A Beautiful Saturday Morning

We woke very early, 5 a.m. to be exact, to head out to the hot air balloon launch. I am sure glad that we did. It was a gorgeous morning, not a cloud in the sky. We met up with our neighbors and were amazed together.

This dragon was one of the kids favorites!

There were balloons of every kind.

Funny Friday

I'm trying to decide if this is funny or so true that it is sad!

Thankful Thursday

I am very thankful for two of the worlds truly great pleasures, Coffee and Chocolate. I don't particularly like them mixed together on there own they are great. God created them on the 3rd day. I think that he couldn't wait till the 4th or 5th or 6th day because he already knew just how wonderful they would be.

I am thankful for milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and white chocolate.

I am thankful for coffee with cream, lattes, frappaccino, cappuccino, coffee ice cream, coffee cake, and chocolate covered coffee beans.

One of the Greatest Cleaning Products of All Time

I know that you all probably think that I am a dork for blogging about this but I don't care. I don't know why I waited sooooo long to try this product. It is an amazing cleaning tool. It cleans stuff out of the textured surfaces in the house like nothing else I have tried before. My floors, refrigerator handle, stove handle, dishwasher, railing, and doors and I am just getting started. It is well worth the $2 or $3 that I paid for it.

If you guys know of any other great cleaning products let me know. I am actually a little excited about cleaning now. Just a little though.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all of the wonderful mothers that I know. May you have a relaxing day. Whether you choose to sleep, play, read, rock climb, shop, or plant flowers I hope that it is a great day for you.

Where has your chapstick been?

I recieved this e-mail today and laughed out loud. I thought that it worked well being it is the week before Mother's Day. I know that it is a bit long but worth the read. Enjoy!

>>> The Ellen Show was on and I saw her read this submission to a contest from a viewer that I thought you would like:

So, we had this great 10 year old cat named Jack who just recently died. Jack was a great cat and the kids would carry him around and sit on him and nothing ever bothered him. He used to hang out and nap all day long on this mat in our bathroom.

Well, we have 3 kids and at the time of this story they were 4 years old, 3 years old and 1 year old. The middle one is Eli. Eli really loves chapstick. LOVES IT. He kept asking to use my chapstick and then losing it. So finally one day I showed him where in the bathroom I keep my chapstick and how he could use it whenever he wanted to but he needed to put it right back in the drawer when he was done.

Last year on Mother's Day, we were having the typical rush around and try to get ready for Church with everyone crying and carrying on. My two boys are fighting over the toy in the cereal box. I am trying to nurse my little one at the same time I am putting on my make-up. Everything is a mess and everyone has long forgotten that this is a wonderful day to honor me and the amazing job that is motherhood.

We finally have the older one and the baby loaded in the car and I am looking for Eli. I have searched everywhere and I finally round the corner to go into the bathroom. And there was Eli. He was applying my chapstick very carefully to Jack's . . . rear end. Eli looked right into my eyes and said "chapped." Now if you have a cat, you know that he is right--their little butts do look pretty chapped. And, frankly, Jack didn't seem to mind. And the only question to really ask at that point was whether it was the FIRST time Eli had done that to the cat's behind or the hundredth.

And THAT is my favorite Mother's Day moment ever because it reminds us that no matter how hard we try to civilize these glorious little creatures, there will always be that day when you realize they've been using your chapstick on the cat's butt.

Funny Friday

I'm Back

I can't believe that I haven't blogged in almost a month. It has been a crazy month though. So much has happened. The craziest thing was that we moved. We bought a house and have had a whirlwind of weeks since. I will post pictures of the house soon. The spring soccer season started at the beginning of the month. Brooklyn and Sidney are on the same team this year. They play pretty well together.

Purple Lightning!

The Chick-Fil-A cow showed up to cheer the team on. Brandon and Josh are coaching again this year and they don't have to wear pink.

Zach and Jack are soccer buddies. They both have sisters on the team.

The Big "30"

Brandon turned 30 on the 15th. We had a surprise party for him and he actually was surprised. We were in the process of painting and moving that weekend so he figured that I wouldn't have time to do anything. I am thankful to our friends, Jan and Peter, for hosting the shindig. A good time was had by all.

Funny Friday

Why the Easter Bunny Brings Eggs

10. Big tax write-off.

9. Who ever heard of Easter Bricks?

8. Consider all of the varieties: scrambled, over easy, hard boiled.
7. He gets a good deal from the local chickens.
6. Secret plan to eliminate human race by cholesterol overdose.
5. Pressure from the Egg Marketing Board.
4. Because if it brought bottle rockets it would be the Independence Bunny.
3. Would you want to hunt for waffles?
2. He thinks guys should get chicks at least once a year.
1. Because the Energizer rabbit got the good job.

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful this Easter week for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He paid the price for my sins and for yours by dieing on the cross. He rose again and is preparing a place for those who trust in Him in heaven. Have you taken the time to ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior?

Easter Egg Fun

Last night we had fun together dyeing Easter eggs. The kids and Brandon always enjoy waiting for the outcome. The longer the time the more vibrant the egg. While the kids were doing that last night I wondered why do we do this? Where did it all start? So I did a little research to find the origin of the Easter egg. Here is what I found.

What is the origin of the Easter egg?

Exchanging Easter eggs with one another is a custom that goes back thousands of years. Long before its association with Easter, the egg was a symbol of rebirth. Many ancient cultures used the egg to symbolize both rebirth and the universe. Ancient peoples such as the Persians, the Egyptians, the Chinese, the Gauls, and the Romans all used the egg in their springtime celebrations. Thus the origin of the Easter egg predates the origin of Christianity. However, when Christianity spread to the lands of these ancient cultures, the exchanging of colored eggs became incorporated in the memorial celebration of Jesus' resurrection, the holy day that came to be known as Easter. These Easter eggs were colored and given as tokens to remind Christians of the tomb and Jesus' triumphant victory over death.

Brave Beauties

Grandma and Grandpa came to visit us this week. We spent an afternoon at the Butterfly Pavilion. The girls had a great time, Zach on the other hand was not as into the bugs but as soon as we found the play room he let loose. After much debate the girls, both much braver than me, decided to hold Rosey. Why? I have no idea. I still get chills up and down my spine just thinking about it. They are my brave little beauties.

Funny Friday

First Grade Proverbs

A first grade teacher collected well-known proverbs. She gave each kid in the class the first half of the proverb, and asked them to fill in the rest. Here's what the kids came up with:

1. Better to be safe than... punch a 5th grader.
2. Strike while the... bug is close.
3. It's always darkest before... daylight savings time.
4. Never underestimate the power of... termites.
5. You can lead a horse to water but... how?
6. Don't bite the hand that... looks dirty.
7. No news is... impossible.
8. A miss is as good as a... Mr.
9. You can't teach an old dog... math.
10. If you lie down with dogs, you... will stink in the morning.
11. Love all, trust... me.
12. The pen is mightier than... the pigs.
13. An idle mind is... the best way to relax.
14. Where there is smoke, there's... pollution.
15. Happy is the bride who... gets all the presents.
16. A penny saved is... not much.
17. Two is company, three's... The Musketeers.
18. None are so blind as... Helen Keller.
19. Children should be seen and not... spanked or grounded.
20. If at first you don't succeed... get new batteries.
21. You get out of something what you... see pictured on the box.
22. When the blind lead the blind... get out of the way.
23. There is no fool like... Aunt Edie.
24. Laugh and the whole world laughs with you. Cry and... you have to blow your nose.

Thankful Thursday

Friends

Can you ever have too many? I don't think so. I have been blessed with many wonderful girl friends. All of these women, each one unique, is also very beautiful to me. I was actually afraid at one point that I would lose my friends after becoming a Christian but was I ever wrong. I gain true friends and many of them. Thank You Lord.

The Girls of Emmaus Road

Natalie Cheek

Fancy Jan

Justina Dean

The Floating Head-AKA Julie Luse

Tara Kautz

and Bridget too but I don't have her picture

The Yadas

Robyn Huffman

Amy Pittman
Lisa Jones

Kristy Wohlford and Jodi Leisy

Special Friends

Becky Dishman and Jessica Burnside

My Family Friends

My Mom

My Sister Jessica

My Mother-in-law

Funny Friday

If Julie can have Thankful Thursday I can have Funny Friday so here goes......


An APB on God


A couple had two little boys, ages eight and ten, who were excessively mischievous.
The two were always getting into trouble and their parents could be confident that if any mischief occurred in their town, their two young sons were involved in some capacity. The parents were at their wit's end as to what to do about their sons' behavior.
The parents had heard that a clergyman in town had been successful in disciplining children in the past, so they contacted him, and he agreed to give it his best shot. He asked to see the boys individually, so the eight-year-old was sent to meet with him first. The clergyman sat the boy down and asked him sternly, "Where is God?"
The boy made no response, so the clergyman repeated the question in an even sterner tone, "Where is God?"
Again the boy made no attempt to answer, so the clergyman raised his voice even more and shook his finger in the boy's face, "WHERE IS GOD?"
At that, the boy bolted from the room, ran directly home, and slammed himself in his closet. His older brother followed him into the closet and said, "What happened?"
The younger brother replied, "We are in BIG trouble this time. God is missing and they think we did it!"

Thankful Thursday

Good Morning Everyone!

The rain is falling the temperature is around 50 degrees and it is a beautiful day. A great morning for a Thankful Thursday. "What am I thankful for?" you ask. I am thankful for my three beautiful children and my wonderful husband. Lately I have been noticing more than ever the gifts that they are to me and how blessed I am to be a part of their days. I am thankful that every day I get to give my girls a kiss before they leave for a big day of school and that I am here when they get home from school.

I am thankful that I get to cuddle and watch cartoons with Zach each morning. That I am able to play trains, pirates, race cars, army, golf and many other wonderful games.

I am thankful for the wonderful father that Brandon is to the kids. He is also a wonderful husband and my best friend.

I am reminded today that my cup runneth over and I have God to thank for every last drop!

The Big "9"!

Brooklyn turned 9 this past week. She gave me her last 8 year old kiss Friday night. Sidney says, "don't worry mom, I'll be 8 in a few months" but that doesn't seem to make me feel better. I can't believe how big she is getting but I am so proud of the little girl she is becoming. She is a great joy and a blessing all wrapped up in an energetic little package.

I had fun making Brooklyn's cake. She is getting too big for Barbie or Strawberry Shortcake so we went with a polka dot theme this year. I used fondant for the dots. I had never used it before so I wasn't sure what to expect. It turned out to be pretty easy to work with and I was pleased with how the cake turned out.
Brooklyn invited a few friends and we all went ice skating. The kids all had so much fun. Nobody (except me) got hurt so I considered it a success. Many of the girls had never skated before but they were running circles around me before the afternoon was over.

A big thanks goes out to Jan for helping us haul all of the rugrats to the rink. I think they had fun.

Visual DNA

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™