Cookie Cutters

Out of the Repair Shop!!!

2009-09-08T13:19:00.003-05:00

Most of you know by now, but I just looked and realized that I haven't updated my blog in a month and a half. Sorry.

I went for a second opinion to another doctor...my NEW doctor....and he said that he wasn't sure why the last doctor would scare me to death like he did...but I do NOT have cancer and I do NOT need to have surgery. Chock another one up to God!!!!

Thank you for all the prayers on my behalf...and the cards, calls and hugs. You will never know how comforting they were!

So it's back to life as usual...running and gunning! (Hence the month and a half delay in updates!)

Prayer Request

2009-07-24T21:03:00.003-05:00

Yikes, This post is a little hard to write.
It's easy to ask my prayer warrior friends for prayers of others that I know, but this time I have a prayer request for me. Yesterday afternoon, I went for my yearly exam. During the pap exam they found a mass. The doctor continued with the exam but has asked me to come back in 2 weeks for an ultrasound so that he can look in my uterus for any more polyps or masses. Two of the three scenarios he gave me required surgery.....not really my thing! :) Naturally, I fear the worst, but I am trying really hard to let God have my worry so I can focus on being the mommy and wife my family needs me to be. I promise to update you when I get more news. But for now, all I ask is that you add me and my family to your prayers. Thank you for lifting me up to our Father...the Great Healer!!!

(((HIDING SHEEPISHLY)))

2009-07-06T15:04:00.014-05:00

Okay, So I know it's been a LOOOONG time since I posted last. But a lot has happened so I will try to catch up as best I can!

We are now in our house!!!! Can I get a WHOOP WHOOP!?!?! :) After a long 18 months of living in 5 houses and out of suitcases and boxes...we are now (almost) box free!! The girls are loving their own rooms and the play room. I love that they have their own rooms so I can have some down time on occasion. God has blessed us greatly!! Now.....we need visitors! (Come when you can...there's PLENTY of room and we would LOVE to have you!!!!)

This is part of our kitchen from the stairs. I love the red ceiling!!! There aren't counters in this picture...but we have them now! ;)

This is our bedroom. And yes...the bed is HUGE!And it's not even all of it...there is a metal canopy that goes on the top. Be careful what you buy on Craigslist! :) (We thought it was 1/2 the size!! hehe!)

This is our dining room...it's actually just after a shower so there are still "party ware" laying around! :)

This is the "top of the stairs."When I drew out our house plans, I REALLY underestimated how much space this was! :) Lucky for us we turned it into a sitting area with books and scrapbooks! We use it...so it's great!

This is the formal living room. The fireplace wall goes straight up to the ceiling. (About 18 feet!! It was scary up there while painting! EEK!

This is the master bath...it's still not put together! :) We use the sink in the hall bath for now! Time....just don't have enough of it! :)

This is my FAVORITE room....my closet! :) A place for everything and everything in it's place!!!!
This is my favorite wall of my closet! :) Haha! Love my shoes!!!
Tatum's Room...her room is BRIGHT!!! But it's her! :)

Eden's room! You can't tell from this picture, but her room is pink and brown hounds tooth....and it's always a mess. :)

Rough Revelations

2009-02-12T12:52:00.005-06:00

Many of you know that the Cook's don't generally live a calm, slow and uneventful life. We tend to lean towards the spastic side of life. The past few weeks have been no different.

My wonderful, preacher hubby earns his money with the "after hours" that he puts in. But, I think the past week and a half he has done the work of MANY men. (But, I am partial!) Our church family has had a rough time lately. We have lost three members. It began with Ms. Opal Bradford. She was a sweet lady that has an even sweeter daughter, Winnie, that my girls absolutely LOVE. (She's another grandma to them!) Well, Ms. Opal passed away and David spent several days with the family comforting them and being a pallbearer at the funeral. It's so great to hear of all the wonderful things that were said about her. She meant so much to so many.

Three days later, we lost Carl Bonds. He was another important member to our church. A leader, once upon a time. Mr. Bonds has been ill for many years and finally went home to be with God. David once again spent several days with the family and performed the funeral. Carl will be missed by his dear wife, Elwanda.

Two days later, we had the one year anniversary to the tornado that ripped our town to shreds. Our community got together and had a special service to remember those that lost their lives and to celebrate those that came to help clean up and put us back together. It's still hard to think about the 'might have beens' with that storm. We got to praise God for sparing the lives of our dear friends the Blanton's. They were in their house when it was ripped apart. They were scattered all over their yard, amazingly there were only minor injuries and are all back to 'normal!' (As normal as a preachers family with 4 kids can be! Hi, Amy!) It was an emotional service for many.

The very next night.....complete tragedy struck our church family when a dear friend was killed in a car accident on her way home from work. Jean Henson left behind a 14 year old son, Dakota. Who I ask you to pray for. David spent 4 days with Jean's extended family helping to comfort them and make arrangements for the funeral. It was one of the most impressive funerals I have ever been to as there was standing room only and every possible seat in our church was full! The outpouring of love to Dakota was so incredible that David had a hard time getting through the eulogy without tears. (Which of course is contagious!) Jean touched the lives of so many that, I am sure, she never knew about. She was a soft spoken, but to the point woman. She loved my kids and treated them extra special. She was Eden Bible school teacher and would often tell me (sometimes terrible!!!) stories that she "told on us" in class. Many times I would be in tears from laughing at something Eden said. Jean never had lots of money, didn't wear the finest clothes or drive the fancy cars. But what she did have....genuine love for you. She never accepted a side arm hug...only two arms would do! And she made a point to tell you if she thought about you that week. She will be missed.

As you can see we have had enough sadness to last a long while around here. But it didn't come without a lesson. After being to three funerals and a service to remember those who have (or almost) lost their lives in a tornado, I have realized that I need to tell people that I love them more. I need to tell people when I pray for them...send more cards....hug more and hug longer. I am challenging you as well as myself to commit to this with me! What better time to re-commit to love one another than Valentines!!?!!!

So to all of you out there.....I love you! I appreciate you and what you have brought to my life.

I've been playing a lot of tag lately.....

2009-02-02T13:55:00.004-06:00

I will tag anyone who wants to do it!!!! Have fun!

1.WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? No my mom made up my name...just ask her ! haha!

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Two nights ago...watching "Because I said So."

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? I worked really hard for it to look nice...I'm a lefty.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? honey ham...cold!

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Two girls

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I'd probably
think I was a snob until I got to know me...that's what usually happens. :)

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM? Nope..never...absolutly not.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Once upon a time I would have...and almost did..but not now.
My brain grew in.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Cinnamon Life ..Mmmmm.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? No

12.What's the first thing to pop into your head? My car needs a bath...inside and out.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Chocolate chip cookie dough

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Their teeth...hate gross teeth.

15. RED OR PINK? Both..together even!

16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? Temper

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? All my friends from the past that I lost touch with.

18. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Denim jeans and white tennis
shoes.

19. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? The gas well behind the house. Too bad it's not mine.....$$$$

20. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Redish-orange...I'm sure there is a name....

21. FAVORITE SMELLS? I can't smell, so nothing! :)

22. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? David

23. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Gymnastics, Ice Skating

24. HAIR COLOR? Dark brown

25. EYE COLOR? green

26. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Nope

27. FAVORITE FOODS? Pizza, Orange juice, pierogi's with cheddar and potato..yummmm.

28. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? No scary for me...Happy endings every time!

29. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Because I Said So

30. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Bright yellow...thought it might help with the mood today !:) ( I was dealing with tax people!)

31. SUMMER OR WINTER? summer

32. FAVORITE DESSERT? Strawberry Cheesecake...with LOTS of strawberries.

33. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? None, but I just finished Confession of a
Shopaholic....it was alright. I hope the movie is better.

34. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? No mouse pad

35. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? The Office, Flight of the Concords, big
Love (No Superbowl graced our screen! :))

36. FAVORITE SOUND(S): laughing babies, ocean waves crashing along the side of a cruise ship, bird chirping...and a cash register! :)

37. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Blah.....

38. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Bahamas

39. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? decorating, singing & scrapping

40. WHAT SHOULD YOU BE DOING? picking Tatum up from school....gotta go!!!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-08T08:17:00.002-06:00

It's been almost 2 months since my last post....I'm sorry. It's been a crazy two months. I will try to update as best I can. So sit back and soak in....

-Our house is getting there. We hit a lull during deer season and the holidays, but we seem to have regained our momentum. We have garage doors now, that I happen to LOVE. And we have most of our house sided. We still have to go pick out our brick for the bricked parts, but that can't get bricked up till next month anyway...so we aren't stressing about that yet. Hopefully, next week we will be able to insulate and shortly after drywall. Whew! Can't wait!

-Our kids are still getting big. We started Upward Cheerleading this week. Because of the lack of volunteers, David and I both ended up coaching. David has a boys basketball team....which I think is weird b/c we don't have ANY boys or basketballs players. And until Tuesday afternoon, I was the coach for 2 cheerleading squads....17 girls. Also funny because I was never a cheerleader. Luckily a friend felt called to take half of them off my team and form another one. YEAH ROBIN!!!! So now I am down to 9. That I can handle. I feel sorry for the poor little girls who think they are going to learn how to be a cheerleader!!! A cheerleader...I am not.

-Christmas. Our family spent another year at Camp Takodah. It was great. We stayed in The Pines for 4 days. It was such a good relaxing time. We got to hike, eat, horseback ride, eat, sleep, eat.....and the best part was eatting. Did I mention we ate? The highlight of the week was finding out my little brother, Travis, and his wife, Stephanie, are going to have a baby! So around August there will be another McMillion! It was such a great Christmas. My camera was broken so I am relying on others to send me pictures....so far I have nothing. ;)

-New Years......we didn't do anything big. We went to a friends house and played Loaded Questions for hours and hours and hours. It was fun...and we even stayed up! (That's a first for 4 years!)

-Well that's all for now! Stay tuned...when I get pictures I will post them....HINT HINT HINT...family! :)

Random Things That I Love.....

2008-11-29T20:41:00.004-06:00

In celebration of Thanks-living Week....

1. I love fall colors. Those are the colors that I look best in. My clothes, my house, my hair even, all fall.

2. I love Sonic Strawberry Cream Slushes. I will get one anytime I have a long drive ahead of me. I will turn on my favorite music from my #2 man and sip away at the cold yumminess. It's a little piece of heaven reserved just for me...and Tim McGraw.

3. I love David's big gray sweatshirt. It is HUGE on me....perfect for snuggling in. (He likes that I wear it too! ;) )

4. I love Google. I GOOGLE everything. From some new "ailment" that I have to anyone that I have ever known....it's been Googled.

5. I love fun panties. Life is too short to wear granny panties....to clarify: just brightly colored...no "weird stuff."

6. I love Tatum's giggle. When Tatum gets tickled, she has this little baby giggle. We don't hear it very often, but when we do....it takes me back.

7. I love putting my cold feet on a warm David at night. This may sound terrible, but I think in some small way, he likes it. It's just one of those "little things'' that we just do. I hope I always have a warm David to warm my ice-feet at night.

8. I love to sing praise songs with LOTS of people. Is there anything better than worshiping our God with others...in song? My heart overflows and it comes out my eyes...every time. It makes me miss the squeak of my chapel seat.

9. I love that Eden sucks her thumb....still. Okay, I know most of you are thinking...'She will have buck teeth!!" Well, no, she doesn't. It's the weirdest thing...she doesn't actually suck her thumb. She licks it...in her mouth. I love to watch her when she sleeps. Her little chin moves just like it did when she would nurse as a baby. It brings back those bonding memories for me. I know one day she will have to quit, but for now, I think it's cute.

10. I love to talk to myself in the mirror. Okay, I am telling on myself..but I do. Everyday when I am blow drying my hair and putting on my make-up, I am thinking of possible conversations that I might have that day...and I talk. Lots of awkward situations have probably been avoided because I have "rehearsed" in the mirror. I am thankful for the trial run.

What are your random loves?

All together now......(((SIGH)))

2008-11-27T11:06:00.006-06:00

This is my new favorite book, movie, and dream! I wonder where Edward was when I was 17?

Three years ago a friend of mine handed me the Twilight book to read. She told me that I would fall in love with the main character and that I HAD to read it. I asked her what it was about and she told me vampires. "Whatever." I thought. I am NOT reading this book. So, I did the polite thing and took it, let it ride in my car for two weeks and then tried to give it back. She asked me afew questions and realized that I didn't read it. She told me she wasn't going to take it back until I read at least a little bit of it. I agreed. I read the first two chapters and was hooked....bad.

I spent the next three years waiting for the next books to come out. Only to read them in one day. (Did I mention that they are each over 500 pages?) Then I heard that a movie was being made....holy moly.

Well the day finally arrived...opening night of Twilight. And yes, I was one of the weirdo people that stood in line for HOURS to get tickets. 6 hours to be exact. I got to the theatre at 12:30pm and at 6:15pm they finally opened the doors and announced that there were only 70 tickets left for the late show. Lindsay, my mom and I rushed the ticket counter and got 3 of the final tickets!!!! VICTORY! We had to create the "human wall" from all the smitten 13 year olds. It was fun.

The movie was 2 hours long and I promise it only felt 10 minutes. I am excited for it to be out on DVD. ( I WILL own it.) I recommend it to everyone....

Warning: It is full of vampires and geared towards adolescents....but keep an open mind..it's great! And boyfriends and husbands WILL get jealous...how can they live up to a guy who is fast, good looking, rich, strong and spending eternity trying to read your mind and give you everything you ever wanted? :)

Go see it!

What I've Been Up To!

2008-11-26T14:47:00.010-06:00

So, Christmas time is especially busy for me. I get lots of requests for tote bags, purses and diaper bags. This year is no different. In the last 3 weeks I have made 38 bags, 4 tuffets, 9 baby blankets, 10 pillows, 3 table runners and panels of curtains for 14 rooms. I have been a very busy lady. I love to do it though, I am a crafty girl for sure and would quite possibly die if something ever happened to my hands. It's such an awesome outlet that I thank God for all the time. I am blessed to be able to make money doing what I love and still be able to be a stay at home mom! Yeah GOD! :) I'm blessed for sure!

Scratch it off the List of Places to Go Ever Again

2008-11-17T11:01:00.003-06:00

I have debated for a week whether or not to post about an experience I had at the Hearing Center last week. It is HORRIBLY embarrassing, but I decided that it's too funny not to share.

We had been noticing for some time that Tatum was having a hard time hearing out of her right ear. So, I took her to the doctor, and he recommended that we have her hearing tested at Triplet Hearing Center in Clinton. So, I made the appointment.

About and hour before her appointment I had eaten a few donuts. (Those of you on Face Book may recall the status update regarding donuts! :)) They didn't sit will in my stomach, but nothing that I couldn't handle.

I went and picked Tatum up from school and we made our trek across town to the Hearing Center. We got there early so I could fill out all the paperwork. While I was filling it out, I got really nauseated, so I grabbed a cup of water from the water cooler. I sipped water, cup after cup after cup, hoping that I would feel better, but no luck.

When they called us back to the exam room, I felt better when stood up. I decided then, that I wasn't going to sit down. While in the exam room , I felt a little queasy so I excused myself to go to the bathroom. No excitement there so I went back to the exam room.

When I get back into the room, the doctor asks Tatum what she is supposed to put into her ear. It's a trick question, you aren't supposed to put anything in your ear. Did I know that? NO, I look stupid and say, "Only your finger!" The doctor says, "No, mom, only your elbow!" He proceeds to talk about how you can put your finger in your nose, your mouth and eyes..."You can dig in those only...not your ears!" He, without taking a breath, then looks at Tatum and asks, "What does your daddy do?"
Tatum, still on the "digging" conversation, looks puzzled and answers, "Digs in his bottom?"

I could die.

The doctor got a really big laugh at that.

When it's time to go to the hearing test room, we all trek to the back of the office. Meanwhile, my sick stomach is getting worse. We are almost done with the test, and it hits me like a load of bricks....I am going to throw up. I bolt out of the room mumbling something along the lines of..."gonna puke...." I made it about half way down the hall to the bathroom, and realize that I am NOT going to make it to the front of the building. I decide to go back to the room that we were in first because there was a trash can in there. So I dart into the exam room, only to trip over the doctors stool and land on my stomach....and roll across the room....while throwing up on EVERYTHING!!!! I tried to get to the trash can, but it had one of those pop-up lids....that wouldn't work. (Can you picture it? Are you laughing yet?) So, I manage to hit just about everything in the office. I turn to look at the door and there stands Eden.....with the most disgusted look on her face. I tell her to close the door. She takes off and I hear her tell the doctor, "My mom threw up on the WHOLE office!!!"

At this point I am frantically looking for paper towels and spray!! Luckily, I found some under the sink. I DID in fact get the exam room cleaned up. But it took awhile. I didn't want to come out, but I figured that the doctor had been babysitting my kids long enough. When I did finally come out of the exam room, the doctor and receptionist were talking about me being sick....they thought I was pregnant. I assured them it was donuts,not a child, that made me sick.

So, a review:
*Tatum tells said Doctor that David "digs in his butt" for a living.
*Bethany pukes ALL over the exam room.
*We will never again be able to go to Triplet Hearing Center.....ever.

The End

I Heart Your Blog!!!

2008-11-07T09:47:00.002-06:00

I was tagged by Stacy Stacy! I tag anyone who would like to participate!

1. Where is your cell phone? counter
2. Where is your significant other? ditch :)
3. Your hair color? Brown
4. Your mother? clone
5. Your father? fabulous
6. Your favorite thing? Shopping
7. Your dream last night? none
8. Your dream/goal? happy
9. The room you're in? living
10. Your hobby? Making
11. Your fear? Kidnapping
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Here
13. Where were you last night? bed
14. What you're not? motivated
15. One of your wish-list items? HOUSE!!!
16. Where you grew up? Florida
17. The last thing you did? Sew
18. What are you wearing? Jeans
19. Your TV? HGTV
20. Your pet? Kids :)
21. Your computer? Drug
22. Your mood? Spacy
23. Missing someone? Lots!
24. Your car? Trailblazer
25. Something you're not wearing? Gown
26. Favorite store? HobLob (Me too!)
27. Your summer? Hot
28. Love someone? Always
29. Your favorite color? Red
30. When is the last time you laughed? Today
31. Last time you cried? Monday

Spelling Test!!!

2008-10-21T20:06:00.002-05:00

Tonight at dinner David was quizzing Tatum on her spelling words. After she successfully spelled all her words, he was picking objects out for her to spell....chair, plate, fork,etc....

Eden decided that she wanted to join in the fun too! She said, "Tatum, spell CUP."
Tatum thought for a moment and then said, "C-U......"
Eden decided that she too could spell CUP, so she repeated, "C-U....IN the morning!!!"

We all had a nice laugh.

I could only think of Billy Madison when he is in school and trying to spell "couch."
"R-....you going to the mall later?"

Eden: Nursery Rhyme Queen

2008-10-14T15:05:00.002-05:00

Eden has come home the last few weeks of school reciting nursery rhymes. We always thought it was really cute, but yesterday was the funniest of all.

We had just finished dinner and she was "supposed" to be brushing her teeth while I cleaned up the dishes. David was helping Tatum work on her spelling words so I was listening to that.....
Then , out of nowhere, Eden pops out of the bathroom with toothpaste foam still on her face, and with the most serious of faces says,

"There was an old lady who lived in a shoe, she had so many children she didn't know what to do.
She gave them all broth without any bread, whipped them all soundly and put them to bed."

She then proceeded to dart out of the room just as quickly as she entered. David, Tatum and I rolled. I couldn't quit laughing. And that was just about the end of Tatum's spelling word practice!

If I can figure out how to download a video, I will! (I'm not computer savvy! :))

The One that Got Away!

2008-10-13T13:46:00.003-05:00

I don't typically consider myself as the hunting type. Never been a huge fan of camo, unless it was pink. I don't fancy sitting in the woods with a gun NOT talking for hours at a time, just in case a deer walks by. Not my cup of tea.

However, today my blood started pumping as I saw that buck in front of me. It was literally only 3 feet in front of me. He had a head FULL of antlers....I didn't count the points but there were more than several. He was a huge buck and I was anxious. How fun to have my first deer a massive one. I would have definitely mounted the head and hung it over my fireplace...even though I'm not into that type of thing. It would be a real topic of conversation.

Much to my amazement....he got away. And I remained in control of the car and kept on driving.

Van Buren County Fair

2008-10-06T20:23:00.005-05:00

Tatum's class did a unit on farm animals. It just so happened that the county fair was going on at the same time. (Coincidence? I think not.) So, the first graders went to the fair to see the animals.

Eden and I chaperoned. :)

While we were there we saw the pigs, cows and sheep. The sheep were Eden's favorite. The different owners dressed them in spandex "suits.." Eden got so tickled she could hardly contain herself. They looked like they were ready to go participate in a bike race! :)

The kids also got to be a part of a "Day at the Farm" exhibit. It's actually really cute. When they walk in the fence, there is a lady that directs them to the "chicken coop." (Actually: fabric chickens with plastic eggs under them.) Then they get to go pull carrots. (Actually: carrots buried in a bucket of dirt) Then off to the orchard. (Actually: plywood trees with cups on them with plastic apples and oranges in them.) They go through several more little booths and then they get to "milk a cow" and "ride a horse."

All in all, it was a great day.

House Update!

2008-10-06T19:59:00.006-05:00

This is the landing at the top of the stairs. We are going to make a little sitting area with bookshelves. This was an afterthought. Because I have never designed a whole house before, I underestimated the size of a "landing." This one could double as a small room! :)

This is the living/dining room view from the kitchen. If you'll notice, the fireplace is framed up in the center of the room as a divider. It goes all the way to the roof (about 15 feet?).

This is MY closet! :) Enough said! I love it! There is a 6ftx6ft window in it...only because we were trying to balance out the windows in the front...but BONUS for me!

This is the front of the house. They are still working on the porch. (There are 2 dormers.)

This is another view from the front. We still have lots of clearing to do with the trees, but we need to get the wood from the ones we have already cut under control first! :) Who knew?

Well, stay tuned! I will post more pictures when I get them! These were taken this afternoon, so these are THE most up-to-date that I have! I am getting more excited as the days go by. We are hoping to be in the house by December. It's going to be a hustle to do it, but I am motivated! :) It's officially been one year "homeless." I am ready to be in my OWN house. :)

My Normal?

2008-10-03T19:16:00.002-05:00

A fellow blogger had a post about her normal...thought it was cute so I am stealing it! :)

My normal :

wake up at 6:30am (school day or not!)
Get mad because David can sleep through running and screaming kids and I can't.
Get over it because I love him.
Feed Eden waffles with "sYrUP"
Try to get Tatum to eat something that's not Sprite and chips
( she has only gotten away with it once!)
Kiss everyone off to school.
Do the "I have four hours to myself whatever will I do" dance.
Pick up laundry
pick up breakfast dishes
Facebook
Myspace
Check blogs
Back to Facebook
Get showered and dressed
Go to Walmart
Drive by the land and look at house...get excited!
Go get Eden from school
Call David
Eat lunch-something Suzanne Somers wouldn't croak about!
Eden's nap time
Facebook
Email
Facebook again
Sit in Tatum's car line and wonder how much people actually got done today.(Some look like they just rolled out of bed....at 3!!)
Wonder if I got enough done to call it a productive day.
Fix dinner (sometimes)or go out to eat!
Homework- ugh.
Bedtime!!!
Do it all again tomorrow!

Weekend:
Church
Curriculum
sewing
scrapping
football game when they are at home
working at the land
Walmart

Anyway, I am Normal I guess.....what's your normal?

"I'm Walking!!"

2008-09-30T07:35:00.002-05:00

This morning, Eden woke up a little left of center. She didn't want to wear anything SHE had, she didn't want anything for her snack that we had in the pantry, she didn't want what I fixed for breakfast, she didn't want to brush her hair with the only brush that we could find, she didn't want to wear shoes that matched...but the funniest thing of all was she DID want to WALK to school.

Now, to some that might not be a big deal. However, we live far away. It takes us 30 minutes (ONE WAY!) to get there. Without even a hesitation, David and I called her bluff and told her to start walking. So she did.

About 3 minutes passed and Tatum was going NUTS! She was so worried that someone was going to "pick her up" that she went running out the door screaming for Eden to get back in the house.

(At least I know that my "Stranger Danger" brainwashing is working...well at least on Tatum!)

Eden came back to the house waiting for us to lecture her. But, we didn't. She found reasons to stay. Bathroom, brush her teeth...again, make her room up and to try and convince Tatum to walk with her.

When David announced that it was time to leave, she took off running in a dead sprint down the drive way. I watched from the window until I couldn't see her anymore. David followed behind in the car. I have to admit that my stomach was a little floppy. My "Stranger Danger" brainwashing has convinced me too that there are NO good strangers! :) I had to call David and make sure he was still following her....he told me he wasn't stupid, and that she finally did get in the car.

I think that we threw her for a loop by calling her bluff. Next time...I say she walks the whole way. (6-10 miles....David and I can't agree how far it actually is!)

What a morning!

Put a cork in it!

2008-09-27T22:19:00.002-05:00

When David and I went on our cruise we had a bottle of wine with dinner during the Captain's Dinner. Well, I save all sorts of stuff for scrapbooking, and it just seemed natural to save the cork. Days later, Tatum found it and asked what the cork did. I told her that worked like a stopper so that your drink wouldn't come out of its bottle.

I guess she had to try it out and see.

What a funny kid.

House updates!

2008-09-15T09:31:00.008-05:00

Just one of the views on our property....lots of trees...some are now gone, this was last winter!

This is actually from the end of our driveway looking down the street! You can't see it here but there is a creek that runs under the road across our land. EEEK! :)

I promised pictures...here they are. But, lucky for us, they are already outdated! :) The framing crew is already working on the second floor today. We are still waiting to get our garage poured so they can frame up the garage too. But that should be poured tomorrow if the weather permits! (Knock on wood!)

We were kinda worried about Ike and his aftermath. Yesterday morning, we woke up at 2am to the howling wind and NO electricity. When it was light, we went to check on OUR house project. We had a hard time getting there because of down power lines and trees, but alas, we made it. We got to our property, and saw that we had two trees laying on the power lines by our house, and a HUGE tree that was laying across the driveway. But, the house was fine, except for the two inches of water standing on the INSIDE of the house! :) (We got rid of that later in the afternoon...thanks to some help from our church family!) When we tried to leave I got my car stuck in the mud. Luckily, our dirt guy, was driving up to check on our house (what a nice guy) too. So, he and his son in law helped to get me unstuck. No sooner did I get situated and we looked back down the drive, and the trees that were laying on the power lines were smoking. Yes folks, we are going to burn down the neighborhood! So, David called a friend that works for the power company and he came to kill the line. But, by that time, one of the trees had officially caught fire. I was a little panicked. Fortunately, the fire burned itself out and all was safe.

This is a picture of the tree as it was smoking....it's sideways sorry!

In the afternoon, we had a few of our church friends come help us cut up the trees that had fallen and drain the water out of the house.

We are blessed.

My funny kids!

2008-09-15T09:20:00.002-05:00

Periodically, I hear my kids say or do something that just makes me laugh. I have already posted about their funny "words" for things, but today Tatum went as far as to make a song her own.

Inspired by the country song (have no idea the name, but I think it's called "Cleaning this Gun!")

Real words:
Come on in boy sit on down, and tell me 'bout yourself.
So you like my daughter do you now, yeah, we think she's something else.
She's her daddy's girl, her mama's world.
She deserves respect, that's what she'll get.....now ain't it son?
Run along and have some fun.
I'll see you when you get back, prob'ly be up all night....Just cleaning this gun.

Tatum's Version:
Come on in and have a seat boy, tell me all about you.
You thinkin' you like your mama boy....say she's pretty cute. (hahahahaha!)
I'm a daddy's girl, my mama's world.
Don't wanna pack, that's what I get....ain't it son?
Go have some fun.
I will see you when you get home. He'll be up all night, cleaning my gun.

Okay, so hilarious. She was singing this song while brushing her hair this morning. I was trying to be quiet so I could hear her, but I was having a hard time NOT giggling. I love when they make up songs.....

Old Friends really are GOLD!

2008-09-09T19:23:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was the worst day......

From start to finish, nothing good happened. I was REALLY sinking in my comfortable little preacher's wife "pit." ( To quote Beth Moore!)

Anyway, I vented a little on my Facebook status update. Not even an hour later, I had a response from my "old" preacher's wife from my Teenager hood, Deb. (She's not really that old! )

She threw down a rope into my pit and convinced me to get out.

I am constantly amazed at how God puts people in our paths at just the right time. He knew that I needed some fellow "preacher's wife" support. And there it was. Pearls of wisdom, some tears, and even a laugh or two!

Thanks,Deb, for letting God use you! I love you! And yes, this is some kinda life!

Daddy Home School

2008-09-09T19:15:00.003-05:00

Tonight while we were sitting at the dinner table catching up from the day's events, we were asking Eden how her day went. She got all excited and told us that she got 2 sticks in her envelope today. (She was sitting nice and "quiet-ed-ly"!) David asked her how many that made total...she went back and forth from 6 to 11...we still don't really know. David trying to play "home-school" asked if she has 11 sticks, how many does she need to get to have 20. ( The magic number for the treasure box!)

He was holding up his hands to count the numbers for her.....

(Now this is tricky to type!)

On the first finger he said 12, second 13, third 14....and so on.
Well, that threw Eden off. She was saying 1,2,3,4,5...yadda yadda.

When she heard "13" she busted out laughing in a full blown belly laugh.

"Daddy doesn't know his LETTERS!!!"

She couldn't quit laughing.

And neither could we.........

Hello again...

2008-08-31T16:53:00.002-05:00

I have been SOOOO crazy. That is my excuse. We are in the middle of starting up a new curriculum that has, for some reason, fallen into MY lap. (I am still wondering where all the people that were "on board" are.) We start on Wednesday night so I have been spending day and night (Literally) on the computer looking for "stuff" for classes. I am excited to get started though.

Here's the latest:

Tatum started 1st grade. I can not believe it. She is doing pretty well. She went to a private school last year and they taught reading a little different than in the public school, so she is having to re-learn some things a different way. For this reason we are debating sending Eden to public school instead.....we will see how this year goes.

Eden starts school on Tuesday. She is starting her second year of preschool ( on purpose! :)) She actually starts school on her 5th birthday, so we will be partying! :) Nothing like kicking the year off right!

Again, I can't believe that Eden is going to be 5 years old. It just doesn't seem that long ago. I do still have a (very) little part of her that is still my baby. :) She is growing up sooooo fast.

We have begun our house!!! (Do I hear a cheer? ) We finally got moving. For MONTHS we have been arguing with our architect about house plans, only to fire him without ever getting them. I ended up drawing up our plans, and that seemed okay with the bank...Yeah for us. We had our footers dug and poured in the same day and a week or two later, our friend Adrian began laying the block for the foundation. He is almost done ( I guess..I don't really know what to look for! :)) and then our framer will be on his way to do his thing. I am PUMPED....more than you will ever know. We have been living in someone elses house since November....ugh. I am ready to have my own things and my own bed. I am so grateful for our friends that have let us "house sit" while out of town.....I have no idea where we would be otherwise! :)

I feel like I am rambling, so I will go.
Bye!

M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E!!!!!

2008-08-13T16:29:00.006-05:00

You HAVE to have this picture when you go to Disney World. It's a law I think. hehe!

Tigger and Darby stop for an autograph and a picture with Tatum and Eden.

This is my favorite float in the Night Parade...of course a picture doesn't do it justice. But close.

This was great. Belle won as the favorite princess at Magic Kingdom. I think it was the REAL one. :)

We had a great time ... all 10 of us! We were at the park from 9:3o am to 1:30 am the next day! Whew. We were all tired but it was worth it! I hope we can make it back in the next few years because we didn't even get close to seeing everything. The girls have a whole lot of wonderful memories now.....mission completed.

Bahamas

2008-08-13T16:04:00.007-05:00

David is showing off where we took our daily naps! I love the Sundeck!!!

I have mentioned for the last few months that we were planning a trip to Nassau, Bahamas via a cruise. Well....we finally made it!!!

We left from Ft. Lauderdale on August 2nd. We headed out on the Regal Empress across the big blue. (And yes, it is Big and Blue...to quote Nemo!) I wasn't sure how I would do with the whole sea-sick part of the boat, but luckily Dr. Murphy saved the day and called in some patches for me to wear! They were lifesavers!! I recommend them to anyone!

We had a great trip. It was fun to relax and hang out on the sundeck. David and I took a nap two days in a row on the very top of the boat. Talk about relaxing....the waves crashing and a few seagulls...(they follow the boat!) squawking. Ahhh........

We arrived at Nassau Sunday morning. I have to be honest and say that I wasn't blown away with it. However, I LOVE LOVE LOVED Atlantis. If we were to ever go back to the Bahamas, I would go there. It is a self-contained city within a building. (We actually went back to the beach there!!) We saw Micheal Jordan's "suite"....that is more like a 5000 sqft house. I would love to stay there. And I can for the tune of $30,000 per night. So, I guess I will be wishing a while.

Sunday Slip and Slide....Redneck Style

2008-07-28T22:09:00.006-05:00

Our good friends, Dale and Amanda, have introduced us to the Redneck Slip and Slide. Last week they had us over after Church to eat pizza and let the girls play in the water. (Their little girls are my little girls best friends...it works out nicely!) Anyway, we got to talking about how the slip and slides these days aren't that great. They are only about 2 feet wide and 8 feet long. No grow person can go down the plastic strip. So, Dale added 3 large pieces of plastic to make a HUGE slip and slide. ( 7 feet wide and 30 feet long!!!) Just grab an air mattress and you are on your way....quickly.

Well this week we decided to host Sunday lunch. We had Dale and Amanda and their girls, and some other friends, Brandon and Elizabeth, over for lunch and an afternoon of slipping and sliding. We set up the slide in the front yard ( that has a great slope for a slide I might add!) and turned a sprinkler on it. Away they went. The girls had a blast! Because it was so hot, the adults were VERY tempted to go down too! Well, I caved and went down. I jumped on a raft and went FLYING down the hill. Once at the bottom, I took out Amanda. It was hilarious! Luckily, Elizabeth (our photographer) had already left and didn't get the "ugly" on camera. Although, we would have the Grand Prize to America's Funniest Home Videos in the bag!

Enjoy the pictures!! (Thanks Elizabeth!!!)

Tatum is such a free spirit!!
Amanda was at the bottom to catch the girls before they landed in the gravel!! We only had two actually make it to the rocks....but no blood! :)

Tatum: Bionic Kid

2008-07-26T17:33:00.002-05:00

Tatum has amazed us, in her short lifetime, with her resiliance to injury. When she was two she scaled the chain fence in our backyard and escaped down the gravel drive (all while I swapped the laundry over!) to the neighbors house to go visit the "daggies." We found her (too) close to the lake. She wasn't the slightest bit upset or worried that she didn't know where mommy was. (David and I couldn't walk once the adrinaline left us.) Then later that year she fell headfirst off a 10 foot staircase in our neighbors garage onto concrete.....ONLY sporting a black-eye and fat lip. The following year she fell off the toilet (while going potty...still don't understand this one) and hit her forehead on a step stool and had a gaping hole that needed 10 stitches. (Can we say trama....for mom?) That wound no sooner healed when she did it AGAIN! this time, she didn't need stitches, just a butterfly and that liquid band-aid stuff. Then....later that same year she tripped while running to her bed to "flop" and missed the mattress and hit her cheekbone on her bedframe. Now she has an extra dimple on that side when she smiles. Really. (We think she damaged some of the muscle in her cheek!)

This past Monday, we were getting ready to leave the house for the day when the girls went out on the back porch. Well, the back door was REALLY hard to open and generally took a full body heave to get it to open. Eden decided that she wanted to go inside and accidently shut the door behind her. Tatum turned to follow her but couldn't open the door...so she knocked. Well, that would have been fine except the window pane was already cracked and a little weak. Tatum knocked too hard and sent her arm THROUGH the glass window pane. She panicked and yanked it out so fast that she sliced her wrist in two spots.

All we heard in the back of the house were blood-curtling screams....from both of the girls. David and I made a mad dash to the source of the screams....then we saw blood everywhere....and Tatum holding her wrist. (Enter panic mode!) She was hysterical. It was all we could do to get her arm away from her body so we could check and see how serious this "slice" was. We ended up having to practically sit on her to get her to hold still. In the end we found out that her cuts didn't need stitches. There were angels around her little arm because a little further to the left and we might be singing a different song today. Thanks be to God!!!

Tatum is our injury prone kid. But, thankfully she dodges major injury and settles for band-aid worthy ones instead!

My Cardboard Testimony

2008-07-17T11:23:00.004-05:00

A friend of mine sent me a video this morning that made me blubber like a baby. But most importantly, it made me wonder what I would say if I were to write a cardboard testimony. Please watch this video and share with us, if you want to, what your testimony would be.

Mine would say:

Control Freak!............................. God is in Control of this Freak! :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvDDc5RB6FQ

But, you have been warned....grab a box of tissue before you start. It's quite something.

Rain, Rain, Go Away......

2008-07-13T17:23:00.002-05:00

Just an update on our house saga:

*We have fired our architect. He was dragging his feet on our project and after avoiding our calls for 5 days, and still not having our promised plans after 3 and a half months, we decided to move on. So yes, we were back to square one on the plan thing....good news is WE have drawn out some plans that our framer (wonderful guy) can work off of. And the bank said they didn't even need a copy of the plans....Yeah for that!

*We have our pad for the house leveled/ carved out of the hillside. (Who knew we lived on such a slope?) We would have the foundation done but it keeps raining and getting the ground all wet so the concrete won't set. (Who knew it rained so much in July?) Please pray that we can get this show on the road this week....the weather man says it should be dry all week. ((Fingers crossed))

*Our water line is dug out. But now we are faced with digging rocks and root out of the bottom so we can get our pipes to pass inspection. And we live in "ROCK COUNTRY" here in Clinton. We have some doozy rocks coming up. Great for landscaping...if anyone out there wants a rock or two for your yardscape....come and get 'em!! (Seriously) This job is not an easy one. Our water line is over 450 feet long, and if you have spent any length of time outside, you realize that the heat index isn't our friend. David was out there for 4 hours yesterday in 110 heat index. I am having to be his protector...calling him every 20 or so minutes to make sure he is still standing upright, and reminding him to pour ice water on himself to cool off. I wish I could be more help, but I have the girls all day and they are in danger out at the land with all the dozers and equipment sitting around. Soon enough we will be calling that place home....ahhhh can't wait!

* I have been ordering fixtures via Ebay. I have been addicted to ebay lately. I have had my eye on the oil rubbed bronze fixtures for the kitchen and bath since we decided to build. Naturally they are one of the most expensive fixtures out there. ( I have high-end taste with low-end budget! :)) Well, I have to share my bargain news!! I went on ebay and bid on a few ORBronze fixtures, with a limit in mind. Here is what I got:

2 master bathroom sink faucets: List Price: $ 161.48 each
I paid on Ebay: $112.50....for TWO

Master Shower faucet: List price: $207.00
I paid on Ebay: $49.99

Roman tub fixture: List price: $268.00
I paid on Ebay: $ 76.00

Kitchen sink faucet: List price: $298.00
I paid on Ebay: $95.00

Needless to say I am SUPER excited about my "wins" on ebay. Now I can have my high-end taste and not pay the high-end prices! (And David likes that part too! :) ) I have also been to a lighting store auction that we got a good chunk of our lighting for around $100. Yeah!

Bargains get me all pumped up! I could go on for hours about all my "steals." But I will spare you.

Misery Loves Company!!!

2008-07-13T17:13:00.002-05:00

I am so proud of my sister. She has been working her booty off the last month trying lose those stubborn pounds before our cruise to the Bahamas in three weeks. She sent me a message the other day that she lost 11 lbs. I on the other hand have gained an ungodly amount of weight in the last 6 months. Just a gander at my posts you can see that we have been in a long distance sprint for months. (Just the sound of that is painful to my legs!) We haven't had a kitchen to cook in for over a month....which means, yes, lots of fast food and lots of fat grams. (Not to mention the money gone into "dinner.")

I have decided to spend the next few weeks (even without a kitchen) trying to eat healthy and make wise food choices. I told Lindsay I didn't want to be the "fat one" of the two of us. So hopefully I can lose enough to at least not stand out! hahaha!

Please keep me accountable via email, phone, in person.....I need help with this because I LOVE food. (And not the healthy kind!) Thanks!

Whirwind Week!

2008-07-08T18:24:00.002-05:00

I don't believe that I have stopped to sit down for more than 5 minutes in the last week. It is all beginning to be a really big blur so I will post.

Last Thursday we loaded up in the car and headed to Clarksville, Tennessee for a "family reunion" on David's side. Turns out it wasn't really a family reuinon but an attempt at one. There was only about 9 people there. I wasn't a very happy camper...But, anyway, because we were starting VBS on Sunday evening, and I was the one in charge of decorating the autitorium, we had to be back to decorate on Saturday....this meant that we had to leave TN on Friday afternoon. (If you are keeping up with the math....this left us in TN for a little under 18 hours. With 14 of driving. Double Ugh.) Friday afternoon as we got into the car it donned on us that we weren't going to be able to see any fireworks. Well, we can't have that. So I "flew" back as fast as I could on Hwy 64 (yes..the boring part b/t Searcy and Memphis) and I didn't even get stopped. We pulled into Harding at exactly 9:00 pm on the nose. We sat down just in time to see the fireworks. Yeah! We hopped back into the the car just to drive the remainder of the trip home. The next morning we were all up at the crack of dawn to decorate. (The church looks great! :)) And now we are on the throws of VBS. Whew.

We had a great time at Harding with my family and watching the fireworks.....even if it was only an hour. :)
Hope you all had a great holiday.

God Bless America and our Troops!!!

Update

2008-07-03T14:37:00.002-05:00

Thanks to all of you that said a prayer on behalf of my friends, the Davidson's. Lake made it through surgery just fine. As of last night he is improving leaps and bounds. Please continue to pray for his recovery. Thanks! God is great!!!

Prayer Request

2008-06-30T10:43:00.002-05:00

I have a prayer request for all my prayer warrior friends out there! My friends Doug and Bev Davidson and their son, Lake, have all gone to Houston so Lake can have surgery tommorrow.
Lake is a teenager who was born with a serious heart condition. They have always known that he was going to have to have surgery but didn't think it would be so soon. A few months ago the doctors told them that it was time to take care of it. For the last few months they have been searching and praying for a doctor that had the experience needed to perform the operation. They finally found him and have gone to Texas. They will be there for a few weeks.

Please remember this family in your prayers for the next few weeks as half of the family is in Texas and the other half still here in Arkansas. Several have committed to praying on the hour for Lake and his family. Please join us in this! Thanks in advance for all the prayers. God is our great Provider and through Him blessings are given.

The Davidson Family
Doug, Bev, Leif, Lake, Skye and Summer

"Dance With Me Daddy!"

2008-06-30T10:08:00.003-05:00

Saturday afternoon we were all piled up in our bed watching Enchanted. That has become one of our favorite movies as of lately. At the part of the movie where Robert and Giselle are dancing at the ball, Eden stood up and told David that she wanted to dance. So he got down on his knees and began dancing and twirlling Eden around all around the bedroom floor. Tatum was just giggling and walked over and said, "May I cut in?" Eden responded, "But of course!" and backed out of the way, so Tatum could have a turn dancing with "Prince Daddy." I lay there on the bed with a just a little tear in my eye, but a huge grin on my face. :) I love those girls. I hope they never outgrow the urge to dance with their daddy. And I hope their daddy continues to want to dance with his two princesses! I am so blessed!

Tatum lost a tooth!

2008-06-20T22:05:00.002-05:00

Yes, folks. It has finally happened. After 3 long months of wiggling a "not-so-loose" tooth....it became loose....and fell out. Tatum is one of two kids in her kindergarten class that had yet to lose a tooth. She was so sad when the year came and went and she was still stuck with all her baby teeth. I must admit, I was getting a little sad too...but for different reasons. My reasons were that I was scared she was going to have to have all her baby teeth pulled....as did I. (No fun I am here to tell you....my baby teeth were here to stay....some are still in actually!) I was dreading the dentist visits. But, alas, they are coming out nicely!!! yeah!!!

Tooth fairy Report:

The tooth fairy left her $2.00 for her first tooth. But she told me that the rest of them will get a dollar. (This is a far cry from the 25 cents that I got for mine....and I had to go to through the drama of the dentist office!!! Whew!) Tatum was so happy to find the money under pillow the next morning. She told us that she was saving all her money so she can get a dog. (Huh?) OH well....

M-I-C-K-E-Y......M-O-U-S-E!!!!!

2008-06-12T11:09:00.004-05:00

Last night we had our Father's Day dinner with the family. We went to Colton's in Searcy. I was so excited about this because this year we had a great gift for my Dad. I have mentioned before that we planned a cruise and Florida trip last year for this August. Well it turned into us meeting my parents in Orlando with the kids and us all going to Disney World. We were all going to drive. This wasn't going to be so bad for the me, David, Lindsay and Steve. We were going on a cruise and didn't have 4 small kids riding with us. However, for my parents, they were driving down for 3 days and driving back with 4 small kids. Yuck. So we (being the 4 "cruising" adults) decided we would surprise my parents with plane tickets for them and all the kids for Father's Day. Now we are all flying round trip....and all 10 of us are on the same return flight together!!! Yeah! We are so excited now!! We will have more time for fun and less time traveling!

It was so worth the surprise! My parents both got misty eyed! My mom actually said, "Gone are the days of tacky ties!" We figured out that this is our first REAL family vacation. Where we aren't going to a reunion or funeral or wedding....or anything. Just going for fun!!! Whaaa HOOO!
50 more days till we leave!!! Mickey Mouse here we come! Brace Yourself!

Cook Adventure Continues.....

2008-06-04T00:13:00.002-05:00

The Latest Happenings:

* The people we were house sitting for (This time) came home earlier than we thought. They lived in their driveway (in an RV) for a couple days while we looked for a new place to perch. They told to stay all the time we needed, but they have been gone for 2 months and we knew they were ready to get back into their home. Sooooo....... the girls and I have moved to Searcy for a small time. We are staying with my sister and her family while David is back in Clinton trying to find somewhere for us to live. :) (He is sleeping on the couch of a REALLY good friend! This is not a problem for the two of them because they will probably stay up late every night watching movies and pretending they aren't both married!) hehe!

*Our house. I am beginning to think that we really aren't trying to build a house and that we are just talking about it. We STILL don't have our plans from our architect. We are going on 2 months of a two week project for him. We are about to be really behind schedule because of him and that isn't making anyone happy. Oh well. We wouldn't be building if it were going smoothly right? :)

* Last weekend we went to an auction for a lighting company that went out of business. We managed to get the majority of our lighting for $103!!! Yeah for bargains! I love finding a good buy!

*Our parenting book is on the back burner. We had a great week last week with the miracle book. However, with us being "dwelling challenged" at the moment, it's been a little difficult for all of us to stick to all the "rules" of life outlined in the book. When we get settled in somewhere, we will make Dr. Leman proud!!! Stay tuned.

*Watch out for ticks!! My sister, Lindsay, found out yesterday that she has Lyme's Disease. She was begging for death a few days ago while running a 102-ish fever. She was still running it three days later and decided to go to the doctor. We are glad she did. A few days on anti-biotics has done her some good and now she is feeling better. Still tired, but better. Crazy thing is she doesn't ever remember having a tick. Weird.

*God is good. Even though I am currently as flustered and stressed as I have I ever been, I can still sit back and see God working. Whew.....what if I didn't? I can't even imagine!!! :)

* I hope that you are finding all the little things in everyday that God sends your way. Talk to him about it!

* I just said a little prayer for everyone that reads this post.

I'm a Proud Mama!!! Not to mention relieved.

2008-05-28T23:54:00.004-05:00

In the last year or so, I have noticed my kids getting more and more unruly and disrespectful. And after talking to several other moms, also complaining of the same things, David and I decided it was time to grab ahold of the reigns and be the parents again. I have been praying for the right methods, books, techniques, people.....you name it....to come along that would help me be a better mom for my kids. Tatum is the poster-child for strong willed. ( Not too far off from her mama! This brings it's own set of challenges.) And Eden is so "sweet" that it's hard for me to punish when she needs it because she is just too "cute." (And yes, I do mean she puts on the "innocent" face when in trouble.)

This past weekend while in Branson, I went into the Christian Book Outlet to browse around. I saw this book by Dr. Kevin Leman. "Have a New Kid by Friday: How to Change your Child's Attitude, Behavior and Character in 5 days." A miracle cure....right. But, my mom had told me about Dr. Leman and his funny, no nonsense tips to parenting and I was intrigued. I bought the book and read it in the first 12 hours. NO KIDDING...instant results! My kids have had an almost 180 degree turn around in manners, sibling love and obedience. David and I are amazed. The best part is that we aren't stressed at all. Our family is becoming so much closer because we are aren't yelling or threatening each other! Go figure!

The icing on the cake was tonight at church....and I wasn't even there to witness it! I was feeling bad this afternoon so David and the girls went on to church a little early. Before we parted ways I called the girls over to me (they came on the FIRST call) and I told them that because I wasn't there they needed to be extra good for daddy while he had to give the devotional. "Okay mom! We will. Hope you feel better." Off they went to church. After church, one of our friends pulled David aside and told him that Eden was SO good in class AND Tatum had used such nice manners. (All of this was unprompted! And about "preacher's kids" at that! :) hehe!) David called just to tell me all of this.....he's proud too! I might sound like a babbling mom...but a week ago I was ready to pull my hair out. This week, I have new RESPECTFUL kids. I have always loved them.....but now I LIKE them! :) hehe!

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a way back to being the parent. (It would actually be a good book for teachers too!!!) I am sure that we will continue to have our ups and downs, but for a family that has tried LOTS of "methods" and failed......I found one that has great results! Yeah!!!

Dr. Kevin Leman has several other books that are pretty good. ( I have all of these...but never realized who wrote them until I read this most recent one! :))
Sex Starts in the Kitchen ( obviously a book on marriage!)
The Birth Order Book
How to Make Your Children Mind Without Losing Yours

I hope that you will find time to read some of his books. They really are funny!

Huh?

2008-05-26T19:00:00.003-05:00

This past weekend we went to Branson, just the four of us. About the time we were pulling onto 76, the girls were getting pretty antsy in the back seat. Apparently, Tatum was bugging Eden and then all of a sudden we hear Eden yell at the top of her lungs...." I hate you Tatum! I wish I had a brother!" Other than the obvious, "You don't hate anyone, especially your sister" speech, David and I didn't really know what to say. It was really funny. A brother? Do brothers not annoy you as much as a sister?

I've Been Tagged

2008-05-21T23:39:00.002-05:00

Stacy Stacy tagged me...so here you go.

*Maybe I should...exercise more.

*I love the smell of.. ha ha. I don't have a smeller so anything would be cool!

*People would say that I...am very crafty.

*I don't understand why...Clinton seems to get the shaft in the weather department.

*When I wake up in the morning...do the same thing as yesterday..and the day before
that....and...

*I lost my will power to...refer to question one.

*Life is wonderful with...my family, friends and faith in God. Nothing else matters.

*My past made me...never underestimate the power of a good friends' shoulder.

*I get annoyed when...I don't get alot accomplished in a day.

*Parties are....really fun with a big group of church people....crazy I say!

*Dogs are...slobbery, hairy, smelly, a waste. ( I am not a fan.)

*Cats are...making my eyes itch these days.

*Tomorrow I am going to...start our family vacation to Branson....can't wait!

*I have a low tolerance for...lazy people who expect "us" to take care of all their $$$ problems.

*I'm totally terrified of...someone stealing my kids. It's a phobia I have.

*I wonder why I thought my life would be...glamerous.....it's not really. :)

*Never in my life...would I guess I would be living in a SMALL town.

*High school was something that...I was glad to finish.

*When I'm nervous...I get sick at my stomach

*Take my advice...finish college before having any children...but if you don't wait...FINISH...you
will be glad you did. I was!

*Making my bed is...a must in my house. I can't stand to look at unkempt beds. (It only take a
second anyway.)

*I'm almost always...thinking of how to change the decor in the room that I am in.

*I'm addicted to...my computer, decorating and orange juice.

*I want someone...to build my house....like on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition! :) 7 days. please.

I tag Shelley, Jamey and Nat!!! Have fun!!

10 Things I Began Loving Recently

2008-05-19T11:17:00.003-05:00

In No particular order......

10. The Movie "PS: I Love You." -This was such a suprise. I had never even heard of this movie, but David's q'ed it for our NetFlix account. WONDERFUL!!! WATCH IT!!!

9. Finn Comfort shoes- I have really high arches, and after years of wearing very cute ,but cheap, shoes, my arches were finally giving me fits. I have paid dearly for them..to the tune of $205 ....but my feet are thanking me. NO nails being driven in the soles of my feet! Life is good.

8. Sewing purses- Okay, this isn't that new, but I love being able to sew a bag to match any outfit in a matter of an hour. Fun and economical.

7. NetFlix- Hello? Who would have thought? This is such a fun thing. You get movies almost daily. And who doesn't love getting fun stuff in the mail instead of bills? And besides, we were spending tons on rentals from the Movie Gallery and Direct TV thing.

6. Blogging- Obviously, I have gotten pretty addicted to the blog world. :) I love to read and catch up on my friends lives. ( Have to admit that I get pretty sad when there isn't much update for a few days! :))

5. Direct Buy- Yes, we were suckered into going to sit through a Direct Buy presentation. But, much to our suprise, it really wasn't a rip off! So we bought into it and are saving literally tens of thousands on our house building adventure! Yeah for us! (Note: Wouldn''t be worth it unless you were doing some serious furninture buying/renovations/ home building.)

4. OTHER People's Babies- I love that tons of my friends are having babies. I personally have no interest in having anymore of my own. ( I am complete!) But I do miss buying baby stuff. Now, with the recent baby boom, I get my "baby-stuff-buying" fix. Thanks to all you mommies!!

3. Watching dirt movers- Okay, kinda nerdy about this one. I LOVE watching the big equipment out at our land digging and grading the dirt. I haven't decided if it's because I know it "progress" or if it is really just fun to watch! :) Maybe a little of both.

2. Funny Quotes from my kids- This one I have loved the whole time, but they have been doing and saying some really funny things lately. I love it.

1. The anticipation of my week- This week I have a spa day, a sale at my mom's school, and then three day mini-vacation in Branson. I am so EXCITED! This is going to be a great week. Hope you all have a great week too!

I'll Fly Away.....In the morning.

2008-05-18T13:05:00.003-05:00

Sometimes I wish that I could just set up a hidden camera on my row at church. Because David is preaching, I am on my own during church. Many times I have to remind my girls to sit down and don't wisper...wispering is generally louder than talking with them. But sometimes, in those sweet moments I catch them worshiping our God just as if they were just small adults. Well, today was NOT one of those days, however, I got a good little chuckle at Eden.

We began to sing "I'll Fly Away" and her little face lit up because she knows that song very well. Because we were standing while we sang (it was "the song before the lesson" you know! It's scriptural!) she tugged on my shirt, and in the most grown up voice a four year old with a lisp can use, she said, "Oh mama, I know this song, I have been singing it for years." Then she turned back towards the front and began singing again. I laughed to myself. She is such a funny kid.

It's a Hard Knock Life....for them.

2008-05-17T09:20:00.003-05:00

After much frustration David and I are trying a new form of punishment....Manual Labor. We have tried the spanking thing, time-outs (hahaha!) and taking away "bridge-ledges." None of those seemed to be making a difference in the negative behaviors (AKA: Bedtime battles) we are trying to correct. So last night as I lay those precious girls down to sleep, I threatened them with lots of big, ugly chores if they got out of bed. Well, 10 minutes later we heard pitter patter of 4 little feet into the living room. So they each got one chore added to the list. Over and over again they kept getting up and the list grew and grew.

After breakfast this morning it was time to begin our chores. Tatum got the joy of scrubbing toilets....and she did a pretty good job btw. Eden had to fold clothes and hang them up on the closet....she is our dawdler. :) Anyway, as I am walking down the hall "supervising" the slavehands, I hear the faint sound of singing coming from Eden's room. As I walked closer I was able to make out what she was singing......."It's a hard knock life for us.....It's a hard knock life for us....." It was all I could do to hold my laughter in until I was out of earshot.

We just recently watched to newest version of Annie...not quite as good as the original but still cute nonetheless. My kids were mesmerized by all the singing....and we are a singing family so it just comes naturally. But the orphans really plucked a heart string apparently because they have talked about those "girls that had no home," on several occations.

I guess my kids have it rough....or so they say.....but maybe they will stay in bed at night now.

Just call me Ms. Hannigan!!!

The English Language According to Tatum and Eden

2008-05-16T13:06:00.003-05:00

I have been trying to compile a list of "cuteness" words that my kids have made up. I think I might have enough to make a post worth while.

"Pepper Coke" : This is probably not too hard to figure out. The funny thing is now David and I

Refer to Dr. Pepper as "pepper coke." (Courtesy of Tatum)

"Chicken Land": This refers to one of our favorite places to eat.....Kentucky Fried Chicken.

(Courtesy of Tatum)

"Glittering" : What you are doing when you throw trash (or cigarettes) out your window.

(Courtesy of Eden)

"Bridge-ledges": This is what is taken away when you don't finish your chores or throw a fit.

(Courtesy of Tatum....while "lecturing" Eden on the importance of cleaning.)

"Chunk-a-cheese": Again, not to hard to figure out. My favorite is when they refer to "Chunk"

himself. :) (They both use this one!)

""Puter": This is the computer. Favorite website is "nockin".com (Noggin).

(Tatum again.)

"Boobie-Bathingsuit": This is any bathing suit that has either a triangle-shaped top or a bikini.

We are pretty strict on bathing suits.....easy to say no now, than when

they are 16 and wanting to prance around in a string! :) This is great until

we are around other children who are allowed to wear such "boobie suits"

to swim....it can get embarrassing when my kids point it out. (Tatum!!)

"Favrick": This is what I use to make purses, drapes and sometimes their clothes! (Fabric)

(Courtesy of Eden.)

"Storm-ado": This is what has had us in hiding on a weekly basis the last 4 months.

(Courtesy of Eden) Actually a pretty accurate name for it! :)

:Hal-ley Dishelle": Our good friends baby girl. Her real name is Hadley Michelle.

(Courtesy of Eden)

"O-gur-rat": This actually has two definitions

1. Yogurt

2. Refers to the cartoon "Rugrats"

"to-ma-to": (Imagine in a very British accent) You guessed it...the red veggie/fruit that we eat.

(Tatum again.)

"Bammed": This is what happens when you play around at bedtime and fall out of bed...you bam

your head on the dresser.

(They both use it.)

"Mister-sippy": This would be the last state we lived in. (Mississippi...Just in case you didn't

know.) (Tatum again.)

"Lift-gloss": What you put on your lips to make them shiny. (Eden's!)

"Ober-awl": Another two definition word. ( I don't see the similarities at all! :))

1. bra

2. Overalls

"Boppie": The name of Eden's (very sad looking) stuffed rabbit.

"Wessilin Sizzlin": Western Sizzlin (Tatum!)

That's all for now...I will periodically update as new words are added to the repertoire.

What funny names do you have around your house??? Please share!

I almost forgot!!!

2008-05-14T15:47:00.002-05:00

Because of the crazy weather we had last Saturday, I almost forgot to write about my Mother's Day. (Again, sorry for no pictures...USB cord is still missing.) But I did add some color with a really neat painting from art.com. :)

Sunday morning, I was greeted by two short, but very cute, girls complete with flowers, cards and mini-cupcakes. (These are my favorite...nevermind there were 24 and I have been trying desperatly to get back to my size 4!!) :) There was a card from the girls that told me how fabulous I was and then David gave me a card that talked to me. The girls found this one rather entertaining because it said the word "poop." Now, why would he give me a card that talks and says "poop" you ask? Well, it was a man giving me permission to take a day to myself and go to the spa...where I can talk to other woman about things other than...you guessed it....POOP! :) So yes, my Mother's Day gift was a trip to Lindsay's spa to get the works! I can't wait. I go on Tuesday! This is the 4th time David has tried to "give" me the spa treatment. However, he never actually paid for the services...just gave me permission. When it came down to it I wouldn't go because we could use the money for something else. (He always got mad at me for it too!) This time he has taken care of all of that, so all I have to do is GO and BE PAMPERED. Ahhhhh........

I am so blessed to have such a wonderful hubby that knows I need a day away to recharge! (Thanks, Lord for sending him my way.)

Death Defying House.....What????

2008-05-14T15:24:00.003-05:00

As you have heard, we are in the midst of building a house. (No easy feat for those of you pondering this idea!) Anyhoo, I was googling Craftsman style houses because that is my favorite style of home. I ran across thousands....maybe millions....of wonderful hits. And then I ran across this......

http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/garden/20080403_DESTINY_FEATURE/index.html

This architect couple claims to have designed a home that won't let you die. It is the craziest "thing"....home......I have ever seen. They say that a home is supposed to make you UNcomfortable and therefore make you press on to live longer. To me it looks like something I pay good money to take my kids to for an afternoon of energy burning so they will sleep good that night. But, what do I know! :) I DO know that I prefer flat floors and a normal chairs. And I am a huge fan of color, but maybe not these.

David's New Job.

2008-05-13T17:09:00.002-05:00

Now before everyone panics, David is STILL preaching in Choctaw! :) However, he is getting to fulfull one of his dreams. Coaching football. Because of the cut backs in our school system, many of the coaches had to be let go. This left one high school football coach with a lot of work ahead of him. Enter David. He has agreed to help our football coach for the upcoming season. I am excited for him and I know he will LOVE it. Now we have someone we know on the field at the football games. Go Yellowjackets!!!

More "Severe Weather."

2008-05-13T16:48:00.004-05:00

I feel like all the posts lately have been about some natural disaster. Well, here is another one. :)

Saturday afternoon, we decided to do our Mother's Day dinner with my mom, because Sunday's are rather difficult in the life of a minister. We went to Searcy to meet up with the rest of the family. We were at Lindsay ( my sister) and Steve's house trying to decide where to eat. After lots of back and forth and no decisions.....it was late so we decided to stay and eat in Searcy. (Partly because the weather was looking a little rough, and we didn't want to drive in it.) We decided to eat at Roma's. As we were finishing up our dinner, David's phone rang. It was our friend, Dale. (If you recall the flood post.....he is the same one who told us about the water! We would be in a world of hurt if not for Dale and his meteorologist skills! :)) Anyway, Dale told David that we should watch the weather because a "tornado like" storm was headed towards Searcy. My dad went out to the car to get his weather scanner so we could keep tabs on the storm. A few minutes later, Dale called back and mentioned that we should be seeking shelter in 4 minutes. Luckily, we had already decided that we needed to go.

When we got out to the cars, my dad told us to follow him. We were headed to Harding's Admin building. It didn't take but 3 minutes to get to Harding, but it seemed like an eternity. When we turned down the road to Harding, there sat 2 funnel clouds in the sky. I promise they weren't 100 yards away. It was then that they bottom fell out of the sky and we could hardly see the road. We DID make it to Harding, but we could already tell the pressure in the air had changed a little.....and the sky was BLACK. ( A little too familiar from the February 5th tornado.)

Needless to say, we hauled it into the basement of the admin building and ended up soaking wet and nauseous. But, okay. Fortunately, no tornadoes touched down in Searcy.

I think that I could handle all the weather issues if it weren't for my kids. They have really taken this weather the hardest. The slightest drizzle or wind, and they are at the door with shoes on ready to head for shelter. I hate that I can't control this for them. Goodness knows I would. I know mine aren't the only ones that are traumatized by the recent storms. My prayer is that God would grant peace to all those children out there who have seen, and lived through, the destruction that is caused by tornadoes.

We are here!!!!

2008-05-07T18:33:00.002-05:00

Just a quick post..... we are alive. The tornados that came through hit 10 miles south of us. We haven't been able to get online because lightening hit the computer modem. please pray for those families that lost loved ones. Once again, it has hit (literally) close to home. Clean up still wasn't done from the first tornado, now there are two more to add to it. Thanks for all the concern and prayers! I promise to post a real post later!

The Best Kind?

2008-04-25T10:43:00.002-05:00

Today is Friday...the favorite day in the Cook house. Friday's are great because the girls don't have school, David is off work and we get to play pretty much all day. Well, since the tornado most Friday's have been full of relief effort stuff (even though it has slowed down considerably! :)). Today is no different. David had to go to the church to take care of the car that was bought for a lady who lost hers in the storm. Both the girls wanted to go with him of course, and because Iwas doing the dirty job of paying bills and doing laundry, David agreed that they could go with him. Tatum got all excited and said, "Mom, you get to be a stay at home mom with no kids today.....that's the best kind!!!" I just laughed at her. She has such a way with words! But now, I sit ....and it's awfully quiet. Is it the best kind? Sometimes. ((hehe!))

2008-04-22T21:13:00.002-05:00

The girls are taking advantage of the new, NICE, weather. A few days ago I went outside to check on them and this is what I saw. They were having a snack and watching the clouds on the driveway. Grapes and Fruitloops. What a combo. They didn't seem to mind. I love those two!

Being Transparent.

2008-04-21T13:55:00.002-05:00

Today's post is actually kinda hard. I have spent the last few months trying to overcome pride issues within myself. Some were easy to overcome, and others.....well, not so much. I think part of the problem is that you can't overcome some pride issues without airing yourself out. So today, to all my cyber-friends, I am kicking the cobwebs out of my soul.

The majority of my life I have been a little hesitant to follow authority. It's not that I don't respect authority, but I ...for some unknown reason.....feel like I know an even better way to do things. I believe that is called "Strong Willed." For years I have felt like I am a bad person. And on occasion, been made to feel like a bad person. Only after having my own strong willed child have I come to understand, and even witness, that there is a special responsibility given to those of us with strong wills. Tatum is my strong willed child. She makes me crazy at times trying to convince her that MY WAY IS THE RIGHT WAY! (There it is again! :)) But only through being her mom have I had to accept and work on my un-bendable will. I have really had to search for God's will and bend mine to fit his.....the hardest part, btw. I am so thankful that all the "tiffs" that Tatum and I get into are only helping me understand where I fit into God's plan.

Another area I am trying to be better in is prayer. Our Sunday morning ladies class has been talking about prayer, and I thank Kim Trujillo for taking on this sometimes daunting task. Kim has been encouraging us to pray in different ways and to get out of our prayer ruts. I am SOOOO guilty of the generic "Thanks for all you do" prayers. I have spend the better part of the last few years, telling people I would pray for them, and then forgetting to actually do it. One of my "not-so-new-year- resolutions" was to stop telling people I was praying for them, and actually do it. I want to be better about lifting others up to God....for no reason. I don't want to wait until someone is on their deathbed to ask God to give them peace. I want to pray about people as they pop into my head. I have been doing just this for the last month. I can't even begin to tell you the mood it puts me in. There have been people that I dedicate the day to praying for, that later on either that day or that week, have said that they were sure someone was praying for them, because there was no way they would have made it. ( Little goose bumps? That would be God.) I am so thankful that God has made me aware of this downfall in my life, I have really been enjoying my time with my Father.

Kind of along the same lines as prayer for others.....I want to be a "Bedside Prayer Warrior." I want to sit beside my children when they are asleep and put my hands on them and pray SPECIFICALLY for them and things in their lives past, present and future. This is THE only time they are still and I should take advantage of this time to focus on them.

I wanted to put this post out there for everyone to see so they can keep me accountable. Please ask me how my prayer life is. Ask me if I am allowing myself to bend towards God. Ask when the last time I prayed over my kids was. I am changing for the better. My hope is you will recognize areas in your life where you might need to change a little (or alot) and tell someone.

When the inside is whole then, and only then, can I be complete.

Long time no post....

2008-04-20T15:12:00.003-05:00

I'm sorry that is has taken so long for me to update. We (as always) have been on the go and honestly it has just slipped my mind. I am going to just list some updates....

* We are back to the drawing board on our house plans....because of the slope of our land, we are having to include a basement. Which in turn, turned our modest 2000 sq ft home into a whopping 5,000 sq ft home!!! Yowzers. Obviously, on a preachers income we can't afford that gigantic of a home. :) Stay tuned! We'll all be surprised together!

*Tatum has her first loose tooth. Yeah! (The heaven's rejoice!) She has been wanting a loose tooth for over a year. Keep in mind that it is BARELY loose...but it moves and that is what counts.

*I just got back from a whirlwind trip to Mississippi this past weekend. My friend Renee was Sister Mary Hubert in a play called "Nunsence." I drove over there to see it. It was nice getting all caught up on my Mississippi friends. ( Glad to be back in Arkansas though! :))

* Spring weather is much loved around our house. We have enjoyed the last two weeks of sunshine! Hope Spring has sprung wherever you are!

* We are anxiously awaiting our end-of-year Branson vacation. We have never taken a family vacation with just the 4 of us....that's all about to change. We just booked our trip for May. The girls are so excited to re-visit the indoor water park! (Actually, we all are!)

*This seems to be the year for fun vacations...Last August David and I decided that this summer we wanted to go on a cruise. ( Keep in mind that when we decided this we didn't know we would be in the throws of home building!) Anyway, we bought a cruise vacation to the Bahamas for August of this year. Lindsay and Steve decided that they wanted to go with us, so the 4 of us are going to the Bahamas and then meeting my parents and all the grand kids in Orlando for a few days of Mickey Mouse! Whaahoo!! We can't wait!

*David has been on the hunt for a new truck for months. We have driven so many, but when it's all said and done....we don't want to spend the money. Well, while I was in Mississippi, David went to an auction with Steve Allen to look for a car for a tornado victim we are helping. It must have been his lucky night. Not only did he find a car for that lady....he bought himself a truck too! It's not a "fancy" one but it will be great for what he needs it for. It's a silver Chevy S-10. (With NEW tires! :)) Yeah for him! I am excited that he is finally getting his truck. And we paid CASH!!!

I think that is it for now. I will add more later!

BIg Sale Weekend!

2008-04-04T21:30:00.002-05:00

Today was the first day of my two day "What's left of Palazzo" sale. I really didn't know how many people would actually show up for several reasons:
1. It's still too soon after the tornado and most people are still in recovery mode.
2. The icky weather.
3. I forgot to advertise....I know Marketing Minor and I forget advertisement! Duh.
(Well , I did have one VERY small ad in the local paper...once.)
4. It was at a bank and not the normal shop.

For all those reasons I had NO idea what to expect. Nor did I realize how much "stuff" I still had left. When the shop was being packed I had 20 people or more helping me pack and haul it off to storage. So what I actually packed didn't seem all that much. Also, I have done several trunk shows since the storm that got rid of a LOT of merchandise. However, when we were unloading yesterday, it kept coming and coming and coming. ( I was worried we wouldn't have enough room!) Alas, this morning at 8:45, the doors were opened and people flocked in and opened their wallets and their trunks!!! I sold SOOOO much stuff today. I am so happy. I have had several sweet customers actually pray over the merchandise and ask God to send people to buy it all up so I didn't have to pack it up and stress over it anymore. The nice thing is I believe that He will do it. What doesn't sell this weekend will be going to the Consign and Design Sale in Judsonia next weekend. ( A little plug for that one! It will be good!!) I am so grateful that God gave me this store. I have met some wonderful people along the way and have formed lasting friendships because of it. It was so nice after two months of not seeing anyone...today I got to catch up, shed a few tornado tears with friends who lost it all, and laugh about how now they are buying Christmas stuff in April when they don't even have a roof over their heads! :) I love my customers. I will miss seeing them in the store all the time, but now I get to see them at Walmart and stop and chit chat! ;)

I guess tomorrow will be just as fun! Yeah!

Off to the theatre!!!

2008-04-02T12:58:00.003-05:00

My mom went on a field trip with her class a few weeks ago to go see If You Give A Mouse A Cookie at the Little Rock Arts Center- Children's Theatre. She was so excited that she called me, while still on the field trip, to tell me that she was buying tickets and she was bringing the grandkids. So she did. For crowd control I decided that I was going to go too. When the ticket buying was done, David and Steve were going too! ROAD TRIP!! So we loaded up in the Trailblazer and headed to Little Rock.

When we got there I just laughed because we were rubbing elbows with the "creme de la creme" of stay at home moms in LR. All the Jack and Sally's running around with thier finest theatre attire on. I turned and looked at my kids and they were pretending to be "art" on the sidewalks....striking poses and such. It was REALLY funny. ( I have some adorable pictures of that too!! Darn USB cable!)

Right before they let us into the theatre, they had a "craft" for the kids to do. It was decorating a cookie. I am not sure if any of the cookies made it into mouths though. Icing, sprinkles, candy toppings....oh my. Too cute!

Anyway, we got into the theatre and got perfect seats. Front and center! The set was so cute in that it made you feel like you were a mouse on the floor and the kitchen was HUGE. The whole show was just a little over an hour...and I don't think any of the kids blinked the whole time. It was the cutest thing I have seen in a long time. Then after the show they had a question and answer period for the kids in the audience to ask questions. Piper, my niece, asked a question....."Can I hug the mouse?" Of course the answer was yes, and she got to go up on stage and hug the mouse. Precious. When we were leaving, my girls got on stage and I got a really cute picture of them with the mouse. (Again....USB!) I loved this show! It has made me want to keep track of the Children's Theatre schedule and go to all of them! :)

The next show is Ramona Quimby......I LOVE RAMONA! I grew up reading all about Ramona and her big sis Beatrice! I can't wait!

If I find the cable I will post the pics! So cute!!

My head is lost.

2008-04-02T12:53:00.002-05:00

I am kinda bummed because I can't find my USB cable that connects my camera to the computer. (Me thinks its in a box! With everything else.) So in an effort to still stay in touch I am going to have to have pictureless posts until I can find it or do the whole Walmart picture CD
thing....whatever comes first. I am beginning to be thankful that my head is attached. :)
Sorry for boring posts. (Maybe I can back track and use some pictures that I forgot about!)

Harding chapel.

2008-03-30T22:44:00.004-05:00

I know TWO posts in one day! Feeling froggy I guess!

The whole time we were in college at Harding, David talked about speaking in chapel. But it never happened. Well....6 years later...he finally got to!

If you remember, after the tornado Harding sent over 800 students to help in relief efforts to our little town of Clinton. The next week David was asked if he would be willing to come and speak during the "Struggles of the Faith" week. Of course he said "YES!!!"

This past Friday was the day. We sat in the second row right in front of podium so he could see us. I am a little parital to my wonderful husbands speaking ability, but I think he WONDERFUL! But in usual preacher fashion, he went over time! Oh well.

So after 10 years of talking chapel....it happened! He got to say ...." You are dismissed."
Congrats, David....

The Cook Adventure Continues.........

2008-03-30T22:34:00.002-05:00

Well, if you have been following us the last 4 months...you will know that we are on house number three since November. :) We are now house sitting for several families from our church this summer. We are just getting started on building our home...which I am VERY excited about. What I am NOT excited about is living other people's lives in the meantime. After the tornado, rental properties are non-existant. So we either comute an hour or live in someone's house. We chose not to drive.

Please send a prayer up for us....more specifically my children. They like to have stability and lately....between the tornado and us moving around.... the only stability they know is our love. Thank goodness that counts for a whole lot more than a house! Right?

Stay tuned for the next chapter in "David and Bethany's Big Adventure!"

Horton Hears a Who!!!!

2008-03-24T20:44:00.002-05:00

As I mentioned in my last post we went to go see Horton Hears a Who. It was a pretty cute movie. The girls enjoyed it...that is, between the bathroom visits and the visits to the snack bar. (Luckily, David was on the outside! hehehe!) When we were leaving the theatre, and getting the girls all buckled up, Eden started chanting....." We are Here!!! We are Here!!! We are Here!!!" I just laughed. She's too funny.

Oh what a Night.....

2008-03-19T10:33:00.005-05:00

This is our drive way and main entrance to our house.

Well, we've had a tornado, two snow storms, two hail storms, several thunderstorms.....and now....TSUNAMI! And that's just in the last 5 weeks. I don't know who in our town is the "sinner" that God is trying to punish, but I wish that person would repent....and quickly! :) (Just kidding. I know that God doesn't do that to people.) But, one would start to question after so many MAJOR storms.

Last night our family went to the movie to go see Horton Hears a Who. (More on that to come!) When we left the theatre, David checked his phone and had like a million missed calls from various friends. He called our friend Dale back first. Dale told him that the "chicken plant" was being evacuated and that we should be really careful going home. (FYI: Chicken plant is 1/4 mile away from us, and actually on higher ground than us!) By the time we got to our road, the river that runs parallel to it had already started to rise. We decided that we were going to stay somewhere else for the night, so I started to pack up a few days clothes...just in case. You see, this house flooded in 1982...13 feet to be exact. And I want no part of a repeat performance. So...the girls and I head over to Dale (yes, same Dale) and Amanda James' house for the night. David and Dale decided to stay at the house and move things to counters and high spots in the case of a minor flood....if there was a major flood... it's all gone, so who cares!

At 11:30 pm I was finally able to get my now traumatized children to sleep. And I was exhausted. I dozed off to sleep very shortly after. I woke up suddenly at 3:30am to check on my kiddos. As I got up of the mattress, I stepped into 3 inches of ice cold water. At first I thought maybe a glass of water tipped over, or the toilet overflowed.....nope. Yes folks, their basement flooded. So, up I go to Dale and Amanda's room to tell them the glorious news. From then on we had a "bucket brigade" to get the water out of the crawl space and soak up as much as we could. Dale and David were outside trying to dig out the French drain from under the house (that was the culprit)......all while pouring down rain! After 3 hours, the drain was unclogged and we were wet and tired. As of now, things are calm at the James house and our house. The water are receding and the rain is slowing down. And Wet Vacs are a wonderful thing.

But, now I am even more tired than I was before. Oh well. I can always sleep tonight.

Pillow Talk with God

2008-03-18T18:22:00.002-05:00

Last night Tatum was messing around at bedtime and I told her she had one chance to say her prayers with me. ( She ususally tries to talk and ask me a gazillion questions to avoid sleeping!) Well, I said my prayer with her...and as ususal she began to jump around. So I told her she was on her own and I left the room. I hung around a minute to make sure she settled down. Not only did she lay down, she said her OWN prayer. It went a little like this....

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for the day and the rain.
Thank you for Eden Grace, and Daddy. Thank you for letting me
have Upward and next year I want to cheerleading again so make sure the First
"Baftish" doesn't go down in a tornado. Thank you for my mama and letting me be
her kid. Help me to be good and not go to hell. Please let mama have a baby. Amen.

I thought it was the sweetest prayer....and funny all at the same time. I especially like the "help me to be good and not go to hell" part. It's always a little shocking when she uses the word "hell" in it's right context. But I am glad that she (and Eden both) knows how serious hell is, and that they want to avoid it! Makes one part of my job a little easier.

I love to hear my children pray. I especially love that the majority of thier prayers consist of THANKS to God. Can we say the same?

PS: Oh yeah, There will NO more babies!!!! :) (Sorry Kid!)

Car for Sale!!!

2008-03-11T09:57:00.002-05:00

While shopping in Conway, we ran across this car for sale. I just busted out laughing because ....well.....Why would anyone spray paint a car with "FOR SALE?" Duhhh!!!

MOM CONFESSIONS!!!

2008-03-05T18:35:00.003-06:00

I was reading a friends blog today and a comment made me laugh. I decided to make a whole post dedicated to this comment.

The comment was from a mom who said that she painted her son's toenails just so he would leave her alone so she could finish hers. My friend responded with a mention of "Mom Confessions." That is what made me laugh....how many of us have those confessions?

Here's where this post needs group participation.....I need your Confessions!

I will start:

I have on several occations, gone to the Wal Mart deli and bought "chicken balls" (aka: popcorn Chix) and a blue slushy drink for the girls....then driven through Taco Bell for me. All because I didn't feel like "fixin" lunch that day.

Your turn.

Snow Day....Again!

2008-03-04T11:57:00.005-06:00

This is across from our house!!! Isn't it beautiful?

Sunday it was about 71 degrees and everyone was talking snow. After the weather we have had the last few months, I would believe it. Last night I prayed for snow, mainly for selfish reasons....I really didn't want to do anything today. Before I even stepped one foot out of bed I prayed that I wouldn't have to get up this early. I looked out the window....SNOW, LOTS OF IT!!! I crawled back into bed and turned the tv on to double check the school closings. Sure enough, we were closed. God answered my selfish prayers! :)

Games Rednecks Play....with thier neighbors!

When we got up and moving....about an hour late, I trudged my way to Walmart to buy rainboots and gloves for us all. When I got home the girls were running amuck. They were so anxious to get outside.that they had thier faces plastered to the windows. Finally we all went outside and started rolling in the snow. We started to build a snowman, but we didn't have much luck with it. (The snow wasn't packing very well.) Our across the street neighbors had better luck. After the snowman failed the same across the street neighbors pulled out the 4-wheeler and sled. THAT WAS FUN! For probably 3 hours we went round and round and round the vacant lot. We only got thrown off a few times. About the time we were all chilled to the bone, we decided to go in for lunch and a nap. Hopefully the snow will still be there after our naps.

Warming up by the fire!!!

2008-03-03T11:26:00.004-06:00

I was tagged....enjoy!

"Five Things" Tag
Five things I was doing 10 years ago:
1. Finding out I was preggers with Eden
2. Fretting b/c David was still looking for work...and now we were going to have another
mouth to feed.
3. Spending every Monday with 3 of my closest friends-laughing, crying, praying, etc...
(And I do miss that by the way!)
4. Finishing up my last semester at Harding.
5. Doing my best to balance Tatum, new pregnancy, school, job hunting, and church!!! Whew!

Five things on my to-do list today:
1. Pick-up the girls- and Cameron (not mine)- from school, and deliver Cameron to his house.
2. Sew a LOT of bags that need to get done this week.
3. Get sub-contractors in order so we can finally begin this house building process.
4. Cook supper for tonight.
5. Vacuum the house.

Five things I will do when I am a millionaire:
1. Pay off the rest of our student loans....then everyone else in my family's.
2. Pay off this house we are getting ready to build.
3. Give some to those who need it....that would be so fun to do!
4. Buy David a new truck...his car is REALLY bad. :)
5. Secure all the kids in my family a college education.

Five things I will never wear again:
1. A bikini !!!
2. Spandex pants....as a fashion statement (Okay if it is for working out!)
3. Anything in a size "0".....I have decided that size is for invisable people! :)
4. Stilletto heels...they hurt.
5. Tight rolled pants or crimped hair....both really need to stay dead.

Five of my favorite toys:
1. My phone
2. My new sewing machine....lots of buttons.
3. My computer...I love to surf on it!
4. Paint..sounds wierd but I love to paint.
5. Eden's Disney Cash register....it is really fun to play with!!!

Five banes of my existence:
1. Whining of any sort....just keep it to yourself or get over it.
2. When one side of your nose is plugged up and the other isn't....then they switch.
3. When I can't turn my brain off at night b/c I am too busy thinking of what I can do to the
room to improve it's appeal. Ugh.
4. People at Walmart that wear PJ's and slippers and walk around half dead.
5. When people drove up and down Hwy 65 after the tornado blocking traffic of those who
were trying to help b/c they had to get just the right shot on the camera. ( I was the
crazy one on the horn behind you! :))

Prayers for Kanin

2008-03-02T13:29:00.002-06:00

I have a prayer request for all my Prayer Warrior friends out there. A close friend of mine, Carly, called today to tell me that her 1 month old nephew, Kanin Charles Lassiter (pronounced Cannan), was having emergancy surgery today. Aparently, he has been having some reflux problems, or so they thought. It turns out his stomach muscle is too big for his little body and hasn't been letting food pass through. This little guy has lost a lot of weight in the last week or so. The only option was surgery to reduce the size of the muscle.

Please keep the Lassiter family in your prayers the next few weeks, as I am sure the recovery is going to be hard too.

Thanks!

Something I saw today...

2008-02-28T19:58:00.002-06:00

David was in Florida all this week, until today. The girls and I went to LR airport to pick him up. As we were waiting for the luggage...which we found out later was the wrong carousel....there was a woman with her five month old baby boy in a front pack. This baby was so tickled by the luggage coming out of the "luggage hole" that he could hardly contain himself. Everytime another piece of luggage came shooting out he would laugh harder. He would laugh so hard he wouldn't breathe. His laughter made everyone around giggle....and my girls cackle. It might have been pretty much the funniest thing I have seen in a long time.

No room in the Inn.....or bed.

2008-02-27T21:45:00.002-06:00

Since the tornado, the girls have been really scared to sleep in thier own rooms. (Thier rooms are at the other end of the house and they are afraid that a tornado will blow away that end of the house without us knowing.) At first they were sleeping in the floor of our room and David and I would be in the bed....well a week and a half ago our heater went out and they graduated to the bed...where it was warmer. This pushed David out of bed and into the living room on the couch next to the fireplace. The heat was fixed today, but David has been out of town for three nights and this is usually a treat for when a parent is out of town...they get to fill the void in our bed! David comes home tomorrow and the heat is fixed, and there aren't any signs of a tornado.....I hope, just hope, that they make it back into thier rooms without a problem. I am ususally a stickler for the "in your own bed" thing. They didn't even sleep with us as babies! Please say a prayer that they will transition right back into their own beds tomorrow night and that all the fear they have will vanish.

Family Day!

2008-02-22T08:44:00.003-06:00

After 27 straight days of David working 12 hour days....we are finally getting a family day! All the happenings around here have kept him jumping and then the tornado didn't help things at all. But I am stealing him all to myself (well, the girls too) this glorious day! I have no idea what we are going to do but we are getting out of town for awhile so he CAN'T help people. (Is that bad of me?) :)

Wish us fun as we are off to explore Arkansas!

A Peace that Passes Understanding.

2008-02-19T15:29:00.003-06:00

A family I am accquainted with lost everything in the tornados two weeks ago. Kim and her husband sat on what was left of thier front porch and looked over the mess they had in thier yard. They talked about how they didn't know where to start or how they would even get it done. Instead of complaining they just held hands and prayed for strength. NO sooner did they open thier eyes and a caravan of cars pulled up as far as they could to the house and got out. All of them had Harding shirts and work gloves on. They introduced themselves, surrounded the area in a circle , prayed with and for the family, and then sang a song to them. This act of love touched this family so much. This family got a giant hug from God, thier prayers were answered. This mob of students (about 70 in all) cleaned up the ENTIRE yard and had all the debris close to the road ready for pick-up. My heart overflows!!!

Hundreds of these kinds of stories are popping up everyday. And for a community that has lost about 40% of thier building stuctures, we are awfully cheerful. I think it's because God has shined down on us and sent the "Lord's Army" to come and help relieve some of the stress.

I am appreciative of all those who have sacrificed time, energy and money to help give our little town some peace from such a big blow. (Pun intended!)

Home Sweet Home?

2008-02-18T19:25:00.003-06:00

Hummm.....home. Sounds simple doesn't it? Well not for us.

As many of you know we sold our house unexpectedly this past November. (It wasn't even on the market.) We moved into a friends house that they have had on the market....and empty...for two and a half years, to help them out while we looked for, or built, a home of our own. The tornados that occured two weeks ago have sped that little process up a tad. Since this "rent house" is still on the market we have had a few people look at it but no bites. This morning was different. A young couple came by to look at the house first thing today...I was still in PJ's!!! When I got home this afternoon, I recieved another call from the realtor that they had a contractor coming by to make sure it would pass an inspection....WHOA!!!! Now what?

Luckily we found a chunk of dirt we would like to call home ...but there isn't even a tent on it yet! :) But unfortunatly the supply of homes available to rent or even buy for that matter have dwindled conciderably because of all the displaced people from the tornados. We have had several people offer thier extra rooms, but I don't think that they want a family of 4 for MONTHS at a time until our house is built.

Say a little prayer that God will continue to blow our minds! He has been doing that for the last few weeks for sure. And I know that he can continue to make things fall into place.

P.S. This picture is the house we are planning on building! Beautiful huh?!!!!! It's my favorite!!

Aye Aye Aye....Valentines Day.

2008-02-15T09:18:00.002-06:00

Okay, most people love Valentine's Day. Ususally I do too. However, yesterday stunk. It started out with us rushing around because we slept in. Eventually, David got the girls off to school so I could shower and get ready for their parties. (Did I mention they were at the same time and in different rooms?) Anyway, I was supposed to stop at the balloon store and pick up a dozen balloons for Eden's teacher, Ms. Sally. However, as I was backing out of the garage door (that WAS open) the release handle got stuck in my luggage rack on the roof of my car. This in turn released the garage door onto the back of my car. And since I was already in a moving motion....I took the door with me....I was NOT a happy camper. I called David who just laughed at me. He got there just in time for me to steal his car (b/c mine was now stuck in the garage door) so I could go get those precious balloons. (David stayed behind so he could take the door off the track.) I did make it to school ...late. But I don't think either of the girls noticed. Whew.

The day did redeem itself as it went on. David sent me flowers and Eden did the funniest thing.

The girls got valentine's from David's mom. In it was a $10 bill for each of them. Well, we have been trying to teach the importance of giving money to God and saving money. Well Eden was all proud of her decision to save and give to God. She walked in and said "Mommy, I am going to give half to church and half to the bank." There she stands with half of a $10 bill in each hand and a HUGE smile. I just hugged her...today we will go by the bank and see if they will trade with us...maybe if I tell them the story they will have pity on us. :) I am so proud of her selfless spirit! (Tatum on the other hand wants to go straight to WalMart and spend hers...and probably some of mine too! :)) I love my kids.

What a week!!!!

2008-02-12T22:04:00.002-06:00

I am proud to say that after a crazy clean up week...... we are all still standing. Barely, but standing none the less. It is still so hard to see all the mess that this storm left behind..not just the physical mess of houses and debris, but the emotional mess that it left behind in those that lost. Please pray for my friends.

Updates:
*This week we cleaned out what was left of the shop. Now it's all in a friends shed....pray that
we don't get a huge rain storm! :)
*We have had several friends that found out their insurance company isn't covering the
damages. Pray that things turn out alright.
* We are waiting on our insurance check so we can surly be free from Palazzo debt....cross your
fingers.
*David is working his booty off trying to get the outskirts of town some aid.
*Harding students....LOTS of them....came Sunday to help with the clean up effort. I can't
even tell you how much they impacted our little town. Services were very emotional for all
of us. Even Tatum was overwhelmed and shed a tear or two. A million thanks to
everyone.

I am sorry if this seems a little disjointed, but I am so exhausted from working and lack of sleep! Please continue to pray for our little town and more specifically for those who have lost loved ones and thier homes.

Tornado Update

2008-02-06T19:32:00.000-06:00

This is our sign....laying down of course!

After looking at my last blog post this one seems so much more digestable. As many of you have heard, an F4 tornado tore through Clinton last night. We are all okay, but many in our little town aren't. We have several members and friends who have lost everything. The entire skyline of Clinton has changed forever. In the midst of this storm, I lost my store. The path of the tornado went through the parking lot of the KFC next door and wiped out the strip mall behind us all while dumping a tree on the back of our building. There are several salvageable things in the store but if we get any bad weather before the insurance people get there, it may all be gone. It is just stuff, and we are alright, so we consider ourselves truly blessed. God was watching over us yesterday because we decided to close up shop early so that we could run to Walmart before cheerleading practice at 5:30. We found out 15 minutes before the tornado hit that it was coming.

This is a picture of the back of our shop

and the UHaul that flipped over behind it.

As far as clean up goes...the yard is already cleared out and a GIANT pile of 75 year old trees is ready to be chipped and hauled off. It's always amazing how people come out of the woodworks to help. I love and appreciate all those who have helped not just me but all those in our town. I have added several pictures so you all can see just a little glimpse of what we are looking at...and all I say is, it's MUCH worse than these pictures show.

Wow.

2008-02-04T19:41:00.000-06:00

I was catching up on some friends blogs...and you know how that gets you deeper and deeper in the "web".....I ran across this blog post and I just stopped and thought for awhile that this was so much bigger than anything I could wrap my head around. And yet comforting at the same time.

Enjoy...and bask in the knowledge that God is really in control of everything.

Here is goes: From "rocks in the dryer" blog

"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. "
Colossians 1:15-20

We recite that verse in our church every Sunday morning. It's a hefty theological treatise about who Christ is, with lots of nice, churchy words scattered throughout.
But did you see that little phrase tucked in verse 17? Every Sunday morning I read it and sigh a very deep sigh:

...and in him all things hold together.

All things hold together. Yes. They do.

I'm sure a scholar of Scripture could expound on the theology of that verse for you in ways I cannot. Maybe "all things hold together" is speaking on the cosmic level, or the molecular one, about Christ's place as holder-together of the very fabric of the universe.

But it isn't theology I'm thinking when my child comes home from school broken-hearted or my daughter pours my moisturizer on the bed. Or my friend's husband leaves. Or one son tells me he hates his brother, or the dog throws up on the carpet. Or I feel like I'm standing at the outskirts of my own sanity, ready to walk away. Or Hubs is late for dinner or the garage door won't open or another young soldier dies in the desert. Or I've blown it, big-time, bigger than ever before, and I'm not sure where to go from here.

In him all things hold together.

When I'm holding on by a thread, or not even holding on at all, in Him there's rhyme for the reason, and footing on the slipperiest slope. I can't tell you how, or why, but it's right there in my heart--right there where all the pieces feel ready to fly apart.
Where things are spinning.
Where they hurt.
Right there at there very core of it all, something--some-One--holds me together and gently whispers the things a Father says.
Yes, He holds together the cosmos and the Church and the vast arc of human history, but He also holds together the heart of His messed-up child.

No wonder I sigh.

Not a Birdie.

2008-02-03T11:17:00.000-06:00

I ran across a blog that I put on my myspace page about Eden a few months ago. I laughed out loud for a few minutes thinking about it...I though that you all would enjoy it too!

Ahh, my wonderful daughter Eden. She is always with me at my shop b/c she is lazy. Yes, lazy. If she could, she would sit in her PJ's and watch television all day! Anyhoo- the other day I was helping a customer and as we were finishing up, I hear this huge thud on the floor coming from the back room. When the customer left the store, I run back there only to hear...."Owwwwwww. Owwwwwwww. I hurt myself. Owwwwwww" Very curious, I asked her what she was doing to hurt herself. She then told me she was trying to fly. When I looked at her hands, she had two turkey feathers (that I use for flower arrangements) and she had tried to flap them while jumping off the bed. I asked her how that worked out for her....
Her response? Just as serious as could be she said.....
"Well, I'm not a birdie!"
I got really tickeled and could hardly keep it together enough to love on her boo boos!

Just another adventure in parenting! It's exausting but worth it for the stories you get!

Flower Girl Wishes

2008-02-02T17:44:00.000-06:00

Our friends Kip and Penny Stringer just got married today. The wedding was great and everything went smoothly. Well everything but the flower girl. :) The funny thing is they didn't plan on having one.
Tatum has asked Penny numerous times if she could be the flower girl. Penny told her everytime that they weren't going to have one. But still everytime Penny came around, Tatum would ask. Persistance.
Today when the wedding party was in the recieving line Tatum was standing there in her blue plaid skirt and matching shirt shaking hands with all the friends and family. She was so serious about it too.
I guess she got the recognition without all the work. It's hard b/c Mommy and Daddy are always invovlved with the weddings that we go to, so she thinks that she should be in them too. Humph.

Snow fun!

2008-01-31T10:03:00.000-06:00

This morning before we even got out of bed David turned on the television so we could see if we had to get up. There has been a promise of snow for a long time and today was that day. We watched all the school closings. One after another scrolled by and no Clinton Schools showed up on the list. EVERY district around us is closed....except us. We looked out the window and it is coming down pretty hard already. Humph. Oh well.

So up we go. Clothes on. Snacks packed. Shoes, coats, backpacks, etc. get loaded up in the car. And off they go. No sooner does school start and we get a phone call that school is being closed. Come get your kids. Ha ha ha. Snow day begins!

As soon as the girls got home, they were out in the backyard getting frozen by the not quite yet snow. They made a few "slush angels" and a "slush man." After a few minutes of that they are cold and decide to come inside. It's so fun to watch them in the snow. Each year we get one pretty good snow and each year it's like the first time they have seen it, all over again. I love it.

Hangin' Tough...still.

2008-01-27T15:47:00.000-06:00

Okay, I had the best laugh just a few minutes ago and I had to blog. :) I saw a "news feed" from someplace on Yahoo! and just HAD to go read "the rest of the story."

The title read: "New Kids on the Block Reunite!"

Several things popped into my head. I will list them.

1. No way, I loved them!

2. Joey McIntyre was the cutest.

3. Holy Cow, why are they reuniting?

4. Will they still be "kids" or "The Old Men on the Block?"

5. How come I'm excited they are getting back together? Am I nuts!?!

6. They are going to look rediculous.

After I thought all those things. I told David and he said most of them out loud! :) (He was a fan too! Though I don't think he would admit it!)

So ....I guess we will see what happens in the coming weeks. However, if I hear they are coming to Little Rock, I might just have to break down and buy a ticket. I will be in line with thousands of screaming, crying soccer moms! Can't wait!

Catching up!

2008-01-25T17:10:00.000-06:00

I love it when I run into people I knew in a "past life." Today was sorta one of those days.

When we were in college, David was a manager at Wal Mart. One of his bosses, Twila, and I were pregnant (twice) together. We talked shortly after our first babies were born, but we moved off to Mississippi and lost contact. Lo and behold a year ago, we heard that our Wal Mart was getting a new store manager and they were looking to buy the house next door to us. When we found out who it was...we flipped out! How wierd!?! Well they didn't end up moving next door, and we have since moved homes but we HAVE stayed in touch.

Tatum and Maggi are in the same class as school. And today was Maggi's birthday party. Long after the pary was over and the guests gone, Twila and I sat around for three hours catching up on the last 6 years, while the 4 little girls played all sorts of dress up games. ( They looked beautiful by the way!) It was so fun to talk about "old times"....good and bad. I love catching up with old friends.

Another pair of eyes!

2008-01-22T16:58:00.001-06:00

Well, the million dollar kid has begun to spend! Tatum has been showing signs of bad eye sight for a few months but never complained about it. Yesterday we decided to take her to the eye doctor and get her vision checked. Sure enough, she took after her daddy, and needed glasses. We walked over to the wall of frames, and against my natural instincts, I let her pick out whatever she wanted with out even looking at a price tag. She chose some magenta/pink colored frames that are precious! She has had nothing but rave reviews on her new look! Now she REALLY can't deny being David's daughter!!

Shop-a-holilcs

2008-01-20T16:30:00.000-06:00

Since funny stories about kids are way to hard to resist...I have a doozy for you.

I was reminded of a few weeks ago when my kids were up at Palazzo with me for the afternoon. I was busy in the China room (which is off limits for them) trying to rearrange for Spring merchandise and all my new brides that are registering. I could hear Tatum and Eden in the other part of the store playing..."Store." Tatum was the "checker lady" and Eden was the customer, collecting the must have items from around the store and making a pile on the counter next to the register. ( This is actually very irritating for me b/c I then have to put everything back in it's place later..but this time it was okay b/c I was busy and didn't have to entertain them!) So, David calls and says he is ready to go eat lunch. I drop what I am doing to get them bundled up in their coats and into the car. As I walked behind the front counter I see my company debit card sitting out just next to the credit card machine. I didn't think to much of this at first b/c they have never tried to use it. Well......................this time was different. I didn't see any receipts but I decided to "print last transaction" on the machine. Boy was I glad I did. They had charged $819.73 to my card. I couldn't do anything but laugh. I mean ...they figured out all the steps. Who knew?

This just solidifies that they will never get a credit card from us!!!

Here we go....

2008-01-19T16:22:00.000-06:00

Okay...I am going to try and jump on the blogging bandwagon. Last night talking to one of my dear friends, who has recently started her own blog, I realized that I don't know alot about my old friends lives. So in an effort to be a "budinsky" I must let others in my life. And I do so happily. Feel free to read enjoy the antics of my lovely children. So here it goes....

Tatum is a fabulous 6 year old, as of today actually! (Happy birthday sweetie! Six years ago I was laid up in bed staring at your (very large) beautiful self!) She has just joined a cheer leading squad cheering for Upward Basketball. She is so excited to be doing it...in theory. In reality she is not a huge fan of being the center of attention. I hope that comes out of her shell and hams it up for the crowd. When I get a picture of her uniform I will post it....it's priceless!

Okay, Eden. She is also fabulous but she is a little quieter about it! She has her "Boppy" still and he is looking rough to say the least. She is in preschool and cares NOTHING about the academic part of things. To quote Gretchen Wilson..."She's there for the party!" Everyday when we get up she thinks that there should be some sort of party at school. And the reasons are hilarious.

David is fabulous too! ( I am so blessed to be part of a fabulous family! :)) He is still preaching, and teaching, and "chaplaining", and all that goes along with with serving the church. Which means that we never get to see him. I will admit that I am not a huge fan of the "preachers wife" role. So I have to try extra hard to be joyous when he is gone late at night. I am proud of him though, and envy him in a lot of ways. I have to try and be compassionate, when he oozes it. And he always gives people the benefit of the doubt when I am sure that everyone is out to get me. And I won't even go into patience! :) I am so glad that we are married.

Well, this is a long post so far ...I don't want to overdo it the first day! Hahaha!