Letters to Santa

(I was going to take pics of all the letters, but #1, ran out of batteries, and #2, the spelling was attrocious atrocious! I only left a few words spelled wrong so you get the hint! One of the gifts I've already purchased is a spelling kit from Hooked on Phonics. Shhhh, don't tell on that one, I'm they would be very disappointed to find that little secret out!)

Dear Santa, I would like a lot of art stuff, and more things to put my stuff in, baby dolls, and and webkins I don't have much I would like a different project runway, mony, a micerphone, a gutar, a world map, a cabage patch kid. Roller stakes and jwerly

This is all so far that I'm to going to do so far.

Love Evelyn

To: Santa Clause (picture of Santa)

Love: Amber Vogel (picture of Amber)

All I want for Christmas is..................

Dear Santa Clause,

All I want for Christmas is my teeth to grow in good, but that is not what I want most. The thing I want for Christmas is Precious Moment stuffed animal and cake decorating stuff. I would also like a DSI and Carier and Games. Please give me money too. I would also like more books. I want a kitten for Christmas to but my mom is alrgeak (allergic) to kittens. I want a cudly animal pillow. A cell phone so I won't have to use the school phone for DI. A labtop (laptop!) so I can do reasch on it and asiments (assignments). I want a pair of Tvs that can play Blueray and Tv shows.

Love, Amber Vogel

Dear Santa,

What I want for christmas is a bike and money to get stuff for my dsi. I want lego kits and a guitar hero guitar. I want dsi games and jewlery from james avery. I want a cell phone and a laptop. I want for it to snow in Tennesse, and a dsi starter kit (blue). I want for me not to have to ride the bus. I want wii games.

Love, Emily

Yes, they are shooting high this year. This year, the national news, or better yet, the White House, needs to do a news special on how the economy is even impacting Santa and that gifts will be smaller this year, however, that does not mean kids have been even better behaved than in years past.

I wonder if Santa knows which pig pillow Angela has in mind... and where to get it. The elves are probably scrambling right now! Evelyn needs some punctuation! Santa, dental concerns top my list too, I hope you can pull that one off! I'm sure a laptop would help Amber's spelling! And Santa, this mom would SURE like to have someone pick Emily up from school everyday so she wouldn't have to ride the bus! That jab hits the heart!

What are YOU asking Santa for this year?

Yes, it's been awhile

Life gets crazy busy at times... and this is one of those times. I haven't forgotten about this blog, just taking a little break. After the holidays, I will be up and running with it again. And yes, we've also taken a little break from the HEP. We will be up and running with it in Jan. See you then! Have a safe and happy Holidays!

HEP (Healthy Eating Plan)

Quick update...
Week one started off awesome! I did great ALL week... until we went out of town. I decided not to pack my own food, but to go with the flow of it and when I could to eat on-plan. When I had decisions to make, I made good ones. For the first time, I ate two consecutive meals at fast food places and got healthy salads! (grimace) Pretty soon I'll figure out what places to go to and what to avoid. Now it's a new week! This week will have it's own challenges, with two Birthdays to celebrate! I'm also running low on our green drink mix, so I'm looking for what to do about that. Get a new one? Stick with the old? hmmmmm.... One thing about this HEP, it is time consuming. I feel like I spend so much longer in the kitchen! Hopefully that will balance out! That's it for now... I'm off to go grocery shopping!

Changes. Sometimes you just have to!

You know when you know you need to do something, but you don’t want to, but you know it’s important, but that still doesn’t make it easier? That’s me! That’s me with our food. I know what’s right. I know what to do. I know how to do it. I just don’t want to.

Well… It’s time. God has given me many “red flags” over the last three weeks. It’s time. So here we go… on yet another adventure! There are specific things I want to accomplish with this Healthy Eating Plan (HEP). (Details to follow) My wonderful readers, this is where you come in… If you have any advice, I would be oh-so-happy to listen read it. If you need any advice, I will offer what limited knowledge I have and research with you to find the best response!

“Kimberly, WHAT are the specifics?!” you ask.
Since you asked so bluntly… Here is the short version:
1. We need to regain our health!
2. I need healing of my scar tissue and rebuilding of healthy tissue. (see post)
3. Attention issues for (some of our) kids.
4. We did it before, and it worked!
5. To reduce the amount of medications our family takes.
6. I feel like God is calling me to do this out of obedience. (Gulp!)

“Kimberly, WHAT is the PLAN?”
Great question! I’m still trying to figure that one out! But here is what it is at this point:
1. Reduce the sugar intake. ALL sugar! That includes anything WHITE (flour, sugar, pasta, bread…).
2. Incorporate more TRUE grains.
3. Replace junk with fruits and veggies.
4. Go organic on as much as our budget will allow.
5. Start each morning with a green drink for the whole family.
6. Supplements and vitamins!
7. All of us are now packing a healthy lunch! (NO MORE CAFETERIA!)
8. I (just me) am cutting out yeast for a few weeks. (sigh)
9. Oh yeah…. I even cut out my coupla times a week glass of wine… (double sigh)

***So as to not be called out for torturing my kids… I am allowing them to have ONE piece (Ok… sometimes two) of Halloween candy AFTER ALL homework is completed and rooms are picked up! Man, you should see how quickly the rooms get done!

-------UPDATE--------
I had hoped to get this out BEFORE we actually started the HEP, but was too busy looking up articles and cutting fruit.
We are now on DAY 2!

Kids have responded very well. They all came home from school yesterday SO HUNGRY! Only because they didn’t like the fruit choices… or couldn’t open the containers… or didn’t eat because kids were teasing (WHAT?!) But they LOVED the sandwiches! Even on the ww (stone ground) bread! So… I let them pick out a few more things for their lunches today. They had a switch-a-roo on the fruits I had packed and got out some cheese and Peanut butter to dip the carrots and apples in. GO KIDS! I am also going to add nuts to the lunches. What really makes me smile: They LOVE the smoothies! Even though they are green! This morning they asked if I would PLEASE make one EVERY morning! And when I passed out the lunches and supplements, I almost cried! I got hugs and “I love you, mom!” THE DEAL IS SEALED! This IS worth it!

As for me… I had a great day one! Only had one bout of grouchies… but that was probably due to the fact that some of the kids were messing around when I was driving. Ok, I was still in the parking lot, but I had a rough driving day. Earlier that day… I hit a dog. With my car. In front of the owner’s mom. Dog’s ok! (I really don’t see how! It was a big bump for a little bitty dog.) That right there qualifies it as a chocolate or wine kind of day! Then later that night, there was the moment when Kevin was looking at the HUGE mound of candy and really wanting to eat some, they all begin to discuss chocolate. In front of me. I ordered everyone OUT of the kitchen with the words “NO one should stand in the way of a woman and her chocolate!” Kevin did his famous laugh and promised to not talk about candy in front of me. What an understanding husband! And no… I did not have ANY! So day one closes as a success!

Win a Cuddlebug!

This is what I want for Christmas!

http://svgcuts.com/blog/?p=3672

Cleaning out the pantry is for the birds!

Bird Suet

2 cups lard/shortening/bacon grease

1 cup crunchy peanut butter

2 cups oatmeal

2 cups corn meal

1 cup flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 cup raisins

1 cup wild birdseed

Melt lard and peanut butter.

Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into molds. Store in freezer.

That's the recipe... here's the lowdown:

When we made these with Granna, (remember, Granna's Gardens?) she literally cleaned out the pantry. Almost rancid nuts, oatmeal that wasn't ohsofresh (does uncooked oatmeal go bad? really?), a little on the old and hard side dried fruit, cooked oatmeal that wasn't finished for breakfast, and stale chips might have even made it's way into the mix. We also crunched up egg shells and used that as a source of calcium (calcium? really?)

The kids had a blast, but I think the birds enjoyed it the most! (not to mention the sneaky squirrel...)

The MOST Beautiful Picture

The picture of Baptism is one of the most beautiful pictures around. The symbolism... showing what Jesus did to save us... his death and Resurrection... being buried with Christ... being raised again... new life... it is breathtaking. The only thing that makes the picture of baptism more beautiful is when it is your child being baptized. Three of my children showed the world they have made a decision to be followers of Christ. Another added blessing is that they shared this joy with Papa. Their Grandfather had the honor of (as one of them pronounces it) bathmetizing them! It was the most beautiful picture. We were all blessed that so many of our family and friends showed up on a rainy (with a patch of dry skies just long enough to hold the baptisms) Sunday to celebrate this new life with us!

New

Today is the start of a new day! It is also the start of a new job. Until I get acclimated to this newness... I will be taking a short break from my blog. I am hoping to be back in two weeks ready to share all of my adventures with you! Until then, enjoy whatever NEW things come your way!

Lamentations 3:22, 23

Did I really just do that?

How do I get out of this one? I don't think I can... It sure is making me laugh, though! One of my precious daughters walks in and says "Mom, friend's name (all privacy is protected here on this blog... most of the time!) just called another friend (see previous parenthesis) a bad word and I don't know what it means. I think it was something like BH or VH or something. What is it?" Now, let me interject right here that on a somewhat-regular basis, I have a cuss word inventory with my kids. They get to tell me all the words they aren't supposed to say (so I can see what the schools are teaching my children, you know, the real life education they get while getting an education?) and I tell them the literal meaning. So far, it has kept my kids from cussing or using inappropriate language, because the meanings of the words are so silly and you can get your meaning across without demeaning yourself by using cuss words. At least, I hope it has worked so far. And, I love hearing what words my kids think are cusses. (stupid, looser, heck, and yes, the four letter ones...) Ok, back to the story...
So I, the mom, the wise one, reply "Did she say the word b**ch? Is that what she said?" Child answers, "I'm really not sure. But what is that word mommy? Is it a bad word? What does it mean?" I'm too busy storming out of the house to answer. I might have said, yes it is a bad word, but I really don't remember... I go outside and holler across the yard "Child! Have you been calling someone a bad word?! We don't use bad words at THIS house!" She then explains to me that she didn't say a bad word, she said the initials BH which stands for Butthead. But, no she wouldn't say a bad word over here. She knows not to. At this point, I am very proud of myself. I do not double over laughing. I contain my composure and remind her that I would appreciate it if they talk nicely about other people. She says "Yes Ma'am" as sweetly as can be. At this point I start yelling at everyone to get in the car, cause we're goin' to church! Which is where I need to be to confess my sin of teaching my child how to cuss.

Wordless Wednesday - What I want to be when I grow up...

When my daughter told me that instead of an actress, she wanted to make cakes, I jumped on it! We made our own marshmallow fondant and this is her first fancy cake! It looks like her career as a cake decorator is starting off wonderfully!

For more Wordless Wednesday, please visit 5 minutes for mom and jolly mom.

My Many Miracles - it's only routine

As I've mentioned before, I just passed the year anniversary of when I was given another chance at life. My life was almost taken, but God gave me another chance. I know we have new chances every morning. As a follower of Christ, I believe that I have a new chance ANY TIME I need one. But when you see your life fading, and possibility of death from Earth fast approaching, it changes your perspective. At least, it did mine. Did it ever! Before I get into all the details of what happened, I want to share with you what I wrote a few weeks after my "near death" experience. I didn't know it at the time, but I still wasn't out of the woods. As I look at the date, I wrote this exactly a year ago this week! Enjoy the glimpse into one of my many miracles!

it's only routine... and on a 'lucky' day
On 08-08-08 the world was talking about what a lucky day it was. For me it was a day I was to have a very routine surgery. One night in the hospital, two to four week recovery time. No big deal. The surgery went fine. Or so they thought. In recovery they realized it was not good. But it was a day of luck! What was going on? My blood pressure was crashing. There was internal bleeding. When they checked it out, emergency surgery was needed. I remember hearing bits and pieces of it and knew there was trouble. From what I understand, here is what happened: I was hemorrhaging and something else was going on with my blood. I went into shock and my body was attacking my blood. It was going from bad to worse. I know my doctor prays before each surgery and pictures The Great Physician behind him guiding him and giving him wisdom. I need to inform him that in my case, God stepped in and carried me. I wanted to live. God took the team of doctors and preformed a miracle. He carried all of us. And I survived! My blood pressure was very unstable and my blood was doing funny things. I had 12 or more transfusions among other blood stuff. I have 2 clots, one in my lungs and one in an arm. They put a filter in my lungs to protect against any more clots and the one that is there. My veins didn't cooperate and I had to have a central line put in. I swelled up and it made movement very difficult. After a few days my lungs started filling with fluid and started to collapse. I ended up staying in the hospital for 12 days. The road ahead is filled with doctor appointments and different kinds of treatments. We still don't know what is going on with my blood. Not all the numbers are running normal. I still have clots and will have to have the filter removed when the clots are gone. Walking is slow and I have to take it really easy. Through it all, God held me close. Jesus was my companion at the darkest moments. Without the miracles and mercies of God, I would not be here. I am reminded of that everyday and am so happy to be alive. My outlook is one of freedom and grace. I see God's smiles all around me, through people's prayers, through phone calls and emails, through offers of help, through the bird that plays on the tree outside my window. God has shown me there is a new path for me, a new way to live. I no longer have a job so I can have as long as I need to heal. I no longer feel oppressed by the outside things I was beholden to, things that didn't really didn't matter. I was given a gift in this. A gift of life and a gift of a new path. It really was a 'lucky day'. Thank you God!

Swagbucks

Have you noticed the swagbuck button on my sidebar? I'm laughing as I read that sentence, knowing that some of you that read this blog are not quite blog-savy yet... sidebar??? button???? swagbucks???? Just for fun, I'm only going to answer the question "Kimberly, honey, what is that swaggy thingy?". (If you add layers of southern drawl and add "I swanny" to the end, you'll get a complete impersonation of my mom!) Enough already! Just tell us about Swagbucks!

Yes Ma'am!

Swagbucks is a search engine (a google thingy) that gives you "swagbucks" for using it to look things up! It randomly awards people swagbucks. You may or not get one when you use it, but if you use it enough, it will add up! If you sign up under me, just by clicking the button on my sidebar, I'll get swagbucks! If people sign up under you, you'll get swagbucks! So why do you want swagbucks???? You redeem them for free stuff!!!! They have all kinds of things... mp3 downloads, music, games, movies, and my favorites... gift cards! I've gotten 2 Amazon gift cards worth $5 each and am almost to my 3rd! You can even trade in swagbucks for real bucks with paypal! And who doesn't want money! So get signed up, people!

A cool thing... they do not send you spam emails! The emails are only for activating your account and info about your prizes!

One more cool thing... they give out swagcodes all the time. Right now, if you click on the "special offers" in the red box, skip the offers, you will get a code. Copy it and type it into the box on the home page that says Enter swag code (under your name and how many swagbucks you have).

Any questions? Still wondering what a button or a sidebar is? I'll answer the best I can... I swanny!

Wordless Wednesday - It's that time of year again!

Back to school time!

How did your first day go? What about the morning of?

Kids are still happy!

Angela had a much better day! She said "It's all good now!"

Smiles around our house!

For more Wordless Wednesdays,

visit 5 minutes for moms

and Jolly Mom.

First Day of School... Mom's point of view

Whew! We made it through the day! I thought about the kids all day and wondered what they were doing... if they were having a good day... how their lunch was... simultaneously enjoying the peace and quiet! It was amazing... I got to watch what I wanted on TV! (So... I didn't actually watch TV, but knowing I could watch what I wanted when I wanted without interruption was a luxury!) I cleaned the whole house top to bottom! (OK... ENOUGH of this fairy tale! I did get the bathrooms done...) I completed my whole chore list! And had time to spare for a nap (and play on facebook, and blog, and chat on-line...)!
Picking up the kids from school was filled with excitement and anxiety. I didn't even make it to the playground because there were too many moms to catch up with on the way! Instead, my kids met me by the cars. (We don't do car line, we do backdoor walkers, otherwise known as mom's social time!) They all came home with smiles and excited stories. Evelyn walked around singing how much she loved school! (SHOCK! Excitement!!!) Amber had stories of her friends and is so excited to be in class with a close friend!

Angela's bff since preschool is in her class! She did have a hard time because a girl in pigtails kept touching her birthmark. It was a bit too much for her... Angela asked me today why God gave her the birthmark. I don't have that answer. I told her that. I also said "So you can show the world what beauty really is!" After talking for a while about what else went wrong that day, she was fine and ready for a good year. We both just hope the kids get used to her birthmark pretty soon so they will stop asking questions. This is something we go through in any new situation and it gets better.

The bus for Emily didn't get home until almost 5 o'clock! I was going crazy and really curious about her day. She loved it. It is a challenge, to find her classes and know how it all works, but she is really excited about it. She was glowing with excitement for all this year holds. The best part... the girls all kept talking and talking and sharing and sharing and were happy. As soon as dad stepped into the house, he took time to sit with each child and hear about their day! I'm so thankful the girls want to sit and share with their mom and dad the events of the day. The first day of school! And to clear up the sock drama... that child has decided socks are not quite so bad after all and will wear them to school. Now to see if we can keep the hair drama to a minimum! (I'll take those dramas!) Mrs. Tickle, did she live up to her name??? Evelyn says YES!

Our annual picture outside the school! Smiles this year!

Not My Child! Monday ... first day of school

Not my Child! on the first day of school!

My child did not start Jr High today...
My child did not ride the bus today... for the first time... to jr high.
I am not scared of the big 8th graders... and the bad words they use.
I am Not a nervous wreck!

My child did not refuse to wear socks today... and lock herself in her room.
Did I mention she shares that room with her sister?


My child did not wear bright red socks, pink shoes and a fuchsia shirt... all thinking they matched.

My child did not have scraggly hair on this all important picture taking, impression making morning... all because this summer she gave herself a haircut!
I did not sucessfully, without tears for the first time ever (this mom of 4 girls who surely knows how to do all things hair...) use a straight iron and curling iron and hair dryer with a fancy brush on everyone's hair (except for the child that was locked in her room because of the sock drama)!

My child did not look way too grown up this morning!

I am not super proud of my kiddos this morning... as they are off on another adventure this year at school!

Read about what other children (and moms) are NOT doing! Check out McMama's blog!

Coming up tomorrow...
Reports on the first day of school! Does Mrs. Tickle live up to her name? Did the girls make friends? Did Angela get any questions... you know the birthmark ones... and ... PICTURES!

Letting go

It might have been at the street corner, in the middle of the kitchen, leaning across the car, or in the bright and colorful doorway. But it happened. Many of us said goodbye to our kids as they started school. Some of us may have had tears. Some of us may have hidden our delight. Some may have been so rushed that there was no time for emotion. Ready or not, school started, and it’s time to let go a little more.
As your hands loosen their grip a bit and you take a step or two back, keep your eyes forever watchful and your heart open and full. Our kids need us now more than ever as the outside seeps its way in. When we’ve made a little progress in letting go, we see more ways they are asking for it. “Mom, can I ride my bike to school?” “You can pick me up, but does anyone have to see you?” “ I go potty by myself.” “I can do it!” In the early years, one of the first signs of independence is when they become mobile.
As they learn to crawl, notice how it seems they crawl away from you more than to you. From that point on, the steps they take carry them farther away from us and closer to the outside world.
No matter what age they are by your side, hold them close and teach them. But mostly - love them. When the time comes for you to loosen that grip a little, it is love that will carry them (and you) through.

Wordless Wednesday - A facebook reconnection!

Thank you facebook! You have brought back into my life so many friends I once thought I would never see again...

Here is the fam with one of my besties from college days! Kristi and Jalee (her awesome daughter) included spending an evening with us as part of their summer vacation!

This time, we will not let 10 years go by before we see each other again!

And, looking at that wallpaper, oh my! Either we need to stop taking pictures there, or we need to do some redecorating!

For more Wordless Wednesdays, (and to give your eyes a break from that wallpaper!) visit 5 Minutes for Mom and Jolly Mom.

Amber - Back to School

Amber is all ready for her first day of school... minus the pair of shoes we still have to get... and the... um.... school supplies... and the haircut...

At least she has a great back to school outfit!

Mema strikes again!

Not Me! Monday... Economy Edition...

What have you NOT done this week??? Read what others are NOT doing over at MckMama's blog!

The economy is NOT kicking our rears right now. It's actually kicking our pocketbooks...
Due to that I did NOT tell my kids that we can not do the typical back to school shopping. Instead, we would give them each a certain amount of money (around 75% less that what we normally spend on back to school things...) and they would choose what they get with the money.
There really were no tears. It worked out very well. So far.
In that conversation I did NOT tell them parts of our family's financial situation. I would NEVER divulge such grown up things to my kids!
I did NOT also inform them that any extra jobs for earning money was also affected by the economy and there would be a pay cut. ($1 jobs reduced to 25 cents)
My children did NOT whine, cry or get upset. For real! They didn't!
I am so proud that they all understood and have made very wise decisions! I am also pleased to announce that they have used the information to make life easier by not asking for pricey things and understanding when we have said no.
I believe God has rewarded them and answered prayers by sending family members to invite my children on back to school shopping trips.
In view of our struggle in this economy... I did NOT get a part time job! Woo Hooo! I start in 2 to 3 weeks!

Happy Not Me Monday!

Hurt by Words

Someone hurt my feelings. Actually, they cut me deeply with words spoken that slandered and demolished everything that is important to me. The speaker of the words that were Oh So Hurtful was not someone I could just stop talking to or someone that I could put in my past. It was a very important someone that I will see... a lot. An already shaky relationship was made rocky and irreparable that much harder to repair. For a year now, I've been walking around hurt, wounded, and angry. I've "given" it to God (and then snatched it back anytime I needed to...). I've rationalized it away. I've forgiven. But the hurt has been there, hovering over me. I have spent a year second guessing myself. What if those words were true? If that is the person I am, if the picture that was let loose by those words is who I am, then I am nothing of what I believe myself to be. There were some dark days when my thoughts ran down that trail. And I kept it inside. And I didn't talk about it. Every once in a while, I would talk to my husband. He would listen. He would love. He would remind me of who I am. He would remind me of Who matters.

I took a hard look at the speaker of those words and I saw a very hurting person. A person that, yes, I love. A person I pray for. A person that also is walking around wounded.

But that didn't take away the pain.

I've been carrying it around for too long.

It's time to lay it down.

At the feet of Jesus.



I went to a place of love and safety for me. A place to get advice, to be heard, but most importantly, a place of love. This is what I left with:



What I'm going through with the Speaker of the Words is based on my feelings. I feel hurt. What to do with that hurt? Acknowledge it, feel it, talk about it, let it go, learn from it. A lot of times, feelings control us. When we feel a certain way, we act a certain way. When we feel "bad", we act "bad". When we feel overwhelmed, we act out of control. When we feel hurt, we act out that hurt (prove them wrong or prove them right). The spiritual realm does not take into account our feelings. We are to obey. Obedience brings blessings (good feelings). We are to repent and have a true thankfulness. That leads to positive feelings and a positive outlook on life.



Change comes when we realize we've suffered enough. Lay the hurt down at the feet of Jesus. Repent. Live in gratitude. Seek mercy not justice. The Holy Spirit will take the situations and present opportunities for what needs to happen next in the journey. Taking those thoughts, I've realized I've suffered enough. I've been acting out my hurt. I want to lay it all down and obey. With repentance and a new start.



The guy who leads the meeting that I went to, a man I trust and love and respect greatly, a man simply known as Jim, a changer of lives by the simple acts of listening and loving. Wrote this on his blog...

"When you put your life and your judgments of others on the alter, when you make ready and accept to die, you are invincible. You have no more enemies and nothing more to lose." -- Josif Ton



"Although you may spend your life killing them off one by one - you will never exhaust all your foes. But if you quell your own anger, hate, self-centeredness, and self-contempt, your real enemy will finally be slain." -- Siddha Nagarjuna



We are our own worst enemies - not as children, but as struggling, immature adults. When we finally realize that, and lay the so many ways that is true down in front of Him for Him to handle, asking Him and Him alone to heal the ways in which we were mistreated or misunderstood in our earlier lives, we are finally free to truly live a life of freedom, passion, and purpose.



Thanks Jim, for simple words of love! Thanks Kevin, for loving and accepting me and reminding me of the Truth! Thanks, Jesus, wow. for everything! um... and thanks Speaker of the Words, for a chance to grow.

Wordless Wednesday - More Cement Creations

You can find amazing things in Granna's Gardens. Remember these? Scattered around are leaves, some will forever hold their beauty along with some bird seed or gardening supplies as they are celebrated in cement!

Other Wordless Wednesdays can be found at
5 Minutes for Moms
and Jolly Mom.

One year ago today...

I was given a gift.

Another chance at life.

God turned tragedy into triumph.

Today

I celebrate

LIFE!

Today

I will live

fully

and

love

fully.

Today

I will

NOT

take for granted

each breath.

Thank you, God...

For another day!

Stay tuned for more of the story... I will be posting the "what happened" soon.

Wordless Wednesday - Granna's Gardens... the flowers

Last week I showed you the pathways in Granna's Garden. This is where the pathways take you!

The flowers in Granna's Garden are amazing!

This is the front yard. Please excuse the large flower with a hurt toe...

Below is the back yard. They live on a hill, so the incline is steep. It has taken years of work to get the garden this big. I love sitting on the back porch, in the cool Tennessee weather, drinking a cup of coffee and watching the animals, even deer that come right to the tree line.

You can almost smell the beauty from the flowers that greet you as you come home after a nice walk around the block.

Even under the deck they have created beauty!

Granna and Papa love turning anything into garden treasures!

Remember Cement Creations? More of those to come! Next week I will show you how to make leaves into cement treasures! Keep checking back... I have more surprises from Granna's Gardens! I even have a special something from Kids in the Kitchen - a garden recipe!

For more Wordless Wednesdays, go to

5 Minutes for Mom

and

Jolly Mom !

Emily - Back to School

My mom... otherwise know as Mema...

is amazing!

What is she up to now?

Back to school shopping!

This hip, cool, grandmother (of 16! and one great-grand!)

keeps up with kid's styles... a bit better than even I do!

And takes her job of back to school shopping seriously.

She does a seriously good job!

Lost

It’s late.
I’m tired…
and stressed.
Driving home
on a dark highway
At night…
Did I say I was tired and stressed?

I had been hangin' out with one of my besties. It was a much needed weekend away… seeing the life of a single girl… Independent and free… fun and fabulous! Our time together ended too soon. The pull of motherhood was stronger than the pull of freedom which lead me to the road I was on
and on that road
I was lost… again!
I felt alone
but not for long.
I felt the darkness
till I looked for the light.
Memories of a conversation earlier that very same day brought me to either tears or laughter…
If I had extra money to spend… I would spend it on…
move over laptop!
washer and dryer, you’re all wrung out!
A GPS system! NOT leaving home without it!
Those thoughts put humor where tears were threatening to take over.
The strength I saw that weekend in my friend encouraged me to stand on own.
I realized you have to know where you are to be able to get where you want to go!
Instead of crying…
or calling someone in the midst of their agony…
or calling someone who didn’t know where I was and wouldn’t be able to tell me where to go…
I decided to put on my big girl panties and deal with it on my own!
SO I DID. (yes… I did stop and ask for directions… it worked!)
I popped in a cd I had bought for my kids.

ALIVE
Wake up!
Do your own thing
BE who you ARE
Stand
Believe in yourself!
LIVE

The message was strong.
The message took me home.
… and I made it! Only 15 minutes later than my original arrival time!

...and that new cd... it's now my favorite!

Wordless Wednesday - Pathways in Granna's Gardens

Take a walk with me through the pathways in Granna's Gardens...

Who knew a side yard could hold so much beauty?

A pathway of memories... the bricks have been picked up on many of Granna's travels.

Continuing up the side yard and to the back of the house...

The path from the side yard around to the back porch.

Last week I showed you some of Granna's Cement Creations and promised you a walk through Granna's Gardens. Next week, come back for a flower's point of view of Granna's Gardens!

You can find more Wordless Wednesdays at 5 Minutes for Moms
and Jolly Mom.

Random thoughts

I just read two blogs...

written by sisters...

Jen talked about a mission trip she went on.

Where she wasn't supposed to talk about Jesus. I thought that was strange. She talked about the cute, uninterested in the Lord, children.

My thoughts:

A hug and listening speaks more Jesus to a child than words do.

Heather challenged you to think about

"What are you believing God for today?"

My thoughts...

Read her comments to find out.

Wordless Wednesday - Cement Creations

Going to Granna's

involved turning baubles

into stepping stones

as beautiful cement creations!

Next week... Granna's Gardens!

Other Wordless Wednesdays can be found at

5 Minutes for Moms

and Jolly Mom.

Not My Child! Monday

This is a twist on the Not Me Monday's! By MckMama.

Of course, I don't have anything to tell on my kids about!

My child did not tell me that she lost her toothbrush on one of our many trips this summer. A whole WEEK after we had been home! No... she did NOT go that long without brushing her teeth.

My child did not loose one of her front teeth because she bit her sister! She does not look absolutely adorable... no, not my child!

My children did not dance the whole night away at my sister's Big Birthday Bash! No way!

My child did not tell neighborhood secrets to the people we want to move in two doors down. So glad those stories did not scare them off.

My child did not wake up in the middle of the night crying because she had to potty... and in her sleep sat on the potty with panties on. She did NOT turn her tears into hysterical laughter then get pouty when I tried to snap her out of it so I could clean her up. She did NOT look at me like I was the crazy one for not getting the funny joke... Only to remember NONE of it the next day.

Not MY kids!
What have your kids NOT done?!

Got Books?

The first week in July we had another book club meeting. The girls were to bring books about America. Because it was the week of the 4th of July, I decided to do a patriotic theme. I let the girls look through the books and explain the ones they brought.

For our craft, we took glass bubbles and painted on them with paint pens. They looked great! First we painted the backs and after they were dry we painted the tops, but it wasn't necessary... they looked great with just the backs painted. We put them on magnets! The magnets had to be heavy duty ones, not the little ones, or they would not stay up. I also had them write letters to people serving in the military. The girls all decided to write to a family member that was a veteran.

It was a great day to reflect on our wonderful country and the freedoms we enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday - Mr. Bill

Remember this guy?

No, not the iron man...

the mischievous one

who is our travelling companion!

We had a blast in our travels!

Come back for details of what he did on our summer vacation!

Other wordless Wednesday posts found on Jolly Mom and 5 Minutes for Mom.

Not Me Monday!

I assure you, I did NOT do any of these things...
I did NOT joyfully drop off my kids (and a friend) at VBS this morning, to come home planning on cleaning the house...
Only to NOT get on the computer to post this...
Only to find out the computer was not going to cooperate...
So I Did NOT have to actually clean the house!
While cleaning, I did NOT find a hair bow decorating a house plant, which made me laugh as hysterically as you can while cleaning...
And WHY was I cleaning today? Only because I did NOT watch 4 Harry Potter movies over the last 4 days!

And I am NOT wishing MckMama a Happy Birthday today!

First Swim of the Year... looking back

This is my favorite place to take the kids swimming.

It is my sister's house.

Denise is great about letting us come over for a dip in the pool. She usually has hummus for me to snack on and candy for the kids! My kids love raiding her pantry and she is great about it! When it's not too hot, she'll even serve me coffee. (But when has the heat kept me from coffee?) She has a stack of towels when we forget ours, and she keeps fun pool toys around for the kids.

This was our first dip in the pool this year.

Can we say the kids were a little hesitant...

We had traded one child for a neighbor's kiddo.

Remember, back in April, when teeth still chattered after a dip in the pool?

Thank you, Denise!

Wordless Wednesday - 4th of July Parade 2009