighbors dogs.  The dogs are left to run whenever and wherever they want most of the time and our yard doesn't have a fence (we would like one though), so we feel uncomfortable playing in the yard with so many large dogs not on leases.  We have called the city, but not much is done about it.  A stray dog was in my yard one day and wouldn't let me leave the house, and I called the police and they said they couldn't do anything about it until the following day when the dog catcher was on duty.  Then when the dog catcher is on duty, he doesn't do his job!! 

Needless to say we would like to find a home in the country far from any highways or roads so we can play outside and when Noah is older he can play outside without being scared of the dogs next door.  Our dream would be to find a place where we can plant our own garden as well.

Don't forget gals to stop by the B ird Lady's place to sign up for a wonderfully generous give away!!!!

http://www.homesteadblogger.com/birdlady/95942

As I was rushing off for a haircut today, I grabbed the mail, and read it while waiting for my beautifician to finish up on her previous customer.  I had a bday card and check from my mother and father in law (I was actually suprised they remembered even if it was late. LOL), and a card from my sweet Aunt Betty with pictures of her and my cusions and her grand daughter Hannah (who is about 2 months older than Noah).l  I was so surpised and blessed by this card and letter from my Aunt Betty.  It honestly warmed my heart. 

I also received our invitation today for my neice's pinning (she just finished her RN and they don't "graduate", they get "pinned". LOL), along with a card inside inviting us for a BBQ reception at my brother and sister in law's house afterwards to celebrate.  I am so proud of her!!  She just turned 21, is getting pinned (graduating with her RN degree), getting married in June and buying her first house and moving in this month!! She is super busy huh?? LOL

Anyway, my Aunt Betty made a comment in her letter that she couldn't wait to see me at Meg's wedding.  I will be delighted to see her and my cusions.  They only live 2 hours away, but it seems I haven't seen them since mom's funeral (March of 2007), and my cusion Lance couldn't come.  He is my age, married and has the the little one who is 2 months older than Noah.  I certainly hope they will be able to come and bring Hannah to Meg's wedding.  I haven't seen him in YEARS because until 2 years ago they were always stationed far away from here in the service.  (He used to jump from planes as a Paratrooper!!)

I have a friend who needs your prayers today.  I can't go into great detail beccause it is not my place, but please keep her in your prayers.  She was standing in my house today crying.  She is going through so much right now, and some MAJOR changes in her and her children's life right now.  She is heart broken and the bad news has crushed her in some ways.  I don't know what to do for her, but I am trying to be there when she needs me.  Please just pray!!

We have discussed making some minor (and some major) repairs to the house we have lived in for 2 years and moving.  So here are the things on the list to get done before we can put the house on the market.  I will break the list down later into monthly and weekly goals, but I didn't want to bore anyone with that just yet. LOL

1. Put a new screen door and gasket on the front door

2.  Put new countertops and sink and faucet in the kitchen

3. Paint both bedrooms upstairs (Noah's and ours)

4. Make our laundry room (on the back of the house) into a back entrance/mudporch/laundry room by hanging some hooks for coats and bags, and a small bench for putting on and taking off shoes.  This is will also help in not tracking so much dirt in on the carpet by using the front door.

5. Repaint the exterior or at least patch several spots where the paint has chipped away

6.  Clean up organize the garage

7.  Run new electricity to the garage (the house is 98 years old, and I am not sure how old the garage is, but the electricity to the garage is awful. Matthew knows how to do this, so we don't need to hire anyone)

8.  Demo the finish work in the basement (the old owners had up paneling in the basement that got wet and then half way came off, but they left it there.  We never bothered with it because we rarely use the basement)

9. Dispose of anchient furniture in the basement left by previous owners

10. Paint downstairs bedroom (because it looks so dark with the dark wood paneling)

11. Paint living room, dining room and stair case going upstairs (all of these ajoin so it will need to be the same color, or at least the same color family)

12. Paint cabinets and shelves in kitchen

13. Replace medicine cabinet and lighting fixture in the mini half bath

14. Yard Work ( I don't really know what Matthew plans to do here.  He loves yard work and such, so I am leaving this one completely up to him)

15.  Possibly new carpet throughout the house (Dining Room, Living Room and Stairs, and 3 Bedrooms)

Wish us luck!!! LOL

  Hello all.  Today is Monday and although I have skipped the last few Monday's for posting menus, I am back on track and posting mine for this week.  YIPEEEEEEE!!!!!!

Monday:  Ginger Chicken, Fried Rice  (need to get this in the crockpot soon)

Tuesday: Mini Meatloafs ( I make them in a muffin tin and can freeze the leftovers), mashed potatoes (leftovers will make potato pancakes for lunches later on in the week), and buttered corn

Wednesday: BBQ RIbs (I love my crockpot), potato salad

Thursday: Lemon Chicken, Roasted Vegetables, Steamed Broccoli (quick easy meal before rushing off to Bible Study)

Friday: Crockpot Ham and Cheesy Party potatoes, Buttered peas

Saturday: Tacos

Sunday: Crockpot Pork Loin and Vegetables

This Sunday we are planning on taking sandwiches with us and eating them at the park after church instead of coming straight home, to give Noah some time to play.  We live about 30 miles from our church family, and the park there is wonderful.  Noah loves it!!

So what's for dinner tonight at your house??

I was just asked Thursday if we liked living where we do (since we live about 30 miles from our church and Bible Study family. as well as Matthew's work place and most of our friends) and I had to answer, um no.  They laughed and asked if we were thinking of moving back (to Chilli where the church, our friends and Bible Study group meets and where Matthew works.) because it would save so much gas (5 trips back and forth 30 miles each way for Matthew to go to work.  Plus any other trips we make for Wenesday night church, Thursday night BIble Study, and Saturday coffee with my girlfriends or Matthew working extra Saturday hours, and church on Sunday mornings) and I replied that we were waiting on God to tell us when the timing was right for us to make a move.

We moved back to the town I grew up in almost 2 years ago while my mother and father were very ill with cancer and not doing well.  God told us we were going to be moving back here and we resisted for a few months.  I know....this is disabedience, but at the time, we just felt like God was wrong. LOL Ever been there???  We thought we knew what we were doing, and surely God was wrong! LOL  Well he wasn't.  We didn't know at the time that mom and dad were as sick as they were.  We moved back to my hometown and within the first year my father died.  I was so thankful then that because without the miles between us I could just run across town and take care of anything they needed prior to his death.  I spent most of my time babysitting them, taking them to the doctor and to cancer treatments, cooking meals and just keeping them company.  Then mom died only a few months later after beating her cancer once and being in remission for several months.  I was so thankful again that I was able to be there for her and was only a 2-3 minute drive away when she needed something.  I know why God wanted us to move back and I have thanked him countless times since for knowing what he was doing!!!  He is an awesome God and He always knows what is best for his children.

Today while at my birthday lunch with family my older brother David asked about remodeling the kitchen in our house.  We have tossed the idea several times and want to replace the nasty counter tops and sink.  I have told Matthew several times I would like to replace cabinets and redo the floor if we are going to stay here for any amount of time, but the problem is the unknown.  What are we getting ourselves into by ripping out the cabinets and getting into the old walls here of this 98 year old house??? Will a $2000,00 job turn into $6000.00???  David suggested we sell the house and look around for what we really want and it was like LIGHTBULB just went off. 

As we were driving home today from lunch by ourselves Matthew and I started talking about it and felt like it wasn't only my brother saying we should do so, but felt like it was God as well.  Now of course, we have prayed about it and will continue to do so, but we really feel like the time is now.  We started talking about putting new counter tops and sink in the kitchen as well as painting several rooms in the house and possibly laying new carpet.  We need a new screen door on the front of the house, and Matthew is going to run new electrical wiring from the pole to the garage to update it some as well. The mini bathroom needs a new medicine cabinet installed and of course there is alot of straightening, and organizing that can be done as well.  We think we can do all except the carpet for under $1000.00.  We are hoping to find some carpet that isn't too expensive and be able to get that taken care of soon also and get the house up for sale. 

What to do if the house sells before we have another place lined up was the next question.  Well, my neice and her fiance (to marry in June) are buying my parents house and remodeling it to move into this next month or so.  The house they are in now is a small 2 bedroom across the street from my brothers house in the country.  We will talk to my brother in the next day or so and ask him if it would be available to live in while we are trying to find a new house.  (I am sure he will say yes!)

We have a list of things to do and anyone who knows my hubby (bless his heart, this is his one downfall), knows Matthew is great on making the lists and saying it needs to get done, but then finding the actual time to do it and carry through is another subject. LOL  He means well, but he gets caught up in other things and we are still waiting months and even a few years later for him to do certain [rojects like painting and such around this house.  I am willing to help, but with a bad back it is hard sometimes for me to participate plus the fact that he doesn't want me helping him.

Please pray that God lights a fire under him and gives him the energy needed to complete these house repairs ASAP so we can get moving on this project.  And please pray that the extra stress and deadline on this doesn't affect our relationship,etc.  I know of so many couples who say it does affect the relationship for a while.

Anyway, that is what is going on in our home lately.  Wish us lots of luck and prayers!!

Hello all!  Today I turned 35 years old.  It seemed kinda old when my oldest brother turned 35 (He is 10 years older than me), but now that I am the big 35, it doesn't seem that old.  LOL Isn't it weird how that works??? 

Last night my friend Jen was to take me out to eat and give me my birthday present.  Well Matthew ended up working late yesterday which totally threw the whole evening off a little because he was planned on being the babysitter fro our 2 year old Noah.  Oh well.  We decided to make lemonade from lemons and took him with us.  We ate Chinese instead of BBQ (because Noah doesn't like BBQ, but he loves and I do mean LOVES Chinese food and I knew he could find something there to eat on) and then went a few places shopping to get a few things.  Nothing too big. 

Oh, let me tell you what Jen got me though.  She has been teasing me about it for months now saying she already had it and she wasn't going to tell me what it was.  I started harassing her 3 days ago asking her to give me hints.  I would ask her what shape it was and color, etc. and she would answer the questions.  So these are the things I found out before she handed it to me. 1. I would LOVE it.  2. It was a square (so maybe it came in a box??) 3.  It was not one color but many colors 4.  I can use it but she would advise me not to wear it.  4. It doesn't smell (she loves to give me bath gels and lotions and candles because I love them, but it wasn't tany of these) 5. I can use it with other people (So I asked her if it was a board game) 6. It might be a game but she wasn't going to tell me which one! LOL   

Well I am obsessed with the miniseries of Friends.  I watched it when I could while it was on the air and love watching the reruns when they are on (6 and 6:30 every week day) and this Christmas I finally got the last seasons of Friends I was missing (there are 10 in all.  I started getting them for birthdays, our anniversary and Christmas presents and finally got all of them.  And they are mine.  ALL MINE!!! *evil laugh*)  Well my thrifty friend Jen loves shopping the local Thrift Shop and of course garage sales.  She found me a brand new Friends Trivia game (retails for 29.99 in a collectible metal tin) for $1.00 at a garage sale.  The family opened it up, played it once and then put it away to collect dust until they had the garage sale years later.  It still has al the pieces and the metal tin is in perfect shape.  So the mystery has been solved at last.  And yes, I love it.  Matthew and I have watched all 10 seasons of Friends together at one time or another (some more than others.  We love the first 5 seasons and almost have them memorized. LOL), so we have been having fun today asking each other questions from the game just for fun. At the same garage sale was a Friends sound track CD and she bought it for me too (yes used, but only gently).  She also got me a book about friendship and an adorable framed scripture verse for my computer desk and a framed verse with cross that is so pretty.  I still need to find a home for it.

Today has been rather exciting as well though.  My hubby knowing it is so difficult to pull a suprise on me, because I always seem to find out ahead of time, decided to tell me he was suprising me with dinner today but would not tell me when or where.  So he tells me to get ready this morning and we will go (we missed church today because the alarm didn't go off), and I did.  I was ready to walk out the door and he tells me to wait until he says we need to leave.  Well I was hungry and getting cranky, but I did so.  LOL  He finally rushes me to the car at 12 and I figure out there is a specific time we have to be somewhere but that's it.  He takes me to a local resturant called Washington Street (yummy food by the way) and while in the parking lot I start picking out cars that I knew were my neices car and my brother's SUV.  So I know who is here now and we walked in and they say Suprise and Happy Birthday.  How sweet huh???   We had a wonderful lunch and talked about how my neice who just turned 21 has 2 more tests but has already passed her RN exit exams to become a nurse this June.  She will be graduating May 10th and my brother is throwing a big BBQ for that.  Her fiance has a bday the day before, and then in June (the 21st) she will be getting married.  Plus she bought my parents house (they have both passed on in the last 1-2 years) and they are remodeling it some.  So these two have alot on their plate!!!  We had a wonderful time.

Matthew tells me my present is on order from somewhere and will be here later.  I am not too worried about it because I feel so blessed with friends and family and all I have been given already.  I am so thankful for my family, my extended family and church family, and some wonderful sweet friends (yes that includes you Marcia) in person and online who have wished me Happy Birthday so far.  I love you all.  Right now, it is a gift to be alive and have a healthy wonderful loving family.  I have so much to be thankful to you Lord for.

Have a Wonderful Weekend!

Amy Jo

We have a weekly Bible Study event scheduled every Thursday evening.  A friend of ours from church hosts it and I absolutely love everyone there.  They are like my family and we have so much fun together!  Today Julie (the hostess) called and said they decided to have supper tonight and everyone is bringing something.  She said she knew it was last minute and I didn't have to bring anything, but of course I took something anyway.  LOL

So it was a nice night off from cooking here.  It was so yummy!  We had spaghetti and homemade sauce (thank you Julie), a wonderful salad (I need the recipe Kimmy!), some wonderful breadsticks (thanks to Lisa and the Pillsbury Dough Boy...LOL), and fruit (that's what I took, since everyone else had volunteered to bring the rest when I was called), and a lovely strawberry pound cake trifle (Thanks to Kim and her recent Pampered Chef party.  She is getting me the recipe, and I will share with you all!) and Raspberry tea. 

The Sunday is my birthday.  The BIG 35!!!  LOL  I don't feel that old though.  Anyway, my friend Jen has offered to take me out for dinner, her treat on Saturday evening.  So the boys are on their own (which usually mean daddy fixes Mac and Cheese and if the weather is ok, play date at the park in the sand!  Jen has been harassing me for two months now about already having my birthday present, because she knows how much I hate that!  I have been begging her for hints! LOL  So far, I have out of her that is it square, it is something I can use, but not wear and it is multicolored but does not smell.  LOL  How hilarious is that???  I have no idea what it is. 

And Matthew has already told me he wants to take me out for lunch on Sunday after church.  I asked him if it was just the two of us, and he said we were taking Noah as well.  So I have tried to get out of him what he is planning and where, but he is being mischievious and secretive about it as well and won't tell me either!  LOL  He told me he has my present "on order"  (I am not suprised, he loves shopping online), and that he hopes it gets here in time, but if not, I will understand!!

It has been a hectic week with 3 parties for Noah's second birthday since Saturday night, and now with a Bible Study dinner, a night out with Jen, and lunch with my boys, but hopefully things will be back on schedule by Monday morning.  Don't get me wrong, it has been a wonderful week, but I miss my schedule.  LOL  I just don't feel right when my schedule is all messed up.

Monday I will be starting my new exercise and walking routine and I am going to slowly start in on a new diet plan as well.  I need to loose some weight, but I know me, and if I go all gung ho, I will burn out quick.  So I am going at it slow and changing a few little habits at a time, and trying to add more omovement to my daily routine as well.

Hi all.  Those of you who know me well, or have been reading for a while, know that my son celebrating his 2nd birthday this last Saturday (on the 19th).  It was a busy day as I totally forgot (I can still hardly believe it now) to bake the cake the day before.  So off I went to buy one Saturday morning with some icecream, because we forgot that too. LOL 

The guests (my side of the family) all raved about the cake and the icing. LOL  Aren't they sweet??  We had a houseful that day and Noah was blessed with some wonderful toys and some of the most adorable summer clothing you have ever seen.  He will the best dressed at church this summer. LOL  He doesn't pay much attention to the clothing when h e recieves it, but later when we put it on him for the day, he knows it is new and just giggles with glee over the pictures on the front or the pockets!  He is such a sweetheart.  After everyone left and we had cleaned up (leaving up the decorations for tomorrow's party), we went to eat at Noah's favorite resturant (Chinese!!! LOL  It just so happens it is our favorite as well), and rented some movies (The Chipmunks and Nancy Drew, and the Bee Movie).  We went directlyh home, put on our jammies early and had a little pajama party watching one movie before Noah's bedtime.  He loved it and was definately ready to go to bed after all that excitement!

We decided to do a separate party for Matthew's side of the family on Sunday afternoon.  They are, well...how can I say this gently???.....a little different.  They embarass us honestly  (yes they embarass Matthew too), and we decided ahead of time, we didn't want them in the same house as my family. LOL  So his family consists of his mom and dad, his sister Melanie and husband and 4 year old neice and Grandma and Uncle who live in the area (and a sister Michelle who lives near Washington DC who could not come).  So since his sister is moving to the same town as his mother, I wasn't sure whether to send the invite to her new address or old one, since they are in the middle of moving in and painting and such.  So..........................I sent the invite to Matthew's mother with all the names on it, his mother and fathers, and then Frank, Melanie and Mindi.  Well..........shortly after everyone showed up I asked if Melanie was coming and Matthew's mother replies, NO, she wasn't invited!!!  I said what?? She was invited, in fact her invite was addressed to you and them as well since I didn't know where she was going to be.  She said well, I am not saying she didn't get one, I am only saying she didn't receive it and she was VERY hurt by that.  She couldn't understand why you wouldn't invite her.  I repeated it was on her invite and she acted like she had no idea what I was talking about.  So I offered to call her, but she was at the old house, over an hour away.  I followed Matthew into the kitchen and we both think she did this on purpose to make me look stupid and because she was mad that she wasn't invited on Saturday with everyone else. 

So we called Melanie and apologized for the misunderstanding and told her it was not intentional to not invite her.  She told us she was going to be in our town on Tuesday, and asked if she could bring by his presents and visit for a little while.  So we did a pizza party last night with cake for Noah's 3rd party!  LOL  Matthew begged to buy a plastic Radio Flyer wagon with the canopy for his birthday and we did.  So Mindi adn Noah had to have a wagon ride around the block after the party while the ladies collapsed in the living room and talked. 

I have pictures of Noah shoving cake in his mouth and putting icing on his eyebrows, but I need to have Matthew download them for me so I can show all of you!!!  So pictures will be coming soon!!!

Hope you all have had a wonderful weekend and week so far.  I will be checking up on my friends blogs today, so look out!!!!  Love you all!!

I saw a Random Thoughts post on someone else's blog and decided to do one of my own today.  So here it goes:

Random Thoughts for today:

1.  It is gorgeous outside and I so needed the sun today.  Thank you Lord for the gorgeous weather and sun.  Now where are my capris from last summer?? LOL

2.  I love this boy of ours.  Noah will be two this weekend and it is amazing how I love him more and more with each day.

3. Crockpot dinner tonight.  I should get it in the pot by lunch if possible.

4.  Reminder to myself to get the phone bill paid. ( I thought I was so smart by having them stop sending me paper bills, so they send me emails, and now my bill is overdue because I didn't checck my email! LOL)

5.  I wonder how my best friend, Marcia, is doing on her second day at her new job.

6.  I miss my hubby.  We sat down last night and watched a few tv programs together.  It was one of the first nights we have had together in a long time.  He seems to be working late, or there is something on the schedule that takes us from home too often lately.

7.  I need to toss in some laundry today.

8.  I really need to get the dining room table cleaned off (from my list of to-do's yesterday)

9.  I wonder if I can think of 10 random thoughts to list here.  LOL (Trying to fill up space here)

10.  I really want to take a nap today, but instead I will most likely end up doing dishes and taking a shower while Noah is napping.

Well there ya go.  That is what is on my mind today!!   Now aren't you impressed??? Are you not thrilled that you wasted the few minutes it took to read this?? LOL

I got some news today and my feelings were rather mixed, but thankfully I hid that well.  As some of you know, my parents died in 2006 and 2007 within 5 months of each other.  It was very hard on my family because we were all so close to mom and dad.  Mom was like my best friend, and dad was a wonderful man as well.

Today was my neice Megan's 21st birthday.  We all met at my brother and sister in laws house today for her birthday cake, cheesecake and of course some icecream and visiting.  My brother (her father) is the one who has been remodeling the house and was about to put it up for sale after carpeting went in and a little landscaping was done to it.  Megan grabbed me for a hug when I first got there and told me................................................................she and Joseph are buying the house!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I was shocked and wowed for about 2 seconds, then grabbed her for a hug and just sobbed on her shoulder.  She is moving into my childhood home (I lived there from about 11-12 on till I graduated.  I was disappointed at first, that I won't be moving in....but then my disappointment turned to joy that the house will be staying in the family!  Grandma (We all called her Rere) would have loved the thought of her Meggie living there with Joseph.  The next thing Megan told me was, oh good I thought you would either be really glad, or really mad I was moving in there.  I said I had been heartsick over some stranger moving in there and this was like an answer to prayers for me.

You see, I think sometimes it is all in the reaction to something happening in your life.  If life gives you lemons, make lemonade so to speak.  I am disappointed that I am not moving in there.  If any of you have read my recent blog, you know how much I love that house and wanted to move in.  But Matthew was NOT ready to move in there.  He is still dealing with some grief issues that keeps him from moving in there, and yet my grief was pushing me closer to it.  Now with Megan and Joseph buying it, I don't have to worry about a stranger living there and Matthew is happy we don't have to call it home as well.

Megan expressed her want to have family gatherings in that house this year like Thanksgiving and Christmas as well.  She wants to put lights up on the entire house like my parents did!  She asked her mother if she would still come cook though.  LOL  I told her I would come helpher cook for the holidays as well if she wanted me too. 

So the ride home today was a peaceful one.  We had a hard weekend and I cried several times Friday and Saturday talking this over with Matthew.  I would still love to take pictures and post them of the house for you all to see soon though.  Megan said I could, come visit the house (and her...LOL) anytime.

Megan is graduating with her Rn in May, then Joseph and she will wed in June.  And buying a house like this is a dream come true for her!!! 

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

I have talked about this before, and perhaps I am a slow learner.  Or maybe I was just a loving wife, giving my husband one more chance (well that one more chance turned into many many many chances!).  Who am I kidding?? I was lazy and didn't want to make another trip to the store when I realized I had forgotten a few things on my grocery list.

I went to the store the other day but had forgotten my list at home, and considering I was working with no list, I did pretty good at getting everything on it.  I had forgotten milk, Carnation Instant breakfast (our son is so skinny, that this is wass suggested to help him put on some more weight), some lunch meat, cornbread mix (only Jiffy), Picante sauce, grapes and apples.  So I sent hubby to the store yesterday to get the things I mentioned here and he came home with SIX BAGS OF GROCERIES!!!  He got icecream cones (we NEVER eat ice cream cones, we just eat the icecream from a bowl), 4 different kinds of jelly (which I have had in the pantry if he had only looked), french fried onions (I already bought them the other day), 5  tall cans of hot cocoa mix (I can make it cheaper, and besides it is spring time.......and he nor I drink hot cooca in the spring, or summer time), cheddar cheese microwave popcorn (we already had popcorn in the pantry as well)  3 boxes of Saltine crackers, and several several other things I can't even think of right now. 

There went our grocery budget for the month!  I had already done the grocery shopping for the month of April and since we had a hog butchered earlier, I was so proud that our grocery bill had went down some.  Well not anymore! LOL

So, I have learned my lesson good and hard this time and here is the moral to my story: NEVER LET YOUR HUBBY GO TO THE STORE WITH A BLANK CHECK!!!  I am determined to give him the money he needs for gasoline for the car for the rest of the month, and that is it!  No extras for him!  LOL

Do any of you have a husband who does this???

Disclaimer : Please do not write me saying I am trashing my hubby by saying these things about him.  I love my hubby very much and he is the head of the household, but I am the queen of the finances.  LOL  He is a caring, loving husband and father, but this is his weakness!  LOL  Just as I know I can't send him to the store by himself with a blank check, he knows he can't send me into an office supply store with one, or he can't send me to the store to get disks for his computer, because I will get the wrong ones. LOL  He knows better than to ask me about getting oil for the car, and I know better than to ask him to get the Maybelline black/brown mascara I must have.  LOL  At least I do have him trained on which size diapers Noah wears and the special wipes that are gentle on his rear! LOL

I just don't know what else to do ladies.  I have tried the hot cup of tea or cocoa (I am not a coffee drinker) at bedtime, but that doesn't help.  I have taken warm/hot showers or baths and they do nothing for me (ok, my muscles are more relaxed, but it didn't relax me enough to go to sleep)   I have tried going to bed early and I just lay there and toss and turn for hours (sometimes till 3am in the morning).  All natural muscle relaxants release muscle tension but don't make me sleep. 

So I have been taking Tylenol PM lately to sleep better (doc told me she could write me a script for a sleeping pill, but it would be expensive and our insurance won't pay for them, so she suggested the Tylenol PM), but taking 2 does nothing for me.  Taking 3 helps make me sleepy, but some nights I am still tossing and turning at 1, 2, and 3am even though I try to be in bed by 10pm. 

I have a prescription for an anxiety pill (it came in handy when my parents died and I was having major panic attacks), and doc told me I could take several if needed to help me go to sleep.  So I took 40mg and 3 Tylenol PM tonight as well as 3 (normal dosage) os the muscle relxants because I am a little sore today after seeing the chiropractor and getting my ribs put back in place.

It is 10:45 now (I took the meds a little after 9), and I am finally getting a little sleepy.  I am going to go lay down and see if I can in deed fall asleep finally. 

Do any of you have any ideas for me other than the drugs to knock me out to get to sleep???  I am desperate for some help!  Thanks in advance!

I talked with a dear friend Friday evening about the situation with my parent's house being put up for sale soon and how I have been thinking and praying about the home being ours.  (You can read my last post if you need the full update)  She suggested that if it was hard for Matthew to talk about it, that I write him a letter.  She told me don't make it fancy and sugar coat things, but make sure he knows I understand how he is still grieving and emotional when we mention my parents (he really was so close to them) and that I would not be mentioning this at this time if we were not in a time crunch with the house being put on the market soon.

In the letter I included a list of 15 reasons why we should by the house which I will include for you here:

1.  The house is newer and therefore does not have the older plumbing and electrical problems ours has.  (Mom and dad were the first and only owner of the house and bought it brand new about 22 years ago.

2.  No bad neighbors (Our neighbors right now are unbearable!!!  Teenagers with lots of kids that are all over our property, dogs that chase us and bark at us, and they own several four wheelers which they ride and pop wheelies and make lots of noise.  Since mom and dad lived in that house for years while I was still home, I know all the neighbors!  They are wonderful!)

3.  It has a 2 car garage, so no more parking on the street.

4.  It has a large side and back yard that Noah can play in.  (it is off the street enough we can send him outside to play when he is older and not worry about him getting into the street.)

5.  Garden possibilities (It has a large area that mom and dad used to use for a garden, and Matthew loves to garden!)

6.  New appliances in the kitchen including a dishwasher. (Matthew has been wanting to buy one, for they are so expensive for the portable ones and I just can't see spending that money on one right now)

7.  Laundry room  (Ok so we have a laundry room now as well, but this ome is brand new!!)

8.  It has more room to stretch out in (It has 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths and 2-3 living rooms if you count basement,....which is finished by the way)

9.  It has 2 large decks for outdoor BBQing

10.  The house is great for entertaining our friends and family (Possibly even have our own Bible Study group......Matthew has always wanted to do this and the house would be perfect for this)

11.  Mom and dad would love the thought of us living in that house, and Noah growing up there.

12.  It is located on a nice quiet street (in which Noah can ride bikes on later)

13. This is a once in a lifetime chance

14. We could not afford this house without David's help in purchasing it (my brother)

AND LASTLY

15.  It has a beautiful country setting but is in town.  (We have been talking about moving to the country, but this house is as close as you can get to the country while still living in town.  It is set back off the road, you drive down a short gravel driveway with trees around you, over a small creek and to the house.  When you look out the front door, you see trees adn then through the trees and on the other side of the city street are the other houses.  Across the creek on one part of the property is a wooden bridge that crosses to the street. 

Of course this home has alot of sentiment for me.  I remember learning to parallel park in between two trees in the yard before going to get my lisence.  I remember sitting on the bridge with friends eating snacks, dangling our feet and chatting about boys.  Our wedding took place on the front deck of this house and we had a big BBQ with mom's ribs and all the fixings afterwards.  My mom and I had many haert to hearts sitting on the stairs inside on late nights after coming home from a date.  Our Noah crawled in that house and took some of his first steps in that house.  The house is filled with so much love and memories and I want to add more to it!

So...................I gave the letter to Matthew earlier today while Noah was napping after church and lunch.  He read it and said he had a headache and asked if we could talk about it later.  He said we should talk to David about it, but that's all he has said so far.  So I will talk to him tonight, see if I can get ahold of my brother and sister in law to go out and eat (or have them to our house) soon to talk about this and tell them we are interested in the house and ask them what can we work out with them.

Please pray about this if you see fit and I will keep you posted as soon as I know anything else.

Also, thank you for everyone who read the orginal post and left me a comment and told me you would pray.  We don't want this house because we want it though.  Does that make sense?? LOL  We want it only if it is God's will and sees fit to give it to us.  I understand if this doesn't work out, it will be because God has something different in store for us.